What a great place to live!
Remember that the Mar Cheri Community Club’s annual All-Member meeting is Tuesday, February 1st, at 7 pm. It will be a Zoom meeting, so look for an email with instructions on how to join.
In the meantime, you will have received your ballot for the Board and for approval of the 2022 budget. Please return your ballot in advance of the meeting to ensure it is counted (as this is a Zoom meeting, there won’t be an opportunity to drop your ballot off at the door!)
Mar Cheri Community Club
Minutes for the November 17, 2020 Board Meeting
Note: This was a Zoom meeting; due to the Covid-19 pandemic guidelines for gatherings.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.
In Attendance: Ken Schiewetz, Laura House, Lisa Martinez, Rod Martinez, Anne Mesick, Larry Barlow and Brenda Busskohl.
Treasurer’s Report: Larry Barlow
Current Balance: 31,219
Reserve Balance: 25,073
Once total expenses for the year are calculated the remainder can be moved to the reserve fund to help meet the reserve study requirements.
Several letters for delinquent dues will be sent out. For one longstanding delinquent account a lien will be placed.
This will be Larry’s last year as treasurer, the board thanks him for his service. Gary Mesick has volunteered to service as treasurer.
Maintenance Report: Rod Martinez
Maintenance done for the year was limited to clearing of bushes around the fence. The roof project has been postponed.
Architecture Report: Lisa Martinez
The board will look into expanding the use of PAYHOA for tracking violations and sending out the letters since that functionality is part of the application.
Recreation and Hospitality Committee: Anne Mesick
Anne has paid for and requested the keying of the mailbox. Normally it takes about 2 weeks. This process was started a month ago but with current conditions there is not an estimate of when it will be done.
Anne has volunteered to take on the role of secretary next year since there is not much that can be done in the recreation area with current COVID mandates.
Vice President’s Report: Laura House
This will be Laura’s last year on the board, she will continue to be on the architecture committee. The board thanks her for her service
At Large’s Report: Larry Barlow has volunteered to fill the At Large position
President’s Report: Ken Schiewetz
There was more discussion regarding hiring a management service. But since there will still be a need for a board it seems appropriate to focus on recruiting to fill all necessary board positions first. With dividing the duties of the current treasurer position this will help with meeting the necessary segregation of duties. Audrey Isaacson has volunteer to pick up the mail and log the checks. The treasure would then just need to enter the deposit checks, pay bills and review billing, and provide financial statements to the board. PAYHOA can provide the financial statements if entries are done in a timely manner.
Buffer zone report of 2014 was completed, and Doc Hansen will be sending a new letter. The $1200 was received back from Soundview Consultants so net cost was only around $600.
Reserve study will be completed for the annual meeting, Ken will pass it on to Adam of Associate Resources.
The board has not heard from the homeowner who has a view violation on developing a plan with the Architecture committee to try to resolve their violation. The decision was to start a fine violation of $50 per month until a plan was developed and executed
With all the open board positions there will need to be a more active recruiting effort. Flyers will be created and delivered to the community. While the At Large position is not necessary, the board feels it is helpful to have that additional position especially when the pool is back in use.
Open position to be filled: Vice President
New Business:
Gary and Anne Messick had their lawn mower stolen from their shed sometime between the 3rd and the 11th of this month. It was probably done at night since someone is always at home and would have been noticed during the day. An online police report was filed
The annual meeting for Mar Cheri will be a Zoom meeting and has been rescheduled to Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 7pm. The next board meeting will be Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 7pm. Details and the Zoom invitation will be forthcoming.
The Zoom meeting ended at 7:40 PM.
Respectfully Submitted, Brenda Busskohl
Minutes for the October 13, 2020 Board Meeting
Note: This was a Zoom meeting; due to the Covid-19 pandemic guidelines for gatherings.
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM.
In Attendance: Ken Schiewetz, Laura House, Lisa Martinez, Anne Mesick, and Brenda Busskohl. Larry Barlow and Rod Martinez were unable to attend.
Treasurer’s Report: Updates by Ken Schiewetz
No new financial updates.
The complete financial records and invoices for 2020 are being gathered so Laura House will be able complete the Audit Report.
The treasurer’s job has gotten to be too much for one person, so the board will look at splitting the work between 2 positions.
There are also several passwords for the various billing accounts that need to be made available to others on the board in case Larry is not available.
Another house in the HOA has been sold and escrow will be closing soon.
Maintenance Report: Rod Martinez
No new updates.
Architecture Report: Lisa Martinez
Two House painting projects have been approved.
