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A publication issued by the Hidden Hills Country Club Estates November 2021
We Live Here! Welcome to Fall!
This is the time of year we pause and reflect on what has happened over the year, what we have to look forward to and what we have to be thankful for. I feel confident that many of you are enjoying the cooler nights and mornings to get in those walks, jogs, bicy-cle rides, etc. In doing so, please remember to wear some type of reflective clothing or markings so mo-torists will be sure to see you and avoid any potential accidents.
Over the next several weeks, you will continue to see progress being made in many areas of the communi-ty. We anticipate the new swimming pool and bath house to be completed by the end of the year. I am sure that all will be happy to finally see the project completed and be ready for lots of fun and activities at the pool and surrounding areas. We are also pre-
Message from the President ...Rick Hastings
Newsletter Committee Members:
Jane Verkouteren ([email protected]) Corey Drobnie ([email protected])
As always, we hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter
Continued on Page 4
Quarterly HOA Fee Payment Options …Aaron Begala, Community Association Manager
Our Community HOA fees (currently $375/quarter) are due on the first of January, April, July and October, and are considered delinquent on the 15th of those months. In order to make it as easy as possible for Home-owners to make these payments, there are four op-tions. Two of these options carry an added cost and two do not. Please review them and determine which is the right payment method for you.
1. Mail your payment to the address provided on your statement (Associa, PO Box 63128, Phoenix, AZ 85082-3128). No added cost
2. Set up an automatic draft directly through Associa by completing the Automatic Payment of Assessment form (a.k.a. ACH Direct Debit form) and submitting the form with a voided check from the account you would like debited. This form is available from Associa, or on TownSq (under Documents/Forms). No added cost.
3. Make a payment via TownSq. Added cost incurred is 3.5% of the amount paid, plus a $2.99 convenience fee.
4. Set up automatic payments via TownSq. Added cost incurred is 3.5% of the amount paid, plus a $2.99 conven-ience fee.
Contact Amy Bass, our Community Manager, if you have questions about any of these payment methods.
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The following Board members were in attendance: President: Rick Hastings Buildings & Grounds: Dave Bisplinghoff Treasurer: Pierre Fuller Secretary: Pete Strandes CMC/Associa Members: Michelle Griggs, Aaron Begala
COMMITTEE REPORTS Pool Committee – Dave Bisplinghoff • Concrete footers were poured for the block wall
to stop erosion by the pool • Lights were put in the pool today • Palm Trees should be planted this week • The bathhouse slab is scheduled to be poured
and trusses installed next week • Artificial Turf is going in next week • Pool Coping is on backorder • Completion is scheduled for December A homeowner asked for a report showing all pool expenses by vendor. Tennis Committee – Shawn Griffith Shawn asked for an update on the Board’s consider-ation of three items: 1. Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) Machine.
They want to install it on the south wall of the tennis building to accommodate both the tennis courts and the pool. The Committee suggests professional installation to help ensure it’s done correctly.
2. Drainage repairs for three tennis courts. Rick Hastings shared that Martin from Hulihan (irrigation) will address this in about two weeks. Martin is trying to coordinate this fix with pool deck drainage work.
3. An ice machine. Rick Hastings said this topic will be addressed once the water for the buildings, including the new bathhouse, is replumbed with PVC pipe. Currently, the water pressure in the tennis building is too low to support an ice ma-chine.
Continued on Page 5
NOTES … From the HOA Monthly Board Meeting
10-20-2021
(NOT APPROVED BOARD MEETING MINUTES) … Jane Verkouteren
Homeowner Comment: If you will be using the AED machine in two places, you will likely need two of them. The great thing about them is they work quickly, but they need to be in the right place to work. ARC Committee – Gene Rover Month’s Activity: 15 applications submitted – 12 approved or approved with conditions, 2 declined, 1 withdrawn. Application Fee: The ARC recommended charging homeowners an ARC processing fee to cover the cost of fees we pay Associa. A homeowner voiced her disagreement with implementing a fee, saying it may discourage homeowners from either doing projects or obtaining approval for them. Gene Rov-er acknowledged the penalty for not getting ARC approval must be greater than the application fee charged. This topic was tabled until the ARC for-mally outlines their recommendation. Front Gate Entry: Board Member Pete Strandes noted the front gate is still allowing entry to heavy equipment trucks (i.e., tree removal trucks) not covered by ARC approvals. Entertainment Committee – No Committee Mem-ber in Attendance Trunk-or-Treat – The annual Trunk or Treat event will be held at the recreation center on 10/23 from 2-4 p.m.
