DRAFT

WALDEN WOODS CONSERVANCY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES  

December 15, 2004 

Quorum:  	The following Directors were present:

		Joseph Sikora - President
		Deborah Giampolo - Vice President
		Richard Ericson - Secretary
		Raju Barman - Treasurer
		Warren Johnson - Director

		Representing Elite Management:	Mary Lou Morell and Frank Goecklert

President Sikora called the meeting to order at 8:05 p.m.   

Reading of The Minutes of the Board of Directors meeting of November 17, 2004 was waived, a corrected copy having been previously emailed to each member.  It was motioned, seconded and voted affirmatively that the minutes, as they appeared in the final mailing,  be approved.  

Home Owners Forum: 
President Sikora announced that by decision of the Board of Directors in executive session, the block of time devoted to the Home Owners Forum would be moved from the beginning of future Board meetings to the end of the agenda, following New Business.  He explained that by doing so, additional time could be devoted to responding to attendees' questions, and some questions would be answered when committee and property manager reports were presented.  

1.  Bob Ellis, 144 Morning Glory Court, questioned how the percent increases were developed with respect to the Conservancy, Village/Knoll and Ridge budgets.  He then commended the Board of Directors on their performance over the initial six months of the unit owner controlled Association.  Mr. Ellis concluded by making a statement regarding next year's budget process, indicating he hoped it could begin earlier so there would be more opportunity for home owner understanding and input.  

2.  David Tousignant, 522 Hawthorne Lane, questioned the favorable balance reflected for the Conservancy budget.  Director Johnson pointed out that a favorable balance in the Conservancy portion of the budget did not mean that the entire budget would also be favoable.  It was further noted that association fees were increased to cover rising expenses and the need to build sufficient reserves.  Director Barman elaborated.  

3.  Patricia Tanner, 38 Knollwood North, asked why weren't association fees based on a more simplified basis such as unit owner square footage, a system used in other conservancies.  President Sikora replied that not everyone in Walden Woods getes the same level of service, the best example of which is landscaping services.  Director Johnson went on to say that the budget structure for Walden Woods is established by state law, and the developer.  In any case, he stated, the square footage formula doesn't work when dealing with common areas around some dwellings, and not others. 

Ms. Tanner expressed concern about the increase in association fees and questioned how they are applied.  Mr. Johnson elaborated on how expenses are allocated by Councils.  He explained that the increases this year were primarily driven by the realization that reserves were underfunded, and that the increase was necessary to preclude future assessments.  Ms. Tanner asked how Walden Woods fees compared to other associations.  Director Johnson replied that it is difficult to compare different developments because they vary so much in how they handle reserves.  

Committe Reports
The following committees reported to the Board:

Standards Committee - Chairman Rick Ericson summarized recent issues that have arisen as a result of home owner's requests to install satillite dishes.  Mr. Ericson indicated that to date, these issues have been resolved through negotiation and that most unit owners recognize the Conservancy's desire to keep the presence of the devices as unobtrusive as possible. 

Recreation and Social Committee - Chairman Deb Giampolo applauded the large turnout for the recent Holiday Party, and commended the efforts of the committee for their services in organizing it.  A motion was offered to have the Board of Directors draft a formal congratulatory message to the committee, which motion was seconed and unanimously approved.  

Communications Committee - Chairman Bob Ellis reported that the last edition of the Walden Woods News required some [extra] effort.  He noted that his committee would start work on developing the Conservancy website early next year.  

Finance -  Board Treasurer Raj Barman stated that the Conservancy's year to date revenues were favorable by approximately $18,000 resulting from  less than anticipated costs for contract services.  He reminded that the two main line items that were overspent were legal and pool-related expenses.  

Document Revision Committee - No report

Environmental/Pond -  Warren Johnson reported that the Connecticut Department for Environmental Protection (DEP) was to meet with the developer's engineers (Fusco) to discuss dredging the larger conservancy pond.  Mr. Johnson thought that it may eventually be possible to quantify the costs of dredging, but stated it was unclear at this time as to how those costs might be allocated between the developer and unit owners.  

Meeting House Committee - Chairman Bette Harner stated she had little to report other than acknowledging that the Meeting House roof repairs had been completed.  For the benefit of new attendees, she pointed out that the contractor installed a rubber membrane under the "widow's walk" and re-caulked around all of the windows to prevent water intrusion.  

Landscape Committee-  President Sikora reported that landscaping contractor Russo completed a final pickup of leaves, leaving the grounds looking very good.  He noted that Russo's snow removal teams did perform work during the last snowfall, and was preparing for subsequent storms.  He further noted that Russo had not brought its tool container to the site yet.  

Welcoming Committee - Polly Ellis reported that the committee welcomed one new resident since the last meeting. 

Property Manager's Report - Ms. Morrell stated there was nothing significant to discuss this month, and invited comments. 
 
Old Business - none

New Business

1.  Director Johnson offered a motion to pay up to $1400 to fund development of a Walden Woods website, with up to $700 being paid by the Conservancy.  The Developer has offered to pay the other $700 if the Conservancy invoices him.  Director Giampolo seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.  

2.  Director Johnson introduced the following resolution:

 "WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 2.11 of the Declaration which requires that the Standards Committee consist of members appointed by resolution of the Executive Board, and one member by the Declarant, 
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Standards Committee consist of the following members and such additional members as may from time to time be appointed by the Board, all members to serve for a term coincident with the terms of Board members and until successor members shall have been appointed by a subsequently elected Board: Richard Ericson, John Webber, Ruth Johnson, Stanley Miller, Esther Miller, Gail Twarkins.  Be it further resolved, that the Board solicits the application for appointment to membership from Walden Woods homeowners in Councils not currently represented or underrepresented in the aforementioned list, and solicits the appointment of a Standards Committee member from CWD, LLC."  
The resolution was seconded by Director Barman, and unanimously approved.  
3.  Director Barman motioned to move the Home Owners Forum from the beginning of the monthly Board of Directors meeting agenda, to the latter part of the agenda, following New Business.  Director Giampolo seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.  
There being no further New Business, the Home Owner's Forum was re-opened.
Home Owners Forum
Connie Borger, 143 Morning Glory, asked about the impact of the new development [in Parcel C] on association governance.  Director Johnson explained the proposed new Councils and discussed the uniqueness of the new development.  He noted that the new units would take the form of more traditional condominiums, wherein the owners would have responsibility for the inside of the unit and the association for the exterior, and that this would likely reult in diffferent budgeting strategies.  He pointed out that the additional units would favorably impact the Conservancy portion of the budget by increasing the number of units that share the expenses.  Additionally, by including the Meeting House in the Conservancy budget [as proposed], would further reduce per share Conservancy costs.  

Next Meeting 
President Sikora stated that in 2005, Board of Directors meeting would be held on the last Wednesday of the month.  The next meeting will be scheduled for January 26, 2005.  

Adjornment
It was moved, seconded and voted affirmatively to adjorn the meeting at 9:08 p.m.

Respectfully submitted, 

Richard Ericson
Secretary

APPROVED

Joseph Sikora
President