Minutes of the Most Recent Meetings
Minutes of the Most Recent Meetings
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October Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held October 1, 2008I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:07 pm on Wednesday, October 1, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA The President requested that item VIII:A:4 Personnel be moved to Executive Session as was appropriate for personnel issues, and requested that an Executive Session be added to the agenda following New Business. He also requested that item VIII:B:4:d be amended to add item 3. Legal Questions, which should also be addressed during Executive Session. IV. ROLL CALL Loren Heck, President Mary Kastle, Secretary by phone Ken Wicks, 1st VP Rell Woodward, Treasurer Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Bill Vinson, Board Member Valerie Tudor, Board Member Stephen Sampson, Board Member Absent: Jack Garner, Board Member Meleana Smith, A & O Director, Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – Acknowledgement of Guests: Richard Crapser, William Lucas, Warner Akamu and Vicki West. VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the September minutes be approved as written. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – No report B. 1st Vice President – No report C. 2nd Vice President – No report D. Treasurer – 1. Financial Report – as presented in the Board Packet. Rell noted that the total expenses for this year are below what would be expected for this time of year. He asked Mele if she had any projection as to how much we would be under budget. Mele responded that we were averaging $75,000 to $100,000 in expenses per month. Rell pointed out that if that was projected out to the end of the year, we would come in a couple hundred thousand under budget. She said the only thing that might go over budget is the road oil and fuel costs, as oil prices are starting to rise again. E. Secretary – Mary Kastle attended the meeting by phone; no report F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report The Budget and Finance Committee needs to meet for a disgruntled member. Donola is scheduled for spraying on October 27th; we sent out notices to all members owning property on that block, to allow them to ‘opt out’ of the spraying program if desired. Leilani work is continuing; the road has to be moved over about 10 feet to center it in the surveyed roadway, so it’s taking some time to complete. Mele requested permission to purchase another 36 speed hump sections, to complete Aloha and King Kamehameha, and Aloha and Hawaii. Loren requested that that item be moved to VIII:B:4 Safety. The Annual Meeting is October 11th. At this time Loren requested that our guests be given a sign-in sheet, so we could address their questions and not make them sit through the whole meeting. Teddi provided a blank sign-in sheet, clipboard and pen. Loren requested that they be brief and limit their statements to three to five minutes if possible. Mary asked if we ever got our new truck; Mele replied that it is still being built but should be done by the end of this month. 2. Operations a. Foreman’s Report A written copy of the Foreman’s Report is included in the Board Packet. Loren then invited the guests to speak, whether they had questions or just statements to make, and the Board would respond. The first lot owner was Rick Crapser. He asked for the reason behind closing a block-long section of Mahimahi up in the cinder pit area. As a cinder lot owner, he said he had examined the area that had been closed and that it was no more dangerous than other parts of the cinder hill. He also stated that there were many people up there mining cinder without permits, but nobody ever complained about anyone but him. Loren explained that the Department of Public Works had served notice on the Road Corp that that particular block was unsafe. This means the Corporation is legally bound to close that section of road until it can be rebuilt. Since irresponsible mining practices have created 60 and 70-foot dropoffs on the sides of the road, the surface of the road will have to be lowered considerably. The Road Corporation is legally liable for accidents if the road is not closed and rebuilt; therefore we have to close the road until we can complete the rebuilding process. Our contracted engineering firm will work with County engineers to produce a recommendation on how to proceed, and as soon as we have their recommenda- tion we will start rebuilding Mahimahi to their recommendations. The road will remain gated, but if Mr. Crapser will provide proof of insurance on his vehicles, showing the RMC as an ‘additional insured’, and sign waivers absolving the RMC of responsibility, he will be allowed access to his property, at his own risk. The President then called on William Lucas, who said he had come to find out if the County was attempting to make decisions for our subdivi- sion, and what authority they had over our private roads (ref: item VIII:4:d:2 CoH Public Works). Loren said that the County does the permitting for specific types of mining operations (those not controlled by the State), and cinder mining is part of their jurisdiction. They do not have any authority over our roads, but can make recommendations and declare an area unsafe; we are not bound by law to follow their recommenda- tions, but we become liable for any accidents on the road that result if we do not. Mele explained that the County only issues mining permits as ‘non-conform- ing use of agricultural land,’ since this area is zoned agricultural. The Federal Government provides oversight via MSHA, who comes in and evaluates operations and issues citations when appropriate. One of the large cinder operations has been cited in the past by MSHA, who then returned a month later to check for compliance. Rell advised Mr. Crapser to file a complaint with the Planning Department about any illegal conditions around him. Bill Lucas asked if it was safe for our crew and heavy equipment to go up there and work on the road; Loren said that is why we have called in outside engineers, as it’s not something we are qualified to determine and we don’t want to jeopardize our personnel. Warner Akamu said he had just come to see what was up, and had no ques- tions; Vicki West wished to be put on the driveway apron list. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws – no report 2. Budget & Finance – no report 3. Legal – no report 4. Personnel - moved to Executive Session B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment a. Office Plans Bob Self is almost done with the office plans. We are waiting for the site and plot plans for M&E and then we can start getting permits for the building. Mele has met with Bob Taylor; he will be getting his own permits and will start on the equipment building as soon as we get the plans from M&E. We have acquired new acreage since we acquired the building package, and the building will be in a different location on the site plan. Roughly half of the amount we agreed to pay him has been taken out already in cinder trade. 2. Road Maintenance a. Weed Control (spraying) – We sent out a letter on Tuesday informing owners on Donola that we would be doing a weed spraying, and requesting that anyone who does not want the easement in front of their lot sprayed please inform us and put up ‘no spray’ signs. We will create a map for the crew and go over it with them to be sure there are no mistakes. Loren suggested that once the spray/nospray map is established, we could replace the signs with colored stakes, or even paint marks on the road, to make it less unsightly. It was suggested that, if this proves to be a good system, we acquire a spray truck like the County uses; Mele suggested that a smaller vehicle like a Gator might be more appropriate; they can be ordered with a spray tank, or the spray crew can ride in the back. The County sprays large swaths and up into the trees, and they use a different herbicide. We need to spray a much smaller area and be more precise. Mele said that her husband used a spray in forestry work which contained a colorant so you could tell where it had been sprayed. It would not be appropriate for roadside use as it is a broadleaf herbicide and we need to kill grass, but if the colorant is an additive we could get some. b. Road Use Agreement with the National Park Service. Loren spoke with Cindy Orlando and she is amenable to changes in the agreement, she said to mark it up and send it back. She indicated that it was not intended to mean that nobody could go up there, and that we would definitely have a key and access for emergency use. Ken Wicks said he felt we should receive maps of the 4WD roads in the Park, so we will know which roads go through and can be used for emergency evacuation purposes. The Board agreed this was a good idea. 3. Membership – no report 4. Safety a. Bus stops – we have received the speed humps to be installed at the rest of the bus stops. The next time once that is done is construction of the shelters. Randy also brought up, as a safety issue, the amount of gravel being spilled on the roadway while doing driveway aprons. He pointed out that even a small amount of loose gravel could cause a dangerous skid, and that the crew should be sweeping up afterward. Mele agreed and said she would talk to the crew. Randy suggested they make another pass a week or so later to clean up any loose stuff. Rell asked about the process being used to do the driveway aprons; he wanted to know why they were not using oil. Mele said that they were using oil, else it would just be loose gravel and not effective. Rell objected, saying it was all just grey gravel, and she explained that they prepare the surface, put down a thick coating of oil and then roll the gravel into it with the smaller pavement roller. The oil ‘sets up’ a lighter color. The difference in color between driveway aprons and the road is that they are not fog sealing the aprons. This process gives the road surface its black color, but in small applications it is not needed. b. Cinder Pit Area – this item was covered earlier in the meeting. IX. SPECIAL ORDERS - none X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - none B. GENERAL ORDERS – Annual Meeting The Annual Meeting is coming up on October 11th. The President noted that Mele is not responsible for the entire meeting by herself; the Board needs to participate. Mele requested that the head of each committee give a brief report on the actions and accomplishments of their committee during the last year. Mele will be giving the usual Office and overall Operations report, but the community should hear from the Board Members as well. Loren pointed out that Mary Kastle will still be on the mainland dealing with a death in the family, and asked if Mele would give the Personnel report; Mele agreed. Rell said if there was nothing particularly new, he didn’t see any purpose to giving a report; Mele said the Budget and Finance Report would mostly be from Sita, and he would not have to participate much. She said the reports from Committee Chairs should be brief updates, no more than a few minutes at most, and she would respond to any questions. Rell requested that we attempt to restrict Sita to five minutes, and let her answer questions after the meeting if she wants. Randy suggested we have refreshments for those who attend the meeting; the Board thought that was a good idea. Teddi, who is the front desk in the office, said the Board should expect a lot of questions having to do with assessments, the consolidated lots issue and the vote on that item, as that has been generating most of the comments and questions coming into the office since the newsletter came out. Mele informed the Board that an individual at the cinder pits had cut a new road across his neighbor’s property to access his cinder lot despite the Mahimahi road closure. The owner of the damaged property was aware of the trespass and might be pressing charges. If so, we could wind up being involved because he moved the boulders we had placed in order to access the property, and also because we closed Mahimahi. Loren also said we would have to deal with the issue of how to fairly assess owners of the cinder lots on Mahimahi for the reconstruction of the road, since it has not been legally determined who is responsible for the damage. The owners involved are, of course, all pointing fingers at each other, and while none of them are totally in compliance, some pits are very dangerous while others have not created nearly as much of a problem. He suggested that Mele contact Lawyer Sogi and ask him how we can do this. Rell said he was sure there were witnesses who would be willing to testify as to who had done the damage, and when. However, we need to rebuild the road and can’t wait until the issue is settled, as it might take years. Cameras: The issue of video surveillance was addressed. Mele is researching wireless day and night-vision cameras which will upload data to an off-site server. If the cameras are vandalized, the data will still be safe. They can also be operated remotely and the server can be accessed via computer for real-time observation. These cameras are actually less costly than the “hidden” camera we are currently using, and Alohabroadband has agreed to install them and provide the server space in exchange for allowing them to put a broadband repeater on our highest cinder hill. Mele suggests two at the cinder area, one at the park and two for the baseyard. Motion: Stephen Sampson moved that the corporation purchase five outdoor wireless security cameras. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous Loren requested the approval of the Board to contact our Lawyer and ask how to proceed with a special assessment for the rebuilding of Mahimahi. Motion: Randy VanLeeuwen moved that the corporation contact Lawyer Sogi on how to proceed with a Special Assessment. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous Valerie brought up the subject of Beach Access. She said she had been to a meeting where residents obviously felt very strongly that local residents should have easier access to Road to the Sea, MacFarms Beach and Pohue Bay. She asked if we could donate cinder to help with the reconstruction of one or more of the roads. The Board discussed the idea briefly. Rell pointed out that the existing 4WD roads would require major grading and hoe-ram work before cinder would be of any use, and while we could probably donate the cinder, it is not a good material to use on such a steep grade. He suggested that these topics should be brought up and discussed at the upcoming meetings for the Ka‘u Community Development Plan, as that would be the perfect venue for getting the entire area involved in a project that would benefit the entire area, rather than a few people doing all the work for everyone’s benefit. XI. NEW BUSINESS 1. Executive Session – the Board went into Executive Session to discuss Personnel matters at 5:21 pm. The Executive Session was adjourned at 5:25 pm. XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Rell Woodward moved to adjourn the October meeting. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous Meeting Adjourned: at 5:26 pm on October 1, 2008.
September Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held September 3, 2008I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:01 pm on Wednesday, September 3, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA A request from Alohabroadband was added to “New Business.” IV. ROLL CALL Loren Heck, President Rell Woodward, Treasurer Ken Wicks, 1st VP Valerie Tudor, Board Member Bill Vinson, Board Member Jack Garner, Board Member Absent: Randy Van Leeuwen, Mary Kastle Meleana Smith, A & O Director, Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – none VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the August minutes be approved as written. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – No report B. 1st Vice President – No report C. 2nd Vice President – absent D. Treasurer – 1. Financial Report – As presented. Mele pointed out that two line items, Miscellaneous Road Supplies and Tools, are over budget; all other items are under budget at this time. The over- budget items are mostly due to the purchase of speed humps. Collection of assessments has been slower than usual this year and we may have to move about $150,000 from our Operating Fund to our bank account to cover the current shortfall. Fifty-three properties in Ocean View are currently scheduled to be auctioned by the County of Hawaii Property Tax office on October 16th; although land prices are lower now than they have been in the last few years, we are still likely to recover a high percentage of the monies due to the RMC on those same properties. If all funds due to us are recovered, we will receive $86,537.41; funds are not released from escrow for one year following the date of the sale. Processing of the HOVERMC foreclosures is proceeding; Lawyer Sogi is negotiating payoffs with some individuals; a date for the sale has not yet been established. E. Secretary – Mary Kastle was absent due to a death in the family F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report The newsletter has been printed, folded and sent out, with the assist- ance of volunteers from the Community Association, in exchange for including an inserted flyer for the OVCA. There was apparently a mis- communication with the printer and we were about 200 copies short, but the printing job was so clean we were able to make photocopies and assemble them to finish the mailing. We will have to make some more to send out to new members through the year, but that can be done on an as-needed basis. The Annual Meeting is October 11th. 2. Operations Bill Vinson questioned the placing of the speed humps, and said they should be moved closer to the intersections; Mele responded that she had to follow the traffic codes and code requires that speed humps be placed no closer than 200 feet to the intersection. a. Foreman’s Report The rebuilding of Leilani Parkway is going well; it is about half completed at this time. A written copy of the Foreman’s Report is included in the Board Packet; there were no questions. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws – no report 2. Budget & Finance – no report 3. Legal a. Outside Road Work – The Committee recommends that, if members vote in favor of allowing outside road work, the project be given to the Small Business Development Center, who can provide information and get the answers to our questions. A committee was formed consisting of Stephen Sampson, Valerie Tudor and Loren Heck; they will work with the SBDC if the project is approved at the Annual Meeting. b. County of Hawaii Property – Mele spoke to Sogi; we need to locate the documents that conveyed the property from the developer to the County of Hawaii; we will need this documentation of we have to go before a Board of Appeals. It is not likely that we have copies of documents of conveyance dating back 30+ years before the Corporation existed, but there may be something in our records which would tell us when the conveyance took place, and give document numbers we could reference. We will probably have to have this researched by the Bureau of Conveyances in Honolulu. 4. Personnel - no report B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment a. Building Plans and Construction Quotes (new info) Mele showed the Board three plan drawings from local draftsman Bob Self. The first one is the plan as originally developed by Mele and the Board, the second is some alternate roof styles, and the third is an improved plan which simplifies the plumbing and electrical and will reduce the costs of construction; it also includes a covered lanai outside of the conference room. He is offering to do the formal drawings for $1,400, which would then need to be stamped by an architect for about $500. Mele suggested taking out the center window in the conference room to make space for a pull-down screen and a whiteboard; she also wants to add a second door to the 10x10 office. Valerie asked if there was going to be a shower; Bill said it would be a good idea to have one. There is a tiny shower at the shop for decontamination purposes, but something larger would be more practical. Teddi pointed out that if the building ever had to be used as an emergency shelter, a shower would be important. Valerie asked about a kitchen, but Mele said if cooking facilities were designed in, they would have to meet commercial-kitchen standards, since it is a commercial building, and that would add greatly to the costs; we can put in a refrigerator and use a hotplate if needed. Mele added that there would have to be additional plans and drawings done for the commercial septic system and the electrical. Further discussion determined that everyone liked the ‘hip’ style roof better than the gable roof, which gave the building a horse barn appearance. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the design offered by Mr. Self be accepted with the hip roof design, and kept open for minor revisions. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous 2. Road Maintenance a. Weed Control (spraying) Jack said we were considering purchasing a new mower at a high cost, whereas using Round-Up for weed control would be much less costly. Several Board members pointed out we would still have to have to get a new mower, as the entire subdivision could not be hand-sprayed. Jack suggested we get a large spray truck such as the County uses. The subject of spraying weeds with Round-Up has always been a touchy one in HOVE … some residents like the idea, others are very opposed to it. Rell stated that he had read a study in which Glyphosate (the plant- killing ingredient in Round-Up) had been proven safe. There are other studies that disagree. Mele said we do use Round-Up on weeds that come up through the road surface, and within one foot of the edge of the road, but that a lot of people do not want the spray used near their properties, as they have ornamental plantings near their property lines which could be killed if a breeze carried the spray mist the wrong direction. There was consider- able discussion and it was agreed that, if we start spraying to reduce the time it takes to clear the roadsides, owners who do not want the spray used near their properties would have the option to put up “No Spray” signs, as is done elsewhere. There are also several sections of the subdivision which are infested with Fountain Grass, which has a waxy coating and is not affected by Round-Up. Mele pointed out that the National Park people come in twice a year to eradicate as much of the Fountain Grass as possible, since it is a serious fire hazard. Valerie, who has participated in the clean-up, described the process used to remove the grass, which must be done by hand, as mowing and weed-whacking only spreads the seeds. Loren suggested that we do a test strip of a couple of blocks to see how it works. This would give us an idea of how much it will cost to use Round-Up in a larger area. Mele suggested Moana or Donola, as they are short roads in an area where weed infestation is heavy. Board member Rell Woodward lives on Donola and said he would be happy to participate. Residents will have to be notified so they can post ‘No Spray” signs if they wish. Motion: Jack Garner moved that a test be conducted on both sides of Donola to determine the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of using Round-Up to control weeds on the roadside. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous b. Road Use Agreement with the National Park Service. We need emergency access to Park roads for evacuation purposes. A prior verbal agreement allowed walk-in access for HOVE residents to the area above HOVE belonging to the park. The written agreement currently in hand does not include that access, for liability reasons. There are no rangers, graded roads, aid stations or safety equipment in place in this part of the national park; it is raw, wild land and can be very dangerous. Allowing access in writing would make HVNP liable for the injury or death of persons walking in. Undoubtedly those inclined to do so will still be walking in, but it will have to be at their own risk. We want to be allowed to add our own locks to their gates, so that the community will have emergency access to the 4WD drive roads above the subdivision, to be used as escape routes if needed. 3. Membership – 7,138 Newsletters were mailed out last week; postage was roughly $4,200.00. Several people came from the OVCA to help us with the folding and processing; we appreciate their assistance. 4. Safety a. Commercial / Industrial Fees – Mele will develop a list of Commercial / Industrial properties for the Board to consider. b. Truck Route Enforcement & Fines – Remove from agenda until such time as new info is available c. Bus stops 1. Shelters – Jack wants to get together with Mele to design a more economical shelter, based on the plans already provided. Mele is also concerned about lighting, as many of the kids travel long distances to school and in the winter they are leaving before daylight. She wants to install rubbish cans (chained to the shelters). Loren suggested that once the bottom part of Lotus Blossom, leading to the Town Center, has been widened and repaved, that yellow parking blocks be placed to protect pedestrians walking down to the Town Center. The reflector poles currently in use are knocked down constantly. d. Cinder Pit Area – We will continue to apply pressure to encourage compliance with road safety and safe mining practices. IX. SPECIAL ORDERS X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS B. GENERAL ORDERS XI. NEW BUSINESS 1. Alohabroadband Request Alohabroadband wants to install another broadband “tower” (actually a 10-20 foot pole) on the hill above our Cinder pit. It is the highest point in the subdivision and will provide coverage for some people who are currently unable to access broadband internet. There will be no liability issues, as Elton will not need a key to the gate; the antenna is solar-powered and will require very little maintenance. Rell suggested that we barter with him computer assistance if needed, with the hours accumulating from month to month. We rarely need assistance, but when we do it’s usually something that takes a while; having “service credit” with him could be very useful. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that we allow Alohabroadband to put our their tower up on our cinder hill, and that we ask, in exchange, assistance with our computer needs in the future. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Rell Woodward moved to adjourn the September meeting. Seconded by Jack Garner. Unanimous. Meeting Adjourned: at 4:57 pm on September 3, 2008.
August Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held August 6, 2008I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:10 pm on Wednesday, August 6, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Loren requested that some items be added to the agenda. Under VIII:B:4, add item (e.) Speed Humps. He also pointed out that the item to be discussed in VIII:B:4:d should be handled in Executive Session; these items were accordingly moved. IV. ROLL CALL Loren Heck, President Rell Woodward, Treasurer Ken Wicks, 1st VP Valerie Tudor, Board Member Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Jack Garner, Board Member Absent: Mary Kastle, Bill Vinson Meleana Smith, A & O Director; Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – none VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES Loren pointed out that it was improper procedure to use names in the minutes when discussing problems with individual owners. Teddi agreed to make needed changes to protect the privacy of the individuals. Motion: Loren Heck requested a vote that the Minutes of the July meeting be approved as amended. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – Loren noted that although the Board packets were available several days before the meeting, when he picked his up the day before, they were all still in the bins. He requested that the office notify the board by e-mail (and Valerie by phone) when the packets were ready, in hopes that board members would pick them up ahead of time. The President then introduced prospective Board Member Stephen Sampson. He recommended that Steve be appointed by the Board to serve out the last two months of Eleanor Shannon’s term; he is currently on the ballot for the upcoming election. Should he be elected, this would give him a ‘running start’ in getting acquainted with the issues and procedures of the Board. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that Stephen Sampson be appointed to fill the current vacancy on the Board. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous B. 1st Vice President – Ken reported that he is feeling much better and hopes to be more active with the Board in the future. C. 2nd Vice President – no report D. Treasurer – All information is in the Board Packet; we are on budget and expenditures in the first two quarters were kept low. Cinder sales have been helpful. If any questions ask Mele. Valerie asked why we do not focus more time on cinder sales. Rell and Mele explained that we try to do cinder sales as often as possible, but when the crew needs to be on the road with the equipment, we can’t do cinder at the same time. Cinder sales were established as a convenience to our members and a source of additional income, but we cannot let it interfere with the work that needs to be done on the roads. Mele informed the Board that assessments are coming in more slowly than last usual. At this time we have not yet reached 75%; probably due to the crisis in the economy. E. Secretary – Mary Kastle was absent due to a death in the family F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report 2007 taxes are being reviewed by our accountant and should be ready to sign soon. Renelle from the auditor’s office has informed Mele that there are items in the General Ledger for 2003 that she is having trouble with. Apparently the previous office staff was still doing things incorrectly at that time, and Mele will now have to go back and research the entire year. The case for the sign damage in May has gone to the prosecuting attorney. The individual who smashed all 25 signs has admitted to five, and Officer Freeman is going to go ahead with the case. Although a couple of residents say that the person in question told them he had smashed all the signs, they are not willing to appear in court. The office has an internal incident report as well as the police report, and all the damage has been documented; Mele has sent the prosecuting attorney copies of all our traffic codes and information. A court date has not yet been set. Mele has been in contact with Robin Lamson about putting up cameras near the park to determine who is vandalizing signage there, which is currently occurring virtually every weekend. They are trying to deter- mine appropriate placement; possible sites have been discussed. The Board has already approved the purchase of another camera; she sug- gests looking into a more appropriate one for this area. There are almost always people at the park and the area is in constant motion; a motion-detecting camera such as we use elsewhere would not be very useful. We may be able to find a camera that will take a shot every minute, or some other logical time interval. A Big Island towing company is operating a car-crushing business at the top of the subdivision; they are bringing in derelict vehicles from other areas to crush, and at the present time are operating illegally. In addition, they are leaving glass all over the roads, and have apparently dropped no less than seven engine blocks in the middle of our roads, although the deny this. They are also bringing in huge container trucks to haul out the crushed cars; they are in the subdivision before 7:00 and we have been getting noise complaints. Mele has asked the operator to get proper permits, and has made a formal complaint to the Solid Waste Division offices on Oahu requesting a cease- and-desist order from them; we do not know if they have taken any action. She will be submitting a formal complaint to the Planning Department as well, also requesting a cease-and-desist order. The 2008-2009 newsletter is at the printer. Sadly, the man who has printed our newsletter for years has become extremely ill, but he said he still wanted the job. There was not time to find another printer, as they would have to order stock for the job from Honolulu, which would take over a month to arrive; our printer already ordered the stock and has it on hand. He says he can still do the work, but we may not get the finished product until the end of August, which is very close to our last-minute mailing deadline. We will have volunteers from the OVCA to help us with the final assembly and mailing. At this time we have no choice but to hope for the best. It looks like we will have to find another printer for next year. Rell suggested Julia in Pahala, who pro- duces the Ka’u Calendar, but that is a web press (newsprint) publication and we will need to find out if they can do sheet-fed as well. They apparently also have a litho press, as they are going to be producing the next annual HOVE Directory. Teddi will call Julia to chat. Another possibil- ity is Wayne’s Printing in Kealakekua. Leilani Parkway is being worked on. Mac has excavated and widened the dead end and the first block coming down to Aloha. The whole road has to be moved over, so a lot of excavation will be required. Oil is scheduled for the third week in August and then it will be striped and the signs replaced. Leilani should be finished by the end of the month, but may run over into the first week in September. Once that is done we will be moving into section H to do patching and fog sealing. There is not much rebuild to be done in this quarter so we will not require large amounts of material and oil. Mele is going to schedule driveway aprons in September, by then we should have SS1 oil available. The crew will only do ones on the list, unless there is one right next door that is eroding the roadway; we need to get the list whittled down. Bus stops: We originally had chosen Aloha and King Kam as a bus stop and had cleared space on the corner, but it had to be moved for safety reasons and was relocated to Iolani and Sea Breeze. Others are at Aloha and Hula, Hawaii and PK, PK and Lotus Blossom, Moana and King Kam, Kahuku Park, and Leilani Circle Mauka. Most of these already have signage and have been widened, they are ready for paving and striping. Iolani and Sea Breeze was a last-minute change and will have to be widened, paved and signage installed. We will be ordering more speed humps for the bus stop areas, at the recommendation of the Board. Mele recommends 10MPH signs for the School Bus Stops; they cost about $25 apiece; 18 signs will be required. She has been studying the Federal Traffic Standards signage manual, and many of our older signs are not placed correctly. Some are too close to the road, some are too close to intersections; placement of Speed Limit signs is erratic. It all needs to be standardized so we have a pattern we can stick to. We will not have to buy a bunch of new signs, just relocate the ones we have. People are constantly running the stop sign where Princess Kaiulani meets Hawaii Blvd; Ken Wicks, who lives near that intersection, says 9 out of 10 vehicles do not stop. When we get in the next batch of speed humps, we will be placing some in that location. 2. Operations a. Foreman’s Report Valerie questioned the entry on “Office Complaints,” asking if people actually came in and told us about problems with the road. This happens constantly and is very valuable to the Corporation; we can’t be everywhere and see everything. When stop signs are knocked down or potholes form, particularly in areas where there are fewer people and less traffic, we have no way to know about it quickly unless someone informs us. People who live in the area want the stop signs in place, and appreciate it when we respond quickly to their requests for repairs. The watchfulness of Ocean View residents is one of our greatest assets. We have been working on the bus stops this last month, and doing patching and mowing. The hour meters have been installed on the equip- ment with broken odometers, and we bought and installed gauges on our two diesel tanks so we can keep track of usage and know when to buy fuel without one of the crew having to climb to the tops of the tanks. We’ve had problems with both of our dump trucks and they have had to go to Wally for repairs. One has been returned, the other is still at Wally’s. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws – no report 2. Budget & Finance 3. Legal a. Outside Road Work – to Committee Meeting Sept. 3, 3:00 - The packet contains background information for review at the Committee Meeting. Meeting b. County of Hawaii Property – in trying to recover back assessments for the CoH properties, we cannot go back more than six years (statute of limitations). Mele recommends that the lawyer go through the process of establishing that the amounts are due. Mr. Sogi says he will not do this on a contingency basis, indicating he does not think we can recover amounts past the last 6 years. We will probably be able to collect on the more recent amounts, and establish that the County is responsible for assessments on the properties they own. Rell said our first step should be to contact the Corporation Council, give them our information and ask for a recommendation. Since our claim has been denied by the government, we can take it to the Board of Appeals. This process is similar to small claims court. 4. Personnel - no report B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment – Mele is taking bids for the drawing of our building plan. She called the Building Department and it is not required that the same contractor do both buildings, or that the plans be submitted together. She has requested that the contractor with whom we have an agreement go ahead and get started on the equipment building, but has not yet heard back from him. Rell said the Ranchos RMC Board has a new member who does architectural drawing and building plans. He will get the guy’s contact information and e-mail it to Mele. Mowers – Mele has been looking at the specs on each mower and getting quotes. She considered and rejected the idea of a boom mower; our need for that kind of trimming is small and the booms are costly. She is looking for a rotary cutter with an enclosed cab and chains below the mower deck to deter rocks from being thrown off the blades. She showed the board one model which would meet our needs. All the models have bulletproof glass to protect the driver from rocks, and air conditioning to keep him from roasting in the enclosed space. There are two vendors here on the island who sell such machinery. She is looking for a compromise between horsepower and price, and should have more quotes by the date of the Committee Meeting. 