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Members of the Architectural Committee:

  • Alan Weyman, Chair
  • Ed Brown
  • Marc Carney

The authority of the Architectural Committee derives from the MAI (Merifield Acres Inc.) covenants, which covers those properties sold between 1976 and 1980. MALA assumed the architectural responsibilities of most of the pre-existing sections. MALA actually predated MAI by four years, but the MAI covenants specified MALA as the Association which would assume the management of Merifield Acres and its common properties. The covenants also made all owners of MAI property mandatory members of MALA. Below is the section of the MAI covenants which establishes the Architectural Committee:

Architectural Committee. No structure shall be erected, placed, or altered on any lot until the building plans, specifications, and plat plan showing the location of such structure have been approved in writing as to conformity and harmony of external design and size of interior floor area with existing structures in the development and as to location of the structures with respect to topography and finished ground elevation by an Architectural Committee (the “Architectural Committee”) composed of three persons designated and appointed by Declarant, its successors or assigns. In the event the Architectural Committee fails to approve or disapprove such design, location or any other application within thirty (30) days after said plans, specifications or application have been submitted to it, such approval will not be required and this covenant will be deemed to have been fully complied with. The Architectural Committee shall be required to at reasonably in approving or disapproving any application. Members of the Architectural Committee shall not be entitled to any compensation for services performed as members of such Committee. The Architectural Committee appointed by Declarant shall serve one year from the date of the first sale of a lot affected by this declaration, at which time the term of said appointees shall automatically terminate. The owners of a majority of the lots affected by the declaration, attending a meeting, either in person or by proxy, called for such purpose by the Architectural Committee shall then elect three (3) members of the Architectural Committee. The Declarant shall not vote it slots at any such election. The term of each member of the Architectural Committee so elected, shall be three (3) years except the term of the first Architectural Committee so elected shall be three (3) years for the electee receiving the highest number of votes, two (2) years for the electee recording the next highest number of votes, and one (1) year for the electee receiving the next highest number of votes. Each lot owner shall have three votes and voting shall not be cumulative.

By virtue of the MALA Bylaws, a Chair of the Architectural Committee is established, and once elected, the Chair serves as an ex-officio Member of the Board, with all privileges and voting rights of directly elected Board Members. However, the Chair cannot be counted towards quorum at any Board Meeting.
Note: The “Declarant” referenced above was the owner/seller of the original properties who by the language above had no voting privileges after the initial terms of the Architectural Board members expired.

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