Sunshine Country Club Estates

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Sunshine Estates Property Owners, Inc

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Directors

December 10, 2018

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President Jean Lawrence convened the Board Meeting at 1:00PM

The Members present were Jean Lawrence, Clint Wunderlich, Dick Shelton, Lyn Swonger, Pat Harvey and Deb Robins. Not present was John Chajec.

The Minutes of the last Meeting of November 12,2018 were approved and all were in favor of this approval.

A conversation took place regarding the replacement of three Board openings. Buzz Sawyer is head of the Nomination Committee and will be contacting you! Please lend him and ear and take this opportunity to apply. We need new people. Jean made sure that people knew that just because a position is up for grabs doesn’t mean that you will fill it. There will be a meeting of all the Board members to decide who will take on what position, and that could mean that the duties may change.

Chuck McEvoy has accepted the position on the Election Committee.

SPECIAL REQUESTS TO SPEAK AT MEETING

1. Myra Boykin has requested to have her letters to be posted on SunshineCountryClub.com web site, under the owners info tab. She feels that all property owners names should be listed too.  

2. Hal Hophner would like to see speed bumps placed on Texas Ave and Minnesota St. His water damage was caused by waves of water, people driving to fast through the water. A three way stop was talked about too. Three sets of speed bumps were requested, Hal is going to gather all info and forward it to Jean so that we can make a sound decision.

3. Hal Hophner and Mel Wendel spoke about the front gate. The Question was asked, Why do we have a closed gate to protect the sheds and motor homes where the work shop is, while we have three hundred homes that are not gated. Hal and Mel have three different gate systems. They educated us on the options. Hal and Mel will narrow it down to one option; present it to the board and come up with a game plan to educate SSCC home owners.

DIRECTORS REPORTS

COMMON GROUNDS 1 -Pat Harvey  The Carved Log on Texas Ave has been removed, a committee of the Bird and Nature Club is considering what to put in it’s place. A sump pump for Minnesota ditch has been replaced this past month. Please take the time to see if your sprinklers are over watering, this would be so helpful. We purchased a normal walk behind mower for use in places that the larger mowers can’t. Lastly, the visible water along Texas Ave has disappeared!!!!!!!

COMMON GROUNDS II -Dick Shelton  The New air unit in Retzlaf hall is up and working.  

COMMON GROUNDS III -Clint Wunderlich  He is looking for two spots for sheds. Myra Boykin has volunteered her spot and is willing to move their motor home to another spot.

GOLF COURSE -Lyn Swonger  We purchased a box blade for $600. Found the problem on #2, and put in a drain.  

TREASURE -John Chajec  John sent out his financial report and it was approved and carried.

He also sent out a covenant change to be approved by the board and placed on a ballot for the Feb 2019 meeting. The change is as follows:

When this covenant was created, $45 was a 15% increase in the $300 maintenance fees. All covenant changes require a 2/3 majority vote of all lots, one vote per owner to pass. A non-vote is a “NO” vote.

Covenant SECTION 4.3 ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

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Proposed covenant changed:

The annual assessment may be increased each year by not more than 5% of annual maintenance fees per year. Any such possible increases in assessments shall be non-cumulative. In any year following a year when there has been no increase, the assessment may not be increased by more than 5%. The annual assessment may be increased each year by not more than 5% per year.

CURRENT COVENANT:

Annual assessment shall be $300.00 payable $25.00 per month. The annual assessment may be increased each year by not more than $45.00 per year. Any such possible increases in assessments shall be non-cumulative. In any year following a year when there has been no increase, the assessment may not be increased by more than $45.00 that year.

John has also submitted the C.A.R.E. fee covenant for approval by the board and placed on a ballot for the Feb 2019 election. It is a charge for NEW Purchasers at closing; equal to a year assessment fee, to be put into a capital equipment fund for improvements to the community. The assessment proposal will hopefully pass, we can only go for so long increasing our assessments by 45$ the next boards coming in will run out of money soon. This is one way of getting ahead of inflation and gain ground on funds for future improvement.  

OLD BUSINESS

Each property owner who has a fence on the golf course that isn’t compliant has been sent a letter. Each letter was the same, explaining that if the fence i s on the easement it had to be removed. A letter of apology was going to be hand delivered to the Burneys because their fence IS compliant. They also had an approved plan in their file that is in the office.   

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NEW BUSINESS

We wish to have Valerie be a Notary Republic, we will purchase the package and pay the monthly fee.

SUGGESTION BOX

Two suggestions  1) of “new towels” on the ball washers. Lyn mentioned that they will be repairing some of the ball washers and painting them and that new towels are on that list. 2) People would like to see lights in the fountains on 8/9 pond… They do have lights in them, Lyn is looking into the problem.

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Sunshine Estates Property Owners, Inc.

