Excerpts from the Annual Meeting [President'sReport]

I have met with the manager of Easthill Apts. on average every 45 days, to discuss mutual problems, projects, etc.
One of the issues that has come up is the line of command when reporting problems. Please go through the proper chain of command, channels, etc. when reporting problems or violations of any rules, parking problems, or problems which affect both Kenthill Townhomes and Easthill Apts.
The proper chain of command in the case of Kenthill Townhomes is Suhrco Residential Properties, Inc. If you have an issue, or a problem that needs attention, please contact Nancy LeMay, our Property Manager. That is what we pay them for. [Please do not call me (example – when the electricity/lights went out, etc.).]

A topic at the Annual Meeting

A presentation was made about the possibility of starting a Block Watch program here at Kenthill Townhomes. Easthill Apartments tenants could be invited to participate. A sign up sheet was made available. A printout of the information on the City of Kent's website was made and highlights were discussed [ http://www.ci.kent.wa.us/Police/CrimePrevention/
(click on Block Watch).
No one volunteered to be on the committee.

New Declarations and Bylaws

The 2006 Kenthill Townhomes Annual Meeting was held last night at 7:00PM in the Cabana. By a participation rate of 65% [a new Kenthill Townhomes record], Kenthill Townhomes homeowners passed the new, revised Declarations and Bylaws by a margin of 61%.

Meeting announcement

The 2006 Kenthill Townhomes Annuual Meeting will be held Monday, March 27th, 2006 at 7:00PM in the Cabana. We will be starting promptly at 7:00PM. If you would like, you may come between 6:00 -7:00PM to help us set up chairs and generally socialize. Come, be a part of your community. There will be a lot of information given. The Attorney for the Association will be in attendance. Thank you.

Items stolen

Another car was broken into. Items were reported stolen.

Thefts

Thefts have been reported at the northwest corner of our property. [These have included several outdoor barbeques being stolen].

Revisited

There have been many questions about what will happen if the new revised Declarations and Bylaws do not pass. Basically, to put it as brief as possible, nothing will change. Everything will stay the same as it is now.

We will not be able to legally have Building Representatives. As it is, we are relying on the conscientious hard work and diligence of a few observant homeowners to spot and keep and eye on and report problems when they see them. Over time, it has proven to be not enough. A few individuals cannot be expected to catch everything. We need Building Reps for each building.

We cannot legally tow. The person who owned the trailer (see picture on the blog) probably was loaning it to a tenant living at Easthill Apts. Anyone who could afford such a full-size completely rigged trailer such as that one probably has a fair amount of money. We might have just had the trailer towed because it had been sitting on our private property for as long as it was. Had we done so, and the gentleman had asked where it was and we replied that we had it towed and he asked what gives you the right to tow and we replied, "Our Declarations", and he inquired about them and discovered that our Declarations make no mention of towing authority, the gentleman could have called his attorney and we could have been sued for a lot of money. This would apply for any vehicle, trailer, car, or boat for that matter which was on Kenthill Townhomes property.

[Also, just as Kenthill Townhomes does not have, nor has it ever had, authority to tow vehicles on Easthill Apts property, so too, Easthill Apts. does not have, nor has it ever had, authority to tow vehicles on Kenthill Townhomes property. It is private property.].

We will not be able to do anything about the problems with Easthill Apts. Should we wish to request that the owners of Easthill Apts. sit down with us and renegotiate the terms of the Joint Eastment and Access Agreements (there are two) so that we can come to some better agreements regarding the use of the swimming pool (or any other recreational item for that matter), we cannot do so, since our Declarations at the present time do not give us that authority.

And we will continue to lose approximately $4700 every year (see recent blog post entitled, "Some math").

Intruders on our property

Still having reports of individuals driving vehicles in and around our property, pulling into parking stalls, and getting out and looking around. This usually happens in the early morning hours, approximately between 3:00AM and 5:00AM.

Some math

Kenthill Townhomes usually averages two or three units a year who default on their homeowners dues. We are not talking about being a little late. We are talking about people who simply do not pay. We are talking about thousands of dollars. The only way to make these people go is to threaten them with a sheriff’s sale (the steps are: letter, then letter with a fine ($10), then a lien (cost to us about $250), then foreclosure (cost to us about $1500, then a receivership (cost to us about $1500), then a sheriff sale (cost to us about $1500), which is the last resort. They usually sell first. As our property manager said recently, “They do not pay their dues because the money is just not there. It simply is not there.”

Right now, we only get $2000.00 when this happens. [At the moment, as I have posted, 2005/2006 is no exception – we have three units in this condition]. When we approve our new, revised Declarations we will get six months back payments. Six times $266.00 (supposing average dues at 266.00) equals $1596.00. $1596.00 times three [3 units a year who default] equals $4788.00. Even with it being less than 3 units a year in default, we can easily say that the updating of our documents will be paid off in a relatively short amount of time.

Moreover, we will be in what is known as a ”Super-Priority” position. The Attorney wrote: “If the lender pays the six months dues priority the Association may still be entitled to additional priority when/if the lender eventually foreclosed. If the lender didn't respond to the lawsuit paperwork the Association would be entitled to default the lender and the Association's lien would then be in first position."

Car prowler

A car prowler was observed attempting to break in to vehicles on Thursday morning at 4:00AM. He is a white male, medium build, wearing a baseball hat and also wearing a heavy dark coat with a hood. He was last seen driving a black or dark blue 2 door automobile through the Kenthill Townhomes/Easthill Apts. parking lots.

Conducting the Annual Meeting

This year we will be making more use of Roberts Rules of Order to conduct our Annual Meeting. This will introduce a level of formality to our proceedings that we are not accustomed to. Our purpose is doing this is to make sure that we use our time efficiently, as we have a lot of ground to cover, and to ensure that everyone who has something they would like to share can do so. Hopefully, this will result in the enhancement of our sense of community.

February handout

This is from the handout on February 25, 2006:

Hello everyone:

This is just a very brief news bulletin intended to give some information about our current status and to give an update concerning the Revising of our Declarations and Bylaws Project. A more formal letter will soon be composed and mailed out. It will include the formal announcement of the Annual Meeting which is scheduled for March 27, 2006 and will include a proxy for homeowners who are unable to attend.

The rewriting of our Declarations and Bylaws was a huge undertaking, and required many hours of work on the part of the Office of Kris Sundberg, the Attorney for the Association, as well as the members of the Board. As soon as some minor typographical errors are made to the new revised version, copies will be mailed to homeowners for their review. The new version offers Kenthill Townhomes Homeowners Association many rights and abilities that the Washington State Legislature provided in the 1990 law, it addresses the needs discussed at the 2005 Annual Meeting (the authority to tow vehicles, the authority to have Building Reps, etc.), and it gives us the ability to renegotiate the easements regarding recreational facilities.

Please mark your calendars for the date of the Annual Meeting – March 27, 2006 at 6:00PM in the Cabana. The Attorney for the Association who did the bulk of the rewrite work will be in attendance to assist in answering questions. To approve the new revised documents will require an affirmative vote of 60%. I hope you will join me in voting “Yes.”

Sincerely,

Thomas Flynn
President
Kenthill Townhomes Homeowners Association

Useful information may be obtained by going to the webblog at http://kenthillwebblog.blogspot.com/ [especially by clicking on the “archives –‘January’ link”, (left hand side)] and also clicking on the link, http://talkkenthill.proboards31.com/