Author: CandlelightOaks

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc.
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
July 12, 2018

2018 Board Members:
Sandy Ericksen President
Amelie Fredland Vice-President
Jill Prado Salyers Treasurer
Darilene Bonnet Secretary
Lori Bulla Pool Committee Chair
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions; Long-Range Planning
Richard Solis Social Chair; Acorn Delivery
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Charlie Bowman Asst. to Treasurer / Financial

*Marilyn Harper Acorn Editor 2018

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Lori Bulla, Darin Lee, Michael Kuhnen, A.D. Koen, Richard Solis. Absent: Amelie Fredland, Jill Prado Salyers, Darilene Bonnet. Residents: Ray Cowart, Gill Daoust, Marilyn Harper. Guests: SEAL Sgt Capetillo and Jessie Aust.

Sandy called the meeting to order at 7:40 pm.

Security: The SEAL report was given by Jessie Aust with SEAL Client Services. After noting the lack of any actual crimes reported in the June Incident Report, she remarked that Candlelight Oaks was the most crime-free subdivision that she was aware of among those patrolled by SEAL.

Presentation: Resident Gill Daoust announced that he is ready to print the Deed Restriction booklet he intends to distribute to every homeowner in CO. The 80+ page spiral-bound booklet is a personal project undertaken by Gill, as his gift to the community. It contains the Deed Restriction text for all 4 sections of CO, a color-coded fold-out map of the subdivision showing the 4 sections, and several pages of important contact information. Gill is going to personally hand out the booklet to owner-occupied homes, and mail a copy to those homeowners who live somewhere else. The COCC Board sincerely thanks Gill for this contribution to educating and helping Candlelight Oaks. There will be an announcement in social media Residents of Candlelight Oaks and NextDoor Candlelight Oaks when Gill is ready to start delivery.

Gill then passed around the mock-up SEAL sign he produced for the board to examine. It is high quality printing on a thick aluminum rectangle. Sandy moved for approval for Gill to proceed to make the signs, seconded by Darin, all approved.

Treasury: Sandy reported that her information from Jill and Charlie is there are currently 18-20 NO PAYS, some of which are vacant houses. She thinks that this is the lowest number ever recorded in July. She attributes this to Charlie’s personal touch with contacting homeowners who have not paid and getting them to sign up for a payment plan. There are about 40 homes that are on a payment plan this year. Sandy said the tracking and management of payment plans is soon to transition to Proledge.

Pool: Lori reported that our pool had failed the CoH Pool Inspection that day, due to the emergency 9-1-1 phone was not working. She said it had worked a few days earlier when she tested it. The pool had to be closed, pending re-test. Ray Cowart, our pool maintenance man, found a loose wire for that phone and fixed it, so Lori was able to request re-test for the following morning. [NOTE: That all worked out and the pool was open again on Friday. The initial closing, the reason for it, and the All-Clear were all posted in Q and A on the Facebook Group Residents of Candlelight Oaks.] Lori reported 2 party rentals of the pavilion were booked.

Deed Restrictions: Michael reported that the previous drive-through had resulted in the DR violation letters being produced on a computer, but they were never printed, and thus never mailed. Marilyn will take on the task of combining the violation notes with the form letters, aiming to have the batch completed within 1 week of the drive. Sandy will then print the letters, fold them, and stuff the envelopes. The next drive-through was set for Sat July 21, 10 a.m. A.D. will drive, Michael will take photos, and volunteer Marilyn will note the addresses and violations.

Presentation: With Landscaping being the next topic, Ray Cowart asked to address the board and explain what he does as the current landscaping contractor. In addition to being the pool maintenance contractor, Ray also mows the grass inside the COCC pool and playground areas. His company has also for several years had the landscaping contract for the interior cul-de-sacs and the esplanades on Bolivia, and for maintaining a better appearance than would otherwise happen on the Tidwell esplanades and sidewalks on both sides of Tidwell. Darin has been wanting to get a detailed bid from Ray that could be compared to other bids he has in hand or will obtain. Ray said his procedure is to do whatever he sees that needs to be done, whether it is removing the wrought iron fence section that was about to fall over, or disposing of dead animals found on the Tidwell sidewalks. He said there is a tremendous amount of littering from vehicles driving through on Tidwell. Trash ends up on the esplanades and the sidewalks. He basically sees something that needs to be taken care of and does it and does not want to record every action his company takes. Sandy asked if he could post a short email when major mowing is done, so the board knew when to go look at the result, and be able to tell if it was done on the expected schedule. Ray said no emails, he just didn’t want to work that way, and his motivation has always been just wanting his neighborhood to look good.

In follow-up discussion, it was noted that the Tidwell esplanades belong to the City and the City mows them once a quarter, but that does not keep them looking good. Residents then complain, and expect the Board to mow them often enough to be tolerable. The sidewalk areas along Tidwell actually belong to each home-owner, from the back fence to the curb. Very few people whose back yard is on Tidwell do any maintenance of their own area, maybe most don’t have a back fence gate for easy access to cleanup. The idea was brought up of including Tidwell in the regular Deed Restriction drive-through, at least for fences that are falling down.

Meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc.
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
June 14, 2018

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Jill Prado Salyers, Lori Bulla, Darilene Bonnet, Michel Kuhnen, AD Koen, Richard Solis, Charlie Bowman. Absent: Amelie Fredland, Darin Lee. Residents: Gill Daoust, Patrick Ball, Marilyn Harper, Gerard Bohorquez. Guests: SEAL Sgt Bonsey, Lt. Garza

2018 BOARD OFFICERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Amelie Fredland Vice-President
Jill Prado Salyers Treasurer
Darilene Bonnet Secretary
Lori Bulla Pool Committee Chair
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair; Long-Range Planning
Richard Solis Social Chair; Acorn Delivery
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Charlie Bowman Asst. to Treasurer / Financial

*Marilyn Jo Harper Acorn Editor 2018

President Sandy Ericksen called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm.

SECURITY: Sgt Bonsey discussed the May SEAL reports. Candlelight Oaks has very low incident reporting.