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Directors

November 12, 2018

President Jean Lawrence convened the Board Meeting at 1:00 PM
 
The Members of the Board present were Jean Lawrence, Clint Wunderlich, Dick Shelton, John Chajec, Lyn Swonger and Debbie Robins.  Not present was Pat Harvey.
 
The minutes from October 22, 2018 were approved.
 
Architectural Control Committee:
 
On behalf of Ina Hillman, Jim Kennedy spoke about how important it is to contact the architectural committee when doing any improvements to the OUTSIDE of your property. Even if you are refreshing a stain on your front patio, it is a good idea to make contact for approval. Forms can be found in the library. We would like to supply the realtors (Trinity Reality) with a copy of our By-Laws and Covenants so they are disclosed to the purchasers BEFORE they purchase.
 
Directors Reports:
 

John Chajec-Treasurer: Financial report as follows

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Wells Fargo:

Ck acc -

   $44,273.00 (11-12-18)

   $58,049.51 (10-22-18)

Cal 1st Nat Bk:

   Money Mkt -

   $30,639.52 (11-12-18)

   $30,606.12 (10-22-18)

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Heritage Bk:

   Jum Dep -

   $102,128.24 (11-12-18)

   $101,989.92 (10-22-18)

1st Ind Bk

    6 mo CD

    $254,088.62 (11-12-18)

    $253,668.50  (10-22-18)

          Matures - 2/4/2019

1st Ind Bk

   Money Mkt - 

   $961.20 (11-12-18)

   $964.73 (10-22-18)
 
11/12 Total   432,090.58
10/22 Total   445,278.78   Difference of 13,188.20
 
Nine residents are overdue on maintenance fees.  Invoices were mailed out on 10/31 which included 18% late fees.  
 
We are on budget, John Chajec has been sending out e-mails, keep up to date through sunshine e-news.
 
By-Laws/Policies and Procedures have nothing to report
 
Pat Harvey- Common grounds 1:
      The front gate has been rewired and because of day light savings, the timer on the gate is having problems it should be resolved this week.  The cement bases for the light posts on Texas avenue have been refreshed. The 2019 budget draft should be sufficient for Indiana Circle and to enhance security at the front gate.
 
Dick Shelton- Common grounds II:
      Pool has been drained, cleaned, refilled and the new chemicals have been put in.  The total for labor aprox $300.00 plus the cost of refill. The air unit in Retzlaf Hall needs to be replaced, it can no longer be repaired. Aprox cost for a new unit will be $6000.00 incl labour and equipment. Repairs will be done to the door in the pavilion, the cracks in the ceiling are being investigated and repairs will be kept up.  
 
Clint Wunderlich-Storage Lot & Common Grounds III:
     Nothing to report
 
Lyn Swonger - Golf Course:
      Cart path extension between 8 and 9 has been done, aprox cost $980.70  saved aprox $2000.00 by doing the path ourselves.  Fixed drains on #6 fairway and installed a French drain on 9. A question was asked if the cost of the cart path came from the trail fees? the answer was trail fees are listed as separate income and is usually used for such items, so yes that’s where it will come from. Fountain on #1 lake is going to be fixed Thursday 11/15/2018
 
Old Business
 
3 letters have been sent out re: grass barriers being put up
Sent out 4 letters re: fences on golf course
Oct 29th Budget meeting- sent out copies to board members- vote
2019 Budget accepted
See bulletin board in Library or sunshine e-mail for full copy of budget.
 
New Business
 
Mel Wendel has declined the position of head of Nominating Committee
We have three Board positions to fill.
Pat is looking into speed bump/ stop signs on the corner of North Minnesota Street and West Michigan Drive. We need to be proactive!!!
 
Motion to adjourn John Chajec, seconded by Dick Shelton

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Sunshine Estates Property Owners, Inc.

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Directors

October 22, 2018

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President Jean Lawrence convened the Board Meeting at 1:00 PM.

The Members of the Board present were Jean Lawrence, Clint Wunderlich, Dick Parrish, John Chajec, Lyn Swonger and Pat Harvey. Dick Shelton was not present.

Purpose: This was the regularly scheduled monthly SEPO Board meeting.

Minutes of the Last Meeting: The board had previously been sent the minutes of the following board meetings to review; March 12, 2018 and March 27, 2018 along with the minutes from the executive sessions that followed each of those board meetings. Pat Harvey motioned they be approved. John Chajec seconded the motion. All were in favor of approval.

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1. New Business -

   • SEPO Community E-mails:

     • Stan Nelson had informed Jean that due to health issues he would like to turn over the responsibility of managing the SEPO news e-mails to someone else. John Chajec volunteered to take this over and will work with Stan on the transition. John anticipated that this will continue as sepoenews@gmail.com and will include everything currently done.

       UPDATE: Since the meeting Beth Parrish has volunteered to take over all of Stan’s current responsibilities: Community E-mails, Web site and Facebook. She has contacted Stan and will work him with on the transition during November.
        

   • Retention Pond –

     • Jim Schaub asked to speak to the board about his concerns relating to the retention pond. He called the area a mosquito ranch. He claimed the retention pond was overflowing in the west fenced area used by pet owners due to the city flushing the hydrants of 320,000 gallons of water a month. The board informed him the primary reason for the flooding was the large amount of rain this summer and that the flushing will be reduced as our residents return and begin using city water. A heated discussion followed with Mr. Schaub accusing the board of causing the problem and the board saying it was due to heavy rains. Concerning Mr. Schaub’s issue with mosquitos in that area – Lyn Swonger said we were putting pods in the retention pond to kill the mosquito larvae. The state of TX has also had traps in the area and have not found any mosquitoes that cause zika, malaria etc. Mr. Schaub was not pleased with the board’s responses. He then accused the board of being anti-pet and left the meeting.

       UPDATE: After the meeting Pat Harvey met with the "Operations Manager" for Harlingen Water. He said the valve has been closed since June 15th, which means there has been no city water put in the pond for the past 4½ months.
        

   • Rights of residents who don’t own the home they are living in –

     • The following needs to be reviewed by our lawyers for clarification.

       - We have a homeowner who doesn’t live in the house she owns but is letting her mother live there. The daughter wrote to the board asking to assign all rights to her mother regarding the property. Per the Covenants the mother already has right to all Estates amenities as if she were a renter. What the daughter is asking is that her mother have the right to make changes to the property via the Architectural Committee. The board does not believe, per our Covenants, that anyone other than the Owner of the property can vote or request changes to the property. The board will follow-up on this with our lawyer, Randy Freeble.

     • This led to a discussion of the fence which the mother requested be put up this summer via the Architectural Committee and was rejected. She appealed the decision to the board. The board also rejected it and subsequently put a moratorium on any new fence requests until the board returned to the Estates this fall and could research the issue. However, the mother put up the fence anyway. The board agreed at the meeting to notify the property owner of their non-compliant property. And following a grace period to Dec. 1, 2018 the owner will be fined $5 per day until the property is brought into compliance. Any unpaid penalty balance at the end of each non-compliant month will be accrued at 18% per annum. As per our Covenants and By-Laws we have the right to put a lien on the property. Pat Harvey made a motion to proceed with the above and Clint Wunderlich seconded it. The motion was unanimously carried.
        

   • Fences – There was a discussion of other properties that have fences in violation of the Covenants. 4165 N Missouri has a fence which was never submitted to the Architectural Committee for approval. There are two other fences in violation which were previously approved but should not have been. The board decided that in order to not propagate the non-compliant property to an unsuspecting purchaser, the owners must correct the non-compliancy before the property can be sold. We will send a letter to these residents who have non-compliant fences telling them they can keep the fences as long as they are here, but must remove them prior to selling to a new owner. We will not process the paperwork until the fence is removed.
      

   • Fruit and Unkept Lawns – There were two instances this summer of either fruit on the ground or unkept lawns. Valerie notified Jean and the property owners were each given two weeks to remedy the situation. One was contracted out and the other was done by our employees and the residents were each billed $75.
      

   • February Board Election – We need new board members in February. The terms of Jean Lawrence and Pat Harvey will be up and there will be an opening as the result of Dick Parrish’s resignation. Jean will see if Mel Wendel will chair the nominating committee again. If not, the board will need to find someone to chair it.
      

2. Director’s Reports:

      a.     John Chajec – Treasurer:

• Financial Report - The balances are as follows:

  • Wells Fargo Checking - $58,049.50 (Bills are paid from here)

  • California First National Bank - $30,606.12 (Transfers are made from this Money Market account to Checking)

  • Heritage Bank of Minnesota - $101,989.92 (Jumbo Deposit)

  • First Indiana Bank - $964.73

  • 6 mo CD due in February - $253,668.5.

• Total Cash Balance - $442,278.78
   

It was noted that spending is very close to what was budgeted. John has sent out e-mails to all residents on how we are performing to budget on our various accounts. If anyone did not receive those e-mails or has questions they can contact John. The work John has done and continues to do has corrected many of the discrepancies in the accounting in order to help better manage the spending. Overall spending should be within budget for 2018. Clint Wunderlich made the motion to approve the Financial Report through the end of September. Lyn Swonger seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously.
 

• 2019 Budget – The board needs to have a budget planning session before the Nov. meeting. It was set for Monday, Oct. 29 at 1 PM in the multi-purpose meeting room. Prior to this meeting John needs to have in writing from each board director any changes in the budget or new equipment not in the 2018 budget. The following are some items the directors are currently aware of.
   

