Category: COCC Meeting Minutes 2019

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
December 12, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Dan Gonzalez Co-Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Lori Bulla, Charlie Bowman, Johanna Wolfe, A.D. Koen, Cassie Ramsay, Marilyn Harper. Absent: Mike Kuhnen, Dan Gonzalez, Darin Lee. Guests: Amy Peck, Ricardo Valle, Roland Pena, E.B. Hawthorne, Ian O’Jon, Martin Reyna.

Sandy called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm. SEAL did not send a security speaker for this meeting. Johanna introduced the guest speaker, Amy Peck, runoff candidate for our City Council seat representing District A. Ms Peck said she has been the chief of staff for the outgoing, term-limited Brenda Stardig. Early voting results showed her leading the other runoff candidate, G.H. Zoes. One point Ms Peck stressed was that District A receives less than 1% of the project funding that City of Houston receives from taxpayers, while the average is 9% per city council district. She said District C receives the highest amount of city funding. Ms Peck said she intends to introduce a charter amendment to change the way funding is allocated, which is currently controlled by the Mayor. Our problems with traffic along Tidwell were described, including wrecks that break through CO backyard fences, but Ms Peck said that CoH does not have funds for reinforced fencing. The barrier fencing we see along some freeways was built by Texas Dept of Transportation. One item that she said she will ask HPD to use on Tidwell where it runs through our neighborhood is a new version of the unattended radar trailer. It reflects back each approaching car’s speed, but also sends data to HPD which identifies locations with speeding problems.

At 8:15, Mr Peck was ready to leave, and Sandy called for the board business session to start, so some of the residents who had come to see Amy Peck then left.

The Board then nominated and accepted the following officers and committee chairs: President: Sandy Ericksen; Vice President: Lori Bulla; Treasurer: Dan Gonzales; Secretary: Marilyn Harper. Board members who have been assisting Dan with particular Treasury chores — such as paying invoices that come to board email – Lori; checking the secure mailbox – Sandy; advice and assistance – Charlie — All agreed to continue doing these helpful things during 2020. There was discussion and consensus that the Board is not ready to let our “retired” banker Charlie Bowman retire completely yet, so we will keep him on The Acorn masthead for the coming year, as an assistant. All board members present who have a committee chairmanship agreed to continue for another year. These include Lori – Pool, A.D. – Security, Social – Cassie, Long Range Plans and Outreach – Johanna. Mike and Darin were absent, but assigned to their current chairs for Deed Restriction and Landscaping, pending their future agreement. Sandy then asked for committee end-of-the year reports.

Social: Cassie said everything was ready for the Santa event on Saturday the 14th. Santa Pat would be there for picture taking. She was bringing hot chocolate and snacks. The host homeowner Don Kiger was asking for Toys for Tots donations.

Deed Restrictions: Marilyn said that the next DR drive through would be sometime in January, but the date was not decided on.

Lights: Not a committee, but A.D. and Sandy were planning to take the Christmas Lights contest signs out for the judging on the evening of Sunday the 15th.

Pool: Lori said she was getting her 3rd bid for replastering the pool, and would be speaking with Darin’s referral. She expects to recommend a vendor to the board soon.

Security: A.D. said he still doesn’t have the sort of proposal he asked for from SEAL, showing the differences between the old contract with changes they want to make. The AGS security company that A.D., Sandy, and Marilyn visited in November finally sent the requested references. There was also a referral from Sgt Bonsey who used to patrol CO for Seal, to a friend of his who is a Harris County deputy, regarding security patrols conducted by deputies.

Landscaping: Darin could not be present, but he had sent an email earlier regarding a bid of $700, made by the landscaper who is mowing CO’s common areas, to do some tree work on the sidewalks on both sides of Tidwell. This will remove and haul away tree limbs that are hanging down over back fences and obstructing use of the sidewalks. Those trees belong to the owners of the back yards, but it was decided that cleaning up the sidewalks would greatly improve the appearance along Tidwell. Johanna proposed and Sandy seconded the motion to proceed with this job. The cost is covered by the budget line-item for Landscaping Extras for 2019.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9:20 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
November 7, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Dan Gonzalez Co-Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Charlie Bowman, Johanna Wolfe, A.D. Koen, Dan Gonzalez, Darin Lee, Marilyn Harper Absent: Cassie Ramsay, Mike Kuhnen.

