BOARD MEETING MINUTES

Unapproved Board Meeting Minutes of March 10, 2001

CALL TO ORDER

Gail White, President, called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM. Present were 1st Vice President Pat Zakalowski, 2nd Vice President Jay Farr, Directors Linda Brabant, Don Kuester and Roy Miller and Manager Tim Fall. Doug Bradley was excused.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Jay Farr moved to accept February minutes. Seconded by Pat Zakalowski. Motion carried.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Treasurer reported income for the month of February of $13,078.27 and operating expenses of $25,694.15. Cash balance at the end of February was $25,562.57. Pat Zakalowski moved to accept the Treasurer’s Report. Seconded by Linda Brabant. Motion carried

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE

Motion was made by Roy Miller to approve the payables. Seconded by Linda Brabant. Motion carried.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The board received a letter From Doug Bradley resigning his appointment as a member of the Board of Directors due to a conflict with work scheduled on Saturdays. Don Kuester moved to accept his resignation with regret. Seconded by Pat Zakalowski. Motion passed.

CORRESPONDENCE

A letter was circulated regarding an issue with the fire department. A response has been given to the appropriate parties.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

CAMPGROUND COMMITTEE – Martin Moore, Chairman, reported that he has met with Mo Lombardo, Lot 658, regarding estimated costs for building a pavilion at the campgrounds. Quotes are being submitted. . Another idea is the possibility of a playscape kit, quotes for which Linda Brabant has information. Costs would be based on using volunteer labor for both projects.. This information will be presented to the Board for study and to make a determination of available funds

COVENANTS & RESTRICTIONS – Anne Hobart reported the Committee would be meeting again today to finish the changes to the proposed amended Covenants and Restrictions. In its entirety the Covenants and Restrictions will be submitted to the Board for review prior to the next meeting. She has suggested that the Committee and the Board have a special joint meeting to review the changes and the reasoning behind the changes. This discussion would be open to the public but not for input from the public at this time.

ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE – Valentine Party was a success. Pat Zakalowski reported there will be no St Patrick’s Day dinner. Volunteers are needed to work on the June parade in order for this to become a reality.

NOMINATING COMMITTEE – Linda Brabant reported that she has 6 possible candidates to run for the 4 openings at the annual meeting in July. Bylaws will be searched to determine if it is feasible to have an alternate member.

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE – Chick Witchell reported she had a request for approval to build a garage, a request for contiguous lot status for lots 859-860 and approval to remove 3 or 4 trees on Lot 181. She has been corresponding to owners who have questions regarding violations.

The Committee has suggested developing a packet which will be hand carried to campers defining the rules of camping. Fred Witchell will be visiting all lot owners to check if fire pits are in compliance with the Conservation Department regulations.

FUTURE PLANNING COMMITTEE – Joni Farr reported no new projects to present at this time.

The Committee is discussing making the clubhouse ADA accessible, using existing maintenance building for storage, putting together information packets for new residents and campers defining basic rules and regulations and/or an index of businesses in and around the Farwell area.

MANAGER’S REPORT

The spreader for the new truck has not yet arrived. Parts needed for repairing the spreader on the old truck were not immediately available. New parts have been received and installed- the old sander is now operational. Bertha Lake status remains unchanged. Should there ever again be an overflow of water to run into Holiday Lake, the Drain Commission would have jurisdiction. Should Holiday Lake ever reach the flood plane level The Drain Commission would be responsible for the engineering to flow excess water into White Birch Lake. Efforts continue to explore the legality of having a patrol car in White Birch. Total expenses for fiscal year 2000-01 have been finalized at about $40,000 under budget. Outstanding and unpaid delinquent dues amount to well over $100,000. Concerted efforts are being made to contact lot owners of record to collect past due amounts by reclaiming lots, putting on liens, making payment arrangements etc. A meeting is scheduled with the Physical Plant Committee at the Farwell Schools in about 10 days concerning busing. The P P Committee will make a recommendation to the school board who will then come back with their response.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

A finalized package of costs and the availability of funds for the construction of the pavilion and playscape is to be submitted to the board members for review at the next meeting.

COMMENTS FROM THE FLOOR

Chuck Hastings, Lot 78, suggested fire pit guidelines be emphatically published to all lot owners..

Anna Cole, Lot 636, questioned if funds for playscape would be taken from funds allocated for necessary repairs. Funds would be provided from collections for campground usage and revenue from cans & bottles deposits. Anne Hobart, Lot 454, quoted from the Clare County Review that the Gypsy Moth millage passed by the residents of Clare County is being considered by the Board of Commissioners not to be collected. It is important to attend this meeting to express the need for funding this program.

Joe Romine, Lot 542, expressed that criteria for school bus runs in White Birch should be based on how far a student has to walk rather than the number of riders. Carold Roffe , Lot 651, asked if long range projected budget revenues are based on 1000 paying lots. Projected revenue is based on declining lots as contiguous status increases. Mo Lombardo, Lot 658, asked if loans should be renegotiated to reflect declining interest rates. Fran Lombardo expressed the need for the June Parade as it is a well attended social event. Tom Dorcey, Lot 1122, stated that he feels the pavilion and playscape projects should be budgeted as 2 separate items. Mike Dalka, Lot 467, expressed his opinion that any funds allocated to improve the campground would be better used to upgrade the clubhouse and tennis court. John Strock, Lot 922, requested earliest date to get trailers out of the campground. The date is weekend of May 19.

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NEW BUSINESS

A letter is to be developed and presented to the board which could possibly be used to establish a list of vendors who may consider group discounts to lot owners in White Birch.

ADJOURNMENT

Motion to adjourn made by Pat Zakalowski. Seconded by Linda Brabant. Motion carried.

Respectfully Submitted

Priscilla Moore

Secretary-Treasurer