Chuck Heitbrink, HOA Board Secretary
The following are notes from the Board of Directors Business Meeting of April 25, held in the ballroom.
Members present: Steve Seel, Lisa Onyx, Jim Anderson, Dan Buescher, Dirk Close, Chuck Heitbrink, and Manager Layne Varney
The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m. by President Steve Seel. There were 50 residents in attendance.
The board reviewed the Minutes of the March 28 Business Meeting, March 28 Executive Session. Motion to approve by Dirk and seconded by Jim. Approved 6/0.
It was brought to the board of directors’ attention on April 5, in writing, that the appointment of a board member to replace the position made available when Linda DiPalma stepped down needed to be appointed at an open meeting and not in an executive session, sighting SunBird Bylaws Section 8: “Executive Meetings of the Board of Directors may be held at such time and place as shall be determined, from time to time, by a majority of the Directors. Items for discussion are limited to legal advice from an attorney, pending or contemplated litigations, personal information about a member or staff, and Members appeals.” Referencing Statutes (A.R.S.) 33-1804 refer to A.1 through 5. We were informed that the board must follow the HOA Governing Documents and the AZ Revised Statutes “ARS” law.
Steve stated it was his belief that given the issue of board member appointment, that we were following HOA Bylaws Section 8 given this was a personal matter pertaining to a member of the board. However, since this concern was brought to the attention of the board, he opened the discussion of board of directors appointment.
The SunBird HOA Board had five individuals express an interest in being appointed to the board: Val Bongiorno, Nancy Eckstein, Mark Lastovica, Bob Morris, and Lyman Warnock.
Each candidate was provided an opportunity to meet with the existing members of the board. At this point, he opened any discussion amongst the board of directors and offered any homeowner comments. Hearing none, Layne provided each board member with a blank piece of paper to cast their vote. Layne reported the vote as one vote for Bob Morris and five votes for Nancy Eckstein. Nancy was appointed to the board to fill the vacancy and assumed her position with the board.
The Treasurer’s Report was given by Jim. He advised that the audit had been finalized, and the financials for January, February, and March would be available online. He recapped January and February. He reported that both months had income exceeding expenses. Since no formal report was made, the board did not vote.
Layne presented the Manager’s Report.
Administration: The 2021 Independent Financial Audit is complete and the final report received, and it will be posted on the website. Auditor had tax challenges with the amount IRS credits and forgiven loans. However, the 2021 annual tax reports have been paid and filed. The Arizona Annual Corporation Commission report has also been filed for this year.
Home sales continue at high pace: 8 for January, 11 for February, 16 for March, and 14 currently for April.
Account status for 2022: 76 courtesy notices were sent mid-January. 35 second notices were sent the first part of February. Third notices were mailed the beginning of March. Delinquencies included five lots for six months, three lots for three months. SunBird won a judgment in the excess of proceeds on a property and collected them in March. Another property in SunBird delinquent in dues has had the forms completed to receive any excess of proceeds.
The new mics for the ballroom have still not arrived, and audiovisual equipment has been requested from another supplier.
Horizon Room: Food, beverage, and all costs have been increasing drastically due to supply chain and shortages and inflation. As a result, prices have been increased. This will continue to be monitored and adjusted accordingly. The summer season is approaching, and staffing and hours of operation will be adjusted as necessary.
Activities: Several activities have taken place, including the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Paper Shredding event, Bar Bingo and Trivia, the Eagles and Phil Collins concerts, and the Spring Fling Luau. Cinco De Mayo, the Kentucky Derby, “Rock Me Gently” concert (best of 70s) are upcoming, and Wendy is researching new bands for 2023. The new water aerobics is going very well with good participation.
Clubhouse: The elevator had a horrible odor. Cab was deep cleaned multiple times and the carpet removed and replaced. The clubhouse carpeting is scheduled to be cleaned this next Sunday evening.
Landscape Common Area: Landscape trimming cycle has started. Trees to be trimmed in June and the palms June/July.