Sandy called the meeting to order at 7:33pm. This meeting was held one week early to start working on the budget overhaul, and Sandy would not be able to attend on the 2nd Thursday. No one remembered to let SEAL know about the schedule change, so there was no SEAL Report. A.D. needs to tell SEAL there will not be a meeting on the 14th.

Treasury/Budget: Dan passed around spreadsheets showing the 2018, 2019, and proposed 2020 budgets. The discussion concentrated on the expense items that had gone up this year, and caused the projected budget to be unbalanced. Although the 2020 budget was approved by most voters, the board understands that we need to be able to control expenditures, or we might end up resorting to spending from the reserves to cover ordinary budget items. Johanna said that spending from the reserves to cover shortages should be acceptable in the short term, given the size of available reserves. Discussion continued with board members on both sides of the topic. There was consensus that the Board may need to ask residents to consider an assessment increase if the budget cannot be balanced going forward. The current dues of $360 was enacted by Deed Restriction Amendment in 2002, and cost of many of our services has gone up.

Pool: Lori is still evaluating companies and their bids to select one for replastering the COCC pool and repairing the concrete pool deck. (That major job will be paid for from reserves, as it is considered to be a capital expense.) Lori has proposed increases in all of the ways that people are able to use the pool. Starting 2020, the CO annual family membership goes from $100 to $125, COV membership from $150 to $175, charge for OSL swimming program increases to $500, and pavilion rental fee will increase from $100 to $125. These increases are being done as a way to offset the cost of improvements, shared by those who use the pool the most. Motion was made to adopt these increases, and all board members present approved.

Security: A.D. has talked to several security companies in the search for alternatives to SEAL. SEAL has told A.D. this fall that in 2020, they will only support 8-hour shifts of patrolling. This would force COCC to increase hours to 32/week and cause us to exceed the mandated $50,000 total spent on security per year, considering that we have other costs that are charged to our security allotment, such as the required 9-1-1 phone at the pool. But the main problem is the Board does not want to have security patrols that could only be 8 hour shifts on 4 days a week. A.D. said he wanted a Security Committee to help him interview potential companies, and Sandy and Marilyn volunteered. A.D. then made a motion to approve this Committee, and all present approved. The goal is to find a company that will patrol in shorter shifts, preferably 7 days of most weeks, and less expensive hourly rate.

Social: Cassie was not present, but Marilyn reported that Cassie had said the COCC Christmas with Santa Pat would be held at the Kiger home at 5519 Oakhaven on Saturday Dec 14, 2-4 pm. Cassie will check with Richard Solis, who is our contact with Santa Pat, to be sure we can book him for our event. Don Kiger has said he will be having a Toys for Tots collection for new donated toys that day.

The Holiday Lights judging contest will be held the following day, Sunday December 15, beginning at full darkness for best viewing. Lights should be on until 9 pm in case of ties, as it is often necessary to drive back and forth to review before awarding all of the winning signs.

Long Range Planning: With costs going up, there was discussion on getting the homeowners better informed on what their dues are spent on. A flyer had been sent out with the 2017 dues invoices, with illustrations of what the major expenses were. Johanna said she would like to do something like that for the 2020 mailout. Sandy pointed out that time is getting short for getting those invoices out in November.

Johanna said she would invite Amy Peck, who is in the runoff for District A Houston City Council, to attend the COCC board meeting on December 12th. That meeting will be before the runoff election.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
October 10, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Dan Gonzalez Co-Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Johanna Wolfe, A.D. Koen, Cassie Ramsay, Marilyn Harper, Mike Kuhnen (by phone). Absent: Dan Gonzalez, Darin Lee.
Guests: SEAL Officer Sal Capetillo, Michele Leal.

