Riverbend Annual Meeting

November 18, 2008 by
Filed under: Board Notices 

November 18, 2008

Riverbend
Annual Meeting
November, 2008

The annual Riverbend Homeowners Association meeting was held on November 6 in the main court room at the North Brunswick Town Center.  The meeting was attended by fewer than fifteen homeowners, three Board members and representatives from EPM, our property management company.  The annual meeting is held to nominate candidates for open Board positions, review the annual budget, address activities completed during the year and discuss proposed programs.

Election
Three candidates were nominated for the two open Board positions.  Their profiles are included. A ballot is included in this mailing and we ask that you vote for two of the candidates. The ballot can be faxed, emailed, or delivered to the EPM office or given to a Board member. If you have already provided an absentee ballot, you cannot vote again. The three candidates are:

  • Ken Bierstein – has lived in Riverbend for more than fifteen years. He has served on the Board for the past five years.
  • Toni DeAngelo – has spent the last several years on the Board and lived in Riverbend for more than twenty years.
  • Rick Pavlicky [sic] – a first time candidate and also a long time resident.
[Administrator's note: The candidate resumes included with the Board's mailing have been omitted from this public entry to respect the personal privacy of the candidates.]

Budget
The monthly association fee will remain $185.00. The entire budget was sent in an earlier mailing. The proposed 2009 budget is $332,715 ($195.26 per unit). The 2008 budget was $328,810 ($192.96 per unit).  We have been able to maintain the current monthly fee because the line item costs (grounds maintenance, road/sewer/water line maintenance, utilities, administration and miscellaneous costs) have remained largely the same since last year. However, we have been very fortunate recently with mild winters and have saved a good bit of money because of lower snow removal charges and fewer water/sewer line breaks. These unused funds have offset other increased costs and allow us to maintain the current monthly fee.

An item of concern is our bad debt provision. Riverbend has not been immune from the current economic crisis. Currently, there are two unoccupied homes and others in the process of foreclosure. The Association is owed more than $21,000 in unpaid/delinquent fees from homeowners. We are working closely with EPM and our attorneys in every possible way to recover the money that is due.

There are fixed costs each month that must be paid, and when some association members pay late or not at all, the balance must be covered by the other homeowners.

Landscaping
The Association contacted a landscape architect, Susan E. Wydick, to get professional advice on best handling the challenges we face at Riverbend. She walked the property with Board members and prepared a report which was shared with the attendees at the meeting. We asked her to prioritize her recommendations to address: 1)The entrances to Riverbend, particularly the Hidden Lake Drive entrance with the decaying railroad ties, the overgrown plantings, and the school bus stop. 2) The sidewalks that have become overgrown, dark, and unable to support plants. 3) The parking areas which are grossly overgrown or barren.

The report said that much of the planting had outlived its attractiveness. Although the plants had been trimmed and maintained, after more than twenty five years they were out of balance with the homes and gave Riverbend a “dated/old” appearance. Her recommendation is that we begin a serious effort to remove these plants and replace them with things more proportional to the buildings and suitable to their space. The report also recommended a reconfiguration of the planting at the entrances and a curved set of steps at the bus stop that would allow access to the curb from the sidewalk and eliminate the mess caused by the crushed stones that are kicked into the street.  As our budget allows, we will begin implementing these recommendations during the winter and spring and continue over the next several years.

Home Maintenance
The Board works diligently to protect the look of Riverbend. We continuously look for better materials and elements that will make maintenance easier and enhance the property. We are open to any suggestions that homeowners have for new products or vendors/contractors that will add to the community.

The Board asks for your suggestions, but also asks for your compliance with the rules of the community. If you received a letter from the Board asking you to paint, fix gutters/windows, remove a planter/canoe/etc. or do something else, please understand that you are not being persecuted unjustly. You got the letter because you are not complying with the Covenants of Riverbend that you signed when you moved into your home. It is the Board’s responsibility to notify you of that.

If you are changing the exterior of your home, in any way, you MUST notify the Board of your intention. In 99% of the time, you will get your answer in 48 hours. A delay beyond that probably means that there is a legal or procedural issue involved in your request.

The Board rewrote all of these letters after receiving complaints from residents in the past who thought that the correspondence was too harsh. If your feelings are now hurt because of a letter you got, take it up with a Board member, or come to one of bi-monthly meetings.  Don’t call EPM to complain. They didn’t write the letter.

Vendors/Contracts
If a homeowner has an issue with any of the vendors working on/for Riverbend, let a Board member know. The Board hired the vendors and continuously reviews their performance.

EPM is our property management company. Janice Barber and her staff have worked closely with us over the years providing information and counsel. They know Riverbend inside and out, and have NEVER been unresponsive to our requests. They have always had our best interests at heart and work hard to protect us from ourselves at times.

EPM does NOT send out any correspondence without Board oversight. They do not act unilaterally. Understand that EPM works for Riverbend and their reputation in the industry is impeccable. We enjoy unprecedented access and cooperation and look to continue and grow that relationship.

The Board has renewed our contract with them.

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