Here are the meeting minutes from the 2007 Brookshire Cluster General Assembly meeting held on Wednesday evening, Feb 21^st 2007.  The purpose of the meeting was to review past-present-future events related to the overall Cluster’s wellbeing. The minutes are broken down as follows, just click on any of the following links:

ATTENDEES

FINANCIALS AND BUDGET

LANDSCAPING

ELECTIONS

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

WEBSITE

ATTENDEES

With 50% of households represented quorum was achieved. Brookshire Cluster Co-Presidents Aaron & Jill called meeting to order.

FINANCIALS AND BUDGET

• Treasurer Ann D presented her report (Ann took over the treasurer job from Eric B, who moved from the cluster).
• In 2006, the Brookshire Cluster went $7,217 over budget because of higher than anticipated costs associated with the 2006 driveway repaving project, which cost $38,000 instead of the budgeted $25,000.
• The cluster’s reserve fund needs to be replenished in order to pay for future capital expenditures, such as repairing the sidewalks, sealing the driveway in five years, and repaving it in 20 years.
• Under current homeowner association dues, no surplus will be realized to replenish the reserve.
• Ann recommended the temporary special assessment of $25 per quarter, which had been imposed by the Brookshire Cluster Board to pay for the parking lot repaving project and was set to expire at the end of 2006, be made permanent to build up the reserve. Furthermore, she recommended an additional $25 increase in the quarterly household HOA dues. This effective increase of $50 per household per quarter would add $2,000 to the cluster reserve in 2007.
• Leann and others noted that Brookshire Cluster residents already pay very low dues compared to other homeowner associations in Reston.
• Aaron noted the absence of a quorum, but Deirdre pointed out that a vote could take place on the dues increase as long as nobody present objected.
• Catherine F suggested the dues not be increased retroactively for the first quarter of 2007; John F agreed that in the long run it might be easier to forego that lost revenue in order to pass the recommended increase.
• Aaron moved that the temporary $25 quarterly special assessment per household be made permanent, and that the quarterly household dues be raised by another $25, for an effective increase of $50 per quarter, effective in the second quarter of 2007. Leann seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously on a show of hands with no abstentions. Annual dues will be increased to $245 per household per quarter, and the reserve will be increased by $1,500 in 2007.
• Aaron said he would put together a package of information regarding the dues increase and distribute it to all Brookshire Cluster households.
• Ann noted that she would like to get bids for sealing the driveway pavement, along with recommendations for maintaining the driveway from the contractor who installed it. Aaron said he and Jill would look into it.

LANDSCAPING

• Landscape Director John F said the cluster is in good shape. Priorities for cluster cleanup include removing a variety of invasive plant species and addressing an erosion problem on a small hillside in front of 15** Brookshire.
• The mosquito control program has proven to be popular – sprayings should be performed every 14 days, likely from the beginning of June through the end of September. John said he would talk to officials at neighboring townhouse colonies to see if we could coordinate spraying with them to increase its effectiveness.
• Currently $1,600 is budgeted for mosquito spraying. Sprays cost $500/month, so more money will be needed if the cluster wants to do a full four months of spraying. If more money is needed for spraying, John said it likely could come from the tree service budget line item. Ann added that necessary money might also come from the repairs and maintenance budget line item.
• Shari  asked if it would be possible to pave a small patch along Moorings Drive for cluster children to use as a school bus stop since children currently have to walk to a neighboring cluster to catch the school bus.
• Deirdre mentioned that the Lutheran Church on Moorings is for sale again and a high-rise development is being considered to replace it. While it may be some time before any development occurs, the cluster should be prepared to put up a natural barrier to protect its greenspace. Aaron said the cluster should remain involved in the development process – perhaps the developers would pay for any such barrier. John observed that the cluster’s greenspace might become an attractive nuisance and that more trees might make it less attractive.
• Jill noted that lights in public areas that burn out should be replaced promptly.
• Spring cluster cleanup was set for April 28 with a rain date of April 29. A dumpster will again be made available.

ELECTIONS

• Diana B volunteered to become the cluster’s social chair to replace Jessica E, who moved from the cluster. Shari T nominated her, Deirdre seconded, and Diana was elected on a unanimous voice vote.
• Aaron and Jill were reelected cluster co-presidents by unanimous acclaim.
• Ann D was reelected cluster treasurer by unanimous acclaim.
• David S was reelected cluster secretary by unanimous acclaim.
• John F was reelected cluster landscape director by unanimous acclaim.

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES

• The Cluster picnic was scheduled for June 16 with a rain date of June 17. It will be held on cluster grounds now that mosquito control measures have been enacted.
• The Cluster yard sale will be held May 19 with a rain date of May 20. There was discussion of not holding a yard sale this year because of limited success in 2006, but the decision was made to hold it and to increase advertising in the hopes of a better turnout.
• Gutter cleaning will be scheduled for April or May.
• Mulch will be delivered in mid-April, and the cluster will order fewer surplus bags since too many were left unused last year.

WEBSITE

• Eric B, who used to maintain the cluster website, has moved from the cluster. Deirdre and Leann volunteered to take over website maintenance duties in consultation with Watt H and Jason T.

With all business completed, Aaron closed the meeting at about 9:30 p.m.