Carry Ponds Association, Inc.
Board of Directors Minutes
May 20, 2023
Present: Kelley and Jody Strout, David Clock, Kevin
and Wendy McGowan, Susan and Brian Goss, George Motta, Maria and Wayne James,
Elizabeth and Bob Smith, Beth Toothaker, Kathy and Kyle Smith, Michael and
Annette Muller, Stan Giguere, Matthew Scruton, Barbara Sutcliffe, Peter Bryant,
McCormick’s (Fireside Corp), Mick Daigle, David Robinson
Peter Bryant called the meeting
to order at 1:05pm, and thanked everyone for attending. Peter spoke briefly about the importance of
all members working together, and how everyone should have a say in how the
dues are appropriated.
There was discussion regarding
the allocation of road maintenance funds for this year, and also for next year,
so that funds could be available in the spring, instead of after the Annual
Meeting. This would allow for roads to
be maintained in the spring instead of the fall.
Barbara Sutcliffe reviewed the
Treasurer’s Report:
Dues Collected: (110 lots @ 300.00) 33,000.00
Unspent 2022 EOM road maintenance
funds (Bowman) -
3000.00
Total: 30,000.00
WEST
59/110 =53.5%
(of $30k) 16,050.00
Mowing - 642.00
Admin - 130.72
2023 West Road
Maintenance 15,277.28
EOM
51/110 = 46.5%
(of $30k) 13,950.00
Mowing - 558.00
Admin - 113.62
2023 EOM Road
Maintenance 13,278.38
The unused
$3,000.00 for EOM from 2022 will be added back into 2023’s allocation.
Contingency
fund will remain at $15,000.00
Administration
fund will remain at $500.00
The above
allocations will be subject to adjustments for mowing expenses, as the services
will be for cost. Discussion regarding who might be available to hire for this
service resulted in several potential candidates. David Robinson will reach out
to a couple of sources.
Motion to
accept the proposed budget for vote at the annual meeting made by George Motta,
seconded by Brian Goss. Approved unanimously.
Condition
of the Roads
West
Kevin McGowan
reported considerable damage to the Spring Road over the winter/spring. Kevin stated that the Spring Road will need
gravel, ditching and culverts. His plan is to also prep the other roads with
ditching and culverts proactively, to avoid potential and avoidable damage. The
blue rock held up really well, and he anticipates using more of it in the
future.
He has a plan
for group brush cutting this season, and will send an email out to the members
with a date/time.
EOM
Peter read a
report from Matt Bowman with plans for EOM repairs and maintenance. Matt plans
to continue work on the Mountain Road. The 9 added berms and ditching held up well.
He will grade the Mountain Road to the Middle Road gate. He anticipates
approximately 12-15 loads of gravel for the steepest sections. Matt also plans
to assess the other roads for what needs attention. He plans to start work on
June 5th.
Brian Goss
suggested that owners cut back their own brush “lot line – to – lot line”,
which would be extremely helpful for mowing over the summer.
Dirigo has
offered some gravel to work on the roads. We have acquired a new gravel screen,
which will be utilized to make the gravel better for the roads.
Middle Road
Bridge Repair
Brian Goss
made a motion to repair the bridge with decking and side panels. Seconded by
George Motta. Approved unanimously.
Keeper of
the Keys Report
Jody Strout
reports that there are currently just under 600 keys out, with over 30 missing
or unconfirmed. The locks are getting
rusty, and some are difficult to open at times. He is doing repeated
maintenance on a number of them. For the security of our ponds, he recommends
replacing all locks and keys. The previous replacement occurred in 2015. Brian
Goss suggested that the condition of keys and locks, be evaluated every 5 years
for replacement.
The estimate
for the locks/keys is as follows:
Stainless Steel Locks 20 $1598.00
New Replacement Cylinders 6 $ 92.70
Keys 600 $2880.00
Total $4822.09
Additional
expense for mailing not yet determined. Funds for the key swap will come from
the contingency fund.
There was
discussion about the method used to make sure that the current owners received
their replacement keys fairly and efficiently. Stan Giguere made a motion that the keys
should be swapped “key for key”, seconded by George Motta. Approved
unanimously.
Annual
Meeting
The 2023
Annual Meeting will be held on August 12th. Peter suggested that the
meeting be held in different locations from year to year. Location to be determined, and will appear on
the Annual Meeting Notification.
Walter Purda
has offered to set up the tent and porta potty, and also to assist with
organization of the food.
Brian Goss
made a motion that the Annual Meetings be held consistently, from year to year,
on the second weekend of August. Kelley Strout seconded the motion. Approved
unanimously.
Old
Business
Cement Bridge
Decking, currently stored at David Robinson’s. Purchased last year for future
use.
(4) 9”
(2) 11”
New
Business
Access to
Otter Pond
Peter Bryant
had discussion with Paul Saccoccia regarding access to the pond. This
discussion resulted in a plan, including repair to culvert, and replacing
previously posted “emergency access only” signs at the brook. George Motta made
a motion to repair the culvert. Seconded by Brian Goss. Approved unanimously.
Cost to be determined.
ATV updates
To address the
NO ATV signs posted at West Carry, George Motta made a motion to contact an
attorney to determine our position on the matter. Seconded by Brian Goss.
Approved unanimously.
Road
Allocations
Subject to
adjustments for cost of mowing, bush hogging, etc.
George Motta
made a motion to recommend $15,000.00 minimum for contingency fund to be voted
on for approval at the annual meeting. Seconded by Brian Goss. Approved
unanimously.
Owners with
Multiple Properties
Barbara
Sutcliffe reported that there are many inconsistencies regarding dues required
of multiple property owners. There was much discussion surrounding road usage
and multiple owners. George Motta made a motion that the Board of Directors
make a list of options for the CPA members to review, and vote on at the annual
meeting. Seconded by Brian Goss. Approved unanimously.
Email
Invoicing and Problems with USPS
Barbara
Sutcliffe states that there have been problems with the postal service this
past year, which resulted in at least 3 lost checks (paying for annual
dues). Barbara has investigated options
for online payment with a credit card, for those members who would prefer not
to mail a check. Members would receive
an invoice via email, containing a link to the payment option. To utilize this
service, the member would incur a 3% fee ($9.00 on $300.00).
Brian Goss
made a motion to bring this option payment for vote at the annual meeting.
Seconded by George Motta. Approved unanimously.
New Maps
from 911
New maps were
obtained from Somerset County for 911, clarifying old and new addresses. There
will be no addresses assigned by the county for undeveloped lots. Building
permits or evidence of development will be required in order to obtain an
address.
Open
Discussion
Dave Grady
would like to have the old gate that was removed from the Spring Road. Motion
to give the to Dave Grady by Brian Goss. Seconded by Kevin McGowan. Approved
unanimously.
The Arnold
Trail Expedition Society is celebrating the 250th anniversary. They
have requested to speak with CPA for possible participation. Peter will invite
them to speak with the BOD.
Brian Goss
suggested that all of the gates be painted yellow for better visibility. The
group agreed, and all are willing to help.
Mick Daigle
offered to create a web page for CPA. This page would offer links to contact us
with questions, post updates, and provide useful information. The address would be carryponds.com. The
domain cost is currently $12.00 per year. Brian Goss made a motion that we
pursue the creation of the web page. Seconded by Barbara Sutcliffe. Approved
unanimously.
Respectfully
submitted,
Kelley Strout,
Secretary
