Submitted by: George Partin

The DCCOA Board of Directors assembled at Deercreek Country Club on January 24th 2013 for a regularly scheduled meeting. A quorum was established and the board was called to order. The Chairman of the Board made two motions, one to approve the agenda and the other to approve the minutes from November 30th. Two new Board members Margie Blake and Bill Beitz were introduced as the new Board members for 2013.    

The first order of business was the Property Managers Report. Motion was made to send several owners who remain in violation to Covenants Enforcement for a hearing. The motion was passed and those owners will be referred for further action. Mention was made of the upcoming AC replacement at the Gate House on January 29th by AA Service & Repair. The property manager is focusing on the need for pressure washing driveways and sidewalk repairs. It was also reported that the property manager had JEA maintenance crews trim the hedges around the lift stations. There were three proposals received for replacing the bar code reader at the front gate. Another option could be the use of radio frequency signal equipment starting at $1500. The Property Manager will make a presentation at the next Access Control meeting.

The treasurer's report shows that for 2012 the DCHOA had net Income of $26,014. After the auditor James Hutchens completes the year end audit the audited amount will be transferred to the replacement account and capital improvement account. Currently the amount for past due receivables is at $102,000. When reviewing the year end receivables with the auditor an amount will be calculated for projected bad debt expense. The Finance committee recommended that James Hutchens Jr. CPA be engaged to complete the year end audit. The motion passed unanimously. The Board also approved the addition of Wayne Givens to the Finance committee.

During the Legal report a recommendation was before the Board concerning a proposed settlement offer from a home owner who is thousands of dollars in arrears. After a long discussion the Board declined the settlement offer and moved to accept what the homeowner owed. Two other properties were reported on with one being in bankruptcy.

The ARB report was presented by the President who explained that the ARB set guidelines for the submission of plans for major renovations (7 copies) and one plan for minor changes .It was further reported that Trampoline polices need to be revised as they may need to be reviewed on a case by case basis. The Board will need to make final approval on the finalized policy.

It was reported by the access control liaison that there are two new guards who be working the night shift. The traffic reports indicated an increase in visitors during the month of December.

Common Property reported that Pittman Landscape attended the committee's January meeting and provided information on their landscape proposal for Deercreek. The committee is seeking more bids for the upgrade to the main entrance. It was suggested by the Board that the committee have a town meeting regarding the five year enhancement plan to obtain feedback from the community.

The Communications Committee will have a new liaison and chairman as Len Fritz has stepped down as the liaison. The new liaison is Margie Blake who was elected to the Board this year. Carol D'Onofrio has volunteered to be the committee chairman. A motion was made and passed to approve her for the chairmanship.

Under Old Business a motion was made for the DCHOA to maintain Ashford crossing area adjacent to the road as part of the responsibilities of common properties. After a discussion on the motion it was determined that Article 12 Section 3 of the covenants should be added as a reference, (which gives the association the right to maintain the property). The amended motion passed unanimously.

There were two items before the Board under New Business. The application of payments received from residents per the Florida Statues should be applied in the following order: Accrued interest, fines, attorney fees/collections and then any pass due assessments. Currently assessments have been applied first. A motion was made for the Board to apply the quarterly payments in the order established by the Florida Statues. The motion after a detailed discussion passed unanimously. The New payment policy will be effective April 1st.

May Management introduced a new electronic accounting system for bill paying. It is similar to an individual paying their bills online. Invoices are scanned into the system for approval by the property manager who will also code the invoices and then they will need to be approved by the board President and Treasurer. May Management agreed that the Association would not have any additional cost in their check processing. The Finance committee recommended the Association transition to the Strong-Room system for 2013 subject to a written agreement with May Management that vendor invoice processing cost would not exceed current cost. The motion was seconded and it passed unanimously.

In closing it was announced that there would be a training session for new board members and committee members before the March 28th Board meeting. The training would begin at 6 PM and would be presented by May Management at the Deercreek Country Club.

Submitted by: Brian Mountan   

Brian Mountan is a homeschooled sixth grader with a passion for sports. His column will appear regularly in Deercreek Living, featuring a Deercreek competitive athlete. If you know anyone of any age whom he could profile, please contact Brian at Brianmountan@yahoo.com.