Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Minutes - DVLA Board Meeting 03/24/09

Minutes of the DVLA Board Meeting of March 24, 2009

Board Members attending: Cyndy Johnson, Mike Barker, Alan Strebeck, Barbara Hjelle; Sally Musemeche

Meeting held at Fire House.

Six landowners were in attendance.
               
President Cyndy Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. 

1.  Approval of Agenda

MOTION was made by Mike Barker to accept the agenda.  Alan Strebeck seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

2.  Review and approve minutes of the February regular board meeting

MOTION was made by Barbara Hjelle to approve the February meeting minutes.  Mike Barker seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

3.  President's Message
President Cyndy Johnson noted that there was a great team going forward with the current Board.  So far there have been no candidates for the three openings.  She urged all landowners to consider this important service to the community.

3.  Review financial reports - Stella Callagee
Stella Callagee, Treasurer, reported that several delinquent properties have paid the late dues.  The amount of unpaid dues is down to $3,672.00 which represents 12 lots.  There were no unusual expenses during the prior month.

MOTION was made by Barbara Hjelle to accept the financial report for filing.  The motion was seconded and passed.

4.  Reports:
a.  Fire Department
Chief Talbot gave the report for the fire department.  The department had responded to one false alarm - in conjunction with a controlled burn being done.  There were also two medical calls.  The department will be doing extrication training on the coming Saturday.  This session would help train the volunteers when responding to traffic accidents.  There are two new members on the team - Ron Johnson and Don Collier.   This brings the department up to a total of 24 fire fighters and medical team volunteers.

The old military 6x6 vehicle has had brake problems.  The department was able to make the necessary repairs.  The Rescue vehicle is occasionally going dead.  There is a lot of equipment on board that drains the batteries. 

The Chief said that the fire house is starting to show signs of use.  The carpet is showing wear and the doors need to be painted.  The asphalt around the station is cracking and separating in places.  Next year the Valley will need to treat the surface.  For the present the Chief will do some temporary sealing.

The Chief purchased red cinders for sandbagging in anticipation of the Spring run off. 

The Chief reported that he had to submit a Workmen's Compensation claim for volunteer Jim Petersen.  Jim was conducting training when a pressure cap blew off the hydrant and hit him in the thigh.  He was taken to Work Med but the accident had not caused anything to be broken, just some serious bruising.  Jim is expected to make a full recovery.

The Chief is able to issue burn permits through April 15th.  After that the burn season will close.  Landowners can call the Chief on his cell phone: 703-0931.

b.  ARC - Trustee Assignments: April - Mike Barker; May - Barbara Hjelle

There was no activity over the past month to report.

c.  Trustee Reports
For the Weed Committee, Barbara Hjelle encouraged landowners to pull and spray as the weeds start to come up.

Mike Barker said that he would get together with the Chief before his term ended so they could review the contents in the fire house to be sure the insurance policies correctly reflected those numbers.

Cyndy Johnson had spoken with Rick Smith about a date for highway clean-up.  Rick has scheduled one for April 25th starting at 8:00am.

Sally Musemeche discussed the Community Center reservation policy.  She asked that it be posted to the Bulletin Board and Stella Callagee said she would get that done.  Sally congratulated the committee helping to run the Community Center.  She said that Robyn Jensen is keeping the schedule.

Sally also reported on the CCR violations referral committee that she had headed.  She said it was agreed that no committee should determine legal action to be pursued.  The role of the committee would be to do research and bring a recommendation to the Board.  The Board would make the decision on action to be taken.  She said that those bringing a complaint would need to identify themselves so that a response could be given to them.  Anonymous complaints would not be accepted.  She would be seeking feedback on a referral form.

Sally Musemeche discussed the ARC approval passed by the Board at the last meeting.  She said that there had been discussion at that original ARC about the legality of the Architectural Guidelines.  She asked the other Board members where we stand in relation to the Guidelines.  Should this issue be discussed at the annual meeting?  Alan Strebeck noted that the CCR's always "trump" the Architectural Guidelines.

Alan Strebeck reported that the burn pile was going well.  The volunteers were doing a great job at the gates.

Cyndy Johnson recognized a speaker on an eagle scout project to repair the fence around the mailbox area.  Greg and Gavin Hall were leading the project.    A group of volunteers would work on a Saturday to pull out the old fencing and replace it with matching two rail, round fencing.  The scouts had collected donations from landowners to complete the project.

MOTION was made by Alan Strebeck to allow the project to proceed as planned.  Barbara Hjelle seconded the motion.  Discussion clarified that the DVLA was not funding the project, it was being covered by donations.  The motion was passed.

