PRESENT

Rachel Dretzin, Miri Navasky, Alfred Souza, Eva Thaddeus

FINANCIALS

Susan was unable to attend, but sent in the following summary which Eva presented: 

We are in a relatively healthy financial situation: 

• Main Account = $14,317

• Savings/Capital Account $7796

Susan is planning to transfer the money from January dues/rent to Capital account, but needs to go through in more detail first.   She is away, so not yet sure if Debbie has sent in her dues/rent for April (total of $4386). Will check when she is back. 

• Plowing :  Susan paid Martin in February – so we are up to date there unless there has been more plowing since then.  We are unsure, but do not think there has been a lot.  And he has not emailed any other invoices yet. However, we do not think it will be a big plowing year. 

• Susan is back on Wednesday and will update us if there are any further invoices.   She expects one more invoice from Carmen – has had difficulty getting it from him.  

GARBAGE & BEAR

Bear got into garbage again.  Was reported earlier in the week by Noah to Bruno and Eva.  We think that when Barbato empties it he does not put the strap back on.  Not sure what to be done about this. 

[Note from Bruno: Wendy organized a clean-up meeting and the garbage was put away relatively quickly. There was some damage to the dumpster lid, but Barbato picked up the trash and popped it back into place. We’ve contacted them to ask for options on a bear-proof dumpster, and hope to have information in time to report at the annual meeting. Generally, the raids on the dumpster happen once or twice a year, almost always in the spring before other foods are readily available. Noah suggests that during the interim people hold their garbage until Sunday when possible, to minimize time in the dumpster. (Barbato picks up the trash on Mondays.)]

MOWING

Will is supposed to mow the meadow — need to find an appropriate time with him when the quality of meadow is not too muddy, etc… Eva will follow up.  The meadow should be mowed every couple of years — otherwise shrubs will grow back, etc…

COMMUNITY GRAVEYARD

Discussion of whether we could carve out an area of space down by the orchard to use as graveyard/burial/memorial of sorts for ashes, memorial stones etc…for those in the community that might want to make use of it.  Board is all in favor and felt we should put it out to the community as a whole.  We discussed all sorts of possibilities from locations to slate stones similar to those in the orchard, sculptures, etc…We will put it on the agenda for the June 15th Community Meeting for approval by whole community. 

RAISING OF DUES

There is no need to do a large increase, but we haven’t raised the dues for 2 years and there has been 8% inflation this year – so we feel it is right to do a modest increase at this time as costs for everything – plowing, mowing, barbato – are likely to increase. 

Rachel:  Motion to raise dues approx 4% for an annual increase of $100 (biannual increase of $50).  All members voted yes — will put to the general community for a vote

COMMUNITY DAY, ORCHARD & TENNIS COURT UPDATES 

Discussion of tennis court needs (cleaning up moss, removing rotted deck).  As well as Orchard needs (eva is hoping infestation is over – time to take fences down, weeding, replanting in areas that didn’t survive).  Board is in favor of creating some kind of community day of work that would happen annually (tentatively thinking the weekend of July 4th or possibly June 15th when full community meeting is happening).  will also discuss at community meeting – but might send out email ahead of that to alert people (i.e. planting of trees might be better to happen in June). 

ANNUAL MEETING

The date of the annual meeting was set for Saturday, June 15, in the Hillsdale Neighbors community (location to be determined). All board members have indicated that they are willing to stand for re-election.

The meeting was held by video. Minutes submitted by Miri Navasky.

PRESENT
Rachel Dretzin, Susan Krim, Miri Navasky, Alfred Souza, Eva Thaddeus.

PLOWING
The board discussed renewal of the plowing contract. Eva noted that Martyn’s manager contacted us to ask if we were ready to recommit for the season. (Others were unable to take on the work).  The board decided to renew, with the condition that whoever is going to plow comes and does a walk-through before, and agrees to a plowing plan.  Eva will email the community to gather all the issues with individual properties, then she will do a walk through with someone from Moore-Bridger before the winter starts.  We especially want whoever is plowing to respect the markings that are placed down (do not go over the yellow lines). 

