Lost River Valley Property Owners Association
Annual Meeting II, August 13, 2022, 12 p.m.
The meeting was held in person at the Guest House Lost River, 288 Settlers Valley Way, Lost River, WV 26810
Notice for the annual meeting had gone out on July 28, 2022 via U.S. Postal service, as well as via email, notice on the lrvpoa website (https://lrvpoa.org/annual-meeting), as well as via Facebook post on the Lost River Valley Property Owners Association Facebook page.
Attendance: 50 of 272 lots were represented either in person or via proxy. As one-tenth of the votes constitute a quorum, we had sufficient votes to proceed with the meeting.
Minutes of last meeting: A motion was made to adopt the Minutes of the last meeting. The motion was seconded. A vote was then had and the Minutes were adopted via unanimous vote.
Affirmation of Officers: In June a virtual meeting was had, whereby the new officers were elected. The slate of officers were as follows:
President: Joe Palumbo
Vice President: Kim Bloom
Treasurer: John Rosato
Secretary: Mamta Kaushal
Member at large: Daniel Fritz
No other names were put forward for the officer positions. Stuart Pham raised the motion to affirm the officers. Chandler Goule seconded the motion. A vote was had and the officers were affirmed.
Bylaws section on financial reporting: Matt Bundt raised the concern that the bylaws require the Association to submit its financial reporting based on the fiscal year (January to December). He was concerned that we have been reporting based on the time of the annual meeting and said that the Board should change the reporting to the fiscal year. The Board said that it believes that the tax returns are reported by fiscal year but that we would confirm.
It was agreed that next year, we would do the reporting to the Association by fiscal year but that for the purposes of this meeting, we would present the budget for 2023. It was suggested that we submit a budget with our notification of the next request for annual dues.
One member pointed out that before we vote on the budget, that we need to adopt the treasury report.
Treasury Report: The treasurer presented the treasury report and informed members that we are over budget because of the brush clearing that was required this year. As we have a deficit, the Board will likely need to increase dues next years.
Cost of brush clearing: a member raised the concern that brush clearing every three years may be insufficient and that we should move towards doing this every two years.
To address this, a member suggested that the Board consider a one time increase—look at the budget and with the assembled members agree to an increase above 9% and then go back to the cap of 9% per year of potential dues increase. Another member
suggested that members could make donations to the Board for brush clearing. It was agreed that it would be better to do a dues increase for all rather than rely on donations.
The Board said that it would look at options and come back to the members with a special meeting if necessary.
Sharon Page made a motion to accept the treasury report, which was seconded by _. A vote was had through which the treasury report was accepted.
2023 Budget: The treasurer announced that we anticipate doing a third touch up to certain roads and that this should happen throughout the year. A short discussion was had and then Caroline Pickens moved to approve the budget, which was seconded by Chandler Goule. A vote was had through which the budget was approved.
Roads Report: The president delivered the roads report. He said that the roads are getting used less now than they had during the height of the pandemic. In April/May, the Board had put out bids to contractors and then subsequently met with 2 or 3 options in addition to the current contractor. The cost of the others was 2-3 times what we are currently paying so the decision was to stick with the current contractor but to have him deal with roads issues more than two times per year. The current contractor is Keith Dove. Members supported the decision to stick with Mr. Dove.
One member raised concerns about the lower part of Hunter’s Ridge where electrical work had been done. There is uneven terrain and channeling of water. A suggestion was made to contact Potomac Edison about this. The same channeling issue is also found on Pleasant Valley Drive.
The Board suggested that road spotters could report any roads issues to the Board and should not feel that they should only report snow conditions.
The members also had a discussion about the type and options of gravel to be used on the roads.
Speed bumps and dust suppressants: The Board explained that the speedbump that is currently installed on Wildlife Drive costs $750 per pieces and that 3 pieces were required to fit the road. Members were solicited for their opinions on the speedbump. Through a vote, members showed that the majority are opposed to speedbumps. The speedbump will be removed in the fall before snow season begins.
New Business: The Board remarked that there has recently been a lot of work on cabins in the community, which is positive as it increases all property values. However, the Board reminded members that they need to get Board approval for outside additions, roads, driveways, building, sheds, etc. Landscaping does not require board approval. The Board does not want to chase people for applications—the process is simple and laid out on the website. The approvals will be given within 30 days of submission of the application. The Board sets aside one day per month to discuss the applications.
People doing renovations can make voluntary contributions to the road fund to cover the costs of wear and tear caused in relation to their renovations. Last year the Board received $1,000 through such contributions.
Pond: A member inquired about access to the pond for which all members have access through a right of way. The member said that there used to be car access to the pond. The Board said that now there is a walkable access from Whispering Pines but there is no road access because of the tree. The member asked if the property owner adjacent to the pond could be notified and access via road be given. The Board said it would look into the pond access issue.
At 1 pm Steven Roberts motioned to adjourn. The motion was seconded and the meeting was adjourned.
Annual Meeting I, July 6, 2022, 7 p.m.
The meeting was held virtually
Board Members Present:
Phil Robey, President;
Joe Palumbo, Vice President;
John Rosato, Treasurer;
Kim Bloom, Secretary;
Member-at-Large (Roads).
Board president, Phil Robey, welcomed all to the meeting and introduced the current board members.
It was determined that quorum was present. Kim Bloom asked for a motion to accept the minutes from the 2021 meeting. A motion was made and seconded. As voting began, Mr. Mathew Bloom brought it to the Board’s attention that other property owners were unable to enter the meeting. After a discussion and investigation, it was determined that a different meeting link as posted on the LRVPOA’s website and in the mailed notice. The correct meeting link was posted on the LRVPOA Facebook page and in a text sent to the community earlier in the day. AFter a protracted discussion about the different meeting links, a majority of the present decided that the annual meeting should be adjourned and rescheduled for a later date.
Prior to ending the meeting, Mr. Bret Limage noted that the terms of the current board had expired and that a new Board should be elected at the current meeting so that it can legally act to schedule and notice a new annual meeting. The current election of officers would need to be ratified at the rescheduled meeting. After a discussion, Mr. Limage made a motion to elect the slate of officers recommended by the Board. The motion was seconded by Mr. Robert Ear. The vote carried, and the officers for the 2022-2023 year was elected.
Joe Palumbo, President;
Kim Bloom, Vice President;
John Rosato, Treasurer;
Mamta Kaushal, Secretary;
Dan Fitz, Member-at-Large (Roads).
The meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m.