Here are Brookshire Cluster’s annual General Assembly meeting minutes. Each year in late winter/early spring, the entire cluster gathers together for a general assembly meeting. The purpose of the meeting is for the community to do a year-end review and suggest/approve actions for the upcoming year.  The minutes are broken down as follows:

Attendees:

2003 in Review

Financials and Budget

2004 Events

Vote on board members

Other items for general discussion

Attendees: 

  • 14 OF 26 Houses represented. Quorum achieved. Meeting started at 7:30PM.

2003 in Review

  • 2003 was another wet weather year and we have come through it without any major damage.  However, we will need to think about doing some extra maintenance in a few areas to make sure we don’t fall behind.   
  • Both 2003 Cluster Cleanups (April and October) went very well and we look forward to another good session in April of 2004.  Despite the bad weather our trees appear to be in good shape, so this season we will concentrate on removing the downed wood, making sure that drainage areas are in good repair, and planting more flowers.  As always, if you have any plants or flowers that you would like to donate (or have replanted) please contact John F.  Also, if you have any other areas of concern (retaining walls, sidewalks that may need to be replaced), please bring this to the attention of a Board Member.
  • Due to the rain, our summer picnic was held a bit later than usual in August in Lake Anne Park just behind the Cluster.  Despite the postponement, we had very nice weather, a good turnout of neighbors, and LOTS of good food and drink.
  • Our annual Yard Sale was also postponed due to weather and only sparsely attended.  This year we hope to get an earlier start in the year and try to draw some of the crowds from the Farmer’s Market.  See below for details.

Financials and Budget

  • Most people are paying their dues on time which helps our Treasurer Leann Y focus her attention on more important aspects of our financial planning.  Here are some 2003 financial highlights:
  • Financially, we are in very good shape.  We have a surplus in the bank, most of which has been reserved for repairs and maintenance.
  • A main area of concern is our parking lot.  We’ve had a couple of contractors come take a look and the consensus seems to be that it is structurally sound for the moment but will need some work in the future.  We’ve proposed a 3-phased approach:
    • preventative maintenance (filling cracks, etc.)
    • piecemeal repairs as necessary
    • complete repaving (target date 2006)
  • In order for us to ensure that we have the budget for this work, a temporary increase in Cluster Association dues of $25.00 per quarter was suggested, a vote taken, and the measure passed unanimously.  Therefore, beginning in the 2nd quarter of this year, Cluster dues will increase to $220.00 per quarter.   This increase in dues will allow us to keep a reserve and raise enough money to replace the asphalt in 2006.

2004 Events

  • Spring Cluster Cleanup will be scheduled soon – likely towards the end of April.  If you have any suggestions of things you’d like to see done, please send them to John F or Deirdre B.  If you have plants or bulbs you would like to donate, please let John know.
  • Our annual Yard Sale will be held on Saturday, May 15, 8:00 – 12:00.  Details will follow as we get closer to May.  Rain date will be Sunday, May 16.
  • The Brookshire Cluster Summer Picnic is scheduled for Saturday, July 17 (rain date the 18th).  Watch for signs as the date gets closer.

Vote on board members

          Out-going:               Maura O  -Social Director

          Onboard:                Deirdre B – President

                                       John F – Landscape Director

                                       Leann Y – Treasurer

                                       Jackie G – Secretary

                                       Eric B  – Social Director

Other items for general discussion

1.    Brookshire Cluster has a new website!  Check out www.brookshirecluster.org for all kinds of good information like:

  • meeting minutes
  • governing docs
  • upcoming events
  • photos
  • and more…..   
  1. Once again we will be ordering bags of mulch from the Lion’s Club; if you are interested, please contact Deirdre B.  We anticipate that the mulch will arrive April 9-10 in time for Cluster Cleanup.
  2. If you are interested in signing up for Maple Leaf –Spring gutter cleaning service, please contact Deirdre B.  As a member of Brookshire Cluster, you receive up to 20% savings on their cleaning and repair services.
  3. Identify areas for special attention during cluster cleanup  (mention to John F )
  4. Sherry is beginning to look into some suitable options for sunrooms and gazebos.  If we are going to move ahead with this initiative all plans will first need to be approved by the Cluster, and then taken to the Reston Association for approval.  If you are interested in more details or in helping to look into this issue, please contact Sherry D
  5. On a similar note, it was proposed that the Cluster looks into making some changes to our color palette (at the very least we will need to be able to find a replacement brand of paint since Martin Synour paints are no longer available).  If you have a color you would like to add to our palette, please let a Board Member know.  All colors will have to be approved by the Cluster and RA; this issue will be addressed in a future meeting.
  6. As part of the asphalt assessment, Deirdre is looking into the possibility of adding a few new parking spaces.  She will put together some plans along with budget information to be addressed at a future meeting.

Meeting concluded at 10:40PM