RVRMA EXECUTIVE BOARD

Record of Proceedings

Regular Monthly Meeting

Wednesday, April 27, 2011, 5:00pm

The Ranch House Meeting Room

A regular meeting of the Executive Board Members of the River Valley Ranch Master Association, in the county of Garfield, State of Colorado was held on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 444 River Valley Ranch Drive, Carbondale, Colorado 81623 with the following people present:

Executive Board of Directors
Jim Noyes, President
Peter Frey, Vice-President
Bill Grant, Treasurer
Dick Heinz, Director-at-Large
Lani Kitching, Director-at-Large
Frank McSwain, Director-at-Large
Ted Stude, Director-at-Large / Management Representatives
Ian Hause, Community Manager
Pamela Britton, Recorder
Other Attendees
Dan Brumbaugh
Linda Ericson
Paul Ericson
Erin Mattice
Pat Rangel
Louise Sylvester
Call to Order

Jim Noyes called the meeting to order at 5:00pm. A quorum was established.

Approval of Agenda

Frank McSwain and Lani Kitching moved and seconded to approve the agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

Consent Agenda

Bill Grant and Peter Frey moved and seconded the adoption of the meeting’s consent agenda. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comment

Homeowner Dan Brumbaugh expressed his appreciation for the good work of the Board and RVR staff. He expressed appreciation for the Kathryn Rooney and the many things she accomplished under difficult circumstances. Dan further thanked the Board for their good work dealing with the current management transition. Jim indicated that the credit for the smooth transition goes to Ian and Kathryn. Dan expressed his appreciation for Jim’s presentation to AVLT; he felt that it created a good impression with AVLT.

Homeowner Pat Rangel asked if a painting schedule has been established for the Settlement. Jim indicated that the schedule has not been finalized, but all the steps required to create the painting schedule have been put in place. Jim recommended that Pat stay in touch with Ian regarding the painting of her home while she is out of town. Lani asked that Bill Brown, as head of the Settlement Advisory Board, be copied in on all correspondence.

Pat also asked when the irrigation system will be turned on. Ian indicated that it is charged now.

Linda Erickson asked about the status of the tennis program. Pam Britton indicated that Evan Wharton, who was the Assistant Pro for the last two seasons, will be returning this season as the Head Pro. He will have an intern, Myles Nipper, assisting him. The intent is to provide similar programming as last year with a few new additions in programming and social activities.

Linda asked if Evan will be at the courts morning to evening. Pam indicated that he and his assistant would be fully available including on weekends. Linda asked if we are paying for Evan’s housing. Pam indicated that we are not; Evan has arranged his own housing.

Linda asked how much Evan is being paid. Jim indicated that is a personnel matter and not a question that can be answered. Jim said that basically the other candidates priced themselves out the market not by a little bit but by a lot. He said that most of the people involved in tennis regarded Evan highly and we are comfortable that he is a good choice.

Pam also said that the Tennis Committee will continue to work as a support for the Pro and the Program and that the meetings will be announced and are open to all homeowners and invited everyone who is interested to please come and participate. Jim said this will be a good forum to express ideas about the tennis program.

Announcements

·  Ian Hause assumed the role of RVR Community Manager April 11, 2011.

·  Erin Mattice joined the Ranch House team handling Member Services for the upcoming summer season

Ian indicated that Erin will be the seasonal Member Services at the Ranch House. Her schedule is 8:30 – 4:30 Monday through Friday and her duties will include manning and staffing the front desk, scheduling, signing people up as members, receiving payments, and other service related activities. Ian indicated that Erin has a strong member services/admin background and is doing a great job.

Committee Reports

Design Review Committee

·  Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes – April 7, 2011

·  Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes – April 21, 2011

Ted asked if the trampoline approvals that are reflected in the minutes are equipped with safety netting since it is primarily the netting that has visual impacts that may be problematic. Ian responded that the two approvals were properties that had extra landscaping that obscured the view of the trampoline and its safety netting. Peter pointed out that the trampoline issue may not be resolved and we may need to review the By-laws related to this. He indicated this may set a precedent with homeowners who do not have the same extra landscaping. Jim indicated that the covenants and the DRC guidelines are consistent and clear as a bell on this issue.

