Ascot Homeowners Association
Minutes of Board of Directors Meeting -- Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Prepared by Secretary, Scott Rackham
The Ascot Homeowners Association Board of Directors met at the home of Jo and Scott Rackham on the 12th of October, 2004, beginning at 8:00 pm. All five Board members elected at the Ascot Homeowners Association General Meeting on 13 September were present - Anna Wood, Claudia Raffman, David Peirce, Lars Okeson, and Scott Rackham. Bob Naftal, President of last year's Board, attended the first half of the meeting.
Board Member Positions and Assignments
Lars Okeson and Scott Rackham volunteered to serve in the same roles, respectively Treasurer and Secretary, that they held on last year's Board. By consensus, the Board agreed that the assignment of positions on this year's Board would be: President - Claudia Raffman; Vice Presidents - Anna Wood and David Peirce; Treasurer - Lars Okeson; and Secretary - Scott Rackham.
Bob Naftal, as he had promised during the General Meeting, attended to pass on a list that he had prepared for the new Board, identifying recurring tasks and obligations of the Board as they have appeared over the past two years. While Bob discussed the list of recurring tasks, members of the new Board agreed on initial assignment of responsibilities for some of the tasks. David Peirce will take on lead responsibility for managing the Homeowner's information packets that Virginia law requires the Association to have ready for prospective new homeowners. Anna Wood will take on coordination with the grounds maintenance contractor. Lars Okeson will re-contact the tennis court maintenance contractor, to verify whether they can repair surface cracks before the start of winter. Scott Rackham will re-contact Tony Bansal for an update on Mr. Bansal's obtaining a quotation from his contractor for the work he wants to have done to plant evergreens on the Ascot land behind his home.
Although leaving the Board, Bob Naftal has volunteered to continuing serving as the Association's registered agent for the foreseeable future. He has also volunteered to maintain the master copy of information for the Ascot Homeowners Directory, while also providing a backup copy to current Board members.
Budget
Lars reviewed the current position of the the Association's 2004 budget, as he had also presented it at the September general meeting. A copy of the budget forecast document for the remainder of 2004 has been posted on the Ascot Web site at http://www.ascotwalk.org/budget.html .
Tennis Court
Going beyond the topic of arranging repairs this fall for the tennis court surface, the Board discussed addressing the issue of the tennis court's need for more fundamental repair. Previous Boards have repeatedly wrestled with, and ultimately left unresolved, the issue that the cost of an overlay (most recently quoted at $24,000) is considerably more than the Association's regular budget can handle. Demolition and removal of the court would cost even more than the overlay, and just filling in cracks in the surface (most recently quoted at $1,600), which is what the current budget covers, doesn't provide the community a good sustainable playing surface. The Association currently has about $6,200 in its tennis court reserve fund. Any sums beyond that that might be needed to more fully re-surface or, in the case of demolition, remove the tennis court would require a one-time special assessment. Approval of a special assessment would require approval by two-thirds of the members voting at a special meeting called for the purpose of voting on the proposed assessment.
Members of the Board agreed that we will solicit members' views on a one-time special assessment of approximately $260 per lot and the use of the $6,200 tennis court reserve fund to accomplish a more thorough repair of the tennis court. If there appears, informally, to be substantial support for the idea, the Board would schedule a general meeting to vote on the issue.
Ascot homeowners are encouraged to contact the Board, by email, postal mail, or through any of this year's Board members, to express their opinions on the merit of investing to bring the Ascot tennis court back to a more appropriate playing condition.
Minutes Approved
The minutes for the September general meeting of the Board were approved as published.
Next Meeting
The Board will next meet at 7:30 pm on Thursday, 4 November, at the home of Mark and Claudia Raffman.
Respectfully submitted,
Scott Rackham
Secretary
To contact the Board: Homeowners are welcome to contact the Board about the tennis court or other community concerns. Write to Ascot Homeowners Association, PO Box 934, Great Falls, Virginia 22066-0934. Contact any Board member. Or send email --
