Author: Mark Stolz

The Special Assessment meeting of the Rainbow Lakes HOA was called to order at the firehouse at 21st & 135th St W on Tuesday evening, Oct 4, at 7:00pm.  Board members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Agnes Johnson, Lynn Guinn, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Brad Sweet, Sandra Zeh, & Steve Fuller (new Board member).  51 homeowners were represented by their attendance or their proxy forms.  Proxy forms were reviewed by HOA Mgmt. before the meeting. Mike Ball, HOA President, started the meeting and requested 2 volunteers to be tellers to count votes (Mark Stolz & Eric Powell).  Mike made a few general comments about the general need for the proposed special assessment, and then turned the meeting over to Lynn Guinn.

Lynn presented clear & transparent rationale for budgetary numbers on the proposed assessment.  Lynn spoke about the need for a special assessment that was going to be used to address the rip rap replacement & tree work around the lake.  He stated that the Board had secured 3 bids for rip rap work around the lake, which makes up the largest part of the assessment proposal.  Lynn stated the average of all bids would be used for budgetary purposes (approx. $31K), with the rest of the money being used for tree removal (approx. $3K per tree removal) on common property, and maybe further work on the lake aerators.  The Board was requesting a 1-time assessment of $300 per homeowner.  Lynn also presented a map of where rip rap work would be done around the lake.

Several homeowners presented pro & con views of the assessment.  Finally, after everyone had said their peace, a motion was made to vote.  Votes were submitted & counted twice, with the residents rejecting the special assessment by a vote of 31 NO votes to 21 YES votes.  While the Board members were unanimous in their belief in the need for the assessment money, the votes were counted & noted– no special assessment at this time.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:55pm. The next HOA Board meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 10, at 7pm at Teresa Powell’s home.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The annual meeting of the Rainbow Lakes HOA was called to order at the Forestview common area on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at 9:00am (wanted to get done before it got too hot).  Board members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Agnes Johnson, Lynn Guinn, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Sandra Zeh, & Al Cavallaro. The August Board meeting minutes were reviewed & approved. 20 homeowners were in attendance (and 2 proxies were submitted to the Secretary prior to the meeting). 2 tellers were appointed prior to the start of the meeting in case votes were going to be cast & counted later.

Mike presented a President’s report, which highlighted things that had happened in 2021-2022. Some things of note- repairs on the Maple sprinkler system that had been done, an assessment of rip rap around the lake & trees that were going to need work, repairs to the lake aerators, and a general overall status of the neighborhood. Mike also spoke about the discussion that led to the increase of annual dues (from $150 to $200 per year). Lynn would follow up on that with his presentation of the annual budget. Mike also appealed to ALL homeowners to pay attention to write ups from HOA Mgmt. so fines would not have to be assessed. If there are any questions or concerns on any of these issues, please contact the Board to request clarity, or provide a plan to address these issues.

Lynn presented a final budget. It was quite apparent that the annual dues would need to be raised to make ends meet for the HOA. Some areas of the 2021 budget were at or below actual expenses, but there were several that were over (sprinkler repair & tree removal). After a short discussion, acceptance of the proposed 2022-2023 budget was voted on, and it was accepted with a unanimous vote.

Lynn also spoke about the need for a special assessment that was going to be needed to address the rip rap & tree work around the lake. This topic will be addressed at a special meeting on Oct. 4, 2022, at the firehouse, and all homeowners would be invited for that meeting. The Board has secured 3 bids for rip rap work around the lake, which will be reviewed after the assessment meeting. The Board will be requesting an assessment of $300 per homeowner.

It was also noted that Dave Dauffenbach had done some repair work on the lake aerators (THANK YOU, DAVE!!). Some parts had been ordered, and a new aerator had been ordered as well. One of the residents stated that it might be time to look at possibly doing some research to see what is available in new technology for lake aerators (quieter & more energy efficient), and that will be a topic for the 2022-2023 Board.