Recreation and Hospitality Committee: Anne Mesick
Anne will be going to the Post Office to switch delivery to the cluster mailbox on 2nd Avenue for the community mail
Audrey Issacson has volunteered to update the telephone directory.
Vice President’s Report: Laura House
Laura let the board know that the fine for trailers parked in yards is $25 per day.
President’s Report: Ken Schiewetz
Information was received from a HOA Management company called Total Property Management. The monthly cost would be approximately $900.00 month, and they would handle the accounting, billing and collection activities as well as enforcement of violations. The board would still meet and oversee the management company. More discussion will be needed to determine if this is the direction to take.
Laura made a motion that internet be installed so that WIFI will be available for the cameras down in the pool area. The motion was seconded and approved.
Buffer zone report of 2014 follow up: Tom Demming, who did the study, has forwarded the report to the city planner and we are waiting for the decision. There will be $1200 of the cost returned to the board from Sound View Consulting. The payment to the biologist should be less than $1000.
Still awaiting the decision from the city on the ongoing tree issues in that area of the community.
The reserve study will need to be ready for the Annual meeting in December. Ken will work on the study with Larry Barlow.
Due to her work schedule and availability Brenda Busskohl will be stepping down from the secretary position at the end of 2020. Anyone interested in serving as the secretary should contact the board at board@marcheri.org.
The annual meeting for Mar Cheri will be a Zoom meeting and will take place December 1, 2020. Details, including the time and the Zoom invitation will be forthcoming.
The next monthly Zoom board meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10 at 7 PM. The Zoom meeting ended at 7:40 PM.
Respectfully Submitted, Brenda Busskohl
Mar Cheri Community Club Minutes for the September 24, 2020
Board Meeting Note: This was a Zoom meeting; due to the Covid-19 pandemic guidelines for gatherings.
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 PM.
In Attendance: Ken Schiewetz, Laura House, Larry Barlow, Lisa Martinez and Anne Mesick. Brenda Busskohl was unable to attend; Anne Mesick took the minutes. Lisa Martinez gave the architectural report for Rod Martinez.
Treasurer’s Report: Larry Barlow Checking account balance: $31,254.59. Savings (Reserve) account balance: $25,072.16. Expenses year to date: $9769.20.
Maintenance Report: Lisa Martinez
For most of the summer, there has been a significant amount of water in the common area near the sports court. At the same time, the pool water level seemed to have been unusually low over the summer. Diagnostic tests were made on the pool systems to determine if there could have been a possible leak at the pool itself. No leak was found. The water bill seemed to be higher than normal, and Lisa will ask the city to run a test to see if we have a water main leak or a broken pipe somewhere else. The blackberries were successfully removed from the perimeter of the pool and park area.
Architecture Report: Rod Martinez
One house painting project was approved and another painting project is pending approval. A driveway plan is pending approval. There was a complaint of a trailer being stored in a driveway, and a letter will be sent to the homeowner. There was a complaint about a fence and the committee chairperson will talk to the homeowner. The tree issue on one property is ongoing. The fence and retaining wall project at another home is ongoing.
Vice President’s Report: Laura House
The maintenance chairperson and the architecture chairperson made the request to switch positions. Anne Mesick made a motion that Lisa Martinez assume the duties of architectural chairperson from Rod Martinez, and Rod Martinez assume the duties of maintenance chairperson from Lisa Martinez. The motion was seconded, and by vote, the change was approved.
The audit committee has been unable to complete the audit because more information is needed. Ken will meet with Laura in the next week to get the audit finished. Laura suggested that we should look into the possibility of hiring a management company to take over the day to day running of the community. If a manager were hired, the board would still meet. Ken volunteered to check on the cost and services provided by a company with which he is familiar.
Recreation and Hospitality Committee: Anne Mesick One welcome packet was delivered to Carolyn and Hugh Lee. The Lee’s moved into the home at 30002 2nd Avenue SW. Anne reported on her study of having the community mail delivered to an open mail box in the cluster mailbox on 2nd avenue. The affected neighbors support the change. If the change was made, the community would have to pay the fifty dollar key fee. Anne made a motion that the money be allocated and the switch be made. The motion was seconded, and by vote, the change was approved. The telephone directory needs to be updated and a volunteer was contacted to possibly do the job. We are waiting for a response.
