Madison Park

Minutes for October 11, 2004 HOA Meeting

Oct 15, 2004

October 11, 2004
Madison Park Neighborhood Association
Minutes

www.neighborhoodlink.com


The meeting was called to order at 7:31 pm by Ted Peters, President after the 30 minute social time that started at 7:00 pm.

There were 21 attendees and 5 officers present.

Officer Hairston Westover Division recognized Sgt. Gaines, Officer Ken and Officer Blakely.

In September, there were 33 incidents in the Westover Division of Madison Park. The ones in our immediate area were as follows.

1823 Tyvola Road assault other criminal charge
1156 Seneca Place non-aggravated assault (father and son)
5000 Murrayhill Road Armed Robbery (Midnight occupants on the way to a party stopped to ask directions and were car jacked)
4401 Halstead Drive Larceny from vehicle
315 Cooper Residential Burglary (storage building)
800 E Woodlawn Road other criminal charge
5028 Milford residential burglary
5314 Milford larceny patio set
5015 White Oak theft from storage building
5601 Wedgewood Drive Residential Burglary side door kicked in
415 Seneca Place larceny from auto
744 Brockbank Road residential burglary
5627 Murrayhill Road larceny from auto

It was noted there was an unusually high number of break-ins and burglars entering storage buildings in our community. Officer Hairston stressed the need to keep storage buildings locked.

Officer Hairston passed out the Where is your Property ID forms. This form is on the website under the police category if you would like to make your own list. Residents are encouraged to keep a log of item types, make, models and serial #?’s. Only when residents have a property list to ID can police help you recover your property.

Pawn Shops take ID and hold merchandise 10 days. So this does give property owners time to claim their merchandise if it can be properly identified.

Officer Hairston stressed the need for residents to be nosy neighbors and report strangers to the police immediately. He stated most of the thefts occur in the day time. Criminals will knock on door and when they find no one home they help themselves. Call if you see anything. (Martin Doss mentioned that this was exactly what he observed a few months ago happen at his neighbor on Londonderry Road. It was 3 PM no cars in the driveway when 2 male blacks in an SUV pull into the driveway. One immediately went to the rear of the house while the second knocked on the front door. When no one answered the man at the door went to the rear of the house and told the second person. They then left with tools from the property. Martin called 911 immediately and followed the thieves to a service station on South and Tyvola and got the tag number for the police).

The highest months for break-ins of storage buildings and homes is May ?– August. However Sept. was very high for our areas.

The police do have a suspect for some of the break-ins. A suspect caught breaking in apts. Off Scaley Bark Road.

Officer Russell was present from the South Division. Officer Monroe is on vacation this week.

There were 3 direct problems in the area South of Tyvola Road.
5430 Chedworth (Gravely) Mower stolen from Back Yard w/m 35
1609 Tamworth Lost/Missing car tag
5801 Farmbrook threat at school made by student

Officer Russell mentioned that the officers had been working with Martin Doss on issues such a cars parking on lawns. There is a Citizens?’ Advisory Board Meeting being held Tuesday October 19, 2004 at 6 pm. South Davison will host one off Johnston Road 8050 Corporate Center Drive after you cross Pineville-Matthews Road and Westover Davison will be hosting at the Westover Team Office 1540 West. Blvd. We will have representatives attending both meetings. This will be a video conference and address with the various police divisions issues such as parking on lawns and animal control issues. It is being done by video in order to insure that various police divisions get the same messages on these issues. This is important in neighborhoods like our own where we have two police divisions that oversee our community. [An example was last month when Officer Monroe mentioned that the police were not able to enforce parking in yards on corner lots. Westover Division had already been enforcing corner lots. South Division had given its officers incorrect information. The video conference will insure the same message is being presented to everyone at once. South Division conceded the mistake and agreed they would be enforcing corner lots after Martin Doss contacted the City with the discrepancy.] (Martin has since met with Sgt. Bud Cesena who assured him that the police will do their part in helping resolve these issues ?– especially with cars parked on lawns)

Halloween Tips for a Safe Halloween were passed out by officer Hairston. [These will be posted on our website. See link posted above.]

