Blog

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

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:35 pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9 pm.

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

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

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:38 pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy closed the meeting at 8:40 pm.

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

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:34 pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy closed the meeting at 8:53 pm.

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

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:35 pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8.23.

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

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

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:33 pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8.44.

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

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

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:37 pm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 9:33.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
January 14, 2021

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

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

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:25 pm.

Treasury: Dan G had emailed the Treasury report through the end of December to Sandy, Charlie, and Marilyn before this meeting. As he was on the call for the meeting, he ran through the main points.

Year To Date:
· Revenues were favorable to budget by $12,430 (*This is due to residents paying their annual assessments as part of the 2021 assessments, part of which are budgeted in November and December of 2020 when they are received.)
· Expenses were unfavorable to budget by $4,457 due partially to Security expenses being over budget by $4,101 (*Lori said this was due to both the November and December payments to Homeland being made in December.)
· Total Income was favorable to budget by $7,968

Year To Date 2020
· Revenues are favorable to budget by $10,405
· Total Expenses were neutral to budget as actual expenses were $15 over budget
· Total Income is favorable to budget by $10,372

Accounts Receivable:
· $13,906 in total unpaid assessments from 2020 and previous years.
· $90,690 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period. Most of these should be
paid by the end of January.

Pool: Lori reported that the new pump that was authorized has been purchased and will be installed in February.

Security: Hope reported that she has met with Homeland Security at their office across the 290 freeway from Target. She has talked to Don Wasson of the Candlelight Oaks Village board about whether they would be interested in having HPS provide security for their HOA, and Don was going to bring that up at the COV board meeting last night, the same night as our meeting. Hope wants to work on the Vacation Watch program, so Marilyn said she will send Hope the form we have from HPS.

Landscaping: Dan Sherer reported that he has not found any new company that was interested in the contract for COCC, so he is going to stick with the current company that was hired by Darin Lee.

Deed Restrictions: Polina expressed interest in getting DR going again, if a way to have 3 board members collaborate on it during Covid lockdown can be developed. She wants to incorporate letting residents know when their home looks especially nice into the program, and not just be sending complaint letters. There was also discussion about restarting the Beautiful Yard sign program this Spring.

Social: No news. Covid lockdowns may preclude any social events this Spring.

Planning & Outreach: Johanna said she will continue to work in this area, but had nothing to report yet.

The board voted to continue with the same officers and committee chairs, with the 3 new board members agreeing to take, and then confirmed by unanimous votes for Hope to Security, Polina to Deed Restrictions, and Dan Sherer to Landscaping. Marilyn said she will continue to do a bimonthly Acorn newsletter during 2021.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:36.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
December 10, 2020

2020 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Charlie Bowman Volunteer Assistant 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, Marilyn Harper, Michael Kuhnen, Lori Bulla, Cassie Ramsay, Dan Gonzalez, Charlie Bowman. Absent: Johanna Wolfe, A.D. Koen, Darin Lee. Guest: 2021-22 Board Member Hope Edmondson. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:30 pm.

Pool: Lori said that the pool pump that is going out still can’t be replaced due to the high volume of autumn leaf drop into the pool. The $1200 approved at the November meeting will wait until the right time for our pool maintenance contractor Ray Cowart to buy and install the new pump.

Treasury: Dan G had emailed the Treasury report through the end of November to Sandy, Charlie, and Marilyn before this meeting. As he was on the call for the meeting, he ran through the main points.
Year To Date:
· Revenues are unfavorable to budget by $2,025
· Total Expenses are favorable to budget by $4,442
· Total Income is favorable to budget by $2,403
Accounts Receivable:
· $13,906 in total unpaid assessments from 2020 and previous years.
· $90,690 in 2021 assessments that are in the current period. Most of these should be
paid by the end of January.

Social: Cassie said she might bring hot chocolate for the Sunday afternoon event. She wondered about a Toys for Tots event being held by the Kiger family and asked if COCC should have a box for donations at our event. Our announcement on social media wasn’t getting much comment, so it was discussed that we needed to remind people on RoCO and Nextdoor about our event.

Security: No news.
Landscaping: No news.

Misc: Mike needs to return to Sandy any COCC signs for Heavy Trash that he may have, as his 4 years on the board end this month.
Sandy said she still wants to get the white brick walls at the Bolivia entrance power-washed before the Christmas holidays. Cassie volunteered that she and her husband Graham Ramsay could bring a power-washer on Saturday morning, and Marilyn volunteered to assist. Access to residents’ water was needed, so Marilyn was to contact the Crawfords on one side of the entrance, while Sandy would ask the new homeowner Ms Frolov on the other side. Marilyn also volunteered to go to the pool on Friday to trim any wayward vines and look for ant mounds. If mounds were found, she was to contact pool chair Lori Bulla for help getting into the shed at the pool, where the ant killer is stored. Rounding out the weekend, some members of the board would drive through the neighborhood on Sunday night to judge the Christmas decorations and put signs in the winning yards.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:25.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
November 12, 2020

2020 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Charlie Bowman Volunteer Assistant 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, Marilyn Harper, Lori Bulla, Cassie Ramsay, Dan Gonzalez, A.D. Koen. Not Present: Johanna Wolfe, Michael Kuhnen, Darin Lee. Guest: 2021-22 Board Member Dan Sherer. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM technology.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:350pm.