President’s Report: Ken Schiewetz Buffer zone report of 2014 follow up: The report requested by the City of Federal Way to check on the progress of the reestablishment of the environment near the “minor stream” was finally completed. The information the city needs to make any further decisions about the area is included in the report. Tom Demming who did the study, and wrote the report, indicated that both native and non-native species of plants growing in the area have successfully re-established near the “Ns” stream. We are now waiting for the decision of the city and a letter that we anticipate will close the matter. The cost for the work and subsequent report by Sound View Consultants should be considerably less than the $3900.00 allocated for the job. However, there may be some other costs associated with finalizing the matter. The letter and decision by the city should give the board the information needed to go forward with discussions about ongoing tree issues in that area of the community. The reserve study is coming up in the next month. Ken will work on the study with Larry Barlow.
A motion was made by Laura that the annual Mar Cheri meeting be held on Zoom. The motion was seconded, and by vote, the change was approved. The annual meeting for Mar Cheri will be a Zoom meeting and will take place December 1, 2020. Details, including the time and the Zoom invitation will be forthcoming.
The next monthly Zoom board meeting will be on Tuesday, October 13 at 7 PM. Having no other business, the meeting ended at 8:08 PM.
Respectfully Submitted, Anne Mesick
Dear Mar Cheri Homeowner:
Your Board hopes that you are doing well during this unusual time of “Sheltering in Place” as we all work together to reduce infections of the coronavirus. We are happy to announce that the 2020 budget was approved and the 2020 dues of $720 have been confirmed by majority vote. Please send in your dues as soon as you are able.
We are aware of the possibility of financial issues that may occur with some of our homeowners during this time of the economy shutdown. As a result, we have decided to move the date your dues are due to June 1st. If you are going to need extra time from then to pay your dues; please notify us by sending in a confidential note. We plan to do upgrades to the pool and surrounding grounds as soon as we are able to schedule the work.
We will also be mindful of the rules for pools to open and are aware we might have a later start than usual this year. Once we do open we will still require your signing of the forms so we can activate your keycard. More communication will be coming as soon as we know our own rules from our Governor.
Sincerely yours,
Board of Mar Cheri Community Club
February 11, 2020 7:15PM
Meeting was called to order by President Ken Schiewetz. In attendance were board members Laura House, Rod and Lisa Martinez, Anne Mesick, Brenda Busskohl, and Homeowner Ray Krueger.
PRESIDENT: Ken Schiewetz
2020 Budget and Dues: The homeowner letter has been sent out through PAYHOA and emailed to homeowners. Voting will be at the March Board meeting on March 10, no objections received at this point. Additional validating will be done on the reserve study to estimate the amount required to cover upcoming replacement and repair projects. A homeowner has asked if voting can be done through PAYHOA instead of mailing ballots.
Stream Migration: Ken is waiting for update from Soundview Consulting representative.
VICE PRESIDENT: Laura House
Street lights and utility cost: Laura will need to get PSE account numbers from Larry to isolate the cost of the street lights. It was suggested that account information be accessible by board members when issues arise.
Audit Committee: Ken Schiewetz, Laura House and Audrey Isaacson will conduct the audit and report results at the March Meeting.
TREASURE: Larry Barlow
Larry Barlow was ill, but contacted Ken to say no significant updates regarding income and expenses, but some delinquent dues have been received.
ARCHITECTURE: Rod Martinez
Pool House Roof: A Bid was received for $3000.00; two additional bids will be provided at the March Board meeting.
Homeowner Approved Projects: A homeowner’s fence project was approved.
Hillside erosion from build site: Ken will contact Jason with the City of Federal Way to see if they can come inspect the current runoff and drainage issues to see what options the city can provide or recommend.
Homeowner Notifications: Laura House reported that photos were sent to a homeowner who disputed their trees are blocking the view of other homeowners. If not corrected, fines will commence. Laura also notified Brenda Busskohl that complaints have been made regarding trees on her property and not meeting HOA guidelines. Brenda has requested the board provide the complaints regarding each specific tree and the HOA guidelines so that she has that information before hiring a tree service.
MAINTENANCE: Lisa Martinez
Pool Chlorinator: Lisa will call The Watermill to get more information on age and lifespan of the current chlorinator leased by Mar Cheri.
AT LARGE: OPEN – Please contact the board if interested in volunteering
Pool Lock: Rod will follow-up with Makoto regarding the pool lock. Larry Barlow is also checking options for a replacement lock.
NOTICE TO HOMEOWNERS:
Prowlers in the neighborhood: Two men were seen walking through the neighborhood and going through unlocked cars around 4:30am on 2/11/20, Rod and Lisa have them on camera, they were also seen in other nearby neighborhoods.
NEXT MEETING: Will be on March 10, 2020 at Laura House’s home (29654 2nd Ave SW). The 2020 Budget vote will be held at this meeting.
There was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:15.