Tips:
Trick-or-Treat while it is still light outside.
Wear a costume that makes it easy to walk, see and be seen.
Wear light colored costumes at night.
Carry a flashlight.
Take off face mask before crossing streets.
Try makeup instead of mask.
Have parents or guardians go out with you.
Only call on homes with lighted porches or exterior lights.
Plan your route ahead of time.
Homeowners, if you want to participate, leave your porch light on and light your steps.
Cross only at street corners.
Walk facing traffic if there are no sidewalks.
Sort treats at home.

The officers were all thanked for attending and providing the Association with valuable information.

Ted Peters then invited Martin Doss to recognize the vendors who supported our Fall Picnic by donating with door prizes. Special thanks went to the following Businesses:

Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon 5033 H South Blvd.
Precision Tune AutoCare 4909 South Blvd.
Souper! Salad! 5117 South Blvd.
Good Year Tires 5021 South Blvd (Seneca Place)
Auto Bell Car Wash South Blvd.
Toppers Pizza Seneca Place Shopping Center

Cherryl Furr winner of a meal from Souper! Salad! mentioned that Souper Salad gave her entire dining party their meal for free when she went to redeem her coupon. (Coupon was for one free meal drink included)

Residents are encouraged to visit the businesses that supported the picnic.

Candy Bridges from Parks and Recreation was thanked for the snow cones (Candy did a great job making the cones for the picnic guests) and the large inflatable venue that even the adults found to be fun at the picnic.

Candy Bridges then gave an update on the Queens University Marion Deihl Sports Complex. City Council approved the project at their Monday, 10/4 meeting. City Council and County Commissioners have all signed off on the project. The ground breaking is now scheduled to take place in the spring of 2005. Queens University wants to raise 5 million dollars before the ground breaking. They currently have over 2 million dollars raised.

Candy Bridges is Recreation Coordinator for Park and Recreation Department South Park District. Her office is in the Park Road Park.

Candy Bridges noted their dept. had received a few calls wondering if Halloween would be celebrated on Saturday since it falls on Sunday. Candy had not been able to get a solid answer. In the past Charlotte has moved the holiday up when it fell on a Sunday. This had not been heard by anyone in attendance (so we will assume the celebration will take place Sunday).

Lamar Gunter then gave a presentation. He provided the group with information on curb side pickups. This included size requirements on cut limbs and diameters permitted. Lamar also mentioned the Recycle Center where items can be carried out on Bryum Road near the Animal Control Center. Park Road Park recycles items such as paper and cans.

Lamar Gunter then spoke on the Bond Issues for the November Ballot. 199 Million Dollars in Bonds are to be voted on.

County Bonds on the Ballots are
69 million for Parks sports fields and so forth
25 million for Greenway

City Bonds
Traffic improvements
Right a ways
Sidewalks
South Rail infrastructure
Affordable housing
Revamp areas in need of revitalization

704-441-9100 Lamar Gunter if you would like more information or a sign for your property.

The Bonds are Non Partisan. If you vote a straight party ticket, you will not be voting for or against the bonds. Also, a straight party vote will not record your choice of judges. Voters are cautioned to read through all the pages of the ballot to insure their votes count on all the issues.

Ted Peters mentioned we had a few left over items at the picnic. One is a cut glass dish. If you left anything please contact the board.

Ted Peters then gave an update on the Seneca Commons (Park Road at Seneca Place) Development. Ted found out that the project was held up because of an environmental issue but that work was expected to take place prior to year end. It will be a mix of self storage and office. The entry will come off the extension of Seneca Place as it crosses Park Rd. with a curb cut adjacent to the project and not from Park Road.

Dee McCandlish then noted that paving had begun today on Park Road between Woodlawn and Tyvola Road. This is to resurface the road after a main supply/transportation water line was installed under the roadway two years ago.

