Notification of the Annual Meeting was distributed to residents via emails from their Block Captain as well as posted on the website WHCCA.org.
The meeting was called to order by President Jason Cook at 7:02 pm.
Attendance: 26 households with at least one participant per household. A quorum was established.
Agenda Items and Notes:
- Introductions of Board Members online by Jason Cook.
- Year in Review by Jason Cook. Highlights of the previous year began with acknowledging the turnaround since the last Annual Meeting, which was well attended due to the threat of disbandment from dwindling Board participation and dues paying. That meeting spurred a revitalization in the Board and lots of folks paying dues. The Neighborhood Association also dealt with cancelation of all annual activities due to the pandemic. Two new activities were held safely: beautification of our neighborhood entrances, and a well-attended food drive on July 4th. The Board also met several times: once in person before the pandemic, and twice via Zoom. Four newsletters were published to the delight of the neighborhood. Finally a budget was prepared and approved by the Board on November 8, 2020.
- Treasurer’s Report was given by Michele Vossler in lieu of Gayle Brown-Frisch who could not attend. The current balance reported in November 2020 was $9052.37 with several dues checks outstanding needing to be deposited.
- Budget Report was given by Michele Vossler, who screen-shared the approved budget totaling $9200 with 5 categories. She also showed detailed breakouts of the 5 categories. A request was made and accepted to not call the Emergency Preparedness Kits “Mass Casualty Kits.”
- Block Captain Report was given by Larry Brickman. He reported that all Block Captain positions were filled except for Block C, a tremendous improvement over the previous year. A Block Captain meeting was held on 1/21/21 attended by 15 Captains, where the role of the Captains was discussed along with many suggestions for best practices.
- Emergency Kits Report was given by Larry Brickman and Michele Vossler. The purpose of the kits is to supplement the First Aid supplies neighbors should have in their own household to assist in a disaster situation. A review of what should be in the kits was conducted by Larry B, Jason C and Michele V. A new list of contents was created and prices were researched (Amazon, Costco) by Michele and Larry. Larry will prepare an Instruction Sheet for each kit detailing the Emergency Response Plan for Block Captains, including meeting in Lattawood with damage reports for each block and to coordinate relief efforts. Michele will be purchasing kit rebuild ingredients and hosting a Kit Rebuild Party in her garage in February or March. We will be replacing 6 kits which were declared lost after extensive efforts to locate them.
- Newsletter Report was given by Michele Vossler who credited Janet Fleck in absentia for her amazing efforts. Four newsletters were published with donations of time and resources by Will Hargreaves. Carol Stuckey volunteered for all the stapling and sorting into blocks and coordinating deliver with each Captain. Questions and discussion ensued regarding advertising in either the newsletter or on the website by either companies or teens offering babysitting, lawn mowing or dog walking services. The general feeling was that neighbors do not want to see the newsletter diluted by advertising. The Board will revisit the idea of teens and local services posting on the website in a separate meeting. There is some interest in neighbors’ referrals for services (e.g. a good handyperson); discussion about the value of NextDoor.com ensued.
- Neighborhood Activities report was given by Jason Cook who reviewed the list of activities normally held each year. He said new activities coordinated in individual blocks could include a Block Party and a Garage Sale. Block Captains would be encouraged to hold these events. Neighbors attending this meeting were enthusiastic about repeating the Food Drive with a suggestion to place bins at the 4th of July event so the kids could still enjoy their parade. Neighbors want to resume the clean up event(s).
- New Business was moderated by Jason Cook.
- WHCCA-Wide Communications: Discussion on value of an e-blast to all households from the Board in a rare event (e.g. cancelation of the Annual Meeting due to weather) versus concerns by neighbors who guard their email privacy. An idea for an “Opt-In” box on the dues payment slip where neighbors could submit their email for emergency notification from the Board using the “bcc” option was well received. We will implement this idea in the next newsletter. Otherwise the bulk of communication will continue to route through Block Captains. Benefits in addition to respecting neighbor privacy include fostering “neighborliness” and helping folks get to know their neighbors.
- Repainting House Numbers on Curbs: Larry Brickman reported on talking to the City; the curb numbers help first responders significantly and also help prevent mis-deliveries of packages. Board will seek a volunteer to investigate cost of having curb numbers repainted by teens or professionally through out the neighborhood. Request to do a good job scraping and use good paint is duly noted.
- Mailbox Shelters/Stanchions and Locking Mailboxes: Dennis Fleck and Dick Lee led the effort years ago to repair stanchions and replace non-locking mailboxes throughout WHCCA for a uniform look. Then we had a rise in mail thefts and have highly recommended installing locking mailboxes. The Board will locate the blueprint for repairing stanchions and post it on the website along with the recommended Locking Mailboxes that fit nicely inside the stanchions. Comments noted that if one neighbor installs a non-conforming/oversize mailbox it means other mailboxes will not fit, so neighbors sharing a stanchion are strongly encouraged to cooperate.
- Ring Camera Doorbells: A recommendation was made to add a tab to the website with discussion of the value and ease of adding a Ring Doorbell and posting a demo on how to install. Neighbors are encouraged to help others in their block who need assistance installing a Ring Camera Doorbell.
- Sidewalk Issues: Neighbors enthusiastically would like to focus on correcting sidewalk issues detracting from the appearance, safety, and enjoyment of our neighborhood. The Board will investigate with City of Bellevue and run a column in the next newsletter:
- Water running over sidewalks creating slippery moss and ice
- Vegetation encroaching on the width of the sidewalk
- Buckled and uneven sidewalks
- Clearing out or replacing runoff tubes under sidewalks
- Dog waste on sidewalks
- Election of Board of Directors by Jason Cook began with explanation that our Bylaws require a Board of 12 neighbors called the Board of Directors (formerly called Board Members at Large). The Board of Directors then elects its officers at their first meeting following the Annual Meeting. We thank the following 11 neighbors who served on the Board of Directors in 2020:
Anthony Arthiabah
Karen Auditore-Hargreaves
Larry Brickman
Gayle Brown-Frisch
Jason Cook
Peter Eriksen
Karen Fusaro
Will Hargreaves
Andrew Sunwoo
Thomas Uphill
Michele Vossler
Two Board members are moving out of state and will be sorely missed: Will and Karen Hargreaves. Dennis Fleck was nominated from the floor, and a motion to elect him to the Board was raised by Dick Lee and seconded. Motion carried unanimously.
- The WHCCA Board of Directors will start 2021 with 10 members. Neighbors may refer themselves or nominate others to serve in the remaining 2 positions. Our Bylaws state that the Board may vote in additional members. Meetings are held 2 to 4 times a year, possibly on Zoom for convenience, and all neighbors are encouraged to consider volunteering to lend their voice and ideas. Your WHCCA Board will meet soon to elect officers and results will be posted on the website:
- Anthony Arthiabah
- Larry Brickman
- Gayle Brown-Frisch
- Jason Cook
- Peter Eriksen
- Dennis Fleck
- Karen Fusaro
- Andrew Sunwoo
- Thomas Uphill
- Michele Vossler
Your amazing newsletter volunteers include Janet Fleck, editor, and Carol Stuckey, distribution. The Board also thanks our 18 wonderful Block Captains for their dedication to promoting healthy connections in Whispering Heights and Collingwood, especially this past year with its challenges. To reach anybody on the Board, please email us at WHCCABoard@gmail.com .
Meeting Adjourned at 8:33 pm
Respectfully Submitted by Michele Vossler, WHCCA Board Secretary
Date:
Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - 19:00