HOLA Annual Membership Meeting 11 AM September 1, 2018 – The Barn

The meeting was called to order at 11 AM by Chairperson Millie Hoekstra.  Approximately 59 people were in attendance including Board Members: : Millie Hoekstra/Chairperson, Mary-Ellen Maroney/Vice-Chairperson, Jeff Zapolsky/Treasurer, Val Zapolsky/Interim Secretary, Ann Arthurs, Dave Arthurs, Anne Crump, Brittany DiPompo,  Terry Donovan, Dave Douglas, Carol Hoffmann, John Patriquin, Mary Elllen Simon, Ed Zambraski,

Millie welcomed everyone, asked everyone to sign in on the paper by the door and to help themselves to coffee and donuts.

Secretary’s Minutes of the Annual Meeting last September were unanimously approved.

Treasurer’s Report click here was presented and 2016, 2017, and 2018 YTD were reviewed. Overall we are in good financial shape. Income was down but so were expenses. We have a bit over $38K in our Emergency Road Fund. The Waterfront also has sufficient funds for the work planned. The Budget was presented and unanimously approved.

Assessors’ Report was presented by Ed Zambraski. Road Fees will remain the same again this year: $210 for a vacant lot and $463 for a lot with a house.   FYI the road fees have not changed in 10 years.  Dues will again be $65.00.

Waterfront Report was presented by Mary-Ellen Maroney. She informed us that the new neighbor on the waterfront will be putting up a fence to keep the geese out. The Waterfront Committee did a wonderful job cleaning out the brush along the waterfront to improve the view. There is a new charcoal grill there and the old fireplace will be dismantled. All the boats and kayak/canoes should be removed from the harbor area by October 1^st. In early October the docks will be pulled in and we have DEP approval to dredge the harbor. That will be done by M&H as soon as the water is low. Moorings for the swim area will be moved further out next summer and the swim lines will be replaced. There was a question regarding rentor and waterfront use. It was noted that if a house has waterfront rights, then renter may use the waterfront. Possible posted rules were discussed. Nancy Zambraski said she has rules posted at her house for renters and agreed to share this with the other members of HOLA perhaps via our website.

The Board introduced themselves including new member Brittany DiPompo.

The Road Comm. Report (appended) was presented by Dave Arthurs. Basically our road budget is on target. We have sufficient emergency funds and some grading is scheduled for early September.  We put down a lot of calcium this year and it really helped to keep the dust down. There was some discussion of how to address the steep and easily torn up entrance road to the Overlook.

The Nominating Committee Report presented by MaryEllen Simon: The slate of Board members up for election/re-election (Larry Malone, Brittany DiPompo, Ann Arthurs, Carol Hoffmann and Ed Zambraski) was approved unanimously.  Jocelyn Kinlock agreed to join the Assessors Committee.  A HOLA Committee sign-up sheet was circulated and members were encouraged to volunteer for a committee.

Ed Zambraski read a statement regarding tree cutting to those present. (appended)

The meeting was adjourned at noon. All were encouraged to stay and socialize.

The Board of Directors met briefly and elected the following officers for the coming year: Millie Hoekstra–Chairperson, Mary-Ellen Moroney—Vice-Chairperson, Jeff Zapolsky—Treasurer, Val Zapolsky—Secretary.

Next meeting September 7, 2019

Respectfully submitted,

Val Zapolsky

 

 

 

 

HOLA

Annual Membership Meeting

Minutes

September 2, 2017

59 members attending

Millie Hoekstra, Board Chairman welcomed everyone to the 2017 HOLA Membership meeting and introduced and thanked the Board Members for their service. There were approximately 59 HOLA members in attendance this year.

The Minutes of the 2016 meeting were approved as submitted.

Ed Zambraski, Chairman of the Assessors committee explained the process of developing the assessments for each land owner and advised that HOLA has not had an increase in 10 years. The recommended rates, which were unchanged from last year, were $210 for an unimproved lot and $463 for an improved lot.  The membership voted to approve this recommendation and to extend the terms of the members of the Assessor’s Committee for an additional year.