PRESENTATION: Special presenter was Gill Daoust, who has been working on his Home Owner Information Booklet, including Deed Restrictions, Amendments to Restrictions, and maps showing all 4 sections. There was a brief discussion regarding the history of Candlelight Oaks and its Sections; it was noted that Candlelight Oaks was established in 1969. All Board members were encouraged to submit corrections or ideas by email to Gill by the end of June. Gill’s goal is to provide each homeowner a final copy; printing will be provided free by Gill, however, stamps, if used, will need to be a cost to the Board. Note: The Architectural Control Committee has been expired, as noted on page 27 of this booklet. The reason for the ACC when CO had one was to discourage the modifying of homes so they are then out of character with other homes.

TREASURER REPORT: Charlie and Jill were pleased to provide the Board with documents 2016-2017 Actual YTD Profit and Loss December Statement, 2018 Proposed Budget (Budget, Actual, Over/Under YTD), Comparative Profit and Loss Statement (Internal Use only) Including Income and Expenses, 2017 Budget as Compared to 2018. Regarding 2017, everything looks pretty good, and we’re $13,519 better off than the prior year. On the Income and Expense, we did a lot better on income, dropping a lot more money to the bottom line. Also in a comparison to Budget for the full year 2017, we had budgeted a $7,049 loss, but we made approx. $20,000. When the accounts were merged in 2016 and 2017, the charter of accounts were different in both years, making a merge difficult and not matching. Charlie did his best with Jill to reconcile. It was noted that some assets in the past 2 years should have been appreciated and were not: normally the work of a tax accountant.

Charlie passed around a list of Past Due accounts shared among the Board members only since names are confidential. 7 past due accounts were turned over to the attorney (totaling $9,200 a year ago), those who are over $360 past due are on a payment plan, and 2-3 are in dispute for $360 from a prior year. Past Dues that go to the attorney are not quickly cleared because a formal collection plan is followed. Collection rate for 2018 is the highest in years; only about 25 homeowners are behind in their payments, thanks to Charlie and Jill. We must balance the budget every year and did very well last year. Our savings balance has gone up from approx. $100,000 to $151,000. Jill stated that we did budget for 2018 to break even. Copies of YTD Budget & Actual 2018 were distributed by Jill. We will transfer the accounting to Proledge, and Sandy once again acknowledged the hard work of Charlie and Jill,

MOTION MADE: A motion was made, voted upon and confirmed to schedule a Full Financial Audit in July/August, using Canady & Canady PC, specializing in HOA audits, for $1,500, which was not included in this year’s budget. The company has good references and a thorough letter of proposal, per Sandy. Jill will need to be available for the proposed end of July session to answer questions.

There is a size of HOA for a mandatory financial audit; CO is under this size but Sandy and Charlie want to propose this audit, since CO is in the best financial shape in years. Darilene shared a generic checklist to prepare for an audit with the Board. A part of this audit will be to send out a survey to owners and gather their responses, which will be shared anonymously with the Board, in order to improve our internal checks and balances moving forward. To prepare for an audit, we must submit “approved minutes”, currently in draft form; we are two months behind, per Darilene. The Board acknowledged this was due for April and May 2018. Charlie proposed that in 2019, there be a financial review for a reduced price, then another audit the year after with follow-up, certainly as it relates to a transfer of documents from one treasurer to another.

LANDSCAPING: Darin could not attend this meeting but is in communication with Michael. Darilene noted that she submitted to the Board a bid for a One Time Clean Up Tidwell Bid (not approved), of areas adjacent to the owner fences (outside their yards), normally the owner’s responsibility, to improve the “look” at our main entrances to CO, and that it would be useful to know the landscaping projected expenses/budget from now to year-end.

Darin submitted a bid for General Maintenance with Scope of Work, months ago, so it would be good to know the money left in the budget to spend in 2017. Charlie said the Board should see a breakdown of all the bids to compare apples to apples, so they can make a good decision. Michael suggested that Darin coordinate a Scope Committee to discuss scope, frequency, areas and special services, then put this form out to bidding. Ray could be invited to bid with others; Michael has no problem with other Board members collecting bids, as Darilene had done. Point is, contractors need a well defined schedule and scope of work to be able to bid fairly and do the work. The City is supposed to cut and trim the esplanades on Tidwell every 21 days, per Parks and Recreation. Trash build-up continues to be a problem on Tidwell. Darilene suggested to send out a letter from the Board to the Residents/Owners backing up to Tidwell, asking them to either take care of this area or “sign-off” and allow the Board to cut down all trees outside their yard, backing up to their fences and/or those near storm drains to allow for proper drainage. Another suggestion was to inform owners that, per Michael, the owner must maintain this area including the sidewalk, with certain exceptions

MOTION MADE by Michael: A motion was made, seconded and voted upon to purchase shrubs for both sides of the sidewalk near pool area entrance, Ligustrums (or other) for up to $400 + taxes for 15-20 plants, plus dirt and mulch to improve the look. Michael will pull old plants up with his truck. A.D. will be involved because of the proximity to his home (and he waters plants).

LONG RANGE PLANNING: Michael will get a bid to replace the picket fence around the playground for 2019 budget.

DEED RESTRICTIONS: Drive-through is planned for July, no dates confirmed, per Michael.

SOCIAL: We had a great Memorial Day Party, as reported in the Acorn and our social media.

PLAYGROUND: Michael visited the shack located on the vacant lot and shut off a water valve, which had been running water for days, which was done to help the landowner. Marilyn said that although the road to the pool was recently leveled off and potholes filled in, this is not a permanent solution and will have to be redone occasionally.

Meeting adjourned at 9:25 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc.
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
May 10, 2018

Present: Jill Prado Salyers, Lori Bulla, Darilene Bonnet, Michel Kuhnen, AD Koen, Richard Solis. Absent: Sandy Ericksen, Amelie Fredland, Darin Lee. Residents: Marilyn Harper. Guests: SEAL Sgt Bonsey

2018 BOARD OFFICERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Amelie Fredland Vice-President; Deed Restrictions Support
Jill Prado Salyers Treasurer
Darilene Bonnet Secretary
Lori Bulla Pool Committee Chair
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair; Long-Range Planning
Richard Solis Social Chair; Acorn Delivery
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Charlie Bowman Asst. to Treasurer / Financial

*Marilyn Jo Harper Acorn Editor 2018

At 7:39PM, meeting was called to order by Michael Kuhnen.