Ted Peters then gave an update on the addition of speed humps to Montford Drive. The cost for the brick top pattern is 800 dollars per hump. To retrofit the existing 3 humps with a brick top pattern was estimated by Mike Eads with CDOT to be 2400 hundred dollars for each currently existing hump. The membership in attendance did not feel this was the right decision to take because of the cost. It was noted there was a small number of membership that attends that lives on Montford Drive. [No Montford Drive residents attended tonight?’s meeting.] Ted Peters noted that homeowners adjacent to the proposed humps were for the most part in favor of the speed humps noting that speeding was still a problem on those stretches of Montford Drive between the existing humps.

Discussion by those in attendance followed. One resident of MurrayHill did not feel brick patterns were necessary noting Murrayhills humps are black topped. Ted noted that the HOA was not approached on that project and that was why it was not considered. Another Murrayhill resident suggested that real bricks not be used to save on cost. The current Wedgewood Drive and Seneca Place humps are stenciled and painted with a brick color. [So that would not save any money.]

The general membership did not want to vote and it was questioned by Judy Bratton what our Bylaws say in regards to what constitutes a Quorum for a vote. In the past those who attend the meetings when an issue comes up for a vote make the decisions. The Bylaws are quite lengthy and our treasurer can provide a copy for (copying fees) to anyone requesting them. It was asked if they could be posted on our website. The answer is no due to the size of the documents. Also, the Bylaws are legal documents filed with the Secretary of State as required by law. They are legally binding and Madison Park HOA follows the procedures outlined. Whenever we take a vote, the issues are published in the minutes that will be on our agenda for vote the following month. Anyone having concerns or issues should attend our meetings monthly to get their opinions considered. We currently send minutes to approximately 200 households in our community. The minutes are always published and distributed in a timely manor on our website www.neighborhoodlink.com where we are currently getting 800 hits a month.

Ted Peters noted that the installation of the additional humps was to start in November and that the city will not share in any cost of ?“esthetic?”surface treatments. They will not consider sharing cost even though they concede that they did not install the original humps properly. In order to slow traffic CDOT found that the humps need to be spaced in the range of 500 feet apart. Montford?’s existing speed humps were installed during the very first year where humps were used to limit speed. Scott Martin alerted CDOT to the fact that the humps were not doing an adequate job of limiting speed. CDOT concurred by recognizing that the existing humps are spaced too far apart to be effective in reducing speed.

Lamar Gunter made the motion that we do not pay for the brick pattern. The motion quickly was seconded and the motion carried not to pay for the cost of installing a brick-top pattern on the proposed additional speed humps for Montford Drive.


The next issue addressed was the formation of the Nominating Committee for the Election of the 2005 Board of the Madison Park HOA at the November 8th meeting of the Association. Voting will take place at the November meeting. No formal business of the Association is transacted at the December Meeting as that meeting serves as the Association?’s Holiday Social. The newly elected board begins their terms at the January 2005 meeting.

All offices are open for nominations:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
3 Directors

Currently Lamar Gunter is a director and Debra Campbell (as past president) serves as a director of Madison Park HOA.

Lamar Gunter and Cheryl Furr agreed to collect names over the next month of those nominated. Anyone nominating someone must obtain that person permission for the office. Officers must attend the monthly meetings and commit to being active in our neighborhood.

Names can be submitted to Lamar Gunter at l.gunter@att.net or Cheryl Furr at bfurr@carolina.rr.com. It was noted Cheryl provided this service last year and got no nominations.

Earl Cox suggested that the current board remain in office. It was noted that officers needed to know what was going on currently in our Association.

It was noted that Vice President Rich Horton cannot continue due to moving out of the area. Ted Peters does not wish to continue as President. Martin Doss currently Secretary and Dee McCandlish Treasure both agreed to continue, or in Martin?’s case change positions if requested by membership through the nomination process. Lamar Gunter suggested Martin Doss should take the nomination for President due to his previous work with the neighborhood and that he deserved to be considered if he would accept the position. Earl Cox stated he had already suggested Martin Doss be the HOA President. Judy Bratton said that the current board members should be considered for openings if they were interested. Dee said she would remain as Treasurer if needed and Martin agreed to remain as Secretary or if nominated run for the Presidential opening. Members stated they liked the minutes that Martin currently publishes monthly. At that time he was nominated and was jokingly suggested that he do both Secretary and President. Martin Doss nominated John Olaskovsky for an opening. John agreed to accept VP or a director opening. Dan Boyett also offered to be a Director. He stated he had previous experience with HOA?’s in condos. Anyone interested in serving who would like to be considered in the vote please submit names to the above people over then next month.