Finance Committee – Paul Franks Meeting: Paul Franks, Pierre Fuller, Rick Hastings, members of our accounting firm and Associa met at the Associa office today (10/20/21) to review our financials. Income: While we have non-profit status, for tax purposes, we must recognize income from the Sa-lon and Tennis Club. The income is offset by related expenses. [Later in the HOA meeting, newsletter advertising income and the money paid to us by Comcast were added to this list of income sources.] While this income may result in tax consequences, it should not jeopardize our non-profit status. Welcome Committee – Linda Franks Welcome Package: The committee purchased logoed bags to deliver to each new homeowner.
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HHCCE Board of Directors
President..……………………………………….……...Rick Hastings
Secretary ………………………………………………Peter Strandes
Treasurer ………………………………………….….....Pierre Fuller
Buildings & Grounds …...……………………Dave Bisplinghoff
Security ………………………………..……………..Michael Scratch
Standing Committees
Architectural Review (ARC)…………………...……Gene Rover
Cletia Bowron, John Dolman, Michael Scratch,
Beverly Whitehurst
Directory……………………Cletia Bowron, Jane Verkouteren
Emergency Response……….…………………………..Ray Alford
Robert Burnett, Sam Rodriguez
Entertainment………….Vanessa Romanow, Andrea Fields
Andrea Adair, Lynne Schwarz, Shelly Sharp
Angele Warmanen, Jennifer Walkord
Finance…………………………..……………….……...….Paul Franks
Bradley Cox, Gene Rover
Hearing Committee………………..…………………...Ray Gabler
Bob Dangoia, Nikki Fairbanks, Darren Huisman,
Brian Humphries, Lynne Schwarz
Newsletter…………...… Corey Drobnie, Jane Verkouteren
Pool…………………………..………….…....….…Dave Bisplinghoff
Jeff Clarkson, Linda Franks, Rick Hastings,
Brian Smith, Michelle Smith, Caren Walrath
Tennis…………………….……………………….…..….....Jeff Darnall
Dave Bisplinghoff, Violet Deen, Betsy Gard,
Shawn Griffith, Kelly Groce, Ken Mattiace
Welcome……………………….….Linda Franks, Caren Walrath
Seneca Clarke, Nancy Dixon, Carol Fryer, Peyton Nealis
Yard of the Month………..…Diane Coelho, Michelle Smith
Contact the Community Manager
for the following:
• Covenants • RV/Boat Lot Rentals • Recreation Center/Tennis Patio Usage
Important Guardhouse/
Community Contact Info
Guardhouse: Direct Line……………...…….646-1221 [email protected] One-day Pass for Vendors and Guests:
http://giddensgateaccess.com/* Update Permanent Vendor/Guest List:
http://giddensgateaccess.com/* New Vehicle Decal/RFID Sticker:
Download Form: www.hhccehoa.com Vehicle Decal/RFID Replacement:
E-mail [email protected] Resident Directory Corrections:
E-mail [email protected]
*Contact onsite Community Manager to set-up access; Giddens Gate Access App inquiries:
Join our Facebook Page! HHCCE Residents Only
Here’s How:
1. Search Hidden Hills Country Club Estates (find the
one in Jacksonville, FL)
2. Click “Join”
3. Answer the three questions (address, how long
you’ve lived here, and rent/own)
4. Click “Request to Join”
Community Management Contact
Information
On-site Office:
Onsite Assistant Community Manager: Amy Bass
Office located in the Community Center
ONSITE HOURS: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Phone: 904-379-1920; E-mail: [email protected]
Home Office:
Community Manager: Aaron Begala
Community Mgt. Concepts
7400 Baymeadows Way, Suite 317
Jacksonville, FL 32256
904-367-8532;
E-mail: [email protected]
Accounting Inquiries: [email protected]
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Have Your Next Get-together at
the Recreation Center or Tennis
Pavilion
Looking for a family-friendly location to hold a birth-
day party, family reunion, afternoon cocktails, a cook-
out or some other type of gathering? Consider using
the HHCCE Recreation Center or the Tennis Pavilion.
There is a refundable $50 security deposit for the
Recreation Pavilion and a refundable $100 security
deposit for the Tennis Patio.
Here’s How: 1) Contact CMC/Associa at 904-379-1920, or...
2) E-mail [email protected], or…
3) Access, complete and submit the “Agreement for
Use…” form. It is available on TownSq, under Doc-
uments/Forms.
paring for our road repaving project. No doubt you have seen the curbing and adjacent area in the front entryways being power washed in preparation for the new road surfacing. Our entryway and median end caps are being refreshed by the Brightview team with new annuals and mulch reflecting the change in seasons. Throughout the neighborhood you will see improvements being made to maintain and increase our community’s value and appeal.
I trust that we will have a successful and eventful year. We enjoyed receiving a clean audit of our fi-nancial records for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 and are financially stable and healthy moving into FY 2021-22.
I wish all the best for staying safe and healthy and look forward to working with you on community projects and initiatives. Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions or ideas you have for con-tinuing to strengthen and build our community.
Have a safe and happy season for giving thanks!
~ Rick Hastings
Message from the President Continued from Page 1
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Packages will include a community directory, as well as information from the Chamber of Commerce, mu-seums, and other information about our area. Linda asked if the Board could provide funding to help with this endeavor. The committee was asked to put together the cost of the packages and present it to the Board. Homeowner Suggestion: Approach retail-ers within a one-mile radius of HHCCE for coupons or other materials for the Welcome Packages. Retroactive Welcomes: Associa will provide the Welcome Committee with a list of new homeowners going back six months, so the Committee can reach out to them with a copy of our community directory. Business Owner Directory: Nancy Dixon ([email protected]) asked community business owners to send her information so she can create a directory of neighbor-owned businesses to include with the Welcome Packages. Newsletter Committee – Jane Verkouteren November Newsletter: The deadline for the Novem-ber newsletter content is this Friday. Once for-matted and approved by the Board, it will go to the printer and should be in mailboxes the end of next week. Homeowner Comment: The Events Calendar is a good addition. Suggestions re: Committee Reports: • Agenda: Include Committee Reports on the HOA
Meeting agenda. • Committee Representation: Board President
Rick Hastings posed the question – If a com-mittee does not participate in monthly meetings, is there a need for the committee? If the com-mittee is doing something, there should be something to report or at least convey there is nothing to report. Pete Strandes suggested re-quiring the same engagement of committee chairs that is required of Board Members. [If a Board Member misses three consecutive meetings, they are subject to removal from the Board].
Questions re: Committee Reports: Q1: Emergency Response Committee: What does
this committee do? Answer: They address emer-
gency situations, such as removing trees that are blocking our roads (i.e., during hurricanes).
Q2: Could the Emergency Response Committee be expanded to also assist with infrastructure re-pairs? This would keep them engaged in between emergencies.
TREASURY REPORT – Pierre Fuller As of 9-30-2021: Cash: $641,951; Reserve Acct: $671,804; Loan Balance: $524,338 (Original loan bal-ance of $549,697 less Special Assessment income of $25,359 applied against the loan.) Annual Audit: Our 2020/21 Audit is complete and clean. There were only 12 minor adjustments need-ed. Since they are immaterial, our accountant sug-gested making all adjustments to the October finan-cial statements; there is no need to adjust prior month financial statements. Request for Financial Info: A homeowner asked for copies of the August and September 2021 financial statements. A: August financials are posted on TownSq; September financials are in draft and being reviewed by the Board. Request for Auditor’s Management Letter: A home-owner asked for a copy of the audit Management Letter. A: It should be available within two to three days. SECURITY – Pierre Fuller Guard Arms: We are still waiting on the guard arms for the outbound lanes. Crimes: No crimes have been reported in the neigh-borhood. BUILDINGS & GROUNDS/MAINTENANCE – Dave Bisplinghoff Collapsed Water Pipe: We are investigating a col-lapsed pipe on Mt. Pleasant Road to determine who is responsible for repairing or replacing it – the City, the golf club or us. It will be expensive to replace. Request: Neighbors are asked to please report any water leaks they notice so we can address them be-fore road erosion occurs. They are also asked to re-port any streetlights that are out, noting the pole number of the outage. Explanation of Board Member Reimbursements: Dave Bisplinghoff shared that Associa’s vendor pay-ment process is very slow, and in today’s environ-
Our Notes Continued from Page 2
Continued on Page 7
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Tennis Update ...Jeff Darnall
Fall is here and the weather has changed for the better. Cooler temperatures and less rain make for ideal tennis play-ing conditions. We are in the swing of fall tennis league play, and our club is well represented on many levels with multiple teams. Women’s, men’s, and mixed doubles teams are all playing at varying levels. Our Men's 4.0 team is still in the hunt for first place and our women’s teams continue to be very competitive as well. After qualifying in the city competition, our mixed doubles 8.0 age 55+ team heads to Orlando for the State Championship in November. We wish them great success! With our tennis courts in great shape and the weather ide-al, it’s time to come out and enjoy our courts. See our Head Tennis Pro, Coach Will, to sign up and get involved. There are many opportunities to participate. Finally, put Saturday, October 30, at 6:30 p.m. on your calendar for a FREE Tennis Social that Coach Will is hosting at the courts. There will be fun, competition, prizes, and food...plus a great opportunity to meet many of our tennis members. You might even find a new playing buddy! Hurry and sign up with Coach Will.