SECURITY: Sgt. Bonsey reviewed the monthly SEAL Report, showing the most prevalent concerns were the heavy trash piles related to Harvey (approx.. 22 piles) scattered around the neighborhood, heavy traffic on Tidwell causing drivers to cut through our neighborhood, drivers not respecting the stop sign at Bolivia and Fallen Oaks, and door-to-door solicitors, which were approached by SEAL officers. As for the Bolivia stop sign: On April 19, 18 cars ran the stop sign (16 were known residents), 38 did a slow-roll through and 27 cars did stop, all within a 30 minute period. On April 4, a total of 53 cars passed through this intersection; 11 cars ran the stop sign and 23 cars did a roll-through (10-11 were known residents), which shows this intersection continues to be a concern. The Board has started to use the Post Order Form to request additional services from SEAL during their shifts. Residents are encouraged to call 311 for trash issues and related support. On April 23, there was a two-car accident on Bolivia; HPD was not called and both drivers were able to drive away.

A.D. will send to Amelie the new SEAL Vacation Request Form to post on our website. Marilyn will put in next Acorn a writeup about the Vacation Watch and the Security Contacts on the back page will include the online Vacation Watch form. A.D. followed up with the SEAL signs proposed at the April meeting with Gill, and Gill gave a very competitive bid to produce the same signs. A.D. visited the various sign locations to determine which posts were reusable, may purchase 1-2; will need 5 signs plus one at pool entrance. Gill quoted $80/ea for 18×24”reflective signs and will make a mock-up sign first. A.D. will determine best place to post the pool entrance SEAL sign. A.D. spoke to Gill about SEAL receiving CO maps with actual addresses on them.

TREASURER REPORT: Nothing to report. Charlie is helping Jill with collections. Currently there are many residents past due, some of whom owe for past years.

LONG RANGE PLANNING: Michael will continue to keep the playground fence pickets in good shape and research other fencing options for 2019 budget.

POOL: Lori reported we now have 11 (up from 8 last month) memberships, 1 party is booked, and all membership cards have been activated and are working properly. We received the Pool Permit paperwork from the City of Houston; Jill will insure payment is sent in time. OSL will start their swim classes first week of June for 2 weeks, and then have their Friday swims. Lori will continue to explore options to replace some of the pool fencing; one photo was sent to the Board. Currently, a tree near the front entrance is the only thing holding up the broken wrought iron fencing. Michael motioned to remove the broken fence section including the outer gate at the Oakhaven cul-de-sac; seconded by Lori. Ray Cowart will be paid to do this.

PLAYGROUND: Slide is still broken, as stated in 2 previous monthly Minutes. Michael will contact Kaboom for a solution. The Board thanks resident Dave d’Agrella who smoothed out and filled potholes on the road from Tidwell leading to the playground. Marilyn will write this up in the next Acorn.

DEED RESTRICTIONS: Michael, Sandy, and Marilyn drove through in May. Michael will work on a spreadsheet to track violations, which may help during drive-throughs to monitor response to DR letters.

LANDSCAPING: Darin was absent, but the board is beginning to look at bids solicited by Darilene and by Darin. Darilene wants to hire a landscaping company she had used before on a job, and they bid on an initial massive cleanup on both fenced sidewalk sides of Tidwell running through Candlelight Oaks. This involved cutting down trees that are growing there and branches hanging over the fences, trimming all overgrowth, trimming and filling in the grass area from the sidewalk along Tidwell to the resident fences so as not to have any more vegetation here, and hauling off all debris. Board members advised Darilene that the sidewalk area between the fence and the Tidwell curb belong to each homeowner, and COCC cannot cut down any trees there. The Board also cannot cut any trees on the Tidwell esplanades, as those belong to the city. Darilene is concerned about excess leaves that fall from trees ending up in curb drainage system.

SOCIAL: The next event will be the Memorial Day & Splash Day party on May 28. Richard will provide Gabby’s BBQ, with side dishes brought by attendees. Marilyn asked about progress with the Children’s Lending Library boxes that were offered to us by HISD Trustee Rhonda Skillern-Jones. Richard will need volunteers to help him pick up the Libraries, which are attached to a concrete pad and very heavy. The boxes are at an HISD storage site. Discussions involved providing a park bench beside the library boxes, a dedication event, and possible locations in the neighborhood. Marilyn suggested getting the Cardozas involved once the boxes are brought here, since the original idea came from Mrs Cardoza.

OLD BUSINESS: Marilyn gave feedback to Darilene regarding the Board Meeting Minutes, incomplete and misspelled names, and format; feedback was accepted.

Meeting adjourned at 9:25PM.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc.
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
April 12, 2018

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Lori Bulla, Darilene Bonnet, Michel Kuhnen, AD Koen, Richard Solis.
Absent: Jill Prado Salyers, Amelie Fredland, Darin Lee. Residents: Marilyn Jo Harper. Guests: SEAL Sgt Bonsey, SEAL Officer Malcolm, and Laura (SEAL Management)

2018 BOARD OFFICERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Amelie Fredland Vice-President; Deed Restrictions Support
Jill Prado Salyers Treasurer
Darilene Bonnet Secretary
Lori Bulla Pool Committee Chair
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair; Long-Range Planning
Richard Solis Social Chair; Acorn Delivery
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Charlie Bowman Asst. to Treasurer / Financial

*Marilyn Jo Harper Acorn Editor 2018

At 7:34PM, meeting was called to order by Sandy Ericksen.

SECURITY: SEAL presented their monthly report, explaining a collision that occurred on Tidwell and Antoine which ended at the entrance to the pool. Although SEAL was not involved, they were called and said they considered this a bad accident, where a lady had been driven over by an 18 wheeler truck, survived and was taken to a nearby hospital. HPD was promptly on the scene. Also a concern is the soliciting challenges in Harris County. SEAL stated that 99 % of the door-to-door sales people (appointment setters) in our neighborhoods are 3rd party vendors, not people casing our homes. This is not a top priority for HPD; cable, newspaper, electric companies actually have permits to come door-to-door.

