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

Financials and Budget

Landscaping

2005 Events

Vote on board members

Other items for general discussion

2005 Plan of Action Review

Cluster Contact List

Attendees: 

With 14 of the 26 houses attending, quorum was achieved with 54% attendance. Meeting began at 8PM.

Financials and Budget

• As of December 31, 2004, Brookshire Cluster is on track and under budget for most items, with a net surplus of $4010.
• As was voted on and approved at last year’s annual meeting, BCA applied a special assessment of $25.00 per quarter to build capital reserves for repaving the parking lot.  The need for this special assessment will be evaluated at the end of 2006.
• We now have the funds to complete the paving, which is tentatively scheduled for April/May of this year. 

Landscaping

• Brookshire Cluster held two very successful cleanups in 2004 and we’re planning two more for 2005, tentatively scheduled for April and October.
• If you have suggestions for the next Cleanup, please contact John F
• Some of the items already on the list for the next cleanup are:
  • short-term drainage solutions, particularly for area between the Cluster and the volleyball court in Lake Anne Park
  • new plant colors for the neighborhood
  • removal of invasive ivy (English and poison) throughout the neighborhood
  • removal of sand/gravel in parking lot

2005 Events

• This year’s Picnic is scheduled for Saturday, July 9^th (rain date Sunday, July 10^th)
• The Cluster Yard Sale will be scheduled in early May, after the Farmer’s Market opens at Lake Anne. 
• Eric B has volunteered to restart the Cluster newsletter.  Please send newsletter and/or website contributions to 

Vote on Board Members

All Board Members were re-elected for another term

• Deirdre B – President
• John F – Landscape Director
• Leann Y – Treasurer
• Jackie G – Secretary
• Eric B  – Social Director

Other Items for General Discussion

• Mulch  Once again we will be ordering bags of mulch from the Lion’s Club to be delivered some time in April; if you are interested but have not yet signed up, please contact Deirdre B.  We anticipate that the mulch will arrive in time for Cluster Cleanup.
• Gutter Cleaning If you are interested in signing up for Maple Leaf gutter cleaning service and have not already signed up, please contact Deirdre B.  As a member of Brookshire Cluster, you are entitled to a discount on their services.
• Color Palette  Two new exterior paint colors (eggplant and navy) have been added to our palette, and existing colors have been mapped to Behr brand paints available at Home Depot.  Palette can be viewed here.
• Exterior Renovations  Several residents have expressed interest in renovating the exterior of their homes 
  • Dan w will look into finding a contractor to replace existing siding with new vinyl siding
  • Jackie Gl will research contractors for painting siding and trim
• Drainage  Because we have several drainage problem areas, the group voted to have engineers survey the Cluster to propose options for more effective drainage.  This issue may also have an impact on the paved areas; fixing it will likely decrease the likelihood of having to repave or patch areas in the near future.
• Parking  Insufficient parking is still an issue and several solutions were proposed (pending the site survey and Reston Design Review Board (DRB) and homeowner approval):
  • extend the “L” shape back towards Chatham Colony
  • replace the fire lane with spaces (grading is an issue here)
  • replace the holly trees with additional spaces
  • replace the path in front of 1534 & 1536 with one or two spaces
• Mosquito control  Options discussed include:
  • Run mosquito magnet already owned by the Cluster will be run on a full-time basis and moved throughout the neighborhood. 
  • Distribute anti-mosquito pellets to anyone who would like to use them – add to standing water (on roofs, in puddles, etc.) to kill mosquito larvae
  • Bat cage – promptly eliminated as an option
• Community Outreach  In an effort to get to know our neighbors better, we have decided to invite neighboring Clusters (Chatham Colony and River’s Edge) to participate in the Yard Sale, with pizza and assorted beverages to follow.
• Summer Activities
  • If you’re interested in playing softball or volleyball, contact Aaron V
  • If you’d like to participate in the “Beer of the Month” group, contact Laura S
• Home Extension  A task force has been assembled to look into options for increasing our living space – options include building up a level, extending out the back or side, and adding a sunroom.  Members will research the cost, feasibility, etc. of these options and present them at a meeting to be held on Thursday, April 14^th.  Within 4 months of this first meeting, the task force expects to have a summary of options to present to all Cluster residents.  All plans will first need to be approved by the Cluster, and then taken to the Reston Association for approval.  Taskforce members are:
  • Jill V (Team Lead)
  • Aaron V
  • Laura S
  • Sherry D
  • Courtney W

Plan of Action Review

Engineering Survey (Drainage and Paving)

• Dan W and Jill and Aaron V to find reputable firm to survey
• Survey results, pending budget impacts, and a proposal will be sent to each resident for review and to vote on next steps
• Based on survey results, paving may be postponed; if this happens, we will patch the worst areas as an intermediate step until a final plan can be formulated

Home Extension

• Task Force to research options
• Task Force will meet to discuss options April 14, 2005
• Task Force will present final option(s) to residents for review and to vote on next steps (anticipated in August/September timeframe)

Meeting concluded at 10:30PM