Oaks of Inwood
Board Meeting – May 10, 2011
Oaks of Inwood Clubhouse
Quorum: Yes – 6 of 10 board members in attendance
Attendance
Present: Jeffrey Coomer, Mike Alexander, Jack Griffen, Robert Dee, Eugene, Mary Lilly
Absent: Ruby Allen, James Sparks, Brian Flores, Walter Thomas
Meeting called to order at 7:07 p.m.
Reading and Approval of Minutes
| Mike Alexander read minutes from April Monthly Meeting. |
| Motion to approve minutes: Jack Griffen, seconded by Mary Lilly – Motion passed |
| Mike Alexander read minutes from Working Board Meeting – Saturday, April 30 |
| Motion to approve minutes: Jack Griffen, seconded by Eugene – Motion passed |
Treasurer’s Report
| Walter Thomas was absent / No report given |
| Jeffrey stated that residents can request a copy of the financials from him or from SCS |
Pool Opening Delayed
| Announced that board has decided that the pool will not open until the necessary repairs are done. |
| Pictures of pool area problems were passed around |
Repairs to be performed with assessment
| Items that will be addressed with assessment: pool, pool equipment, pool area, clubhouse roof, clubhouse a/c, garage and fence |
| Emphasis on this being a one-time assessment |
Special Election
| Letter of special meeting will go out soon. Special meeting is scheduled for June 14th. If letter does not go out by Thursday the special meeting will occur on June 21st. |
| Date of record (to determine “current” status) will be the day before the special meeting. |
Repair Bids
| Bids have been acquired for most of the areas related to the special assessment |
| Members of the community may submit bids from their favored businesses |
| Bids from the community were requested to be submitted by Saturday by e-mail. |
Community Update
| Jeffrey and Mary met with Ms. Flowers regarding the city’s focus on our area of Houston and submitted photos and statements of concerns related to Oaks of Inwood |
| Ms. Flowers responded positively to the concerns |
| Antoine Corridor is “Signature” project for the city |
| Mary thanked Dr. Allen for allowing access to her back yard so that pictures may be taken of the problems in the neighboring apartment complex, which were submitted to the city |
Mayor’s Meet and Greet
| Board has offered Oaks of Inwood clubhouse as a location for a “Meet and Greet” with Mayor Anise Parker |
Security Update
| Report of recent events in the neighborhood read by Jack Griffen |
| Jack suggested that some of the crimes might have been committed by residents of the neighborhood |
| Dr. Allen stated that young people are entering our neighborhood by jumping over the fences behind the properties along Cypress Grove |
| One homeowner questioned why an incident on April 23rd was not included in the report |
| Evelyn Washington asked when our contract was last signed with the Constable’s Office for security. She also asked if it could be reviewed to determine if the services described in the contract are being delivered |
| Jeffrey stated that contract can be cancelled with 30 days notice |
| Jeffrey said he would get a copy of the contract to Ms. Washington |
Tennis Courts
| Timer has been repaired to address residents complaints of tennis court lights being turned on after 10 p.m. |
Sprinklers
| Repairs have been made and all sprinklers on the community property are functioning properly |
Newsletter
| Robert Dee stated that the newsletter should go out within a week |
Return to Assessment
| Jeffrey described costs and estimated that the special assessment would be $350 per household |
Jeffrey passed out Oaks of Inwood “Fact Sheet”
Question and Answer Period
Connie Turner asked if the board was still working on closing the Victory Street entrance to the community. Jeffrey stated that James Sparks was working on that issue. Mike Alexander mentioned that some residents had concerns about emergency vehicle access. Mike Grosse commented that a high-speed chase entered the community from that entrance. Issue is still be considered.
Jim Cunningham asked when the pool was last resurfaced and if the company that did that work provided a warranty on the work. Someone responded that they thought it was about 5 years. Jim also asked about getting all to pay a special assessment.
This lead to discussion about what is being done to get delinquent homes to pay annual assessment. Jeffrey stated that the number of delinquent homes is getting smaller and suggested that most are from financial difficulty rather than deliberate defiance. Erich Oley asked how long an account is allowed to be delinquent before legal action. Jeffrey responded that it was a year. It was noted that delinquent accounts are being assessed penalties and accounts that require legal action are responsible for the legal costs as well as past due amounts.
Dr. Allen asked why we needed a special assessment. Jeffrey responded with a list of approximate costs to the association, with the final point that there is no extra money and that the association is barely breaking even under the current budget.
Katrina Chambers (Cherry Forest) asked if the board had considered replacing a long-lost playground and BBQ area adjacent to the clubhouse in the special assessment. It has been so long since it existed that most residents and board members were not aware of it being a feature of the community space. It was stated that the board would consider restoring that area.
Mr. Blankinship reminded residents that he and his wife regularly patrol the neighborhood as part of the Citizen Patrol and encouraged others to consider helping the community with their participation in this program. It was stated that Sandra Rivas (not in attendance) was the organizer of this program.
Ralph Walker asked if the board had considered the possibility of closing the pool permanently and converting the space to a park, perhaps. Many comments regarding this notion suggested that the pool added value to all of the properties in the neighborhood. He also asked if a “user fee” for the pool and tennis courts had been considered. Jeffrey responded that currently residents who pay their association fees expect that it covers the use of the common facilities.
This response lead to a conversation about the clubhouse and a recent incident when the clubhouse was rented by a resident who did not actually attend the event, and the event lasted beyond the prescribed time and disturbed neighbors. Erich Oley suggested that reservations of the clubhouse be managed be the board and the neighborhood rather than allowing it to be managed by SCS.
This comment lead to Mike Alexander discussing our satisfaction with SCS and a recent incident in which SCS seemed not to enforce the Oaks of Inwood community rules and bylaws.
Randy Bates (Holder Forest) announced that he is the chairman of the board of directors for Lone Star College. He described the programs that will be offered at the campus which will replace the current campus at Carver HS. There are three programs: a standard community college, early college program (dual credit) for high school students, and workforce development program for training and certifications of those already working. Mr. Bates was asked about traffic related to the opening of the campus. He responded that some traffic studies had been conducted to determine that a light would not be needed at this time for the intersection of Victory and Vogel. The board thanked him for his presentation.
Discussion returned to the special assessment. One resident asked if the board had considered fundraisers. Another suggested that the board should be more aggressive about getting the word out about the rationale for the assessment. Ms. Washington stated that in the past there were “block captains” who would make personal contact with an assigned area to encourage participation in the process. Jim Cunningham suggested that special signs for the entrances could be made to encourage attendance at the special assessment meeting. Mike Alexander suggested that if the special assessment meeting is indeed on the 21st of June that we still have the regular monthly meeting on the 14th to discuss the special assessment.
Discussion returned to crime in the area. Residents were encouraged to contact the city through 311 and also submit information related to 311 complaints to the board that the board may use in conversations with the city.
It was suggested that the association might offer the clubhouse as a police substation. A resident offered to bake.
Meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
Jeffrey offered post-adjournment that residents can subscribe to “every block Houston” to receive regular crime reports.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Robert Dee