Ridge Condo Association

Minutes Board Meeting

May 10, 2005

Attending: Linda Edwards, Dick Johnson, Judi Carr, and Harvard Sitkoff.

Financials: Tom Treece was not present so there was no Treasurer Report.

MPCA: Judi reported that Day’s is currently scheduled date to turn on the irrigation system is June 1 and 2, and that the Community Life committee is sponsoring a BYOB and something to share social party from 4 to 7 on June 26 at the screen house.

Harvard asked why the trash receptacles had been moved back into the mud again as this makes trash disposal difficult and messy.

President’s Report:

Linda reported that Maritime will give a brief presentation at the annual meeting.

There has been discussion of the desirability of hooking-up the irrigation for some of the units at the east end of the Ridge to the Ridge irrigation well. Some of those units are currently using potable water for irrigation. It seems desirable to use as much non-potable water for irrigation as possible. Dick noted that one reason this has not yet been done is that the total capacity of the Ridge irrigation well was still unclear.

Linda has learned from the attorney that the owner of units in arrears on fees has agreed to pay those fees as well as the related legal fees. The additional fee income had not been posted, however, at the end of April.

A request had been sent to the MPCA asking that the area in front of the mailbox at the driveway for 213 to 220 be paved in a way that reduced the mud in front of the box. Judi reported that after inspecting the area the MPCA concluded the stand for the mailboxes was not markedly different from the area around other boxes. The problem of mud appears to have been created by cars that driving up close to the mailbox, treating the mailbox as if it were a “drive up” mailbox. The grassy area that is not paved has been ‘eaten away.’ Linda noted that she has asked Evergreen to note the problem and has recommended that whenever the entire driveway needs treatment Evergreen should get a bid for the cost of extending the pavement to the entire base of the mailbox.

New Business:

Lawn care and plant health care proposal. The board deputized Dick to discuss on-going landscape maintenance concerns with All Seasons. He was further deputized to get advise from with Maritime Landscape and Design, the landscape contractor, regarding the 2005 lawn and plant health-care proposal (fertilizer and related treatments, aka “Arbor Pro” contract), and the desirability switching to a mulching mower. [All Seasons has a mulching blade, which Blanchette did not, so the possibility of using it exists. The question is whether this is advisable.]

Pruning: Maritime has identified plantings that need to be pruned by the end of May. We need a proposal and then a contract for this, covering the period from the present to the end of the current fiscal year at the end of July, and then a contract for the whole upcoming fiscal year.

Deck staining: We also asked Dick to consult with Evergreen about the price of using an oil-based, rather than a latex-based, stain on the next eight decks due to be stained. Dick will also clarify with Evergreen which decks are to be completed in 2005 (in the 2005-06 fiscal year). We authorized staining of the deck at 220 this spring, provided that that cost did not exceed the average cost of staining decks done last fall ($360). The deck is stained differently from decks done last fall and the concern was that the board not create a precedent that would create cost overruns for the Association.

We reiterated that, per the governing documents and the maintenance responsibility check list, damages to a garage door as well as routine maintenance are the responsibility of the owner. Garage doors, like other doors, are not the responsibility of the Association (except that painting of garage doors are done as part of the regular painting schedule). The question arose because two residents have noted damages to their garage door and at least one has requested repair. The damage was apparently done by the snow plowing, but not this past winter. The damage was apparently done previous years but not reported at that time. Thus the snow plowing contractor cannot be held accountable for the damage.

We expect to receive the maintenance plan update from Evergreen later this month.

By-Laws: We will bring discussion of some points in by-laws to the annual meeting (specifically regarding signs), but will not attempt to have a complete by-laws revision ready for that meeting.

Next meeting, in preparation for annual meeting, to be scheduled by email when we can all check our calendars.

Annual meeting June 7 at Newmarket Town Hall Auditorium at 7 PM. [Linda noted that the two suggests that we consider meeting on a Saturday. While there is a room for us currently available on Tuesday the 7^th, the town clerk warned that if any town committee or entity needs the room that night we will lose it. And this can happen on very short notice. This will be discussed at the annual meeting, in preparation for 2006.]

Respectfully submitted,

Harvard Sitkoff