From the Chairman, Bill Hamlet:
Landfall Council of Associations December 7, 2021, Board of Directors Meeting Summary:
A regular meeting of the Board of Directors of the Landfall COA was held on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. A complete quorum of the Board was in attendance in-person. The COA financials for the period ending October 31, 2021, were reviewed and approved; these financials continue to be very positive. Year-to-date revenue received through October 31, 2021, is $6,157,500 which included assessments and Architectural Review Committee fees. The capital and unrestricted improvement funds equity ended the period at $2,677,000 and is currently projected to end the year at $2,149,000. Operating equity ended the period at $410,000 which was $381,000 better than budget plan. Total COA expenses for the period was $6,179,000 with the Capital Improvement Contribution being $1,723,000 of this total. Landfall Association Services (LAS) and Landfall Owners Services (LOS) programs’ consolidated net income year-to-date through October 31st was $431,000, with LOS services’ revenue $316,000 over budget.
Since the last Board meeting, Mr. Hughes and his staff have been working to secure additional bids related to the sidewalk engineering survey with more than seven firms contacted during the entire process. Two complete bids were received. The Board approved moving forward in 2022 with one of the bids pending the review of their work references, as well as the Board having an in-person meeting with a representative from the engineering firm. The amount of the bid chosen is $103,000.
The Board approved the 2022 slate of candidates recommended by the Nominating Committee, for the COA Board Election as follows:
• District 3 – Rob Johnston and Jason Lumpkin
• District 5 – Gary Caison and Denise Hendershot
The COA’s objective is for the Nominating process to generate community interest in serving on a committee or COA Board representation. Recently, HB 320 was signed into North Carolina law allowing Homeowners Associations, Condominium Association, and non-profit corporations to conduct their annual meetings via teleconference, including electronic voting. This process for election will result in cost savings for postage, paper supplies, as well as staff mailing preparation. The Board decided to permit electronic voting for our 2022 COA Board election. Ballot voting will be instituted via a third party service using on-line forms. Anticipate receiving information about this process in mid-to-late January 2022. Be on the lookout for this email. For those owners without an email address, paper ballots will be mailed. Our objective is for each owner to cast a ballot!
The US House of Representative’s Disaster Assistance Equity Act of 2021 would provide for the removal of debris or wreckage from real estate owned by a residential common interest community resulting from a major disaster, when a state or local government determines in writing such debris constitutes a threat to life, public health or safety, or to the economic recovery of the residential common interest community. This bill has been sent to a US House committee for further review in 2022. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor this action, but we encourage each of you to become an advocate. You should have received a mass email from the COA containing a link so that you can email your support to our North Carolina Community Associations Institute action group.
Related to COA operations, the Helmsdale developer plans for sidewalk installation during Phase II of construction. The sidewalk is planned to be located on Arboretum Drive beginning at the existing sidewalk across from the Helmsdale entrance running along Arboretum to the concrete bridge.
The COA Staff and I have discussed the Landfall website usage and functionality with community owner/resident volunteers. These meetings provided helpful insight into the direction that may be taken to improve the overall appearance of the site, as well as make the site more user friendly to highlight the most highly utilized resources. While the COA’s objective is to make many of these streamline changes early in 2022, to establish a resident/owner phone app is also a future goal.
The Annual Meeting has been scheduled for 6:00PM on March 22, 2022 at the Country Club of Landfall.
The Covenants and Security (C&S) Committee recommended that the Drysdale gate entrance be reconstructed to provide both a resident lane and a guest lane, requiring that the gate be manned 24/7, and that the costs of these two items be included in the 2023 budget. Engineering cost estimates and draft renderings for this reconstruction will be obtained by COA Staff and will be presented at a Board meeting early in 2022.
In anticipation of the Drysdale Drive Extension road construction project, COA staff recently met with the owners’ representatives of the businesses surrounding Drysdale Drive. These owners have expressed interest in collaborating with the COA in meetings with the City of Wilmington (COW) and the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to urge additional construction of Drysdale Drive to extend the widening of the road to Landfall’s gate. Meetings with the COW and the NCDOT will be organized for late February or early March 2022.
The Board approved a recommendation from the Buildings and Grounds Committee to establish a dog park in 2022 pending additional information being received about COA liability and insurance required, as well as ongoing administration and maintenance required for the area. Also, the Board approved a recommendation made by the Buildings and Grounds Committee to add a community garden in 2022. More information about both of these exciting new shared common area projects will be provided as available.