Sandy called the meeting to order at 7:30pm. Officer Capetillo gave a brief SEAL Report for September, consisting mostly of open garage doors and a few loose dogs. There was a discussion on whether SEAL patrols should have treated political campaigners as though they were solicitors. Board members stated that campaigners for offices are not solicitors, and should not be told they can’t be going door to door in CO. SEAL patrol can ask the campaigners what they are doing, but on finding they are promoting a political campaign, must leave them alone. As A.D. Koen said, this is a free speech issue. Officer Capetillo said he would make this decision known to SEAL headquarters.

Our guest, Michele Leal, a candidate for Texas State Representative, House District 148, spoke briefly to the Board. Ms Leal is one of numerous candidates to replace Jessica Farrar who is retiring, which surprised many board members who did not realize that not all of Candlelight Oaks is in Jarvis Johnson’s District 139. [See Footnote 1 for map.]

Pool: Lori reported she has been seeking bids for the upcoming overhaul at the pool, which will include replastering, replacement of missing tiles, and a new surface for the concrete deck around the pool. Unfortunately, two HOAs that Sandy has spoken to did not have a good recommendation for the companies that had replastered their pools. Michael said he has turned up some pool plastering leads and will share info with Lori. There was a problem that day with the pool gate card reader, which turned out to be batteries. Ray Cowart replaced batteries and the reader needed a reset, which then got it working again.

Michael has a gallon of stain/sealer to be painted onto the new wooden picnic tables he brought to the pool this summer. There will be an email alert to get board volunteers to help with this project.

Social: Cassie said she has casserole, salad and cookies planned for OaksFest menu. Attendees will be asked to bring appetizers or desserts, along with donated bottles of wine and cash-only raffle tickets. That night will be the last time to vote in the COCC 2020 election, so we will have blank ballots there for any one who still needs to vote.

The COCC Christmas party will be held again at Don Kiger’s home on Oakhaven. Cassie will ask previous social chair Richard Solis to inquire if Santa Pat will be available again this year. We will pay Santa Pat $100 which he donates to a charity. Don has said he wants to do some sort of Toys for Tots program at the event this year.

Security: A.D. is still trying to find out if other HOAs in our area are using SEAL. He thinks some section of Oak Forest is.

Deed Restrictions: The next drive-through will be done on November 3.

The November meeting will be held on Thursday the 7th, not our normal 2nd Thursday, due to Sandy’s work schedule. This change will need to be announced in RoCO and NextDoor.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:38pm.

Footnote 1: A zoomable map showing the boundaries of District 148 shows that Oakhaven, Oak Trail, and Bolivia in Candlelight Oaks are in that District.
https://www.texastribune.org/directory/districts/tx-house/148/

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc

Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting

September 12, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:

Sandy Ericksen           President                                

Lori Bulla                   Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair

Charlie Bowman         Acting Treasurer

Dan Gonzalez             Co-Treasurer

Marilyn Harper           Secretary & Acorn Editor

A.D. Koen                   Security Committee Chair     

Michael Kuhnen         Deed Restrictions Chair         

Darin Lee                    Landscaping Chair     

Cassie Ramsay            Social Committee Chair

Johanna Wolfe            Long Range Planning & Government Outreach       

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Dan Gonzalez, Darin Lee, Johanna Wolfe,

Marilyn Harper,. Absent: Cassie Ramsay, Mike Kuhnen, A.D. Koen.

Guest: SEAL Officer Sal Capetillo

Sandy called the session to order at 7:30 pm. SEAL Officer Capetillo presented the Incident Report for August, which was literally full of notes and photos of open garage doors and cars with open trunks, doors, and/or windows. In all instances, the SEAL patroller got out and looked for a resident to notify of the security risk of leaving easy access to property. There was a short discussion of SEAL patrol hours. The Board has previously asked for an even split between daytime and nighttime patrolling.  Due to some recent car break-ins, residents are now saying they are more interested in late night patrols. Marilyn asked Officer Capetillo to let SEAL administrators know that we have a special need during school week-days to have patrol during after-school hours 3-6 pm. That is when our previous patroller Sgt Bonsey often found non-resident teens had walked over from Yes Academy to the COCC Playground, sometimes resulting in drug usage and vandalism.