Yard Signs were then discussed. It was noted that more members wanted yard signs. Various members in attendance were going to check into getting signs. Martin noted that he had suggested sponsors for our signs in the past. It was noted that signs should be brighter and larger. We are looking to purchase or get donated 25-50 signs. Martin noted that in the past he had contacted Realtors about sponsoring signs for us. We had also contacted a number of businesses including banks. We would like to add new banners and signs to advertise our meetings. It was suggested to see if the new Pizza Place IN THE LOOP would perhaps sponsor a sign. Home Depot was also suggested. Sue Valentine-Plyer, a realtor, was going to check with her company about sponsoring signs. Judy Bratton wanted to know the cost of signs. The average sign costs about 20.00 dollars. Judy said she would buy her own. It was suggested by Martin Doss that since political signs seem to hold up fairly well that based on no longer than we use our signs (3 days a month on average) that a lesser quality sign might be the way to go. We will make a final decision on the project once membership gets back with potential sources and connections. Anyone having access to large banners such as blank Pepsi or Coke banners please try and get a few for us. Our two Pepsi signs have either worn out or are about to be history.

Dee McCandlish gave the treasurer report noting we have a current balance of 728.00 dollars.

Martin Doss then noted that the next Fall Rabies Clinic for Dogs, cats and ferrets is coming up the first full week of November 11-7 through 11-13. The shots are available at any Charlotte Mecklenburg Veterinarian office. The cost is $7.50 (?½ price). The shot for an animal already vaccinated is valid for 3 years. Puppies, kittens and ferrets must have a booster in 1 year after their first shots. New Residents to the area that have pets must have their pets inoculated with a 3 years shot even though their pet might have had one in the state where they moved from. (There is no danger to your pet getting a shot early if you just moved to our state, since all the shots 1 or 3 years are the same. Various States have different Laws on the frequency of giving the shot!)

Ted then noted that Lamar Gunter had worked on a press release on our 75.00 dollar challenge to other Charlotte Homeowner Association to match our gift to the Red Cross for Hurricane Relief. Martin Doss had contacted media and Ted Peters was covered on WSOC news speaking of our challenge. Martin Doss also had emailed all Charlotte Homeowner/neighborhoods associations and requested they meet our challenge.

It was noted that Madison Park had received media attention on several fronts this past month. Ted Peters speaking on our Neighborhood Challenge, Judy Bratton quoted in the Charlotte Observer sidewalk issue, Martin Doss on Fox news on the Oct. 6, 2004 City and County Response Meeting he attended at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center. It was also mentioned that Auto Bell on South Blvd. has had a recent problem with auto thefts of customer cars after being washed. They have changed their procedures after washing vehicles with keys in autos, but WBTV mentioned that the Auto Bell is adjacent to the Madison Park neighborhood. Promotion of our communities name is key to recognition. It is hoped that the name Madison Park will be as familiar to the community as South Park, Meyers Park, Dilworth and some of the other well known sections of town are to residents.