2. Road Maintenance – no report 3. Membership – no report 4. Safety a. Commercial / Industrial Fees – to Committee Meeting Sept. 3, 3:00 b. Truck Route Enforcement & Fines – The Board was given copies of letters sent for trucking violations. Albert Yoshida, a Safety Officer from the Department of Transportation, has been out here tagging trucks for infractions, which should be very helpful. c. Bus stops 1. Shelters – Mele will get with Jack, who has some ideas for modifica- tions to improve the design. We may be able to get a grant through one of the local 501(c)3 organizations to cover the costs of the bus shelters, since we have not had a lot of donations. d. Cinder Pit Area – not discussed e. Speed Humps – Mele suggests that we should post 10 mph Speed Limit signs for the speed humps. She feels that it could be a liability issue. The cost would be over our discretionary fund limit and must be approved by the Board. The Board discussed it and decided that the existing signage is sufficient, since the whole subdivision is 25mph. Loren asked for a motion to purchase the signs; no motion was made and the item was tabled. Speed humps and appropriate signage for the school bus stops was also discussed; we need to ensure that the proper signage is in place on both sides. The School Board has added a couple of bus stops which we had not anticipated and we need more humps and signs. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the school bus stop areas were our top priority and additional speed humps and signs should be purchased to complete the project. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous The President said that after observing the results, the rumble strips we have been putting in are not effective; we need to have speed humps on both lanes. People are swerving into the opposite lane to avoid the speed humps, and creating a greater problem. After some discussion, the Board agreed that wherever we have speed humps, they need to be on both sides of the road. Motion: Loren Heck moved that the rumble strips be discontinued and speed humps placed on both sides of the road. No Second Further discussion ensued and Mele informed the Board that the cost of placing full-width speed humps on all intersections which currently have single-lane humps would be an additional $40,000 to $50,000. She explained that there are six sections to each single-lane hump on boulevards; each piece costs $135.00. The Board decided that we should proceed with what we have on order, doing both sides, and evaluate performance. They requested that Mele work out priorities for placement, finish those with the order already made, and do an analysis on the effectiveness. The Board feels that placement of humps in all lanes at 4-way stops (boulevards) is the next priority after the school bus loading zone areas. Mele said she could return the rumble bumps currently on order to the manufacturer for a refund. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the crew should proceed with the supplies on hand and currently on order, and use them in the high-priority areas, placing them across the full width of the street. Lower priority areas will be held in abeyance until an evaluation can be done, at which time we can order more if and as needed. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous Mele just got a quote for 116 more sections at $19 – 20,000. IX. SPECIAL ORDERS X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS B. GENERAL ORDERS 1. Grant writing procedures – We now have two grant-writers in the office; Loren requested that anything being done on office time should be approved ahead of time. He suggested that we might try to raise some money, under the 501(c)3 of the Community Association, to help with bus shelters for the kids, as donations so far have been small and we cannot use RMC funds for the project. XI. NEW BUSINESS – none XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS – none XIV. EXECUTIVE SESSION – The Board went into Executive Session at 5:53pm. The Executive Session ended at 6:00pm. XV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Rell Woodward moved to adjourn the August meeting. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous. Meeting Adjourned: at 6:01 pm on August 6, 2008.
July Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held July 2, 2008I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:11 pm on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA The July 2008 agenda was adopted as presented. IV. ROLL CALL Loren Heck, President Mary Kastle, Secretary Ken Wicks, 1st VP Rell Woodward, Treasurer Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Bill Vinson, Board Member Valerie Tudor, Board Member Jack Garner, Board Member Meleana Smith, A&O Director, Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – none VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES Motion: Mary Kastle moved that the June 2008 minutes be approved as written. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – the President enjoyed his vacation and is ready to go back to work. B. 1st Vice President – absent C. 2nd Vice President – no report D. Treasurer – All information in Board Packet; if any questions ask Mele. E. Secretary – no report. F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report 2003 books are almost done; 2007 taxes are nearly complete; should be ready to sign in about 2 weeks. While in the process of doing the semiannual road survey, Mele, Kris and Madison were able to assist with the OVCDC’s Dwelling Survey. This survey is important to the Road Corp as well as the community; we need to have accurate information on the number of people (and therefore vehicles) using our roads, and where the highest population densities are in the subdivision, in order to keep up with maintenance in the appropriate areas. All foreclosure notices have been served and we are now getting requests for settlement agreements. The Lawyer will handle them on an individual basis. Big Island Scrap Metal has been removing junk cars from the subdivision, they have collected over five hundred and will be continuing for another couple of weeks. Another twoing company has opened an illegal junkyard near the top of the subdivision on Lurline. They have no permits; they have a crusher and are baling the crushed vehicles. Mele has made a complaint to the Solid Waste Division in Honolulu, and to James Isa of the Environmental Waste Management Division, but no action has been taken as yet. Rell advised her to contact the Planning Department immediately and talk to Horace at the Kona office, or to Jeff Darrow or Norm Hyashi in Hilo; they now have two investigators on this side of the island. They will need a written complaint and can issue a Cease and Desist order. Mele has been sending our building plans to different architects and builders, and is gathering quotes for construction of our office building. Princess Kaiulani below King Kamehameah is completed except for the reflectors. Mele has rearranged the road crew’s schedules so that each man is scheduled for a specific job on every day, and crews are assembled in a logical manner. Road oil (CRS-1) is now $6.50 a gallon and our last 4,800-gallon tanker load cost $37,000 with freight and delivery. Mac is currently widening the final areas for the school bus loading zones; we need to pave and stripe them, put in speed humps and all the proper signage for the safety of the school kids, and then we can start working on the shelters. With the help of the School Board, the stops are located so that there will be about 50 kids per location; currently there are nearly 200 catching the bus at the park. Mele is hoping that we can put full-width speed humps at those locations, for the protection of the children. On Monday Mele and Kris assisted the crew in doing the layout for installation of speed humps. The first ones were installed at Aloha and Hawaii, but it became apparent very quickly that the fastening system which was recommended to us by the manufacturer (4” pins in sleeves) was not going to work with our unique ground conditions. As cars went across them, the ‘pins’ began to pull loose. Mele has contacted the manufacturer and they recommend a longer pin with a hook. These are 10” long and cost $6.00 apiece; there are 32 of them fastening each hump, so it would be a considerable additional expense. The board discussed alternative methods, such as epoxy, for fastening the humps. The chevron lines have been painted and all the appropriate markings done; they observed the results and most people did slow down, but several people went around them (into the oncoming lane). Because we are on a long weekend and the crew will not be working tomorrow, Mele had them remove the humps so there would be no problems over the weekend. Dennis Muse of the Etnyre Corporation came from the mainland for a retraining session for the crew in the use of the big oiler and the chip spreader we purchased from Etnyre several years ago. There was no charge for this retraining. We then had Bart come in from Honolulu; he represents the company from whom we purchase road oil. He held a training class for the crew to teach them how to detect problems with the oil when it arrives, rather than learning too late (as happened a few months back) that we’d received a defective batch. Because we accepted the defective oil and used it, he could not refund our pur- chase, however he came over to spend a day training our crew to recognize potential problems before accepting the shipment, at no charge. 2. Operations a. Foreman’s Report Work will start on Leilani next week. The road will have to be stripped and moved over about 10 feet; it was way off center when originally laid out long ago, and we now have the opportunity to correct that. We received the hour meters for the trucks last week and will be install- ing them ASAP; we have also purchased gauges for our two diesel tanks so we can tell when we need to order more without one of the crew having to climb up on top of the tank. Mowing and weedwhacking will now be done by grid section, rather than moving the equipment from place to place when we get calls or complaints. The 77 International and the Peterbilt are both down and at the mech- anic’s shop for repairs; they are just old. The 77 should be back next week but the Peterbilt is more serious. When the new truck comes in one of them will be put on light duty. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws – Loren asked if the wording for the consolidated-lot assessment had been finalized for the newsletter. Mele told him it was done at the last meeting and was in the minutes. 2. Budget & Finance a. Foreclosure Settlements One particular lot owner has been a problem for many years; he has not paid a road assessment since he bought the property in June of 1994. We liened the property in 2004, sent him a First Notice of Foreclosure in 2006 and a Second Notice of foreclosure in 2007; his only response was to tell us to stop threatening him, claiming we had no right to foreclose. We have sent him copies of the Bylaws and Court Order. The property was sent to our lawyer to begin foreclosure proceedings in October of 2007. This individual has now approached our lawyer with an offer to pay $10.00 a month. This seems inadequate, considering his past record; even if he was faithful with his payments, it would take over ten years to bring the account current, since assessments and finance charges would continue to accrue. Rell pointed out that when the Board decided to go ahead with foreclos- ures, it was also decided that once a property went to the lawyer, the Board would not negotiate. If his attorney wants to try to reach an agreement with our attorney, that’s fine, but the Board will not reconsider. Additionally, some new information has come to light. The statute of limitations on liens is ten years, which is why we renew our liens every decade. However, Mr. Sogi has now informed us that the statute of limita- tions is six years on unpaid debts, so we may not be able to collect on past due amounts which accrued prior to 1998, six years before our lien. The Board advised that we proceed with foreclosure, and collect as much of the past due as we can, within the law; let the lawyers work it out. The second case is an individual who owns several Ocean View properties. He is what is known in the business as a ‘flipper’, that is, he purchases properties when prices are low, sells them when prices are high, and frequently forecloses when the buyers are unable to make their monthly payments. He says that he is not liable for unpaid assessments because they should have been paid by the (failed) buyer; however it is in our Bylaws that the debt follows the property, and accrues to the owner of record if it is not paid through escrow. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that, as per the motion made some months ago, we will not negotiate on any property once it has gone to foreclosure. We have been in contact with these individuals, we have offered them payment plans and made every effort to work with them, and they have refused our offers. Seconded by Randy Van Leeuwen. Unanimous 3. Legal a. Outside Road Work – Valerie Tudor has just returned from the mainland and she and Mele have not had an opportunity to get together on this. They will report to the Board at the next meeting. Rell made a motion at the June meeting that “per Article 7, Section A of the Bylaws, the Road Maintenance Corporation has the ability to chipseal private driveways within the HOVE subdivision on a contract basis; cost to the lot owner will be the cost of material, labor, equipment, liability insurance and administrative costs, plus 15 percent as a fee to the RMC. The 15% fee can be changed as needed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.” Mele said she had not yet contacted lawyer Sogi about the issue; Loren suggested that we put it in the newsletter, as putting out the information did not obligate us to perform any service if legal advice is to the contrary. Rell said he had sent Mele information in an e-mail that we could use for wording the proposal. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that language regarding the change be put included in the newsletter and put to a vote. Seconded by Valerie Tudor. Unanimous b. County of Hawaii Property - Our lawyer has been very busy with foreclosures and with family issues, and Mele has been tied up doing the road survey and managing all the other tasks recently assigned to her. They have not yet been in contact on this issue. 4. Personnel – no report B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment a. Mele has received the first quote in response to her Request for Propos- al on the drafting of our office building. The bidder is proposing $8,000 not including the Architectural Stamp, which will cost another $500 to $800. She explained to the Board that, since this was a commercial building rather than a residence, the plan was more involved, due to requirements for handi- capped parking and restroom accessibility, commercial septic, and so on. Loren asked how things were going with our old mower, and if the Board had approved the purchase of a newer one. Mele said it broke down again yesterday but the crew had repaired it and it was back on the road, and they were managing. The Board did discuss getting a new mower last year, but the ones we found were so costly it was dropped without ever being approved. Mele recently contacted American Machinery, who told her there was a group of used ones that had been leased by the Hokulia project, and were now sitting on a lot in Honolulu. The Board requested that she look into the used ones and get quotes on some new ones. 2. Road Maintenance – no report 3. Membership – 2008-2009 Newsletter a. Newsletter update and additions The newsletter is in process; Mele handed out a copy of what we have so far. She is working on her Office Report and Road Report; the Budget is done. Teddi has written and placed several articles as requested. We have the Budget ready to paste up; we need Loren’s letter. Rell mentioned the Post Office article and gave us a couple of updates. The 2009 Road Plan is composed of the items which were not completed in 2006 and 2007 due to problems with acquiring oil. It will still have to be voted on by the membership. Mary would like the ballot rearranged in such a way that the name/address/# of lots label would be on the part of the ballot that must be returned … too many people are tearing it off, and without that label, their votes cannot be counted. Valerie would like to see the “how to vote” section revised for greater clarity. Teddi requested that Valerie do the revision, as she has re-written it every year for 5 years and has run out of ideas. Loren asked that we take photos of all the cars being moved out of the subdivision and write a brief article. Mele said she would be taking photos of the bus stop areas, the speed humps, and other new developments, like she does every year. The OVCA wishes to place a single-sheet insert our newsletter; we have weighed it and it will not increase our postage. In return they will provide volunteers to help us fold the newsletter and get it ready to send out. Jack showed a copy of the flyer to the Board. Motion: Mary Kastle moved that the OVCA flyer be accepted, as having help folding and processing the newsletter will save the RMC staff a lot of man-hours. Seconded by Rell Woodward. Unanimous Loren asked if he could nominate a person for the Board, even though it was past the July 1 deadline. The Bylaws give the Board the right to appoint a Board Member at any time, and since we have the time and space to do so, putting the new nominee in the newsletter for a vote only made sense. The staff provided Loren with the paperwork to be filled out and asked that he return it by the following day, with the needed bio informa- tion. The office has compiled a list of persons who have been in the subdivi- sion for many years, who might be willing to sign an affidavit for the grandfathering of our older cinder lots into the existing Special Use Permit. As soon as the Attorney General’s office returns Teddi’s notary paperwork we will start contacting them. 4. Safety a. Commercial / Industrial Fees (postponed) b. Truck Route Enforcement & Fines (postponed) c. Speed Humps – we have received the speed humps and are working on the signage and installation issues. Because we are installing them on chip sealed roadways we need to come up with a solution to the pins loosening up. We will probably purchase more speed humps after testing these out for a while. Bill Vinson suggested cutting narrow trenches across the road and putting in strips of concrete, then setting the pin sleeves in the concrete. This may be a good alternative solution. Motion: Loren Heck moved that the Office be approved to purchase up to 50 more speed humps if they are needed. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous d. Bus stops 1. Bus Stop Shelters – as the OVCA did not want a bus stop near the Community Building, the proposed location has been moved to Sea Breeze and Leilani Circle (upper side) near the tsunami siren. There is a flat area there which would be much safer for the kids. We will need to put in speed humps there, as with the other bus stops. IX. SPECIAL ORDERS X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS B. GENERAL ORDERS – none XI. NEW BUSINESS – XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none XIV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Rell Woodward moved to adjourn the July meeting. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous. Meeting Adjourned: at 5:47 pm on July 2, 2008.
June Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held June 4, 2008I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:06 pm on Wednesday, June 4, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved that the June 2008 agenda be adopted as presented. Seconded by Rell Woodward. Unanimous IV. ROLL CALL Mary Kastle, Secretary Ken Wicks, 1st VP Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Rell Woodward, Treasurer Valerie Tudor, Board Member -- Attended by phone Rell Woodward, Treasurer Jack Garner, Board Member absent: Loren Heck, President; Bill Vinson, Board Member Meleana Smith, A & O Director, Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – Guest: Peter Lubke – Peter has lived in Ocean View for 14 years and has a home up on Aloha Boulevard. His concern involves the allowable times of operation for the cinder haulers. Trucks are not supposed to enter the subdivision until 7:00 am, which would bring them up past his house no earlier than 7:15. Trucks are going past his place at 6:30 am, running uphill empty (very noisy) at high rates of speed. His primary concern is that his wife and many others are driving their kids to school at that time. He has talked to many of the truck drivers; some are compliant and are not a problem, but in general the drivers for Big Island Aggregate are violating the times of operation continuously, and are consistently discourteous. He asked if the Road Corps is allowed to issue fines, or if the police can ticket offenders for not obeying the time constraints. Community Policing Officer Dane Shibuya responded that the police can enforce all the County and State traffic laws within the subdivision, but cannot enforce rules established by the Corporation, as they are not laws. Mr. Lubke said that since this is a private subdivision, persons not obeying the rules should be ticketable as trespassers, but Ofcr. Shibuya explained that, although the subdivision is private, the roads are not. To establish private roads we would have to gate the community; HOVRanchos’ attempt to establish even one gate has shown that such a move would not garner the support of the residents, and would prove both costly and futile. Randy asked if the times were posted on the signs at the bottom of each entrance road; they are not. Rell Woodward commented that several of the cinder operators are operating outside of their permits, and we may be able to approach enforcement from that angle. We are already working with the Planning Department on other issues. Given the unfortunate lack of police presence in Ocean View, since they are so short-handed, we can’t expect the Police to spend time on non- enforceable issues. Mr. Lubke pointed out that it is disturbing the peace, and it should be ticketable on those grounds, and that the truckers are consistently speeding when going uphill empty; a speeding ticket is a serious offense on a CDL license; a few days of enforcement might be effective. Mele said that she had recently written them a letter requesting that they obey the requested times of operation, and that if they continued to ignore them, the police would be called, and that haulers who were not property owners would not be allowed in the subdivision. Mr. Lubke then brought up that B.I. Agg. was also allowing motocross bikes and ATVs to run in the pits on weekends. He stated that there are twenty or thirty bikes up there at any given time over the weekend; it is a very dangerous area, and it’s unlikely that permits would be given for such activity. Bikers were banned from the National Park area above the subdivision because they were doing so much damage to native plants and bird nesting sites; they need a safe place to ride. Mele asked Ofcr. Shibuya if it might be effective to put a petition in our newsletter asking for more police officers for Ocean View. Currently we have two officers patrolling 11,500 acres and 157 miles of road, and they are often called away to other parts of the district since the Ka’u Police are so short-handed. He said it certainly couldn’t hurt to bring more attention to the situation, and that we could contact the Chief and the Mayor with the same request. VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved that the May 2008 minutes be approved as written. Seconded by Jack Garner. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – the President is off-island B. 1st Vice President – no report C. 2nd Vice President – no report D. Treasurer – All information in Board Packet; if any questions ask Mele. Mele reported that our investment package has recovered … last month it was down about 20% but Sita moved some of our investments to the international market and it has come back up. Our attorney is now recording and serving the foreclosure documents. Once that process is completed, we will be able to proceed with the auction. Aloha Broadband has installed their repeater on our baseyard property and we are now receiving free broadband service and website hosting for the office. Big Island Scrap Metal has said they will start processing and removing derelict vehicles on Monday. We are donating a free load of cinder for the area where they will be doing the crushing, on the site of the old South Point Restaurant. They will be accepting all types of scrap metal at the same location, on the bottom of Tiki Lane near the highway. They should be here for about a month as they have at least 800 vehicles to be removed. West Coast Towing has started a car baling operation up on Lurline between Lei & Ohia. They apparently do not have any permits. Mele will speak to James Isa of the Solid Waste Division to find out if this is a legitimate operation. E. Secretary – no report. F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report Mele and Kris will be starting the Road Survey the third week in June. In addition to the usual road data, they will also be mapping the telephone and electric lines, and helping with this year’s ‘dwelling count.’ George Wallace did the last one in 2006; now OVCDC is taking over the responsibility. Rell will find out which areas have not yet been assigned to volunteers. The crew has been working on driveway aprons, and will be fog-sealing the bottom of PK next week. They will start installing the speed humps the third week in June, after they have watched the instructional videos. While the crew is working on those projects, Mac will be up on Leilani doing prep for rebuild. There are many encroachments in that area so the whole process will take a couple of months. Locations for bus stops have been established, and the crew will be clearing, paving and striping the shoulder area to make a safe space for the kids. 2. Operations a. Foreman’s Report The night of May 30th, 25 of our stop and street signs were run down, affecting 18 intersections. We made a police report but received little response; we know who did it and are gathering evidence. There are a couple of witnesses but they don’t want to testify; we have asked them to call Crime Stoppers and leave anonymous statements. The vehicle used has been identified as well, and the front plate from that vehicle was found wrapped around the base of one of the downed stop signs. The officer assigned to the case has not been responding to our calls; Mele spoke to our Community officer about it as well. Randy suggested that she put everything in writing so the police would have to respond. Mele said she would do that. The cost to the corporation for this vandalism has been over $2,000.00. The ’77 International dump is having engine trouble again, and has been sent to Wally Young in Na‘alehu for repairs. The new Dodge dump is on order, and will arrive at Kawaihae Harbor in about 2 months. Randy said that NAPA carries the hour meters we need, they are called Hobbs’ hour meters; if they are out of them, Truck Parts Hawaii also carries them. Mele said she would order them. Rell reported that he and Robin Lamson visited with Pat Englehart, who is the Director of Parks and Rec. Robin has contacted a guy who has to do some Community Service time, and owns a D-9 Cat. He said he would grade a parking area on the County property near the park for the cost of the fuel; Mr. Englehart agreed to allow use of one acre of County property for this purpose, and to move the location of the projected “Multi-purpose Center” to the other side of the new parking lot, so they could share the same parking lot. Hopefully the County will also pave the parking lot once graded, but Robin asked, should the County fail to do so, if we could pave it. He will have more information in the future. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws – no report 2. Budget & Finance – Rell and the Budget Committee went over the new budget in great detail; Mele had a few changes and additions, including reducing the amount we pay for vehicle insurance, and the Directors’ and Officers’ Liability package is slightly higher. The completed document is included in the Committee Report package. Rell said that the budget for next year is lower than this year’s, and as of May 30th, we have spent less than half of this year’s budget, despite the rises in costs, particu- larly in oil prices. Our biggest reduction is in “Professional Services,” as the audits of past years are nearly complete. Cinder sales are going well; even with the price increase due to rising fuel costs, residents are very happy to be able to purchase cinder. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the Budget for 2009 be approved. Seconded by Jack Garner. Unanimous Since our budget for 2009 is lower and cinder income is helping cover rising costs, the Committee suggested that the 2009 assessment be kept at $90.00. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the Assessment for 2009 be kept at $90.00. Seconded by Randy Van Leeuwen. Unanimous 3. Legal a. Outside Road Work Over recent years there have been more and more requests from property owners for chip-sealed driveways, as well as requests from nearby subdivisions that we pave their roads, particularly Ranchos. The legal issues on this have never been entirely clear. A recent opinion from our lawyer Jim Sogi indicated that it would most likely be allowable for us to do driveways within HOVE on a contract basis, because it would constitute an improvement to the roads, to have driveways that were not spewing rocks and debris on the road surface. Mr. Sogi is on vacation right now, but it appears that an addition to the Articles of Incorporation would be required. Such an addition would require 75% approval of those who vote either by mail, by proxy or in person at the annual meeting. Rell noted that the Articles define what the Road Maintenance Corporation can and cannot do, while the Bylaws set up the governance; that is, how we run the Corporation. The cleanest way to make this change, if we want to do so, is through an amendment to the Articles. Rell has drafted an addition to Article Seven, adding Paragraph Nine, to enable the Corporation to perform work on other road systems and driveways on a contract basis, to generate income, all of which will be used to reduce future assessments for HOVE Road Maintenance shareholders. The individuals or corporations receiving such service will pay for all materials, labor, equipment costs, and any additional liability insurance required, plus a fee to HOVE Road Maintenance Corporation. That fee will initially be 15% of all the aforementioned expenses. This fee can be changed as needed by vote of a majority of the Board of Directors. This change will give us the option to do such work, and will clarify the legality of it, but does not stipulate that we ‘have to’ do outside work at any time. Randy said he thought it would be difficult to determine up front 15% of the cost per job, and would be simpler to handle on a square-foot bid basis, as each job would be different. Rell pointed out that it would always be an estimate, and that if we actually decided to go ahead with the idea, we would have to look into the costing process more carefully. The Amendment to the Articles at this time would allow us to go ahead with it when and if we decide to do so. At this time we have more than enough to do on our own roads for the next several years. Mele pointed out that this was hashed over twelve years ago, and that the members voted to allow such work, but that the legal issues proved too complex and the vote was rescinded at the next year’s meeting. There was also the possibility that the only way to legally do work outside the subdivision would be to form a separate, for-profit corporation. Rell said he would be happy to talk to Jim Sogi and work out the details to determine if the whole idea is worthwhile; Ken suggested that more than one person should attend the meeting. Randy commented that we should concentrate on the HOVE subdivision and providing a variety of services here, before branching out to work for others. We would not have to form a new corporation if we only provided services for our own members. We have older equipment that is too slow for the roads but would be fine for doing driveways; very little, if any, new equipment would have to be purchased. Mele noted that while earning additional income could reduce the annual assessments, the Bylaws mandate a minimum assessment of $60.00. However, if there were excess profits, it could be distributed to shareholders at the end of the year. Teddi added that the board should remember that more workers would have to be hired, and Ken pointed out that the office staff would also have to be increased to deal with the additional bookkeeping. Rell also advised that we should put a notice in the upcoming newsletter that we are ‘anticipating’ being able to do chip-seal driveways for residents in Ocean View Estates on a contact basis. The cost to owners would include administrative costs, labor, materials, liability coverage, and any additional expenses incurred, plus 15%. Randy suggested it was not necessary to spell out all the details before we have really had a chance to work it out, but to just make an announcement that we were anticipating being able to do this in the near future at a cost as yet to be determined. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that, as per Article 7, Section A of the Bylaws, the Road Maintenance Corporation has the ability to chipseal private driveways within the HOVE subdivision on a contract basis; cost to the lot owner will be the cost of material, labor, equipment, liability insurance and administra- tive costs, plus 15 percent as a fee to the RMC. The 15% fee can be changed as needed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. Seconded by Jack Garner Unanimous Rell recommended that Mele contact Jim Sogi after he returns from vacation on the 9th to arrange an appointment for Rell and another Board Member to meet with him regarding outside road work; a phone conference would be fine. Mele did speak to Mr. Sogi about charging the County assessments on the vacant properties they own in the subdivision. He said they are owners like anyone else and that we had the right to assess, but since the former Office Manager was marking the County properties “paid” without ever sending them billings or receiving payment, we can only pursue back payments that were actually billed (since 2004; roughly $35,000.00). Mele gave him the paperwork we had available and he looked it over; he said we need to locate a copy of the document in which the developer deeded the properties to the County in the first place (in the late 50s), to discover the terms of the deeds. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that Mele ask Lawyer Sogi if he will take the case for recovery of these past-due monies from the County on a contingency basis, for 1/3 of the amount recovered. Seconded by Jack Garner. Unanimous 4. Personnel a. Union Contract Renewal 1. Contract signed as proposed. B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment a. Vehicle Purchase Update – Dave Smith Motors (in Idaho, not Utah) can’t get the bed which was to be mounted on the truck, and it would cost much more to have it shipped over and installed separately. Therefore, we are purchasing the vehicle through Windward Dodge in Oahu. They can provide the entire package, assembled and warranteed, for $62,000 including shipping and maintenance contract. 2. Road Maintenance a. 2009 Road Plan Mary suggested that, since we are behind on the 2007-2008 Road Plans due to oil costs and unavailability, we simply continue working on those plans through 2009. Adding more to the schedule would not be realistic, consider- ing the ongoing volatility of the oil business. The Board agreed that was the most sensible approach. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the 2009 Road Plan should be a continua- tion of the existing, uncompleted Road Plans from 2007-2008. Seconded by Randy VanLeeuwen. Unanimous 3. Membership – 2008-2009 Newsletter a. Newsletter update and additions Rell has submitted an article on the vog situation for the newsletter; Teddi edited it to a suitable length. Teddi will also write a brief article outlining the recommended process for maintaining catchment water. 4. Safety a. Commercial/Industrial Fees (set committee date) b. Truck Route Enforcement & Fines (set committee date) c. Bus stops 1. Assigned Bus Stops & Shelters – John Saplan has sent us a map with proposed locations for the bus stops and shelters. Mele outlined the locations. Several have already been cleared, paved and striped, all we need to do is erect the shelters; others will require more work. All locations will be off the highway. Most of them will be located near Speed Humps. IX. SPECIAL ORDERS X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Hearing for Special Permit Loren attended the hearing and all went smoothly; our Special Use Permit has been granted and we can now proceed with construction of the new Office and Equipment shed. B. GENERAL ORDERS – none XI. NEW BUSINESS – Mele told the Board about a two-day Grant-Writing seminar which would be held in Hilo on the 23rd and 24th of June. She and Teddi would like to attend, if the Corporation could sponsor them. This is valuable training that would be useful to the entire community as well as the Corporation, as there are only a few grant writers on the island and they are all badly overbooked. The cost per person is $425.00; it is being run by Grant Writing USA, a nationally-known and accredited group. Mele & Teddi would cover their own expenses for gas, food and lodging if the Corporation could pay for the classes. Motion: Randy VanLeeuwen moved that the Board approve tuition for Mele and Teddi to attend the two-day Grant Writing Seminar. Seconded by Jack Garner. Unanimous XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none XIV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved to adjourn the June meeting. Seconded by Rell Woodward. Unanimous. Meeting Adjourned: at 5:45 pm on June 4, 2008.
May Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held May 7, 2008 I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:08 pm on Wednesday, May 7, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA The A & O Director requested the question of voting and assessments on consolidated lots be added to the agenda under Bylaws. All Approved. IV. ROLL CALL Loren Heck, President Mary Kastle, Secretary Ken Wicks, 1st VP Rell Woodward, Treasurer Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Bill Vinson, Board Member Valerie Tudor, Board Member Attended by phone Jack Garner, Board Member Meleana Smith, A & O Director, Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – none VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES The Secretary requested that a clarification be made to the minutes: the motion shown in Item VIII:A:3:a should read “Mele and Valerie,” not “she and Valerie.” Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the April 2008 minutes be approved as clarified. Seconded by Jack Garner. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – no report B. 1st Vice President – no report C. 2nd Vice President – no report D. Treasurer – financial report as presented. E. Secretary – no report. F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report Teddi’s Notary commission has expired because the Attorney General’s office apparently lost her renewal paperwork. After three weeks of daily phone calls, the forms finally arrived today, have been re-done and notarized, and will be sent to the AG’s office again tomorrow (Certified mail, return receipt this time). Hopefully they will expedite the renewal. Removal of derelict vehicles by Big Island Scrap Metal has been postponed until June; although we have not been able to contact Mike DuBois, a resident called today who had just spoken to him, and gave Teddi the information. This gives us more time to collect signed forms from residents who want cars removed. We have four new “security cameras” which will be placed in strategic areas. The pit area is now cleaned up, so that camera will be moved down to the Park for a while. We have received numerous leads on the spray-paint vandalism of our signs and various private properties around the area, including the names and home locations of the perpetrators. The Police are working on it; we will file charges as soon as they complete their investigation. 2. Operations a. Foreman’s Report Princess Kaiulani is almost completed from King Kamehameha to Hawaii Blvd; we are working on the last section. The section above this, which was damaged last month by someone who moved our barricades while the surface was still wet, has been repaired. It is not as smooth as we would wish, but we cannot afford to rip it out and do it over, at a cost of around $30,000.00. The Planning Commission Meeting to assess our Special Use Permit for the baseyard and office is being held tomorrow in Hilo. Loren will attend; Mele provided him with all the information he might need. There were two people who contested the SUP; one withdrew her filing after getting further information on our plans. The other filer is planning to build a house nearby, and wants assurance that we will address the dust issue. We water down our cinder piles daily; we will also be putting up a dust buffer and a row of fast-growing ironwood pines as soon as our fence is in. Rell said the Planning Director has recommended approval and there should not be a problem. We have been doing a lot of patching, widening and fog sealing, along with safety painting. A crew member went out with a map and marked all the derelict vehicles along our roadways so Big Island Scrap Metal can come and get them. Odometers: Byron can repair one of them and is looking for a replacement. Mele told them to get hour meters, as approved by the board, but they wanted to try to repair. The 440B needs a new turbocharger, and the big Mac dump needs new tires (10). The old mower has been giving us a lot of problems, and is constantly in need of repair. Mele is checking on some used one which were apparently returned to the dealer on Oahu by Hokulia. She will report back to the board with any information. Mele explained the new job-costing sheet to the board; it should give them a more accurate idea of exactly what the crew is doing. VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws a. Consolidated Lots – It has been recommended by the Bylaws committee that a clarifica- tion be made to Bylaws Article 1.3, Definitions, to define “lot” as “1-acre parcels as shown on the original plat maps.” Consolidated lot will be charged road assessments per acre; the assessment for consolidated lots needs to be discussed. Loren requested a vote, approval was unanimous. 2. Budget & Finance – no report 3. Legal a. Outside Road Work Tabled - Valerie and Mele will have a proposal ready next month. 4. Personnel a. Union Contract Renewal The Union Contract will be up for renewal in June. The Personnel Committee recommends that Labor Day be approved as a regular holiday for the crew, and that the annuity be raised by five cents per hour (to $1.00), to be effective for the next three years; and that the recommended cost-of-living increase should be approved. Mary and Loren will meet with the Union Representatives in July. Loren requested a vote, approval was unanimous. B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment a. Vehicle Purchase – Mele has been shopping around the country for a dump truck to replace the F-450, which keeps catching on fire. Dave Smith Motors in Idaho is offer- ing the best truck at the best price, including shipping; the truck is also available immediately. Price includes a ten-year / 100,000-mile full power train warranty, standard jake brakes and a 4-door cab. Local sources are priced about $2,200 higher, with a six-month delay before delivery. Randy recommended that we have the higher walls put on the dump bed, to be the same height as the tailgate, and allow for 6 cu. yd. capacity. Motion: Randy VanLeeuwen moved that the corporation purchase the truck from Dave Smith Motors in Idaho, at a price of $58,164.00, plus a reasonable charge for the higher sided bed. Seconded by Rell Woodward. Unanimous 2. Road Maintenance - no report 3. Membership – 2008-2009 Newsletter – Mele and Rell need to get together soon on the budget and road plan for 2009. All input for the newsletter needs to be together by the first of July. Loren will be leaving for the mainland on May 28th; a meeting of the Membership and Budget committees was therefore scheduled for Tuesday, May 27th, at 9:30 am. 4. Safety – a. Commercial and Industrial Properties – Mele says this will take a full meeting to discuss, as there are many commercial properties in Ocean View which may or may not have greater impact on the roads than residential properties. Special assessments will have to be discussed and established. 1. Affidavits for Cinder Pit – in order to get our cinder operation ‘grandfathered’ we need to collect signatures from people who have been in the subdivision since the beginning, to verify that the original developers were mining those acres. An affidavit form has been drawn up for them to sign. Rell suggested that the phrase ‘early 60s’ be replaced with the specific date of December 12, 1962. We will start collecting signatures as soon as our Notary is re-commissioned. b. Truck Route enforcement and fines. We are still having enforcement issues. The office sends out letters to firms which are positively identified as running on the wrong roads or at the wrong times; we try to maintain a record of current insurance on trucks using our roads, but have no way to force compliance. c. School Bus Shelters – Mele provided a map indicating proposed locations for school bus stops and shelters in Ocean View. She and John Saplan of the School Board worked out appropriate locations based on the number of kids and their locations. We will be seeking input from property owners who may be affected; the shelters will be on the road easement, but we do not want to put them where they are not wanted. Mele will write a letter and include a copy of the map. d. Speed Hump locations – the Safety Committee discussed the placement of speed humps, taking into consideration requests from community members and known problem areas where there is a consistent problem with people speeding and running stop signs. For a trial run, speed humps will be placed on Cocoanut before Iolani, on Ginger Blossom at Aloha, at the four-way stops at Hawaii and Aloha, King Kam and Aloha, PK and King Kam, Tiki on either side of Walaka, and PK on either side of Lotus Blossom, and one on Aloha at Pineapple. Motion: Mary Kastle moved that the Board accept the recommendations of the committee, and place speed humps in the indicated places as a test run. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous IX. SPECIAL ORDERS X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - none B. GENERAL ORDERS – 1. County of Hawaii Properties – Mele needs prior approval to contact the lawyer on this subject. Motion: Rell Woodward moved that Mele contact our attorney with regard to the County’s non-payment of road maintenance assessments on numerous lots (a total of 72 acres) which they own in the subdivision: first, can we collect for back assessments, and second, if they do not pay, can we lien and foreclose on these properties if the assessments are not paid. Seconded by Randy VanLeeuwen. Unanimous 2. The hearing to determine approval of our Special permit tomorrow (5/8/08) at the Aupuni Center in Hilo. Loren is attending, well-armed with information from Mele. Mele requested that Loren consider picking up the tires for our trailer, which are available for pickup at T&J tires. He said he would be glad to, if time permitted. 3. Aloha Broadband proposal: Elton Wilson has requested permission to put up a broadband repeater at our shop location, which has a clear ‘view’ of several areas in the subdivision which do not have broadband coverage. In return for allowing him the space he will provide our broadband service at the office at no charge, including hosting of our website. (We are already using his company for these services, for approx. $100/month.) Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the board should agree to allow positioning of a broadband repeater at the HOVERMC baseyard for the benefit of the community, in exchange for cost-free broadband service and web hosting for the corporation, to include installation of services at the shop and at our new office when it is constructed. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous XI. NEW BUSINESS - none XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none XIV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved to adjourn the May meeting. Seconded by Rell Woodward. Unanimous Meeting Adjourned at 5:15 pm on May 7, 2008.
April Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held April 2, 2008 I. QUORUM – yes II. CALL MEETING TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 4:07 pm on Wednesday, April 2, 2008. III. ADOPTION OF AGENDA The A & O Director requested, as time was of the essence, that two items be added to the agenda: Bereavement Leave for Kristyn Haina to be added as item VII:A:4:a and Replacement for F-450 Dump Truck to be added as item VIII:B:1:b Motion: Rell Woodward moved that the agenda be amended as requested. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous IV. ROLL CALL Loren Heck, President Mary Kastle, Secretary Ken Wicks, 1st VP Rell Woodward, Treasurer Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Bill Vinson, Board Member Valerie Tudor, Board Member - Attended by phone Meleana Smith, A & O Director, Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician V. OPENING – none VI. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved that the March 2008 minutes be approved as presented, including addendum from Rell Woodward. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous VII. OFFICER’S REPORTS A. President – no report B. 1st Vice President – no report C. 2nd Vice President – no report D. Treasurer 1. Financial Report – as presented; no questions E. Secretary – Mary reminded Rell & Randy they need to collect signatures to be placed on the ballot if they wish to remain on the Board, as their terms are set to expire this year. F. Administration & Operations Director 1. Administration a. Office Report 2003 books are still being audited, no discrepancies have been reported. The Notice of Delinquency and Intent to Lien letter will go out in a week; right now we still have payments coming in. The Special Use Permit process has generated a request from the Solid Waste Division for further information; Mele will be sending them the info they need. Jeff Darrow says the permit looks good and is going smoothly. We are still waiting for a response from HVNP on the Road Use Agreement to allow emergency evacuation access to park roads. Our attorney has finished recording all the foreclosures and will start serving the parties affected; once all services have been performed the auction will be scheduled. We will be performing a survey next week to mark abandoned vehicles along our roadways, for removal during the County cleanup scheduled for the end of April. The crew has received a tanker of oil and will be fog sealing the next two blocks on PK Blvd., then proceeding with driveway aprons and pothole repair. The speed humps have arrived in port and we will be picking them up on April 3. We need to determine placement; some locations have already been chosen. A Safety Committee meeting was scheduled for 3:00 on May 7th, before the monthly meeting. 2. Operations a. Foreman’s Report VIII. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Administrative 1. Bylaws – no report 2. Budget & Finance – no report 3. Legal a. Outside Road Work Motion: Mary Kastle moved that Mele and Valerie should work together to develop a business plan for doing driveway work in HOVE. Seconded by Rell Woodward. Unanimous 4. Personnel a. Union Contract Renewal Mary and Loren will meet with the Union Representatives. b. Bereavement Leave Motion: Rell Woodward moved that Kristyn be given three paid days of bereavement leave following the death of her mother. Future similar situations will be handled on an individual basis. Seconded by Bill Vinson. Unanimous B. Operations 1. Building & Equipment a. Special Permit for HOVE RMC Cinder Pit Area Rell Woodward stated that there has never been a Special Use Permit for our cinder pit, as it was established and in operation for years before zoning and permits were established in 1967. Anything continuously in operation prior to the enactment of the zoning laws was grandfathered, and there are several people in the subdivision who can sign affidavits that our two original cinder acres have been in operation since 1962. The additional three acres which were purchased in 1992 were also being mined prior to the time of our purchase. Rell will speak to Jeff Darrow at the Planning Commission to find out if we need to take any other action besides providing affidavits of continuous use, and to learn if there is any particular wording which should be used on the affidavit. b. Replacement of F-450 Dump Motion: Rell Woodward moved that Randy Van Leeuwen, Chair of the Building and Equipment Committee, consult with Mele on finding a replacement for the F-450 dump truck, and purchase a suitable replacement when found. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous 2. Road Maintenance a. Cinder loading fee The cost of transporting cinder down from the pit to the baseyard for member pickup has increased considerably with the rise in fuel prices. Motion: Randy VanLeeuwen moved that the loading fee for a yard of cinder for HOVE residents be raised to seven dollars, and for non-residents to ten dollars, to cover increased expenses. The change will go into effect on May 1st. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous 3. Membership – no report 4. Safety The speed humps will arrive on island tomorrow; the Safety Committee will discuss appropriate locations at the Committee Meeting on May 7th and make recommendations to the Board. Bill Vinson asked if we ordered warning signs for the speed humps when we ordered the humps themselves. Mele said yes, that “Speed Hump Ahead” signs were included with the package; the signs would be placed when the humps were installed. They are white with red lettering, reflective and highly visible. These are “humps” not “bumps;” low and wide, and will not cause discomfort if gone over at a reasonable speed. a. Commercial / Industrial Fees 1. Follow up on Special Permits on Commercial/Industrial Properties Tabled for Safety Committee Meeting on 5/7/08 b. Truck Route Enforcement and Fines Tabled for Safety Committee Meeting on 5/7/08 c. Bus Stop Shelters Tabled for Safety Committee Meeting on 5/7/08 IX. SPECIAL ORDERS X. A. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - none B. GENERAL ORDERS - none XI. NEW BUSINESS – Mele spoke to Rick Ward, the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for Ocean View, about the evacuation routes. In a case where the bottom half of the subdivision was blocked due to a natural disaster, we would be able to use exits through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (north) or Manuka Park (west). He recommended that we add a clause in our Road Use Agreement with Pi‘ikoi Kawananakoa that, in the case of a natural disaster, we would have access through his property to Manuka. The Board agreed that this was an excellent idea. Most of these roads require 4WD vehicles, so this is a last resort escape route. Mele is also working with the Park on access through the top of Kailua Blvd. using the usual ‘ranch lock’ arrangement where everyone who has legal access has their own lock. We have not heard from Mr. Kawananakoa’s lawyer yet; it has been a couple of months, so Mele will be drawing up a Road Use Agreement based on the one we are doing for National Park System. Based on the previous agreement, he is paying assessments on two properties he owns in Ocean View; he has agreed verbally to pay on a total of nine properties. XII. OPEN FORUM - none XIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS - none XIV. ADJOURNMENT – Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved to adjourn the April meeting. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Unanimous. Meeting Adjourned: at 4:48pm on April 7, 2008.
March Monthly Board Meeting Minutes Meeting held March 5, 2008I. Quorum: Yes II. Called to Order: 4:07 pm III. Adoption of Agenda: Mele asked that Mike DuBois of Big Island Scrap Metal be moved to the top of the agenda, to facilitate his report. All agreed. IV. Roll Call: Loren Heck, President Mary Kastle, Secretary Ken Wicks, 1st VP Rell Woodward, Treasurer - absent Randy VanLeeuwen, 2nd VP Bill Vinson, Board Member Jack Garner, Board Member Valerie Tudor, Board Member Attended by phone Meleana Smith, A & O Director; Teddi Stransky, Recording Technician Guests: Mike DuBois, Carl “Zeke” Piszczek, Tim Charles, Duke Bourgoin V. Opening: Mike DuBois addressed the Board about the upcoming Junk Vehicle Removal project. Big Island Scrap Metal currently has contracts with the County to receive scrap metal island-wide, to be processed and recycled. They have recently purchased tow trucks to remove vehicles and metal scrap from neighborhoods, subdivisions and properties all around the island, at no cost. There are conditions: The items must be accessible, must not have trash in them, and must not be leaking fluids. They must also be in good enough condition that they can be pulled from the property without falling apart. Metal appliances are included. This is a great opportunity to clean up our community. They hope to schedule the Ocean View and Naalehu areas for a two-week period, at the end of April and beginning of May. They will come in with loaders, forklifts, flatbed semis and tow trucks, and a crusher to flatten the roofs of the vehicles for loading. Each truck will haul 20 cars at a time. They will also have the capability of dismantling larger vehicles to be removed piecemeal. Before the actual event, they need to locate the items to be picked up, and get permission from the owners of the items or the owners of the properties to remove it. There are flyers up around the community; we have sign-up sheets here at the office, and they are receiving calls daily. They are also looking for volunteers with pickup trucks who can assist their neighbors in moving items like appliances and small scrap to the designated processing area. David Baglow has offered a lot in a convenient location which may be used for the processing; the paved part of the RMC baseyard is also being considered as an alternative. They need help identifying places where there are vehicles to be removed, particularly large concentrations of vehicles. Mike has been canvassing the area and has spoken with several owners who are happy about the opportunity, but he has no way to determine who owns some of the properties. Our office is willing to help with that as much as possible. Mike also asked if the RMC would be willing to donate some time and large equipment to help extricate junk vehicles from areas their tow trucks cannot reach. The Board stressed that permission and waivers would be required for us to enter private property in any way. Mike said that signed waivers and permission forms would be acquired before any action was taken. Loren asked what was being done with the scrap. Mike gave a brief history of Big Island Scrap Metal’s progress in reducing the huge piles of scrap metal and derelict vehicles left behind by the previous county contractor. They are now in a position to start taking in new scrap, after over two years of catch-up. They developed their current plan in conjunction with the County, and the metal is being recycled, baled and sold; for the first time the County is actually showing a profit on its recycling project. The Ocean View area is scheduled for a two-week window, possibly a bit longer, so the more that can be arranged in advance, the better. Property owners will need to sign waivers for items to be removed from their properties. Motion: Loren Heck moved that the Road Maintenance Corporation assist Big Island Scrap Metal in locating and contacting property owners, as well as with equipment and labor to help in removal of scrap in less accessible areas, and short-term access to space at our baseyard if needed. Seconded by Randy Van Leeuwen. Vote: Unanimous VI. Approval of prior Minutes: A. Approval of February Minutes Motion: Randy Van Leeuwen moved that the minutes of the January Board meeting be approved as written. Seconded by Ken Wicks. Vote: Unanimous VII. Officer’s Reports A. President – No report B. 1st Vice President – No report C. 2nd Vice President – No report D. Treasurer – Rell was not present. Mele asked if there were any questions; Loren queried item 18 (fuel diesel oil), not understanding why it would be zero in January and $7,000.00 in February. Mele explained that we did not purchase fuel in January as we had it on-site, but needed to replenish our tank in February. Loren then asked about line item 45 (insurance). She explained that insurance (including WorkComp and TDI) is quoted on an annual basis, but we normally receive a refund at the end of each year. It is higher than last year due to market fluctuation. He then questioned the Office wages, which showed January as $8,000 and February as $4,000. Mele explained how the amounts were entered into the system, and that the second payroll period for February had not yet been applied, since payroll was just last week and the payroll system was separate from the General Ledger system and had to be entered manually. Mele also pointed out that the ‘Professional Services’ item (line 59) is high because of the retainer paid to the lawyer for processing of foreclosures. That money will be recovered by the Corporation in the process of the foreclosure action, but has to be carried on the books for the interim. E. Secretary – No report F. Administrative and Operations Director 1. Administration – The Special Permit is done. Each Board member has a packet detailing the documents Mele has been working on. 2. Operations - a. Foreman’s Report – Most of the crew has been working on Princess Kaiulani. The fog sealing, requiring another tanker of oil, will be done in April. The part-time workers have been keeping up with weed whacking and shoulder maintenance. There are only 20 vehicles left to be removed up in the Cinder Pit area. All the scrap metal and glass has been cleaned up. Once everything has been removed we will block the lower part of the road to discourage dumping. No Dumping signs and Camera Surveillance signs have been ordered and will be posted as soon as received. This entire section of the road will have to be graded down 40-60 feet and rebuilt, due to poor mining practices in the cinder pits on either side, so the road will be cl