Peter commented that it would be sensible to not duplicate rules between the Covenants and Bylaws. And generally is better to remove as many restrictions in the Covenants as possible and put rules in the Bylaws since they provide more flexibility. Jim recommended that since Peter is rewriting the Covenants, he should proceed in that vein.

Tennis Committee

The Tennis Committee Charter was presented for discussion. Ted Stude and Peter Frey moved and seconded the following Draft Motion C:

Draft Motion C: Resolved, that the Tennis Committee Charter be approved as written.

Ted Stude suggested that the word ‘maximum’ be inserted in the sentence, ‘The committee will be comprised of a maximum of seven (7) members, plus one staff liaison.’

The motion passed unanimously.

It was proposed to add two members to the Tennis Committee joining existing members: Pamela Britton, Bob Anderson, Doug Factor, Marcie Reed, and Melissa McPherron, and non-voting member, Jim Biebl. Peter Frey and Lani Kitching moved and seconded the following Draft Motion A:

Draft Motion A: Resolved, that Brian Leasure and Jenny Williams be appointed members of the Tennis Committee.

The motion passed unanimously.

Management Updates

Ted asked about the issue of the Report that was done last year on the re-vegetation of certain areas. He wanted to make sure that the recommendations from the report did not ‘fall through the cracks’. Ian indicated that that will be included in the Landscape Initiatives under the Budget and Finance section of the Update. It would be included in the prioritization of pending projects.

COMMUNITY MANAGER’S REPORT

·  Transition – Management has a standing meeting daily with Kathryn Rooney. Different departments are brought in depending upon subject matter and as required. Each meeting has a specific agenda and specific action items are determined to facilitate the hand-off. Previous management has been very helpful and accommodating during this process and will continue to be a resource to management and the Association.

·  Management Team – Each department head has an accurate job description and understands what the operation expects from them and when it is due. The Master Action Plan (MAP) serves is the primary tool in prioritizing the tasks and resources required in each department. It is also a key performance measure for each department regarding who needs to do what by when and what are the required resources. A current and thorough MAP will assist in any transition which may occur in the future. The MAP is updated each week prior to the weekly staff meeting and saved on the server by week.

·  Training – The staff has had training on the phone system while software support training will be ongoing.

·  Website – The Staff section under the Contact tab has been revised to reflect the current management team. The Declaration of Conditions, Covenants and Conditions and the Design Guide lines will become available on the site without a log-in requirement. We have updated tennis as possible until programming and pricing can be finalized. A global review of the site is underway to confirm currency and accuracy.

SUMMER CAMP

The 2011 Season officially commences on Friday, May 27th at 11 a.m.

·  Tennis – The Tennis Director, Evan Wharton, has been hired and his start date is May 1st, 2011. We have three courts ready and being played. Announcements have been made to Association Members and the local tennis community regarding preliminary programming, seasonal memberships and applicable pricing. Final 2011 Member programming and pricing will be completed once Evan is on the ground with an announcement scheduled for May 6th. The public hard courts are experiencing some minor cracking and peeling. We have requested contractor recommended repairs and associated pricing. Subject to costs, staff will proceed accordingly.

·  Aquatics – Katie Workman, Activities Manager, is charged with facility programming and management. Rich Myers and his team, including contractors and consultants, are dedicated to repair and maintenance of the systems, facilities and furnishings. Additional railing at the large spa and seasonal landscaping are planned to be completed prior to the opening. Seasonal staff training begins this week.