With 2 members rotating off the Board (Mark & Lynn), a need existed for 2 new Board members to be appointed. 3 people were nominated– Greg Heiny, Steve Fuller, and Jeff Hoetmer. Jeff, who was serving as a Zone rep, stated he would rather stay on as Zone rep, so he withdrew his name from the vote. Left with 2 volunteers, a unanimous vote was cast to elect Greg Heiny & Steve Fuller as new Board members.

Finally, a special presentation was awarded to Mary Hill for all the work she had done over the years with the RLHOA. A plaque was presented to Mary (paid for by Board members), and she was very grateful. Mary has moved to senior living now & will be missed in the neighborhood.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:55am. The next HOA meeting will be held on Oct. 4 (special assessment), and the October Board meeting will be held on Oct. 10 at 7pm at Teresa Powell’s home.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The August meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Agnes Johnson’s house on Monday, August 15, 2022, at 7:00pm.  Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Agnes Johnson, Lynn Guinn, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Brad Sweet, Sandra Zeh, & Al Cavallaro. The July minutes were reviewed & approved, {with 1 minor exception}, as written (unan). (Subsequent to the meeting, the exception was noted & revised).  One of our residents, Dan Fumento, was present, as was our HOA Mgmt. rep- Harlee Quintana.

Lynn presented a final budget.  It was quite apparent that the annual dues would need to be raised to make ends meet for the HOA. A motion was made to increase the yearly dues to $200/year (motion by Mark & 2nd by Teresa).  The motion was voted on, and it passed with a unanimous vote.

Dan Fumento was at the meeting to inform the Board about a growth of cattails behind his house on the lake. He brought pictures to show, and the growth had more than doubled in size this past year. He suggested getting some type of lake-friendly spray to put on the cattails. Dan had done some research, and said the cattails needed to be sprayed & killed first, and then pulled out at the roots for them to stay gone, or they could come back. During the meeting, a quick internet search revealed a spray product called Shoreline Defense that is used to spray cattails. Lynn took the action to get this product bought, so spraying could be done soon. (The cattails were sprayed in the final week of August, and they can be pulled out later if the spray does its work.) It was good to have Dan at the meeting, and Lynn purchased the spray at his own expense. Thanks, Lynn.

Costs are still being compiled for work around the lake. We still need another quote on the rip rap work, and Harlee will see about getting that done. (Subsequent to the meeting, 2 more quotes were obtained on the rip rap work- 3 in total now. The Board will review all of these at the next meeting.)

The Board reviewed a letter for the Breezy Point HOA to notify them of their residents coming over to our lake to fish & trespassing on the common area on the SE end of the lake. The draft was reviewed & approved, and Mike will get that sent to the Breezy Point HOA.

Last month (July), Brad Sweet sent a note to the Board & said the lake aerators appeared to NOT be working. Dave Dauffenbach has ordered some parts & a new aerator, and he will get the repair done soon.  (At least 1 of the aerators is now running.)

The annual HOA meeting will be held on Saturday morning, Sept. 17, at 9:00am at the common area. An earlier time was noted to stay away from daytime heat. A note will be sent to all homeowners, inviting them to the meeting. The Board also needs 2 replacements for officers, as Mark & Lynn are set to rotate off this fall. If anyone is interested in serving, please contact any of the Board members.

Several homeowners have asked for more time to complete improvements that were noted by HOA Mgmt.- (129 N Rainbow Lake Terrace & 260 S Forestview Ct.). Both residences have been granted an extension to Sept. 15 to complete the work needed or pay pending fines.

Finally, a special assessment meeting will be held in October (at the fire station), and the Board will recommend a 1-time lump sum of $300 per household be assessed to all residents. 2 biggest cost drivers are rip rap work around the lake (est. $30K for that), and tree removal around the lake. Residents will be advised of the meeting date once it has been set.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25pm. The next Board meeting will be the annual meeting on Sept. 17, and the October meeting will be held on Oct. 10 at 7pm on at Teresa’s home.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The July meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Agnes Johnson’s house on Monday, June 11, 2022, at 7:00pm.  Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Agnes Johnson, Lynn Guinn, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Sandra Zeh, & Al Cavallaro. The June minutes were reviewed & approved as written (unan). One of our residents, Wade Waterbury, was present, as was our HOA Mgmt. rep- Harlee Quintana.

