Merifield Acres Landowners’ Association

December 13, 2016

Board of Directors’ Meeting Minutes
 

  1. Our Board meetings are not an open forum, and only Board business is to be discussed.
  2. Any resident issues with other residents should not be discussed at Board meetings unless there is a specific covenant or by-law violation reported that needs to be discussed.  Violators of this rule may be ruled out of order.
  3. Repetitious complaints that have been previously addressed by the Board may be ruled out of order.
  4. Personal attacks on other residents will be ruled out of order.
  5. The proper procedure is to make a motion first, then open for discussion.
  6. The only time motions can be made is during old business and new business.
  7. In order to maintain control in our meetings, we need to cut down the cross talk and speaking out of turn.

The meeting was Called to Order at 7:00 PM.
Attendees
BoD Members:  Butch Cheatham, Annie Hensley, Kevin Hensley, Susan Warren, Chris Crouse. Emily Howie, Rick Baldwin, John Stinson, Kent Galvin, Rusty Bishop, Alan Weyman, Mike Compton, Dave Hammer, Kim Fuller.
Guests:   Ken Catlett, Hal Norman.
Treasurer’s Report: – Chair Annie Hensley reported the Carters Bank and Trust checking account has $105,902.56, the Merrill Edge investment account has $150,152.65.  A motion was made, seconded and apposed without dissent to accept the report. 
Old Business
Minutes:  Approval of the Minutes from the August 13th Board meeting were presented and passed without dissent after a motion that was seconded.
Committee Reports

Appearance and Beautification

Chair Chip Overton was not present.  Litter continues to be a problem in Merifield.  Thanks to all who help by picking up litter around their properties.  Chip and Carolyn did a great job with the Christmas lights at the entrance.

Architectural Committee Report

Chair Kevin Hensley reported that there were no Requests for Approval submitted to the Committee for review and no issues or complaints are currently being investigated. 

Aviation

Chair FJ Hale was not present.  The USACE five-year permit for grass cutting and tree trimming has been renewed.   The fee was $2500.   Rick Baldwin reported that the windsock is gone and that the tower needs maintenance.

Common Areas and Facilities

Chair Alan Weyman had nothing to report.,

Deer Control

Chair Scott Diamond had nothing to report,

Roads and Maintenance

Chair Mike Gupton: Fire trucks need 12-14 feet of unobstructed height for access.  We need to cut some of our tree limbs back to that height along our roads.  Kent Galvin will let us know when it is scheduled so that our volunteers can plan to be there.  Please let Kent know if you are available to help so that he can contact you.  It was also noted that Sambo Lewis paid MALA for the road damage that occurred when his property was logged. 

Security

Chair David Hammer had three issues to report:

  1. Oct. 19, 2016:  Lori Neubauer hired Warren Hardy to cut trees.  He cut the trees and took the wood, but left a mess.  When she complained to him, he threatened her.  She called the sheriff, who came out to discuss the matter.  She is considering pressing charges.
  2. Mid November:  Rick Baldwin’s contractor had tools/equipment (air compressor) stolen form Rick’s construction site.
  3. Dec. 10, 2016:  Lori Neubauer was confronted by an aggressive dog (Doberman mix) on her property.  The dog did have a collar and eventually ran off.  No further issues on the matter at this time. 

Note: We have a leash law in Merifield. Pets must be confined to your own property unless otherwise controlled (leashed).  This does not apply to USACE property.  The Animal Warden cannot enforce our leash law, but if an animal is running loose within Merifield and is a nuisance (aggressive), the county laws apply.  The Animal Warden can be reached at 434-738-6171.

Communication:

Welcoming / Email

Chair Cindy Meadows had nothing to report at this time.
 Directory
Chair Susan Warren reported that there were a lot of changes in the Directory which have been made.

Website

Chair Susan Warren had nothing to report at this time.
New Business
MALA Lien Procedure:  After the legal status of our lien procedure was challenged by a resident earlier in the year, we received confirmation from CWMEB, an experienced, reputable law firm, that our lien procedure is legal.  A motion was made, seconded and passed by the Board to continue to use the lien procedure that MALA has used for many years.
Fence at the Front Entrance:  The split rail fence at the entrance will be repaired or replaced as needed.  We are also considering replacing the lanterns at that location. 
Burlington Truck Traffic:  This is a reminder to our residents that you need to be careful at the intersection of Old National Hwy and Burlington Drive.  The truck traffic coming out of the old Burlington site has right of way.  That traffic has recently increased, and will continue to do so.  We don’t want to lose any of our neighbors.
We owe a special thanks to:
MALA Board Members and Committee Members for their work in maintaining Merifield Acres.  Some of you serve on two or more committees.  Some of you work full time and still find time to help make Merifield a great place to live. 
Kevin and Annie Hensley for providing the MALA Board a convenient location to have our meetings, saving our members the travel time and the inconvenience of having to drive to and from town for our meetings.
Phil Beck for his time and his tractor to help with removal of the many downed trees at Oak Park, and the Board members and residents who helped, and Kevin Hensley for providing his water truck. 
Cindy Meadows for the great job in keeping our residents and our Board in touch. She works full time and still finds the time to produce an excellent, informative newsletter.  We continue to receive complements on it. 
Annie Hensley, Susan Warren-Borgh, and my wife Shar for all of their time and work to produce the mass annual mailing to the hundreds of MALA residents in October.
The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.