Hunter's Ridge Neighborhood Blog

Of a lack of quality fishing in our ponds....



If you had your line snapped, this probably was the reason why. He's back in the pond, waiting for the next family to catch him.

Randy found a great couple of tools which will help you determine what you property taxes will be this year...enjoy!

In case any of you were wondering how HB 1001 would affect your taxes, the attached web sites will help you estimate what your taxes will be this year with all the changes.

First go to this website to get your Assessed value and deduction information (You can also get to this website through the Huntington website (GIS))

http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/

Then go to this website and drop in your information and click "estimate this bill"

http://www.in.gov/dlgf/4932.htm

It's pretty slick and I was pleasantly surprised by what my liability will be this year.

Besides the birds chirping, here are some little notes for the neighborhood.

#1. PLEASE DO NOT SET BRUSH FIRES in your yard. There are specific city ordinances and restrictions against such burning. Also, while we have had a wet summer, the chances for starting an uncontrolled brush fire are very high. The city will pick up your lawn clippings and any other yard waste on Garbage Day.

#2. We still need dues from a number of residents. Please mail in your $50 dues check to Randy Sizemore as soon as possible.

#3. Sheds and other permanent structures still need approvals through the Architectural Committee. If you are thinking of building a shed, please get your plans approved.

#4. It's time again for the Association-wide garage sale. How does June 21st sound for everyone, or are there events going on that weekend?

Please feel free to comment to this and any other post on the website!

Thanks,
Brian

The next annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 19th at 7:30 p.m. at the First Church of the Nazarene at 1555 Flaxmill Road, room 123.

In addition, annual dues of $50 to the Hunters Ridge Association, Inc. will be due by March 15, 2008 and can be sent to Randy Sizemore at 3037 Trappers Cove.

The offices of President and Secretary will be open. If anyone is interested in filling those spots to please contact Scott Smith at 356-2338.

And unfortunately, this is not good news. This is a snippet of an e-mail from Randy to yours truly regarding the water lift station and tying in the Valley View Trailer Court.

The city engineering department called me this morning to tell me the judge ruled in favor of Valley View over IDEM. Primary points were that the judge didn’t feel it was cost effective to force Valley View to tie into a city water line just because it was close by due to the expense involved relative to the # of lots in Valley View at present. This again is a setback to a proposed cooperatively paid for lift station split between the owners of Valley View, the City of Huntington and Jim Wilhelm as there are now no plans to proceed on that after the ruling came in as it did.

Dave did tell me that any further development by either Jim Wilhelm (Hunter’s Ridge) or Valley View would require immediate discussion of this topic again. He told me that Wilhelm’s realtor has been in contact with him on this topic as well and has indicated he would still like to develop further in HR. He was to call her with the news after he got off the phone with me to update them. He has no knowledge of Valley View wanting to expand.

He also told me he is preparing a story to send to the paper on all of this so it should be in print in the near future.

I see nothing happening any time soon on any future development by either Wilhelm or VV based on this news.

Hunter’s Ridge Neighborhood Association
Special Meeting
June 20, 2007 – 7:00 P.M.

In attendance: Scott & Cathalene Smith, Randy & Amanda Sizemore, Earl & Rose Coolman, Mark & Becky Baker, Brian Wohlgemuth, Randall Richardson, Don & Carolyn Everhart, Jim & Patti Faroh, Kevin & Jan Dunlop, Marc & Kristi Bercot, Pam Baldwin, Scott & Wendy Adams, Jack Davis, Mark Stepanik, Richard VanDorpe, Ken Thompson, Jim Wiley, and Sandy Young.

The meeting was called to order by Scott Smith, HRNA President. There were 18 lot owners present. The petition business was reviewed with 4 areas to be discussed.

Scott Smith explained why the executive and architectural committees (total of six) met, subsequent to the annual meeting, at a special meeting to discuss the action to be taken. It was decided that the best way to receive as much input as possible about the moving of the mailbox on the lower portion of Hunter’s Ridge and the vote to change restrictive covenant language on the issue of installing fences on lots, was to conduct a door to door vote. This was done by members of the executive committee and Jan Dunlop from the architectural committee. A notice was sent to all lot owners 10 days prior to the action that was taken, signatures were secured and results were mailed to all lot owners as described under the HRNA by-laws. The two committees felt it was important to get everyone’s input. All but 5 homeowners responded to the vote.

The floor was opened for discussion:

From Brian Wohlgemuth: He stated the he had no problem with the intention or method but was concerned that the meeting wasn’t held as a “public meeting” with open discussion.
Response: The action that was taken was allowable under Article III, Section 10 of the HRNA by-laws describing “Action Without Meeting”.

From Earl Coolman: The issue of the mailbox being moved should have been discussed at a public meeting. He also asked about the exact wording of the motion to have another meeting and lack of its recording in the minutes.
Response: Upon review of the annual meeting minutes, it was discovered that that motion was omitted from the original meeting minutes. All meeting minutes are mailed upon completion so that errors or omissions can be presented to the secretary.

