April 2021- HOA Spring Meeting Minutes
Minutes of The Cypress at the Lake HOA
Spring Meeting
9:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M.
April 10, 2021
Call The Cypress at the Lake HOA Spring Meeting to order and establish
a quorum (Stephen Bell, HOA President)
President Stephen Bell verified that a quorum of The Cypress HOA was present and called the meeting to order at 9:00 A.M
Introductions (Stephen Bell)
Stephen introduced the HOA Board as well as Todd Miller, HOA Legal Counsel and Jack Davis, Developer. He also introduced Committee Chairs, Jim Posadny (Dock Committee, present) Kent Lyman (Pool Committee, unable to attend), Betty Bollmeier (Activities Committee, unable to attend) and Bill Keith (Finance Committee, present)
All those in attendance had the opportunity to introduce themselves and say a few words including their unit number and how long they have been residents at The Cypress.
Approve the October 3rd, 2020 Minutes of The Cypress at the Lake HOA Special Meeting. (Keith Schmode, Secretary)
Minutes were approved as submitted.
Update on Current and important ongoing work of your HOA Board. (Stephen Bell)
The HOA Board meets monthly. Owners may address the Board with issues and or concerns at these monthly meetings by scheduling a time in advance through the newly established website, thecypressloz.com.
President Bell outlined what the HOA Board has been working on since the October 2020 Meeting. Those issues/accomplishments are as follows:
Renegotiated the staff compensation package.
Engaged Todd Miller of Miller Law to represent the HOA in legal matters.
Established the website, thecypressloz.com which provides timely information and increases communication with owners. This website interfaces with The Cypress Facebook page.
Worked with Stacy Graves, Community Manager, to establish preventative maintenance contracts on all major components in The Cypress development.
Established the 2021 operating budget.
Opened an HOA banking account with Central Bank and transferred all banking activities from the Developers to the HOA.
The insurance on our building is currently provided by American family and the current contract expires July 1st. The Board has had presentations from three insurance brokers and will receive their bids soon.
Bennett Electric and Poly Lift were engaged to assess the docks. They will provide the Board with an overview of their findings annually.
Work is underway to catalogue building materials for future repairs and or replacements.
An evacuation plan will soon be completed.
Working on obtaining as many plans, schematics and cad documents for the Cypress as possible.
Research and establishment of a cross easement/road maintenance agreement for Captiva Drive is underway.
Ongoing work is occuring to establish owner, staff and guest protocols.
President Bell shared that the Board wants to provide as much transparency and unit owner involvement as possible. The Board publishes the minutes of their monthly meetings on the website. Owners are encouraged to read those minutes. Should owners have comments or suggestions they may communicate through the website but Board members will also be available to discuss issues should that need arise.
Stacy Graves works on site 5 days per week. Weekly schedules have been set to insure one of the HOA staff members is always on site during normal working hours.
Maintenance requests, questions or suggestions may be communicated via the website. Stacy will respond to owner issues with 24 hours. Notification of deliveries should also be done via thecypressloz.com
President Bell stated that The Cypress is a large development with many moving parts and made the following closing remarks and suggestions. The Board needs the help of owners to ensure that The Cypress meets everyone’s expectations. We are all responsible for our own units and the guests we bring on site. We look to owners to manage the behavior of your family and guests. We ask that as you utilize the pool, the kitchen and other common areas you clean up and make sure everything is in order prior to leaving. It is suggested that you place a key for your unit in your assigned locker on P1 in the event you are locked out of your unit. Owners are encouraged to set up a maintenance contract with an HVAC company. Electric, plumbing, HVAC and general maintenance within your unit is your responsibility. Stacy Graves can provide you with suggestions for local contractors if needed. HOA employees, Jan Meckly and Russ Gaskins, will be available after hours for individual projects. You will need to contact them individually to set up requests and they will charge you directly for those services.
HOA Financial Report (Phyllis Zust, HOA Treasurer)
Treasurer Zust handed out the HOA budget for 2021. This budget will be posted on thecypressloz.com website for owner review.
It was reported that we have $91,750.00 in the Unit Reserve account and $32,000 in the Dock Reserve Account.
The Board has engaged Rocky Miller to conduct a reserve study for the HOA. Mr. Miller reported that it is unusual for an HOA to have a study done so early in the process. He indicated that in most cases he is brought in for a study after at least one special assessment and sometimes two assessments have been levied to condominium owners. He applauded The Cypress HOA for being proactive. He has been provided with all necessary information regarding our major building components to complete the study.
Treasurer Zust announce the formation of a Finance Committee to assist with budgeting, reserve account investments as well as reviewing insurance proposals and ultimately making a recommendation to the Board. Bill Keith will Chair this committee. Other members of the committee are Dave Funke, Doug Theobald and Dennis Weisenborn.
Structure and Purpose of Committees at the Cypress (Keith Schmode)
The HOA Board has established four Standing Committees. Those committees are the Pool Committee, Activities Committee, Dock Committee and the Finance Committee which was just created within the last month.
Secretary Schmode stated that the purpose of these committees is to assist Board members by identifying and addressing community issues and needs. These committees accomplish their purpose by gathering information, assessing issues/problems and recommending solutions or actions to the Board.
There are currently 19 owners who are either involved with the Board or on a committee. The committees are as follows:
Dock Committee (Phyllis Zust Board Liaison)
Jim Posadny (Chair and Captain for Dock A)
Josh Kaburick (Captain Dock B)
Jeff Reene (Captain Dock C)
Bill Keith (Captain Dock D)
Bobby Cox (Member at large Dock D)
Pool Committee (Keith Schmode Board Liaison)
Kent Lyman (Chair)
Todd Schutte
Cindy Hall
Activities Committee (Stephen Bell Board Liaison)
Betty Bollmeier (Chair)
Kim Kortje
Kathleen Davis
Ben Vens
Mary Lou Schmode
Finance Committee (Phyllis Zust Board Liaison)
Bill Keith (Chair)
Dave Funke
Doug Theobald
Dennis Weisenborn
All of these committees have a variety of issues and planning activities they are currently engaged with. Owners are encouraged to contact the Chair of any committee they might be interested in becoming a part of. Committee Chairs who were present gave brief updates on their activities and owners may contact them for a complete update. The Activities Committee has posted upcoming social events on the thecypressloz.com website.
Community Manager Role Clarification, successfully navigating your website and update on operations, policies and procedures. (Stacy Graves, Community Manager and Stephen Bell)
Stacy Graves (Community Manager) reviewed navigation of the website and encouraged owners to look at it regularly. She stated that there are many questions and concerns that can be answered by reading the posted minutes of your HOA Board. There is also information posted around the building in places like the buzzboard on P1 and sofa table in the lobby.
Stacy emphasized the importance of not texting requests for maintenance or other needs but instead using thecypressloz.com website. She will respond within 24 hours.
There will be onsite security for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend as well as the 4th of July. The “Cone System” for parking will be in effect on Holidays and will be posted on the website.
It was stressed that educating guests about our protocols, rules and regulations as well as respect for property will go a long way in assuring a successful season at The Cypress.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by President Bell at 10:40 A.M.