Special Shareholders’ Meeting on
February 9, 2010
CANCELLED
Due to the
closure of Fairfax County Schools on February 9, the Poplar Heights
Recreation Association's special shareholder meeting is cancelled.
We hope to reschedule the meeting and will send an update
with the new meeting time and place as soon as possible.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Hunt Shipman
Secretary
At PHRA’s Annual meeting held October 20, 2009, a motion was
approved by a margin of 181 in favor and 25 opposed, asking the board to
present a project for shareholder approval no later than February 1,
2010. The project was, at a minimum, expected to include upgrading or
modernizing the existing bathhouse fixtures and guard office at a cost
not to exceed $150,000.
Since the annual meeting, the Board has solicited proposals from
several contractors, held meetings with prospective bidders and had formal
presentations from two reputable firms. At the January 19 board meeting,
the board unanimously approved submission of a proposal from NVBlue, Inc.
to the membership for approval.
A few facts about the project:
• It will provide new floor and wall tile, plumbing fixtures and showers
in both bathrooms
• It will provide new tile, dry wall, and drop ceiling in the lobby/guard
office
• It will provide new reception desk, front door and sliding door in
lobby/guard office
• The recommended proposal is for $103,000, understanding that minor
modifications or unforeseen issues may be in addition to this amount. The
recommended proposal is significantly less than the $150,000 “limit” set
by the shareholders
• It will NOT require an increase in association dues. Funds which have
been accumulated for long-term renovations and repairs will be used for
the project.
• The Association will maintain a minimum of $100,000 in reserves. This is
the amount our current management company has stated would be adequate for
the “most catastrophic” problems we could encounter mid-season.
• If approved at the February 9 Special Shareholders’ Meeting, the
contractor will be able to commence work and has stated it will be
completed in time for the pool to open in May.
• The project was approved unanimously by the Board at its January 19,
2010, monthly meeting.
Because the recommended bid was significantly less than anticipated,
the Board is also seeking additional bids from the contractor for
improvements to the kitchen area. The bylaws permit the board to approve
repairs and improvements of less than $50,000. Under no circumstance would
the kitchen project exceed this amount. If feasible, the board may approve
renovations of the kitchen area to replace flooring, ceilings and remove
the existing cabinets. Any information we receive on this additional
project will be made available to the membership and open for discussion
at the special shareholder meeting.
In the next few days, you should receive official notice of the
special meeting, additional information about the project, and a proxy and
self-addressed-stamped envelope to return your proxy if you cannot attend
in person.
If you have questions, feel free to PHRA President Dave Yensen (dyensen@aol.com
or 703-532-3371) or PHRA Vice President Barbara Mayer (barbaramayer@cox.net
or 703-371-7854).
Pool House
Modernization Bid Documents
Posted below are
two documents for your review regarding the PHRA bathhouse
renovation. The first is a document developed by the Board which outlined
the scope of the project we were asking companies to bid on. The
second document is the response from NVBlu, the recommended
bidder.
A subcommittee of
the Board has been established to work with NVBlu on the project, if
approved, to address details and design issues which are inevitable with
such projects.
Scope Document (pdf)
Bid Response (pdf)
DRAFT MEETING MINUTES
The following are the draft minutes from the Jan 19 Board meeting.
These haven’t been approved, and while they are labeled draft, we’re
posting them prior to approval so the membership can see the full debate
which has occurred with the Board in advance of the special meeting.
Poplar Heights
Recreation Association
Board of Directors Meeting
January 19, 2010
The
Board of Directors of the Poplar Heights Recreation Association met for
its monthly meeting on January 19, 2010, at the library of Shrevewood
Elementary School. Steve Lester, Brad Mills, Chris Cook, Liana Alvarez,
Owen Eldridge, Kris Walker, Wade Little, Daren Coppock, Neal Scherer, Hunt
Shipman, Grace Clark and Barbara Mayer were present. Dave Yensen was
absent.
Barbara Mayer called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. Jack Crowder,
President of NVBlue, was introduced and he presented his company’s
proposal for renovation of the clubhouse. The following dialogue reflects
questions and answers posed by board members regarding the proposal:
Q: Will the project require a permit?
A: The replacement of surfaces does not. If the proposal
to add an electric outlet is included, a permit would be needed, which
should not be significant.
Q: Would there be savings from adding the ADA bathroom at
the same time as the other work?
A: No, the projects are not connected and the prices for
each are separate.
Q: Should we consider adding ceiling or exhaust fans?
A: The space is too large for an exhaust fan to be
effective. Ceiling fans could be added for air movement.
Q: What type of water piping would be used?
A: Copper, the same as is currently in place.
Q: What would the impact be to delaying the project until
Fall?
A: Costs are likely to increase as the economy improves,
subcontractors are beginning to take on more work and their costs could
also rise.
Q: Of what material will the toilet stalls be made?
A: Solid PVC, with stainless steel fasteners.
Q: What is the impact of recessing shower lines in the
wall?
A: The recessing of water lines would have no structural
impact. Drains will be added near the floor to facilitate winterizing and
avoid frozen/burst pipes. It would add greatly to a “clean look” to the
shower.
There being no further questions, Mr. Crowder left the meeting.
