FAIRWOOD WEST HOME
Minutes of Meeting
October 15, 2009
Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Fairwood West Homeowners Association Board of Trustees was called to order at 7 pm on Thursday October 15th, 2009. Trustees in attendance were Pat Wyre, David Mahowald, Lou Carlascio, Adrian Ryneveld, Dan Rystrom and Amrik Pander. Also in attendance was Barb Simeona, Association Bookkeeper and nine signed-in homeowners.
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~ MONTHLY REMINDERS ~
DO NOT PARK ON YOUR YARD – IT’S A COVENANT VIOLATION!
Please keep your dues current – this is how the association pays
for security, utilities and common area maintenance
Please call any board member if you see an abandoned home.
Be prepared to give the address so that we can
have our security monitor activity.
Visit the Fairwood West website located at www.fairwoodcommunitynews.com – Under the navigation bar, hover over “Communities” and select “Fairwood West”.
Here you can find meeting minutes, architectural request forms, CC&R’s and contact information.
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Introduction – Lou Carlascio, Vice-President welcomed all homeowners and thanked them for attending. He announced that Cecile Blumenzweig, President had submitted her resignation and therefore he will be acting President until the November monthly meeting where new duties are chosen.
Lou thanked Cecile for all her hard work over the years. Much progress has been made over these years with Cecile’s leadership. We all wish her well and have enjoyed working with her.
The board of trustees was introduced as follows:
- Lou Carlascio – Vice-President, Covenant Enforcement Chairperson, Pride-In-Ownership Chairperson and acting President until November 2009 board duties are chosen.
- David Mahowald – Treasurer
- Dan Rystrom – Board Member
- Pat Wyre – Common Properties Chairperson & Community Events Chairperson
- Adrian Ryneveld – Security Chairperson
- Amrik Pander – Architectural Control Chairperson
Fire District 40 – For Fire District news please see the FD 40 report in the Fairwood Flyer.
King County Sheriff’s Report – No representative present to report.
Treasurer’s Report – David Mahowald reported on 2009 performance. The largest expenditure was the contingency fund. This was for expenses on the sinkhole in the community park. A cd was cashed in to cover these expenses.
We did collect money for several homes in arrears on homeowner dues. The association is holding its own financially. The dues increase is requested to cover the increase in Security fees for 2010 whether it’s King County or private security.
The remainder of the budget was based on historical trends. There are a lot of vacant and foreclosed homes in the neighborhood. In these situations we cannot count on when payments will be made if at all. The banks and the IRS come first in these situations.
There was further discussion on why the association does not cut back on expenses. It was explained that each line item on the budget was gone thru and that is why the Fairwood Flyer does not show in the budget. Common Properties are required to be maintained as well as security and insurance. The proposed budget is based at a private security cost. Everything that was considered “non-essential” was cut from the budget. Community events budget was cut back also.
A homeowner in attendance stated that dues are asking to be increased with a large amount of money in CD’s – why? What is a good amount to keep in savings? He noted that he feels King County Police are not patrolling regularly and that the break-in figures are due to solicitors. How come there are no signs on soliciting?
Adrian Ryneveld responded that King County cannot act upon solicitors unless each individual home is marked for no soliciting.
David Mahowald responded that he feels we need to keep all of the money that we can in the CD’s for the sinkhole issues. We have some major issues with that area that could cost over $100K to fix. King County did a repair at one time and noted in the agreement that they would not fix it again.
On the security patrolling issue noted above – Lou Carlascio reported that a homeowner that had previously received the Pride in Ownership award is now moving because they do not feel safe. That is sad.
2010 Budget Review – See notes above.
Nominations – Eileen Richards was nominated from the floor. Pat Wyre and Lou Carlascio were previously nominated.
Architectural Control Committee Report – Amrik Pander reported that architectural control is in place to keep the area nice. When you do any improvements that are visible you are required to submit an architectural control request prior to doing the work. This form is available in the Fairwood Flyer. Please call any board member before you build if you have questions.
Common Properties Committee Report – Pat Wyre reported on the park. In January a temporary fence was placed around the sinkhole area. That was replaced in April with a locked permanent fence. Some dead trees were removed. The board needs to move the play equipment into the upper area of the park.
Landscaping is done on a monthly basis on all common properties. This contract will be reviewed next year.
We are looking for committee members to get signage going in the West entryway. We currently have a homeowner that is willing to work on this.
It was noted that there are actually 3 entryways into Fairwood West.
Community Events Committee Report – Pat Wyre reported that there was the Easter Egg Hunt, Community Garage Sale and there will be the Home Holiday Decorating Contest in December.
Covenant Enforcement Committee Report – Lou Carlasio reported that once a month he goes out and reviews homes for covenant violations. He goes thru the entire neighborhood and only writes up blatant violations. He has been aggressive in the last year. Approximately 80 homes have complied with violation notices. The entire board reviews the photos of the violations before the letter writing process begins. There are numerous homes that have not complied and have been or are being fined $25/week. It was noted that this is not as harsh as a lot of associations.
Last year newly printed CC&R books were handed out door-to-door.
This next year the board is looking at taking a much harder stance on rental homes.
There are a lot of abandoned and foreclosed homes in the area – this is problem for all of us. The board can hire someone to cut lawns etc – if you see an abandoned home next to you – take a few minutes and cut the lawn. It helps us all.
A question was asked – what about those that cannot afford to paint etc. Is there recourse for them? The board responded that yes we will work with you but you must communicate with us! We are not looking to make money on fines only to make the neighborhood for desirable and keep our home values up. We will work with you if you have a financial problem – but you must communicate!
