Meeting minutes:

A meeting of the Nowland Homeowners Association Board of Directors was held on Thursday, August 13, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. in the Canton Township Hall.

In attendance:
Karen Linnen
Rob Garzaniti Laura McGhee
Jim Mettlach
Soraya Nowland
Mike Riley
Deb Schoenborn
Dan Sugg

Absent:
Terry Krieg
John Slominski

The meeting was called to order by Karen Linnen. The following items were discussed:

Detention Ponds / Pumps

Dan Sugg and Soraya Nowland reported on the detention pond / pump situation. The pump at the Palmer Road entrance is at Kennedy Industries and will be rebuilt for a cost of $2,800.00. This price includes removal of the pump, rebuilding it and reinstalling it. A seal inside the pump broke which allowed water to get inside and burn out the pump. Due to the pump failure, a manual pump was rented for one week at a cost of $220.00. Dan Sugg will look into the cost of purchasing a maintenance agreement or extended warranty that will cover the maintenance of the pump.

A special "THANK YOU" goes to Mark & Barbara Wiitanen and Bill Nowland for all of their help watching and taking care of the manual pump!!!

Soraya reported the Township inspected the Palmer Road drain and wants to clean it out before the rebuilt pump is installed. There are also dead fish in the pond that should be removed before the rebuilt pump is installed. Estimates will be gathered from companies to take care of the fish removal.

Brian Bunker from Weightrim (the company that does maintenance for the Township) told Soraya that is very rare for a pump to fail. Tom Kassari will fax information to Soraya about the type of pump he has. He has had the pump for years and it has never failed. Soraya contacted other companies regarding repair of the pump and was told they would charge $65.00 per hour and $0.45 per mile.

Soraya did a walk-through inspection of the ponds on August 12, 1998 with a Township inspector. The northwest corner of the Palmer Road pond is a storm basin. The pond should keep about 6-12 inches of water and silth should collect in the bottom of the pond. If rocks are put at the bottom of the pond, the pump will run all the time, therefore, no rocks will be placed in the pond.

Flooding

Soraya reported she has been in contact with the Canton DPW director and the township is aware of the drainage problem our subdivision is experiencing. The manhole where Sheldon Road flooded was filled with trees and debris which caused the flooding. Since the flooding caused Sheldon Road to be closed, the Township has added this drain to its maintenance schedule. Cleaning of the manholes is the Township's responsibility. If the pumps are working and the ponds are not draining, the manholes should be checked. The ditch running along the south side of Palmer Road from Lilley Road to Sheldon Road will be cleaned, which should increase the flow from the pond.

Sinkhole

There is a sinkhole at a residence on Nowland Court that is continuing to drop. The Canton Township DPW will televise the sinkhole on August 14 to determine the cause. The sinking may be caused by a crack in a sanitary pipe or a separated bell. The results of the viewing will be provided to Soraya. If a sanitary pipe is involved, the area will be excavated. If a sidewalk is lost during the excavation, it will be replaced.

Dead Trees

Mike Riley reported on the dead tree situation. The company that was going to cut down the dead trees was to call in mid-July, but has not called yet. The total cost of cutting and removing the trees is $450.00. If the dead trees are not taken care of soon, Mike suggested another company be contracted to do the work.

Violation Letters
Rob Garzaniti reported 12 notices were given to homeowners in violation of the subdivision Covenants and Restrictions. One homeowner has asked for a waiver for his antenna. Additional information will be requested of the homeowner before a waiver is considered.

Another homeowner asked for approval to delay hiding his air conditioner unit until October when a landscaping company is scheduled to do work on his property. His request was approved.

A complaint was received regarding a shed in a backyard. Upon further investigation, the structure is actually a playhouse, not a shed. The Board agreed that the playhouse is in compliance with the Covenants and Restrictions and can remain.

Absenteeism of Board Members

Discussion took place regarding whether or not a board member should be removed from the Board for not attending the monthly board meetings. It was agreed that a member who does not complete an assignment is more detrimental to the Board than one who does not attend a board meeting. It was agreed that meetings will continue to be held as long as a quorum is present. Weighing heavily in this decision was the fact that the current board consists of only ten members. If the board membership was at the 15 person maximum and there was interest from other homeowners to join the board, the situation would be different.

Safety Concerns

The Board has received complaints regarding portable basketball nets being left on (or blocking) the sidewalks. This creates a safety hazard, especially for small children, in our neighborhood. Homeowners are being asked to move the basketball nets from the sidewalks.

Signs at the Entrances

Laura McGhee reported one of our neighbors, who had planned to sell his home, placed a For Sale sign at the entrance of our subdivision. Someone removed the sign. If anyone has possession of the sign, please give it to Laura. She will return it to the homeowner. Signs that are "temporary" (for a short duration) are allowed at the entrances. An example would be an "open house" sign displayed on the day of the open house.

Sprinkler System

Dan reported the timer on the sprinkler system at the Sheldon Road entrance has been fixed three times. A new one has been ordered. A number of sprinkler heads were replaced at no charge due to a recall.

Landscape Committee Report
Rob Garzaniti and Jim Mettlach will spray the berms for weeds. Soraya called Wayne-Oakland, the company that planted the three trees that have since died. They will remove and replace the trees within two weeks if the replacement trees are available. If not, the trees will be replaced in October. Two of the trees are behind 1601 Nowland Ct. The homeowner will be given a notice advising of the tree removal. Quotes for shrub trimming have been obtained, but will not be done this fall because it's not in the budget. Bids for all fall contracting will be discussed at the next meeting.

Treasurer's Report

Laura McGhee presented a year-to-date expense report. $850.00 was moved from the reserve account to the landscaping account. Current year-to-date expenses total $8,625.31 compared to the total 1998 budget of $17,200.00 leaving a balance of $8,574.69.

Future Newsletters
Detailed minutes will be taken at all Board meetings, however, newsletters will be prepared and distributed to all homeowners on a quarterly basis beginning December, 1998. The quarterly newsletters will recap all of the meetings held during the previous three-month period.

Future Meetings of the Board
Rather than accepting Karen Linnen's resignation from the Board due to conflicting obligations she has on Thursday evenings, the Board agreed to move the meetings to the second Tuesday of each month. The Nowland Homeowners Association Board of Directors will meet at 7:00 p.m. in the Canton Township Hall (lower level, room 2) on the following dates:

Tuesday, September 8
Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday, November 10
Tuesday, December 8

Any homeowner is welcome to attend any of these scheduled meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.