August 11, 2019 Meeting Minutes
Elk Forest Civic Association
Annual Meeting/ Picnic - August 11, 2019
Estock Residence – 12 p.m.-3 p.m
Board Attendees:
Cris Brookmyer
June Estock
Dave Mitchell
Sherri Mitchel
Susan Schlotzhauer
David Silverman
Joanne Silverman
Janet Curran
Excused: Kathy Alzos and Judy Leshner
We had a great turnout of approximately 37 community members at the event. We were each given a name tag upon arrival which made it easy for attendees to introduce themselves and enjoy conversation. In summary, we enjoyed good food, good company, and a beautiful sunny day.
Many thanks to the Estock’s for hosting the annual event and to everyone who helped with the set up/clean up. Thank you also for the delicious food dishes that were provided by attendees.
The Annual Meeting was called to order by President June Estock at 1:45 p.m. Minutes of the meeting are detailed below:
June reviewed the proposed agenda:
▪ President’s Report - June Estock
▪ Treasurer’s Report - Cris Brookmyer
▪ Mosquito Abatement - Cris Brookmyer
▪ Open Forum - All
Attendees agreed upon the proposed agenda and had no items to add.
President’s Report/Summary of Board Activities– June Estock
June kicked off the meeting by welcoming community members and those new to the community. June introduced the Board Members and thanked them for their help with the civic association activities this year.
The Board’s activities/achievements for this past year are described below.
Little Free Library
June communicated that our Little Free Library is operational at the end of her driveway (98 South Shore Road). The library provides the opportunity for wonderful neighborhood time sharing, where an individual can leave a book or pick up a book. The library is officially registered with the Little Free Library Sharing Network and will show on the Little Free Library World Map which lists locations with GPS coordinates and other information. Many thanks to: (1) Sherri Mitchell for initiating this project and bringing it to fruition; and special thanks to (2) David Silverman for building and maintaining the library; (3) the Estock’s for providing the location and (4) June for initiating our partnering with the Chesapeake City Library (Branch Manager, Madison Giffits) to replenish our books on a routine basis.
June encouraged our community members to stop by, leave a book, and borrow a book. June said that she knows the library is being used as she has seen new books on the shelves placed there by community members.
New Neighbor Welcome Package
The New Neighbor Welcome Package on our elkforest.com website was updated to include information on the Little Free Library and Annual Meeting.
During this past year, we agreed to always have the Welcome Package listed as a Board agenda item for discussion at each meeting so that we consistently are aware of new neighbors and ensure that we personally welcome them to our community. The package can be printed out from our website and be handed to each new community member.
Financial Record Retention Document
A financial record retention document was prepared by Cris Brookmyer, accepted by the Board and posted on our website. The document clarifies time periods for keeping hard copy and electronic documents.
Special thanks to Cris for her initiative and thoroughness in creating this valued adding document.
Spring Cleanup
We had a very successful spring cleanup day on April 27, 2019. June thanked everyone who participated and helped clean the entrance of the community where the growth on the side of the road was especially heavy. Meeting attendee, Christine Swanson, suggested that we have the clean up day earlier next year so that the growth is not so thick when we are searching for trash to pick up. June recorded the request.
“Announcements” Added to elkforest.com Website
Under the “Community/Help Wanted” tab, people can now also request announcements to be posted. Instructions appear on the website on how to request to have an item added/posted.
Webmaster Transition Document
A webmaster transition document was prepared by Dave Mitchell and posted on our website. Thank you to Dave for preparing the document as it will be of great assistance to future and backup webmasters.
Elections
There are no Board elections this year. There will be elections in 2020 for officers and directors. If anyone has an interest in serving on the board please contact June.
Communications
Dues mailings are done each year at the end of June thru U.S.surface mail. All other community communications are now being done electronically by using our Elk Forest website, email, and the Nextdoor Neighbor app. June noted the Nextdoor Neighbor app is able to push notices out to users. Our website requires users to check the site for updates. Please check our Elk Forest Website frequently for information pertinent to our community. Thank you to all residents who provided their email address for inclusion on our email distribution list.
Treasurer’s Report – Cris Brookmyer
Treasurer, Cris Brookmyer, presented the detailed Treasurer’s report for the fiscal year August 1, 2018 thru July 31, 2019.
Patty Truitt recently performed an annual review of the financials to assure the residents of the accuracy of the Treasurer’s Report. Cris extended thanks to Patty for doing the review.
In summary:
For the fiscal year just ended, 7/31/19, the finances are as follows:
Beginning Funds $33,800 in checking and CD accounts
Ending Funds $36,100 in checking and CD accounts
TOTAL RECEIPTS $ 7,000 member dues/cd interest
TOTAL *DISBURSMENTS $4,700 thru July 31, 2019
*Disbursements:
$4,000 mosquito spraying (did not receive July invoice yet)
$200 web site maintenance
$300 last summer’s annual meeting
$100 Little Library
$100 for postage and supplies
$4700 total disbursements
Dues Collection – Dues notices were sent on June 7. Cris stated that as of August 5, we collected dues from 71 out of 111 property owners (64%). Last year, after sending third notices, we received dues from 84 out of 110 property owners (75%). Cris is hopeful we will get to that same level after second and third notices are sent.
Mosquito Spraying - APM – Cris reported that due to an exceptionally rainy spring and early summer, we had far fewer sprayings than routine. The cost of spraying remained the same as the past 5 years at $230 per spray. We only pay when they spray. We are scheduled to be sprayed twice per week in April and May (weather permitting; otherwise spraying is not effective) and once a week June through Sept. Due to weather (cold, rain, wind) we were sprayed 14 times through August 5.
Cris mentioned that APM is merging with another company (Ehrlich). We don’t know yet how that will impact our contract or service.
Community member, Jerry Truitt, who formerly worked for the Health Dept, reported that if you have any stagnant water on your property to get rid of it because mosquitoes can breed in a capful of water and spread disease. He recommended purchasing Mosquito Torpedos to kill larvae.
Open Forum
Cris informed attendees that some neighbors on the Elk River have had erosion/chasm/environmental issues with their backyards and each are approaching the issue in different ways. If you would like to discuss this issue with any of the people who have done so, you can contact, Troy Gunden and/or Anslie Baxter. Each said they are willing to show neighbors what they have done to resolve their issue on their property.
Meeting attendee, George Dalphon, noted that county regulations can prevent home owners from making desired improvements regarding land erosion issues.
Meeting attendee, Christine Swanson, suggested that people experiencing these environmental issues may want to contact the State of MD Environmental Department to see if there is any financial assistance available to them for their issue.
It was noted that people occasionally discard furniture and other large items on the street in our community rather than their taking the item to the dump. Please report this to the DOT and they will arrange for pickup. If you have a large personal item to dispose of, your waste collector will take from you for a fee.
Motion to Adjourn Meeting – A motion was made by Sherri Mitchell to adjourn the meeting; Cris Brookmyer seconded the motion. All in favor. Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Curran, EFCA Secretary