UNIVERSITY HILLS ASSOCIATION OF HOMEOWNERS
MONTHLY BOARD MEETING
JUNE 5, 2007

 The meeting was called to order by President Arnold Martin at 11:32 A.M. in the Presidents Lounge at the Las Colinas Country Club. Board members present were: Arnold Martin, Don Jensen, Esther Nachimson, Don McGee, Charles Schmidt, Bob Kitzman, Barbara Hull and John De Marco. Membership chair, Linda Oliver was present. Board members not present were: Kass Prince, Jim Wells, Martin Kahn, and Nell Anne Hunt. Committee chairs, Jennifer Davis and Pat Andres were not present.

Esther Nachimson motioned that the minutes be approved as posted on the UH website. There were no corrections. John De Marco seconded the motion. The motion passed.

In the absence of the treasurer Don Jensen, in his capacity as Assistant Treasurer, gave the treasurers report. (The report already had been sent via e-mail to the board members.) It was approved as read.

John reported for Jim Wells, our Web Master. The auto-dialer system, while not perfect, continues to increase in usefulness. The reminder call to everyone done by Jennifer for the Spring Fling was another example. In addition, our new monthly newsletter, The Beacon, continues to find favor. The third edition is ready for publication just waiting for timely news from the meeting today.

Charles reported that the house numbering project has been completed and that a check for $4320 will be presented to Boy Scout Troop #508 at the Woodhaven Presbyterian Church at 7:00 this evening. Linda Oliver said she could be at the church to take pictures. Board members and any other interested parties were invited to attend.

Charles also noted Susan Rose of the City of Irving had contacted him about our curb numeral painting project on behalf of the homeowners association in Valley Ranch. This may be a good opportunity for other troops to raise much-needed funds. Arnold suggested that Boy Scout Troop #183 at Plymouth Park Baptist Church might have an interest in such a project if Troop #508 was not available.

Charles stated that the Keep Irving Beautiful winners went onto the Keep Texas Beautiful contest. They did not fare well, however. It seemed the judges at state were not impressed with TLCAÃfÂfÃ,¢ÃfÂ,Ã,Â?ÃfÂ,Ã,ÂTs very sophisticated presentationÃfÂfÃ,¢ÃfÂ,Ã,Â?ÃfÂ,Ã,Â"instead they seemed to like the more folksy entries. No Irving entry won. The state meeting for KTB will be held in Irving next year so there is great incentive to participate again next year.

In response to a question from John, Charles advised the Homes of Distinction program, originally planned for production by Barrie Hill at ICTN, has been put on hold until further notice.

Charles reported that issuance of the Green Neighbor letter circulated at the last meeting has been delayed at the request of TLCA. Rick Bidne wants to build a coordinated Green Neighbor project by incorporating all of TLCA villages in the effort. More discussion of this subject will occur at the next meeting of the village presidents to be held later in June. Arnold will attend on our behalf. In this connection Arnold asked Charles to provide him with a briefing on the various permutations prior to then.

With respect to the final application for becoming a Green Neighbor, Susan Oliver suggested this be posted on the UHAOH website as well as its distribution by mail. These applications are due no later than October 1.

Arnold asked about the status of the NO RUBBISH COLLECTION signs. These serve to remind UH residents of certain Fridays when there will be no garbage pickup. John reported two went missing in April and we are down to two. New signs need to be in place by Thanksgiving so our neighborhood will not look trashy  Tuesday. John will see to this.

Linda Oliver, membership chair, said that the number of UHAOH memberships who have paid their dues for year 2007 is about 295 which number is about the same level as last year. A review of the members who are yet unpaid seemed to be in order. Esther agreed to prepare an alphabetized list of those persons who are paid members of our association and send it to Linda. For next year Linda is planning to begin a membership push earlier in the year.

While discussing various options for increasing the number of dues-paying members, Bob asked what were we really trying to accomplish. He felt that some tactics might be perceived as pushy or offensive and become a source of irritation. The result could result in a negative perception of our association. privacy issues could even come into play. The board will continue to try and find an acceptable way to reach a larger number of our homeowners. Some people just do not want to contribute to the association, even though they use and benefit from our purpose.