There is something for everyone here at Hidden Hills Tennis Club. See you on the courts!
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ment vendors need to be paid quickly. To keep pro-jects moving, he has personally paid vendors for ser-vices, tools, and rented equipment, and then been reimbursed by Associa. He cited just a few examples which, when combined, totaled approximately $12,000. There was a question about the optics of this process and the need for a clear audit trail, and assurance the request for documentation was not an attack on his integrity. Question – Credit Cards: Why isn’t there a commu-nity credit card for use by Board members? A: Be-tween our move to BB&T (now Truist) and The CAM Team, we lost access to Board Member credit cards. Hopefully, now that we are working with Associa, we can get them back. Question – Associa Payment Timeframe: Why can’t Associa pay bills on time? A: They pay net 30. They are a national company and have a central Accounts Payable department. Follow-up Comment: In to-day’s environment, most vendors need to be paid more quickly. Business practices are changing. Asso-cia should change with them. Board Comment – Payment Options: Associa was not the highest cost management company. There-fore, we must give on some points. Payment timing being one of them. Vendors do have an option to be paid via ACH, which cuts the remittance time down to two weeks. Additionally, there is an expedited payment option, which allows payment to be made within 48 hours. However, this option costs the HOA $25/occurrence. Board Discussion re: How it Operates: There was a heated discussion among the Board Members con-cerning how they communicate with each other about expenditures, DIY projects and project up-dates. Associa offered to obtain monthly updates from each Board Member/project leader and dis-seminate the info. This process was declined by the Board. [Rick Hastings explained that due to Florida Sunshine Laws, Board Members cannot meet out-side of public meetings to air their grievances with each other. Thus, it can happen during HOA meetings. He also expressed apologies to the attendees.] Mission Hills Retaining Wall: The retaining wall damaged by a car a few months ago will be repaired tomorrow. It is being totally rebuilt rather than patched, and the cost is being fully covered by USAA, the driver’s insurance company.
Mission Hills Erosion: We are still trying to deter-mine if and how we can address the erosion prob-lem on the hill by Mission Hills across from Shinnecock. Since discussing this, a Gopher Tortoise was discovered living there, which is a protected species. This may derail our efforts to address the erosion. Later in the meeting, Beverley Brooks was granted permission to approach golf club owner Russ Libby about possibly making that area a “Gopher Tortoise-friendly” area, which might in-clude specific plants and protection from predators. She agreed to speak with Russ on her own and not as a representative of the HOA. Removal of Felled Golf Course Trees: The trees lay-ing on the golf course grounds are not a priority for the golf club. They will remove them when they have the time. Pond Clean-up: The ponds belong to the Golf Club, but they currently believe clean-up is the neighbor-hood’s responsibility. However, several years ago, the Club’s lawyer sent the HOA a letter forbidding homeowners from taking care of the ponds. The pond on hole #4 was cited as especially bad. MANAGER’S REPORT/COMMUNITY UPDATE – Aaron Begala Homeowners Sent to Attorney for Collections: 8
• Quarterly Dues: 5 homes • Special Assessment: 3 homes
Pending Collections: 2 additional homes to be turned over to Crabtree Law Group (regular assess-ments) Open Violations: 73 Fine Recommendations: 21 Check Disbursement Report: The Board approved the August Cash Disbursement Report for $198,640.53. This is high due to a $64,000 pool-related payment. [This report documents all the checks CMC wrote for the HOA during the month.]
BOARD VOTES • Spending Authority: Rick Hastings initially pro-
posed the Board President and Buildings & Grounds (Maintenance) Board Member have a $2,500 spending authority without Board ap-proval. After considerable discussion, this amount was raised to $3,500 each and approved by a vote of 3 to 1.
• 3-Bid Requirement: Rick Hastings suggested
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Don’t Miss Food
Truck Wednesday!
2nd Wednesday of Each Month
HHCCE Resident Helpers Individuals listed have asked to be included. You
should obtain references/referrals prior to hiring.
HHCCE assumes no legal responsibility for perfor-
mance, fees, damage, etc.
