By Kathy Leslie-Whelan

          The meeting was called to order at 9:32 AM.  All board members were present.  General Manager Darryl Gamble was also present.  Buz Whelan, President, called for a motion to approve July 22nd 2023’s board meeting minutes.  A motion was made by Bob Leon and seconded by Chris Claude.  It passed unanimously.  Whelan also called for a motion to approve September 30^th, 2022 board meeting minutes.  Maria Tirado-Quinones made the motion which was seconded by Bill Baehr.  Motion passed unanimously. 

Whelan started his Opening Statement by stating that the board is currently working on Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Directors.  Currently the only requirement for running for the Board is the member must be over 21 and be in good standing.  Items being discussed are background check requirements and removing a Director who has grossly misbehaved such as criminal activity or violation of the Code of Conduct and Confidentiality forms that were signed by each member.  The new requirements will be submitted to the membership for a vote to change our by-laws.  A special meeting will be held in late February or early March.  Winter prep is underway.  Whelan cautioned the membership to get their snow plow contractor in place before the first snow falls.  He also stated that since the dog park is doing well the hours will be relaxed till dark during the off season.   Whelan invited Chris Claude, Vice President to talk about events that are being planned.  Claude spoke of the Veteran’s Day Brunch that will be held on November 11^th starting at 10:00 AM.  The event is opened to everyone whether they served or not. The event will include Ken Meyers performing a drum solo, slide show of veterans in the community, flag ceremony, speakers to talk about their experiences and a brunch.  Whelan stated that he would forward his picture to Claude for the presentation. Claude asked Mike Camino if he wanted to submit a picture, however, he said he would not be doing so.  Whelan stated that Jason Bradley, who operates “Handy Jay” in the community, organized a Halloween parade that will start at 1:00 PM at the Administration building and will end at the Emerald Lodge.  Trunk or Treat will begin at 2:00 PM in the Community Center parking lot.  Later on in the evening an adult costume party will start at 8:00 PM, however the Lodge will open at its regular time.  A DJ will start off the festivities for the evening and there will be a contest for the best costume.  On November 11^th at 8:00 PM, there will be a family friendly show at the Emerald Lodge called “Drag through the Seasons”.  This show is currently being performed off Broadway.  Tickets will be $10.00 in advance and $13.00 at the door.

Whelan handed the floor over to our Treasurer Bill Baehr.  Baehr’s report was for September 1^st through September 31^st, which is the fifth month of our fiscal year.  He stated that dues collected for the month was $28,036 and $652,205 YTD.   Currently our collection rate is 75.65%.  The same month last year we were at 71.95%.  We are up 3.70% over last year.  Code Enforcement Officer Revenue is at $16,287.  Dues, public safety and rental income was $51,917 for the month.  Community Center Revenue which includes access cards, boat and fishing permits, bar and grill income, private events, vending and event income totaled $51,855.  The total income was $133,208.89   for the month. 

On the expense side, expenses for administrative, general/professional, public safety, maintenance, bar and grill, CC/Recreation, insurance and utilities have come down from last month.  Our monthly expenses were $232,377.7.  Our cash assets for the month are $1,068,261, reserve fund are $383,156 and our investment account are $129,247.   Bar and Grill revenue was $6,244 while cost to operate were $5,076.  A motion was made by Bob Leon and seconded by Maria Tirado-Quinones to accept the Treasurer’s report.  The motion passed unanimously.

Under Old Business

• Whelan spoke about the SOP for the Board.  The purpose is to clearly define how the Board should operate.  They want to clarify roles and improve efficiency. 
• Events planned in the community will be listed in the Emerald News.
• Whelan stated that only 5% of the membership serves on committees.  He is encouraging people to join a committee.  It is a great way to learn what is going on in the community and would make you a better candidate if you want to run for the Board.  Whelan would also like to see the Maintenance committee back up and running.

Under New Business:

• A lottery is being discussed to sell lottery tickets for $20.00 each.  The winner will have their dues paid for next year.  Any money collected over the amount to cover the dues will go for into the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Emerald Lakes Association. Selling 62 tickets will cover the cost of the member’s dues.  Other HOA’s have run these lotteries before, and it is not in violation of state laws.  The committee working on the 50^th Anniversary celebration will start meeting in January to start the planning of the festivities.
• Dam and Bridge reports are in and will be distributed to the Board.  They will meet with the Engineers that prepared the report within the next two weeks to discuss the various options for the Clover Bridge.  The fixes for the Cedar Bridge can be done in house.  The dams are in good condition across the board and there is nothing to be overly concerned about. 
• Winter prep is under way.  The salt and cinders are under contract and we have pledged amounts that will be delivered to us.  We have 5 snow plow trucks that are in rotation to be winterized.  We also have a cat and dog list available that will assist if we get super heavy snow where our staff needs assistance.  Discussions were also held on installing 3 generators that hook up to our propane tank at the Community Center. The CC will be available for emergencies.  The lot will be plowed in the event that an emergency exists.  That area is also designated as a landing pad for a helicopter to land to pick up a critical patient.  Gamble encouraged the membership who are handicapped or have a special condition to notify the office with the necessary information so that Public Safety can do welfare checks throughout the winter months.  In addition, maintenance will arrange their plowing schedule to ensure that the member can get out for any medical special need.