POOL: The pool has needed to be replastered for several years, and this will be a major effort for the upcoming winter season. Recommendations for a contractor are being sought from other HOAs with a pool. Darin suggested that the bids should include replacing all the tile as well, and not just the several places where tiles have been missing for a long time. The cost for this major fix to the COCC pool will come from treasury reserves, and will not be included as a line item in the 2020 Budget, although it will be mentioned in the Budget document.

LANDSCAPING: Darin said that he wants to have the landscaping crew put some work into trimming backyard branches that hang out over fences on Tidwell. The landscaping company no longer has to do any mowing or edging on the sidewalks on both sides of Tidwell, as the Near Northwest Management District is now including our several blocks on Tidwell in a beautification project they have for Tidwell extending west of us.

SECURITY: As A.D. Koen was not present, we don’t know if a new contract has been signed with SEAL. A.D. has previously said it had been 6 years since there had been a rate increase, and if there is going to be an increase, we need to have the details in time for the 2020 Budget going out for votes in October.

DEED  RESTRICTIONS: Marilyn reported that 10 D.R. letters had been produced from the August drive-through. Since Mike and Cassie were not present, the next drive through could not be scheduled during the meeting.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:15 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
August 8, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper, Cassie Ramsay, Mike Kuhnen, A.D. Koen. Absent: Johanna Wolfe, Darin Lee.
Guest: SEAL Officer Sal Capetillo, resident Dan Gonzalez

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:30 pm and asked SEAL Officer Capetillo to make his report. During the month of July, no crimes were reported to SEAL while they were occurring, but patrolling officers were told of the recovery of a stolen car from Oakhaven, and of a 10:00pm prowler seen by several residents in the 4800 block of Droddy. As our favorite SEAL officer Sgt Bonsey has left SEAL, Officer Capetillo was interested in comments of board members as to how we rate the patrols we have had lately. Marilyn praised recent reports by Officer Jasem Ibrahim who is showing initiative in getting out of the patrol car and talking to residents when he finds open garage doors, vehicles with doors or trunk left open, etc. to be sure the resident is home and is aware of such things. There were complaints that when SEAL officers park the car and get out for foot patrol during the day, they need to be sure not to block mailboxes or trash trucks. Security Chair A.D. has been trying to arrange a meeting with SEAL management to work on a new contract with them.

Pool: Lori reported the pool currently has 74 member families. Sandy has all the supplies needed to replace some missing tiles on the kiddy pool. They will probably wait until local schools open to make it easier to close the pool for a day or two while this work is being done. There was a discussion of the upcoming necessity to have the pool replastered. The timeline will be to get a realistic estimate of the cost, and possibly to select the company to do the work, in time to get this into next year’s budget for the October election. If/when approved, the pool can be closed down for a while in early 2020 for the draining and plastering job. Lori thanked board member Cassie Ramsay and her husband Graham for picking up some new furniture approved for the pool area this year and getting it transported and set up.

Deed Restrictions: The August drive-through will be Sunday the 25th, 11am-1pm. Mike, Marilyn, and Cassie will do it. There was a discussion about storage pods that are still sitting on a few driveways, 2 years after Hurricane Harvey, and Mike suggested we send “friendly grams” to those homeowners, inquiring how much longer will that be necessary.

Social: Cassie already has a graphic ad for the Labor Day Luau she will host at the pool on Monday, Sept 2. We may ask Gill to print it as a 1/4 page handout that we can put in mailboxes the weekend right before that holiday. OaksFest will be held on Saturday, October 12. The Election Edition of the Acorn will be delivered weekend of Sept 28-29, in order to have the ballots available 10 days before final counting at OaksFest.

Treasury: Charlie did not attend the meeting, but had sent spreadsheets to the board earlier in the day, which showed a cash balance on hand of $211,700.80. Sandy reported that of 5 Demand letters recently sent to homeowners with very large unpaid assessments, 3 have paid in full, and the other 2 have made partial payments. There are still 2 properties that are due to get Demand letters, but one may be sold soon and the debt to COCC paid off at closing.

