Carry Ponds Association, Inc,
Annual Meeting
Saturday, August 12,
2023
East Carry 911
Helicopter Pad
Present:
Ashley Giguere, Stan Giguere, Maria & Wayne James, John & Patricia
Dipierro, Karen & George Motta, Butch Reilly, Walter Purda, Lisa Matthews,
Desiree Liebold, Paul & Paula Fortin, Kevin McGowan, Jeremy & Abbie
Bryant, Hilary & Rick Doane, Olin Brooks, Christopher Crawford, David &
Michelle Clock, Heidi Peckham, Victor Goodwin, Sr., Matthew Bowman, Billy &
Paula Hughes, Kevin McCormick, Mike McCormick, Angie Clement, Shannon Savasuk,
Kevin Cates, David Maxwell, John Simpson, Sara Beane, Kristi Beane, Seth
Boisvert, David & Mary Robinson, Rick Young, David Gradie, Brian &
Susan Goss, Matthew Westling, Mick Daigle, Stephen Pooler, Paul Saccoccia
Peter Bryant, CPA
President, called the meeting to order at 12:30 pm. Peter thanked everyone for
attending, and for all of the delicious food contributions. Special thanks to
Steve Sperry for use of his tent, and to Walter Purda (and those who helped)
with setting up the tent, and the area for the meeting/lunch. Also, thanks to
the Fireside Corporation for the use of the helicopter pad location. All in
attendance were asked to introduce themselves.
A moment of silence was
observed, as we remembered Frank Matthews, who passed away this past year.
Treasurer’s Report –
Barbara Sutcliffe
Dues collected: $33,000.00
Unspent 2022 EOM road
funds -3,000.00
Total: $30,000.00
2023 West Road
Maintenance Budget - $16,050.00
2023 EOM Road Maintenance
Budget - $13,950.00
As of August 12, 2023,
EOM remaining available
balance $78.38
West remaining
available balance $12,032.88
(additional work still in progress)
Contingency Fund of
$15,000 was accepted by the CPA BOD on May 20, 2023, to be presented for voting
at the annual meeting. This fund to be used for bridge work, emergency road
repairs, gates/locks/keys, legal expenses, and signage.
There was discussion
regarding the dollar amount allotted for the contingency fund. David Clock
recommended that the amount be $10,000, rather than $15,000. Brian Goss spoke
to the cost of emergency repairs, and the recent increase in fuel and
materials.
A motion to accept the
BOD recommendation for Contingency Fund of $15,000.00, for 2023, was made by
Kevin McGowan, and seconded by George Motta. The vote passed.
Walter Purda reminded
the group of the previous wash out at the bridge on Middle Carry, that required
immediate repair. Contractors need to be paid at the time of service, and
cannot be expected to wait for the allocation of funds at the annual meetings.
A motion to keep the
contingency fund at $15,000 for 2024 was made by Stan Giguere, and seconded by
Kevin McGowan. The vote passed.
Keeper of the Keys
Report – Jody Strout
Jody reported that the
condition of the locks and keys is deteriorating. This is due to wear and tear,
age, and weather conditions. He stated
that the locks and keys have not been changed since 2015, and recommended that
we replace all of them this year.
Proposal: 20 new locks $1598.00
6 new cylinders $92.70
600 new keys $2880.00
Est. cost of distribution $100.00
Total: $4922.70 (plus tax)
Members to initially
receive two new keys, then swap key-for-key for any additional keys.
Kevin McGowan made a
motion to replace all keys and locks, seconded by Paula Huges. Vote passed.
There was some
discussion about adding additional rocks around the edges of the gates. There
is concern that the current rocks are not high enough to discourage ATV and
snowmobile traffic from creating paths around the gates.
Condition of the
Roads – Kevin McGowan, West Carry
Water has been an
issue. One goal for this year was ditching and crowning. David Robinson was
hired to do some ditching and replace two culverts along Mass Pike. Crushed ledge was placed along the lower
Spring Rd, towards the Storey Rd, and is holding up nicely. Kevin anticipates adding gravel to critical
areas before the end of the season.
Kevin is organizing a
brush cutting “party” for West Carry, on September 9th (8-12).
Please participate if you are available, and bring your own tools.