Lynn presented a revised budget that included a raise in dues to $200/yr. This was discussed & will be voted on at the August meeting.  If approved, homeowners will be notified of this raise with the upcoming annual dues invoice.

Al reported that several remodel jobs had been approved by the architectural committee.

Several neighbors complained about the yard at the old firehouse at the Maple entryway. Mark took the action to contact Mark Kerschen to ask about getting it mowed.  (Mark K. was very decent & pledged to get it mowed. 4 days later it was done.)

Wade Waterbury came to the meeting to update the Board on the work on his home. He has made progress on the requested changes, and he is waiting for the weather to cool off before finishing the painting. The Board appreciated Wade’s attendance at the meeting, and it’s apparent that he is making an honest effort to get caught up on the needed improvements.

Costs are still being compiled for work around the lake. The trees around the lake that need work have been marked. Lynn believes that if we get a work crew assembled, some of the tree work can be done by the volunteers to save the HOA some money. We still need another quote on the rip rap work, and Harlee will see about getting that done. We have 1 bid on rip rap, and the Board requested that bid to be held firm until at least Nov. 1. Once a second bid is received, the Board can review both & come up with an action plan.

The Board decided to send a letter to the Breezy Point HOA to notify them of their residents coming over to our lake to fish & trespassing on the common area on the SE end of the lake. Mark will draft a letter for Mike’s review, and we’ll get that sent to the Breezy Point HOA.

The issue on the ditch between Rainbow Lakes & The Dunes has been resolved. The Dunes is responsible for all maintenance of the ditch. They will take action on this when the weather cools off.

Brad Sweet sent a note to the Board & said the lake aerators appeared to NOT be working. Dave Dauffenbach will be contacted to see about needed repairs. (Subsequent to the meeting, Dave checked out the aerators & found them not working. He has gotten one of the aerators going, and he has ordered parts to get the others repaired & operational.)

Finally, once the capital budget has been completed, a special assessment meeting will be held in October, and the Board will recommend a 1-time lump sum of $300 per household be assessed to all residents. Improvements to the lake (rip rap & tree removal) are hugely expensive items, and the HOA does NOT have the capital resources to address them. This assessment, along with the increase of dues to $200/year, should give the HOA enough capital to move forward with the needed improvements.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm. The next Board meeting will be at 7pm on August 15 at the home of Agnes Johnson.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The June meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Mark Stolz’s house on Monday, June 13, 2022, at 7:00pm.  Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Agnes Johnson, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Brad Sweet, & Al Cavallaro. The May minutes were reviewed & approved as written (unan).  Also in attendance were HOA Mgmt. reps- Kayla Brown & Harlee Quintana.

The school bus that sits in the driveway of a home on the first cul-de-sac is being retrofitted into a food truck. It may remain there until the work is done, and then it has to be moved.

A note was made to send all meeting minutes to all HOA members.

The plaque for Mary Hill that was discussed at the May meeting is ready to be fabricated. Mike & Brad put some good words in for that, and Mike will see about getting it made.

Costs are still being compiled for work around the lake. Updated pricing is coming from Premium Arbor (tree removal), and other rip rap providers once a statement of work was completed for how the rip rap will be done. The trees around the lake that need work have been marked.

Several complaints were noted on the rental house at the Maple entryway for vehicles parking in the yard, and for the grass not being mowed. The HOA will contact the owner (Mark Kerschen) to air this problem out.

Mark noted that the entryway sprinklers have been repaired. As of this writing, we have not seen a bill yet.

The Board discussed sending a letter to the Breezy Point HOA to notify them of their residents coming over to our lake to fish & trespass on the common area on the SE end of the lake. Action will be taken on this at the July HOA meeting.

