Annual Stilwater POA Mtg: Sat., Oct. 4th @ 10AM @ Garrett County Community College
Annual Stilwater POA Mtg: Sat., Oct. 4th @ 10AM @ Garrett County Community College
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:
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.
New Business
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