Annual Meeting Minutes - 2013

The annual meeting of the Stilwater POA was held on October 5, 2013 at Dutch’s at Silver Tree. A continental breakfast and social hour began at 10:30AM.

County Commissioner, Gregan Crawford, who serves the Stilwater election district, gave a very informational presentation on the relationship between Garrett County, DNR, and the new Watershed Management Plan. Mr. Crawford answered questions from the members on many topics that concern the residents of this district.

The formal meeting was called to order at 11:15 AM. 

Twenty-two lot owners were present and 14 proxies had been submitted for a total of 36 lots represented. A quorum was established.

Sandy Hill, president, introduced the other POA officers and committee chairs:

Vice President Bill Henry

Treasurer  Brent Gallagher

Secretary Bob Couse

Member-at-large Mike Rehmert

Architectural Review Marty Hill

Property Manager Debbie Feaster

The minutes from the October 2012 annual meeting had previously been mailed and posted to the Stilwater HOA website. The minutes were approved as written.

Sandy Hill gave the President’s Report (available). 

Sandy gave a brief history of the Stilwater property and it’s beginnings from dairy farm to campground to the development we enjoy today. Sandy displayed a T-shirt from the Glen Acres Family Campground era. Sandy also described the history of the dock situation at the time of development and a recent change that separates the Stilwater docks from the Glen Acres Family Partnership docks.

The POA Board is working to have the common areas and the roads turned over from the developers to the POA. Stilwater benefited from the State of Maryland Gypsy Moth spraying program again this year.  We also participated in a Northern High School Shoreline Grass Project.

Projects in Progress include:

1. A different style of canoe rack near the center docks which will be more accessible and hold more canoes
2. Wooden walkways to be used over muddy areas at each set of docks
3. Repair, power wash and re-staining of dumpster enclosure
4. Spring “Bulk Trash Day” will be scheduled

Brent Gallagher gave the Treasurer’s Report (available). 

With the dues increase we have been able to meet all of our expenses and will be able to add money to the reserve fund at the end of the year. There are no dues increases needed for this coming year. Brent is working with the accountant to find a way to lower the cost of our annual financial review. The 2014 budget will be presented under unfinished business.

Marty Hill presented the Architectural Review Committee’s report (available). 

There have been applications and actions taken by 11 property owners that include landscaping, fire pit addition, driveway paving, and drainage improvements, etc. The ARC worked successfully with an owner and our attorney to assist the owner to relocate their hot tub. In addition construction continues on 3 houses. 

Light encroachment is a continuing issue in the community. The ARC has begun to require IDA (International Dark Sky Association) compliant lighting as of Jan 1, 2013. This means lighting that a) illuminates only your own property, not your neighbors or the lakefront; b) is shielded in such a way as not to be directly visible to your neighbors. Existing exterior fixtures will be “grandfathered” in but owners are requested to do an assessment of their exterior lighting and retro-fit those that are obviously out of compliance. 

Finally, there have been a few instances of owners making exterior changes to their property without approval of the ARC. This includes tree cutting, paving, landscaping, and hardscape installation. Each owner is required by Article 7 of the covenants to get approval from the ARC before exterior changes are made. Please refer to the covenants on the www.stilwaterhoa.org website or call Tripco at 301-387-7633 for a hard copy.

Debbie Feaster presented the Tripco Property Manager’s report (available). 

Debbie does the property management including billing, mailing, and collecting dues and payments. Debbie also writes the Tripco Weekly Update that is emailed to POA owners on most Fridays. John Feaster does the property maintenance including plowing, mowing, dock installation and removal, and mulching. They also provided Fourth of July security this year. Boat docks will be removed the week after Autumn Glory, weather permitting. They are generally installed in early to mid April or as soon as the ice melts. Debbie noted several items from the DCL POA meetings: a) property owners are encouraged to have a landline for 911 purposes. Landlines give a physical address and makes rescue services easier. Street addresses should be clearly posted at your property; b) Security systems giving false alarms are a problem for the sheriff’s office. After 3 false alarms they will no longer respond to your address. Please make sure your systems work properly. Debbie also works closely with the rental agencies represented in Stilwater to make sure that only family groups are allowed to rent in Stilwater (this excludes sorority/fraternity parties, bachelor parties, etc). She also makes sure that each agency has current copies of the Stilwater Rules and Regulations (Updated in Sept. 2013). Debbie stressed the importance of communication between Stilwater owners and Tripco. If there are any incidents of concern in Stilwater please contact Tripco directly at 301-387-7633. 

The Board thanked Tripco for their outstanding service this year.

Nominations and Elections

There are 2 Board positions open this year. Both Bill Henry and Mike Rehmert have agreed to run for re-election. The slate was presented to the membership and was accepted by unanimous voice vote.

Unfinished Business

1. The 2014 Budget was previously distributed to members for review. The  budget was accepted by unanimous voice vote.

1. The 2014 Stilwater Directory was distributed to members. The directory is not published on the web site for privacy reasons. Paper copies will be mailed to those members who are not in attendance today.
2. Bill Henry presented the results of a water depth study that he conducted from April 27 until Sept. 9, 2013 at each of the three dock sections (available). The goal of the study was to determine if the purchase of additional dock sections would result in significantly deeper water especially toward the end of the boating season. The result of the study revealed that, at most, the addition of a 20 foot dock section would add only 11 inches of water depth. The conclusion is that portable wooden walkways installed between the shoreline and the “pushed out” dock sections would be a sufficient accommodation. Tripco will build the walkways this winter.
3. Sediment in the cove and the mitigation of that sediment was discussed. The new Watershed Management Plan may address some of these concerns. The Board will monitor the progress of this project and determine how Stilwater can benefit or if we must take other action.
4. Jean and Mike Tumbarello head up a “Fourth Friday Fireplace/Fire Pit Fellowship” for all owners and their guests. This is a social time, open to all, BYOB, a snack to share, and a lawn chair. Different people will host each month. The Tumbarellos will email dates and times to POA owners. The event begins around 7:30 PM.

New Business

1. Due to the expiration of the “Development Period” in the Stilwater Covenants, the original developers are no longer involved in Stilwater. Sandy asked for a committee of interested owners to review the current covenants to see if any formal changes need to be made. Volunteers are Joe Malandro, Chris Bratiotis, and Jean Tumbarello. A meeting of this committee will be called in the spring.
2. Welcome to new owners Paul & Judy Gaudelli at the west end of Stilwater Dr.
3. Member concerns:  none at this time

The next annual meeting will be held on October 4, 2014 at 10:30 AM. Place to be announced.

Everyone is invited to the Hill’s house for the Annual Stilwater Community Luncheon immediately following this meeting.

The Lowden’s are hosting the dessert portion of the luncheon at their home at 110 Stilwater Dr.

The meeting adjourned at 12:30 PM