SFV ARC/Board Meeting Minutes Posted

Minutes for the most recent SFV Board & ARC meetings are now available on our Single Family Village page.

SFV Board Meeting Minutes Available

The minutes for the Single Family Village's December 16 Board Meeting are available for download.  This site's SFV Association page contains past meeting minutes, financials, and contact information.

SFV Board Meeting Minutes & Financials Updated

Single Family Village Board Minutes from the September 4th meeting, and updated financial statements have been added to our Single Family Village page.  

Also, a new Meeting Agenda is being developed in preparation for the upcoming SFV Board Meeting on October 21 (6PM at Hugo City Hall).  The SFV Board hopes to publish the final Agenda in the next few days, to give residents enough notice prior to the meeting.

The agenda is expected to include further discussion of unfinished projects, the Architectural Review process, and discussion of the SFV Pet Policy.  (The Master Association recently encouraged the sub-associations to review their Pet Policies prior to any action taken by the Master Board.)

Master Board Meeting notes - May 12, 2008

The Victor Gardens Community Association (Master) Board of Directors met last night at City Hall.  It was the first meeting since the Master Board transferred from POA-Scherer/CPDC.   The new Board was able to get through a lot of business in the two hour meeting.  Another Board Meeting has been scheduled for June 6, 2008 to take up the topic of "New Business". Please see notes below for the topics discussed. Official minutes will be available at a later date. 

All Board Members attended, along with Chuck Schneider and Gina Lampe from Community Development, Inc.  About 25 residents also attended the meeting. 

1. The Board elected new officers: 

Dan Sjoquist, President

LaVonne Fitzgerald, Vice President

Carmen Carter, Secretary

Michael Noonan, Member at Large

Len Pratt, Member at Large

2.  Resident Forum:

The Board was given a list of issues that were compiled by Mike Bailey and Mark Vlker.  The list should help the Board understand concerns of the residents.   Many of the items were already known by the Board, and some were scheduled as new business items.  These items will likely be addressed at Board Meetings in the near future.  

Dawn Primeau asked the Board to address the unfinished developer projects near her home.  

Julie Bixby asked the Board to consider a small amount for VG's Social Committee's events.  After Mrs. Bixby's request, Michael Noonan, of Rottlund/David Bernard Homes, and Len Pratt of Pratt Homes offered donations of $500.00 each to be used for this year's Social Events budget.  The funds will be controlled by the VGCA Master Association for that purpose.  The Social Committee's new $1000.00 budget will go a long way in keeping the tradition community activities for all Victor Gardens residents.  Residents appreciate this generous donation from Pratt Homes and Rottlund Homes/David Bernard Homes.  

Residents also asked the Board to clarify the status of the Pool opening this year.  Later in the meeting the board approved a Pool and Activity Maintenance contract.  The Pool is expected to open Memorial Day weekend.

3.  The Board was provided books of VGCA documents, including financials, rules, and other information.

4. The Board reviewed financial statements, discussed outstanding debts, and worked towards solving those problems.  Chuck Schneider, of Community Development Inc. clarified the water bill situation.

5. The Board asked residents to form a Grounds Committee.  This committee will establish maintenance contract specifications and report problems, in addition to other things. Residents interested in volunteering again this year for the Grounds Committee are encouraged to contact Mike Bailey and Mark Vlker.

6. The Board accepted a contract for a new Pool maintenance provider.

7. The Board discussed insurance.

8.  Community Development Inc. resigned as Victor Gardens Community Association's management company.  A search for a new management company is underway.  Community Development Inc. agreed to stay on a few months, and promised to provide a smooth transition to a new company.

9.  New Business was scheduled for the next Master Board Meeting, June 2, 2008.  (Corrected) An agenda will be released then it is provided by the Board or our Community Development, Inc.

10. Meeting was adjourned

Single Family Village - 4/21 Board Meeting Minutes Available

Minutes have been published for the April 21 SFV Board meeting.  You can view and download them by visiting our Documents page.  An agenda will be published for the next Board Meeting when it is scheduled.