The Directors and Officers insurance is due to be renewed, at the same price that has been paid for a number of years. Charlie is recommending that a bond that protects the COCC assets be switched to a 3-year period, costing $1149.62 but saving money compared to the annual renewal rate. Sandy moved to purchase the 3-year bond, A.D. seconded, and all board members present approved.

Security: A.D. needs to get the new SEAL contract ready for the budget, to be published with the October Acorn. Lori reminded A.D. that we want to be billed monthly, not weekly, for SEAL payments, to cut down on the number of checks that have to be written.

New Board Member: Dan Gonzalez, who came as a guest of his neighbor Mike Kuhnen, expressed an interest in helping with the Treasury. Lori moved that the board induct Dan into our vacancy that has a term expiring in December. Mike seconded, all approved. Dan will work with the board through December, and he will run for that seat in the October election for 2020-2021.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:05 pm.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
July 11, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper, Cassie Ramsay, Charlie Bowman, Mike Kuhnen by phone. Absent: A.D. Koen, Johanna Wolfe, Darin Lee.
Guest: SEAL Lt. McFadden.

SECURITY: Sandy brought the meeting to order at 7:30 and introduced Lt. McFadden to give the SEAL Report. Sgt Bonsey who has patrolled in CO for several years, and had attended the Board meetings and given the Report since Fall 2017, has left SEAL and gone into a business working for himself. Several board members commented on how much Sgt Bonsey will be missed, as he had come to know many residents and recognize their family members, cars, pets, etc. In the June SEAL Report, most of the suspicious activity, person, or vehicles reported turned out to be residents or solicitors. The pool was reported to have had an unauthorized party on the evening of June 13, with the pool and the bathrooms left in a mess. This had occurred during the June Board meeting while most board members were at that event. The 9-1-1 phone that the city requires to be available for emergencies was stolen that night. A drug baggy was reported found in the gazebo area by SEAL the next evening.

POOL: Lori reported there are currently 72 memberships, the highest number she is ever aware of. She has been looking at sale prices to make a good buy on 2 tables and 10 chairs, to build up the outdoor furniture inventory. She expects to pay about $336 plus tax, and Sandy made a motion to proceed, seconded by Mike, and approved by all present. Cassie said her husband Graham Ramsay could help with pickup and transport of the new items.

TREASURY: Charlie reported that the 2017 and 2018 tax returns had not been filled out and submitted for those years, so he had them done by the same CPA that Trenton Kelly had used when he was COCC Treasurer. As a non-profit organization, COCC does not actually owe much tax, but the paperwork does still have to be done. Sandy reported that the 5 delinquent accounts — unpaid for 2 years — have been sent demand letters, but only 2 of them had responded as of that day. She said the other 3 accounts may have to go to the Board’s Attorney to work out a settlement.
DEED RESTRICTIONS: The drive-through on June 23 had resulted in writing of 3 1st Letters and 7 2nd Letters for same violations. The DR Committee also handled 10 cases by the Neighborly Approach, where we email, call, or talk in person with a homeowner that we happen to know and/or live close to, notifying them of what was observed, and ask them to take care of it. This saves time in writing and printing letters, and cost of envelopes and stamps.

There were also 6 properties that were photographed with DR violations that had already received one or more 3rd Letters. The current 2nd Letter asks homeowners to please contact the Board with a plan for when they will be able to correct the problem(s) that are causing them to get DR letters. Our deal is, file a reasonable plan with us, and you won’t get additional letters as long as we can see that you are trying to rectify the problem. We do not currently have an official 3rd Letter, which once was the point at which a $25 fine was assessed for DR violations that were ignored. However, there are quite a few homes that have received numerous letters beyond their 3rd, and have done nothing except ignore them. Some of the current board members do not want to assess fines for DR violations. Sandy is going to ask our Attorney what he advises. We must find a solution to this situation, since the unequal compliance for the same or similar violations is not working well. If you clean the stains off your siding, but your neighbor does not, that does not mean that the neighbor did not receive the same DR letter that you did.

LANDSCAPING: Darin could not attend the meeting but emailed this report: Alex with Landscape Texas will be doing maintenance every week this month. He’s scheduled to pick up loose limbs on Tidwell next week.

