Author: CandlelightOaks

Date: 1/13/2022
Time: 7:30 pm
Facilitator: Sandy Ericksen
In Attendance
Sandy Ericksen
Hope Edmondson
Dan Gonzalez
Dan Sherer
Cassie Ramsay
Lori Bulla
Polina Blossman
Johanna Wolfe
Approval of Minutes
Minutes from December Meeting were approved via e-mail
Committee Seats
Need to vote:
Secretary – nominated Cassie and all approved
Treasury – Nominate Daniel Gonzalez to open board position and continue role as treasurer. Approved
Vice President – nominate Lori Bolla and all approved.
President – Nominate Sandy Erickson and all approved
Security – Nominate Hope and all approved
Landscaping – Nominate Dan Sherer and all approved
Deed Restrictions – Nominate Paulina and all approved
Long Range Planning – Nominated Joanna and all approved
Pool – Nominate Lori Bolla and all approved
Financials
Calendar year 2021 a few assessments no rentals and decrease $829 dollars unfavorable
December is up $12,225
Expenses $1913 unfavorable
As of today COA has received 140 HOA dues out of 282.
Cassie will send out a notice to residence that HOA dues are due.
Wish List:
1. Gate – $10k CC & $1k OC
2. Wood Fencing on Oak Trail and Oak Haven – $20K CC
3. Security – $5k OP (expecting 10% increase)
4. Tidwell Tree Maintenance – $10k Op
5. Irrigation of Esplanade – $5k OP
6. CCTV – $15k CC – $1k OP
7. Updated Patio Area-$60k CC – $1k OP
8. sdIron Fence – $30k CC – $1k OP
9. Pool Company – $14k OP
Total: $135,00 CC $173,000 Op
Last HOA increase was 2003 and the only increase. Original is $240
Board agrees a possible increase to HOA may be needed to address increase in costs and improvement. Johanna recommended sending out a poll asking residence what would they like to see in neighborhood improvements
Pool Report
Before summer season there are boards that need to be replaced in pavilion. Need to market pool to residence and Village residence. Look into using Next Door and Facebook to market.
Landscaping
Nothing to report
Deed Restrictions
Nothing to report except that there are improvements happening around the neighborhood. Next Deed Restrictions drive set for February 6, 2022 at 1 pm.
Security
No crimes against people but small thefts. May need to increase security patrols.
Acorn Newsletter
We will continue the newsletter but it will go online. Agree to one last small printing that discusses the new online newsletter and poll for improvements.
Follow Up
1. Board has agreed to continue the Acorn Newsletter but moving it to a digital copy available via e-mail distribution. One last printed copy will be issued addressing this change and inviting people to take the poll on HOA Dues spend.
2. Architectural Control Committee needs to be established. Proposed to establish this committee at the same time a HOA dues increase marketing.
3. Clarify those with access to Facebook page/website
4. Barking Dog – the board will continue to discuss any involvement the board will have regarding this matter. This may be simply notification residents that the board has received complaints.
Next Meeting
Motion to adjourn was made at 9:00 p.m. and was passed unanimously.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
December 9, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach
Cassie Ramsay Inducted to open seat; elected for 2022-2023

Present at Advent Lutheran: Sandy Ericksen, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper.
Zoom: Dan Sherer, Dan Gonzalez, Cassie Ramsay, Polina Blossman.
Absent: Johanna Wolfe, Hope Edmondson.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:40 pm.

Pool: Lori reported that Ray has made the new seat covers for the lounge chairs at the pool. Later in the winter season he will make a tarp cover for the stacked chairs, that can be stored under the roof of the pavilion, to protect from off-season weather. Lori also reported a broken board in the flooring of the pavilion that needs to be repaired.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer reported that his current contract company is doing a better job recently so he wants to keep them. Sandy reported that there is still a chance that NNMD (Near Northwest Management District) will be able to take on some of the work of keeping the Tidwell esplanades tidier where it runs through Candlelight Oaks. Of particular concern is pruning of trees, provided years ago by City of Houston, planted on those esplanades by CO volunteers, but CoH is not doing a good job with the upkeep of those trees.

Treasury: Dan Gonzalez went over the details of the budget report as of the end of November, which he emails to Sandy and Marilyn before each board meeting. He said that month had some new and unanticipated expenses (legal costs and fence repair on Tidwell), and that fewer homeowners paid 2022 dues as soon as received. However, 31 homes had paid by the night of this meeting.