We now have a new SEAL contract for 2018 to replace the one from 2015, the provisions of which were discussed by Laura & Malcolm (SEAL managers) with AD and Sandy at the SEAL offices; changes were made, although the hourly rate for this service will remain the same. The Board reviewed the annually renewable contract, was asked their opinion on changes. Prices will remain the same, however, some of the changes will enhance SEAL’s services to Candlelight Oaks. The Post Order Form was presented, whereby the Board may specifically request SEAL officers to report on Deed Restrictions, trees down and a variety of additional services during the officer’s patrol, simply by completing this form. Other services are: (1) SEAL can study traffic patterns at intersections where drivers are not respecting stop signs; (2) make lists of Harvey related-trash with the addresses so 311 can be called for pick up; (3) change officer schedules to overnight or late, to mention a few. AD will look at reports and trends, to make recommendations to SEAL for adjusting the summer schedule. Any schedule changes will not be shared with the Board prior to the changes.

Our Security Budget is a total of $50,000 and currently we are below this amount. There was a discussion to raise the hours of coverage by 10 hours. Signage, electricity, fencing, lighting, gate system, and a few other expenses are in this budget and must be considered before adding hours. With the new pool card system, Lori now has the ability to lock residents out after 10 PM.

AD looked at SEAL security signage at all the entrances, made note of our needs, and will work with Michael to get them ordered. Michael also wanted a sign at the entry to the pool road; AD agreed. There was a motion to approve a sign budget of $825.00, and seconded. The signs will be a purchase for COCC by AD and he will consider the one with the K-9 included. Michael wanted a formal sign proposal from SEAL, which will be provided. AD will send this proposal to the Board for review prior to his order for 6 signs. It was decided to ask printer Gill Daoust about some additional signage around the pool, including PRIVATE PROPERTY, NO TRESPASSING, CO physical address, pool hours, which can be “reflective” for easy reading.

TREASURER REPORT: Jill was absent due to illness; there was nothing reported. She has been working very hard on ledgers / bank deposits, collecting past dues and is making good progress on 2017 final P&L. Michael, Charlie, Jill and Sandy met to review the 2 boxes of Records, to find they were in pretty good shape. Proledge will be called to help once things are in good order for an audit. Darilene sent to Jill 2 samples of Check Request Forms which Michael thought were a good idea to use moving forward, to help her tracking checks to projects/expenses. Board discussed looking at how to make forms available on our website.

LONG RANGE PLANNING: Michael brought up the fact that we need to plan for Budget 2019, projects, fences, landscaping, improvements, picnic tables, etc. and getting prices for these projects in June/July 2018.

POOL: Lori reported we have 8 memberships so far, and will use a spreadsheet to track memberships. OSL has paid to use our pool and the new card reader will allow the class to enter on the agreed upon days. In order to clean the pool after closing, Lori has changed the gate closing time to 9:00PM, but those already swimming may stay until 10:00PM. Ray capped off a pipe that was leaking, which was at one time an input of water to the pool underneath the diving board, and he painted the restroom floors. Richard has some repairs to handle before pool gets busy. Marilyn suggested that Amelie post the Pool Membership Form on our website.

DEED RESTRICTIONS: Drive-through was done on March 24th, and visible improvements were noted, per Michael. Harvey debris is still a problem, but is currently being resolved because Board members are calling 311 to identify the locations; SEAL has helped in this regard noting problem areas in their reports. Drive-throughs happen every 6-8 weeks, next being May 5. Gill Daoust, who prints the Acorn, has undertaken a personal project to print up the Deed Restrictions for all 4 sections of CO. This will be Gill’s gift to Candlelight Oaks, including a map of CO. The Board will give him feedback before the DR booklet is released.

LANDSCAPING: Darin was not in attendance.

SOCIAL: Our Easter Event went very nicely, the Board agreed. The next event will be the Memorial Day party & Splash Day. Marilyn suggested BBQ, a break from chicken. Richard will make sure it is a crowd pleaser.

PLAYGROUND: Last month it was reported that a slide was broken, which has not yet been fixed. Sandy will follow up with Kaboom on this. The playground fencing is still in the works regarding a proposal by Lori, to replace the often vandalized white picket fence. Marilyn asked what happened to the idea of the Children’s Free Library which many residents had expressed interest in last year.

OLD BUSINESS: There was another discussion about a financial Audit, but as yet, we do not have a timeframe to schedule one. The Board will collect bids. Darilene made a motion to budget for an audit, which was not seconded. Michael stated it was not budget time, however, if we can carve out some money this year, we will. It was agreed this is a normal business practice and Board agrees to have one.

Meeting adjourned at 9:25PM.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc.
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
March 8, 2018

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Amelie Fredland (by phone), Jill Prado Salyers, Darilene Bonnet, Lori Bulla, Michael Kuhnen, AD Koen, Darin Lee. Absent: Richard Solis Residents: Marilyn Jo Harper. Guest: SEAL Sgt Bonsey

2018 BOARD OFFICERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Amelie Fredland Vice-President , Deed Restrictions Support
Jill Prado Salyers Treasurer / Financial
Charles Bowman Asst. to Treasurer / Financial
Darilene Bonnet Secretary
Lori Bulla Pool Committee Chair
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair; Long-Range Planning
Richard Solis Social Chair; Acorn Delivery
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair

*Marilyn Jo Harper Acorn Editor 2018

At 7:34PM, meeting was called to order by Sandy Ericksen. SEAL presented the February 2018 Incident Report. The most newsworthy incident happened at an HEB on I-10 in the ladies room bathroom where a young male allegedly assaulted a young woman (broken ribs and teeth), who had no idea who this man was. HPD was involved and CO neighbors are aware of this incident.

Michael discussed an incident where his pick up truck had its tail gate stolen right from under his view at his home, in a matter of 45 seconds. When he reentered the house to secure the interior, the thieves made away with his tailgate. This was posted on ROCO, immediately by Michael, and discussed there and at length at the Board meeting.

