Merifield Acres Landowners’ Association 37th Annual Meeting Minutes

The 37th Annual Meeting of the Merifield Acres Landowner’s Association was held Saturday, October 5, 2013 in the Oak Park Stable, Merifield Acres, at 1:30 pm. (Potluck picnic began at 12:45, and was attended by over 40 people.)

Call to Order was at 1:32.

Approval of Minutes from the 36rd Annual Meeting (posted on www.MerifieldAcres.org) was motioned, seconded and passed without dissent.

Treasurer’s Report for 2013 (to date), 2013 Audit findings, and Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Presentation (enclosed in the ballot letter) were presented by Treasurer Annie Hensley. Additional information about the CD was given – our CD has a secure yield of 0.011 percent in a risk free CD. Report approved by voice vote.

Old Business

President’s Comments – President Chris Crouse reported on the problem created by the commercial logging of the 40 acres of the Lewis family property adjacent to Merifield Dr. He stated that as it was not within MALA jurisdiction, it could not have been prevented. Some dissenting remarks regarding the commercial logging were made.
Chris reported that the Merifield break-ins described in the Mecklenburg Sun occurred in another neighborhood with similar street names.
There had been a complaint regarding an invasion of privacy regarding the cameras at the entrance and at the end of the runway on Meriwether Drive. Rick Baldwin, who had donated and installed the equipment, replied that the data was not broadcast, and erased itself periodically. Replies from those assembled were in affirmation of the security the cameras provided.
There were comments that there were either too many members on the board, or not enough members on the board. Chris replied that anyone who wanted to volunteer would find a place on the board, subject to elections. Serving on the board is an obligation, not a privilege.

Committee Reports

Appearance and Beautification – Chair Butch Cheatham Butch thanked Kevin Hensley, Rick Baldwin and the other neighbors who showed up to help after the hail storm for tree removal and clean up. A volunteer list was passed around to assist Butch with his efforts.

Architectural Committee Report – Chair Kevin Hensley reported that trees greater than 6” in diameter need approval prior to removal, but can be trimmed up to 11 feet without. There was one request for a metal shed that was denied. Large storage facilities are available for rent in town. Kevin stated he is looking forward to a continued close working relationship with all the MALA Board members in the coming year. 11 requests for Architectural approval were submitted for review this last year, which were approved. The previous year there were 10. To summarize, there were:
• 4 Houses (down from 5 the previous year)
• 3 Additions
• 1 Garage
• 2 Sheds
• 2 Decks
No Requests for Approval are currently being reviewed. No issues are currently being investigated.

Aviation – Chair Francis Hale reported that the runway is well maintained and has a great deal of transient aircraft – military uses it as a reference at night. The camera at the end of Meriwether is to guard against abuse and is there as a response to trespass.

Common Areas and Facilities – Chair Jim Monaco reported

Deer Control – Scott Diamond was not present and did not provide a report. The assembly agreed that the deer were solidly in control.

Roads and Maintenance – Chair Mike Gupton reported that the roads were cleared and cleaned with many thanks to those who stepped up to complete the tasks. Only one contractor was needed to remove the most dangerous trees. Ditches and culverts must be cleaned and that task is now before the board. Extra thanks to our maintenance contractor Mike Hite who borrowed the town’s firetruck and used the jet of the hose to clear obstructed culverts and drains. A $100 donation was made to the fire department. Several roads are scheduled to be resurfaced – bids have been requested for asphalt and tar-gravel as the budget will allow. Further, “As you know we have had numerous trees across roads from the strong storms in the last 7 months. Thanks to all the volunteers, and with help from Mike Hite (our maintenance contractor) we were able to get most of the trees cleared and removed without any cost to MALA. Any money we save with volunteer labor is that much more we will be able to use for road maintenance. We did have to hire a contractor for a few trees that were deemed too dangerous to allow volunteers to remove. Overall our roads are in pretty good shape. I have decided to wait until late spring/early summer next year to do the next road surfacing. With the large amounts of hard rain we’ve had this year, we have had some issues of water going across the roads. The mowing season is about over so our maintenance contractor will have time for us to work on the ditches and culverts to try and eliminate water going across the roads. If anyone is aware of areas where this has occurred, please contact me so that when we start on this we can try to fix all of the areas before doing the next road surfacing. This is especially important in regards to any partially stopped up culverts as we will try to bring in a CVFD firetruck to use high pressure to flush them out, and would like to do this only once. Tentative roads to be surfaced in 2014 are: Briarfield, Darcy, Eagle Perch, Goat Island, Hazelnut, Highpoint, Maplewood Ct. This could change depending on what happens over the winter and funds available.”

Security – Chair David Hammer reported

Welcoming – There had been no chair or committee, but the board had received indications from Kathy Diamond that she was interested. Kathy is now the Welcoming Committee Chair.
Communication

Directory – Currently there is no chair or committee, but a comment was made that Nola Adler was working on a phone directory

Email – Currently no chair or committee

Newsletter/Web News – Nola Adler was not present and did not provide a report.

Website – Currently no chair or committee

Open Forum
1. Volunteers are needed! There is no one tasked to the website or email.

2. The Tennis Court needs to be resurfaced. It is offered as part of the membership in MALA and needs the cracks repaired and a uniform surface applied. Jim will look into the matter come spring.

3. Question was raised regarding the late fees – these must comply with the covenants, and late fees are NOT part of the covenants. 100% of the members must agree to change the covenants.
New Business
The Bylaws and the FY 2014 Budget in the ballot letter were approved.
Election Results for the MALA Board of Directors and the Architectural Committee are as follows:
Elected to terms ending September 2016:
• Mike Compton
• Carolyn Ferguson
• Annie Hensley
• Scott Jeffries
• Cindy Meadows
• Dewitt Vanarsdale
The board met after the annual meeting to elect the executive members, as follows:
• Chris Crouse, President
• Phil Beck, Vice President
• Annie Hensley, Treasurer
• Nola Adler, Secretary

Adjournment was at 3:13