Mike was contacted by the Dunes homeowner board about a spillway issue between the Dunes & RL.  Apparently, the city has cited the Dunes for not maintaining some area between several Dunes home lots & Rainbow Lakes lots (weeds & overgrowth). The problem area was examined, and the Board thinks we need a letter from the city on how to correctly fix this problem (including proper clarity on property lines). This issue is still pending.

After some discussion about homeowner fines for not observing RLHOA policies, the Board decided to sign on with a loan collection agency to help expedite fine payment. This will be used as a last resort for unpaid fines & penalties.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm. The next Board meeting will be at 7pm on July 11 at the home of Agnes Johnson.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The May meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Agnes Johnson’s house on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 7:00pm.  Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Agnes Johnson, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Lynn Guinn, & Sandra Zeh. We had 2 homeowners attend- Mr. Lindsay & Keith Stutzman. The April minutes were reviewed & approved as written (unan). Also in attendance was HOA Mgmt. rep- Kayla Brown.

Both homeowners had comments about the lake. Keith noted that Breezy Point folks were coming over to fish in our lake, along with trespassing on the south side of Reserve A in the common area there. Mr. Lindsay said he had seen the trespassers as well. Keith also noted that some small buses were being parked in the first cul-de-sac in zone 1, but the Board was already aware of that. The Board plans to write a letter to the Breezy Point HOA and advise them of the trespassing issues (specifically the owners at 101 & 105 Breezy Point Cir).  If it continues, then the police will be notified. Mr. Lindsay also noted various problems around the lake, including more rip rap needed, growing silt deposits, along with the increase of various types of trash fish (carp, gar, & drum). He asked about improving the spillway on the north side of Reserve A, but various Board members thought the spillway was okay for now. Besides, a rework of that spillway would cost TONS of money at this time. The Board also took an action item to walk the lake perimeter to note how many trees need to be trimmed or removed, plus to note how many linear feet of rip rap would be needed to complete that repair. (This walk around was done on May 14– trees were tagged for work & it was noted that over 1000 feet of rip rap will be needed.)  It was reported that the Board (and HOA Mgmt.) are seeking to update quotes for large tree removal & the rip rap project (including re-doing what has already been started). Updated pricing will be requested from Premium Arbor (tree removal), and other rip rap providers once a statement of work was completed for how the rip rap will be done.

The Spring newsletter was published, and everyone thought it turned out well.
Lynn reported that the HOA had approx. $18K in cash, which should be enough to get through 2022, pending any large unforeseen problems. Again, once the bids for tree work & rip rap were updated & received, the Board will review the results & schedule a special assessment meeting.

Mark noted that Dave Pote had turned on the sprinklers at the Maple entryway, and he had found the valve box for the bank of sprinklers that does NOT come on. Mark will call Irrigation Unlimited (who worked on the sprinklers last fall) to come & assess a repair. (Irrigation Unlimited should be on the job in the last week of May.)

The Board also noted that several residents were doing home renovation and had dumpsters sitting on or around their driveways. The Board will publish a request (maybe in the Fall newsletter) that will ask residents to let the Board know about upcoming renovation work/dumpster presence so the HOA rep will know NOT to write up a violation. Just a simple thing to let folks know what’s going on.

Mike submitted a draft of the words to be placed on Mary Hill’s plaque that will be presented at the Fall homeowner’s meeting, and the words were great. Mike is going to see about getting a good picture of the entryway to put on the plaque, and then see about getting it completed.  It should be noted that HOA funds will NOT be used to purchase this plaque.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm. The next Board meeting will be at 7pm on June at the Stolz home (176 S Forestview).

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The April meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Teresa Powell’s house on Monday, April 11, 2022 at 7:00pm.  Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Agnes Johnson, Mark Stolz, Jeff Hoetmer, Brad Sweet, & Al Cavalaro. The March minutes were reviewed & approved as written (unan). Also in attendance was HOA Mgmt. rep- Kayla Brown.