A.D. spoke about the 2015 SEAL Contract, overdue for renewal, which had been sent to Board members for review and comment prior to this meeting. The 2015 agreement, under review was for 30 hours of coverage for our neighborhood / 15 hours for COV, for a set rate, $27.00/hour (with a 30 Day out). A.D. made note that occasionally SEAL under-charges CO a few hours when the monthly totals are being evaluated. A question was asked, if we call SEAL and an officer is not on duty, SEAL stated that SEAL will dispatch one if “necessary and available” and responds at no additional charge. Per A.D, the new contract will have a provision for a fuel surcharge clause, where we will pay $.50 for every charge above $4.00/gallon. SEAL will provide a schedule and per A.D. , “we trust you guys to provide a schedule and we do not need to know what that is”. This contract is normally renewed annually, so we are a year overdue and are effectively on a month-to month verbal agreement. The Board agreed to continue with a new contract for SEAL.

Discussion about the “Surveillance Sign” at the pool and how this could work currently. Darilene stated that in the past, there was a WEB Cam that was used by parents to check on their kids swimming at the pool. Marilyn said that this would require too much equipment in the bathroom building. Although this is not available now, Darilene and others can explore this “possibility” in the future. Marilyn says that we are trying to save money to re-plaster the pool which is going to need it. Regarding signs, A.D. will take stock of all SEAL signage needed in CO. Michael suggested that A.D. ask SEAL to provide these signs, at least 4-5 enlarged signs. Gill is our resident printer who can help with this.

TREASURER REPORT: Jill said she needs help. Darilene asked Jill if she had wrapped up 2017 and Jill said no, and did not know how Proledge could help her to reconcile 2017 year end. Jill stated that she sent to Charlie some documents to catch up 2017 and organize himself with the help of Proledge and that she is very late with the financials for last year (when she was not Treasurer). Proledge puts financials together for us, but they need to know all the checks we have written in the last months of 2017 and what they were for. The checks can be pulled up online, copy front and back and researched; Charlie offered to help Jill when she is available. Sandy also offered to come help Jill with the boxes of records that Trenton transferred to Jill.

Charlie said we must get the checks identified and added to a statement so Proledge can finish the year 2017 and work on January & February 2018 in Quickbooks. Jill wants to create her own system (merging Excel & Quickbooks) but this is more easily done at the beginning of the year and/or year-end. We have to have the books up to date to have an Audit.

Regarding 2018 Maintenance Fees, Charlie said about 28 residents have not paid yet this year, and approx. 10 have made payments towards their balance so far. Sandy thought there were more unpaid than that, and she will receive the Past Due List from Jill to follow-up with Gloria at Proledge to send out Past Due Statements next week.

Sandy will get boxes of accounting statements scanned and put on a disk with Charlie’s help as soon as possible. She also wants to shred documents after they have been digitized. The Board has not had an audit for 4-5 years. Darilene suggested that shredding be done only after a complete audit and asked who will keep the digital files – Perhaps a third party?

POOL : Lori has 1 membership for 2018 thus far. Guardian Safe & Lock were contacted to present a new card reader/gate entry into the pool. Described as a free standing unit, battery operated with an alarm, running cards COCC currently has, can be programmed at the gate, cards can be scanned and numbers registered at the gate, retains history. Gate entry fobs were also considered but deemed too expensive. Past membership is about 53 families. Noted by Lori B, each year, she will de-activate the cards and re-activate them as old memberships are renewed. This system reauthorizes members without giving out new cards to everyone each year. There is a $20 charge to have a lost card replaced. Motion made to approve the new card reader was made by Sandy, to be installed as soon as possible, seconded, and all were in favor by show of hands.

Our Savior Lutheran will pay to hold its usual swimming class with non-exclusive use, during the summer months. One class from 9:00am – 11:00am for 2 weeks, plus a free swim on Friday mornings all summer; paying to use CO pool and for the increased chemical use. OSL provides copies of their insurance, waivers signed by each child’s parents/ guardian. Motion was made by Lori to approve the OSL agreement, seconded and all were in favor by show of hands.

DEED RESTRICTIONS: The next DR Drive-through, usually taking about 2 1/2 hours is scheduled for Saturday, March 17th from 1-3 PM. Board members will be Michael and Darin, volunteer Marilyn takes notes. Amelie will send out the DR Letters as in the past.

LANDSCAPING: Ray Cowart is our current landscaper and also maintains the pool. Lori said that Ray bags lawn clippings around the pool area, a big challenge in the past for the pool and swimmers. To pool members, it is important that pool cleaning is coordinated with the mowing. Ray will treat for ants prior to the Easter Egg Hunt (pool area responsibilities). Ray gets a work order, gives it to Lori B and then sends this to Sandy for invoicing. It was decided Jill needs to be involved in the invoicing.

Darin asked about the budget ($25,000/year) and scope of work. There is NO SCOPE OF WORK today, no contract (no month-to-month as thought to be) per Michael. All is verbal. The agreement is to clean the pool ($600/month); total amount per month allocated to Landscaping, tax included is $2,800 (pool, playground, Tidwell, green space, common areas, islands, etc. ) Darin asked if he could get other bids or must he use Ray? If Darin can find someone with proper insurance, less expensive, the Board will consider. Is it possible to split the pool from the rest of the landscaping duties? Darin will talk to Ray to understand his timing, scope of responsibilities, etc.

RECORDS: Being stored, per Sandy.

SOCIAL: No new news. Easter Party is ready to go. There was already a “Save the Date” announcement. White picket fence will be repaired by Easter.

OUTSTANDING: Approval of minutes, perhaps by email? Lori B made revisions to Jan and Feb Minutes, but to revise them, Darilene does not know how to work with the revisions Lori has made in the Word documents. Darilene must be “ok” with whatever the Board decides about the meeting minute amendments/edits made by Lori B and Sandy. We continue to struggle with a different “philosophy” about meeting minutes (Acorn ready or actual problem solving notes & decisions or Roberts Rules)

NEW TOPIC: Darilene presented an outline of the Board Roles and Responsibilities Sheet to the Board, based on a similar outline in 2004 newsletter by then president Jerry Rog, in order to recruit for new officers and help current officers have some clearer guidelines of the work needing to be performed by Board Officers. Also, it was hoped that this might be of interest in recruiting assistants and committee members. Green notations were things that applied then in 2004 (not in 2018), blue notations were suggestions to be considered by the Board and by each Chair. This is a “tool” to use. Darin appreciated knowing this about his new role as Landscaping Chair. Michael said it was very good information and thank you. Sandy said that it could be sent out in the Fall when we are looking for recruits for the October elections. Michael proposed that all Chairs review their sections and make corrections and let Darilene know your changes.