Motion to renew agreement with Martin Moore Bridger for snow plowing for the winter, but to come up with a plan ahead of plowing, and ask everyone to lay down markings.   Susan seconded motion.

Board voted unanimously to renew with advance planning as noted.

WENDY’S ROAD REQUEST
Board discussed Wendy’s request for reimbursement from the community for work she did to fix run-off issues around her driveway and home. There was disagreement between Paul and Wendy about the cause, necessity and the urgency of the work done, and the request for reimbursement after the fact was not in line with community policy, so the Board determined not to reimburse, as it would set a bad precedent.

FARMHOUSE
An exterminator has been out to the farmhouse, found multiple insect issues, and exterminated.  The new contractor determined that the roof needs to be redone in areas (there is a leak inside).  He will repair and get rid of any kind of mold that is there, and Eva will coordinate with Debbie and put them in direct touch regarding any conflicts and in case she wants/needs to vacate the premises during the work. 

MISCELLANEOUS
Will has agreed to do a regular ditch clean out on the roads.

Rachel’s builder had a cancellation so wants to start the work on her house much sooner (they are changing the footprint only by pulling some of the deck into the kitchen).  Eva asked that she send the plans so that we can sign off on them.  

UPDATES

11/3 – Eva communicated to Viviana, Martyn’s manager, that we would renew our contract on the condition that the entire snowplowing team came out and reconnoitered, and told her what the problems had been.  She responded well and the plowing team has scheduled a visit to our community at Thursday, 11/9, 3PM.  Eva will let everybody know to have their markers placed before then.

11/3 – Eva communicated with Wendy about the road work and the community process, and is agreed to a follow-up meeting with Wendy and Paul to discuss the work. 

11/5 – Motion to allow Deb to put a port-a-potty on her property during construction.  She expects the construction of her house to last 15-18 months. The board voted by email unanimously to approve .

11/17 – Susan plans to meet with the insurance agent to re-evaluate our insurance coverage in light of updates to the community. 

11/19 – Motion to approve Dretzin house renovation plans. Rachel abstained, but all members voted YES over email on 11/20. 

The meeting was held by video. Minutes submitted by Miri Navasky.

PRESENT

Rachel Dretzin, Susan Krim, Miri Navasky, Alfred Souza, and Eva Thaddeus.

BOARD OFFICERS

The board determined to maintain their current offices, with Eva as president, Alfred as Vice President, Susan as Treasurer, and Miri and Rachel sharing the roles of Assistant Treasurer and Secretary.

With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

The meeting was held at the home of Anne Navasky and remotely by Zoom. Minutes submitted by Miri Navasky.

PRESENT
In person: Debra Adamsons, Susan Krim, Wendy Lidell, Anne & Victor Navasky, Bruno Navasky, Judy & Noah Reibel, Marty Bone & Michael Rosenberg, Alfred Souza & Fabiana Viso, Eva Thaddeus. By video: Dmitri Cavander/Megan Gelstein, Miri & Jenny Navasky, Rachel Dretzin

FINANCIAL REPORT
Susan delivered the financial report (see attached document).

ROAD MAINTENANCE
We spent close to $7000, double what we did the last couple of
years. Paul Burfeind does the road repair. Susan spoke to him and reported that he said this year was a bad year because we didn’t get a frost and the road wasn’t hardened when the plow came, so there was
more damage. He didn’t seem to think it was a problem with the plowing. Burfein did the road and will maintain it annually and he thinks we should budget about $7000/year for that. If we need work on individual driveways, we can call Burfeind, or let Susan know. We’ll have him come annually in early summer to look at the road.