It was reported that the Board (and HOA Mgmt.) are seeking to update quotes for large tree removal & the rip rap project (including re-doing what has already been started).  Updated pricing will be requested from Premium Arbor (tree removal), and Twin Rivers (rip rap).  It was also reported the Twin Rivers owner was not answering his phone.  It was decided that, until all the quotes & pricing for tree services & rip rap repair were updated, the special assessment meeting would be put on hold. Jeff also reported that his neighbor’s son does drone photography, which might be helpful when assessing the rip rap issue.

The Board reviewed the most recent inspection report, and it was decided that we need to review & revise the detail of scrutiny being used on said inspections. This will be discussed at the May meeting.

Since we are not doing a neighborhood garage sale, the Board decided to find out when the Maple Dunes sale would be to help any of our neighbors who wanted to hold their own garage sale.

The Spring newsletter was discussed one more time, and the final edition would go out sometime in late April or early May.

Mike made a suggestion about getting some type of recognition for Mary Hill, who is moving out of the neighborhood to senior living. Mary served on the Board for many years and did a LOT of good things for this neighborhood. Mike was going to look into some type of recognition- maybe a plaque or some type of gift card. This will be reviewed at the May meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15pm. The next Board meeting will be at 7pm on May 9, at Agnes Johnson’s home.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The meeting was called to order at 7:00PM by President Michael Ball.

Those in attendance:
Michael Ball – President
Teresa Powell – Vice President
Lynn Guinn – Treasurer
Agnes Johnson – Zone 1 Rep
Mary Hill – Zone 2 Rep
Sandra Zeh – Zone 3 Rep
Kayley Brown – HOA Management Services

Zone 1 report:
Agnes reported that the Kerschen residence/former fire station is for sale.
There was some digging in the HOA common area – apparently, they were looking for a missing pipeline.

New Business:
Lynn suggested that we hold off in scheduling a special meeting until we have a better handle and more current estimates of the budget for our various projects. Motion passed.

Kayla will try to schedule a meeting with Twin Rivers – either her individually or including one or more Board members.

We discussed the recent inspection report and are still finding questionable violations. Teresa volunteered to review the reports and approve those violations that were worth follow-up letters. Motion passed.

By email – the Board appointed Brad Sweet to be the new Zone 2 Rep. A majority of the Board replied in affirmative by email.

Next Meeting:
Monday April 11 at 7:00 PM. Location is to be announced.  (April meeting was held at Teresa’s home).
Adjournment at 8:30PM.

The February meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Mary Hill’s house on Monday, Feb 14, 2022 at 7:00pm.  Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Lynn Guinn, Agnes Johnson, Mark Stolz, Mary Hill, Sandra Zeh, Jeff Hoetmer, Brad Sweet, Ken Hughes, & Al Cavalaro. The January minutes were reviewed & approved as written (unan). We also welcomed our new HOA Mgmt. rep- Kayla Brown.

Lynn reported that the HOA’s cash position was down considerably, due to unplanned maintenance items that were done in 2021, plus a LOT of upcoming items in 2022, including more tree removal, rip rap work around the lake, and more sprinkler system work expected.  Lynn stated that the work to be done was based on prior history or quotes from 2021, and that those bids were probably outdated in this new year.  Lynn presented several charts that showed a couple options to bolster the HOA’s cash position, including a permanent increase of dues by $50/yr, plus several one-time special assessments– $150, $250, and $300 per homeowner.  A LOT of discussion followed, with the Board finally agreeing to request the assessment of $300 per homeowner, which would ensure the cash strength of the HOA, and enable work that needs to be done in 2022 could be paid for prior to that work starting.  The vote was unanimous.  The Board (and HOA Mgmt.) will now seek to update quotes for large tree removal & the rip rap project (including re-doing what has already been started). Updated pricing will be requested from Premium Arbor (tree removal), and Twin Rivers (rip rap).

The Board reviewed the most recent inspection report, and decided to set a date for completion of 4 work projects that have been flagged by HOA Mgmt.- house painting by Waterburys, completed fencing by Kampschroeders, basketball goal repair by Genos, and resolution of dumpster placement by McElroys– all due to be done by June 1, 2022.  These homeowners will be notified of this request, and if work isn’t completed by then, fines will ensue.

