Cape Gardens
Newsletter
September 2007
BOARD of ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT
Michael Lee President Reconcilable Differences, Inc.
Jennifer Glick Treasurer/Secretary Community Association Management
109 Long Point Road Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Office: 321-799-0660 Fax: 321-799-0630
E-Mail: RecDif@earthlink.net
www.ReconcilableDifferences.net
Mark Your Calendars Now!
We are scheduling a Board meeting for Wednesday, September 26th at 6:30 p.m. At this meeting, we will be discussing next year’s budget along with general maintenance issues. All owners are welcome to attend. It will be held at the RDI office; just across the street from your homes.
Maintenance Update:
The sign has been installed and the photo cell that lights the sign was changed out. One light fixture was replaced due to vandalism and the other light bulb was replaced as well.
Pool bathroom door hinges have been repaired and a vent installed on the women’s bathroom door as a trial to see if that takes the musty smell away. If that works, a vent will be installed on the men’s bathroom door as well. Based on your budget, a monthly cleaning of the bathrooms and pool area is being done.
In July we had some problems with mustard algae in the pool, but our pool contractor has since taken care of this issue. Please report any pool issues in the future to RDI
The spider, ant and roach problem at the pool area has been treated and will be treated on an “as needed” basis by B&R Pest Control in the future.
A sign stating “Slow – Children” will be installed next to the mailboxes to replace the sign was stolen by vandals. Sign theft is an ongoing problem. Please keep a watch out for suspicious activity in our neighborhood and report any illegal or suspicious activity to the Brevard County Sherriff’s office
While we do inspect the common areas weekly, please feel free to call us if you see any problems. That call will only help us take care of the problem more quickly!
Summer Happenings!
An irrigation contractor will be chosen soon to replace the non-working irrigation timer and make needed changes to sprinkler heads and zones.
The palm trees around the pool will be trimmed this month. All owners will be levied a Special Assessment to cover the cost to trim ALL common area palms soon. This will keep the amount of frond and berry debris down. Please be considerate of our community and pay the fees promptly. All owners who are interested in the contractor trimming the palms on their own lots at that same time can contact management. He will need cash or a check on the date the work is completed. Future annual trimming of common area palms will be included in the annual budget. Remember, each homeowner is responsible for the maintenance of the landscaping in their individual lot. Failure to maintain your lot in a satisfactory manner may result in fines and/or forced maintenance.
We are not happy with the current grounds maintenance contractor’s work, but there are some contract negotiations we must work through. Currently, his contract does not include weeding the common grounds and that is really needed. As quickly as legally possible, we will have a company contracted to include full grounds maintenance, including weeds and irrigation of the common areas. Weeding of individual lots remains the responsibility of each homeowner. Enclosed with this newsletter is a letter we are sending to all owners asking that you trim your trees, shrubs, and weed your own property. The Association’s landscape contractor may be hired on an individual basis to care for your yard if you so desire. We will provide you the contact information as soon as it becomes available. We hope all will work together to be proud of your Association!
Hurricane Season is Upon Us!
If you are planning a trip away, we ask that you bring any outdoor furniture or items inside. Flying debris is one of the major causes of property damage.
Financial Update:
Unfortunately, this is a serious concern to all of you. One neighbor has filed bankruptcy and currently owes a large balance. Another home is in foreclosure and a balance is owed on that as well. If these owners keep their homes, they will eventually be required to pay their past due fees and interest on the balances, but in the meantime, this severely restricts your Association’s ability to pay its bills and keep up with required maintenance. River Gardens has also not paid for their pool use since last year. RDI has taken the appropriate legal actions to collect on these debts.
Ballot Responses:
Fifteen owners responded to the ballot sent out in June. Overall majority approved of everything the Board recommended. There were many good suggestions and comments and those will be discussed at the next Board meeting. We thank those who took the time to fill this out. It gave us a good “pulse” on how the community feels. You were in majority agreement on keeping your sign separate, NOT trying to get the county to maintain your roads and were in favor of requiring River Gardens to pay their fair share of the pool expenses.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
After working in their positions for over 2 years, your hard-working Board members, President Mike Lee and Treasurer/Secretary Jennifer Glick would really like to step down from their duties. They are asking for volunteers willing to work with management by giving direction in the day to day handling of the property. Management will obtain bids, implement procedures and keep financial records. We just have to be directed in how to proceed. Please think about serving on your Board and contact RDI to volunteer.
INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE
RDI provides a web page for Cape Gardens on their website. Type in www.ReconcilableDifferences.net and click on the photo of your new sign. On the Cape Gardens page, you will see minutes of past meetings, photos, the letter and ballot that were mailed out, past newsletters, and anything else the Board wishes to have posted. Please give us your input on the page and any suggestions for improvement.
Cape Gardens
Newsletter
May/June 2007
May 25, 2007
Cape Gardens Owners,
Please see the attached minutes from the annual Owners’ meeting held on Saturday, March 17th, 2007 at 10:00 am at the Cape Canaveral Public Library.
As you can see from the minutes, since a quorum was not present we were unable to vote on any subject. This recurring issue of never having a quorum and being able to vote on issues drastically reduces the capability of the Owners Association to operate. There are several items that the Owners are not satisfied with but without enough participation, we cannot resolve these items.