The
minutes from the December 2009 board meeting were discussed, those who
offered seconds to motions were noted, and the minutes were approved on
motion offered by Barbara Mayer and seconded by Daren Coppock. The motion
was approved. Steve Lester and Grace Clark abstained.
The
minutes from the November 2009 board meeting were presented for approval.
A motion to accept the minutes was offered by Barbara Mayer and seconded
by Chris Cook. The motion was approved. Kris Walker, Liana Alvarez and
Steve Lester abstained.
Greg Smith from Greg Smith Company arrived at the meeting. He gave a
presentation on his company’s proposal for renovation of the clubhouse.
The following dialogue reflects questions and answers posed by board
members regarding the proposal:
Q: Will the project require a permit?
A: The replacement of surfaces does not.
Q: Of what material will the toilet stall partitions be
made?
A: A solid plastic material with stainless steel
fasteners.
Q: The proposal includes adding ceiling fans. What purpose
would they serve?
A: The fans would provide for air circulation in each
bathroom.
Q: Does this proposal include recessing the water lines
for the shower in the wall?
A: No. The water lines would remain mounted on the
surface.
Q: How long will the project take?
A: Approximately 60 days.
There being no further questions, Mr. Smith left the meeting.
Discussion was held on the two proposals. It was generally agreed that
the proposal from NVBlue was more thorough and Mr. Crowder had
demonstrated more experience in pool bathhouse renovations. The
significant difference in price was also discussed, with the Greg Smith
Company proposal being about 30% more than the NVBlue proposal.
Kris Walker observed that it would be unfortunate to conduct this amount
of renovation and do nothing to address the kitchen. It was discussed
that there were several options for addressing the kitchen at this time,
including having the winning bidder remove all existing surfaces and
replace them with similar ceiling and tile as is being proposed for the
rest of the building. Cabinetry and other items could be replaced at a
later date. The need to replace the current door and service window in
the kitchen was discussed as a way to prevent mice and other pests from
taking over whenever the kitchen is renovated.
Discussion was held on the likely need to replace the electrical panel in
the guard office. One of the proposals received included this as an
option and there was general consensus that this was likely a wise
investment.
There was discussion of the finances of the Association and any impact
this project may have on them. Board members were reminded of the
conversations with NV Pools about an adequate reserve amount needed for
mid-season problems, which was $100,000. The original motion approved at
the annual meeting to have the board consider a renovation project not to
exceed $150,000 was done with the intent that adequate reserve funds would
remain. The bids received would ensure that ample reserve funds would
remain and could allow for some kitchen renovations to occur as well.
The
additional honorary memberships expected to be available this year would
provide additional revenue that was not realized in years past.
Barbara Mayer offered a motion to present the the bid from NVBlue, Inc. to
the membership for approval based on NVBlue’s experience in pool clubhouse
renovations and the significant savings that their bid represented over
the other received. Wade Little offered a second to the motion and it was
approved unanimously.
Discussion was held on requesting a bid from NVBlue, Inc. for replacement
of the ceiling, floor tile, sliding door, service window, lighting in the
kitchen and the electric panel in the guard office. It was agreed that
Barbara Mayer would ask Mr. Crowder for a bid on these items. If it could
be obtained in time for presentation to the membership at the special
meeting, it would be. Discussion was also held that board members were
not interested in spending more than about $15,000 on the kitchen. It was
observed that under Article VII, Section 11 of the Association Bylaws, the
board could approve projects less than $50,000. It was agreed that the
potential renovation of the kitchen would be included in all
communications about the special meeting and clubhouse renovation. Only
if bids could not be obtained in a timely way, would use of the board’s
authority occur.
A
copy of the amendment to Article I, Section 3 of the PHRA bylaws was
presented for second reading. The amendment would remove the age
limitation for those to whom the Board may offer honorary membership and
would decrease the number of years a member would have to be a member to
qualify from 25 years to 20 years. There being no further discussion,
Barbara Mayer offered a motion to approve the amendment. Wade Little
offered a second to the motion, which passed unanimously.
A
draft of the audited financial statement had been circulated by email
previously. Discussion was held. Steve Lester observed that Note 5
regarding reserves was not accurate. The Association has evaluated future
maintenance needs and does reserve funds for that purpose. Steve and Owen
Eldridge will discuss this matter with Shari Kane and develop a new
paragraph that is more accurate. This issue will be discussed at the next
meeting of the Board.
The
financial statement also includes the value of each share, which is used
for share sales in the coming year. The statement values each share at
$1,380. Barbara Mayer offered a motion to set the 2010 share price at
$1,380. Hunt Shipman offered a second to the motion, which passed
unanimously.
There was discussion about communicating with those on the waiting list.
Board members discussed when was the proper time to conduct such
communications, as well as whether it should be done in via email or a
letter. There was general consensus that we should communicate with those
on the waiting list. There was discussion about the mailing date of
invoices and how timing of when the total number of rental shares will be
available (depending on the acceptance rate of honorary memberships and
other factors). Shari Kane has indicated that invoices for 2010 should be
ready by mid to late February. A board member observed that we have
typically included the invoices as a part of the Splash newsletter. It
was agreed that these issues will be further discussed at a future Board
Meeting.
There being no further business, Barbara Mayer moved to adjourn. Chris
Cook offered a second to the motion, which passed unanimously.