Marymoor Trails
Board of Directors Meeting
May 18, 2020

The Marymoor Trails Board of Directors meeting convened via Skype Monday May 18, 2020 at 10:00AM.  Attending:  Michael Niksa, President; Josh Gibson, Treasurer; Jerimiah Willhite, Special Projects; Linda O’Hara, Secretary; and Tim Hollingshead, Morris Management.  Van Chesnutt, Landscape, unable to attend, provided a written update.

Homeowners Forum

A homeowner asked that we remind all residents to keep their speed down when driving in the complex.  Even with speed bumps, people go way too fast uphill, downhill, and coming around corners.  It’s dangerous with people out walking, children playing.  We will send a reminder to residents and post a sign at the mailboxes. A second Homeowners Forum item is addressed under Landscaping.

Treasurer’s Report

We are substantially over budget on Maintenance, because a number of major items are paid annually (rather than monthly) and hit all at once.  Also included in Maintenance was storm drain cleaning for Bldg. K, and project management for Jehan Bharucha’s Improcon work for Bldg. B monitoring and Bldg. E roof assessment.  Josh discussed multiple insurance bills that all hit at the same time.  Overall, we are in good shape.  Account balances April 30, 2020:  Operating account $14,440.97 (checking), reserve account $285,989.42 (savings).

Maintenance

Spring and early summer are usually busy maintenance season.  Due to Covid-19, we are not really having any vendors come out.  Tim says work has stopped or slowed dramatically at all properties.  Michael contacted Handyman Gene to see if he wants to come out and do a walk around and stay 10 feet away.  There is some work which can be done while maintaining appropriate social distance.  Gene may or may not want to do this.  We are waiting to hear back. 

Jehan Bharucha was on Building E roof with a roofer to survey roofing material degradation – no report back yet on the results of that inspection.  Michael doesn’t believe Puget Sound Energy meter box replacement has started up yet. PSE should be contacting residents when they start up.  Everything is basically on hold until next month. 

Landscape

A resident at Homeowners Forum asked that we take a good look at the northernmost fir tree in the planter across from Bldg. C, on top of the wall.  Resident says the tree appears dead — the only living foliage on it are the ends of the branches. The branches that face Bldg. C are all dead. That doesn’t mean it is going to fall down tomorrow, but it could be a developing danger. Tim will ask Van to have a trained arborist come out and inspect.  We listen to the experts and do whatever they say.  If they say it is dead, we will remove it.  If they say it is OK, we will leave it.

Van provided a written update of our landscaping projects:

Complete

• Dead tree removed from behind Bldg. B
• Unsightly tree removed from entrance way to A104
• Unsightly walkway heather removed from entrance way to A104
• Have emailed Jeff Aken at the City of Redmond City about the Redmond Tree Canopy project.  We have not heard back yet.

In Progress

• Bush/tree replacement/addition behind Bldg. H
• New tree for between Bldgs. I and J
• Reviewing plans with Bodine for drains on Bldg. L

Special Projects

Community Garden — The idea of a community garden on the former putting green was rather contentious.  A number of homeowners raised concerns about privacy for residents in Bldgs. J and K.  Although there are other options for siting a community garden, the Board elected to shelve this idea for the season.   Using the island in front of Bldg. C would exacerbate problems with mud and drainage in that area.  Behind the mailboxes, there is no water.  We encourage residents who want a garden to use the area around their units.  If you put in something well maintained, it is not a problem.  If it becomes not well maintained, we will let you know. 

Lighting — A resident who is a decorating professional has been assisting Jerimiah in replacing outside lighting near garages.   They have identified a range of lights, from $76 to $150 per light.  The current idea is to purchase a few samples, see how they look, and if we don’t like it we return them.  We like the idea of doing a trial run.  A handful of external lights have already been replaced by owners. External lighting is an Association responsibility. When new lighting is selected, all will be replaced at HOA expense with uniform lighting across all common areas.

Old Business

Due to the extreme slowdown in work being done at all properties, there is little to cover.  The insurance claim for dishwasher water damage to Bldg. F has been resolved, we have received the funds from the insurer, and a final check has been issued to the homeowner.  Our insurance did very well, paid what in Tim’s expectation we should have gotten. 

Painting is questionable this year and residents need to temper expectations.  If it is possible to get Handyman Gene out for a walk-around, Michael and Gene will assess critical areas.  However, we doubt we can get anyone to come out and paint buildings as we would normally do. We will keep our eyes on areas to patch and paint, and spot repair those if need be.  It’s possible nothing will be done this year.  The buildings are in good shape from past maintenance, so this should not be a problem.

Resident reported their deck is looking sad, and asked to be put on the list for Trex replacement.  We will replace the worst decks first, and appreciate the heads up.  However, coronavirus concerns, we don’t know if this will happen this year or not.

New Business

Resident asks about a noise complaint.  With stay-at-home orders, loud bass music is coming through the walls, making it hard to work from home.  Tim says during the day it has to be really bad to actually file a noise complaint — like a live band next door.  As long as it is not in quiet hours, it’s technically OK.  Tim is hearing a lot of this recently, with people home all day, especially in older communities with less effective sound insulation.  One member of the board addressed the problem by moving speakers away from common walls between units.  Another had to speak to a neighbor several times.

Residents report loud hip-hop practice across the street carries right into our units.  BOD will contact the apartment leasing office and let them know sound travels extremely well across the street, suggest the struggling rapper face the hillside when practicing.

Resident reports folks in neighboring Marymoor Heights let dog run off leash around Marymoor Trails.  Almost got squished by the garbage truck.  BOD will reach out to the secretary of Marymoor Heights by email and ask that they keep their pet leashed.

Next Meeting — The next meeting is Monday June 22, 2020 at 10:00AM, by Skype. Contact Tim Hollingshead at Morris Management if you would like to attend Homeowners Forum.