Ascot Homeowners Association
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting -- Monday, June 7, 2004
Prepared by Secretary, Scott Rackham

The Ascot Homeowners Association Board of Directors met at the home of Lars and Dunbar Okeson on the 7th of June, 2004, beginning at 7:15 pm. Present at the meeting were Bob Naftal, Mike Lee, Lars Okeson, and Scott Rackham. Anna Wood attended part of the meeting.

Emergency Preparedness

Anna Wood and Mike Lee briefed the Board on activities of the Emergency Preparedness group and on responses to the group's recent questionnaire. Anna estimated that they had received questionnaire responses from 25 or 30 per cent of the homeowners in Ascot, and that a good proportion of them expressed willingness to serve as 'safe houses' in an emergency for children whose parents might not be home. Ginny Pyster is looking into how 'safe house' information might be linked to Neighborhood Watch call trees. The Preparedness group was intending to meet again on June 21st.

Anna said that the group will organize a session of first-aid training for interested homeowners, and may arrange an opportunity for bulk purchase of 72-hour emergency supply packages.

Board members agreed the Ascot Web site, at www.ascotwalk.org, can provide links to emergency preparedness information resources, and identify neighborhood resources prior to an emergency. In the event of an actual emergency, telephone call trees and person-to-person contact would be required.

Common Grounds

After obtaining appropriate County permits, Mike Lee and a group of volunteers burned the accumulated common grounds cleanup debris on Friday, May 21st. The fire effectively did away with the whole pile. Mike has provided photos that have been posted here on the Ascot Web site.

Sam Wood and his fellow Eagle Scouts completed the picnic table that he had volunteered to construct for the Association. It has been placed on the common grounds, and is currently next to the basketball court. He and other Eagle Scouts also assisted in the cleanup of the common grounds. The Board thanks Sam and his friends for their contributions of time and effort.

Mike Lee also took the initative to prepare written guidelines, complete with diagrams, to document how the Board is having the main sections of Ascot common grounds mowed or bush hogged, and listing other standard landscaping tasks for the maintained common grounds. The Board agreed on the document. Mike will next review this year's contract with Sunrise Lawn and Landscaping Service and re-negotiate with them, as necessary, to ensure that the contract covers all the services included in this common grounds maintenance standard. Mike's document will help to provide common grounds maintenance guidelines for future Boards. The guidelines will be posted on the Ascot Web site.

Lars compared projected maintenance costs with those budgeted for 2004, and estimated that individual line items will be over or under budget but that overall net cash flows for the year will be close to what was budgeted.

The owner of the Engle subdivision home that is closest to the stop sign where Bishopsgate Way exits to Route 7 has expressed interest in having evergreens planted, at his own expense, on the slope between his property and the guard rail along Bishopsgate. As Ascot owns the property along that side of the Bishopsgate Way right of way leading up to Route 7, it is likely that evergreens planted there would be on Ascot property. Mike has spoken to the Engle homeowner to express the Board's willingness to consider allowing evergreens to be planted on Ascot property along the roadway, provided that Ascot property rights are not affected, that there is no cost to Ascot, and that any plantings end far enough before the stop sign as to not create any obstruction of lines of sight that would be a safety concern. The Engle homeowner is investigating costs and weighing the desirability of proceeding. No agreement has yet been reached.

Piney Run Fallen Trees

Lars Okeson contacted Andy Robinson, President of the Piney Run homeowners association, again, and suggested that Ascot might be willing to share the cost of hiring someone to clean up the unsightly fallen trees near Bishopsgate Way on Piney Run common ground along the creek. Mike Lee will obtain a quotation for doing the job, and the Board will pass the information to Mr. Robinson.

Dues for 2004

Lars reported that he had received dues payments for the 2004 assessment for all but one home, and that he was expecting to collect that one soon. (By the time these minutes were prepared, all dues had been paid.)

Minutes Approved

The minutes for the May meeting of the Board were approved as published.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Ascot Board will be at the home of Bob and Debra Naftal, at 7:15 pm on Monday, July 12th.

Respectfully submitted,
Scott Rackham
Secretary