2021 YTD
· Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $14,533
o 2022 Assessments have been sent. It appears not as many residents have paid in Nov. as we
predicted in the budget. Anticipate this to be made up over the next 2 months.
· Expenses were favorable to budget by $1,084
· Total Income was unfavorable to budget by $13,507

November 2021
· Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $9690
· Expenses were unfavorable for the month by $916
o Additional unanticipated/unbudgeted legal and landscaping expenses
· Total income for the month was unfavorable by $10,611

Profits and Losses YTD
· As a comparison to budget, for the year we have $81,156 in Gross Profits, $102,205 in Total Expenses, after depreciation COCC has Net Income of -$22,847

Accounts Receivable
· There are $23,605 in assessments due to COCC that are from 2021, and prior from 9 residents
· There are $87,535 in 2022 assessments from 244 residents

Because there were a total of 28 homeowners who were more than 2 years overdue, it was decided that 2 years would be the cutoff point for sending the account to the attorney.

Deed Restrictions: Polina will continue to head the DR Committee next year, with Sandy and Cassie along for the drives. A date was set for the first drive in 2022. Polina said she had been using HCAD to get the names of the homeowners who will get a letter, but Sandy will see to it that Polina gets the latest data in the spreadsheet maintained by Proledge.

General: Some miscellaneous discussions came up near the end of the meeting. Marilyn reported that when she spoke to homeowner Don Kiger about the upcoming Pix with Santa event to be held in his front yard, he had asked if the Board could provide some of the edibles. Marilyn moved to spend $100 for bakery products for the event, seconded by Lori, and approved by all attending. Cassie confirmed that she has obtained a Santa Claus costume for that event.

Lori said she would like to see a system that could open the pool driveway gate in the morning and then close it at night, so that no persons would have to go over and do that. So that is to be investigated to see if there is something suitable and affordable.

Sandy closed the meeting at 8:45 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
November 11, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach
Cassie Ramsay Inducted to open seat; elected for 2022-2023

NOTE: There was no board meeting for October 2021. The election was held at the COCC pool/playground, along with a Food Truck Social. Results of the election:
28 ballots were cast.
The budget is approved. 27 voted yes, 1 no.
Lori and Cassie are on the 2021 board.
27 votes for Lori ( she did not vote for herself)
22 write-in votes for Cassie
One additional write-in candidate: Royal Honore

NOVEMBER MEETING
Present: Sandy Ericksen, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper, Dan Gonzalez, Johanna Wolfe. ZOOM: Hope Edmondson, Dan Sherer, Cassie Ramsay. Absent: Polina Blossman. Guest: Christina Walsh, assistant to State Rep Penny Morales Shaw.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:40 pm.

Pool: Lori reported that Ray Cowart, resident who maintains the pool grounds and equipment, has bid on rehabbing the set of 8 chaise longues that are very worn out. Lori recommended that the Board do it, and do it during the off-season when the seats are not in constant demand, and Ray has time to work on the project. The total price comes to $541.25. Johanna moved that we do this, Hope seconded, and all members voted Yes.

Treasury: Dan Gonzalez went through the details of the budget as it stood the day before the meeting. The invoices for 2022 will be going out soon. There will be reminders posted on RoCO and NextDoor regarding the invoices, so that homeowners will be checking to see if they have received theirs yet.

2021 YTD
• Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $4,863.47
o Although some letters have been sent to all residents that still need to pay their annual dues there are still a few outstanding that have yet to pay their assessments. A few residents did pay outstanding dues in October
• Expenses were favorable to budget by $2,000.41
• Total Income was unfavorable to budget by $2,896.05
October 2021
• Revenues were favorable for the month by $1,035
• Expenses were favorable for the month by $2,126
• Total income for the month was favorable by $2,123
Profits and Losses YTD
• As a comparison to budget, for the year we have $75,721 in Gross Profits, $92,918 in Total Expenses, after depreciation COCC has Net Income of -$18,829
Accounts Receivable
• There are $10,330 in assessments due to COCC that are from previous years from 9 residents
• There are $3,210 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period from 18 residents

Workday: Dan Sherer’s Tidwell volunteer cleanup project will be conducted on Saturday Nov 20 starting at 8:30 a.m. Tasks to be done include a refresh of plants and mulch for Charlie’s Garden on the Bolivia esplanade, power washing of the white brick walls on each side of Bolivia, and tree cleanup on the Tidwell sidewalks. The exact tasks to be done on Tidwell depend on whether the NNMD and/or Homeland Security can help with traffic control, as fallen or cut branches will be put into a trailer on Tidwell, if that can be done safely.

Security: Hope reported that a “slimjim” device was found in the vicinity of some recently reported car break-ins. She said this suggests that not all losses from cars were due to owners not locking their cars, or use of high-tech gadgets for unlocking cars. She said that Homeland patrols were now spotting and advising door-to-door solicitors that CO is a no-solicitation neighborhood.

General: Due to recent changes enacted by Texas legislature regarding HOAs, our Deed Restrictions need to be updated. COCC’s attorney Chip Smith has recommended that COCC restore an Architectural Control Committee (ACC), to ensure that architectural harmony is maintained within Candlelight Oaks. He states that CO is the only HOA he works for that has let its ACC lapse. Any changes will have to be voted on by each of the 4 sections in CO. Mr. Smith will assist with updating our legal paperwork that will be eventually filed with Harris County, once approved by the required percentage of COCC property owners. To reduce legal costs to COCC for the update, Lori will write a first draft of an amendment, which will then be submitted to Mr. Smith for legal review. Following approval by the board and Mr. Smith, the draft will be presented to COCC’s property owners for their vote.

Our guest, assistant to State Representative Penny Morales Shaw, was eager to work with CO board members, although only a few of our homes are in District 148 — Most of us are in District 139 with Jarvis Johnson.

Sandy closed the meeting at 8:50 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
September 9, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

NOTE: There was no board meeting for August 2021.

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Dan Gonzalez, Johanna Wolfe, Marilyn Harper, Dan Sherer, Lori Bulla, Hope Edmondson, Polina Blossman.. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:35 pm.

Pool: Lori reported that the pool got inspected by CoH Health Dept, and everything regarding the pool itself was found to be Ok, but she was told that the glass-topped tables were not allowed. The glass needs to be replaced with plexiglass or some safer material by next year’s inspection.

Treasury: Dan G had sent the treasury report produced by Proledge ahead of the meeting, with the figures shown below. Dan said that current budget items that are behind expectation for the year are basically because of unpaid dues. There was a discussion about how targeted letters to homeowners behind on their dues had generated some payments earlier this year, so that will be done again.

2021 YTD (does include August)
Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $5405.
– Although some letters have been sent to all residents that still need to pay their annual dues, there are still some outstanding that have yet to pay their assessments. Total outstanding revenue is $17,227. See A/R below for additional detail.
– Expenses were favorable to budget by $2990
– Total Income was unfavorable to budget by $2441

Profits and Losses YTD
– As a comparison to budget, for the year we have $71,729 in Gross Profits, $74,448 in Total Expenses, after depreciation, COCC has Net Income of -$4025.
– Part of the large change from July was the $8350 insurance expense as well as July and August Security expenses charging the account during this time period.

Accounts Receivable
– There are $13512 in assessments due to COCC for previous years from 12 residents.
– There are $3715 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period from 18 residents.

Social: Johanna said that the Food Truck event on August 12 fell about $600 short of expectation. The BBQ was enjoyed, the Drinks truck did a brisk business, and the children who had ice cream treats enjoyed them, but the turnout simply fell short. Marilyn thought it was mostly the weather report for that evening, which had been discouraging — although it did not rain, after all. Johanna thought having the trucks parked in the pool parking area could have misled some people that might have been expecting to see the trucks in the cul-de-sac on Oakhaven. Another food truck social will be held along with the October Election on the 14th.

Security: Hope reported that crime has been very low this year in CO, but she did say that a workman in the neighborhood had some of his equipment stolen from his vehicle while he was busy working on site. She said this sort of crime is common all over northwest Houston. She advised people to beware of cars with paper license plates, if you are outside where you can see them.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer said the CoH Water Department still does not have the water meter that was restored to service on the Bolivia median working properly. He told us the mulch placed around the flowers in Charlie’s Garden in May needs to be replenished, probably costing $200-300. There was a discussion about the need for removing the palm tree which did not recover from the February Freeze. Sandy had gotten bids from New Image Trees for removing both palms in the Spring, but we opted to have them trimmed to see if they might recover. Sadly, only one of them did. There was also a discussion of the need for fresh playground “mulch”, which is not a landscaping topic. The last time the playground surface was topped up with its special mulch was April 2016, done as an Eagle Scout project by resident Thomas Vina.

It was discussed that almost no response to the “Shaggy Trees on Tidwell” issue had occurred, although Sandy said she found one home where some branches hanging over the fence had been cut, but then simply dumped onto the driveway to the pool. Dan S suggested we have a weekend work session this fall to trim trees and clean up the worst obstructions along the sidewalks on both sides of Tidwell.

Deed Restrictions: Polina said it was time to do another DR drive-through, and she, Sandy, and Marilyn agreed to October 17 at 1 pm.