Martin Doss then gave an update on the meeting he attended with the City and County leaders. Martin was invited by the city/county and East Side Homeowners while working on issues for our neighborhood. Martin discovered that Madison Park residents had similar problems with the city. The meeting was a 52 page response on issues that had been pointed out by residents in August. Dept. heads from city and county were present to address and give their responses to concerns. The East Side HOA?’s were ready to file a lawsuit in August against the City because they didn?’t feel issues were being addressed in their neighborhoods. Over the past few weeks Martin noted that he had discovered problems among city departments, especially in tracking complaints. In one case over a 3 ?½ month period he had made 11 complaints on two properties at the request of members of our association. Only to learn from Sgt. Lester of the Westover Division that only 2 complaints were on file. Anyway, the City promises to do a better job with complaint handling. In the future the City will be switching from the current 704-336-7600 complaint number for customer service to a 311 complaint line. Currently an answering service is handling city calls on weekends. This caused a few of the problems. Martin has noted and documented problems with customer service. Corrective action has been taken by the city after he pointed out the inaccuracy of information provided by customer service when taking complaints. This has resulted in at least one termination of a customer service worker. Whenever a resident calls in a complaint it is suggested they request a complaint reference number. This way, the resident can follow-up if action does not seem to have taken place in a reasonable time. Please remember you can call the problem in yourself or if you like email Martydoss@aol.com with the problem and he will report the problem and follow-up to ensure action.

Martin also noted that bulky items no longer have to be listed when you call them in. Residents only need to state if the pile contains metals. Two different trucks pick up bulky items. Also, going forward, drivers will note when bulky items are at the curb. They will in turn check to see if a request for pickup has been issued. They will not stop that day in order to not get behind on scheduled pickups.

It was noted that having contacts helps gets results. Martin Doss noted that the officers from both Westover and South Division have been very responsive to issues lately in our areas. In many cases after obtaining complaint numbers Martin follows up with the officers to insure they are getting the complaints. This also speeds up the action on behalf of the police.

Pam Syfert, Charlotte city manager, noted at the meeting that the city/county had responded to over 31 thousand complaints last year. Pam stated that some cases involving property and codes could take over a year to resolve. This was due to City Council granting extensions to attorneys representing properties. It was noted by the various HOA?’s in attendance that many more complaints are not being addressed in a timely manor and many issues involve rental properties.

Member Doug Hale was asked if he had any update info on the burned out house at 5010 Milford. A court hearing took place on the property. The home has not been torn down as of yet. Doug noted that he calls in problems constantly in our community. Martin noted that he works on various complaints weekly that he receives through the internet by membership.

Doug Hale also suggested that the HOA send out a notice that we intend to report violators in our community. Martin Doss noted that Ted Peters had suggested in the past that we extend a carrot to violators first. However due to the potential for direct threats this idea was aborted. It was also noted that we do not have restricted covenants like some HOA?’s and don?’t have the direct power to enforce. That is why we use the city directly on any violations. It was noted that people attending the City/County meeting had reported direct threats on their lives when making complaints on some properties. For safety reason we will continue to use the appropriate channels within the city. It was noted that in many cases even after the police and codes have verbally warned residents even in our community they continue to violate ordinances that have resulted in them being given citations.

The floor was then opened for new business.
A resident wanted to know the status of our Neighborhood Watch program. The South Division?’s patrol area of Madison Park is completed and the signs are up. The Westover Division?’s patrol area needs more work. Martin noted that some of the neighborhoodlink HOA?’s have block captains. It was noted that we need block captains to take on the large Westover section of Madison Park and get this job of collecting names completed, especially with the current increase in crime in the Westover Division?’s patrol area. There are some older Community Watch signs currently up in the Westover side of Madison Park. We need over 50% participation to get the new signs. This does not mean every road or street. One road may have no one participate but the neighboring road could have 80% participation. The overall section of Madison Park needs to have over 50% participation. If you can help, become a designated block captain, please get a form and start collecting signatures from your neighbors.

Another resident suggested that we use flyers to attract new membership. It was noted that when Debra Campbell was President that she utilized this tool. Martin Doss use to coordinate the walkers (around 20 people) and several times a year we would deliver many flyers to neighbors. This program can start up again if we get dedicated walkers. Martin noted that two of our realtors in our community are using our logos on their flyers. Both Sue Valentine-Plyler and Kevin Geyer are providing this extra service for us in our community. They reach several hundred residents in our area monthly.

Two news attendees were present.

Ken Davis and Brian Crutchfield of 5500 Farmbrook Drive joined the association today and attended the meeting for the first time. The Association welcomes their participation. These members learned of our HOA after seeing the Fox News story where Martin Doss was interviewed last week and seeing our signs.

The meeting was adjourned