From Jack Davis: He asked about reading the minutes from the last meeting but it was decided that this was not an official meeting, only a meeting to discuss the petition. He understood that the vote was legal.
Response: The annual meeting minutes will not be read tonight as this is not an annual meeting.

From Richard VanDorpe: He also stated that he understood that the subject of mailboxes and fences would be discussed again in public so that everyone could hear other’s comments.
Response: After discussion of the best way to proceed on this item, the board and committee felt the best way to get maximum participation was to proceed with discussion and the vote lot to lot as described in the notice mailed to all lot owners and following the action without meeting section of the by-laws.

From Pam Baldwin: She felt that the whole issue was confusing. She had spoken to the Postmaster and was told that moving the boxes would involve expense and the association would be responsible for that cost. The Postmaster told her he didn’t know why it was placed there to start with. Box was slated to be replaced eventually.
Response: This is not the information we have received from the Postmaster thus far. We will follow up with the Postmaster and ask for specific answers to these type of questions before proceeding. From what we’ve been told, the only expense to the HRNA would be cost of laying a new concrete pad for the box.

From Patti Faroh: She stated that the current mailbox was unsightly and safety was also an issue.
Response: The postmaster has told us we are due for a newer style box unit. We are unsure what the time frame might be for the replacement.

From Wendy Adams: She had spoken to the Postmaster as well and was told that the mailbox would be a lengthy wait for replacement. The Postmaster said it would be okay to turn the box around. She also asked where we were on the total issue.
Response: 75% of those who voted said yes to moving the box. The exact location is still to be determined but we feel it needs to be centrally located on Hawk Spring.

From Kevin Dunlop: He suggested allowing 2 weeks to review minutes and respond after that time frame if you have a concern or disagree with something that has been reported.

The motion read: that the minutes of all meetings (annual, regular and special) are published and available to all members within 10 days of said meeting and that any errors or corrections are reported to the secretary within 10 days thereafter.

A motion to approve this action was received from Ken Thompson, seconded by Brian Wohlgemuth. 18 voted for, no one opposed. The motion carried. The minutes will be mailed within 10 days of any annual, or special meeting and will also be available on the website at www.hunters-ridge.org.

From Randy Richardson: two issues concern him about the safety issues of the mailbox. Slick pavement when starting back up the hill and the fact that people have to walk on the street to get there since no sidewalks are available.
Response: I agree with the safety concerns you’ve raised.

From Earl Coolman: He reminded us that the box at the bottom of the hill would be moved at the location by Wiley’s home and the Hawk Springs residents would have a box installed. The boxes would be reassigned and traffic on Hawk Springs would not increase since the people would live closer to the mailbox and be able to walk not drive to pick up the mail.
Response: There is currently a mailbox on Trapper’s Cove centrally located. I can’t think of any traffic issues that have been caused by that location. Most people walk to retrieve their mail on Trapper’s Cove.

From Carolyn Everhart: She also mentioned that the snow is an issue at the box down the hill.
Response: I agree and feel snow is an issue at all of the mailbox locations.

From Brian Wohlgemuth: The issue of fences was brought up for discussion.

From Earl Coolman: He would like to see fences in the future but submitted to the architectural committee and let residents know in 30 days as stated in the bylaws. He doesn’t desire privacy fences but wants to see through. He would like to see this committee set up specifics about fences.
From Mark Stepanik: He stated that we would need careful interpretation of the bylaws.
Response to fencing comments: It is our opinion that the restrictive covenants do not allow fencing as originally worded.

From Becky Baker: She stated that they were not given any notice of an association when they moved.
Response: The association is on record as being officially formed in 1999.

Many reiterated that they would like to have a meeting to discuss the issues and realized we needed to be specific as to what type of meeting is desired, public or committee. Many also felt the vote was taken correctly but discussion should have been held.
Response: Good discussion about this. We feel our intent was right and the committee was trying to make the best decision using the by-laws as our blueprint.

From Jim Wiley: Thanks to Scott Smith for the work at the new entrance (applause from audience).

From Richard VanDorpe: Does the covenant prohibit fences? Wants discussion of how future issues be handled. Would like to see clarification of fencing language and research the intent of wording.
Response: Article 6, Section 9 of the restrictive covenants was read to those in attendance concerning restricted structures. We feel this section covers the disallowance of fences as an allowable structure.

The motion read: Determine whether fences are allowed under the existing HRNA restrictive covenants by exploring topic with an attorney. The motion was given by Richard VanDorpe, seconded by Brian Wohlgemuth with Brian amending that Max Garwood, attorney for HRNA, be involved. Vote was taken with 15 for and 2 opposed. The motion was carried.

From Randy Sizemore: I don’t think it was coincidence that 62 homes have been built across many years with no fences on any lot in the addition. If fences were an allowable structure, why would there be no definition of type, height, and material in the restrictive covenants?