Sandy said that we need to document fences that have falling sections on Tidwell, and perhaps run pictures of them in the Acorn, hoping to get people to be aware of and repair broken back-yard fencing.

ELECTION 2020: It is getting time to recruit any homeowner who would like to run for a position on the COCC Board in October. Someone with experience in accounting would be much appreciated, and Charlie said he would like to train a replacement.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:45.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
June 13, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Mike Kuhnen, Marilyn Harper, Johanna Wolfe, Cassie Ramsay, A.D. Koen. Absent: Darin Lee, Charlie Bowman
Guest: SEAL Sgt Bonsey

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:32 pm, and asked Sgt Bonsey to start with his report. The month of May had the smallest number of calls for service to SEAL in several years. There were, however, 4 instances of people trying to get in to the pool, or found to be already inside the pool enclosure, who did not have access cards. In 2 of these cases, SEAL was responding to calls from actual pool members, reporting non-members and/or disruptive behavior at the pool. Upon discovering that people driving in to the COCC pool parking, or already inside the pool, do not have a card, they are advised that the pool is reserved for members and guests, and are asked to leave.

Pool: Although Darin could not attend the meeting, he had sent email earlier showing that the contracted repairs to the pavilion floor, and painting the whole structure, had been done that day. Mike said that he had bought some wood stain to be applied to the 2 new picnic tables he had brought to the pool on Splash Day May 27. Sandy said she has purchased the tiles and adhesives needed to repair the wall between the kiddie pool and the regular pool. It will probably be necessary to close and lock the pool for 1 full day to allow the tile-set to dry thoroughly before water level is raised again. New signs have been ordered for the pool to make it clear that the pool is reserved for paid members and their guests (up to 10, unless you want to pay for a Pavilion Rental Party). Resident Craig Pennington wants to show children’s movies at the pool, dusk to +90 minutes: Coming soon.

Deed Restrictions: The next drive-through will be held on Sunday, June 23, starting 1 pm. Mike will drive, Cassie will take photos, Marilyn will note the addresses and violations that are found. Several board members commented on how they had noticed yard maintenance seemed lax in many yards so far this Spring/Summer. That was easy to understand when it was raining almost every day, but it’s time to keep the grass mowed.

Social: Cassie said her next social event will be a Labor Day Luau, on Monday September 2, from 2-6 pm. It will be an Open Swim holiday. There was a discussion of whether the signs for events like this — featuring free food, free swim for CO residents — should be posted where the general public might see them and misunderstand who is invited. It was suggested that event signs should not be posted on Bolivia or anywhere that pass-though traffic would see them.

Security: A.D. said he had not been able to get in touch with his contacts at SEAL to discuss the current contract. It is proceeding on a month-to-month basis, and he believes that SEAL will want to increase their rates next year. They have not had a rate increase in 6 years.

Treasury: Charlie emailed the board the current financials, comparing 2019 to 2018 as of May 31. One noticeable difference was 27 Pool Memberships paid for last year by start of Summer, and 37 Memberships for 2019, with Sandy saying she was still getting checks for pool memberships. Sandy also said 3 homeowners’ accounts are going to our attorney for non-payment of their dues for 2 years.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9:15.

Due to hail storm that evening, COCC meeting was canceled on May 9, 2019.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
April 11, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Outreach

Present: Sandy Erichsen, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper, Darin Lee, Cassie Ramsay, A.D. Koen, Mike Kuhnen.
Absent: Johanna Wolfe, Charlie Bowman.
Resident: James Tiemann Guests: SEAL Sgt Bonsey, Patrick Coleman, City Councilwoman at Large Amanda Edwards.

The meeting started at 7:30 with Sgt Bonsey giving the SEAL report covering the month of March. That was the month that quite a few CO residents reported on the Facebook Group that their cars and in some cases their back yards had been entered by persons unknown, resulting in loss of loose change left in cars. Several video cameras in the neighborhood had showed two young men walking the streets after midnight and stopping at cars. On March 22, Sgt Bonsey saw 2 young males inside the swimming pool fence, and knew that there had been NO purchase of 2019 pool memberships at that point. He drove around to the Tidwell parking entrance and observed them leaving in a vehicle he recognized, and gave that address in his daily report to the Board. One incident of tires being slashed was reported in the 5000 block of Droddy.