Jeff Zapolsky, Treasurer There are several landowners that are still in arrears. There are a few landowners with whom we have been able to agree on an installment plan. The invoices that will be sent out on October 1 will more clearly state that payments should be made by November 15.
As of August 22 our net income was: $22,155.95.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Zapolsky
HOLA Treasurer
920-279-8637

The Report was approved as submitted.

Jeff also presented the 2017/2018 Budget which was also approved by the membership.

(all budget materials can be found on the HOLA website www.holarangeley. org)

Click here to view 2017/2018 Budget

Waterfront Committee:    Waterfront Committee Report September 2, 2017

I want to thank our great Waterfront Committee: John and Peggy Clark, Dick Moore, Paul Ellis, Dave and Ann Arthurs, Gary Wadsworth, Ed Zambraski, Butch DeSanctis, and Dave Sarr.  The Waterfront Committee has been great this year.

All the canoe/kayak racks have been full including the two new ones that Ed Zambraski made.

Terry Donovan has been using our Bird Bangor to scar the geese.  He has also trimmed the grass low on the side of the harbor so that he could get rid of the goose deposits.

David Burgess is going to get us the correct decking for the docks and the two new docks next year.  We had problems with the dock supplier this year.

Andy and Cindy Avelis used their tractor to put in the small docks.  Gary Wadsworth  rebuilt parts of the small docks.

Ed Zambraski and Terry Donovan cleared by the entrance of the road to give us more visibility.

Dave Douglas and Rick found the moorings for the swim lines and installed them for us this year.  Dave also added another chain to the raft.

Paul Ellis donated a picnic table, bar, and benches to our waterfront.  Andy Avelis used his tractor to move them from Paul’s house to our Harbor with the help of Dave Arthurs and Val Zapolsky.

You sign up for the canoe/kayak racks and for the boat slips when you pay your dues in the fall.  The Waterfront committee will assign the slips after the January Board Meeting.

I will notify members regarding the slips after the Meeting.  The canoe/kayak assignments will be posted on the first rack.  All canoes, kayaks and boats must be removed by October 15^th.  We recommend tying down the canoes and kayaks, as the Harbor can be quite windy.  You leave your vessels at your own risk.  We do not monitor them.  We ask that every one pick up after their own dogs.  There are no dogs allowed in the Swim area.

Fall boating and fishing starts Tuesday.  There is a sign up sheet in the box on the shed.

The Harbormaster explained when and how the boat slips and small boat racks were assigned. One member wanted to know if he could use a slip for one or two days with short notice. Mary-Ellen advised that it was not possible. He could contact her and if a slip was empty he could of course have it for that one night, but the trailer cannot be left at the Harbor.

Jeff Zapolsky said that his slip (#1) might be available and anyone could contact him on short notice for a one or two day usage.

Mary-Ellen Moroney, Harbormaster

Road commissioners report                        August 31^st 2017

M & H graded and rock raked sections of all H.O.L.A. roads. If a section of road did not need to be graded, it was left alone. Areas that were identified as worn down, and could not be properly graded, were covered with approx. 2” of ¾” crushed shale. Sections of roads that needed repair, were repaired using up to 4 inches of shale (Kendall Farm Trail and the Overlook Road). After the shale was laid down, a grader was used to smooth over and spread the shale. 686 cubic yards of ¾” crushed shale was spread on our roads this summer to build them up. Overall, I am pleased with the amount of shale that we have put down with our limited budget. We will continue to rebuild and improve our roads.

80 bags of calcium chloride were spread on Tuesday, July 25^th, 2017 by Terry Morgan. Myself and Alan Salvini cut the bags open and dumped the calcium into Terry’s loader, which was then dumped into the spreader. The actual date to spread the calcium was changed twice, due to the weather changing from sunny and clear to heavy rain at the last minute. Thankfully, Mr. Morgan took the cancellations in stride and accommodated us.

Ed Zambraski advised that he used all the shale (Approx. 7 cubic yards) that we dropped off last summer, at the dead end of Kendall Farm Trail, to repair pot holes and such in the Lakeview Highlands. Ed further advised, that he is willing to continue to contribute his time, labor and use of his Kubota. To that end, M & H dropped off approx. 6 more yards of crushed shale at the dead end of Kendall Farm Trail. Thank you, Ed.

