February 20, 2018

Previous minutes

John advised that the minutes of the HFCA Board meeting of January 9, 2018, were not yet drafted.

Treasurer

A committee comprising Tom, Bruce, Dante, and Kirk reviewed the 2017 HFCA accounts and confirmed their accuracy.

Kirk noted that younger owners were complaining about the need for checks with which to pay the annual assessment. He asked whether the Board would consider establishing an online payment system. Chuck noted that the Board would need to be certain that cyber insurance would protect the HFCA in the event of fraud.

Dante noted that only 3 homeowners had not yet paid the assessment for 2018. He planned on giving one more warning before submitting the bills to collection. He added that he had the date to provide the CPA in Manassas that did the HFCA income tax filing. In addition, the net loss for the year was about $5,700, larger than originally anticipated due to additional landscaping that was approved by the Board.

A need to follow up with newsletter advertisers was noted, to explain and perhaps remedy a decline in advertising revenue was noted.

The budget compared with actual 2017 numbers would be posted in the newsletter in a summary form. Dante asked how much should be taken from the capital fund and added to checking. It was noted that the Board wanted to increase the money market account to $39.5 thousand, equal to one year of assessments, over the coming years.

Moving the money from the SunTrust money market account to American Express was discussed, where the monies could earn more interest. However, it was determined that there was more value in the nearby presence of the bank than in the small amount of interest to be earned.

Common Areas

Melissa advised that mowing was to start at the end of March.

Most of the bamboo is dead.

She and her husband will try to remove dead vines.

They would also mark dead trees for removal.

She raised the idea of installing a water spigot in the upper common area, with which new vegetation could be watered, at a cost of roughly $2,800. The Board took the proposal under advisement. A later check with Fairfax Water revealed that water service to the upper common area could cost significantly more.

Architectural Control Committee

Brian noted that there had been only 2 approvals in the last 3 months. He reminded the Board that annual inspections would take place in April, and he would need volunteers. A notice would be posted on the listserv. He added that last year’s inspection form may need some revisions.

Neighborhood Watch

Debbi advised she had drafted new rules for the Neighborhood Watch, that were posted on the HFCA website.

At Large

Telah asked if the Board had goals and objectives, in the form of 3- or 5-year strategic plans, and posited that plans were necessary to keep up with the times and to make the neighborhood more friendly. Among possible goals were more community activities, better entrances to Hickory Farms, and better street lighting. Chuck asked Telah to provide an outline of the process for establishing such a strategic plan. A brainstorming session was proposed for the April and May Board meetings.

Kirk offered to look into solar-powered lights to illuminate the entrances to Hickory Farms.

Chuck said he would send a calendar of HFCA events to Board members.

Kirk noted that the Commonwealth of Virginia had entered into an agreement with Erickson Living to buy the 78-acre campus of the training center on Roberts Road, which could be developed into an age-restricted retirement community.

It was noted that HFCA was still recruiting a newsletter editor. The next issue of the newsletter was scheduled for publication in April.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the HFCA Board was scheduled for March 20, 2018, at the home of Debbi Buchanan.