It was noted by a homeowner in attendance – Help your neighbor! It helps all of us. Another homeowner noted she picks up newspapers that are left in abandoned homes driveways.
Lou Carlascio responded to this statement – there are certain pockets of the neighborhood that are good and some areas that are not so good – it can start with you! Take care of your home and your neighbors will follow!
David Mahowald noted that neighbors usually know when a home is abandoned before anyone else. If you know your neighbor’s home is now abandoned – please contact us – it helps us to know before we are notified by the bank.
Pride In Ownership Committee Report – Lou Carlascio reported that he goes thru the neighborhood throughout the months of April-September and chooses two homes per month to receive a certificate and a gift card.
One homeowner in attendance noted that she has seen in other neighborhoods where a sign is placed in the winning home’s yard instead of a cash prize given – Great idea!
Security Committee Report – Adrian Ryneveld reported that the current King County budget plans say that the Sheriff must cut 120 further patrol officers in King County for the year 2010. Please contact your local representative Reagan Dunn if you have complaints on coverage for the whole of King County.
He reported that a review is being done of our security needs and how to proceed for 2010.
For the past year security has decreased in the Fairwood West area. This trend is attributable to a combination of several causes:
- A general increase in average monthly crimes as reported by the King County Sheriff for the Fairwood area from 41 in 2008 to 46 in 2009.
- The general increase in vacant homes due to foreclosures and slow sales.
- The limited coverage provided by our Security Patrol.
There has been a marked increase in burglaries and attempted forced entries. While some may attribute this to a general rise in crime associated with “difficult economic times”, statistics do not support this. Burglaries occur when homes appear vacant; they are a crime of opportunity. Our King County Sheriff Department cannot patrol in sufficient numbers due to low levels of staffing. At the same time Renton Police are “very aggressive” in patrolling the recently annexed Cascade area. When they find someone who looks suspicious, they check it out. Hence it makes sense for the bad guys to move operation out of the Cascade neighborhood and into Fairwood.
There are three ways to improve our security. To be most effective they should be applied simultaneously. Fortunately the first two are low cost. However, they require participation by Fairwood West residents.
- The first way to improve security is for all residents to be more vigilant. This means that doors should be kept locked for homes and automobiles. Open garage doors provide an invitation to a burglar. Valuable mail should be taken to the Post Office; do not alert criminals by using the red flag on your mail box. When you see anyone in your neighborhood who looks “out of place” or who is acting as if they are “checking it out”, note their details and report them to 911. This permits the Sheriff to investigate. Even if this is a “false alarm”, the increased police presence acts as a deterrent.
- The second action is to join a Neighborhood Watch Program. This has been shown to be very effective (Deputy Sheriff Shirley also advocates this as part of the solution). It simply requires neighbors to keep alert for events in their immediate area and report anything suspicious to your neighbors and to the Sheriff (911). Unfortunately, with more homes vacant and most people trying to earn a living during the day, the available eyes during prime hours for crimes (9 am to 4 pm) are limited. Nevertheless, this program should be implemented on a block-by-block basis.
- Thirdly, the Security for Fairwood West needs to be improved. “Off-duty” deputies from the King County Sheriff Department provide current coverage. While this provides a uniformed officer and a clearly marked “Sheriff” vehicle, the available patrol hours are limited to those before the deputy goes on official duty or immediately following this regular shift. When there are “incidents” first priority is to support the Department by an extension of the regular shift. To keep costs affordable, the West and Crest share this Patrol. This results in the West getting about 40 hours of Patrol time each month. Fairwood West needs a real Security Patrol during those times that crimes are most likely to be committed (9 am to 4 pm). Facts have shown that our Sheriff Deputies cannot do that job. Therefore, I strongly advocate a return to a private security patrol.
Lou Carlasio noted that the board would like to setup a work-shop type meting with the Sheriff on how to keep your home safe. How to protect your property.
Election Results – Pat Wyre, Eileen Richard and Lou Carlascio are all elected to a 3-year term. The vote on the dues increase passes with a 61% yes vote.
Open Discussion
- What do you do about young kids going down the hill on skateboard?
Response: That is a security issue and you need to call 911. If they can catch the young person they will talk to them and/or their parents.
- Should you call 911 or the Sheriff’s Fairwood office directly?
Response: Call 911 and tell them it is a non emergency call if it is a non emergency. They will send you to the correct number if applicable.
- Does the current budget that does not include money for the Fairwood Flyer mean we will not receive the Flyer any longer?
Response: The board took a look at what could be cut and this was determined to be a non-essential item for 2010. You as an individual can subscribe to the flyer for a fee or pick it up for free at the Library.
Further Discussion: Several homeowners’s voiced their opinions on this issue and how to communicate with Fairwood West Residents.
Conclusion: The board will discuss this cut further at the next monthly meeting.
- A homeowner new to the area noted that they picked the Fairwood West neighborhood because it was the most beautiful in their price range. Her concern is volunteers – are there resources being directed towards getting to know your neighbors to promote pride in the area?
Response: Lou Carlascio noted that it’s encouraging to have young couples/families moving into the neighborhood. November 19th is our next meeting – please join us. Monthly meetings are always the 3rd Thursday of each month and yet very few homeowners’ attend.
- What happened to the monthly meeting signs that used to go up in the area?
Response: We will look at getting those back out.
- Maybe some community members cannot get to the meetings?
Response: Possibly setup a carpool to get them there – very good point.
The board thanked all that attended.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
The next monthly meeting of the Fairwood West Homeowners Association will be held on Thursday November 19th, 2009 at 7:00 p.m., at the Nativity Lutheran Church, 17707 140th SE in the portable building.
All residents are welcome to attend.
Respectfully submitted,
Barb Simeona