A PUBLICATION OF THE SILVER RIDGE HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC. ORLANDO, FLORIDA

SILVER RIDGE - A DEED RESTRICTED COMMUNITY

HOMEOWNER’S ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTION OF DIRECTORS SET FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1998

The Association’s most important event of the year, the annual meeting and election of Directors will be held on Tuesday March 24, 1998, at the Oasis Community Church, 2332 North Hiawassee Road (just south of Silver Star Road.) All members are urged to attend, or return the proxy form, which were mailed in late February. There must be a quorum (10%) of members present or represented by proxy, so that the Association can conduct this important meeting.

An election will be held at this meeting to fill three of the five positions on the Board of Directors. One Director will be chosen for a three year term of office, another for a two year term, and another for a one year term.

The terms of office held by Eric Oelschlager, Nancy High, and Andy Hoetger will expire on March 24. Currently, Eric Oelschlager is serving as President, Nancy High is serving as Treasurer, and Andy Hoetger is serving as Secretary.

It is important for each homeowner to participate, to help set the direction the Association will take in the coming year. See the inside pages for an explanation of our election process.

Note from the Editor

Not surprisingly, the weeks, months and years continue to roll by quickly. It has been almost one year since I wrote the last issue of this newsletter. A lot has happened in that year, and it will be hard for me remember it all, let alone fit it into one newsletter.

I’m sure that the majority of you have heard nothing from the Association for almost a year, except for the bill for the annual dues. It’s not that the Association has been idle for the past year, it’s just that I have been unable to muster up the enthusiasm to write any newsletters. Not only is it time-consuming, but I was starting to feel like a broken record, always whining about the same problems around the neighborhood.

I have been serving on the Board of Directors for almost three years now. My term of office expires at the end of March. I haven’t decided if I am willing to serve after then. It may be time for me to invest my energies in other ways, and make room for someone new to leave their mark on our neighborhood.

At the last Board meeting, we took action to reduce the workload on ourselves, and yet improve the level of service provided by the Association. I’m confident that this move will encourage more of you to be involved with the Board.

If we’re not happy with what is going on in the neighborhood, then it is up to each of us to come to the annual meeting, and make sure that we elect wise and competent Directors to manage our Association.

Last Year’s Election Results

Two Director’s positions were up for election – a three-year term, and a one year term.

Tom McCarty was elected to the three-year term, and Andy Hoetger was elected to the one-year term.

The members of the Board nominated and elected officers of the Association at the Board meeting held April 10, 1997. Eric Oelschlager was elected President, Sam Branch Vice President, Andy Hoetger was elected as Secretary, and Treasurer of the Association.

Shortly after the April 10, 1997 Board meeting, Marianne Marosan resigned her position as a Director of the Association, due to career obligations. On June 10, 1997, the Board appointed Nancy High to serve the remainder of Marianne’s two year term. The Board appointed Nancy to the office of Treasurer, relieving Andy Hoetger from that responsibility.

In July, Tom McCarty resigned his position as a Director of the Association, due to career obligations. On August 12, the Board appointed Linda Harrell to serve the remainder of Tom’s three-year term of office.

Help is On the Way!

As mentioned in the Note from the Editor, above, the Board decided to get some help running the day-to-day affairs of the Association. The Association has contracted with Don Asher & Associates for full property management services. Previously, Don Asher was only providing bookkeeping services to the Association.

What does this mean to individual homeowners?

First, it means better service. This help is paid help, not volunteer help. Now, instead of calling an automated voice mailbox, which is sporadically answered by volunteers, you can call our property manager at Don Asher’s office for help on all Association issues. If you have a question about meeting schedules, or a complaint about deed violations, or questions on the status of your account, you can talk to someone who is being paid to handle these issues, during business hours.

Second, it means a better-looking neighborhood. There will be stronger enforcement of the Association’s Deed restrictions, because the people at Don Asher are being paid to do that as well. Some homeowners will soon see that the Association is much more diligent about enforcing the restrictions that all homeowners are required to obey. In reality, this is good news to everyone, because the neighborhood will be more attractive, and property values will be better protected.