Patrol: A golf cart/vehicle accident occurred on Championship and Doral two weeks ago. Residents were reminded to obey all traffic signs and posted speed limit signs. A reported stolen golf cart mystery has been resolved.
Complaints of excess bird defecation on sport courts and around clubhouse are being addressed. Residents were reminded not to feed the birds.
Committee Liaison Reports:
Architectural Control: Dirk reported that 36 permits had been issued for April, and permits are rolling until the work is complete due to delays from manufacturers and contractors. Weeds are still a problem, and residents are encouraged to watch their property.
Project Review: Dan advised that the awnings have arrived, and the work on the laundry room continues.
Finance: Jim reported that the committee received the final audit report, and SunBird has received an Unqualified Opinion. The committee reviewed Planning Committee projects. The budget process will begin this summer, and the impact of inflation will have a significant impact.
Rules: Chris Nechvatal gave the report. They learned that Nancy Eckstein will be their new liaison starting in May. The new aerobics instructors want everyone to bring water bottles to set at the pool’s edge. Wendy is researching this, as Maricopa County Health Department regulations state that nothing can be set down closer than four feet from pool’s edge. The Tennis Club and the Pickleball Club discussed some concerns happening at the sports courts. Two liaisons (one from each club) will look at scheduling problems and report back to their clubs and the Rules Committee and/or Layne. The committee will look at updating the Rules Booklet with some more specific rules for the two clubs in the near future.
Welcoming & Marketing: Chuck reported that the committee did not meet and will meet again in October.
HOA/Golf Board: Lisa reported the committee has been on pause to work on preparation and follow-up of the Town Hall meeting held on March 22, 2022. The committee will meet again on May 19 in the Lakeview Room.
The Project Review Committee recommended the following:
Install four new shelves in the Ceramics Room. The estimated cost is $1,080, and a picture of the proposed shelving units was presented. The motion to approve was made by Dirk, second by Dan. Motion approved 7/0.
Build an 800-square-foot outdoor stage on the west side of the ballroom. An additional $20,000 over the previously approved retaining wall was the estimated cost. During the homeowner comments, it was suggested to include an awning over the area. The motion to approve was made by Dan, second by Steve. Motion approved 7/0. The committee was asked to secure bids for the awning and present them at the next meeting.
Dan proposed that Wayne Blosh for the Project Review Committee, Kathy Long for the Rules Committee, and Jana Haeffner for the Welcome/Marketing Committee be approved as members. The motion to approve was made by Steve, second by Lisa. Motion approved 7/0.
Layne presented the initial presentation from Cox Communication to provide fiberoptic service for the entire SunBird Community. He provided a short history of why Cox service was only in certain areas for the community. Layne will be reviewing the project and make a full report at the May board meeting.
Lisa reminded the homeowners that details concerning the election process can be found in the Rules and Procedures Booklet. Additionally, prior to any election or consent vote, the board would publish the procedure to eliminate any confusion in the future.
Layne discussed the issue of residents not adhering to the published speed limits, stop signs, and general safe driving rules. The City of Chandler was contacted to see if some assistance from a traffic and safety engineer would be available for SunBird. Since SunBird has private roads, they could not provide any assistance. Several homeowners had comments concerning the speeding and not stopping at the stop signs. Electronic enforcement was suggested. It was recommended that a safety engineer be hired to determine a plan for SunBird. The cost of the engineer will be presented at the next meeting.
Residents were informed that the questions from the Town Hall meeting were posted on the website, and most of the answers were included, if not the status of the answer.
The comment sheets were reviewed by Layne.
Homeowners’ comments were logged and will be responded to, if not at the time, in the future.
Board members thanked the residents for attending.
The board was advised that at the next meeting, their goals for the year and their progress would be discussed. With no further business, President Steve Seel adjourned the meeting at 11:40 a.m.
The next Business Meeting will be on Monday, Sept. 26, at 10 a.m. in the ballroom.
Have a safe and healthy summer.