We have hired a management company to perform the day to day operations of the association. After volunteering and serving in their positions for over two years, effective July 1, 2007, Michael Lee is resigning as the President and Jennifer Glick is resigning as the Treasurer. Replacement Board Members must be identified as soon as possible. The management company must take direction from Board members, so cannot just “run” the Association without direction. If you, as owners, care about the value of your property in Cape Gardens you will understand the need for new association officers.
We have had to raise the quarterly dues by $126.00 to cover the increased expenses this year. Besides management, we have insurance increases and maintenance issues are coming up. The new quarterly dues will be $360 per quarter, an increase from the current $234 per quarter.
Due to the lack of participation at the owners association meeting, we have decided to send out this list of issues to all owners by mail. Owners will have 45 days to respond on the attached summary page with their approval / disapproval and comments and concerns. Unless a majority vote in opposition is received, the “default vote” action indicated below and by the grey box on the vote sheets will be taken. The results will be sent to the Owners.
The summary of the issues is below.
1) Tree Trimming – common areas and individual units (will require assessment or dues increase). Default vote – trim all trees and shrubs that are
visible from A1A, King Neptune Lane and from Evelyn Court. Levy assessment to each homeowner of $253 to cover expense.
2) Dues Increase based upon approval of issues. Default vote – increase dues by $126/quarter in order to cover minimum costs for association due
to inflation and costs of services received
3) Update By-Laws to reflect that Board Members must be current on their dues otherwise they will be dismissed as a Board Member.
Default vote – concur. Amend by-laws as necessary to require acting board members be members of the association in good standing, compliant
with the rules defined by the by laws and current in payment of dues
4) Vents on Pool Bathroom Doors for ventilation. Default vote – hire contractor to install vents on pool doors or replace doors with ones that have
vents if that alternative is less expensive. Levy assessment to each homeowner of approximately $16.67 to cover expense.
5) Sharing a sign with River Gardens at Cape Gardens entrance. River Gardens has approached us with sharing a sign at the entrance that has the
names of both communities. Default vote – do not allow River Gardens to utilize the same sign or space as the Cape Gardens sign.
6) Turning King Neptune and Evelyn Court into county maintained roads. Would mean that Owners will no longer own that portion of their property
and would require 100% approval by all owners. Default vote – no action taken. This change will require approval by 100% of the homeowners
in order to pursue with the city of Cape Canaveral.
7) Severing our relationship with River Gardens for the Pool and River Walk use. Cape Gardens residents would no longer be able to use the River Walk and River Gardens residents would no longer have access to our Pool. Cape Gardens will now assume full financial responsibility for pool. Possible option is to pay for individual use by River Gardens residents at a set amount per year. This will require re-keying the pool area. Default vote – disapprove terminating pool & boardwalk sharing agreement with Cape Gardens unless majority is received. This also requires approval by majority of River Gardens’ residents as well for final approval. If approved this will result in additional cost of $35.04/quarter to Cape Gardens residents due to elimination of fees for boardwalk use. All of this however, is contingent on a legal interpretation and super-majority positive vote by the members of BOTH associations. If a majority of our owners are interested, we will pursue the legal means to change the documents.
Assuming all default votes occur, the new quarterly dues will be $360 per quarter, an increase from the current $234 per quarter. There will also be a one time assessment of approximately $269.67 to each owner for all tree trimming and pool bathroom door repair. This still does not address the cost for replacing any sod.
If you feel that once the irrigation is working properly, you would be willing to spend additional funds on sod and shrubs for either the common areas or for the entire property, please make note of that under the “comments” section of the ballot.
A printable copy of this ballot appears on the Cape Gardens webpage under "Forms".
Click on "Ballot July-2007 and then print.
Cape Gardens Owners Ballot
Owner Signature:______________________________ Printed Last Name:_________________
Unit number/Address: _____________________ Date: ____________________________
Please place X next to approve or disapprove and provide any comments below. If majority opposing vote is not received within 45 days from delivery, the action highlighted in grey will be taken.
Issue #1 – Trim all trees and bushes visible from A1A, King Neptune Lane and from Evelyn Court. Levy $253 assessment on each homeowner.
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments:
Issue #2 –Increase Owners Association Dues by $126/quarter to pay increased association expenses
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments:
Issue #3 – Update By Laws to reflect qualification for being a board member is individual must be in and continue to be in good standing while performing the duties of a member of the Cape Gardens Owners Association Board
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments:
Issue #4 – Install vents on pool bathroom doors or replace doors as
necessary. Levy $16.63 assessment on each homeowner.
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments:
Issue #5 – Do not share entrance sign or sign space with River Gardens for River Gardens sign
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments:
Issue #6 – Do not convert King Neptune and Evelyn Court to county maintained roads
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments:
Issue #7 – Do not discontinue pool/boardwalk sharing relationship with River Gardens. Adjust dues to reflect change as necessary. **Changing this will require legal super-majority vote and agreement by River Gardens to sever as well. **
____ Approve ____ Disapprove
Comments: