Smith Trust Owners Association
www.southshoreowners.com
Meeting Minutes – June 21, 2018
Opening Meeting:
The meeting opened at 6:31 PM. There were 23 households and three Trustees present.
Agenda and detailed proposals can be found in a slide presentation ~ Available upon request.
Thank You’s:
- Al Campbell for continual cleaning and maintaining of the beach
- John McNeil and neighbors for beach cleaning
- Scott Godin and John Picard for doing the cold patch road repair
- Angela Harkins, Rick Caldwell, Adrienne Keane for helping Trustees look at road options and plan for the annual meeting
- Adrienne Keane for acting as secretary and taking minutes
- And everyone else that helps to keep up the Smith Trust road, right of ways and the beach
Welcome
- Joe DiCuzolo – purchased the Odrina house
- Teddy Choate – purchased the Downs house
- Tim Sullivan – purchased the Willett house
Secretary’s Report:
2017 minutes are posted on the website and were mailed with the bills. We will no longer reread previous year’s minutes. Instead we will mail them with the bills and accept the minutes at the meeting.
Old Business:
Beach
- 3 docks with 6 potential slips have been installed. Currently there are 2 openings which will be awarded by lottery.
- Mailing was sent regarding the Lottery for the 2 slips. Need form returned by July 15, 2018 at 5:00P. If more than 2 folks apply, the lottery will be drawn, and a waiting list started.
- DES has approved permits for building the beach wall, docks and culvert work. We had to get a variance to get a 3rd
Road
Reviewed options for longer term repair of the road. Options considered included engaging the town to make the road public and have the town maintain the road going forward and keep the road private and manage the road maintenance ourselves. We also looked at three different funding proposals for private repair of the road. Options and discussion is highlighted below. Proposal details can be found in the slide presentation (Available upon request).
- Option 1: Town (not recommended)
- Betterment fee ~ Equal or more than taxes for 10 years
- Widen the Road ~ Need 52ft – we are 18 wide. Can apply for variance for 22ft. Will take 2 ft on each side for road
- Potential add of Cul-de-sac / Hammerhead ~ For emergency vehicles adding turn arounds OR cul-de-sac or hammerhead at each end of South Shore Drive
- Must meet “Town Standards” before the town will take it over and maintain it
- Option 2: Private Repair Full Road – $200K ++
- Option 3: Private Repair Smith Road Only – $78K ++
++ Plus engineering, culvert repair, state & town permitting, police detail & other unknown costs - To fund Options 2 & 3 would require significant investment by owners over time to raise the needed funds
- 1 Year Plan / Smith Road Only – $2,700 per household
- 3 Year Plan / Entire Road – $3,000 per household (Repairs would not be made for 3 years)
- 10 Year Plan / Entire Road – $1,000 per household (Repairs would not be made for 10 years)
Discussion
- Not a complete reconstruction of the road
- Do we really need a new road?
- Has the town or state said we need a road?
- Major risks
- Quote is old, we don’t have a real cost proposal to base these estimates on
- Fund collections
- Who would sign a contract with a paving company?
- We don’t have the expertise to manage a project of this size and expense
- Major construction project – who would manage this? Many risks – construction risks, legal risks, change orders, budget risk
- Need inspector and engineering
- We live on a country road
- The road is fine the way it is. Slows people down
New Proposal
After considering all the options at hand, a more conservative proposal was raised and discussed.
- Fully repair in small sections rather than try to fix whole road. Bring in a professional to prioritize the road improvements and make recommendations
- Establish a separate road improvement fund.
- Raise the annual dues by $100 – from $250 to $350.
- Establish a Road Working Committee to select a paving company and prioritize initial improvements
Actions
- Road Working Committee established to explore working on the road in segments – Susan Hopkins, Joe Dicunzolo, Steve Pieslak
- Joe Dicunzolo – contact his paving connections
- Susan Hopkins – talk to her paver Tate Bros and Chris LaFrance for road ideas
Motions
Motions were passed to establish and fund the Road Improvement Fund. The account will be funded from increased annual dues, as well as an initial transfer of $5,000 from our existing general operating account. Repairs will be prioritized annually based on greatest need and the monies available in the Road Improvement Fund.
Motion: Raise the dues from $250 to $350. Raised by John McNeil. Seconded by Lisa Lafontaine. Vote: In favor 23, Opposed 0. Motion passes.
Motion: Establish a Road Improvement Fund dedicated for capital road repairs consisting of $100 per household per year. Raised by John McNeil. Seconded by Julia Mawson.
Vote: In favor 22. Opposed 1. Motion passes.
Motion: Take $5,000 this year only out of the General Operating Fund and add it to the Road Improvement Fund. Raised by John McNeil. Seconded by Julia Mawson.
Vote: In favor 23, Opposed 0. Motion passes.
Appointed Angela Harkins as new treasurer upon resignation of Steven Pieslak.
Volunteer Opportunities:
- Trustee assistants: Adrienne Keane, Angela Harkins, Rick Caldwell, Steve Pieslak
- Clean right of ways periodically: Craig Erickson, Rick, Bob Keane
- Steps into Right of Ways: Natural rocks as steps
- Clear out culverts: Rototiller the culverts from leaves and debris
- Facebook Group: Adrienne to set up
- Notice of volunteer opportunities will be posted at mailboxes, email, Facebook and website
Adjourn:
Motion to adjourn. Seconded and accepted at 8:25 PM
Minutes written by: Adrienne Keane