At 7:40, the guests from City Hall were introduced: Amanda Edwards and her assistant Patrick Coleman. Sandy said she had been asked 3 weeks before the meeting if Councilwoman Edwards could come to the board meeting and speak to residents, but this was never followed up on and confirmed, so no announcement about it was made to the neighborhood. We had 7 Board members present and one resident, so Ms Edwards spoke to the small audience and answered questions. Her main topic was the Proposition B raise for the Fire Department, and how unusual it was for an employee raise to be voted on by the public, and not negotiated in collective bargaining. She answered a question about red light cameras, which she said are now outlawed in Houston. When asked if the City could help Candlelight Oaks get better fencing along Tidwell, similar to the sound barrier fencing that lines freeways running past residential areas, Ms. Edwards said that CoH has no program currently that could help with that. She recommended talking to District A Councilwoman Stardig and arrange to speak about public safety issues on Tidwell at the Council’s regular Tuesday afternoon session.

At 8:00 pm, resident James Tiemann said he was there to find out why he had received a Deed Restriction “Second Letter” in January, but had not received the “First Letter” which was referenced from November. He will be provided with another copy of his November letter. He inquired how many DR letters are being sent out, and was told that the January drive-through resulted in 42 letters being mailed. He said he drove around on his street after he read his January letter and counted 14 homes that had dark stains and mold-and-mildew as bad or worse than the pictures he was sent of his own home. He was told that doesn’t mean that he was singled out to get a letter, but that many homeowners simply ignore their letters. Marilyn had with her a list of 8 addresses where the same problems had been observed for a year or more. It was already on the agenda for this meeting to discuss the return of some DR penalty for those who get letters for the same uncorrected infractions, seen on every drive-through.

The board discussed the possibility of a $25 fine to incentivize DR improvements. This would be addressed in the 3rd or 4th letter, in the form of an advisory that if the infraction(s) were still present during the next drive-through — and no Plan to make corrections had been communicated to the DR Committee — a $25 fine would be added to the homeowner’s account. Some board members wanted there to be a board vote, on review of the letters and supporting photos, before assessing a fine. Sandy suggested that in lieu of a fine, an unresponsive homeowner’s DR history would simply be turned over to the attorney. No decision was made, but Sandy will discuss with the attorney.

Pool: Lori said she has already placed the 2019 Pool Membership forms in the document holder at the pool gate, and they will be posted on our social media. Tables and furniture at the pool area need to be cleaned up for the upcoming Easter egg hunt. Darin is going to treat for ants in the mulch of the playground. Mike made a motion to spend up to $750 for some new outdoor furniture to replace broken pieces, seconded by Sandy, approved by all. The Board has known for a while that the floor of the pool pavilion must be repaired or replaced. Marilyn moved that Darin’s company replace the floor boards and paint the entire pavilion for $1000, seconded by Mike, and all approved. There is a longer-range plan to put in a concrete floor the next time the treated wood eventually rots out again.

Landscaping: Darin moved to act on a $600 bid from his mowing contractor, previously discussed in Board meetings and emails, to clean up and haul away branches and vines along the sidewalk easements on Tidwell. A.D. seconded, all approved.

Treasury: Charlie and Sandy have been working on the list of homeowners who are delinquent in their COCC dues for over 2 years. These homeowners will soon receive a demand letter, a last chance to sign up for a payment plan, before their accounts go to the attorney. [See footnote #1 below.]

