Annual Meeting

MacGregor Downs Homeowners Association
Annual Meeting
September 8, 2016

Board Members:

At 6:30 pm Community Services Sergeant, Jeremy Burgin (JB), addressed the neighbors. He shared a map (maps.townofcary.org) of crime over the last year with the mile radius centered on MacGregor Downs Country Club. Larceny events (represented by diamonds) and burglary events (represented by solid dots) are very low for our neighborhood. The goal of district 3 is to keep crime to a minimum. JB discussed various response times with alarms and encouraged homeowners to get a security check at their home so they can avoid crime to start with. He also requested neighbors to answer the door when a solicitor knocks. This is often the first step to determine if homeowners are home, thus not targeting the house for a crime. The non-emergency number is 919-469-4012 and the traffic hotline for speeding is 919-319-4521.

I. Call to order Tracey Boddie
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm at MacGregor Down Sountry ClubTracey thanked JB for speaking with homeowners. She also thanked the homeowners for attending and mentioned the handouts including agenda, minutes from the Sept. 23, 2015, and this year’s treasurer report.

II. Proof of notice and proxy count Tracey Boddie
There were 75 proxies and 49 members present and the total voting count was 124.

III. Presentation of the minutes from the last annual meeting Tracey Boddie
Beth Bowers motioned to accept the minutes as circulated. Dean Gooden seconded the motion. The motion passed and the minutes were approved as presented.

IV. Report from the President Tracey Boddie

Tracey discussed the ambiance of the neighborhood with the large lots, tree-lined streets, peaceful surroundings, and friendly neighbors. She mentioned that she was happy to serve as president this year in support of the neighborhood. She also thanked the other board members for their significant contributions. Tracey reminded the homeowners present that the board is a volunteer group and it is a working board where everyone has a volunteer role working for continuous improvement.

She mentioned the goal of improved communication. This year two newsletters were sent out with future plans to send them out quarterly. The website is a great tool that is kept up to date. She mentioned that nextdoor.com now has 233 MacGregor Homeowners, Facebook has 171 followers and Suzanne Knox is a contributor to MacGregor Life Magazine that gets mailed to every homeowner. Suzanne recently did a piece on graduating seniors and their future plans.

The other goal on which the board focused this year was improved organization so that they could be responsive to the needs of the neighbors.

V. Treasurer’s Report Tracey Boddie
The Treasurer’s Report was presented to the membership. Bev Kilpatrick moved the Treasurer’s report be accepted as presented. Bruce Howell seconded the motion. The motion passed and the expenditures and budget were approved as presented.

VI. Reports from the Committees

Architectural Committee:
James Benson reported receipt of 16 applications for review of architectural plans. All were approved however, 4 were returned for modification prior to approval. James discussed items that needed to be reviewed by the architectural committee and encouraged member to use the website to make their applications. Hard copies are available for those preferring that type of communication.

Beautification Committee:
Craig Metcalf discussed our contracts with Sweetwater and Artisan. A review of these companies was done, costs reviewed, and contracts collected. The board voted to continue with these two businesses. He mentioned that Joe Karsten from the club was helpful in relighting our gaslight when it got turned off during some gas company service. He mentioned the beautification is responsible for the three entrances on Kildare Farm Rd. We are also planning upgrade to Edinburgh Circle this fall. This was previously delayed so plants could be planted in the cooler fall weather.

Craig mentioned that for the first time we paid to have the curbs cleaned at ALL the entrances. This gives the entrances a crisp look and improves first impressions entering the neighborhood. Craig recommended we do this yearly after the pollen fall has finished.

Finally Craig discussed the ongoing problems getting the electrical lights lit at Moray Court. We will continue to work on this issue.

By-Laws and Covenants Committee:
The board will be doing revisions to the Covenants and plans to reissue for a vote in 2017. Mike Kemp answered questions on why there were previously accepted. He discussed general apathy and lack of response as our biggest problem. He also discussed that the tree clause was modified to alleviate concerns of neighbors about tree removal.

Grievance Committee:
There were very few grievances reported in the year. Shelley Watson reminded homeowners to call the Town of Cary if a neighbors yard grows beyond 8” and they will work with the neighbor to get their yard in compliance. Complaints were brought up about the stones in the road at Edinburgh and Highway 64 intersection where the construction traffic enters Balmoral. The construction company would be the responsible party to contact. Additionally, potholes are in the road around this area. For the potholes neighbors need to contact the Department of Transportation. This can be done online at https://www.ncdot.gov/contact/report/pothole/ or by calling 1-877-368-4968.