Meeting Adjourned at 9:05PM.

Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting — February 8, 2018
ATTENDANCE: Sandy Ericksen, Amelie Fredland (by phone), Jill Prado Salyers, Trenton Kelley, Darilene Bonnet, Michel Kuhnen, Richard Solis, AD Koen. ABSENT: Darin Lee. Residents: Marilyn Jo Harper. Guests: SEAL Officer Bonsey

2018 BOARD OFFICERS
Sandy Ericksen: President
Amelie Fredland: Vice-President , Deed Restrictions Support
Jill Prado Salyers: Treasurer / Financial
Charles Bowman: Asst. to Treasurer / Financial
Darilene Bonnet: Secretary
Lori Bulla: Pool Committee Chair
Richard Solis: Social Chair, Acorn Support
A.D. Koen: Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen: Deed Restrictions Chair, Long-Range Planning
Darin Lee: Landscaping Chair

*Marilyn Jo Harper: Acorn Editor 2018

At 7:35PM, our regular Board meeting was called to order by Sandy Ericksen. Sandy offered to put a copy of the SEAL report in Amelie’s (on speakerphone) mail box.

SEAL presented the January 2018 Incident Report. The most reported incidents had to do with suspicious vehicles/ people, an incident of cardiac arrest of a long time resident on Fallen Oaks who passed away, a non-resident roommate had an incident on Jan 9, at the same address as the last incident and it was reported he had been apprehended and the vacant home on Oak Trails had “activity” noted in the SEAL report, home is in the process of being remodeled. SEAL was asked if there was something being done about the home on Oak Haven that has been vacant for several years; SEAL said a management company is now in charge. No real crimes reported.
and the board discussed a non-resident at the playground who had said that the “patrol” had said it was OK to be there and that he was there regularly. How do we (security) want to handle non-Residents visiting our playground? Signs are posted and Trespassing Citation’s can be issued by SEAL. SEAL was asked if they can ask for the person’s ID; it depends on the visitor will produce it or not, was the answer. If not, the visitor is asked to leave. Also suggested was, SEAL to take pictures, to deter these visitors.

TREASURER REPORT: By Jill, stated that 175 homes (of 282) are completely paid up to COCC; 17 of the ones who are not are actively paying and have a balance below the $360.00, or they have paid something since December. We have 90 homes still due for payment (approx.. $32,000). Marilyn asked if any of the outstanding homes have taken out payment plans, response was 17 homes; Jill will look to see the actual payment plan for each.. Sandy stated that some of the homes are vacant (how many unknown here), some mail was returned (how many unknown here), some homes have been sold (how many unstated), so we have a “lot of hard work to do”, per Sandy. Jill is trying to go through the accounts to see who has paid and not paid. Proledge will now send out late notices to all past due. “Those who are 2 years past due, will be sent a final demand letter, to which they must respond.” After 2-3 weeks, these Past Due Accounts go to the attorney. There was a brief discussion about the Proledge invoices in December, which took 10 days to arrive at the Residences by USPS.

POOL COMMITTEE: We have one membership for this year, as of today. April Acorn will be a perfect time to promote the pool; Lori will provide the article and place forms at the pool gate entrance. Decision: Sandy motioned to purchase 3 picnic tables immediately, which was seconded and voted yes. (We can purchase them at Lowes for under $100.00/each. Also, there was a decision to purchase new commercial lawn chair at season’s end (July-September) in order to save money. The Gate Reader repair person will be scheduled by Lori and the missing tiles will be glued by Richard. Leslies is used for pool supplies and we have service with Z-Wear, Inc. which has liability insurance and a 1099 and provides pool maintenance and service to keep the pool clean.

DEED RESTRICTIONS: Amelia sent out approx. 40 DR Letters (usually mail boxes and mold and mildew). Marilyn mentioned that when driving through the neighborhood, how different volunteers notice different thing, such as inoperable vehicles. Gill Daoust is working on a small booklet of Deed Restrictions for residents. Also, need to explain to residents how to report to the Board violations/complains/questions such as trailer and trash in driveways, for example. Four Sections have different restrictions. (trailer). Darilene mentioned the point of being sensitive to those homes who may have been flooded and need still to have storage and trailers parked in their driveways. NOTE: We need to set up an email for residents to send complaints to the Board/Deed Restriction violations, as we now have for the Treasurer. Amelie is responsible to set this up. Marilyn and Michael will work on the process for residents to register a complaint about Deed Restriction concerns.

LANDSCAPING: The Iron Gate teardown needs to be addressed; do we tear it down or repair it will be asked of Ray. A $100.00 has already been approved for its removal. Further discussion needs to take place based on best solution considering pool exposure without this fence, safety concerns and costs to repair or replace. Michael will follow-up with Ray and discuss at next meeting.
RECORDS: Sandy said that that a bag of “trophies” was left on her doorstep from an undisclosed source.
SOCIAL: Richard spoke to a neighbor regarding the Easter Egg Hunt, MARCH 31, and confirm he will take photos again. This resident also gave Richard some LARGE photos that he took to give to residents who were in the photos (with Santa). Richard will make and pass out Easter Egg Hunt flyers. Memorial Day will be Splash Day and opening of the pool.

Board discussed the need to repair/ find a solution for the gate adjacent to the parking lot where cars drive up to park, to deter unwanted foot traffic of non-residents Need to determine who administers a new gate with a code and cost of this gate. Question is, do we lock it or not, discussed by Marilyn. Another idea was to set up a Web Cam and monitor traffic for a week to study the traffic or ask SEAL to monitor from their patrol car the playground by attaching a Web Cam to a computer. (may cost additional). Need to explore another type of playground fencing, instead of the white picket fence. Suggestion was to split the cost between pool & landscaping budget. A reminder was that a membership fee is charged to maintain the gates, codes, repairs, etc. Richard stated we will study gate options for the entrance into the playground fence, the budget, cost of a fence, have Ray look at the pool access fence/primary fence to see if post can be fixed (to have better security) and determine if feasible for us to pay for a new fence/gate. Also, have SEAL be more diligent. Richard will take measurements and report back to Board and repair picket fence by early March!