In addition, repair and improvement projects will be completed sooner. For example, the Board has been trying for several months to get quotes from contractors to repair and repaint the front wall. Now, our property manager at Don Asher will have the time to follow up with the contractors, to get the bids needed to get these jobs done properly and in a cost-effective way.

Third, it means that the members of the Board of Directors will be freed up from the mundane tasks of running the Association, such as returning phone calls, generating violation letters, and getting the sprinklers fixed. Instead, the Board can concentrate more on promoting a sense of community within the neighborhood.

The State of the Association

There’s no doubt you, the homeowners, the "citizens of the Association," the dues payers, deserve an explanation of the current status of the Association. That is one of the purposes of our Annual meeting. But I will also summarize that information here, so that everyone is familiar with it, in preparation for the annual meeting.

The Association maintains these items:

• The "front" wall, along Silver Star Rd, east and west of our entrance. The wall is coated with "Colorcrete," a colored stucco product, which resists peeling and fading. Unfortunately, cracks can still form in the stucco, due to the underlying mortar joints. These cracks were repaired two years ago, but the repair materials do not blend in perfectly with the surrounding wall, giving the wall a patchy and dingy look, especially on overcast or rainy days. We are planning to have the entire wall cleaned and repainted in the next few months, with an elastomeric coating, which will reduce the number of visible cracks. A hit-and-run driver damaged the eastern part of the wall in early September. Repairs will be completed before the wall is repainted.
• The lawn, landscaping and sprinkler systems in front of the front wall. The Association is deferring landscape improvements in this area, in anticipation of the widening of Silver Star Rd. In late November, a large truck drove over one of the sprinkler valves, causing a water leak. The leak was not discovered until early January, so a large amount of water, which cost approximately $800, was wasted.
• Island at the entrance, including the sign and landscaping. The sign will be repainted along with the front wall. Graffiti was sprayed on the sign several years ago, and the cleaning efforts tarnished the metal letters on the sign. These letters should be polished and recoated. Some of the plants in the island look shabby, these will be heavily pruned.
• Silver Ridge Dr. retention pond. Except during extended periods of heavy rain, this "pond" remains dry. The apron of the pond is mown weekly during the growing season, and the brush is removed from the base of the pond semiannually. The fences around the pond belong to the surrounding homes. The soil around this pond is constantly eroding. The wood timber retaining walls installed by the developer are failing. Two years ago, the Association hired a contractor to build a concrete retaining wall to solve this problem. Unfortunately, this contractor went bankrupt before the job was complete, but after a large deposit was paid. The footer for the wall was completed, but, in my personal opinion, it was with very poor workmanship. The Board has not yet been able to obtain satisfactory and affordable bids to complete this work. It may take several more years to save enough money to complete the job properly.
• Retention pond at Danforth & Golden Rock Dr. This "pond" is always dry. The apron of the pond is mown weekly during the growing season, and the brush is removed from the base of the pond semiannually. The Association maintains the chain link fence around the pond. The topsoil around this pond seems to be quite stable. I hope we can install some landscaping to beautify the end of the retention pond near Danforth Drive. However, this project must wait until we know how much money is left after more critical projects are completed.
• The welcome sign at Pell Mell Dr. The shrubs under this sign are unhealthy, and are too small in proportion to the height of the sign. These plants will soon be replaced with larger, faster growing plants.

The Association was able set aside $11,000 from the 1997 operating budget, and place it in reserves, for future use for large-scale repair and improvement projects. We must plan and save for these sorts of projects well in advance, because it is practically impossible for the Association borrow money. The reserve account contains nearly $33,000. While this seems like a lot, it may not be enough to repair and repaint the front wall, and finish the repairs to the Silver Ridge Drive retention pond, especially considering that it would be smart to save some of the reserves for an unforeseen emergency.

