Steering minutes: 2010-11-06

Special Notes:

GO/TS Summit Meeting

Agenda:

1. Welcome & Introductions
2. Reminders/Comments from July meeting
3. Traffic Issues
4. Recycling
5. Insurance on jointly owned garage building
6. Abandoned cars
7. Ice Cream Truck concerns
8. Gentle reminders
9. Other business
10. Next meeting & Announcements

Minutes:

GO/TS Summit Meeting, Nov. 6, 10 am.

At GO CH - Game Room

Present: Gail Graham, Jim Graham, Lois Zimmerman, Maryann Marquardt, Rusty
Towers, Amy Harris, Katie Wimsatt, Stan Towers, Erik Kauppi, Tom Idzikowski

1. Welcome & Introductions

2. Reminders/Comments from July meeting

Talked about traffic situation; a concrete result was that the GOTS e-mail
address was created.

3. Traffic Issues

Tom shared some of the results from the on-line traffic surveys. An updated
report will go out to everyone soon. We discussed some of the specifics.

There have been two accidents at main entrance resulting from people not
looking to the right towards the cul-de-sac or from assuming that the
oncoming car from LLD would turn into GOTS rather than continue toward the
cul-de-sac.

Audrey from TS approached the County Road Commission. They have a package
of signs available for purchase for about $310, including a stop sign and a
private road sign. The private road sign has room for a street name as
well. We joked about "GOTS Boulevard."

This won't address the safety issue. The recommendation from the County rep
who came out to look was that a yield sign and communication might help the
most. Painting the pavement costs more and is hidden under snow.

Delivery trucks and visitors tend to be the most dangerous drivers in the GO
lot.

[Tom recommended the graphic novel "Rumble Strips."]

Given the generally poor sight lines on our roads, people should slow down!

Tom is willing to present additional GO-specific data at a future meeting of
GO-Steering or GO-Grounds.

80% of car-pedestrian accidents occur at crosswalks, usually because driver
doesn't see you.

6-13 year olds are the population segment most often hit by cars. This age
group is not very cautious, more independent than younger kids.

A kids' path connecting the communities seems like a great need. Educate
kids and give them a safe place to walk.

MONKEY: Erik will convene an ad hoc Traffic Committee including GO-Grounds
and TS-Grounds members as well as any other interested residents. This
group will research/discuss and make recommendations for both
communities. This
committee will also consider a "private road" or "private parking" sign (see
#6 below).

GO's Grounds Com is empowered and will inform GO of the ad hoc committee's
recommendations; a formal proposal to the full community is not needed for
approval. TS's Grounds Com is not empowered and will need to get comty
approval.

4. Recycling

There have been recent communications about remembering to break down boxes,
keep paper bags, etc. out of the containers side.

GO-Grounds has decided to reduce from two to one parking spot between the
garages and the workshop by the stairs to TS, to provide more space for
people to walk from TS to the recycling roll-off, and better access to the
workshop. The new space lines will be painted soon.

Jim asked if we could have a tool for pushing recycling (and trash) further
into the containers. And tall people could try to put things in the middle
of the containers.

Could there be a ramp to make it easier for TS to bring carts to the
roll-off? Slope is too steep by the steps. A path behind the workshop? TS
to share cost and labor? We've also talked about creating a path for kids
to walk between the communities. Could this be the same path?

5. Insurance on jointly owned garage building

GO is getting new bids on its association insurance and learned that the
shared GO/TS garage building should be insured as one building. Currently
it is on both communities' policies. One community could have it on their
insurance policy and charge the other appropriately. We may be able to do
this with Barb Young at State Farm as both communities have policies with
her. However, TS has had a bad experience with State Farm (not Barb Young)
and may look for a new insurer.

Two big issues:

1) Accounting. Proportionality of garages needs to be calculated so we know
how much each comty would pay. Would this be done by square footage or by
volume? TS volume extends over GO's space, but the property line extends
vertically from GO space up through TS space.

2) Accountability. If there is a claim situation, how do we deal with rates
going up thereafter? Who pays for the deductible? Etc.

The cost of insuring that one building is probably a very small part of each
of our insurance bills; the cost part of this is probably not going to be
the sticking point. The other issues are probably more important to focus
on.

Another question is how ownership is documented. Garages on the TS side
were assigned to units because the County and Township required it. But
that doesn't mean the ownership is shown on paper anywhere. Some garages
in the shared building may still belong to CDC.

MONKEY: GO & TS Finance & Legal committees should follow up on this and
figure out the details. Lyn Solms at TS is the person to contact; GO's F&L
committee will be the contact at GO for follow up.

6. Abandoned cars

At least 3 cars have been abandoned at TS. The sheriff said that cars can't
be towed unless there is a sign that says "private property" or "private
parking." We don't know if the Private Road sign discussed in #3 above
would suffice. May need a different type of sign.

MONKEY: Add this to the Traffic Committee's charge.

7. Ice Cream Truck concerns

Postpone until next meeting.

8. Gentle reminders

Laundry - everyone needs to remember to pick up their laundry

Missed meals shifts

MONKEY: TS would like to have data on missed shifts. Complaint that when GO
workers are late, they get a phone call; when TS people are late, they don't
get called, just blamed. Maryann Marquardt is the contact now for missed
work shifts. Contact: maryannmarquardt@yahoo.org

Dog poop along LLD. Have noticed an increase in dog poop left behind on
the grass and pavement along the sidewalk towards the cul-de-sac on LLD by
Touchstone.

MONKEY: Rusty will contact Lakestone to ask them to put a notice in their
newsletter about this. It was also suggested that someone put a sign up
about this in the actual location for a short time.

9. Other business

Future of sharing GO-CH

TS is worried about wearing out their welcome in the GO-CH. GO members at
the meeting said that things generally seem to be going well and that it's
important to keep communication going and TS reps coming to the GO-CH
meetings.

MONKEY: Maryann, Lois, Julie are the TSers who come to GO-CH meetings. They
would like to have announcements of CH meetings further in advance (a few
days) so they can plan to attend.

TS has put in a bid for Jack Pyle's unit to be used as an interim CH but
they think they do not have a good chance of getting it. Fannie Mae is
selling it and they generally try to sell to people who don't already own a
home. TS has informed the real estate agent of their intent and why it
would be a good thing for the community to have it, but they don't think
they have much of a chance of getting it.

Status of building the permanent TS-CH: CDC still owns many of TS's units.
This makes things complex and puts up various legal and financial barriers.
Mediation is a possibility.

10. Next meeting & Announcements

Covered a lot of ground, good work!


Planned to have seasonal meetings. 3 months from now would be Feb/Mar. We
settled on February 5. Rusty will convene. GO will provide the room set up
and drinks.