Condition of the
Roads – Matthew Bowman, EOM
Big push this year was
for adding gravel to the Mountain Road – water, again being an issue. Moving
forward, more gravel will be needed on all the roads. Plan to plank over the bridge on Middle Rd.
this year. Matthew invited members to reach out to him with comments and/or
concerns regarding areas that need attention. He plans to donate time for brushing
and chipping, additional volunteers would be welcomed and appreciated. As we all know, more volunteers equal lower
cost. Shout out to Dave Robinson for previous ditching efforts last year, and
to Jim Smith for all the work on Lane Pond. Many in the group thanked Matthew
for his efforts, and spoke to how much nicer the Mountain Road is to travel
this year.
As the road conditions
improve, folks seem to be driving faster. Please be mindful of your speed –
there are many people (children and pets) out walking roads, and we want them
all to be safe. Additionally, when we
splash through puddles, and turn up dust, the roads wear out quicker.
Directors and
Officers
(Peter informed the
members that Jerry Childs resigned as Director. Peter gave special thanks to
Jerry for his years of service)
Paul, George, Stan and
Brian are continuing their terms as Directors. Kevin McCormick was nominated by
Mike McCormick to replace Jerry Childs’ current term. The membership voted him
in unanimously.
Paul Saccoccia term expires 2024
Kevin McCormick term expires 2024
George Motta term expires 2025
Stan Giguere term expires 2025
Brian Goss term expires 2025
CPA President – Peter
Bryant was nominated by Brian Goss. The members voted unanimously in favor.
CPA Treasurer – Barbara
Sutcliffe was nominated by Kevin McGowan. The members voted unanimously in
favor
CPA Secretary – Kelley
Strout was nominated by Kevin McGowan. The members voted unanimously in favor.
Old Business:
ATV Update
Multiple attempts to
resolve this issue have been made over this past year. The final step was to seek the opinion of an
attorney. The attorney advised that there are no other avenues to pursue at
this time. Going forward, Wagnar is prohibiting use of ATV’s on their roads
indefinitely. These roads include:
Middle Road and Dickson
Road – outside of the gates
If you choose to travel
these roads with your ATV, you are doing so at your own risk.
New Business:
Board
Recommendations for Dues:
In an attempt to
clarify how annual dues are accessed, the BOD proposed a plan to change the
current language in the Bylaws. New
language to include dues assessed “by address” rather than by “dwelling”. There
was much discussion regarding the numerous options and various scenarios that
could be included with this change. A motion was made by David Clock, and
seconded by Paul Fortin, to table the vote on this proposal, until the members
had time to review the details. Vote
passed unanimously. More information on
this proposal to be provided to all members in the upcoming months.
Dues Proration:
The BOD proposed to
prorate dues for new land purchases. New owners of existing camps will not be
prorated, as the annual dues would have already been paid by the previous
owner. This proration would be for new LAND owners.
Motion to prorate dues
for newly purchased land made by Jody Strout, seconded by Paul Saccoccia. Vote
passed unanimously
New option for
payment of dues:
Barbara Sutcliffe
stated that there have been problems with the postal service this past year,
resulting in at least three lost checks (paying for annual dues). Barbara has
investigated options for online payment with a credit card, for any members who
would prefer not to mail a check.
Members will receive an invoice via email, containing a link to the
payment option. This service is secure. To utilize this service the member
would incur an additional 3% fee ($8.95). Paying by check through the mail will
remain an option.
Kevin McGowan made a
motion to add the online source to the available payment options. Seconded by
Paul Fortin. Vote passed unanimously.
Web Page:
Mick Daigle has created
a web page for CPA. This page will offer links to contact us with questions,
post updates, and provide useful information. The address is: carryponds.com. The domain cost is currently $12.00 per year.
Kevin McGowan made a motion
to accept this web design and annual payment. Seconded by Brian Goss. Vote
passed unanimously.
Recurrent Annual
Meeting Date:
Kevin McGowan made a
motion for the annual CPA meeting to occur on the 1st Saturday of
August, each year going forward. Seconded by Paul Saccoccia. Vote passed
unanimously.
Open Discussion:
All gates have been
painted yellow for better visibility and increased safety. Many thanks to all those who volunteered
their time and energy to complete this project.
Suggestion was made to
have a recurrent, annual date for “bush cutting”. This would allow folks to plan a better for
participation. The web page could be
utilized for posting of this information.
Cutting back brush
along your own lot lines would be extremely helpful with mowing and ditching
over the summer.
Peter thanked everyone
for their efforts with volunteering and special projects. He spoke to the
importance of each member having a voice, and feeling like they are being
heard. Peter encouraged everyone to reach
out to him (or any board member) with any questions or concerns.
Meeting adjourned at
2:15pm
Respectfully submitted,
Kelley Strout,
Secretary
