Present

Deb Adamsons, Marti Bone, Rachel Dretzin & Noah Goodman, Susan Krim, Wendy Lidell, Roger Meier Annie Navasky, Jenny, Miri & Bruno Navasky, Judy Reibel, Alfred Souza & Fabiana Viso (remote), Eva Thaddeus

Financials

As of the end of fiscal year 2025, we have $17, 356 in the maintenance account, and $12,937 in the capital account, with one outstanding Assessments (Michael and Marti) and $207 outstanding in rent on the Farmhouse.

Will Chase was paid $1,680, mostly for last year’s services. It continues to be difficult to get him to bill us regularly. We do not have a bill yet from the new accountant and bookkeeper. We can anticipate high costs for road maintenance this year since we did none last year.

Recycling

People have not been following guidelines for recycling. Wendy has posted the guidelines on the bin, and Bruno will add them to website. All members are requested to share guidelines with service people, guests, and renters.   Please note: plastic bags go in regular trash, not recycling. Shredded documents can be put in a paper bag and placed in the recycling bin. Check the Hillsdale town website (see link in sidebar) for hazardous waste collection and document shredding schedule (next dates: September 8-19 at Town Hall). Staples will take anything electronic, and Claverack Library will accept old batteries.

Compost

Some members have suspended outdoor composting because the black bears have been visiting. Electric indoor composters for individual homes are available that can turn compost into good soil very quickly (contact Bruno or Melissa for more information). The Hillsdale Facebook page or town website may have more information. Noah Goodman will research local composting options.

Road

Susan spoke with Lou Jennings, who is managing the electrical work for Marty and Michael. The pole for the wires has been placed, but there are trees that need to be trimmed back, and NYSEG won’t do it because it’s a private line. Lou is talking to someone to get it done. The wires need to be run in time for Paul Burfein to do the roadwork, so it can be plowed this winter. Susan will follow up with Lou, and Wendy offered to reach out to Marti to offer assistance moving forward.

The town seems to have extended their area of responsibility up the road somewhat, so portions look better than usual. A perennial puddle has broadened into a large pothole on the spur road just before Wendy’s house. 

Tennis Court

The surface looks fine, and the vines growing along the sides need to be cut on a yearly basis. This is on the to-do list for community work day. 

Rachel and Jesse will look into adding lines on the court for Pickleball and Basketball, as well as a method to close the gap in the fencing with netting or a free-standing fence.

Barn

We’ve added a few more chairs, and a sturdy wood coffee table to complete the sitting area behind the hammock in the community space. We’ve also added a Foosball table in the center of the space (thanks, Megan and Dmitri, for the donation). We are now looking for shelving: a small bookshelf to hold games, general supplies, and a community book-share, and shelving/bins for pond, sports and gardening equipment in the storage bay. Please contact Bruno, Rachel or Megan regarding donations.

There are mouse droppings that follow one of the rafters.  We’re looking into options to treat the one beam to make it less palatable, but it seems unlikely we’ll be able to animal-proof the barn. We keep a large broom in the storage bay of the barn, and members are encouraged to sweep debris out the door.

Discussion continues regarding adding solar panels to the back roof of the barn to power a light and ventilation fan. Other possible uses include an outlet, a small fridge, and a wireless router for internet accesss. Eva, Deb and Noah volunteered to look into options regarding tax credits and options for installation.

Bruno volunteered to price out options for a patio or deck on the side of the barn, with seating, sun protection, and possible space for a grill. Susan recommended Chris Preusser. We will price out steps for the front and back doors of barn at the same time, as well as a ventilation fan, and a possible outhouse against the woods behind the barn. Roger notes that community members who ask are welcome to use the facilities at the farmhouse.

Orchard

The orchard has apples and pears for the first time!! We planted two new trees this spring, a plum and a Macintosh. Eva thinks the reason the trees have been dying is due to underground rodent activity. She will look into what we can do about it, the big trees are solid now. The young pawpaws are growing really well. 