Several residents spoke about the difficulty of turning left from Glasgow to Kildaire. With the increasing traffic due to construction on the old farm property residents would like to see a traffic light added to this intersections. The board agreed to look into this.

Membership Committee:
Rebecca Duncan reported that as of this evening 50% of homeowner dues have been collected. She encouraged members to get their dues in during September. Rebecca also discussed that she is providing acknowledgements to neighbors as they pay. It is usually a simple email or post card for members who don’t have email.

Municipal Committee:
Bern Bullard reported that the board is looking into establishing sidewalks in other parts of our neighborhood. He discussed the process in achieving this through the Town of Cary. With their budget low in this area the town will be doing fewer sidewalks. In general sidewalks cost approximately $110 per linear foot. To apply for funds through the town 70% of neighbor approval is required on both sides of the affected street.

A speed sentry was set up earlier this year. Bern collected the data and in general, the data tells us speeding is no worse in our neighborhood than any other. Bern reminded homeowners that they could call the traffic hotline for speeding is 919-319-4521 that Sergeant Burgin gave us earlier this evening.

Technology Committee: Tracey Boddie
The MDHOA continues to be responsive to new technology. The website is mobile and tablet friendly and homeowner dues can be paid online via PayPal. Architectural requests can be filed online and a link to the membership chair is on the site for real estate closing questions on dues payments. Additionally, all the board members names and email addresses are online for member questions. New data will be added within the month of this meeting.

VIl. Election of New Board Members Tracey Boddie
The following board members were presented and elected.
HOA BOARD MEMBERS 2016-2017
PRESIDENT – Robin Jones | robinjonesnc@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT – TBD
TREASURER – Helen Monteith | htsski@yahoo.com
SECRETARY – Diane Chinnis | dianechinnis@me.com
BYLAWS CHAIRPERSON – Bern Bullard | bernbullard@gmail.com
Mike Kemp | mikekemp@nc.rr.com
ARCHITECTURAL CHAIRPERSON – James Benson | jbenson87@mac.com
MUNICIPAL CHAIRPERSON – Dawnette Scott | dawnette@dacominc.com
BEAUTIFICATION CHAIRPERSON – Craig Metcalf | craigmetcalf99@aol.com
GRIEVANCE CHAIRPERSON – Shelley Watson | sawcarync@gmail.com
MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON – Rebecca Duncan | duncanr@meredith.edu
TECHNOLOGY CHAIRPERSON – Sam Watson | samtwatson@gmail.com
VIIl. Unfinished/Old Business Tracey Boddie
Re-Zoning of area off Kildaire Farm Road A question arose from a Glasgow neighbor about the zoning of the Creech property at 1606 Kildaire Farm Road. The land was rezoned Office Institutional with Conditional Use. The details of the zoning and the zoning map was presented. This was completed and signed by Town of Cary in January 2015. This applies both to the farm property and the Creech land and has been complete for a long time and no new zoning is taking place.

Noise Issue At last years annual meeting a question on Town of Cary’s noise ordinance arose. In October the proposer dropped his request for HOA attention. This issue can be followed on the Town of Cary website.

IX. New Business Tracey Boddie and Robin Jones
Changing Lake Landscape A finger of MacGregor Lake bordering on Duncansby and Edinburgh is changing. A lot of silt and dirt has accumulated. A group of neighbors are working with Concert to find a solution. Anyone interested in being involved should contact Jim Boyle, the resident volunteer leading the group to find a workable solution. His phone number is 919-469-9747 Jim and other neighbors met with Concert Sept. 8, 2016. Jim’s comments on Tuesday prior to the annual meeting were that there was a good dialogue going on with the parties involved and he remained very optimistic that a solution will be reached.

2016-2017 President Tracey introduced Robin Jones the incoming president of the HOA. Robin discussed the need for collection of dues to be at 75% or higher to maintain existing services. She mentioned the goals of improved communication and submitting revised covenants to the neighbors for approval.

X. Adjournment Robin Jones
Robin adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tracey Boddie for Diane Chinnis, Secretary