Babysitting
Avery Kowalczyk*…….………...……..….….…..497-3150
Georgia Martinez–Rios…………….……...614-578-4044
Braylie Stremmel………………………...………...226-6279
*Red Cross Certified/Trained
Pet Sitting
Olivia DeLue………………...…………………...…..718-9585
Avery Kowalczy…………...….….……....………..497-3150
Georgia Martinez–Rios…………...…..….614-578-4044
Braylie Stremmel………………………...………...226-6279
Speech Therapy
Amanda Myrick, Licensed Speech-Language
Pathologist.………………………...…………..954-445-2451
Tutoring
Bobby Williams, Precalculus & Physics..705-8700 To be added to or deleted from this list
e-mail [email protected]
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HHCCE Annual Trunk or Treat Event ...Vanessa Romanow
On Saturday, October 23, Hidden Hills held its yearly Trunk or Treat event. Children and grandchildren (and a few par-ents) came in wonderful costumes to visit the decorated trunks and chairs handing out candy. It was a fun day. Thank you to all who costumed-up, decorated a trunk and/or otherwise added to the festivities. It made for another wonderful event!
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setting a $10,000 project cost limit before having to obtain three bids. The bylaws currently say three bids are not required until a project costs greater than 10% of the annual budget (currently $80,000). After considerable discussion about how difficult it is to get vendors to bid, the Board approved keeping the limit at 10% of the budget. [A homeowner suggested maintaining a list of “trusted agents” (vendors) to expedite vendor selection. Another voiced the worry we could overpay if we routinely do not seek competitive bids.]
• Board Member Access to View Invoices: Cur-rently, only the Board President, Board Treasurer and Board Member responsible for Buildings and Grounds have access to the online system to view invoices. The Board Secretary asked to be granted access. A former Board Member (from several boards ago) noted that all Board Mem-bers used to have viewing access. The Board de-cided by a vote of 3 to 1 not to grant additional access.
• Comcast Contract: The Board voted and unani-mously approve the 10-year contract with Com-cast for exclusive “wiring” and marketing rights in Hidden Hills (discussed at length at the August HOA meeting). It was noted that Board Member Pete Strandes negotiated with Comcast and suc-ceeded in getting an additional $14,000 from them (up from $69,750 to $83,700).
BOARD INFO SHARED Entryway Work: Rick Hastings announced that to-morrow (10/21), the retaining wall on Mission Hills will be fixed and the annuals in the median will be replaced. Residents should be careful entering our community. Street Repaving: There is a six-month window for starting our road repaving project. The company will let us know when our roads are scheduled. We will ask them to block out the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Pressure Washed Entryway Curbs: In preparation for repaving the entryway, we had the curbs pressure washed. Median Pathway Cone: An orange cone was placed on the walking path near Masters Ridge to help pre-vent someone getting hurt prior to our making re-pairs. Rec Center Swing: A broken swing seat is being re-
NEXT SCHEDULED HOA MEETING 7:00 PM, Wednesday, November 17, 2021
The Community Center
placed at the rec center. Rec Center Restroom: The lock on the Men’s Room door was broken and will be fixed soon. ATTENDEE QUESTIONS/ANSWERS/COMMENTS Q: HOA Fee Payment Options: Is there a non-check way to pay HOA Fees without incurring a charge? A: Yes. There is no charge to have your account draft-ed. However, if you pay with a credit card through TownSq, there is a charge. Q: Parking Lot Lighting: Is parking lot lighting still in the plans? A: Yes. We received three bids for eight LED lights – three in the Salon/tennis parking lot, three in the pool parking lot and two on Athletic Drive. The 3 bid proposals are currently being re-viewed by a JEA employee who will provide a rec-ommendation. The individual has initially recom-mended using a private contractor and not JEA. Q: Pothole Repair: Will the pothole on Mission Hills be addressed? A: Not until the repaving project is done.
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*Wednesday Midweek Ladies Lunches: Join the Facebook page at the following Web address to learn the time and loca-tion of each lunch: https://www.facebook.com/groups/7037898732902716.
If you have an event you would like included on this calendar, please contact Jane Verkouteren ([email protected]; 904/477-7733) or Corey Drobnie ([email protected]; 904/651-2775).
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
Trash & Yard Waste Pickup
Bulk Pickup
2 3
11:30 a.m. Ladies
Lunch* at Sid &
Linda’s
4 5 6
7
Turn clocks back
8
Trash & Yard Waste Pickup
9 10
11:30 a.m. Ladies
Lunch* - Picnic at
the Zoo
11
12 13
14 15
Trash & Yard Waste Pickup
Bulk Pickup
16 1711:30 a.m.
Ladies Lunch* -
Friendsgiving
7 p.m. HOA Mtg
18 19 20
21 22
Trash & Yard Waste Pickup
23 24
No Ladies Lunch
25
26 27
28
Hanukkah
29
Trash & Yard Waste Pickup
Bulk Pickup
30
Hidden Hills Country Club Estates Community Calendar
November 2021
