minutes from 6/3/2010 community meeting

Enka Village Quarterly Meeting
Minutes 06/03/10

-Todd Lewis opened the meeting.
-There were 20 present.
-Todd noted that Tiffany and Andre had resigned. Hillary Cole will be our new Treasurer and the checking account has been signed over at Bank of America. Heather Jamison Jones will be the new Secretary. Robin Silver will be head of Beautification. Todd Lewis will be Chairman. Brian Cook has been acting as consultant to assist the new commission in their transition.
-It was noted that the role of the Enka Village Commission has changed in that the City of Asheville took over some of the duties the Commission once performed when most of the community was annexed. The role of the Commission is now focused primarily on making our community better, as well as maintaining the remaining financial responsibilities. Heather stated that this community was built for those working at the Enka Plant, and everyone knew everyone and worked together as a whole, knew who their neighbors were, assisted and helped each other . This is the essence of Enka Village that we would like to be restored-what makes Enka Village such a special and unique place to live.
-A few items of previous business were revisited such as the CD being split and portion of it was placed into the checking account. The current continuing expenses were estimated such as park maintenance, park and sign insurance, continued power expense for remaining street lights and roads/sidewalks in section of community not annexed, storm water bill, checking, post office box, administrative expenses such as stamps, envelopes, etc… These were estimated to be roughly $1600 per year.
-Robin Silver opened discussion regarding community events. The commission would like to take on a more positive role in the community focusing on neighborhood events and bringing together neighbors so they can get to know each other better, and strengthen our pride in our community.
-The Commissioners are putting together a community event during the summer such as a block party or cookout. The Enka Village fund would provide the meats for the cookout and the community could provide the sides/drinks. It was discussed whether we should have this in the park or on the back road-possibly closing it off.
-We now have a Facebook page that will act as a type of bulletin board for everyone. This will provide a place for us to share news, photos, and questions. It will be a great place for us to place information we want to share (something for sale, something needed, ideas, etc…) You can locate this page by searching Historic Enka Village. The current blog and web page will be linked to the Facebook page. Please note that there is another page someone in another state has created, so please make sure to locate the correct page.
-We have an email address now. EnkaVillageCommission@gmail.com This email will be checked regularly by the commissioners. If you have questions, information, or anything that needs to get to the commissioners, this will be the best way. Please share this with your neighbors, and a list of emails were collected at the meeting. If you would like to be contacted via email please send an email.
-Todd noted that we will be looking for a new place to have our quarterly meetings. We may not be able to continue to have our meetings at Enka Baptist Church, and we would like to thank Marjorie Kirkpatrick for making it possible for us to have been able to meet at the church in the past. We all are very thankful for all that she has graciously done for the community.
-Previous business regarding assessments:
-Assessments were placed on hold previously, and will continue to be on hold for 2010. There are enough funds in the checking account from the CD to cover the current costs for the year, but this cannot continue indefinitely.
-It had been voted on previously to give the park to the City of Asheville. The City did not have the funds to accept the park and the expense, and declined acceptance of the park, so this will not occur at this time, but may be revisited in the future when the economy is in a better place. Until such time the community will continue to carry that expense.
-The Commissioners addressed the situation regarding previous assessments that had not been paid/were past due. It was voted to erase any and all past due assessments so that everyone could start with a zero balance. There will be a letter issued to all property owners stating this information for their records. This will hopefully help everyone during these difficult economic times, as well as assist in the more positive outlook of the community.
-Hillary Cole noted that the storm water bill had arrived, and the question was asked why we couldn’t get the city to fill in the sink hole in the park that was created from the old storm drain system. The answer was not known, but Robin Silver is trying to get a load of dirt to fill in that hole and have it no longer be an issue. It was asked if anyone could assist with this, or knew of anyone who could bring some fill dirt for no cost.
-Todd addressed that we will have a vote in the few months regarding our assessments for 2011. We have to options to present:
-Option 1: Each property owner pays a flat $25 per year.
-Option 2: We revert back to the original deeds regarding assessments where it is a certain amount per linear foot of road frontage with an increase in the amount charged per linear foot to $0.50 with a maximum cap of $35.00
-It was noted that Option 2 was fairly antiquated since it was designed to address the sidewalk and road maintenance issue. This is not an issue so much anymore with the majority of the community being in the city.
-The question was asked regarding the flat fee of $25.00 and whether this will be assessed per property/lot or per owner. There are some property owners who have one dwelling but multiple lots and it doesn’t seem fair to charge per parcel in this situation. In those cases it would be fairer to charge per dwelling WHEN the additional lots are being used as a continuance of the property with the dwelling. This will also protect the situation where a lot may be built upon in the future and thus create a new dwelling/residence. This lot would not be exempt from the yearly assessments. This will have all property owners be responsible for the assistance in the upkeep of the financial responsibilities of Enka Village. (i.e. lot owners who simply own a lot or lots, but do not necessarily live here)
-It was discussed whether or not the community could vote to add to the current property restrictions to add in basic community standards such as no untagged vehicles, neat and clean yard/properties free from excessive trash or junk, etc… These are typical in neighborhood restrictions in this day and time. This is something that was brought up for discussion by concerned members of the community and the commissioners asked for anyone to share thoughts or ideas regarding this issue. Many people feel the restrictions need to be updated to help protect property value and to create a safer, cleaner, and more pleasant neighborhood. One concern would be the cost involved regarding attorney fees to have this written and recorded. It was left open to discussion.
-Todd suggested a possible community clean up day. Suggestions would be to help neighbors who may need assistance with certain items (such as weed eating, mowing, gutters, weeding, etc…) Heather suggested working with community groups who may be looking for projects to assist with. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and local civic groups are always open to community activities in order to earn badges and such. It was asked if anyone had any connections with local groups, and also if anyone knew of neighbors in our community who need any assistance with something, to please let the commissioners know.
-Due to time constraints with our meeting room, the meeting was closed.