The Lakeview Highlands sign at the bottom of the Lynn Way was knocked over and damaged due to an automobile accident. After negotiating with the driver’s insurance company, they sent us a check for $1090 which will cover our expenses for a new sign, along with the installation costs.

The board voted to replace both H.O.L.A. signs as the Rangeley Overlook sign is old and in bad shape due to wood rot.

Both signs will continue to say, “Lakeview Highlands” and “Rangeley Overlook” in large print. Below that, in smaller print, they will say “Highland Overlook Landowners Association” and below that, “Private”. The signs will be made and installed by Signworks in Farmington. The Lakeview Highlands sign will be finished around the second week of September. The Rangeley Overlook sign is expected to be completed  a few weeks later.

Millie and Val proposed cutting the buildup of brush along several sections of our roads. Millie advised that the individual, who was contracted with in the past, has passed away, so we will have to find another contractor.  Dave Douglas stepped up and contacted Mike Ferguson on cutting the brush buildup in the Highlands and the Overlook. Dave Douglas and Ed Zambraski surveyed areas to be cut and Mike Ferguson subsequently did a good job cutting back said brush.

Total money spent to date:

$41,919.00      Road work/Snow Removal 2016-2017 (Includes $1800.00 for Ditching and culvert cleaning in October 2016).

$19,340.70      M & H Grading, rolling, rock raking, delivery and spreading of ¾” crushed shale.

$ 1,290            Calcium chloride

$     180           Terry Morgan for spreading the calcium.

$     375           Mike Ferguson, Brush cutting.

$     83.09        Road signs made up by Ed Zambraski

$     35.00        Permit from Rangeley Code Enforcement, for permission to install new Lakeview Highlands sign.

$    23.50         Town of Rangeley dump fees, for waterfront cleanup and the old wooden posts from the Lakeview Highlands sign. (Ed Zambraski cleaned everything up and transported everything to the Rangeley transfer station)

 

Total money spent to date:                                                                             $63,246.29

We have money left over this year, so we will be laying down additional crushed shale this fall.

* On the 8-20-17 Road Committee report, the money paid to Terry Morgan was listed as $250.00. This was wrong. The correct amount of the bill was $180.00

Thanks to the road committee members for their input and support.

Dave Arthurs

H.O.L.A Road Commissioner

Jeff Munson, Chairman of the nominating committee nominated the following Board members to serve a 3 year term: Dave Arthurs, John Clark, Anne Crump, Terry Donovan and Val Zapolsky.

All board members and the Road Commissioner were reelected. The Road Commissioner is elected every year.

The Board reelected all the officers to serve for another year.

Millie opened the floor for any questions from the membership.  There was discussion on the following items:

-the issue and concern of “speeding” on our roads.  The suggestion was made to  mention this in the next email “BLAST”.  If the license plate number of a speeder can be obtained the local authorities might be able to follow-up with an individual and provide a warning.

-favorable comments were made on the snow plowing/sanding done last winter as well as the condition of our roads.  Our Road Commissioner, Dave Arthurs, commented on how he is being totally transparent with regard to monies spent on the roads. He also added that in Rangeley it was extremely difficult to get multiple bids for road repairs.  He  indicated that the work that M & H has done for HOLA has been excellent.

-the issue of tree cutting for the purpose of maintaining or re-establishing views was discussed.  It was pointed out that since both of our hills were farm pastures and treeless, there is no problem or limitation on property owners cutting trees on their own land, or on land of a neighbor with permission.

The next membership meeting will held on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend in 2018.

 

 

HOLA Annual Membership Meeting

September 3, 2016

45 members attending

September 2015 minutes approved as submitted.

Treasurer’s Report:
There are several landowners that are still in arrears. There are a few landowners with whom we have been able to agree on an installment plan; however, there are others that have remained recalcitrant. I filed against two of those in small claims court and received a judgement in our favor for both. Now that I am familiar with the process I will file against several others over the next year.
With regard to late payments, currently we do not assess a late fee. Instead, the invoices that will be sent out on October 1 will more clearly state that payments should be made by November 15.
As of August 16, 2016 our net income was: $35,919.69 with some outstanding bills not yet received.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeff Zapolsky
HOLA Treasurer
920-279-8637
Treasurer’s report accepted as submitted.
valandjeffzap@gmail.com

Click here   to view treasurers Report

Social Activities:
Sandy Young reported that everyone appreciated the “coffee and donuts” social time prior to the meeting. Sandy was thanked for her many years as chair of the committee and coordinating a good time for all.