Learning from Liberty on the Lake

Members of the Board Advisory Group met this week with Sarah Buerkley.  Sarah lived in CPDC’s other community, Liberty on the Lake, when it was transitioned to homeowner control.   She served on Liberty’s master association’s Board of Directors for four years after the transition as President, Vice-President, and Secretary.  Victor Gardens Board Advisory Group asked a number of questions of Sarah in the hope that the group could learn from Liberty’s experience.

Here is a brief outline of what was discussed:

1. Liberty transitioned in 2003

2. The transition was planned for a period of months but took effect over the period of one Annual Meeting.

3. Liberty transitioned as originally planned, as a certain percentage of lots were sold.

4. The transition was viewed as a very positive experience for residents.

5. Question: Were there any problems that residents were surprised about or unprepared for?  Answer: Residents had not anticipated the level of costs that CPDC covered as part of the developers marketing budget.  The master association needed to increase dues after transition to maintain the level of amenities and services that residents had come to expect while under CPDC control.  The association also had to adjust their budget anticipate reserve fund needs.

6. Liberty’s master association is structured with a master board, and 3 sub-association boards.  

7. Liberty works with a management company whose responsibilities are similar to Victor Gardens management company.

8. Responsibilities for planning social events and some landscape planning is carried out by volunteers. 

9. Liberty’s day-to-day administration is carried out by their management company, Durand & Associates.  

10. The level of service and quality of Liberty’s amenities increased as a direct result of their transition from CPDC control.  This includes landscaping, snow removal, community center, overall appearance, etc.

11. Liberty’s current association does not rely heavily on volunteers to carry out the responsibilities of their association.

12. Liberty’s Architecture Review Committee was partially transferred from CPDC at the same time.  Before residents gained full ARC control, CPDC transferred some ARC control, notably to set and enforce landscape and architectural changes to existing homes. 

13. Liberty’s ARC consists of a group of 5 residents.  

14. Liberty’s association did not have outstanding debts that residents didn’t know about before transition. 

15. There were no major financial problems that resulted from the transfer.

16. Sarah was not aware of any legal problems that resulted from the transition.

VGCA Board Meeting Notes

Victor Gardens Board of Directors quarterly meeting 2/7/08 Mark’s notes – not official minutes

Attending: 

Homer Tompkins, CPDC (Board President)

Dave Hempel, CPDC (Board Member)

Chuck Schneider, Community Development Inc.

Gina Lampe, Community Development Inc.

Charles Kirk, Town Homes Liaison to the Board

Mark Vlker, Single Family Village Liaison to the Board  

To download a PDF copy of these notes - visit the Documents Page

1. Call to Order

2. Review and Approve Minutes from Last Meeting

3. Resident Forum

4. Management Financial Reports:

Victor Gardens Community Association overall financial situation has not improved much.  Some progress has been made. A few payments were made to Early Bird and Sarah’s Cottage Creations, with the promise for more in the future.  More was discussed during the review of the proposed budget for next fiscal year.

5. New Business: 

5a. Update from CPDC:

Single Family Village lots:

The Beard Group has closed on 26 lots in VG East.

CPDC/POA Scherer still controls 14 lots in the VG 1st Phase.

Alliance Bank controls all the lots in the Future Phase at the southernmost end of VG and 3 lots in VG East 3rd Addition lots in VG (near the future intersection of Val Jean Blvd & Garden Way).

With their closing on Feb. 5, The Beard Group is now considered a landowner in VG. Beard has not acquired any seats on VG’s Board of Directors, but the Board has added a non-voting ARC Liaison position for Chris Engel of The Beard Group. Beard will work with builders, who must follow ARC Guidelines. They have already had discussions with Hartman Homes.  Ryland Homes has been sent a specific list of requirements from the ARC that they would have to comply with if they chose to build outside their current area, west of Clearwater Creek.  Mr. Tompkins referenced a document that makes clear that the ARC would not allow any of Ryland’s current VG designs west of the Creek without changes.  He reiterated that any new Single Family Village homes on lots west of Clearwater Creek are be subject to the same ARC standards as homes existing in those areas.  That includes The Beard Group, CPDC, and future Alliance Bank’s lots.  Mr. Tompkins drew a sharp distinction between what Ryland currently builds east of Clearwater Creek and what will be allowed on the other side of the creek. 