5.  Unfinished Business:
a. Annual Meeting Planning - Annual Meeting to be held May 16, 2009
1.  Proposed By-Law Revisions:  The Board members discussed Alan Strebeck's proposed by-law revisions.  Sally Musemeche expressed her concern that the document had not been the result of a committee effort.  She had thought from earlier discussions that Alan would form a committee which would work on the issue over the year.  The current presentation was being made by Alan in a personal status, as a landowner.  Barbara Hjelle added that she had volunteered to be on the committee and she had been aware that other landowners had volunteered too.

Barbara said that she did not believe a major revision of the by-laws should be presented in this manner.  She expressed concern that there could be unintended consequences.  She felt the variety of viewpoints from landowners was important in drafting these types of legal documents.  She also did not feel that there could be a meaningful discussion at the annual meeting. She would recommend that landowners vote against the revisions.

Alan Strebeck said it was arrogant to say this board or the few members who came to monthly meetings had the ability to make a decision for all landowners. 

Sally Musemeche said that when the landowners elected her to the board they gave her the responsibility to represent the body's interest.  She had thought she was going to have an opportunity to make input into the by-law revisions.  By allowing the current revisions document to go out she did not feel she was serving the body that had elected her.

Cyndy Johnson said that Alan, as a landowner, had every right to send out his revisions.  He had met the requirements of the by-law that allowed a landowner to propose changes.  She added that she had also thought that Alan had been in agreement with the board to work with a committee to draft the revisions.

Barbara Hjelle said she was not trying to deprive the landowners of something.  She would have preferred that there had been several months of review and input by landowners and the board.  She would have liked to see pro and con statements sent along with the revisions.

Alan Strebeck pointed out that if a landowner had submitted this document within the correct timeframes they would have to go out as submitted and the board had no authority to change them.  He felt that an individual board member's recommendation to vote against the proposed revisions was a personal slight. 

Discussion to be taken under consideration.

2. Architectural Guidelines
The Board discussed whether the current architectural guidelines had been voted in under the necessary quorum requirements.  Barbara Hjelle said she had served on the Board which had proposed the current guidelines.  There had been a lot of board and landowner involvement in the current document.  There had been committee and board meeting discussions.  The question is what is the range of the board's discretion in respect to the guidelines.  The current guidelines had been drafted in response to concerns that restrictions were getting more and more extreme.  The guidelines had been an effort to moderate the position of the DVLA.  The guidelines had been mailed out to the landowners and approved by a majority of respondents. 

Alan Strebeck cited earlier guideline documents and what had been the approval numbers for those revisions.  Problem, were the current guidelines approved by the necessary numbers mandated in the current governing documents?

Barbara Hjelle said the questions leave room for the Board to review the document and make recommendations. 

Sally Musemeche felt the Board had to do the right thing.  This might require going back to the last legally passed document.  Alan Strebeck pointed out that By-law 8.3 required guidelines be passed by 51% of the landowners.

Alan Strebeck said the Board should take this discussion under advisement.

6.  New Business:
a. Protocol for change in meeting dates
Cyndy Johnson said there could be a protocol established for a change in meeting dates. 

Barbara Hjelle felt that the regularly scheduled meeting dates should be kept in place.  As long as the Board had a quorum to conduct business then the meeting date should stand.  Otherwise it was a picking and choosing of which members could be at a meeting.

b. Email archives
The Board discussed keeping an email archives.  The ones to keep were those that required board action.  Many were informational and did not need board consideration/action. 

c. Vote for new Secretary/Treasurer
MOTION was made by Alan Strebeck to appoint Carol Clason as the new DVLA Secretary/Treasurer.  Barbara Hjelle seconded the motion.  The motion was passed by a unanimous vote.

d. Community Garden
Mark Ahrenholtz talked to the Board about a plot of land donated by Brooks Pace for a community garden.  Brooks had donated three acres of land and would fence the area as well as provide water.  There would be family size gardens.  April 22nd there would be a groundbreaking event.  The intention was that extra produce would be sold and help to continue the gardens and also be donated to Care and Share.  Those wanting information could call Mark at 668-3824.

7.  Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 9:25pm.

Stella Callagee
Recording Secretary

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Minutes - DVLA Board Meeting 02/24/09

Minutes of the DVLA Board Meeting of February 24, 2009

Board Members attending: Cyndy Johnson, Mike Barker, Alan Strebeck, Barbara Hjelle                      Absent: Sally Musemeche

Meeting held at Fire House.

Ten landowners were in attendance.
               
President Cyndy Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. 

1.  Approval of Agenda
Annual meeting preparation was added under New Business as item 7a.

MOTION was made by Alan Strebeck to accept the agenda.  Mike Barker seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

2.  Review and approve minutes of the January regular board meeting
Alan Strebeck asked for a revision in the draft minutes to indicate that he is working on "proposed" revisions to the by-laws. 

