April Board Meeting Minutes
Merifield Acres Landowners’ Association
April 11, 2017
Board of Directors’ Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to Order at 7:20pm.

Attendees: Board Members: Butch Cheatham, Kent Galvin, Bud Divens, Rusty Bishop, F.J. Hale, John Stinson, Rick Baldwin, Phil Beck, Mike Compton, Kevin Hensley, Carolyn Ferguson, David Hammer.
Guests: Jim Gordon, Andy Ferguson. Sambo Lewis, Mike Chandler, and Ken Catlett.

Treasurer’s Report: – Chair Annie Hensley was not present. Butch read the report that showed there is $158,519.26 in the Carter’s Bank checking account and $161,370.78 in the Merrill Edge Account. The latest P&L Statement was provided.

Old Business
Minutes: A motion for approval of Minutes from the February 7 Board meeting was seconded and passed.
Lien Procedure: After receiving legal opinion(s) from MALA’s lawyer that support our current lien procedure, the Board will continue using that procedure. It considers the matter closed, therefore no more discussion on that subject will be held in the Board meetings. The Board needs to spend its time focusing on other MALA business.
USACE Easements: There is good news. Butch received an email from Shannon Crews of the USACE indicating that, after they reviewed the deeds for the four locations where MALA roads cross USACE property, MALA does not need to have easements for those locations. MALA’S cost for those easements would have been substantial. Copies of the deeds for those locations have been given to the Board for recording in our permanent records.
Committee Reports
Appearance and Beautification – Chair Chip Overton was not present. Residents continue to compliment Chip for the great job he is doing at the front entrance. Thanks again to all of our residents who help MALA by picking up litter and tree debris around their property. Fence repair at the entrance will be ongoing during the coming year. Residents who are interested in volunteering to help with the fence repair should please call Chip at 374-5867. The more volunteers we have, the faster the repair will go, and the quicker we can get back onto the lake.
Architectural Committee Report
– Chair Kevin Hensley reported that there was one approval for a detached garage on Goat Island Court. He also addressed a complaint about a tent on a resident’s property.
Aviation – Chair F.J. Hale reported that the debris from widening the airstrip will be cleaned up at a later date, TBD. Volunteers are welcome to help.
Common Areas and Facilities – Chair Alan Weyman was not present.
Deer Control – Chair Scott Diamond was not present.
Roads and Maintenance: Chair Mike Gupton (Kent Galvin is standing in for Mike). Mike Gupton is scheduling paving contractors to bid on 2017 MALA road repairs and resurfacing. A prioritized list of roads slated for repair and / or resurfacing will be provided to the Board via email.
Rick Baldwin has volunteered his help and his tractor to work with Kent and Mike Hite to move the traffic island at the intersection of Lakepoint and Merifield Drives over to improve the visibility of oncoming traffic for residents entering that intersection from Merifield Drive. It will be coordinated with the scheduling of the road paving to allow proper patching of that area. The Sheriff’s department will continue to randomly patrol Merifield for dangerous drivers, especially at that intersection.
Security – Chair David Hammer has nothing to report.
Welcoming / Email – Chair Cindy Meadows was not present.
Directory – Chair Susan Warren was not present.
Website – Chair Susan Warren was not present. We thank Hal Norman for all of his work on our website. Hal was given the approval to proceed with switching our website over to a new hosting company, not to exceed $200. He suggested that we use Lunar Pages. MALA is fortunate to have Hal’s support, with his years of experience managing websites.

New Business
MALA Issues
 March 13th: I received a text from Hal Norman regarding a Shentel truck driver speeding in excess of 50MPH in Merifield. The complaint, which included the license number for the truck, was forwarded to Shentel. One week later, Hal said he saw the same truck driving the speed limit in Merifield.
Reporting speeding contractors to their employers, highlighting the liability that driver presents for the employer, is a viable option to help stop contractors from speeding in Merifield.
April 1st : I received a call from Phil Beck that Hal Norman had brought him a copy of a lien against his property that had been filed on a previous owner. Our Treasurer will address this issue with Phil and work to resolve it.
April 2nd: I received an email from Hal Norman regarding a tent in front of a house on Lakepoint Drive. Kevin Hensley investigated and found that it was a tarp covering a motor home. No further action was required.
April 2nd : I received a copy of a 1991 deed from Sambo Lewis for two of his lots for which the deed excluded those lots from MALA assessments. The Lewis Family had been billed by MALA and assessments had been paid for those lots for years. In lieu of a reimbursement of those paid assessments, Mr. Lewis said that he will donate that money, approximately $3,000, to MALA. He only asks for a letter acknowledging that donation in return. That deed was forwarded to the Treasurer for action. MALA owes a huge thanks to Mr. Lewis for his generous contribution to MALA.

Stepping Down:

Butch announced that he is stepping down from the MALA Board, and that Vice President Chris Crouse will assume that responsibility:

MALA Residents:
I regret to say that due to recent health issues, I am stepping down from the MALA Board. I have enjoyed working with the MALA Board members, most of whom are now friends. They are some of the most generous, fair minded and professional people I have associated with. I certainly could not have made it through the last few years without their support. The Board has accomplished a lot for MALA during that time.
Communication is critical for a successful HOA. The MALA newsletter keeps you abreast of Board activity and it keeps the Board in touch with the needs of our residents. The positive feedback we have received from the MALA residents has reflected your appreciation and support for the current Board and for the MALA newsletter, recognizing the work that is done. I am confident that the Board will continue to do what is best for the MALA community.
We are a neighborhood of volunteers. Many of the people you see maintaining our common areas, or picking up trash along our roads, or helping clear downed trees and tree debris off our roads, are your neighbors who volunteer to help. Without our volunteers, much of the MALA funds needed for maintaining our roads would be spent to hire contractors to do the work that many of us are capable of doing. I hope that you will continue to volunteer your time to help with the projects that are needed to keep our neighborhood a great place to live. Most importantly, MALA needs your help identifying dangerous trees and dangerous drivers that are a threat to the safety of our residents.
I wish you all a happy, healthy year.
Respectfully,
Butch Cheatham
President, Merifield Acres Landowners’ Association

Adjournment was at 8:30 pm.