The Board reported on extensive plowing discussions. Snowplowing has gone up by about $2000 this year to about $8000, which is in line with what was anticipated (Martyn Moore-Bridger’s fee varies according to how many times he plows, while Carmen charged a flat fee per season). Some of the problems we had with the plowing spewing up dirt and gravel were unavoidable, but there were other complaints. We decided to go with Martyn again for this next season, but Eva will give him an list of issues, and ask that he and whoever plows with him does a drive around with Eva before the winter and look at problem areas and ask that they become familiar with it and are sensitive to what was messed up. Martyn is a tree person, and not really a plower. His equipment is old and he told Wendy he’d stop plowing before getting new equipment. The board is considering getting a quote from Bob Host in case Martyn doesn’t want to continue.

A general discussion of plowing issues this year followed:

• Dmitri’s new wall got nicked. Martyn was pushing snow into the driveway instead of across the street.
• Wendy and Alfred’s hubcab sign got knocked over, Wendy’s sign for 180 got completely ripped out, and the reflector sticks she put over the edge of her garden for the plower got knocked over. There’s no more gravel on her driveway because of the plowing of the gravel over the edge. He came back as promised and she no longer has a gravel driveway, she has a dirt road. She had terrible runoff. He swore up and down it wasn’t anything they did. Last week with the rain, she had a huge gulch in her driveway. Annie suggested we ask Burfein to look at it. Wendy has a company coming next week to assess. Judy and Annie had what they felt were similar problems and Carmen put in a drain. Wendy has a company called Green Flow Property coming in to do an assessment. Susan suggested Wendy ask Burfein to come in for a second opinion.
• Judy would like Green Flow to look at her property as well.
• Susan: they took part of her corner wall. Also they’ve knocked a couple of her huge rocks in her driveway,
• Bruno reported that Martyn generally seems to scrape deeper, but thought it was an issue of time and technique rather than equipment. Also, the runoff from their driveway runs into the center of the road and is damaging it. It would be great if he could scrape less, and if Burfeind could do some minor work to rechannel runoff.
• Miri reported an issue with ice, but there was a question as to whether this was a plowing issue.

The community resolved to hire Will Chase on an annual basis to clean out the ditches of the road in the fall so the stuff doesn’t gum up the road. He will also clear the tennis court of vines. Will mostly does lawn mowing, weed whacking, clearing land and falling trees, provided
wood. THE COMMUNITY VOTED TO SEND WILL CHASE A WEDDING GIFT OF $500.

POND
Do we need sand? Discuss pros and cons of sand. Agree that we should wait and decide after the season. Bruno says the sand attracts the geese. The sand does make it easy to get in and out. Maybe we can look at some kind of big rubber mat or other way to make it easy to get into the pond for Debbie. We have to be very careful about design and execution so
that they don’t become a hazard in and of themselves. The huge flocks of geese are a recent phenomenon and they like sandy beaches.

ORCHARD
No fruit this year. We agree to replace the trees we’ve lost. MOTION PASSES TO AUTHORIZE UP TO $500 FOR REPLANTING. We will have a planting party in the fall and perhaps remove the deer cages on the ones that have surpassed deer height. What about a willow tree? They grow really fast and like the water. We could use some of the $500 for a willow.

PHONE/INTERNET
We have a three year contract ending this year, and then can renegotiate pricing. We can talk with the sales rep. We should renegotiate as a community. MIRI WILL CALL CONSOLIDATED TO DISCUSS. Access problems at individual homes can vary in their causes, but most should be fixed by Consolidated for free. Individual community members can contact them directly for repairs .

BARN
Bruno delivered a report on the barn. Current furnishings include the ping-pong table, a hammock, two small tables, several chairs, and changing area. Possible significant future improvements include solar panels, a refrigerator, electric lights and maybe an exhaust fan or hot air outlet. We agreed at our last community meeting that we didn’t want to charge fees for anything, so these will be considered by the barn committee and board as capital expenditures. Before we think about electricity, we need to work on basic furnishings for general use and community events. THE BARN COMMITTEE WILL PUT TOGETHER A PROPOSAL TO THE BOARD for chairs, tables, storage containers, shelving and other items, including costs. Questions from the community included the feasibility of wireless internet and/or phone service, and the possibility that installing solar may change the tax status of the barn.