Since The Beard Group is a landowner, they are not afforded the same status as the Developer, CPDC.   CPDC does not pay dues on its lots because of its Developer status.  Beard will start paying dues on all of its 26 lots.  Alliance Bank’s lots are not final platted, so they do not pay dues yet.  Once those lots are final platted, then they will be considered assessable lots.

Mr. Tompkins discussed marketing of the remaining lots.  New lot ID signs will be installed.  The Beard Group will have their signs with their phone numbers, and CPDC will have their own new lot ID signs with their own phone numbers.  The existing general info signs in the neighborhood will be removed.  Beard has expressed an interest in updating the victorgardens.com website to more accurately reflect an updated view of the neighborhood.

Mr. Hempel said that The Beard Group would complete the unfinished Grantaire Lane amenities including the mini-park and postal kiosks.

Mr. Tompkins discussed the similarity of The Beard Group’s landowner status and his impression of Ryland’s 31 built and unbuilt lots, and Pratt’s Creekside Villa lots.  He believes the VGCA should start charging (and retroactively bill) dues on all of those lots.  According to Mr. Tompkins’s description, since all those lots were transferred from POA Scherer at some point, they all should be subject to paying dues. This is something the Board Advisory Group discussed a long time ago.  Mr. Tompkins has arrived at the same conclusion.

Mr. Hempel’s calculations showed a build-out total of 190 lots in Single Family Village.  According to Mr. Tompkins, 173 should now be considered assessable lots.  As of a few days ago, only 114 Single Family Village lots were assessed, (plus 204 Town Homes).

Using Mr. Hempel’s calculations, the Single Family Village has now reached the homeowner turnover threshold. Mr. Tompkins agreed.  The immediate impact of this is that there is a potential for a significant influx of cash into the VGCA via the VG Single Family Village Association.  Ms. Lampe will look into assessing dues on the lots in question, including back dues from last year.  

The Board was informed of the Board Advisory Group’s meeting with the City of Hugo.  Mr. Vlker explained that residents on the BAG had two major concerns: budget and ARC.  Mr. Hempel asked why the BAG wanted to involve the City.  Mr. Vlker told them that homeowners had many questions that needed to be answered, and that the BAG saw the City as a good mediator to help the neighborhood work through its problems.  Mr. Vlker informed the Board of the BAG’s desire to have builders represented at the meeting also, and that the Single Family Village groundwater issue may be raised at the same time. 

Mr. Tompkins thought that The Beard Group might also want to meet with residents, and that CPDC might try to meet with the builders separetely.  

5b. Annual Meeting - April

By law, Community Development Inc must schedule an annual meeting in March or April.  Notice must be sent to homeowners 21+ days in advance. 

It is Mr. Vlker’s opinion that the most efficient use of everyone’s time is to hold a public Annual VG meeting that covers everything in one evening.  Invite City officials, builders, and residents.  New builders could be introduced, elections held, and major issues covered. 

5c. City of Hugo water billing correction:

There was a significant accounting error regarding the payment of City water bills in VG.  Community Development is aware of the mistake, and is working to correct the problem.  The billing problems go back to the beginning of VG and an audit is now required to sort the problem out.  The bills were unfortunately paid by the wrong parties. VGCA has been paying a larger portion of the water bills than it should have been.  The townhomes associations have been paying a smaller portion of the bills than they should have been.  The amounts are significant, (possibly $20,000-$40,000?). The exact amounts will be known after the audit is completed in the next few weeks.  More info. will follow.