Work Day

A community work day is set for Saturday of Labor Day Weekend, with Sunday as the rain date. The orchard needs pruning, weeding, and a cage for the young trees to protect from deer during the winter. The tennis court needs clipping of vines and there are some weeds growing along the back of the barn. Eva will circulate an email during the week so people can sign up.

Woods

Susan reports that there is state money available to restore and preserve local forests. She and Eva have hired Annabel Roberts McMichael, a forester who will do a 1.5 hour walk-through of our woods on Saturday, October 18th with any interested community members, and make a comprehensive assessment of the health of the forest with potential risks and recommendations for action steps and funding. She asked what the community priorities were for the woods. Fire safety, nice walks, resilience against invasive insects and plants, a wildlife refuge, addressing deer pressure for the understory, and encouraging native regrowth were all mentioned.

McMichael asked if our community would consider having a relationship with a hunter. Overpopulated deer can create pressures on local woods. The community was generally in favor, providing we can pick the hunters. Bruno suggested we explore opening our woods to the man who hunts Truman land. 

Susan and Deb recommended the Cornell Cooperative Extension which also has master foresters. They may be useful for a second opinion.

Memorial Grove

Eva has been working with Will Chase to ready the site for the memorial grove, located under the pine trees which were planted when the community was founded, at the corner of the meadow by the pond, across from the path to the tennis court. It will be a place to remember our family and community members, with a place to sit, and ashes and/or markers.  Eva has been spraying the poison ivy, and Will will mow nearby vegetation for easy access. Eva found a gravestone place and will share. Susan suggested that plans to for placements in the grove be submitted to the board for approval, and Bruno seconded the suggestion, which was met with general agreement. 

Pond

With the heat this summer, the amount of algae in the pond has increased. Susan, Miri, and a number of other community members met with a pond consultant, who submitted a proposal with short-term and long-term components at $450 for short-term treatment and $1300 for long-term treatments next year. Short-term treatments would center around use of a chemical to kill the algae, and long-term treatments include both plantings and chemical treatments for nutrient mitigation. Other treatments such as dredging and mechanical aeration were dismissed as too expensive. The community agreed that the board should consider both the importance of swimming to some community members and environmental impact of treatments as it looked at proposals. It was agreed that the board should get a second proposal for due diligence, and Susan volunteered to follow up with contacts she had.

Carp in the pond were also discussed. It’s possible that they eat algae, but more likely that it’s not the kind that is causing a problem in our pond. Also, the carp that we stocked previously to graze back the cattails resulted in an influx of geese, who liked the easier access to the water, and goose poop is one of the nutrients entering the pond that causes growth of algae. 

[Note: With the shift to colder evenings shortly after the annual meeting, algae had mostly disappeared and swimmers reported the pond pleasant for use; a second pond consultant made a visit and submitted similar recommendations, so the board has good options for treatment going forward. Both consultants noted that the pond was generally safe and healthy, and recommended maintaining growth all around the pond, which has now been implemented with Will Chase, who is going to leave a margin of growth along the near side of the pond, with the exception of the beach area for community members.]

Swimming Pool

Annie Navasky raised the idea of a salt-water community swimming pool behind the barn. She suggested that funds be raised through optional donations as we did with the barn restoration. Support for the idea was mixed, with objections including potential maintenance costs, aesthetic issues, dilution of support for the pond, and environmental concerns. Annie also suggested that she could build a private pool on her site, there was discussion of whether a pool is permissible under the community’s by-laws and declaration of restrictions. Annie and Deb volunteered to do initial research and look into costs.

Communication

Wendy requested more communication around board meetings. Bruno noted that board meetings minutes are archived on the website, and that there is a sign-up tool on the front page for email notification. Bruno also volunteered to set up a community mailing list to facilitate discussion, as the manual information emails sometimes omit addresses inadvertently, or don’t get read. 

The meetings was held at the home of Anne Navasky. Minutes submitted by Rachel Dretzin.