HIDDEN GLEN HAPPENINGS
Hidden Glen HAPPENINGS
JANUARY 2012
VOLUME 4 ISSUE I
News for the Residents of Hidden Glen
Message from the Board The Hidden Glen Homeowners Association Annual Meeting was held November 29. Following the traditional informal Question and Answer session, the official meeting included a review of the Association’s financial status, an overview of the updated Architectural Review Committee Guidelines, and reports from the committees. At the end of the meeting, an election was held for the expiring board member position currently occupied by Ken Miller. Eric Poortinga indicated his willingness to serve and was affirmed by a voice vote. Following the meeting, the Board members met to determine their positions and committee responsibilities. Paul agreed to serve as President during the final year of his term, with Michael assuming the VicePresident role in preparation for assuming the presidency the following year. Michael will also serve as Secretary, replacing Cella Lancaster. Eric will take over the Treasurer position. The Board wishes to extend its deep gratitude to both Ken and Cella for their years of dedicated service to the community. With respect to committee assignments, Paul will maintain his affiliation with the Landscape Committee and will assume liaison responsibility for the Pool Committee. Ken, however, will continue to help keep a watch over the pool area unofficially since he lives in close proximity. Michael will continue to support the Social Committee and will assume oversight of the ARC. This will further support succession planning following the end of Paul’s term. Eric will support the Communications and Safety Committees. Per a request from one of the residents in Copyright © 2012 Peel, Inc.
attendance, the full minutes from the annual meeting will be posted on both the Hidden Glen Yahoo Group site and the Goodwin Management site for Hidden Glen. If there are any questions regarding the minutes please contact any member of the Board. One area of considerable discussion during the Q&A session regarded the expense for the greenbelt and karst clean-up. A question was raised by a resident as to whether a vote of the community was required before the expense was undertaken. The Hidden Glen Rules/CCRs do not specify any dollar limit that must be voted on by residents. Instead, a majority of the Board must approve all expenditures regardless of amount (excluding nominal budgeted maintenance items managed by Goodwin). It was also questioned why a vote was not taken to ensure all of the affected residents approved. The response was that once the Board became aware that the greenbelt and karst areas were not in compliance with City of Round Rock regulations and expert recommendations, failure to take timely action would have been negligent. Thus the Board felt it was obligated to act, independent of whether there was resident approval. And since the funds were available, the work could commence immediately. Another question concerned whether the actions truly averted the fire risk since there is still leaf clutter on the ground. It is true that the leaf clutter will burn quickly, but according to the Round Rock Fire Marshall, it does not burn as intensely. Without the undergrowth, it is much less likely that the fire will reach the tree canopy
and spread to the adjacent roofs. The Board also contracted to have the greenbelt and karst areas patrolled monthly to ensure they are kept clear. The Board did acknowledge that in their urgency to reduce the risk as quickly as possible, the communication to residents was lacking. Many became aware of the clean-up activity only after the work had already begun. Though an immediate notification was sent via the Yahoo Group, one resident pointed out that there were only 150 members on the Yahoo Group distribution out of over 400 households. In response, this newsletter and future editions will include instructions on how to be added to the Yahoo Group. Eric will also be working with Goodwin Management to see if other options for more efficient official communication to residents can be developed and deployed. During the meeting, a couple of areas that could use additional support were also identified. Doug and Kelly Meek have been coordinating the National Night Out, but they are unable to support ongoing progress toward Neighborhood Watch. If someone within the community would like to lead that effort going forward, please contact Doug or Eric. Additionally, Mark Gesch pointed out that there are a number of potential landscape projects coming up and he would welcome additional input and support. Mark is also in contact with the City of Round Rock regarding their future plans for the park area in our neighborhood. If you would like a say in how the park is developed, please contact Mark so you can be included in those discussions. Hidden Glen Happenings - January 2012
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