Election: The COCC election for 2022-2023 will be held at the pool on October 14. We need to start advertising for several new board members, as Dan Gonzalez (Treasurer) and Marilyn Harper (Secretary) are leaving the board when their terms expire on December 31. (Note below my research into previous elections and terms.)

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:45 pm.

Election Notes:
Sandy Ericksen, Johanna Wolfe, Polina Blossman, Hope Edmondson, and Dan Sherer have 2021-2022 terms that extend into next year. Lori appears to be the only current member who will need to run again in the October election. Lori’s 2020-2021 term expires December 31, and I hope she will run again for 2022-2023. So COCC needs Lori and 3 new members to bring the board back up to its official 9 members for the Jan 2022 meeting. The 3 new board members will replace Dan G, Marilyn, and A.D. Koen who left the board Spring 2021 upon turning over Security Committee to Hope.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
July 8, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Marilyn Harper, Dan Sherer, Lori Bulla, Hope Edmondson, Polina Blossman. Absent: Dan Gonzalez, Johanna Wolfe. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:35 pm.

Pool: Lori reported having 63 members at this point, and she thinks that 2019 was the highest number of members since she began being the Pool Committee chair. (See Footnote #1.) The pool has not been inspected yet by CoH. There are chairs at the pool with ripped webbing, which Lori said that Ray Cowart is going to repair and recover as his time permits, without charge to COCC.

Landscaping: Dan said the CoH water meter recently restored to service on the Bolivia median is still not working properly — there is a problem with the water pressure, even though the city has been out twice to fix it. He said the landscaping mow usually happens on Tuesday, but with it raining every day, the schedule is hard to keep lately. Dan reports that there are lots of backyard trees that need trimming in CO houses that back up to Tidwell. Some of them have branches hanging down over the Tidwell sidewalks so low that they obstruct foot traffic. Marilyn proposed to write this problem up for a RoCO (Residents of Candlelight Oaks Facebook group) announcement to see if we can get homeowners backed up to Tidwell to check the condition of their trees at the fence-line for obstructions, and do some trimming if needed.

Dan is working on assembling a Fence Committee to investigate the feasibility of having a crash-resistant and noise-abating fence built along the CO backyards on both sides of Tidwell. He is in touch with a homeowner in the Ashford Lakes subdivision, who are working with the city of Sugar Land to construct such a barrier along their boundary.

Dan also wants to have Gill make some new security contact signs for display at the pool. The ones still in use were made for SEAL and have old phone #s marked through. So Dan proposed the signs, Hope seconded, and everyone online agreed. A.D. phoned in during the meeting to tell Sandy that he wants to have Gill do a new driveway gate closing sign, as the old one was made when Covid made the closing time 8 pm. A.D. and his wife Bobbie are opening and closing the driveway gate and closing time is now 9 pm. There was a discussion about how nice the 2 huge palm trees at the pool are looking, with new green fronds at the tops, as they recover from the February freeze.

Deed Restrictions: Upcoming, Polina is going to drive the first DR drive-through in CO for over a year. Marilyn will take notes on the addresses where infractions are deemed to require a letter, and Sandy will take pictures of the problems. Marilyn and Polina will create the letters using the template files, and putting in the address, homeowner name, date of the drive, write a description from the notes taken during the drive, and include a picture demonstrating the issue(s). Finished letters will be emailed to Sandy who will print, put in envelope, stamp and mail.

Treasury: Sandy reported that there was some problem at Proledge which prevented them from producing the treasury report that is normally sent to Dan Gonzales and to Sandy in time for the monthly board meeting.

Social: Sandy said that Johanna is planning a Food Truck event at the pool for around the middle of August.

Sandy reported the recent deaths of long-time homeowners Henry F. Meschkat and Austin D. McMahan, and said she will be sending sympathy cards to the families.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9 pm.

Footnote #1: Marilyn checked the summer 2019 board meeting minutes and found the following for July 11, 2019:
POOL: Lori reported there are currently 72 memberships, the highest number she is ever aware of.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
June 10, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Marilyn Harper, Dan Gonzalez, Lori Bulla, Johanna Wolfe, Hope Edmondson, Polina Blossman. Absent: Dan Sherer. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM. Advent Lutheran has not yet decided to reopen their building for neighborhood meetings like ours.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:38 pm.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer could not attend the meeting, but he had reported to Sandy that he had been watering the new garden plants on the Bolivia median since Tuesday. The water pressure from the recently restarted City of Houston meter is not up to expectation, and has been reported for a check-up. The mulching has been put in place around those new plants. The final step to finish the makeover of the entrance medians is the installation of new grass sods. Dan S had a bid of $325 per pallet, with 4 pallets needed, for a total of $1300 for that project in common-areas maintenance. Sandy made a motion to approve this expenditure, Marilyn seconded, and everyone attending approved.