TENNIS COURT
A freestanding fence would be far cheaper than getting someone to fence it in. They’re about $80 for six feet. You could buy sections of fencing you put there instead. Bruno reported that Nicky Meier had noted that the net will last longer if we take it in for the winter.

We will try to add a makeshift bridge to the tennis court using some of the discard lumber from the barn restoration. The old beams are really desirable, and THE COMMUNITY AGREED TO ENTERTAIN AN OFFER from Deb Adamsons, who might want to use them for her house. Initially Tom Shepherd saved them with the thought they might be used to make a loft over the second bay, adjacent to the storage area, but realistically speaking, the cost and possible complications to barn infrastructure and potential insurance risks make this unlikely in the near future.

TRASH/BEAR
The bear visited the dumpster twice again this year, both times in the spring/early summer. Bruno spoke to Carmen Jr. who reported that there are bear proof dumpsters that start at $2500 and go up to $10,000. Bruno asked him to look into the cost of one with the possibility of either us purchasing one or him purchasing one and renting to us. Carmen said the nails he’s used have worked for most of his clients, or a metal bar that makes the dumpster unopenable without removing it. Carmen thought seniors in the community might have difficulty with both the bar and the specialized dumpsters, and that his people would leave it on the ground when picking up the trash. Three options were discussed: 1) purchase or negotiate rental on a bearproof bin; go with the metal bar, or continue to pick up scattered trash when necessary, which hasn’t been overly onerous to date. BRUNO SAID HE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO OTHER OPTIONS and the community agreed to stick with status quo in the meantime.

Community members were alerted that hazardous waste, large metal items, and electronic equipment cannot go into the dumpster. Hudson maintains a free recycling center in Greenport, and Barbado has a transfer station as well, and will accept many items for free.

For community members who need papers shredded, town hall sponsors free shredding events periodically. You can sign up on the Hillsdale town website for the newsletter to keep apprised of these.

TREES
Deb reported on the spongy moth caterpillar situation. Green Cross was here, went to everyone’s property to estimate how many oaks there were in each house envelope. There are a few properties that don’t have any high-risk trees at all, so it might not be equitable if we all chip in. Deb says they are very thorough and very good. They spray the trees, but you have to do it just after the eggs have hatched in the beginning of May. They priced the various properties as follows:

• Farmhouse (129 Bushnell): no oaks
• Susan (140 HNR): two small oaks, plus birches $700
• Marty and Michael (171 HNR): many oaks, $1700
• Wendy (180 HRN): a dead ash, $750
• Alfred (182 HNR): $1400
• Judy (201HNR) : $1000
• Deb (214 HNR): not sure
• Annie (307): five dead ashes, $1250
• Miri/Bruno/Jenny (314): Many dead oaks. (included in prev?)
• Rachel (287 HNR): $950
• Megan/Dmitri & Eva (no estimate?)

DEB WILL GET A COMMUNITY PRICE FROM GREEN CROSS, AS WELL AS PRICING FOR Eva’s house, and the orchard and dumpster areas. Other dead trees: SUSAN WILL ASK CHRIS to look at the big tree between farmhouse and the road that is going to fall one way or the other.

FARMHOUSE
Chris cleaned roof of moss, and the other work that needed doing. Has
painting/ staining of decks on his radar, weather has made it difficult.
For future large events, THE COMMUNITY AGREED THAT WHOEVER IS HOSTING THE EVENT MUST SUBMIT PARKING AND OTHER PLANS to the board in advance for approval, and then upon approval the community should be notified, either by the board or the person holding the event. We should expand the parking across from the dumpsters. THE BOARD WILL LOOK INTO costs of having Burfeind do it when he comes to do the rest of the work.

BOARD ELECTIONS
With all members willing to continue to serve, and with no other candidates standing for election, the board was unanimously renewed for the current term.

The meeting was held at the home of Anne Navasky and remotely by Zoom video. Minutes submitted by Rachel Dretzin.