  • Clint –

    • He has been requested by homeowners to put additional benches in the Tennis/Pickleball courts area. Lyn said Clint could take a couple from the golf course as they have too many.

    • Shuffleboard Courts – The board discussed converting part of the courts to a Bocce Ball court and/or Bean Bag Toss. The remaining shuffleboard court(s) and the sun shades are in need of repair. Clint will start investigating all of this.
       

  • Lyn - He has a need for several tasks/equipment:

    • Repair four tee boxes for around $5200.

    • A backhoe attachment for the tractor for multi-purpose use.

    • A new greens mower at about $12,000 - $13,000.

    • A new zero-radius mower. (current one is 13 yrs old)

    • Need to increase the electrical budget to reflect what we are actually being charged.
       

  • Pat – There was discussion about the circular end of Indiana Circle and the need to either repair it correctly ($30,000) or just leave it alone as it will not get any worse.
     

• Past due Maintenance Fees - John has sent out notices to a few residents who are past due on their maintenance fees. Per our Covenants an 18% per annum penalty will be charged to homeowners not paying on time.
   

• Liens - Two homeowners have been notified of the following; (1) A lien has been placed on one property along with the 18% per annum penalty, (2) There is one additional property which we may place a lien on unless payment is made promptly.
   

b.   Dick Parrish – By-Laws & Covenants: Dick reported that everything is current and posted as of this meeting. He has received a couple of Covenant change suggestions for consideration for a vote at the next Annual Meeting. He will pass those questions/suggestions on to whomever takes over his board position.
 

c.   Pat Harvey – Common Grounds I:

• The front gate has a new Gate Operator from Alamo Door. We have a new breaker box and proximity sensor for opening the gate when ‘leaving’ the estates. The silent operator (yelper) is now installed to allow fire and medical vehicles to sound a siren and open the gate.

• The change to our employees’ work responsibilities has been working very well. The board decided at the end of March to; (1) terminate the contract for mowing ditches, (2) have one of our employees (Lalo) dedicated to common grounds and (3) have only two employees (Manny and Joe) primarily focused on the golf course.
   

d.   Dick Shelton – Common Grounds II:

• Dick was not at the meeting but it was reported that when the pool temperature was turned down slightly this summer from the 92 degree setting, residents complained so it was turned back up.

• Jean will contact Dick Shelton to see if he has any projects he is contemplating for next year.

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      e.    Clint Wunderlich – Storage Lot & Common Grounds III:

• The flower beds in the Memorial Garden have been completed.

• One of the drains in the storage lot was repaired to help alleviate standing water. He needs to repair a couple more.

• Clint had been keeping up with weed control in the storage lot until the recent rains. He will get back to it after the rains stop. Several board members commented on the noticeable improvement.

• John Chajec asked if anything could be done to reduce the amount of mud drug out of the storage lot by vehicles after it rains. Clint had some ideas and will pursue this.

        f.    Lyn Swonger – Golf Course:

• The course is in decent shape and four of the tee boxes have been repaired.

• Manny is studying to take a test in order to obtain a license required by TX to purchase and apply chemicals to kill crabgrass etc. The state has shut us off from purchasing chemicals other than Round-Up. Joe will also take this test. Lalo will need the same study materials in Spanish. The board approved that purchase at the meeting.

• Low-rise sprinklers have been installed on the north side of #4 fairway to alleviate the problem of the previous sprinkler over-spraying residents’ homes. The big sprinklers were moved in 60 feet from the property lines. The three affected property owners agreed to pay for half the cost, which was $100 per resident. The same thing was done on #6 and the resident split the cost.

• A walk-behind weed eater was purchased for $300. It is much faster for trimming around curbs, ditches etc.

• Some landscaping and sprinkler work was done around the putting greens. The stone wall was rebuilt and solar lights were added along the path to the #1 tee.
   

        g.  Jean Lawrence – President: 

Jean conveyed to the residents via the Facebook livestream that the board had to let one of the employees go this summer due to job performance. All guidelines were followed with three separate letters for things not being done correctly. The board followed the Handbook. Subsequently Joe Castillo was hired in late July to work with Manny on the golf course.
 

 3.   Committee Reports:

• There were no Committee Reports.

• Architectural Committee - Jean expressed a desire for the Architectural Committee to report on activity from the summer. The board had decided over the summer to place a moratorium on any new fence approvals until it was decided how to proceed with certain requests. We still have some issues in this area. The Architectural Committee will be asked to attend the next board meeting.

• Neighborhood Watch – Lenore could not make the board meeting but will give her report at the Informational Meeting on Oct. 23.
   

Adjourn: Pat Harvey moved to adjourn and go into executive session. Dick Parrish seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously approved. The meeting was adjourned at 2:50 pm.

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Respectfully submitted,

Dick Parrish

SEPO Board Secretary

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