Waterfront Annual Meeting September 3, 2016
I want to thank our great Waterfront Committee: John and Peggy Clark, Dick Moore, Paul Ellis, Dave and Ann Arthurs, Gary Wadsworth, Ed Zambraski, Butch DeSanctis, and Dave Saar. Dave Saar rebuilt the railing for the slips’ finger docks this spring. Ed Zambraski set up our dead goose decoys. Dave Arthurs set up our picnic tables. Terry Donovan has worked hard setting up the other goose decoys and sweeping the docks to rid them of the goose poo. We have not yet found the ultimate solution for keeping the geese away. We are very excited that we got enough money from easements that we were able to install more docking this year. We are still using a couple of sections from the old docking system in the shallow water. Our dock now extends further out into the water. We have replaced the short ladder with a longer one. The slips and canoe/kayak racks have been well used this year. You sign up for a space on the racks or a slip when you pay your dues in the fall. The canoe/kayak assignments will be posted on the racks. The Waterfront Committee will assign the slips after the January Board Meeting. All canoes, kayaks and boats must be removed by October 15th. We recommend tying down the canoes and kayaks, as the Harbor can be quite windy. We will be building a new rack for next year. Fall boating and fishing starts Tuesday. There is a sign up sheet in the box on the shed. Even those whose boats are currently in the slips needs to sign up and cross off their name when they remove their boat.
We are going to put up two new signs. One will say “Private Property Members Only, No Trespassing”. The other will say “No dogs within Swim Area, Pick up After Dogs”.
Mary-Ellen Moroney, Harbormaster
Committee report accepted as submitted.

Road Commissioner’s Report:
Winston road received some extensive work, in the form of 262 cubic yards of one half inch crushed shale. This material was placed on the steep downhill section of Winston, approx. 780 feet long. It was then graded to 6” in the center, down to 4” on the sides and then compacted with a roller. This same area was also ditched top to bottom on the eastern side of the roadway. Winston Road was in very bad shape from washouts. Hopefully, this work and material will make the roadway easier to maintain in the future.
14 cubic yards of crushed shale was put down, graded and rolled for compaction at the entrance to Burr Road. This was done to build up the road and remove the wash boarding. Due to the constant state of disrepair of Overlook Road at Rt 4, I met with Todd Sawyer, a representative of Bruce Manzer, to get an estimate to blacktop the north entrance of Overlook Road from Rte 4, up approximately 220 feet, with a width of 20 feet. Due to the extreme grade at this entrance, blacktopping or concreting, is the only way to prevent the bumps and corrosion. The price for blacktopping 225 feet by 20’ wide would be approx.. $10,000. The price is approx.. because the price Manzer pays for the liquid asphalt fluctuates. We experienced some flash flooding in August which took a toll on several of our roads in the form and deep ruts and washouts. The intersection of Overlook, Morel and the Loop Road was severely washed out. This has been an ongoing problem at this location. It was repaired by grading a very small section of Overlook and the Loop Road to remove a large rut and channel water off the roads. Crushed shale was then spread with the grader and rolled for compaction.
Paul’s Path near Overlook Road also received attention due to an ongoing problem of rutting caused by water runoff and a depressed inside corner. The problem area was graded and crushed shale was laid down and compacted with a roller.
Fall work will continue with several sections of roads being graded to clean up ruts and water damage, minor ditching and removing built up gravel from culverts. Areas of Summit and Kendall Farm Trail also need attention.
Currently, very few of our roads are properly covered with material, either crushed shale or gravel. Maine DOT estimates dirt roads lose up to a half inch of material a year. A large number of our roads are incapable of being crowned due to the loss of material over the years. We do not have a large enough budget to cover our roads with the minimum of 4 to 6 inches of material over the next few years. This is a problem and we need a plan to address it. It will be discussed along with other committee member’s suggestions/recommendations at the next Road Committee meeting, which will be scheduled shortly.
The previous balance of total money spent, carried over from the April 30th road commissioner’s report to the July 9th report, should have been $37,627 instead of $37,189. This would bring the total monies spent to date on the July 9th Road Report to $40,033.28.

