Harpeth Trace Services Association

Meeting Minutes 09-26-06

Oct 16, 2006

Harpeth Trace Services Board
Meeting Minutes
September 26, 2006

Members present: Ken Darby, Mary Ann Dorris, Stephen Helmey, Jim Mathieson, Sanford Payton, Steve Roche, Stuart Schmidt, and Bill Wainwright. Linda Shoun was unable to attend. Rick Eatherly represented Ghertner & Co.

The meeting was called to order by President, Steve Roche at 7:10 am at Le Peep. The following items were covered:

Landscaping: Stuart reported that he had walked the property with Rob Ripley, Glass Lawn superintendent, and discussed replacing the dead plant near the guard house, eliminating the invasive vegetation on the common area bluff of the first long hill, and the maintenance problem presented by the bamboo on the bluff behind 313 Harpeth Ridge Drive. Stuart has requested a cost estimate for the work and will report to the Board as soon as it is received. No method has been found to eliminate the bamboo. Suggestions from residents are welcome.
Stuart reported that Metro has marked the location of underground utilities along Harpeth Trace Drive (HTD) where a new irrigation branch will soon be installed. After the sprinklers are serviceable, a ground cover of Vinca Major will be planted on the bluff. The planting should occur in late October.
Stuart explained that he is frequently out of town and needs someone to stand in for him when he is gone. Stephen Helmey volunteered to accept that responsibility.
Stuart also requested that Glass Lawn?’s weekly work reports and monthly invoices be mailed to Rick Eatherly at Ghertner. Rick will, in turn, e-mail the reports to all Board members. In addition, Stuart requested that Rick obtain cost estimates to have pine straw mulch applied to the bare areas of the Upper Common Area (from the High-rise split to Hickory Trace Place).

Drainage: Ken Darby reported on 3 drainage issues. He obtained a legal opinion which indicated that Treetops Condominium Association is responsible for the discharge that is causing erosion to 505 and 509 HTD. Ken notified the owner of 505 (509 is a vacant lot) and Joanne Katcher, president of Treetops association, that Harpeth Trace Services Association (HTSA) has no responsibility in the matter.
The owner of 780 HTD has complained that stormwater runoff from the street is eroding his yard next to his driveway and asked HTSA to correct the situation. Ken has consulted with contractors who suggested that a 2- or 3-inch high asphalt dam constructed across the end of the drive where it connects to the street, will stop the problem. Ken presented a bid of $750, and the Board asked Rick to have Top Coat Paving do that job and to also patch a place near the curb between the entrances to the Upper Knolls within that cost.
Ken presented 2 bids for improving the drainage ditch between the homes at 617 and 621 HTD. The Board voted to accept the low bid of $5,680, if Ken will e-mail the specifications to the Board and review them with the homeowners. If the homeowners want additional work, they will have to cover the cost of the add-ons.

Irrigation: Mary Ann Dorris reported that the sprinkler system around the entrance is working correctly, and that it is set to operate between 3 and 5 PM.

Streets: Stephen Helmey reported that it appears that a water main under Hickory Trace Place near 536 HTD is leaking and seeping up through the pavement. The Board asked Rick to contact Metro and report the situation. Steve also reported that the main drive is ?“wash-boarding?” near the centerline on the first uphill curve. No action was recommended for that situation.

Architectural/Legal: Linda Shoun was not present to report, but since this was our last regularly scheduled meeting before the Annual Meeting, several items need to be covered and announced through these minutes.
(1) Architectural Committee; The Board decided that we will not ask for the establishment of an Architectural Committee.
(2) By-Laws: We will review our By-Laws to determine if any changes should be made before they are filed with Metro;
(3) Management Contract: Our contract with Ghertner Co., will automatically renew for an additional 3 years unless one party notifies the other, in writing, at least 90 days before January 1. The Board voted to send Ghertner a letter advising them that we do not want to automatically renew. We need additional time to review the terms of our contract and, if necessary, to negotiate changes.
(4) De-Annexation: Steve Roche reported that he has been working with our Metro councilman, Charlie Tygard, and Lee Corbett, an attorney, to investigate the pros and cons of de-annexing the 2/3 of our subdivision that is within Metro?’s Urban Services District. This situation arose recently when Steve had Charlie Tygard ask Metropolitan Attorney Tom Cross why our street lights and streets were not maintained by Metro since we pay taxes for those purposes. Cross wrote that we were excluded because we are on private property, so tax money cannot be spent on our streets or lights, our 2 biggest expenses.
The homeowners who are now in the Urban Services District pay higher property taxes than their neighbors who live outside the district but, according to Corbett and Tygard, the only extra benefit they get is ?“free?” garbage pickup. The actual tax rates are $4.04 per $100 of assessed value if you live in the General Services District, and $4.69 if you live in the Urban Services District. So, if your home is appraised at $250,000, your Accessed Value is $62,500. That means you?’ll pay $2,525 if you are in the General area, or $2931.25 if you are in the Urban District. That?’s $406.25 per year difference, and all you get for it is ?“free?” garbage pickup. Your neighbors who live outside the Urban District are paying $180 per year for their garbage pickup.
The Board is actively pursuing information relative to de-annexing so the money we now pay in taxes can be used to offset our higher maintenance fees made necessary by street light rehabilitation and paving. If you are now in the Urban Services District, you will receive a letter within 2 weeks that will present the pros and cons of this matter and ask you to vote for or against de-annexation. The result of that vote will determine whether or not we proceed.
The Annual Meeting will be held January 25, 2007, at 7PM at the Jewish Community Center.

Lighting: Stephen Helmey reported that bids for rehabilitating our street lights are not due for another week. The specifications for the project have been changed because the last round of bidding resulted in a low bid of over $98,000. The new specs are for a basic bid for new wires in conduit. Additional items are to be bid as extras. This should allow us to opt for a ?“bare-bones?” repair, with the option of adding desirable extras if our budget will allow. You may have noticed that some lights are always out. Those lights cannot be made to operate until the new wiring is in.
Bill Wainwright pointed out that October is when we normally have the street light lens cleaned. The Board voted to have Ghertner do that job for us.

Maintenance Fee: Sanford Payton reviewed our 2006-2012 Proforma Budget based on 4 different Maintenance Fee amounts. It is obvious that we will not have the money necessary to pave even half our streets until 2011 unless we raise the maintenance fee. After discussing the various options, the Board voted (7 to 2) to raise the Monthly Maintenance Fee to $45, effective January 1, 2007. This rate should allow us to pave half our streets in 2009, and the other half in 2011 if the price of oil remains near its current price. A copy of the Proforma budget is posted on our website (www.harpethtrace.org). Click on ?“Meeting Minutes?” under ?“Neighborhood Information.?”

With no further business, the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,

Sanford Payton
Secretary/Treasurer