Las Palomas

July '04 Minutes

Aug 26, 2004

LAS PALOMAS HOA BOARD MEETING
JULY 21, 2004



***All board members were present:

Ken Dry----------President/Treasurer Art Messinger------Vice President
Sherry Mischel?—Secretary Mike Frain----------Director
Russ Marohnic---Director

***Homeowners present:

Fern Marohnic Karen Kaufman Linda Hanks Barbara Goldfarb
Laura Schlesinger Frances Ahler Corrine Kenicer Jim Hudson
Gilles Paradis Larry and Karen Naso

***Minutes from June meeting were reviewed and accepted.

MANAGEMENT REPORT

1. Bob Wallace presented the manager?’s report. There are currently four properties for sale--#17 Hislop, #21 Levine, #94 Zoloto, #118 Difiglio.
2. The pool chaises that needed to be re-strapped have been completed.
3. ICS Co. is taking care of the trees that need attention.
4. Paramount Landscape sprayed weeds this week and will follow up next week.
5. We are currently taking bids from soils engineers to test the north tennis court.
6. Esteban has completed bricking the steps to the lake between Lots 113 and 114.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Architectural
1. Lot 133, owner Mr. Wollstein, has received approval from Scottsdale for his second story addition. He needs an approval letter from LPHOA to start the project. Bob Wallace will take care of this.
2. Lot 134, owner Mr. Dicken, has submitted a letter of intent to build a second story similar to Lot 133. He will need to go through the City of Scottsdale first.
3. Lot 61, owners Larry and Karen Naso, presented drawings of alterations to the front of the house they wish to make. The board approved the changes and Bob will send them a letter.

Landscaping?—The landscape committee will meet soon to plan for fall plantings and projects for the next few months.

Financial?—Our cash flow is okay for now.


NEW BUSINESS

1. Review the lighting in the complex?—change out to low voltage.
2. We will be seeding and mulching in August. We need to experiment as far as amount of water, etc.

BUDGET?—the board reviewed the proposed budget for 2005, comparing it to 2003 and 2004. (See copy of these budgets for more info) It was suggested that the items, capital contributions and transfer fees, be taken out as income and put in the section under reserve funds. The following categories were discussed at length because they are the major cost items (See copy of budget for further info)
1. 6490 Landscaping?—General landscape contract with Paramount and contract on the trees account for the bulk of this expense.
2. 6510 Maintenance?—Painting of the fronts of homes is the biggest item. This area is under review for possible changes in procedure.
3. 6560 Payroll?—Biggest expense out of the overall budget. The board needs to review Bob Wallace?’s contract, and bonuses and benefits for employees.
4. 6610 Pools, ponds, and fountains?—Leaves from the trees and bird droppings destroy the chlorine faster and thus more is needed. This area is under review for solutions to this problem.
5. 6940 Utilities?—This is a huge expense for the community. We are constantly looking for ways to save on electricity, gas and water.
The board will continue to fine-tune the budget and will finalize in the next few months.

RESIDENTS FORUM

Barbara Goldfarb and many of her neighbors are very concerned about the lack of lighting in the fire pit area, having to pay extra for alarm monitoring and master policy insurance. They would also like to discuss the budget at length.

There was much discussion between the homeowners present and the board about green grass versus desert landscaping. With this long-term drought, water may very well become a big issue. This will be an ongoing discussion.

***There will be no August meeting. The next scheduled meeting will tentatively be held on Wednesday, September 15th at the Mustang Library.

Respectfully submitted,

Sherry Mischel
Secretary