Sandy reported that $650 in donations for “Charlie’s Garden” at the entrance had been received, and that more will be needed for the plan to install a memorial bench in the enclosed area on the west side of the COCC pool.

Pool: Lori reported that there were currently 48 pool memberships, with a 49th in process. The annual operating license has been received from CoH, although there has not been a city inspection this year. Lori said that an issue with the pool backwash has been completely addressed since it was noted in last year’s inspection. The entrance gate to the pool had not been closing properly, but Dan Sherer’s company has overhauled it so that it is back to normal, reliable closing. This was done gratis on a Saturday, so many thanks to Dan Sherer for getting this done.

Former board member A.D. Koen has continued to be the one who opens and closes the gate for the driveway from Tidwell to pool parking, every day. Because A.D. and Bobbie were going to be on vacation, Sandy had agreed to open that gate in the morning and Lori would close it at 9 p.m.

Treasury: Dan went over the report he had emailed to board members.
May 2021
• Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $4760
• Expenses were favorable to budget by $3437
o There were additional landscaping expenses for the esplanades that were approved by the Board in May
• Total Income was unfavorable to budget by $8197

2021 YTD
• Revenues were favorable to budget by $3775
o Letters have been sent to all residents that still need to pay their annual dues. Those in foreclosure or with collections/attorney were not sent an additional letter.
• Expenses were favorable to budget by $5073
o Pool management, pool chemicals, repairs & maintenance and security are all favorable YTD with Security being the largest contributor.
• Total Income was favorable to budget by $1278

Accounts Receivable
• There are $14624 in assessments due to COCC that are from previous years from 14 residents
• There are $7305 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period from 23 residents

Sandy said that at least one late payer was found to have had a bad email address, and two are making payment arrangements now.

Deed Restrictions: It was decided that Polina (Chair), Sandy, and Marilyn will resume DR drive-throughs in July. A date could not be found that would work for all 3 until July 11. There was a discussion about consistency in handling DR violations. We shouldn’t send a violation letter to one homeowner for an RV stored on the premises, and not send a letter to someone else with the same infraction. It was then decided that an announcement about DR drive-throughs resuming in July should be posted on both RoCO and Next Door.

Security: Hope reported that the Homeland patrolman who works our neighborhood did come by the Food Truck social event on May 25th. She said there hasn’t been much reported in Candlelight Oaks or the surrounding area, aside from a towed truck and stolen catalytic converters.

Sandy closed the meeting at 8:40 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
May 13, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Marilyn Harper, Hope Edmondson, Polina Blossman, Dan Gonzalez, Dan Sherer, Lori Bulla. Absent: Johanna Wolfe. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM. Advent Lutheran has not yet decided to reopen their building for neighborhood meetings like ours.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:34 pm.

Treasury: Dan went over the report he had emailed to board members.

April 2021
· Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $4205
· Expenses were favorable to budget by $5822
Security expenses budget for $3726 have not yet hit for April
· Net Income was favorable to budget by $998
Including Security expenses COCC would be unfavorable to budget by $2728 for the month

2021 YTD
· Revenues were favorable to budget by $985
· Expenses were favorable to budget by $9496
· Net Income was favorable to budget by $9481
Including April Security expenses COCC would be favorable by $6141

Accounts Receivable
· There are $13361 in assessments due to COCC that are from previous years from 11 residents
· There are $9960 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period from 33 residents

Sandy noted that some of the 33 homeowners have started paying this year’s dues. She said we need to find out if some of the email addresses we have on file are no longer correct. We save money for the HOA by using email rather than printing and stamps, but that only works if homeowners keep their emails current in our list.

Pool: Lori reported that 29 pool memberships had been taken so far. The back-wash issue that the COH pool inspector had told her about last year is being addressed. A part that was needed was purchased for $23 and she said Ray Cowart, our pool maintenance contractor, would be able to install the part and redirect the outflow to a city sewer pipe, as required. Lori estimated that within a week, she would be able to submit the permit paperwork and get the annual inspection scheduled. She mentioned that due to rising prices and fear of shortages, she had purchased the chlorine that would be needed for pool operation this entire year.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer reported that the Tidwell esplanades had been mowed. He expects city water meter working at our Bolivia entrance within a week. It was decided that Dan would write a statement for Residents of Candlelight Oaks (our FB Group RoCO) to ask if anyone has the capability to design the Bolivia median makeover that will become Charlie’s Garden, to honor former Assistant Treasurer Charlie Bowman. Once there is a design, we will also need volunteers to help with clearing old plants, planting grass and new plants. Sandy had a bid from her yard man of $350 for grass sods and $175 to clen up those two medians. Donations are sought to support the creation of Charlie’s memorial garden, and a bench that will be dedicated to Charlie in a more private area such as the fenced-in pool grounds.

