Pondapple Maintenance Association
Unofficial Monthly Board Meeting Notes
February, 2004

• The tree trimming is complete, although there are some black olive trees which were not removed this year, which will be removed next year. At the February 4 Board Meeting, John from Top Notch tree service spoke: Their work is 98 % complete for this year. More ficus trees will be removed next year, along with crown reduction (height) and trimming. Having work done in January (off season) saved the association $12-15,000 this year. Homeowners whose trees were removed are expected to replace the trees. John recommends native trees, especially Live Oaks in 12' size.
• The next project is to get the park worked on. Playground is being cleaned (Feb. 5), equipment to be painted, height of slide adjusted. The plan is to remove the bushes around the fencing for better visibility of the playground. The wooden fence inside the playground will be lifted up and any safety hazards removed. A nicer fence is planned.
• The walkways around the lakes have been patched and will be repaved. The front entrance pavers are to be pressure cleaned and sealed. Letters have gone out to people needing to perform maintenance on their homes.
• The Board is working on getting a palette of colors which will be acceptable when residents are repainting houses. Marie Larcara volunteered to serve on the ARB (architectural review board). Marie is already in charge of the Welcoming Committee. The color samples will be presented for all to see at the Annual Meeting March 31. There was considerable discussion of house colors and status of dispute with one homeowner about color used on her house being different from the color approved. She will be contacted one more time in hopes of resolving the dispute so that the HOA is not forced to take further legal action.
• One resident asked about what to do about a roving cat who is coming into their yard and disturbing their household. Bill Spillman said his office will send a letter to the cat's owner making clear that cats as well as dogs are required to be on a leash and not to be running loose in the neighborhood.
• VJ reported on the work of the By-Laws Committee. Major issues seem to be security, paint colors, unauthorized motorized vehicles, and trucks. The committee is looking at court precedents in disputes over trucks and limitations as to the size of truck allowed to park in communities. Resident Bill Fenner will be getting further information from the police about illegality of unregistered motorized vehicles on our streets. We may have a law enforcement spokesman come to speak to the community.
• There was considerable discussion over whether to allow residents to replace chain link fence in back with another type of fencing. There is a requirement that fences around pool areas be 6 feet high, with existing fences being "grandfathered in", which must be considered when re-fencing. The Board is looking into the possibility of getting a group rate for a different type of fencing which may be allowed in the future. Possibility of a fence along Powerline at end of Sweet Maple near the lake was discussed. Bill Spillman said Via Verde is responsible for that section, so he will contact them about the matter. VJ asked that Bill also check with them about fixing the fence on the canal side.
• Annual Picnic will be held in April...more about this later.
• Mary Ellen passed around her copy of the new newsletter. We were all impressed. The Board decided to cover the cost of printing. The letter will be hand delivered by volunteers.
• The "Objectionable items" have been removed from the entrance drive, and The Board is in the planning stage of a waterfall entrance project. They want feedback from the Beautification Committee and others, about a waterfall and pond for the entrance. The Board is looking into the possibility of security gates for the development... there is a lot involved as to County requirements. They are in the information gathering stage now.
• There was some discussion of raising the monthly fees. One Board member feels the fees are too low, another feels we have sufficient funds for our needs at present. We can choose to assess homeowners for special projects as an alternative to raising dues. The Board will request an analysis from Benchmark as to whether we need more funds for operating expenses.