PRESENT

Rachel Dretzin, Susan Krim, Miri Navasky, Alfred Souza, Eva Thaddeus

FARMHOUSE

Debbie has requested someone like Tom to help out  with work that needs to be done in the farmhouse. The front and back deck need work, the roof needs a pressure treating, etc. We agree that twice a year someone should do a walkthrough of the farmhouse just to see what needs to be done.

Now that Tom is no longer available, Susan thinks we can rely on Chris Preusser (a handyman/ construction person) for the work in the farmhouse. Her sink is pulling away from the wall. Debbie may need grab bars around the house.

Motion: For small things (under $300) Debbie should go directly to Eva and Eva can approve. Passed

Motion: to approve Chris Preusser’s 4/23 bid of $4400 to redo the decks and roof and other things on the farmhouse Passed

LAWN

The gash/ trench we made in the lawn between the farmhouse and barn needs a load of topsoil and maybe some grass. Debbie’s gardener Luis offered to handle it. Will is cheaper and Susan thinks he’ll get around to it eventually, but it could take a year. Action: We decide to add it to Will’s list. Will also said he could handle the deck around the tennis court.  Action: Alfred will assess before we decide if we take that on ourselves or give it to Will.

ROAD

Susan spoke to Burfeind who said the road damage was a problem for everyone this year. The problem was that the road hadn’t frozen before it snowed so there was no base for the plows. He has a space in his calendar and can do the repair. We just need to give him the go ahead. The community should expect approx. $8000/year in road maintenance costs, according to Burfeind.

Motion: to give Burfeind the go-ahead to fix the road based on his estimate 4/20 of $8710. Passed

Will sent an estimate for blowing the trenches in the road the fall. It was very cheap, but if there is debris from shale in the road, that’s a different kind of cleaning.. Action: Susan is going to talk to Burfeind to see if that is part of his estimate.

Because of the problems with plowing this year, we decided we need a snowplowing plan next year with Martin to see if that helps. Eva is willing to take charge of that. Action: Eva will coordinate the plowing plan with community members this summer and speak to Burfeind about it in the fall and will do a walk through with whoever is planning to do the plowing.

TENNIS COURT

Susan got quotes from Peretti to fix all aspects of tennis court which came to approximately $21,000.  Board thought too much. Alfred thinks court is generally playable, with the possible exception of areas where the surface is eroding. The tree needs to come down. Also: algae is growing on the surface which could be dangerous in terms of people slipping. Susan got a quote from someone at Burfeind as well as from Chris for powerwashing and chemical treatment, to keep the court usable. Those quotes were $1,000-$1,400 That’s the kind of maintenance that makes the court usable.

Motion: Alfred to do research into what’s needed to stabilize court and has authorization for community to spend up to $500 for supplies – members will help with cleaning of tennis court this summer (miri volunteers).

ANNUAL MEETING

Potential dates for the annual meeting were discussed, and the board settled on either July 15 or 22. Action: Eva will investigate. Miri is sure Annie will be willing to host and we can also consider the barn or Debbie’s back porch.

OTHER ITEMS

Rachel brought a suggestion from Megan that the community purchase a projector and related supplies for a weekly movie night during the summers. Action: Rachel will talk to Megan and explain that the board feels the supplies for movie night should be a donation unless she wants to wait for the community to discuss it in July.

Susan says that Peretti is totally impossible to work with. We have a credit with him, which is why we talked about using him, but Susan suggests we should just have him refund the money he owes us and let him go. Action: We agree to let Peretti go and have him refund the money.

Paul Burstein also gave Susan the name of a handyman he trusts. He’s been added to our list of local contractors.

With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

The meeting was held remotely by video. Minutes submitted by Rachel Dretzin.

PRESENT

Rachel Dretzin (remote), Susan Krim, Miri Navasky (remote), Alfred Souza, and Eva Thaddeus from the Board. Dmitri Cavender, Megan Gelstein, and Bruno Navasky from the community.

