The
2004 Proposed Action List
contains the 2004 goals for the Hawthorn Park Board of Directors.
Click here to view it.
The
Board of Directors for Hawthorn Park had their regular
monthly meeting on
September 23, 2004. Here are the
topics
and
highlights of the meeting. Reminder: All association
members are invited to attend these regular Board meetings.
Please note:
These are not the official meeting minutes.
Trees
-- Bill Smith explained that
the financial impact of embarking on a common area tree trimming
program is being determined. This analysis will come to closure
with the preparation of the 2005 budget. This may involve an
increase in Association dues.
Annual Picnic -- Peg Mazza reported that the
invitations are going out or are already delivered. The planning
committee has sufficient volunteers. Fancy invitations will be
sent to local government dignitaries. The 50/50 raffle has been
set up to collect money for the Holiday Party. George Sinclair reported that about
$200 in tickets have already been sold.
Storm Shutters -- Jeanine Balsis reported that 19
people in Hawthorn Park have expressed interest in hearing proposals
from storm shutter vendors. Bill
Smith explained that we would like to have three vendors present
proposals to interested home owners.
Application Fee and Process -- Bill Smith explained that the
purpose of this project is to understand why some Association dues
letters have gone to people who have moved out, and not gone to people
who have moved in, and to understand what is covered in our current
process. Jerry Lemerise
(Harmony Management) explained that we are using a "Notification
Process" rather than an "Application Process." As part of the
real estate closing process, a new homeowner will complete a
notification form, which is sent to Harmony Management to update its
database. Then Harmony sends the Notification Form to Robert Ladd (a/k/a Bob Harness) in
Hawthorn Park. Going forward, the Notification Forms will also be
sent to Bill Smith so that the
integrity of the process may be monitored. Bill Smith and Jerry Lemerise will
meet by the end of the month to review the details of the
process. The B.O.D voted unanimously to confirm last month's vote
to raise the Notification fee from $50 to $100, and to continue using
the existing Notification process, which does not include a criminal
background check for new homeowners.
Developer Loan -- Due to
storms, this item has not been worked and will be continued to the next
meeting.
Entry Landscaping Project -- Peg Mazza reported that ten people
have volunteered to help. Peg is investigating types, prices, and
suppliers of mulch. Bill Smith
mentioned that the budget for this project is not to exceed $350.
Web Site -- Art Stadlin reported that the e-mail
mailing list continues to grow. George
Sinclair reported that the effectiveness of the web site and
e-mail alerts is evidenced by the recent dance at the Palma Sola
Botanical Park, which saw people attending because they were made aware
of it through the e-mail "News Flashes."
Trees Ready to Fall -- Bill Smith reported that some trees
are tilting over 9th Ave. NW and will probably come down in the next
storm, taking out the utility wires on that stretch of road. With
input from Len Lesjak, Bill
will write appropriate letters to Manatee County and/or FPL to get
these trees cut down.
Election Process and Terms -- Jeanine Balsis explained that the
goal of this item is to improve the effectiveness of the Hawthorn Park
B.O.D. by instituting a process whereby all Directors serve 2-year
overlapping terms. Jeanine reviewed the highlights of how the
process would work. Art Stadlin gave his interpretation of how
this could be tailored to conform to the By-Laws. There were no
objections expressed at the meeting from anyone on doing this. We
need to move forward promptly in order to implement this change
consistent with our January Annual Meeting and elections. It was
decided that we would give Jerry
Lemerise a day or two to research this and recommend a course of
action, and alert Bill Smith
immediately of his recommendations. If a B.O.D. vote is required
to move forward, it will be conducted quickly, by phone.
Pumps and the Ponds -- There
remains confusion over the various pumps, what they do, who owns them,
whose property they are on, who controls their operation, and so
forth. Art Stadlin will
"interview" Len Lesjak so that
Len's vast knowledge of all the pumps and ponds can be documented for
future reference.
