Ashmore at Germantown Annual Meeting September 13, 2011 Board Members Present Kimberly Diebling, President of Master Association, President of Ashmore I Craig T. Brandt, Vice President of Master Association, President of Ashmore III Major Hinton, Treasurer of Master Association, President of Ashmore IV Julia Rice, Secretary of Master Association, President of Ashmore II Others Present Crystal Garcia, Site Manager Delphine Matthews, Community Manager, Legum and Norman Gail Shultie, Recording Secretary I. Certification of Proxies President Kim Diebling announced that sign-in was closed and asked for confirmation that a quorum had been reached. Ms. Crystal Garcia reported that they achieved 74.475 percent response and the Annual Meeting could proceed. II. III. IV. Call to Order Ms. Diebling called the meeting to order at 7:05 pm. Roll Call (establish quorum) Quorum was established with four board members in attendance. Board members introduced themselves to homeowners. Proof of Notice of Meeting Notice of meeting confirmed Ms. Diebling asked attendees to certify that formal notice had been mailed to each unit owner of record via first class mail on August 23, 2011. Members confirmed receipt of notice. V. Approval of Minutes President Diebling asked if there were any objections to dispensing with reading the 2010 Annual Meeting minutes. There being no objections, Vice President Craig Brandt moved to dispense with the reading of the minutes. Major Hinton seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously by acclamation.
VI. VII. Reports of Officers Ms. Diebling explained the importance of the formation of committees to serve the community. She asked that owners consider volunteering on a committee. Purpose of Meeting The purpose of the Annual Meeting is to replace any outgoing Board President from each of the four condominium associations with the new President of each Board and to appoint an additional Board member who must be a member of The Ashmore at Germantown Condominium III. The current Board Presidents are as follows: Ashmore at Germantown I Kimberly Diebling Ashmore at Germantown II Julia Rice Ashmore at Germantown III Craig T. Brandt Ashmore at Germantown IV Major Hinton, Jr. The additional member is nominated by rotation and this year Ashmore III will be eligible to fill the fifth Board position. VIII. Appointment of Fifth Director Ms. Diebling referenced the Bylaw requirement for appointing the Fifth Director. In accordance with Article 4, section 4.2 of the Bylaws On the Board Transition Date, the Residential Condominium Board of Ashmore at Germantown Condominium III shall appoint the Fifth Director who shall serve until the date that is one (1) year after the Board Transition Date. Craig Brandt, representing Ashmore III, was asked by President Diebling to provide the name of the appointee. Mr. Craig Brandt introduced Paul Bazzano, the appointee to the Board from Ashmore III. Mr. Bazzano serves as Treasurer of Ashmore III. Mr. Bazzano accepted the position and will serve a one (1) year term. IX. Unfinished Business There was no unfinished business. Ms. Diebling suggested they use this time to update homeowners on the projects completed during the past fiscal year. Ms. Garcia reported that the paving project was successfully completed and thanked owners for their cooperation. Ms. Diebling reported that the community center had been painted and some rotted wood was replaced. Ms. Garcia added that a new material was used for the wood replacement which is expected to last considerably longer.
