Hidden Valley Association – Meriden, CT

President

The Board of Directors will be hosting a meeting March 23rd at Platt High School with the agenda under the meeting minutes tab.  There will be two important votes occurring at this meeting.  The first is the election of officers.  Bob Magyar, Sue Waterbury, and Angelo Brigante are seeking re-election.  No other volunteers are running.  You may cast your votes at the  link under the voting tab:

Dear Neighbors,

Please find the agenda for the BOD meeting to be held on September 23rd at 7pm at Platt High School under the meeting minutes tab.  Most discussion will concern the recent security issues and fall landscaping tasks.

Regards,

Steve Tommell

President

Hidden Valley Association, Inc.

As you may have heard, we recently had numerous reports of car related theft.  Sometime Saturday night, people went into unlocked cars around the neighborhood searching for valuables, checking in center consoles and glove compartments.  This occurred throughout the neighborhood, including my own cars.  However, the worst event affected a neighbor who had their car stolen right out of their driveway.

What to do now:  Please be safe and vigilant, keeping your homes and cars locked at all times.  Utilize exterior lights as a deterrent.  If your cars were affected, please call the police to file a report so they have a track record of the events that occurred.  Please also keep your eyes open and report any abnormal activity you may witness.

We will be having a board meeting on September 23rd at 7pm at Platt High School.  We will be discussing these events as well as the business of the Association.

Regards,

Steven Tommell

President

Hidden Valley Association, Inc.

The Board met this past Wednesday to consider the landscaping contract where it passed unanimously.  Plummer is now under contract and will begin work early next week.  I want to apologize for the delay in starting the landscaping this season.  The new bidding cycle and required voting and meeting notice bylaws prevented us from beginning earlier.  We will attempt to avoid this situation in the future.

The Board also approved the purchase of the updated QuickBooks 2015 online version.  The Association uses this program to track its financials and perform invoicing.  We were required to update to maintain our online bill payment system.  By getting the online version, we will no longer need an Association owned computer, will be able to corroborate online, and have automatic data backup.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the Board.

Thanks,

Steven Tommell

President

Hidden Valley Association, Inc.

As we have all taken to the outdoors with the warmer weather, I’d like to take this time to remind everyone of the Association and City of Meriden’s rules for dogs.  Per Section 2.2.4 of the Association’s rules and regulations:

1.  All dogs must be licensed by the city

2.  All dogs must be kept on a leash when not on the owner’s property (i.e. walking around the neighborhood)

3.  Dogs must always be under the control of the owner or be capable of being restrained via the owner, fence, invisible fence, etc.

4.  There is no outside keeping of dogs (unattended greater than 60 minutes)

5.  Owners must always clean up after their dogs.

These rules are in place by the Association and the City of Meriden for the well being of all who live within our community.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation in abiding by these rules.  Failure to do so can result in further action by the City or the Association; actions that we prefer to avoid if possible.

Thanks,

Steven Tommell

President

Hidden Valley Association, Inc.

The vote for the landscaping contract was 4-1 in favor of approval.  However, because it was not unanimous, it can not be passed outside of a BOD meeting.  Therefore, the BOD will host a special meeting on May 13th at 7pm at Platt High School.  The agenda will only include the landscaping contract and a new motion to purchase an updated version of QuickBooks (See Meeting Minutes page).  We will not be able to contract the landscaping company until after a motion is approved.  The motion will not require a unanimous vote at the open meeting. As always, the meeting will be open to the Association members.  If you cannot attend but would like to provide input, you may do so by emailing the Board.

Regards,

Steve Tommell

President

Hidden Valley Association, Inc.

I’d like to thank all those that voted on the 2015 Budget.  It passed on a vote of 13 in favor and 6 opposed.  It passed both by a majority of votes in favor and a lack of a majority of the total Association members opposing it.  This budget shall provide for the 2015 operating costs and continue to fund our reserves for future required capital improvements.  The new quarterly assessment amount will be $194.

The Board also voted to re-align the quarterly assessment payment schedules of all homes to occur on 4/1, 7/1, 10/1, and 1/1.  Currently, approximately 1/3 of homes pay in each month of a quarter.  By re-aligning all homes to pay on the same date, we will reduce the level of effort required to operate the Association and make budgeting and payment tracking more accurate. In the coming weeks, you will receive more detailed information.  However, please feel free to contact the board with any comments or concerns.

Thank you,

Steve Tommell

President

Hidden Valley Association, Inc.

Dear Neighbors,

The Association will be hosting a vote at the March Board of Directors’ meeting on March 11th at 7pm at Platt High School.  The vote is on the 2015 Budget and associated common expenses.  The new budget is on the financial tab and results in a 10% overall increase for a new quarterly assessment.  This increase is inline with the budget presentation and is required to assure we have the necessary funds and reserves to serve the needs and the Association.  The 2015 budget will be subjected to a vote that will require a majority of the entire Association membership to reject the budget, otherwise it will be considered approved.

Households may vote in person at the meeting, online, or submit a proxy.  If voting online on the link on the voting tab, you must list the email address already registered with the Association.  You will receive a confirmation email at a later point.

Please take the time to vote and have your voice heard. If you have any questions, please contact the board.

Thank you,

Steven Tommell

President – Hidden Valley Association, Inc.