MOTION was made by Mike Barker to approve the January meeting minutes as amended.  Alan Strebeck seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

3.  Review financial reports - Stella Callagee
Chief Talbot submitted the budget for the fire department.  The total is $21,750.  This number is lower than the estimate used during the January budget meeting.  A quick calculation indicated it would drop the proposed dues amount for the coming fiscal year from $300 to $291/year.

The Board discussed with Chief Talbot their plan to keep the amount of the Beck engine payment in the budget calculation after that loan payment ends in August 2009.  They planned to use this monthly payment amount to build the DVLA reserves - including equipment reserves for the fire department.

Chief Talbot said that the large military style vehicle loaned to the department by the State needs to be replaced.  It is difficult to drive and specific in its use - for going off road into rough terrain.  Currently the BLM has some great deals on brush trucks.  He could get a five person cab brush truck for around $30,000.  His overall concern is the safety of the volunteers and the best coverage for the Valley.  A brush truck would much better serve the department's needs than the military style truck.

In response to a question from the Board the Chief said that in the coming year the volunteers would go out to help fight fires on both local and state lands.  The Valley is reimbursed for going out to help on state lands but not to other communities as the DVLA fire department is part of a mutual aid agreement. 

The Board concluded that keeping the proposed dues amount of $300/year would allow for building the reserve and help fund a future fire department replacement vehicle. 

MOTION was made by Barbara Hjelle to accept the financial report for filing.  The motion was seconded and passed.

4.  Reports:
a.  Fire Department
Chief Talbot gave the report for the fire department.  There were no fires in the past month.  The fire department did answer a call to rescue a dog that had fallen through the ice in Sand Cove.  The department also responded to a rollover accident in Veyo.  Troy Johnson has returned from his LDS mission and has rejoined the department volunteers. 

Twelve members of the department have been recertified for their "red card".  This certification allows them to go out and help fight fires on State lands.  Five more department volunteers will be taking the "red card" class in the future.  The Chief talked about the rigorous agility test the volunteers have to pass as part of this process.

All six of the department vehicles have passed their safety inspections.  The State has money allocated for the painting of that brush truck.  The vehicle is owned by the State and loaned to the DVLA department.  It is State money that will be used to paint the truck.

The Chief discussed the ongoing problem with the pagers.  This is due to the issue of a viable repeater set-up.  The Dammeron Valley fire department is working around this problem but it is a county wide issue that is far from being resolved.

The Chief told the Board that he is nervous about flooding from the spring run off.  He asked to use approximately $350 to buy red cinders for sandbag use.  The Board unanimously approved this expenditure.

b.  ARC - Trustee Assignments: March - Alan Strebeck; April - Mike Barker; May - Barbara Hjelle

The Board considered the plans of Jordan and Betty Ann Strebeck, HS-27, for a garage and studio addition.  The plans exceeded the general guidelines for size set forth in the Architectural Guidelines so
the ARC referred the decision to the Board to determine whether the size was appropriate under the
circumstances.  The size would be a little less than 2500 sq. ft.

The Board discussed the fact that the plans met County guidelines and that the CCRs for the Homesteads contain no square footage restrictions.  Lance Cornwall and the builder represented that the submitted documents, fee, and the setbacks and color were in compliance, and that there was no restroom included in the building.  The owners stated that the building would not be used for dwelling purposes.  Barbara Hjelle noted that the guidelines state that "The guidelines must be consistent with and in fulfillment of the CCRs  and that "Accessory buildings shall generally not exceed 2,000 sq. ft. in area." She interpreted these guidelines to allow for consideration of larger buildings if the CCRs do not prohibit them.  However, if the building is to be larger than the general guideline, it should have some architectural detail to offset the impact of the size.  This building reflected considerable architectural detail and was not merely a rectangular structure.

MOTION was made by Barbara Hjelle to approve the plans.  Mike Barker seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.  Alan Strebeck abstained from the vote.

c.  Trustee Reports
1.  Alan Strebeck said he would hold a by-law committee meeting on Wed., March 17th at 7:00 pm in the firehouse.  This would be an open meeting. 

The burn pile will be open on the upcoming Saturday.

2.  Cyndy Johnson said that a highway clean-up would be planned in the future.  Right now it is too wet.  She will talk with Rick Smith who heads the highway clean-up effort.

Cyndy reported that she is working with landowners to help keep the entrances sign free.  There is a real estate kiosk at the mailbox cluster for real estate flyers.