BOARD OFFICERS

The board determined to maintain their current offices, with Eva as president, Alfred as Vice President, Susan as Treasurer, and Miri and Rachel sharing the roles of Assistant Treasurer and Secretary.

With no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.

The meeting was held at the home of Anne Navasky and remotely by Zoom. Minutes submitted by Miri Navasky.

PRESENT

In person: Susan Krim, Wendy Lidell, Debbie Meier, Anne & Victor Navasky, Bruno, Miri & Jenny Navasky, Judy & Noah Reibel, Marty Bone & Michael Rosenberg, Alfred Souza & Fabiana Viso, Eva Thaddeus. By video: Dmitri Cavander/Megan Gelstein, Rachel Dretzin

FINANCES

Susan delivered the financial report.

ROAD

Susan and Eva delivered a report on the road. Paul Burfiend has completed the road work.

Plowing was discussed. Martyn Bridger quoted a full-season price ($18,100 plus sanding and salting as needed, plus 8% sales tax) and a per plow price ($905 plus sanding, salting and sales tax).

Bruno looked up snowfall rates during the previous 5 years, and we estimate there will be fewer than ten plows necessary per season, so the per-plow option seems best. Miri and Eva walked the road with Delbert Martin. He felt the job was too big for him to take on at present. Carmen had charged $950/month plus tax (1026/month) for 5 months – $5130
and charged another $500 for sanding.

BARN

The Barn Committee met in the barn over July 4th weekend and put together some initial plans to begin using the space, as well as some initial guidelines for its use. We hope to make it a fun place to read, play, or relax. We also imagine it as a center for community-wide gatherings. Additionally, it will provide much-needed storage for community items used at the pond, in the orchard, etc.

We are researching storage possibilities for the smaller, single-bay area, and starting to furnish the larger, multi-purpose area. Many thanks to Deb Adamsons for donating a brand new ping pong table, already in frequent use, and to Alfred and co. for helping to set it up.

Our next priorities are a hammock, a bookshelf, a large cooler, and some durable furniture for people to relax. We also need a ladder, a broom and dustpan, and folding and/or stackable tables and chairs for larger gatherings. We’ve discussed adding towels, sporting equipment, sunscreen and bug spray, and shelving and bins for pond and orchard equipment. Long-term goals include exploring the possibility of solar power, a small ventilation fan or outlet, lights, a movie projector, refrigeration, art supplies, and additional decor.

We also discussed a set of guidelines for barn use, largely geared to keeping the space clean, beautiful, and useable:

• The single-bay area (the door on the left) will be for storing authorized community items.
• The larger area will be for general, multi-purpose use by community members.
• No items are to be left in the barn without approval by the board or barn committee.
• Any equipment borrowed from the barn is to be returned within the day and replaced as found.
• Towels borrowed from the barn are to be washed and returned as found.

Options for pay-to-use services were discussed and the community was largely opposed to any services requiring additional fees (such as for individual storage lockers, bicycle racks, or renting the space for private parties), so for the present all such ideas were shelved.

ORCHARD

Eva delivered an update on the orchard.

FUTURE PROJECTS

Susan and Eva discussed the need for a drain near the barn, and cleaning up the area around the barn.

ELECTION

With no new members standing for the board, the community unanimously reelected Eva Thaddeus, Alfred Souza, Susan Krim, Miri Navasky, and Rachel Dretzin to the board.

The meeting was held at the home of Anne Navasky and remotely by Zoom video. Minutes submitted by Miri Navasky.

PRESENT

Rachel Dretzin, Susan Krim, Miri Navasky, Alfred Souza, Eva Thaddeus

ROAD WORK

Eva moved that the board send out a request to the entire community for approval for an assessment of up to 5k for road work.
Rachel seconded. Motion was approved unanimously.

The board agreed that Eva can put in a note that if it’s a hardship for anyone and they need to spread the assessment out over two years to let her know, and to ask others if they would be willing to front the money to make that possible.