Pool: Lori said that one of the two pool pumps was going out and needed to be replaced. Pool maintenance contractor Ray Cowart said it would cost about $1100 to buy the pump, and Ray could install it and get it working after the worst of the autumn leaf drop. Even though the pool will soon be too cold for most swimmers, the pumps have to run constantly to keep the pool in good condition all year. Lori motioned that up to $1200 be approved to get a new pump at the pool, Sandy seconded, and there were no nays among the board members on the Zoom call.

Lori said the painting of the bathrooms at the pool had been completed. Lori and Sandy said everyone who had seen it thought it looked great. The new color is a nice blue that matches the new tiles in the pool.

Treasury: Dan G had emailed the Treasury report through the end of October to Sandy, Charlie, and Marilyn before this meeting. As he was on the call for the meeting, he ran through the main points.
Year To Date:
· Revenues are favorable to budget by $7,240
· Total Expenses are favorable to budget by $3,936
· Total Income is favorable to budget by $11,165
Accounts Receivable:
· $3,630 in 2020 assessments due to COCC – 13 people
· $9,126 in assessments accruing since before 2020 – 7 people
· With credits, there are $11,571 in A/R

Social: Cassie presented her plan for a child-oriented Covid-19 Christmas event on December 13. Social distancing will be observed. We will not hire a Santa this year, but will have a Santa display at the pool or playground. This will be a decorated spot where children can sit for photos. The main event will be a scavenger hunt for items featured in the neighborhood yard displays. Each child who wants to play the game will take a card listing items to look for, such as Santa, reindeer, angel, etc and then search for their items, recording the address where they found each one. Full details will be presented online and in the December Acorn. The Holiday Lights contest will also be judged on January 13th, after dark.

Security: A.D. said he is looking into a spreadsheet format for a monthly security report to be sent to the board. A.D. and new board member for 2021 Hope Edmondson will set up a meeting with HPS owner and manager. Hope has a security background and is expected to transition into that position on the board. A.D. may recommend HPS to Candlelight Oaks Village as their security company.

Landscaping: Board member-elect for 2021-2022 Dan Sherer had expressed an interest in the landscaping chair, being vacated after years of good service by Darin Lee. (Thank you, Darin, for all you have done for CO, and welcome, Dan Sherer.) Sandy mentioned that Marilyn has a map showing the locations where mowing and landscaping are done on our cul-de-sacs and the entrance esplanades at Bolivia. Dan provided his email address so he could be sent that map.

Misc: Sandy wants to get the white brick walls at the Bolivia entrance power-washed before the Christmas holidays. She says there is enough money left from what was approved to paint the bathrooms, to cover paying Ray’s employee Eloy to do the job. As often done before, the homeowners living on the north corners of Bolivia will be asked if their water taps can be used for this job.

Johanna said she would send the board the City traffic study done at Bolivia and Tidwell. She said the City is negative on the idea of having public money spent to reinforce or replace fences along Tidwell, but she is going to talk to our Council Member Amy Peck.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:40.

Candlelight Oaks Civic Club, Inc
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting
October 8, 2020

2020 BOARD MEMBERS:
Sandy Ericksen President
Lori Bulla Vice-President & Pool Committee Chair
Dan Gonzalez Treasurer
Charlie Bowman Volunteer Assistant 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, A.D. Koen, Dan Gonzalez, Johanna Wolfe, Michael Kuhnen, Marilyn Harper. Not Present: Cassie Ramsay, Darin Lee, Charlie Bowman. NOTE: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing, this meeting was hosted by Sandy using ZOOM technology.

Sandy opened the meeting at 7:35 pm.

Treasury: Dan gave us a summary of the treasury, which showed that both revenues and expenses were favorable to what had been budgeted through September. Not being able to do normal social events due to Covid is the main reason for that. Accounts Receivable still has the same debts due to unpaid assessments, for a total of about $14K. There are 17 homeowners not paid up for 2020, and 7 others that have dues unpaid for longer than one year.

Security: A.D. said he is going to work with Mike Kuhnen and website admin Polina Blossman to see if the fillable PDF file will work as a submission format for sending a vacation watch request to Homeland Protective Service. Typing your info into a file which can be sent to HPS avoids the problem of having to download, print, fill, then scan back in to your device. There was a discussion of the intruder event on Oakhaven Sept. 26. A.D. said the Security Chair should keep a log of such incidents. He was asked to advise HMS about the Oaksfest with food trucks at the pool to be held on Oct 10, and ask them to keep an eye on trick-or-treaters in CO on Halloween.

Sandy announced that Hope Edmondson and Keith Overstreet had agreed to be write-in candidates for the COCC election on Oct 10.

Pool: Lori said that painting had started on the bathroom building at the pool, but with the next day predicted to be rainy, it probably wouldn’t get finished this week. The painting is being done by an employee of Ray Cowart, the pool maintenance contractor, and needs to be done on a weekday to avoid overtime.
Social: Johanna went over the arrangements for a food truck and a mixed-drinks truck to park in the cul-de-sac in front of the pool from 6-8 pm. The wooden ballot box would be brought by Sandy, who also was going to bring copies of the ballot for any homeowners who had not yet voted. Charlie was scheduled to check the secure mailbox at the pool on the morning of the 11th, which would end the voting period. Treasurer Dan would then validate and count the ballots, reporting the results to the Board by email on Sunday.

Sandy adjourned the meeting at 8:12.