From Mark Stepanik: I agree with those comments.

From Kevin Dunlop: Suggested Max’s opinion not be the only voice heard.

From Jack Davis: Asked about possible variations in the bylaws

From Brian Wohlgemuth: Stated that 3 versions were on file at the court house, one for each section but felt they should all be the same since we are one association. The most recent version was amended and approved in 2004. He also suggested that people use the website for information and comments.

From Scott Smith: We will proceed cautiously with the mailbox issue, discussing cost and timing with the Postmaster but until then request that the present box be turned around. Scott will try to secure more information. If necessary a public meeting will be called for discussion.

From Sandy Young: She would like to have more than one meeting a year.
From Brian Wohlgemuth: He suggested a block party and meeting.
From Jack Davis: Suggested the winter meeting might affect snowbirds, maybe have the annual meeting at a different time of year to increase attendance.
Response to three comments: The board took these suggestions under advisement. There was no official action taken.

Motion made by Kevin Dunlop and seconded by Mark Stepanik to adjourn.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jan Dunlop
Acting Secretary

Last night, the HRNA had the special meeting to discuss the topics listed in our petition.

These are NOT the official minutes from the meeting, just my recollection from last night. Those official minutes will be posted on the website within ten days of the meeting.

Hopefully I will get a copy of the minutes soon, but here is what happened.

We discussed the vote that took place during the last meeting. Scott and the board interpreted it as a board meeting, a good chunk of the people in attendance did not recall it that way. There was no movement on that topic.

We discussed the mailbox issue. Frankly, I am glad we did. There were a number of concerns and questions from the feedback various residents were receiving from the Postmaster. Scott is going to look into it further.

We discussed the fence issue. We voted to have the issue reviewed further, including by our attorney Max Garwood. Section V states that a fence could be approved by the Architectural Committee. The board countered that Section VI, Article IX says that no posts can be placed in the addition. Things started to take a turn for the worse at that point, but everyone calmed down and life went on.

There was a vote on a motion to have all meeting notes and minutes mailed within ten days and to have those items posted on the website.

There was more, but I do not recall the details exactly. I'll put this post up on the main page for discussion as well!

In case you did not know, this weekend will be the annual Garage Sale for the HRNA. Please be sure to file for your $1 Garage Sale permits at the courthouse!!!!

Seriously, the fine for not having the permit is significant.

The following does not reflect the views of the Hunter's Ridge Neighborhood Association Board.

Today, I delivered a signed petition to the home of HRNA Board President Scott Smith to call for an open meeting to discuss a number of crucial issues. This petition was signed by a number of residents in the neighborhood who have been troubled by the actions of the HRNA board. The text of this petition is listed below...

Petition to call for a Special Public Meeting of the Hunter's Ridge Neighborhood Association

The purpose of this petition is to call a special meeting to discuss the following issues with the entire Hunter's Ridge Neighborhood Association (HRNA):

1. Failure of the HRNA Board to act upon a carried motion by the HRNA during the February 2007 Annual Association Meeting.

2. To publicly discuss the topic of fences within the HRNA.

3. To publicly discuss the topic of the relocation of the mailbox from the front entrance to Hawk Spring Hill.

4. Other various open topics.

The scope of this meeting would not be limited to the issues listed in this petition.

This meeting will take place within 30 days of the receipt of this signed petition as stated within the bylaws of the Hunter's Ridge Neighborhood Association.

As a member of the HRNA, I was disheartened to see the current board ignore the motion voted and approved by the HRNA membership during our last association meeting. I only pursued this petition when it became clear the board was willfully ignoring the wishes of the membership.

Please feel free to comment or e-mail me with any questions or concerns. I will obviously approve all comments made on this blog (except for the ones about mortgages or other bad websites) as quickly as I can.

Once again, this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the HRNA board....

There is some activity in one of the older threads, but since it's way at the bottom, I thought I would start a new one.

So, how is everyone doing?

I have heard of this issue before, but since it just happened once again tonight I decided to put up a post about it.

There is a child/young adult in the neighborhood who is going into people's yards after dark and scaring kids. Tonight, it sounded like some firecrackers were thrown at my house, I was unsure since it was so late and I was half asleep.

if you are having a similar problem, please comment in the post or contact me and we can discuss the issue further.

So, as a resident of the neighborhood, I'd like to get some ideas about the topic of fences. Some people have an obvious need/desire for them. What do you think?

The board has selected the weekend for the neighborhood wide garage sale. The garage sale will start on Friday, June 9th and go through to Saturday June 10th. The sale will be from 8:00am to 2:00pm on both days. The board will be sending out a reminder notice to everyone in the addition within the next few weeks.

Tonight there will be a private meeting of the Hunter's Ridge Neighborhood Association to discuss the various open topics at hand. As soon as I have the information from the meeting, we will post it on the website.