Eva will contact Paul Burfein, whose estimate seems the most reasonable, and see if he will charge an hourly rate to walk the road and get us a more detailed estimate. Susan can be available to walk with him soon. Susan will also get an additional bid from Dave Zacarolli, another contractor who has been working in the area for 35 years and also plows.
We’ll meet again as soon as we have those two last pieces in place and make a decision about who will do the road work. We all agree we should do the work all at once this spring/ summer.

Other Items

• We need to get an estimate on road maintenance. We’ve spend $45-$50 in the last four years on maintenance- will the cost continue to be about 8k a year or higher?
• Alfred noted the main difference between Brothers and Burfein is the amount of shale that fits in a dump truck. If one is proposing dumping twice as much gravel, that would explain the difference between the two estimates.
• We need to answer the question of whether we need more gravel.
• Brothers also proposes a tarp/ material that isn’t being discussed in the
  others, which costs $10k.

The meeting was held remotely by video. Minutes submitted by Rachel Dretzin.

PRESENT

Rachel Dretzin, Susan Krim, Miri Navasky, Alfred Souza from the board. Also present: Debra Adamsons, Wendy Lidell, Anne and Bruno Navasky, Noah Reibel, Michael Rosenberg.

ROAD WORK

We have almost three estimates on road work. the board will  ultimately make the decision on who will do the road work, but called this meeting to update the committee and solicit feedback. 

Estimates:

1. Burfein’s: 45k (written)
2. Erik Schnackenberg: 60k (oral. Eva will ask for a written estimate, broken out into similar categories to Burfein’s). Erik’s estimate was for over a three to five year period and Erik can’t guarantee what will happen to his prices over time. Eva thinks he will be out of the running if we decide to do this in one to two years because he’s a one- man operation. 
3. Brothers: We’re still waiting on an estimate from Brothers. Susan met with someone from Brothers who says he could do the plowing as well as the road work. He is supposed to get us an estimate for both. 

We discuss whether only to take bids from people who can do both. We agree that it’s premature to make that decision since we need to crowdsource the wisdom we’re getting from multiple companies. Ultimately it probably would be best to go with someone who can do both, but no one wants to let go of Carmen until we have to. 

There aren’t many people that can take this on. We need them more than they need us. We agree that our priority is the road first, and getting someone to replace Carmen second. 

We also agree we need each of the estimates to break out exactly what the road work will involve. Burfein’s estimate included digging ditches so the water doesn’t run down the road but is directed into the ditches. The ditches will be filled with material that slows down the water. Hel was thinking of using the same ditches that are currently there but improving them. Susan says some of those ditches are shale so can’t be dug further down even if we crowned them.  

Timeline: After much discussion, we all agree that it doesn’t make sense to spread the project out over five years, but to try and do it as fast as we can, probably in one to two years. We’re already spending quite a lot of money on road maintenance (Susan will try to get a number.) If we spread it out, the costs may go up substantially. 

Deb: didn’t discuss spreading it out with Burfein. Giving an estimate for three years from now would have to be an open ended contract because of labor shortages, salaries etc. 

Board will also send out a letter to the whole community about doing this in 1-2 years and find out how people feel about an assessment. 

Availability:

Schnackenberg could start this spring. 

Deb will ask Burfein if they will be available this season

Susan didn’t ask Brothers if they will be available either. 

Will the plowing damage the roadwork?

Eva discussed this issue with Erik. She asked Erik about Carmen’s equipment. He says he hasn’t seen Carmen’s equipment, but presumably he uses a plow attached to a pickup. Says our worries are not unfounded.  He says it’s not the equipment that makes the difference, it’s the skill of the operator and how much they care about your crowning. You can’t just scrape off the top, you need to tip in one way and then the other. 

Erik also said its best to have the same person crown and plow it. It’s then in their interest to plow it better. 

We discuss whether it makes sense to get a flat combined estimate for both so it’s in their interest to take care of the road. Or some kind of guarantee built into the contract in case the work doesn’t hole up. 