Ms. Garcia reported that pool entry options, that will better identify owners and determine whether those owners are entitled to use the facility, are being researched. Chapel Valley was the former grounds contractor. During this year the association contracted with Valley Crest and has been pleased with the contractor s performance. The change in contractors/contracts, including the Associa discount, saved the association approximately $18,000. A new trash contractor was obtained. The contractor provides more frequent pickups and still saved the association a tremendous amount of money. After receiving complaints about cleaning, Ms. Garcia put the work out to bid and with a new contractor/contract in place saved each association saves $200 - $300/month. Insurance is a large expense. The association is responsible for much of the repair expense. Owners were encouraged to change filters frequently and report any leaks immediately. There is a 24 hour emergency number for residents to use for reporting leaks and other emergencies. Homeowners were reminded that their personal policies should include coverage for the first $5,000 of costs for repair/restoration. Homeowners are held responsible if leaks, and resulting damage, are caused by negligence. Management is currently working on eighteen (18) different leaks. Delphine Matthews, community manager, encouraged residents to change filters monthly. The aluminum bollards located along the pathway have been replaced with concrete bollards. There is a one year guarantee on the bollards. Recycling has improved. New signs were posted and notices delivered. Residents can obtain blue bins from management at no charge. One treadmill was replaced. There are issues with another treadmill and the TVs are not working properly. The Board intends to pursue repairs under the 2012 fiscal year budget. The Board proceeds cautiously since they do not want to risk the need for special assessments. The Board continues to work on details and guidelines for clubhouse rental. Once the Board finalizes the process, a notice with details will be mailed to homeowners. They are using the guidelines from other like communities to reach reasonable rates and requirements. Key Fob access has been installed in anticipation of the clubhouse being used more frequently. This process tracks all entries to the clubhouse, gym and computer room. The computer room is open from 7:00 AM to 11:59 PM. The gym continues to be open 24 hours a day. Ms. Diebling chairs the communications committee and stated that she and Ms. Garcia are working diligently to have a website available for residents by the end of 2011. Ms. Garcia and Ms. Matthews explained the Associa advantages and accessibility to Associa account information as they relate to the website. Ms.
Diebling gave an overview of what they hope to include on the website and some of the options and services they hope to offer residents. Ms. Garcia said that when the website is activated, the Yahoo groups will be deleted. Ms. Garcia and Ms. Matthews stated that Associa has a concierge service that is offered to residents, free of charge. Some examples are: dry-cleaning, airline tickets, sporting event tickets, car rental and babysitting. The site is Associerge.com and is available 24/7. Ms. Diebling told owners about service presentation by Sub meter One, LLC. The Board is considering changing the metering company for many reasons, one of which is the inspections to ensure equipment is operating and reporting properly. X. New Business Ms. Diebling announced that the floor would be open to Homeowners under new business. A resident asked if open stairwells could be enclosed. No, they were built to developer specifications and purchased as-is. A resident reported water drainage concerns on Derry Glen. Crystal Garcia has requested bids and has received one to date for a cost of approximately $2,800. She is having difficulty finding contractors that are interested in this type of repair work. There was interest from the resident in him being hired to do the repairs. Ms. Diebling explained that they do not hire homeowners or residents because of conflict of interest concerns. All contractors must be licensed, bonded and insured. A resident asked where air filters could be purchased; another resident suggested Filtersnow.com as a viable option. A resident asked about repairs to landscaping on Derry Glen in the area surrounding the fire hydrant. Ms. Garcia said that the repair and restoration work was done by WSSC. Ms. Garcia will ask Valley Crest to inspect the area and make recommendations. A resident asked what could be done about birds gaining access to vents; another resident suggested Airefresh.com who had successfully made similar repairs. Ms. Garcia confirmed that the vents are a limited common element and maintenance is ultimately the homeowner s responsibility. A resident commented on how nice Father Hurley Boulevard looked since the last clean-up. He suggested that the community consider adopting the road as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. Ms. Diebling and Mr. Brandt maintain communications with Montgomery County and will continue to provide the community with updates. A resident asked if electric grills were permitted to be used on balconies; since there is no open flame he thought they might be acceptable. Ms. Garcia said that the
bylaws are specific and state that nothing other than patio furniture can be on balconies of patios. Ms. Garcia encouraged everyone to report any violations. There has been some discussion about providing community grilling areas but clean-up presents concerns. A resident asked if irrigation can be controlled so it is not operating during rain conditions. Ms. Garcia said that is has been disconnected for the winter and that repairs and modifications will be done to the system in the Spring. There are 80 zones and tracking the problems is complicated. XI. Adjournment President Diebling adjourned the meeting at 7:52 PM.