Security: A.D. had brought in copies of the current contract with SEAL, where he had highlighted for discussion several clauses that he wants to change or clarify at his upcoming meeting with SEAL management. The old contract contains confused wording as to whether CO pays monthly or weekly, and we would prefer monthly payments which are less hassle for our board. We want to continue with SEAL setting the schedule as long as about 1/2 of the patrols occur during hours of darkness.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9:33pm.
Footnote #1: Sandy sent information on Friday evening that there were 7 demand letters being mailed.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
March 14, 2019

2019 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Charlie Bowman Acting Treasurer
Marilyn Harper Secretary & Acorn Editor
A.D. Koen Security Committee Chair
Michael Kuhnen Deed Restrictions Chair
Darin Lee Landscaping Chair
Cassie Ramsay Social Committee Chair
Johanna Wolfe Long Range Planning & Government Relations

Present: Sandy Ericksen, Lori Bulla, Marilyn Harper, Michael Kuhnen, A.D. Koen, Johanna Wolfe. Absent: Darin Lee, Cassie Ramsay, Charlie Bowman. Guest: SEAL Sgt Bonsey.

Meeting started at 7:35pm with Sgt Bonsey’s report on SEAL activity. It was discussed how the SEAL Report Summary Page for February noted only 3 incidents of Burglary of a Motor Vehicle, while there have been many more reports of late-night BMVs posted on social media in February, and in March. Sgt Bonsey said that when residents flag him down on patrol to tell him about a previous BMV, and he asks if it was reported to either SEAL or HPD upon discovery, the answer is generally No. He encourages all residents to promptly report all crimes, no matter how minor, to both SEAL and HPD. Reporting to HPD is the only way to influence having more police cars cruising through CO.

Pool: Lori said she checked on whether the pool expenses had risen enough to require a higher cost for Our Savior Lutheran to hold their swimming classes here. She concluded that $400 was still equitable, same price as last several years, and same conditions as far as schedule and non-exclusive use. Lori made a motion to keep the OSL price at $400, seconded by Marilyn, all were in favor.

Lori said the pavilion floor must be replaced before the 2019 season gets in full swing. She has a bid from pool caretaker Ray Cowart to buy new treated lumber floor boards, install and paint them, and paint the rest of the pavilion wood in the same color for a price of $1500. After discussion, it was decided to ask Landscaping Chair Darin Lee if we should get other bids before deciding.

Landscaping: Darin was not at the meeting, but had sent the board an email showing the recent trimming on the entrance esplanade at Bolivia. He said his contractor had just mowed and edged on Tidwell, and had said they could cut and remove tree limbs hanging over backyard fences along Tidwell for $500-$600. After discussion, it was agreed that cutting of privately owned trees would not be done without notifying the homeowners involved. Sandy volunteered to walk along Tidwell and try to identify the homes that have trees hanging over their fences and the public sidewalks. Marilyn said that identifying addresses from Tidwell might be an easier job now, using the subdivision map that Gill created for his Deed Restriction Booklet, since it has the lots and their addresses on it.

Treasury: Sandy reported that Proledge and Charlie have issued invoices for those who had past dues in March. Checks in the mailbox really picked up after that, and while there are still some accounts that are not yet caught up, Sandy said there are only 2 accounts that are badly overdue. Those will get one more letter from the board.

Story Lady: Board member A.D. Koen reported that his wife Bobbie wants to schedule her first reading session for Saturday April 6, on the cul-de-sac on Oakhaven in front of the pool. After that, there is expected to be a rotating schedule each month to have Bobbie reading at the other two Children’s Library locations. A.D. said that printer Gill Daoust will make a sign for the program that will be put up on the cul-de-sac where a reading is going to occur. We will also have announcements in our social media.

Marilyn mentioned that some residents have asked her about getting more Library stands, as the three we have are often over-filled. We will ask Richard Solis, who got us the ones we have, to inquire if HISD can provide us with an additional 3 stands this Spring. A.D. went along to pick up the stands last year and said it was an easy process, once we had permission to go get them.

Planning & Government: Johanna was surprised to find that when she was absent from the February meeting, she had been assigned to a new task of handling Government Relations. However, she accepted this request to assist with local government outreach. Her first task will be to inquire if there is any “seed money” available to put up safety barrier fencing along Tidwell where it winds its way through Candlelight Oaks. She will contact Council member Brenda Stardig’s office, to determine if the city of Houston has any resources to assist or can provide direction. Working with others on the COCC board, she will also contact the Near Northwest Management District to see if they have any suggestions regarding the problem of cars crashing into backyard fences..

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:50pm.