Respectfully submitted
Brenda Busskohl/Secretary
January 31, 2020
Dear Mar Cheri Homeowner:
We are pleased to let you know our final 2019 results and request approval of your 2020 dues. After all revenue and expenditures have been combined, we ended 2019 with funds of $ 33,000.30. Your Board has transferred $ 25,000 into the Reserve fund leaving the rest of the funds for 2020 operating capital.
Our 2019 reserve study was completed just prior to our November 2019 annual meeting. The recommendation of the reserve study was to increase our dues significantly in 2020 to a minimum of $860 with a special assessment of $ 21,850 or $ 316 approximately per homeowner. That would be a total of $ 1,176 this year. This amount was to help us achieve a recommended 70% reserve or $ 75,695 as soon as possible. Having an ample reserve is the key to being able to maintain and improve our pool and grounds for the all Mar Cheri homeowners.
However, your Board has decided to recommend only a small increase in your 2020 dues to $ 720. This will allow us to obtain bids on some critical areas that will need repair in the future to better determine the actual cost. This amount is incorporated into the 2020 budget which was approved by your Board at our January meeting. Below is the 2020 Budget in broad categories:
Total Revenue: $ 49,680 ($720 per homeowner for 69 homes)
Administration, Taxes and Insurance: $ 10,305
Pool and Grounds: $ 14,291
Utilities: $ 5,400
Capital Projects and Reserve retention: $ 16,500
Total Expenditures: $ 46,496
At the bottom of this letter is your ballot to approve the 2020 dues. If you would like to discuss the budget in any more detail before voting, please come to the February meeting at Anne Mesick’s home on February 11 at 7:00 pm. Please return your vote (and your check if you approve) to Mar Cheri Community Club, PO Box 25281, Federal Way, WA 98093-2281. Final approval will come at our March Board meeting.
I especially want to thank all our Board members for their time as we work together to keep Mar Cheri as one of the best small neighborhoods in Federal Way. Remember that our all-volunteer Board helps keep your dues down! Thanks for our outgoing Board members: Audrey Isaacson who served on the Board as our Secretary and Makoto Sugiuchi who leaves us after many years on the Board as an At-Large member. We welcome Brenda Busskohl as our new Secretary. In 2020 we are hoping to have more of you volunteer to join committees to help out your Board! So please say yes to being a volunteer!
Your Board is looking forward to a great 2020 for Mar Cheri and all our residents!
Ken Schiewetz President, Mar Cheri Board
_________________________________________________________________________________________
______________Yes, I vote to approve the 2020 dues of $ 720 per Lot.
______________ No, I vote not to approve the 2020 dues of $ 720 per Lot.
Mar Cheri Community Club November 12, 2019 Mar Cheri Annual Meeting Minutes
In Attendance: 17 households were represented, which does not constitute a quorum.
The meeting was held at the 320th street library in Federal Way and was called to order by president Ken Schiewetz at 7:10 PM. Ken announced that Anne Mesick would record the minutes in place of Audrey Isaacson who was recovering from surgery. Ken asked for volunteers to form a ballot committee. Christopher Willoughby, Linda Craft and Sherry Murchison volunteered.
The minutes from the 2018 annual meeting were read. A motion for approval of the minutes was made by Richard Egusa; a second was made by Ray Kreuger. A vote was called and the minutes were approved.
Treasurer’s Report: Larry Barlow The accounts are looking o.k. Of the $48,000.00 budgeted for the year, approximately $46,400.00 was spent leaving about $1500.00 for the last month and a half of the year. There is $33,000.00 in checking and $5,000.00 in savings so we will have approximately $35,000.00 to carry over to next year. It is expected that $25,000.00 will go into the reserve account leaving $10,000.00 as an operating expense account ( since assessments do not start coming in until April).
There are three households in arrears on their annual assessments.
Architectural Report: Rod Martinez A community walk was made by Rod and Laura House( as a member of the architectural committee), and the neighborhood looks good.
Three letters of noncompliance were sent out; two neighbors responded, one did not. One long-term property issue is making great strides to compliancy and the property is looking much better. One tree issue is unresolved.
One garage door replacement, three fence replacements, one front door replacement, and one painting and roofing project were approved.
Recreation and Hospitality: Anne Mesick Welcome packets and plants were given to three new neighbors: Teresa and Anthony Harris, Gary Zukowski and Christopher Willoughby.
In May we hosted the pool cleanup party, In July we had the July 4th picnic and in August we hosted the Annual Night Out event.