New Location for Monthly Board Meetings

The monthly Board meetings are now being held at the meeting room at the Orange County Public library, 7210 W. Colonial Drive (near Olive Garden, at the Home Depot shopping center.)

The Association will save $30 each month by using this facility. (Every little bit helps!)

Any member is welcome to attend the Board meetings. Here is the Board meeting schedule for the upcoming months:

Get Neighborhood News by Email

One of the problems the Association has always faced is getting information out to its members quickly and cheaply. There are simply too many homes - 442 to spread news via telephone quickly. It’s possible to reach everyone by mail, but that can be expensive, and takes several days. Bulk mail is cheaper, but involves a lot of pre-sorting work, and delivery can be even slower, and unpredictable.

You will receive a welcome message to acknowledge that you have been added to our email list.

If there is information you would like to share with other members of the email list, you may send it to the above address, and it will be forwarded to the entire group. Be sure to indicate that the message is intended for the entire group, otherwise it will not be forwarded to everyone else.

Procedure for the Election of Board of Directors

Term of Office: According to Article IV, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Association, directors are elected to varying terms of office. Three directors' terms are for three years, one director's term is for two years, and the remaining director's term is for one year. Because of this staggering, not all positions are up for election each year. This year, three of the directors' positions are open for election.

In the event a director resigns, a person chosen by the remaining Board members replaces him. Any replacement director serves the remainder of the term of the director he/she replaces.

Nomination Process: According to Article IV, Section 3 of the Bylaws, the Board of Directors must appoint a nominating committee. The nominating committee is responsible for making at least one nomination for each expired director's position. Any member may also make nominations from the floor of the annual meeting.

Election of Directors: The members of the Board of Directors are elected directly by the members (homeowners.) According to Article IV, Section 4 of the Bylaws, the votes are cast by secret written ballot. Each member (homeowner) may cast one ballot per property the member owns within Silver Ridge.

Election of Officers: The President of the Association is required to be a member of the Board of Directors (Article VII, Section 1 of the Bylaws.) The other officers of the Association may or may not be members of the Board of Directors. The officers of the association are elected by the Board of Directors (not the members at large - Article VII, Section 2 of the Bylaws) after each annual meeting.

You’d Better Watch Out…

As mentioned, the Association’s new property manager has taken over inspections for deed restriction violations. I’m told that the inspector is a "tough cookie" and won’t let anything slide by.

So, to help everyone stay out of trouble with the property manager, here’s a reminder list summarizing the deed restrictions for Silver Ridge. This is not a complete list, but it covers most rules, which are of everyday concern. For the official deed restrictions, written in "lawyer-speak," read the "Declarations of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions" document which you should have received at closing when you purchased your home. In the event of a contradiction, the "Declarations of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions" shall supersede the list below.

These deed restrictions are binding upon all property owners in Silver Ridge. In other words, each of us agreed to abide by these restrictions as a condition of purchase when we bought our homes.

• Don’t run a business from your home, particularly if it involves manufacturing, repair, or service business where clients and customers come to your home to conduct business, creating a nuisance for your neighbors.
• Don’t park any vehicles on the lawn.
• Motor vehicles that don’t run, or which have expired tags must be kept inside the garage.
• Don’t store recreational vehicles at your home unless you keep them in the garage. This includes boats, trailers, campers, motor homes, etc.
• Commercial vehicles (for example large work trucks, delivery vans, vans or pickups carrying ladders or other equipment, even cars with commercial lettering) must be parked in the garage. The exception to this rule is police cars or other government agency cars.
• Keep pets confined to your back yard, or on a leash. Pets must NOT be tied up in the front yard.
• Hedges in the front yard must be no taller than three feet.
• Keep lawn cut, and edge along the driveways and walks.
• You must keep your fences in good repair. Fix loose or broken fence slats. Please continue on Page 6

You’d better Watch Out…

Financial Summary- Income and Expenses, 1/1/97 through 12/31/97

The 1997 income and expense figures are shown in the following table. Members may examine the detailed year-end financial statements by contacting the Association’s management at Don Asher and Associates.