ACM Nov 9, 2022

Topics:  budget, common house playground

Wednesday, November 9 2022, 7:00-9:00 p.m  In-person and online.

Present: Eliza, Ben, Vinnie, Kay, Vicky, Mike, Lauren, Linda, Joe, Renae, Laura, Beth, Scott, Amy, Marina

Co-Facilitators: Mike and Eliza.     Notetaker: Kay.

Four items are in the storage bin for future discussion:

• fire pit,
• nonresident parking,
• Slack software,
• civility. 

Residents can suggest future topics for ACMs on form at page linked from listserv email trailer.

Budget

Discussion led by Ben.

Reserve.  The deposits to the reserve will increase more this year than the 3% we have been doing.

A reserve is to budget for items that need replacing/repair less often than three years but more often than thirty years. It's a planning tool.  Some things will last longer than the reserve analysis estimates; some will need replacing sooner.  Some will cost more and some less.  The goal is to avoid having to do any special assessments when we need to pay for a big ticket item.

We are doing a reserve analysis. Last was in 2017.  Changes from previous analyses include moving certain items from operating budget:

• Tree work,
• wooden dumpster enclosures,
• common house and workshop swamp coolers, and
• under-deck roof membranes. 

Some of these should always have been in the reserve.

Analyst recommends we increase our annual deposit to $4950.  Only part of this is an actual increase rather than a transfer, because some things we have been paying for out of operating funds. 

All reserve expenditures have to be approved by Management, so that will include tree work.  However, most landscaping work will still go through the landscaping operating budget and be under control of Landscaping Committee.

The new solar panels are not included in the reserve analysis.  They would increase the reserve amount needed significantly and are not something we are relying on for electricity.

Fee Increase.  If we increase fees 6% we have $2K to distribute among committees.  Fully funding all committee requests would require $16K. Committee might consider looking again at their requests and see if they can streamline them. 

We do have about $50K in the operating checking account.  It is very helpful to have float to adjust discrepancies in bills coming due before fee payments are received, etc. but we don't need $50K. About $10K will be the insurance premium due this month. Some could be used to increase the reserve account, fund committee requests, pay for the playground, etc. [Note: We need to be careful how such a plan shows on the documents that go to title companies etc. A couple of years ago a title company wouldn't okay a mortgage because the budget planned to spend funds left over from previous years (which is where the extra in checking comes from), until Management revised the budget to match planned expenditures to planned income for the year.  --Kay]

Committee Requests. 

• $500 dining room refresh
• $800 mediation
• $7,550 ($1750 AED, $800 cameras, $5K fire mitigation)
• $400 celebrations
• $150 welcoming
• $750 cohousing.org
• $500 dog run remediation
• $365 irrigation seeds soil and grow lightbulbs
• $160 zoom subscription.
• Dog Run.  20 to 30 ft of fence on boundary needs to be fixed to be secure for dogs. (Fence actually belongs to the neighbor.)
• Include an amount for subsidized professional mediation if residents need it. 

Fire Remediation. Asked Joe for clarification. Had contractors do a walk-through.  Estimate from Atlas was $10K: $5K labor clearing brush, mowing etc. plus $5K for trimming shrubbery around units.  Could be DIY but we aren't doing it adequately.  This is landscaping maintenance, but if putting it under Safety and Security gives us motivation to get it done, it's all to the good.  One objection: Weedwhacking everything isn't how nature does it.

Fence on north also needs work.  Belongs to neighbors and would be their HOA's responsibility.

Playground by common house 

Parents Committee has had some discussion about the common house play structure.  They would welcome help from people whose lives aren't as busy and/or from grandparents or other people who care about the issue. 

Removal.  We may want to consider removing the old   because it isn't up to code: splintering wood, exposed nails and bolts, preserved wood.  Removal cost ~$1500 [which is about what it cost to build -- notetaker].

Removing it would reduce our legal liability.  It doesn't give a good first impression to visitors.  A good playground would be a draw for younger families.

Vinnie would find it entertaining to do the demo. Removing the uprights would probably need to wait until thaw.  Make it inaccessible until then?  Could remove everything but the uprights this fall.

Replacement. How long would the spot be bare? A bare spot might be motivational to get it replaced.  Getting it replaced professionally would probably get it replaced faster than DIY.  

Estimate for replacing it with a professionally built structure was $30-40K.  Could ask for donations, fund-raise, look for grants, etc.  We can look for used playgrounds (e.g., from elementary school playground upgrades) but would require a contractor to move and reinstall it.  Rehabbing the north play structure was about $2000 plus $1K for ground cover (fall surface). 

Adding the play structure to the reserve would increase the monthly deposit amount to $5225.

A benefit of getting a commercial play structure would be lower maintenance.

A consideration if we get a nice playground is that there aren't other nice playgrounds nearby and neighbor kids will be attracted.  We approached this before by asking neighbor parents to sign waivers and asking kids to be visiting a resident rather than coming to play by themselves.

Committee Reports

Financial reports are posted on the bulletin board.  Ben will work with Linda to post it on the wiki.

Reminder about pay or play.  Two ways to contribute, working hours or paying, both respectable.  Five days grace period to report hours.  If you need an exception, come talk to Management, and please be pro-active and do it ahead of time if you can.  The current system lets each person decide what is appropriate as community work.  Hours can be credited to other people and can be banked, but we need a better way of reporting and tracking that.

Management/Maintenance. Some storage units on west side have some leaks from installation of solar panels.  Check your storage units and let us know if you have any leaks so we can have Gardner fix them.

Announce your committee meeting schedules over email so interested people can attend, and post your minutes both on email and on the wiki.

Announcements

• Halloween was awesome!
• Encourage people to do a survey on cohousing, which Vicky sent the link for.
• Backpack left in parking lot, now in mail room. Should be turned over to police if can't be identified. Mike will do that.
• Peace Corps potluck Saturday 6:00 11/12.
• Renae and Victor will have guests in the c.h. [cancelled].
  
• Sunday afternoon Vinnie will be installing a new washer and dryer.  Let Vinnie know if you know of people who will take the old ones.
• Nov 19th potluck, friends of Laura's but community is welcome.
• Linda has raspberry starts to give away.
• Joe passed out snow shovels.