As Jennifer Davis could not be present, Barbara Hull took the occasion to make some very complimentary remarks about the recent Spring Fling. (She also circulated a Thank You Card for everyone to sign expressing our gratitude to Jennifer.) Despite the rainstorm that appeared 15 minutes before the event was to start, the attendance was the most it had ever been. There was no doubt a wonderful time was had by all. The addition of the big tent saved the day and everyone loved it. After some negotiating, the company that furnished most of the equipment included the tent for a small additional sum. Barbara suggested that next year more volunteers are needed, in particular to more closely monitor the alcoholic beverages. It is important that we make sure they do not find their way into the hands of minors. This has never been a problem in the past but we want to be pro-active on such issues and not have it as a source of concern in the future.

Bob Kitzman reported that 25-30 block captains, about half, attended the meeting at LCCC in May. Feedback on the presentation he made on new developments in and around Las Colinas was very positive. The attendees had seen other presentations and were amazed how much clearer and more understandable this one was. The point of the presentation was to inform about the growth and changes that will be coming to our neighborhood in the not too distant future, 3 to 5 years.

At the BC Meeting Bob and the Deputy Chiefs also distributed the new 2007 UH directories to the block captains and delivered the others to the ones unable to attend. On follow up, Bob was happy to report that all have been put into the hands of our residents and there are extra copies available if the need were to arise. Bob also mentioned that any updates or corrections to the directory data are to be reported to Jim Wells. This is spelled out in the directory.

Bob stated that at the present time, the new Auto-Dialer calling system seems to be the most efficient way to communicate with our residents about important info that needs to be disseminated promptly. They have had trouble with e-mail addresses being inaccurate and there is a major challenge in keeping them up to date. Some do not open their e-mail on a daily basis.

In the absence of Pat Andres, Charles advised that construction at Riverside Drive and OConnor is ongoing until the first of the year. He also reported that Scott Wilson is planning to extend and install the sidewalk in Old Rochelle Park to Northgate by October. It has not been decided if it will be built on the east of the west side of the pond.

Arnold said that the silt coming from the Alta Vista construction site is rushing down and infiltrating our ponds, streets and sidewalks. He said TLCA has advised him that they have gone past complaining to the builder. There are assessing costs that are to be claimed by both TLCA and DCURD for the clean up of this mess. There have been gross critical errors in their drainage plan and steps are being taken to remove siltation from Pea Patch Lake. The Randles are doing their best to minimize what is happening. The rainy season has not helped the situation.

Arnold reminded everyone about the need to remain ever vigilant against encroachments from abutting neighborhoods that will affect our home values. Two recent instances were cited. On Britain near Santa Clara someone built a room addition intended for use by a mother but ended up being something else.  This was not approved by P&Z but was done by the homeowner anyway. The other was the farm-type building erected on Wingren near Rochelle. This metal structure certainly appears to be non-conforming but was done with a city permit. The board feels it will be interesting to see how the P& Z Commission will attempt to resolve these issues.

Arnold read a report from Nell Anne about the up-coming Great Flag Caper. The KickOff party held on May 20th was well attended and Nell Anne is very pleased with the generous contribution from UHAOH. Flags will be available on her front porch starting Friday, June 30th and continuing until July 3rd. Entries for the childrens essay accompanying this event are required to be with Nell Anne by June 25th. The prize will be awarded at the Pot Luck Dinner at her place on the evening of July 3rd starting at 7 PM.

Don Jensen requested a discussion at our next board meeting about UHAOH making an arrangement with the Rotary Club to position American Flags at the entrances to UH on national holidays. This is a project done in conjunction with Boy Scout troops where they erect and take down full sized flags on the date of the event. Individual homeowners also are free to arrange for this service on their own and several UH residents have done so. Don is proposing a board project with annual expenses hence would need to be included in our yearly budget. Charles mentioned we would need to check with code enforcement and TLCA before making arrangements to place these flags on city property. Arnold asked Don come back with more specifics on the proposal, e.g. how many flags, locations where they would be planted, initial and on-going costs, approvals required from the City of Irving and TLCA, etc.

Because of the 4th of July Holiday, the next meeting of the UHAOH board will be on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 11:30 AM. We will meet in the Presidents Lounge of the Las Colinas Country Club. Anyone planning to eat should arrive at 11:00 AM.

Everyone was invited for a photo op at the home of this months YARD OF THE MONTH winners, Virgil and Catherine Rogers at 309 Santa Clara.

Don McGee motioned to adjourn the meeting. John De Marco seconded the motion. The motion passed.

The meeting adjourned at 1:07 PM.
Respectively submitted,

Esther Nachimson, Secretary