5d. Review of next year’s proposed budget (fiscal 2008-2009):

Community Development drafted a budget based upon the number of dues paying homes.  The budget is conservative.  It does not include any “Developer Contributions” as budgets had in the past.  It does not include any of the VG East Single Family Village lots that Mr. Tompkins believes should be paying dues.  Again - This is a very conservative budget.  Mr. Schneider said that they have planned the gradual payment of old vendor debt over a period of a few years.  A dues increase was proposed.  The proposed budget also assumed an increase of homeowner involvement.  Mr. Schneider used the example of Towne Lakes homeowner committees. They have more involvement in contracts, maintenance, and gardening.  Mr. Vlker described the already current high level of volunteerism in the neighborhood. Mr. Kirk explained the Board Advisory Group’s position - Greater homeowner involvement must come with better fiscal management and more homeowner authority. After a few minutes of discussion Mr. Tompkins expressed an interest in turning over the Board of Directors to homeowners while keeping control of the ARC with CPDC.  He thought it would be a workable compromise, but he would need to check with the VGCA lawyer to determine if it would be possible.  *After the meeting – the lawyer determined that it is possible to separate the Board from the ARC, keeping ARC control with CPDC. This may be the opportunity that the BAG has been looking for to gain control of the Board, and thereby managing the VGCA’s budget to fit the needs of residents.

For comparison purposes, Mr. Vlker and Mr. Kirk both supported drafting another budget that does not rely on additional homeowner involvement.  Community Development will be working on that in the next few days.

It was at this point where the group returned to the discussion the infusion of dues from lots in the Single Family Village.  It was agreed that the budget should be conservative and reflect actual income.  It can be adjusted later on if more lots start paying into the VGCA.

5e. Landscape Deposits

The issue of outstanding landscape deposits held with CPDC/POA Scherer was discussed.  Mr. Tompkins assured us that one of the homeowners waiting was written a check very recently.  One other homeowner needed to finish a few simple tasks and their deposit would be returned.  In the future, landscape deposits will be held in VGCA accounts and not with CPDC/POA Scherer.  This will hopefully prevent any similar problems in the future.

5f. Adding a Budget line item for Social Events

Mr. Vlker brought up the topic of volunteer work on the Social Committee, and the activities they plan and sponsor.  Regardless of the confusion caused by the lack of funding of this year’s “Programming & Social Events” budget- resident volunteers had been able to solicit funds from some of the builders, but were spending some of their own money for events planned for the entire community.  While Mr. Vlker did not know the exact number requested, $1000 was estimated.  There was some discussion about whether the funding was fiscally responsible, or fair because of a low level of town home involvement.  A suggestion was made that funds might be able to be drawn from the Single Family Village Association’s budget since most of those who participate are from that part of the neighborhood.  It was explained that the events were planned for everyone, and contributed to a community connection between the townhomes and the Single Family Homes.  There was discussion to the contrary opinion that townhomes residents lived different lifestyles and were not as interested in the Social Events.  In any case, it was agreed that this would be a good topic for a resident-held Board of Directors to address when considering a budget.  

5g. Former Land Office Site

Mr. Kirk asked for an update on the potential sale of the site. Had the property been sold to a townhomes builder?  Mr. Tompkins answer was no.  The site is challenging, and builders were not interested in developing it at this time.  Mr. Kirk said that he spoken to the Parks Commission to determine if the City of Hugo might be interested in purchasing the property to develop the area into a city park.  No figure was given on how much the property might be sold for.  Mr. Kirk will look into the possibilities further and report back to the Board.

6. Review of Action Items

7. Set Date for Next Meeting

Many of these issues can be worked on before the next Annual meeting. Mr. Vlker will contact Mr. Bryan Bear to discuss scheduling a neighborhood Annual meeting at City Hall.

