Pondapple Maintenance Association
Unofficial Monthly Board Meeting Notes
November 30, 2005

• Certain additional problems with Benchmark's bookkeeping came to light:
  • One resident was told that she had to pay attorney's fees plus her past due fees even though she had sent a check paying the fees the day she received her first notice of past dues. Supposedly the check she sent in was neither cashed nor credited to her account by Benchmark. The Board will contact our attorney and Benchmark in this matter.
  • Another resident paid Benchmark an extra check because the first was not recorded by Benchmark. She later discovered the cancelled check and wants to be sure the extra money is credited to her account. The Board has already committed to obtain Benchmark's records on all residents, and should be able to resolve this straightforwardly.
  • However, Benchmark has been refusing to answer calls this month even though their services have been paid for by our association. Our accountants will let us know if items are missing once they have the records. We will need to have a complete review of the records to be sure.
• Several residents came to express their concerns; one resident voiced outrage at the young drivers who are speeding through the neighborhood, endangering our children, and asked for more speed bumps; another came to point out water in the driveway and general problems with the landscaper's performance in her yard. There may be a blocked storm drain nearby causing the water backup. The Board will contact the City of Boca and the landscaper.
• A homeowner asked about replacing broken fences with a white PVC material fence; the Board requested the wooden "shadowbox" type fence be retained in the front yard, and suggested that the neighbors' permission would be required to approve any change in the side yards. The back fence borders the park.
• Our contractor is fixing sprinklers and replacing pipe where it was damaged by the hurricane. They have replaced a breaker box and pump, and the pipe going into the lake floats, with a goose decoy at the end of it. Once the equipment is fixed they will check the sprinkler zones and get things back to normal.
• The first electrical contractor candidate did not return a proposal, so we're contacting someone new. Board members will order supplies and replace light bulbs and globes ourselves, so that we use the electrician only for more complicated tasks, to save money. Finally, after years of random re-lamping, as the amber bulbs wear out, we will replace them with the white ones, so that all will be alike!
• The Board asked our tree service to see if they can promptly remove the ficus trees at the entrance, or at least cut them back severely so that the debris will be removed by FEMA. (Supposedly Dec. 8 is the last FEMA pickup of debris.) As a result of the hurricane, our plans for the entrance may be changed again.
• The "Thicket": VJ has learned that this area, discussed in an article in last week's Sun-Sentinel, is owned by Via Verde Association, despite comments to the contrary in the paper. He will contact Via Verde and the newspaper about the matter.