Maintenance Report: Lisa Martinez Four ring cameras were installed to monitor the perimeter of the pool and the gate. The cameras do not monitor any area within the fenced pool area except the primary entry gate. A new pump and heater were installed and some of the pipes in the equipment room were replaced. The chemical feeder was repaired. Two drainage issues, on the property outside the pool fence, were fixed. Springs on the primary pool entry gate and the electronic card reader on the same gate may need replacing.
One family had a non-sanctioned party and a letter was issued concerning the infraction.
Vice President’s Report: Laura House
A by-law review, required every three years, found that no fundamental changes are needed at this time. The amount collected for the annual assessment was the only update made.
As a member of the Architectural Committee, an explanation was given, in response to a letter from a home owner, that was mailed to every household in the association. The letter stated that the sender was lied to by the Architectural Committee.
After meeting with several former residents in the neighborhood who had previously been on the Architecture Committee, it was determined that a common practice for determining one aspect of a tree height infraction, is to see if any part of the tree is higher than the ridge line of the roof. Though this is not written in the bylaws or the covenants, it was the norm. No deception was intended on the part of the committee; they were simply enforcing the norm.
President’s Report: Ken Schiewetz Stream Mitigation: Ken gave a brief history of the situation reminding us that from the onset only five percent of the area in the mitigation zone is owned by Mar Cher. The other ninety-five percent belonged first to Mr Sorenson and then to Dr. Chang. Therefore, Mar Cheri is responsible for only five percent of the cost of any settlement of the plan.
Recently a community member brought the case to the attention of the City of FederalWay which opened the case again. A meeting between officials at the City and Ken Schiewetz, Steve Freeborn and Anne Mesick took place to determine the steps necessary to meet the requirements of the city so that the case could be closed once and for all. Coming from that meeting, Mar Cheri will hire a wetland biologist, who will survey the specific items for which Doc Hansen ,from the City, needs information. The City will make an administrative review, and then issue a letter of finality. The cost for these final steps should be about $2000.00.
The City reiterated that the stream is a minor stream and a letter noting that fact is forthcoming.
In addition to the money spent on the initial study and the legal fees, the land, purchased for the good of the community as a walking path to Redondo, is lost to this cause. And, its expense, added to the total financial cost (not to mention the hours of work and the stress it has caused the community, particularly the board members who are and have worked to mitigate the effects of this unfortunate situation).
New Construction: At the meeting with the City, new construction on the hills above the community was discussed. Concern about proper drainage is a high priority for the board and the City renewed their pledge to look into the drainage and erosion protection measures at the sites.
Reserve Study: In 2017 a state law was enacted requiring condominium and home owner associations to conduct studies of their properties so owners, bound by the covenants of those properties would be protected from sudden special assessments due to unforeseen expenses. The studies are required by law every three years. Our study results came in on Wednesday: a brief overview of the findings revealed that annual dues would be rising, though the amount of the increase is yet to be determined. The board will review the results and keep the community informed on the recommendations.
In Appreciation: Board members Audrey Isaacson and Makoto Sugiuchi were thanked for the generous service to the neighborhood.
Election Results: President: Ken Schiewetz, Vice President: Laura House, Secretary: Brenda Busskohl, Treasurer: Larry Barlow, At Large: Makoto Sugiuchi, Architecture: Rod Martinez, Maintenance/ Pool: Lisa Martinez, Recreation/ Hospitality: Anne Mesick.
Laura house asked all present to consider taking a position on a committee so that we might have all positions on the committees filled. Please talk to your new neighbors and ask them to consider a position on a committee.
All business being concluded, the meeting ended at 8:05 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Anne Mesick
2019 Budget Meeting 7:05
The 2019 Budget Meeting was called to order by President Schiewetz. The Board and six homeowners were present.
. A new pump/heater will be installed and new security lighting will be added around the pool.
. Larry explained the new accounting system, which Mar Cheri will be using, Pay HOA .
. There are two delinquent homeowners. If the two homeowners do not bring their dues current by May 1st, the board’s recommendation is to have our attorney initiate the lien process.
Harold Isaacson, Don Deighton and Laura House counted the ballots. There were 23 yes votes and 2 no votes. RCW 64.90.525 Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act governs budget approval, and states that if the majority of votes were cast as “yes”, but no quorum was established, ballots not returned will be considered a yes vote.
Budget passed for 2019.
Meeting closed at 7:45PM
Respectfully Submitted
Audrey Isaacson
Secretary
The Budget Approval Meeting was rescheduled due to snow conditions and the early closure of the Library where the meeting was to have taken place. The meeting will move to 2/19 at 7 PM at the Isaacson home.