Committee Reports        

Maria Tirado-Quinones spoke on behalf of the Appeals committee.  They met on October 14^th and heard 7 appeals. 

Dave Borsos, chair of Finance and Planning (F&P),   spoke on behalf F&P.  Their meeting was held October 20th. Borsos stated that we are operating in the black.  He stated revenue for events that occurred in September/October ranged from $163.60 to $685.60.  Karaoke bought in the most money.   The Operating Fund/Expense Report showed that rental income is $460K YTD.  Currently we have 77 long term rental and 320 short term rental properties.  Please note that we have a total of 1,680 developed properties.  22 homes sold this month.  We have $1.6M in gross income YTD and $1.3M in expenses YTD.  Payroll is lower this month since the summer season has ended.  The items purchased for the Fall Festival that was cancelled will be repurposed for other activities.  Reserves are in good shape.  In the future adjustments will be made to our financial sheets.  Those adjustments are on hold due to the switch over of TOPPS who handles our financial data to Enumerate Central.  The next scheduled meeting of F&P will be held on Friday, November 17th at the Administration building.

Mike Camino stated that the Real Estate committee did not meet but will meet on the third Saturday of next month.

Louise Leon spoke on behalf of Rules and Regulations.  Hilary Decker was elected 2^nd chair.  They discussed decorum and unsightly properties.  Their next meeting will be held on November 8^th and Brian from Security will attend.

Director’s Comments

                         Bill Baehr stated that he loves the smell of fresh asphalt in the morning and thanked the General Manager for having his road paved.    He also thanked everyone for the great turn out for Trivia.  We had seven teams and everyone seemed to have a good time. He stated that if anyone else wants to show up, the game takes about two hours and the winning team gets to take home the trophy for the month.  The trophy was donated by Randy Kopp.

     Mike Camino is working on the septic policy and hopes to have it completed by November.  He thanked Administration for opening the game room for the kids and is happy the karaoke could run till midnight.  He also gave kudos to the Lodge staff for the special menu and would like to see ethnic foods served once a month.  He would also like to see more transparency.  He stated that we are all shareholders and we should be courteous.  Changes affect everyone.

Bob Leon stated that there are 32 homes for sale in Emerald Lakes ranging from $240K to $1,050,000.  25% of the homes have been on the market for over a year.    

          Connie Simpson would like to see menus posted by Nicole Clemens via a news blast. 

Chris Claude reminded everyone about the upcoming events being hosted by the Recreation Club.  Events include:

November 4^th – Paint and Sip

November 10^th – Movie Night “Elemental”

November 11^th – Veteran’s Day Brunch

December 8^th – PJ pajama party for the kids with the Holiday Grinch

February will host a luau – date to be determined

March 16^th – St Patrick’s Day event.

Maria Tirado-Quinones wanted to piggy back off of a previous comment about our Security Chief, Brian who was present for the Appeals committee.  She thanked him for being there and stated that he has a great personality.  She also encouraged everyone to vote on November 7^th and to support our local folks.    

Buz Whelan spoke about the damage to the main front entrance.  A car hit the wall and damaged it.  A picture is available in the Emerald News.  The individual hit and ran so there is no police report where he can have his vehicle repaired under insurance.  If anyone witnessed the event or notices a vehicle with new front end damage to the front end, you are encouraged to report it to our office.  All calls will be kept confidential.

Public Comments

Linda Shuey thanked staff for having fill at the main beach road but stated that more fill needs to be added to the other side.  This work should have been done when the road was paved.  She also pointed out that the work at the bath house on Main Beach is not completed and that the play ground equipment needs to be repaired.  She was told that maintenance will get to finishing the bath house but has been busy with other work.  The playground equipment cannot be repaired and will be replaced.  Shuey also requested that a new policy be put into place about the boat registration.  She doesn’t understand why you have to pay for a boat registration while you don’t have to pay to use the beach or other amenities.  She also wants to know if it is legal to charge this fee. 

          Randy Kopp has spent a lot of time with Eric Bergstrom on the lakes and noticed that more boats are being registered.  As a matter of fact, we ran out of stickers He thinks that registering boats has a positive impact since boats can easily be tracked back to the owners if they are lost. He also said that he enjoys the Lodge and played musical trivia at the bar.  He thinks it would be a good event to add.

          Buz Whelan added that they are looking to bring Bingo back to the Lodge.  Many communities have been doing this.  No money can be made and our attorney is advising us on this.  Bingo will be held on possibly a Thursday night.

Louise Leon gave a shout out to the Clymer Library and thanked everybody.

          Another woman thanked Gamble for decorating the entrance to the Estates.

Kathy Whelan thanked all who came out to the Well and Septic workshop.  It had a great turnout.

Dave Borsos gave kudos to Chris Claude and the Recreation Club.  He also feels another playground would be nice.

Four (4) new members were welcomed to the Community.

          A motion was made by Connie Simpson to adjourn.  It was seconded by Mike Camino.  Meeting adjourned at 11:13 AM.

Reporters Note: I write these reports based on notes taken during the meeting.  I get no special consideration or cooperation from the board.  I try my best to report accurately, but occasionally mistakes will be made.  I invite correction and have no desire to intentionally mischaracterize any comments or actions.