Security: Hope said she would invite the Homeland patrol who work our neighborhood to attend the Food Truck social event on May 25th. She said she plans to talk to the area HPD and Harris County constable organizations, to see if she can get them to patrol in CO more than they currently do.

Deed Restrictions: Polina is officially the chair of the DR committee, which has not been active for about 2 years. There was a discussion about whether the homes in CO are well taken care of, or not. Polina said that she thinks most are just fine, but Dan Sherer said he thinks most homes do have some DR violations. Polina said she will write up an announcement for RoCO letting homeowners know that deed restrictions will be coming back this year.

Sandy closed the meeting at 8:53 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
April 8, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Dan Sherer, Marilyn Harper, Hope Edmondson, Lori Bulla, Johanna Wolfe, Dan Gonzalez. Absent: Polina Blossman. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:35 pm.

Treasury: Dan went over the stats on the treasury account that he had emailed prior to the meeting. He said that the 15 old deficit accounts noted below will soon be getting demand letters.
March 2021
Revenues were unfavorable to budget by $2395
Expenses were unfavorable to budget by $2785
Total Income was unfavorable to budget by $5180
2021 YTD
Revenues were favorable to budget by $5190
Expenses were favorable to budget by $2689
Total Income was favorable to budget by $7879
Accounts Receivable
There are $13941 in assessments due to COCC that are from previous years – 15 residents
There are $11765 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period – 37 residents

Pool: Lori reported that 6 memberships have been purchased so far. The water has been too cold to be enjoyable. She is going to purchase new light fixtures and new bulbs for the bathrooms. The City of Houston inspection is expected soon, and nothing has been done so far about the new requirement for backwash water to be routed to a sewer line. Lori said that Ray can look into how and where to make that hookup.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer reported that the current contractor Landscape Texas which had its crew sidelined by Covid is back on the job again. The sprinkler system that was approved for the 2 esplanades at the Bolivia entrance from Tidwell has been installed, but there is a hold-up with the City of Houston water department re-authorizing the water meter in that location. No one currently on the board even remembered a time when water was available on those esplanades.

Since New Image Trees is expected to be out soon to cut dead parts off the top of the 2 tall palm trees at the swimming pool, and trim the vines that grow on the pergolas at the playground, Dan wanted to get a tree trunk that has been blocking a sidewalk on Tidwell taken care off. Sandy proposed spending up to $100 to have the fallen trunk removed, Hope seconded, and all approved.

Deed Restrictions:
The question of CO Deed Restrictions was raised by Dan Sherer who was not aware of the DR Home Owner Information Booklet that Gill Daoust had produced several years ago and hand-delivered to every home. Someone checked the website and said that document was available there online. (See Footnote #1.)

Social:
Johanna has arranged a Food Truck Social at the pool on Tuesday May 25. There will be food available to purchase from Southern Sliders and beverages available from Tap Truck. She suggested we invite residents of Candlelight Oaks Village to promote sales of pool memberships to them.

Security: There was an incident in early April when several residents posted on RoCO and called Homeland to report a suspicious car driving slowly around the neighborhood. It turned out that it was our HPS security officer driving his personal car, after his marked patrol car was out of service. Lori suggested that if such an event ever occurs again, the officers should use a magnetic Security Patrol sign on the sides of their car. Committee chair Hope Edmondson said she is going to contact HPS about a few changes she would like to see in our contract, and get it signed by both parties, as she does not have a signed contract that covers the month-to-month arrangement we are now in.

Misc:
Sandy raised the question if the board was ready to revert back to in-person board meetings. Lori is going to check with Advent Lutheran to see if their premises are available for organizations to meet in again. Marilyn suggested that if Advent isn’t available, the pavilion at the pool is a good place to meet in the open air. Someone mentioned mosquitoes.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8.23.

Footnote #1.
The CO website candlelightoaks.com has a copy of Gill’s handbook dated 2018, containing the separate and slightly different deed restrictions for the 4 sections. There are also maps and by-laws. Find this on the menu under Resources.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
March 11, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Dan Sherer, Marilyn Harper, Hope Edmondson, Polina Blossman, Lori Bulla, Johanna Wolfe,. Absent: Dan Gonzalez. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:33 pm.