ADJOURNMENT: Meeting was adjourned at 9:17PM.

Minutes of COCC Board of Directors Meeting
JANUARY 11, 2018
ATTENDANCE: Sandy Ericksen, Amelie Fredland, Darilene Bonnet, Michel Kuhnen, Richard Solis, AD Koen, Lori Bulla.
ABSENT: Jill Prado Salyers (Treasurer 2018), Darin Lee (incoming Chair, nominated this meeting)
RESIDENTS: Marilyn Jo Harper, Charlie Bowman, Lori Perjak, Trenton Kelley.
GUESTS: SEAL Sgt Garza, Sgt. Keiran Bonsey

EXECUTIVE SESSION:
The board met in executive session prior to the regular meeting regarding a security related issue that had occurred at a specific residence. There was consensus that the board does not have authority regarding COCC’s resident’s domestic matters.

At 7:35PM, the Board meeting was called to order by Sandy Ericksen. SEAL presented the December Incident Report. The most reported incidents were suspicious vehicles/ people, shots fired in the Bayou, holiday packages disappearing from homes and stray or lost animals, mostly dogs.

Election of officers:
Upon request for clarification of duties of the president by Darilene Bonnet, the Bylaws, Section 5 was read.

Elected officers for 2018 (each affirmed by majority vote):
Sandy Ericksen, President
Amelie Fredland, Vice President
Jill Prado, Treasurer
Darilene Bonnet, Secretary

Committee Chairs for 2018:
Security Chair: AD Koen
Pool Committee Chair: Lori Bulla
Deed Restriction Chair: Michael Kuhnen with rotating help – Marilyn; A.D. Koen, Sandy Ericksen.
Amelie – Deed Restriction Letters and be provided paper, envelopes and stamps.
Landscaping Chair: Darin Lee (absent).
Records: Michael will store for Darilene until home is restored, 2 boxes only.
Social Chair/ Acorn Newsletter Delivery: Richard Solis.
Long Range Planning: Michael Kuhnen ( Fence on Tidwell, Speed Bumps, Stop Signs)

Charlie Bowman, volunteer assistant to Treasurer
Marilyn Jo Harper, volunteer Acorn Editor

Decision: Darilene committed to formulate a New Board Secretary Integration Process and present to the Board in her first Quarter 2018 for feedback and discussion.

Charlie Bowman addressed the board regarding the scope of the Treasurer’s position and his willingness to assist both the previous and current Treasurer. Sandy and the board recognized Charlie’s contribution and success working with residents to collect overdue assessments.
Resident Lori Perjak also offered her help.

In response to resident Lori Perjak’s comments, the board discussed what is appropriate information to disclose outside the board regarding past due accounts and deed restriction violations. No motions were made nor voted.

Discussion: whether to add additional items to monthly Treasurer’s report? Consensus was that the board does not want to add additional tasks for the Treasurer during her transition into the role.

Trenton Kelly addressed the board regarding the treasurer’s position and board activities (as outgoing Board – Exit Comments).
(1) the Treasurer position – great challenge of job getting done
(2) Board – Lack of communication with Residents.
(3) Lack of knowledge of the “Rules & Regulations / Bylaws”.
(4) The Deed Restrictions
(5) Communications in the Community (outside of CO)
(6) He welcomes an audit
(7) Need for Acorn (Marilyn Harper volunteered to publish again).
Lori P. (Resident) volunteered to help with articles.

Sandy honored Trenton’s position and work, Sandy stated how much Trenton and Charlie have impacted the bottom line with ongoing appreciation from the Board, a year’s worth of reserves in the bank and no increase in maintenance fees.
There was discussion about the scope of work for trash removal and mowing Tidwell vs the amount it costs to keep up the landscaping. We need to study more (Darin Lee). Lori P. (Resident) will check Bayou Clean-up to see if they can help us. Their clean-up happens every year in March.

A round of applause went to Richard Solis for his social efforts in the CO community for 2017.

Decisions: Marilyn will confirm the timing of the Acorn & communicate this; suggestion was bi-monthly, next one in February; give as much notice of deadlines and calendar of events as possible. Lori P. (Resident) will submit articles, based on timing and Marilyn’s needs. If Richard needs help delivering the Acorn, Darilene (and her neighbors) offered to handle Bayou Vista Dr. + cul-de-sacs attached. Let her/them know.

Pool Report: Membership Dues to remain at $100.00 CO residents for 2018 and Lori will update the forms. Gate still needs attention, pool tiles need to be fixed and the road needs holes to be filled.

Landscaping Report: There is a fallen tree branch from a home on Oak Trails, lying on a sidewalk on Tidwell, although 311 was called by Darilene and Michael 2 months ago. Due to the cost of having the tree waste removed, we may form a clean-up crew at some point.

Deed Restrictions:
This topic will resume next meeting. Michael will announce the DR Drive Thru dates and advise the Board, as he will not be available for 5-6 weeks after next week. Marilyn (most experienced & coach) proposed to help; AD would drive while Michael was to take the pictures for the letter. Amelie asked for the notes taken to be as clear as possible. She and Marilyn will co-ordinate the DR comments and Sandy has an updated address list. Drive through was scheduled for the following Saturday.

Decision: Marilyn & Amelie will work out their process so it is very clear to others who will be involved in the rotation, moving forward. Marilyn will just type Deed Restriction notes, not be involved in the Deed Violation Letters and mailing.

New Business:
AD shared that our recycling will change in 14 months, with a new company (FCC, a Spanish company) and Waste Management will work together on a new program, to include glass and plastic bags.

There was a statement made to start a program of fines for past due DR violations, that there seems to be many letters which are being ignored. Sandy stated that there is a process of First, Second and Third Letters sent, before fines are implemented.

Decision: Per Sandy, Gill Daoust has kindly offered to print the CO Deed Restrictions at some future time, and at no cost to the board. Question is, how to handle the 4 Sections of CO which do not all have identical documents. TBD

Meeting was adjourned by Sandy at about 8:14PM; next meeting is the 2nd Thursday in February.