There were still 8 homeowners who were delinquent on 2021-2022 dues, and lien processing has begun.

The Board established dates for several events this year– placement of a Waste Connection dumpster (requested by several homeowners) by the common area was set for May 16-23, 2022.  The Board decided to NOT have a neighborhood garage sale, as last year’s sale drew only a small handful of participants.  The Board also decided to NOT have a Fall picnic, as last year’s event was sparsely attended, and the Board wishes to conserve funds.  The annual meeting will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the common area.  A meeting to discuss the upcoming special assessment (discussed earlier in this letter) will be held in late April or early May, depending on finding a building that will allow the meeting to be held (fire station is not open for a meeting like this anymore).

New signs still need to be put up. A target date of Saturday morning, March 26, was suggested, with maybe more work being done that day as well. Folks who wished to be contacted for volunteer work will be notified.  Anyone is welcome to help out here, and if you know of anyone who wants to help, please contact one of the Board members.

Brad Sweet has offered to put out a spring & fall newsletter to the membership (THANKS).  He thought he had enough content for the spring letter, but asked everyone to submit ideas for the fall letter. Some suggestions were offered– profile new neighbors who have moved in, profile current neighbors who have done random acts of kindness or who have helped in the area, etc.   It was also requested that we publish a list of all Rainbow Lake residents & their respective addresses.  It would be nice to know who your neighbors are.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:25pm. The next Board meeting will be at 7pm on March 21, at Mary Hill’s home.

Mark Stolz, Secretary

The January meeting of the HOA Board was called to order at Mary Hill’s house on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, at 7:00pm.   Members in attendance:  Michael Ball, Teresa Powell, Lynn Guinn, Agnes Johnson, Mark Stolz, Mary Hill, Sandra Zeh, & Al Cavalaro.   The October/November minutes were reviewed & approved as written (unan).

Lynn reported that the HOA’s cash position was down considerably, due to unplanned maintenance items (downed trees) which were expensive to fix & not included in the annual budget.  A brief discussion was had about possibly doing a special assessment to shore up the HOA’s cash position, but that will be left for the Feb. meeting.

Discussion was again held on the quality of service being provided by HOA Mgmt.   We have not had representation for several months at the Board meetings, and now with a new HOA rep (Kayla) recently assigned, the Board wishes to improve communication between the 2 parties to ensure a better working relationship. Teresa volunteered to review the monthly inspections, as they have become a little dicey (lots of write-ups for trash containers being left out when the inspection was done right after the holiday weekend), and we want to make sure they are doing what is intended– pointing out recurring problems that can be easily addressed.  The Board reviewed the most recent inspection report & flagged ones that needed to either be amended or stricken from the report.  After that review, Mark volunteered to contact Kayla & review the report to remove the problems that were noted (completed on Jan. 12).

There were still 9 homeowners who were delinquent on 2021-2022 dues, and it was decided to have HOA Mgmt. send out one last reminder to have dues paid by Jan 31 or have lien processing begin.

The Board was contacted by Robert McElroy about several inspection concerns on his property (120 N Forestview Ct).  One of the concerns was with his trash dumpster, which remains in his driveway.  HOA rules state that the dumpster must be out of sight from the street.  His concern was noted in that his property faces both the cul-de-sac and Forestview St., so the dumpster would have to go into his back yard (even though he has a wrought iron fence).  The inspection also noted a large pile of bricks in his back yard that is visible from Forestview. He felt the inspection write-ups were unfair & planned to be at the meeting to address these, but he did not attend. The Board was going to contact him to discuss potential solutions to the problems.

New signs still need to be put up.  Solution to follow when warmer weather comes.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:05pm.  The next Board meeting will be at 7pm on Feb. 21 at Mary Hill’s home.  This might get changed, as Kayla has already said she could NOT attend that night.  Stay tuned.

 

Mark Stolz, Secretary