Pool: Lori said the new pump is installed and working well. The pool and bathrooms sustained no damage during the February freeze and power outages. The 2 towering palm trees had the leaves at the top freeze, and will need to be trimmed off, which is beyond the reach of any equipment that any resident would have. Quotes will be obtained from New Image Trees and from Dan Sherer’s tree trimming company. Polina reported that the plants that cover one of the two gazebo structures at the playground have gotten very overgrown, so that will be included in trimming quotes.

Lori said there has been no word from CoH Health Dept whether to expect rule changes for pool operation this year. Lori is modifying the pool membership form to make it clear that the signed forms must be turned in before the member can swim or even have their card activated. This is an important legal liability issue.

There was discussion as to whether the entire process of signing up for pool membership, including payment, could be put online. Polina said she will investigate what vendors could provide a function like that, and what would it cost.

Security: Hope is making trespassing forms available to residents to file with HPD. This is in response to recent problems with a man who once lived in CO and then lived with a relative in COV. On several occasions this year, he has tried to open doors to houses, and created disturbances, but it appears that HPD will not arrest him unless the complainant has No Trespassing papers on file. Hope is concerned at not finding a signed contract with Homeland Protective Services, beyond the first 6 months of operation, which was a try-out period, so she wants to have the current contract printed and signed by both parties. Hope said she would be out of town for a few days, but Dan S arranged to hold the HPS security drive reports for her.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer reported that the current contractor Landscape Texas has had its crew out of circulation with Covid-19 and unable to mow for a while. They will get caught up when able to return to work. The city was observed to be mowing their Tidwell esplanades the first week of March. The proposed renovation of the watering system found on COCC’s 2 esplanades on Bolivia was brought up for discussion, and Dan S made the official motion to spend $1900 to do this work. Johanna seconded, and all present for the Zoom meeting approved. Among new information about this system is that it is similar to a lawn sprinkler system, has auto-timer, and has capability to attach a hose if that feature is ever needed. The plan is to acquire some new native plants for the Bolivia entrance esplanades, if possible from the Near Northwest Mgmt District sponsored Spring sale of hardy plants from Treesearch Farms.

Social:
Johanna discussed the possibility of having a Food Truck event at the pool, on an evening in April after Easter, probably either Thursday the 8th, or Friday or Saturday 17-18. There will also be a Drinks Truck. Sandy reported that A.D. Koen says he has now passed the Security Committee baton to Hope, so he is stepping down from his board seat, while his wife Bobbie Koen says that she would eventually like to serve on the COCC board, but it won’t be until after she has retired. She does plan to try to do some Story Time sessions on the 3 cul-de-sacs this year; stay tuned for details. So there is currently a vacancy on the board, which we will try to fill by inducting a volunteer.

Treasury:
Dan G was not present but had emailed the following Treasury report:

February 2021
• Revenues were favorable to budget by $1645
• Expenses were unfavorable to budget by $147.62 due to Security expenses being over budget by $331.40.
• Total Income was favorable to budget by $1789.20

2021 YTD
• Revenues were favorable to budget by $7585
• Expenses were favorable to budget by $5747.61
• Security and Landscaping expenses for February have not hit the accounts by the time the financial statements were ready. They were charged for January
• Total Income was favorable to budget by $13052.83

Accounts Receivable
• There are $10561.65 in assessments due to COCC that are >90 days. 15 residents
• There are $21640 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period. The remainder of these should be paid in the coming months. 60 residents

Deed Restrictions:
Sandy inquired whether it was time to restart DR drive throughs, which have not been done for a year due to Covid-19 restrictions. It was decided that it will be discussed at the next meeting.

Misc:
There was a brief discussion of the Dan S project to seek local government buy-in on a safety fence along both sides of Tidwell. (See Footnote #1.) Sandy brought up the name of a homeowner that she had seen mentioned in The Leader in connection with request to get CoH to add a traffic light on 43rd St to make it safer for students to get across the street. Marilyn will see if she can find information about that news story.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8.44.

Footnote #1. (from last month)
Uniform concrete back-yard fencing on both sides of Tidwell. The main reason would be safety, as there have been a number of very bad vehicle incidents along Tidwell. Wooden fences do not stop drivers who lose control of their vehicles. Dan got an estimate for construction of 5700 linear feet of backyard concrete fencing for all CO lots along Tidwell, and the amount was $825,000.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
February 11, 2021

2021 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
Hope Edmondson Security Committee Chair
A.D. Koen Outgoing Security
Polina Blossman Deed Restrictions Chair & Website
Dan Sherer Landscaping Chair
-Open- Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Marilyn Harper, Lori Bulla, Dan Gonzalez, Johanna Wolfe, Dan Sherer. Absent: Hope Edmondson, Polina Blossman, A.D. Koen. Guest: Mike Kuhnen NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:37 pm.