Respectfully Submitted, Darilene Bonnet Jan. 23, 2018,
Corrections proposed by Lori Bulla 3/26/18

 

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
December 14, 2017

Attendance: Lori Bulla, Darin Lee, Michael Kuhnen, Sandy Ericksen, Richard Solis, Trenton Kelly. Residents: Darilene Bonnet, Lori Perjak, Jill Prado Salyers, Marilyn Harper. Guest: SEAL Officer Sgt Garza.

Meeting called to order at 7:33 by President Sandy Ericksen. SEAL Sgt Garza passed out the November Incident Report and read the statistics. He said that solicitors and bandit signs are among the more common things noticed by SEAL officers. Marilyn Harper stated that a recent SEAL report to the Board, performed by an unfamiliar-named officer, included a reference to patrolling on Spruce Forest Drive which is in Candlelight Oaks Village and not in CO. She requested that new officers patrolling in CO should be trained as to the boundaries of our subdivision. Sgt Garza said he will bring this up at SEAL HQ.

Treasurer Trenton Kelly reported the current account balance to be $164,764. As this was Trenton’s last meeting as board member and Treasurer, it was offered to incoming board member Jill Prado Salyers that Trenton, Charlie Bowman, and Sandy will be available to coach and help her in any way she needs upon taking over this important office. It was discussed that no one has yet received the 2018 Dues Invoice letters, which Sandy said had been given to Proledge 2 weeks ago. Sandy will check into the delay. Marilyn Harper asked if Proledge will manage any payment plans. Sandy said homeowners who want a payment plan will still need to contact the board to make arrangements, but once that is done, Proledge will send out notices for payment plans.

Pool: Lori Bulla reported the pool area has been mowed to look nice for the Christmas party on Sunday. Lori and Richard Solis are still planning to replace the missing tiles in the pool this winter. She reported that the phone line used by the required 9-1-1 phones — one inside the pool fence and one outside — is not working and must be repaired, as this is a city inspection violation. Lori said she was concerned about water level in the pool, and wonders if there should be a leak check. But others said their backyard pools are also losing water, and think it may be lack of rainfall since the August flood. Darin Lee reported a hole has developed in the drive path from Tidwell, a short distance inside the fence. That area was filled in with dirt and gravel during the construction of the new playground in 2008, to make a smooth surface over to the smaller area remaining for parking. Darin said he will look at the hole to see what is needed to fix it.

Social: Chairman Richard Solis reported he has found a Santa for the Christmas party at the pool Sunday the 17th, 4-6 pm. Parents should bring a camera or cell phone to get pictures of their children with Santa. There will also be hot cocoa, Christmas music and caroling.

Sandy noted the Christmas Lights contest will be judged on Saturday evening the 16th.

Deed restrictions: Sandy reported that there would be no DR drive-through in December as it has gotten too close to Christmas. DR operations will resume next month.

Landscaping: Michael Kuhnen reported that the city is not going to do anything about the tree branch that fell from a yard on Oak Trail and ended up obstructing the sidewalk on the south side of Tidwell, west of Bolivia. Darin Lee and Trenton Kelley volunteered to go look at the branch this weekend and see if they can haul it away for disposal.

Records: Michael reported that he has the records that were handed over to him by former COCC Secretary Lori Perjak.

Long Term Projects: Lori Bulla said that information is being gathered regarding possible upgrades at the pool: gate card reader and pool lights.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:20 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
November 9, 2017

Attendance: Sandy Ericksen, Michael Kuhnen, Trenton Kelly, Lori Bulla, Richard Solis, Amelie Fredland, A.D. Koen. Residents: Darilene Bonnet, Marilyn Harper, Lori Perjak, Gerard Bohorquez. Guest: SEAL Officer Sgt Bonsey

Meeting opened at 7:30 by President Sandy Ericksen. SEAL Officer Sgt Bonsey passed out October Incident Report and read the statistics. He said that the empty house on Oakhaven continues to be a concern, mostly due to a semi-covered swimming pool which is seen as a public health concern as well as a physical hazard. It is hoped that the bank which has the title to the property will soon need to “winterize” the property, and might do something to better secure the swimming pool. Sgt Bonsey also remarked on problems with solicitors walking throughout CO.

Former COCC Board Secretary Lori Perjak passed out a list of concerns and complaints about the Board, which she said derived from her experience serving on the Board until her resignation in September, and from her talking to 10 other homeowners. There has been an issue with records of the HOA which she had been asked to store at her home, but had not returned after her resignation. Ms Perjak said she had been trying to organize and identify what records were in her possession. After a prolonged discussion, it was agreed that Ms Perjak and Board member Michael Kuhnen would meet within 2 weeks, for the purpose of returning those records.

At 8:30, Michael moved to continue the meeting with other items on the agenda, seconded by Sandy.

Treasurer Trenton Kelly reported the current account balance to be $172,319. Trenton and Sandy have met with incoming Treasurer Jill Prado Salyers, to get her up to speed on taking over this important office. She will work with, and have assistance from Proledge which will be doing COCC mailouts, including the upcoming 2018 Dues Invoice letters. Sandy said that Proledge can do mailouts for cheaper postal costs than when board members have been doing them.

Deed restrictions: Sandy reported that there will be a DR drive through in the next several weeks.

Landscaping: Michael reported that he is trying to get the city to take care of a tree that fell from someone’s backyard onto the sidewalk on the south side of Tidwell, west of Bolivia. It looks like the property is on Oak Trail, but Michael believes once debris falls onto the sidewalk, it becomes a city problem to fix.

Pool: Lori Bulla and Richard are planning to lower the pool level so missing tiles can be replaced, as it is now too cold for swimming.

Social: Chairman Richard Solis got a round of applause for the success of his Oaksfest event on Oct 14. He confirmed that all donated bottles of wine had been raffled off. Ideas were discussed for a Christmas event, including food and a movie at the pool, or a hayride. There will also be a Christmas Lights contest, date of judging to be announced.

At 8:45, incoming board member Darilene Bonnet was given the floor to express what she hopes for when her term starts in January. She wants a financial audit of the COCC books, and is interested in increasing homeowner participation.

Sandy moved to adjourn at 9 pm.