Financing: 

Eva polls the non-board members in the group about what they’d be willing to pay. The consensus is that everyone sees the road as a necessary expense and would be willing to put up the money. 

We discuss the idea of having those who can afford it pay up front right away and those who can’t, to amortize it  Everyone is paying the same amount its just about how long it takes. 

We discuss the idea of Eva sending out a letter to all community members informing them and finding out if people can handle the assessment before sending out a hypothetical question about whether they’d be willing to front the money for others. 

Susan points out that since we do this in phases, there will probably also still be a six month break between payments- two six month assessments. 

We won’t pay it all up front. Usually 25-50% up top. 

Defraying these costs with the capital fund won’t be easy. There is only 4600 in the capital fund at the moment. We get not quite 7000 a year in capital funds which we put aside. We could put aside the whole thing for two years which is 14k, but we have capital expenses other than the road. 

A few more general  concerns are raised: 

Annie says she has historically  has never dealt with the road and has never had a problem getting up the road. 

Bruno’s observation with the last round when Carmen and Tom filled in the ditches was that in practice the ditches seemed to get very quickly filled with leaves and debris and stopped working. He’s inclined to trust more any proposal that involved some kind of a warranty or included a commitment to keep roads up,

Deb: says the leaves have to be blown out in November. It’s a system that needs to be maintained. 

Noah: Asks how much its costing the community to do what we’re doing now which is to have Barbados fill it in and have it not work. Also wonders about similar roads and who is doing such a good job with those roads. Suggests we see if they have any thoughts about our road. 

Wendy:  Wants to make sure that a big truck coming up the road with heavy equipment won’t ruin the work we’re doing. 

Eva: Eric explained that because of climate and heavy use, there is more wear and tear on the road and we will have to continue to maintain it. 

Deb: not having the log harvesting on the road will make a big difference too.  

Susan: one thing we could do is put some bumps on the road. Maintenance people, UPS and FedEx whiz up that road. If we can slow down the traffic it will make the damage a bit less of a problem. 

Deb: those will also help direct the water because they are put at an angle. 

Michael: Speed bumps are a very effective pain in the butt thing to deal with. Help preserve a road. Plows have to know where they are and lift the blade up. Usually put a post up to signal where they are. Or put them up for most of the year and take them up for the worst part of the winter. 

The meeting was held remotely by video. Minutes submitted by Rachel Dretzin.

A special meeting of the Members and Board of Directors of Hillsdale Neighbors, Inc, was held via Zoom on January 16, 2022 at 11am.  The purpose was to vote on the application currently pending before the Town of Hillsdale Planning Board for a boundary line adjustment whereby Lot 3 (Tax map # 145.-1-12) will be merged with and become part of the common area (Tax map # 145.-1-5), and a new Lot 3 be formed as depicted on the attached survey map in the Town of Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York. All members were represented either in person or by proxy.*

Eva made the following motion:

Resolved, that the members, directors and officers of Hillsdale Neighbors, Inc. hereby approve the application currently pending before the Town of Hillsdale Planning Board for a boundary line adjustment whereby Lot 3 (Tax map # 145.-1-12) will be merged with and become part of the common area (Tax map # 145.-1-5), and a new Lot 3 be formed as depicted on the attached survey map in the Town of Hillsdale, Columbia County, New York.

It is further resolved that the members, directors and officers of Hillsdale Neighbors, Inc. authorize Debra Adamsons to appear on behalf of said corporation before the Town of Hillsdale Planning Board to seek and obtain said approval.”

Bruno seconded the motion.

The vote in support of the motion was unanimous. 

Eva also updated the community on the state of the road.   We have one estimate from Eric Schnakenberg for 60K to crown the entire road (he could start as early as this spring and we could do it over time).  Eva is planning to get a 2nd estimate from Brothers and Deb suggested getting a 3rd estimate from the people that did her road – will forward the name to Eva.

* Eva is obtaining proxy from Debbie Meier.

The meeting was held remotely by video. Minutes submitted by Miri Navasky.