·  Fitness – We are currently evaluating the class participation to identify which classes meet the required attendance minimum of 5 per class. Those that do not meet the requirement will be re-evaluated and adjusted or removed from the schedule. Classes that are well attended will be continued or enhanced as appropriate. Service providers are also being requested to meet our insurance requirements which are $500,000 per incident and $1,000,000 in aggregate. We will require that the RVRMA be named as an additional insured. Instructors will not be able to recruit outside clients individually unless they are processed through our POS and the Association receives all revenues. An instructor meeting is being held this week so that all instructors are clear regarding the Associations expectations.

·  Ranch House – We are confident we will be able to meet and incrementally exceed Member expectations at the Ranch House. The food and beverage program will kept simple (pre-packaged) with some test product introduction, such as cold wrapped sandwiches, to gauge the viability and delivery of an enhanced service in the future. We are exploring introducing some more adult oriented experiences and family programs during the early evening hours such as a “sunset grille” and “movies on the green”. Working to meet the expectations of previous years and gradually test introduce new items.

·  All programming, products, services including associated pricing will be announced via e-blast on May 6th. Member packets will be available for pick up at the Front Desk upon execution of the waiver the following Monday, May 9th.

IRRIGATION, GROUNDS AND FACILITIES

·  Irrigation – Rich Myers and his crew have charged the system community wide and are now going through each zone and performing the necessary and preventative repair and maintenance. Rich also turns each valve to the residential systems as requested. We have established an interim protocol for emergency situations and are working with our Ranch House security service on an afterhours “on call” procedure.

·  Grounds – Aspen Tree Service has completed the first phase of pruning. Prima has completed the first phase of tree well re-construction and spraying. Aspen Tree Service is approaching the Town on an operational staff level to understand the process for removing the dead, diseased and dangerous trees in the context of work completed. Subject to that discussion, management will determine the next steps. Four Seasons has commenced turfgrass maintenance operations.

·  Facilities – Repairs to broken pipes at the Triangle Park restroom are underway.

·  Physical Plant – The monthly natural gas and electricity costs during the first quarter for the Ranch House are down and average of 15% from the same period in 2010. This is a direct result of repair, maintenance and best management practices instituted by previous management. These efforts will be continued and also expanded where required. We hope to realize additional electrical cost savings with the installation of the variable frequency drives on all four pumps. The replacement of chemical control devices should also produce efficiencies in chemical usage and labor. The RFP for mechanical system improvements is scheduled to be delivered to a minimum of 3 qualified mechanical engineering firms the first week of May.

The pool decking is experiencing some failure in certain locations. The area that require repair totals approximately 300 square feet. We have consulted with a concrete contractor who has passed along contractor pricing and is training our staff on how to properly/temporarily repair these areas until an analysis and supporting phased deck replacement plan can be developed, budgeted, funded and ultimately executed. In the interim we are focusing our efforts on areas that present a safety and hazard issue. The turf area between the lap pool and the recreation pool will be re-turfed until the greater repair/replacement plan is determined. We will evaluate long term options with qualified contractors and/or consultants and bring this issue back to the Board once good information is available.

BUDGET AND FINANCE

·  Budget – Based on my review of the operating budget and planned reserve allocation expenses, I am confident that the operation can remain within budget for 2011 barring any unforeseen circumstances. There will be line item positive and negative variances but the total expenses will not exceed the budgeted expenses approved by the Board. Due to the fact that the Tennis Pro is arriving on May 1 and we have yet to finalize programming and pricing we will need to pay careful attention to capturing projected tennis revenues.

·  Landscape Initiatives – The design phase is complete for planting beds in the pool area. Annuals and perennials are scheduled to be planted around the pool area after June 1st and the expense has been approved. Improvements to the Ranch House north elevation are in the final design phase. Once completed, the prioritized project schedule including design, costs and schedule will be provided to the Board.

·  Finance – Collection matters will be addressed in Executive Session.

Jim expressed that we have a staff that is enthusiastic and creative and has the ability to implement new ideas. And there are a lot of things we can do without spending a bunch of money. Jim encourages them to try ideas to use our facility more creatively.