Misc: The first item discussed was a query from a homeowner on Oak Trail regarding a recent change in rain water flowing into her back yard. She had spoken to former board member Michael Kuhnen because she had noticed he had been using his tractor to level out holes and bumps in the driveway from Tidwell into the pool parking lot. Mike was online for this meeting, and said he didn’t see any connection between where he was grading and where it was said that water flow had gotten worse. There was some question as to whether a drainage pipe had collapsed or been removed. No one was aware of any changes regarding any underground pipes. Mike volunteered to remove a trash tree that had grown up in a huge container sitting in the drainage ditch that runs north along the chain-link fence between the pool and the playground, and empties into a ditch on the other side of the wooden fence. This is a long way from the back fences on Oak Trail, but it might improve drainage in the over-all area.

Pool: It was reported that there is already one pool membership for 2021, and that Ray had done some prep at the pool for the upcoming storms and cold snap. Lori said it is expected that all CoH Health Dept Covid-19 rules affecting swimming pools will remain in effect this year. No changes in pool fees or rules are being made for 2021. Lori is going to update the pool forms and send to Polina and Marilyn to put them on the website and social media.

Treasury: Sandy reported that ~215-218 homeowners have fully paid their 2021 dues, of the 282 total lots in CO. Dan G had emailed the Treasury report through the end of January to Sandy and Marilyn before this meeting. As he was on the call for the meeting, he ran through the main points.

January 2021 and Year To Date
– Revenues were favorable to budget by $5940
– Expenses were favorable to budget by $5326.99 due to Security and Landscape expenses not being incurred in the month. Landscape and Security expenses will be incurred in February 2021 and may show a negative budget variance for the month but should be net 0 to budget YTD.
– Total Income was favorable to budget by $11263

Accounts Receivable
– There are $10606 in assessments due to COCC that are >90 days
– There are $32430 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period. The remainder of these should be paid in the coming months.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer reported that he has met with the current contractor Landscape Texas that is continuing from Darin Lee’s years on the board. Dan wants to add some new tasks to the basics currently being done by LT. But it is not clear what level of services are currently being provided by CoH for mowing the 8 esplanades on Tidwell that are within the boundaries of CO, or by Near Northwest Mgmt District for mowing the sidewalks along the same stretch of Tidwell. We need to know what is being provided gratis before we know exactly what we have to commit to hiring additional labor. Other new work that Dan S wants to do includes: mowing both sides of the driveway from Tidwell to the parking lot gate, and fertilize and mulch our 2 esplanades at the entrance on Bolivia. The proposed monthly landscaping cost will rise from $1318 to $1734. He made a motion to spend the $1734 this year, and the motion carried. Then Dan mentioned that the mulch and fertilizer would require plenty of water. He said that old water connections with a meter have been found on those esplanades and he wants to build new cage-protected hydrants there, so the combination of nutrients + mulch + water can support planting of attractive vegetation at what is considered to be the grand entrance to Candlelight Oaks. This discussion led to one about whether the board should fund improvements like these from existing reserves, as opposed to waiting for a campaign to seek an increase in homeowner dues.

Lori said she wants to research in the CO bylaws how the reserves can be used and what qualifies as a capital improvement. Johanna said that she would like to see a strategic plan developed for the possibility of a dues increase in 2-3 years. The dues have not been raised since they went from $240 to $360 effective January 2003.

Another project that Dan S wants to promote is whether there is any way that CO can acquire uniform concrete back-yard fencing on both sides of Tidwell. The main reason would be safety, as there have been a number of very bad vehicle incidents along Tidwell. Wooden fences do not stop drivers who lose control of their vehicles. Dan got an estimate for construction of 5700 linear feet of backyard concrete fencing for all CO lots along Tidwell, and the amount was $825,000. Johanna and Sandy were discussing possible ways to get local government buy-in on a safety fence from city and NNMD sources.

Charlie Bowman:
Sandy mentioned that we need to find ways to cut down on use of Proledge services. This came up in connection with our sad loss of assistant treasurer Charlie Bowman, who passed away in the hospital on Jan 20. Many things that Charlie was doing to address queries that came in by email to both board@ and treasurer@ are now much harder to handle. It is hoped that board members, especially Dan Gonzalez and Sandy Ericksen, will become familiar with how to address questions that come in. Sandy is planning to initiate a fund to create a memorial for Charlie, with possibly a bench, possibly a dedicated tree, possibly a flower bed, located on a common area in the neighborhood.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9:33.