Board Meeting - Important News Update

The Victor Gardens Community Association's Board of Directors met today.  The meeting was attended by CPDC's Homer Tompkins, Shelly Tompkins, and Dave Hempel, Community Development, Inc.'s Chuck Schneider, and Gina Higgins, Neighborhood Liaisons Mark Vlker and Charles Kirk.  Len Pratt, a board member, did not attend the meeting.

The meeting was dominated by the discussion of the Community Association's budget and the absence of "developer's (financial) contributions".  Mr. Tompkins also conveyed sobering information that CPDC is in default of their Victor Gardens East loans.  This news was met by an interest of all in attendance to work together to find ways to keep homeowners informed, find alternate sources to supplement the shortfall of developers contributions, work with the banks, and maintain the neighborhood.  

In light of this new information,  CPDC's President and Board Member, Homer Tompkins will communicate to homeowners more details of CPDC's financial situation, how it relates to our VG Community Association, and how CPDC, the Association's Board, and homeowners can work together to address our neighborhood's challenges.   

CPDC and the Board of Directors welcomes the offer to work with the group of volunteers, now called the "Board Advisory Group ", who emerged from the July Neighbor's Meeting held at City Hall.  

A future Neighborhood Meeting may also be called by the Board and CPDC to answer homeowner questions, and discuss the issues.

Board Meeting - a few other topics discussed

Considering the gravity of the Community Association’s financial situation, other New Business topics were briefly discussed:

1.New Retail Construction         - Positive homeowner reaction to new retail architecture         - Proposed new medical facility construction (South of Frenchman                  Rd. East of Victor Hugo Blvd.) may be held up by contract problems          with existing, competing businesses.  (This relates to a “compete          clause” involving medical businesses on that particular site.)

2.Appearance of unsold lots         - New City of Hugo ordinance permits weed/grass growth no longer                  than 10”         -  CPDC has been notified by the City that it needs to comply with          the new ordinance, and cut the growth on it’s unsold lots.     

3.Review of dog leash rules & pick-up policy         - City of Hugo to hold a public hearing on the issue          Monday, Sept. 17 @ 7pm at City Hall.         - Separately, VG homeowners requested clarification and         reinforcement of Association Rules.   Board decided to table the          discussion and wait for outcome of City of Hugo’s ordinance process.  

4.Holiday lighting & some future social events         - Board advocated neighborhood partnering with new businesses and          retail landlords for potential sponsorship of some “social events” and          holiday lighting.

5.Review snow removal contracts         -  Association should review contracts with cost savings in mind.  Past                      problems with were also discussed.  It is likely that the snow removal          amenity may be reduced or cut back this year due to budget          constraints.  More information will be announced when it becomes          available.

6.Tennis court maintenance         - CPDC is working with the City of Hugo to address damaged net         anchoring posts.

7.Pool, irrigation and fountain winterizing         -  Pool is now closed         - Irrigation and fountain blow-out & winterizing will take place in         October.

8.Clarification of status of homeowner representatives.         -  The official status of neighborhood representatives, Charles Kirk (Townhomes) and Mark Vlker (Single Family Village) to the Board of Directors has been settled.  It was agreed by the Board’s Directors, Charles and Mark that the neighborhood representatives be considered as volunteers/informal Liaisons to the Board - not voting members of the Board. This clears up confusion that recently arose about the voting status of the neighborhood representatives.  All agreed with the resolution to this issue.

Neighbor’s Meeting Held at City Hall

A large number of Victor Gardens resident homeowners filled the room at a “Neighbor’s Meeting” last night at Hugo’s City Hall.  Many of our Community Association’s budget items were discussed.  The meeting ended with neighbors better understanding our current association’s budget challenges.  With that knowledge, many more questions arose and a smaller group of representatives was formed.  This group will work to address these topics with our Community Association’s management company, Community Development Inc., and Victor Garden’s Developer, CPDC.  

Thank you to all who asked questions at the meeting.  For those who were not able to attend, but would like to be involved in the smaller group, please email mark@victorgardensnews.org 

The small group of volunteers will be meeting soon to work towards solutions to our common challenges.