3.  Barbara Hjelle reported that she is looking for guidance on the issue of weeds from the Board.  There are divergent views in her committee.  She thinks that reminders in the minutes and information on the DVLA Bulletin Board may be the way to disseminate information.  Landowners can be given tips for dealing with weeds as they appear at different times of the year.  Alan Strebeck said that one of the problems is the lots with absentee owners.  Since the DVLA cannot levy fines there is little that can be done.  Cyndy Johnson said that letters to landowners had been done in the past to fix fencing along the greenbelt and that effort had been successful.  Letters may be one of the ways to help with the absentee owner weed problem.  Barbara Hjelle said that a letter in the water bill could also be a way of passing on information.

5.  Unfinished Business:
a. Board policies
The Board had met and worked on the Board policies document.

MOTION was made by Mike Barker to accept the Board policies document that Barbara Hjelle had revised and sent out to the Board.  Alan Strebeck seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

6.  New Business:
a. The Board set the date for the Annual Meeting for Saturday, May 16th. 
b.  Mac Thomson reported for the Fire Safe Committee.  The State is working on fire breaks around the Valley. 

7.  Adjournment
MOTION was made by Mike Barker to adjourn the meeting.  Alan Strebeck seconded the motion.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm.

Stella Callagee
Recording Secretary

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Minutes - DVLA Board Meeting 01/27/09

Minutes of the DVLA Board Meeting of January 27, 2009

Board Members attending: Cyndy Johnson, Sally Musemeche, Mike Barker, Alan Strebeck;                    Barbara Hjelle

Meeting held at Fire House.

Six landowners were in attendance.
               
President Cyndy Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:00pm. 

1.  Approval of Agenda

MOTION was made by Mike Barker to accept the agenda.  Barbara Hjelle seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

2.  Review and approve minutes of the November regular board meeting and the special meeting of January 20, 2009 concerning the budget

MOTION was made by Sally Musemeche to approve the November meeting minutes.  Mike Barker seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

MOTION was made by Barbara Hjelle to approve the special meeting minutes of Jan. 20, 2009.  Mike Barker seconded the motion.  The motion was passed.

3.  President's Message
The Board is looking for applicants for the Secretary/Treasurer job.

4.  Review financial reports - Stella Callagee

MOTION was made by Barbara Hjelle to accept the financial report for filing.  Sally Musemeche seconded the motion.  It was passed.

5.  Reports:
a.  Fire Department
A representative was unavailable so there was no report for the fire department.

b.  ARC - Trustee Assignments: February - Sally Musemeche;  March - Alan Strebeck; April - Mike Barker; May - Barbara Hjelle

Lance Cornwall, Chair of the ARC, gave the report.  Two plans were approved - for PHI-06 and PHV105. 

c.  Trustee Reports
1.  Alan Strebeck reported that the burn pile is working well.  He has had no problem finding volunteers to man the gate.  The Chief did a burn about eight weeks ago.

Alan is working on the by-law revisions.  A document will be ready for the annual meeting mail out. Alan explained that the purpose of this effort will be to get wording back to the original intent of the by-laws.  The proposed revisions will also clear up ambiguities.

2.  Mike Barker said that he still needs to get a hold of Chief Talbot to do an estimate of the contents of the fire house.  His review of the DVLA insurance policies has indicated the building contents coverage skewed between the community center and the fire house.

Concerning flooding, money is an issue for the state and county entities.  Mike does not expect anything to get done in the immediate future.  Brooks Pace would like the DVLA to look into funding an engineering study. 

3.  Cyndy Johnson reported that she continues to work on the website with Johnna Evans.  Sally Musemeche suggested a topic on the bulletin board which would allow landowners to post available resources in the Valley.  Johnna Evans said she would look into setting something up.  Technically there is no problem setting up another forum. 

4.  Sally Musemeche said that she received a fax from a title company looking to settle a lien placed on a property back in 2002.  The current owners purchased the property without the lien being cleared.  Now they are refinancing and the old lien needs to be cleared.  The Board decided to accept a payment of $808 to clear the lien.  Sally will send a letter from the Board indicating this to the title company.

5.  Barbara Hjelle said that the weeds committee will be meeting soon.  She also will be checking with the County recycling effort to see when the Valley might expect a check.

5.  Unfinished Business:
a. Board policies
The Board decided to have a special meeting next week to go over the draft that Barbara has prepared.

6.  Comment and Discussion by landowners
a. Frank Shearer talked with the Board concerning the transportation SSD.  He described his efforts to get information out to the landowners.  The Board discussed the need to educate and inform the landowners even when something is a political issue that the Board will not be involved in.

7.  Adjournment
MOTION was made by Alan Strebeck to adjourn the meeting.  Barbara Hjelle seconded the motion.  The meeting was adjourned at 8:05pm.

Stella Callagee
Recording Secretary