• Previous balance for road maintenance and snowplowing: $40,033.28

• Burr Road: Added 14 cubic yards of crushed shale graded and compacted: 834.80

• Winston Road ditching and extending a culvert: 1,892.50

• Winston Road resurfacing, 262 cubic yards of crushed shale and compacted: 6,591.90

• Grading – bill not yet received: approx.. 2,400.00

• Lynn Way, removed, cleaned and replaced a culvert that was rising out of ground. 393.55

• Intersection of Overlook, Morel and the Loop Road along with the intersection of
  Paul’s Path and Overlook Rd. These areas were graded for water runoff, 1/2inch of
  Crushed shale was added to the roads, graded and compacted with a roller. 2,879.60

• Money spent prior to October 1st 2015 but taken from the 15/16 budget. 6,206.65

Total road and snow monies spent to date. Approx. $61,352.28

We have entered into a new five-year plowing contract with Burgess Construction and Property Maintenance. The contract is for $40,000 per year with a maximum of $200,000 for the five-year period. There is no increase in cost to HOLA over the previous years’ contract.
Questions or concerns, contact me at 207-864-3992.
Dave Arthurs, HOLA Road Commissioner.
Road Committee Report accepted as submitted.

Assessors Report:
HIGHLANDS OVERLOOK LANDOWNER ASSOCIATION
LANDOWNER RATES
10-01-2016 TO 09-30-2017

	TOTAL ROADS	NOT ON NET	NUMBER VALUE	WEIGHTED UNITS	BASE
Unimproved Lots	135	-9	126	1.53	192.78
Improved Lots	126	-11	115	3.36	386.40
TOTAL	261	-20	241		579.18

To collect from the landowners the required sums of money to provide for road maintenance and snow plowing/sanding, and to offset losses from the few landowners who do not pay their fair share, the assessors recommend the fees for the 2016-2017 period be as follows:
Total Road Budget $79,500 Divided by 579.18 base units = $137.26 per unit
Unimproved lots 1.53 X $ 137.26 = $ 210.00 X 126 Units = $ 26,460.00
Improved lots 3.36 X $ 137.26 = $ 462.34 X 115 Units = $ 53,169.10

TOTAL REVENUE $ 79,629.10
Road Budget $ 79,500.00
Net to Budget + $ 129.10
Fees for 2016-2017
Calculated/Actual Proposed
Unimproved Lots $ 210.00 Unimproved Lots $ 210.00 (same as last year)
Improved Lots $ 462.34 Improved Lots $ 463.00 (same as last year)

Assessors
Ed Zambraski (Chairperson), Jeff Munson, John Patriquin
A membership question and comments session was held. There needs to be more information regarding access to snowmobile trails. Nancy Zambraski will accept any perennials to be added to the flowerbeds near the HOLA signs at the entrance of Lynn Way and Overlook Road.
Committee Sign-up sheets were circulated. Email sheet was circulated. Membership was encouraged to volunteer for a committee and to get to know their neighbors.

The Membership approved the Assessors report as submitted.

The Membership approved the 2016/2017 fiscal year budget as submitted.

Nominating Committee Report:
The following slate was presented by chair Ken Young:
Board of Directors: David Douglas, Millie Hoekstra, Mary-Ellen Moroney, Mary Ellen Simon, Ana Wetherill, Jeff Zapolsky and Darlene Munson

Assessors Committee:
Ed Zambraski, Jeff Munson and John Patriquin
Road Commissioner: Dave Arthurs
All were elected by membership.
Ken was thanked for his many years of service on the HOLA Board.

The new HOLA Board of Directors met following the Annual Membership Meeting and elected the new Officers: Millie Hoekstra, Chair, Mary-Ellen Moroney Vice-Chair, Jeff Zapolsky Treasurer and John Clark Secretary.