The Lamppost Vol. 2006/3

March 2006

The Official Newsletter of the Walden Pond Homeowners’ Association

Regularly Scheduled HOA Board Meeting
Tuesday, March 14, 2006, 5:00pm
Cone Properties Offices
3554 Weymouth St., Durham
(Corner w/ Mayfair, 1 block North of University Drive)
All Walden Pond owners and residents welcome

Atkinson, McIntyre Voted In As New HOA Directors

HOA members chose two new directors in a special meeting on Feb. 15. Laura Atkinson, 7 Prestwick, and Edison McIntyre, 10 Prestwick, join Don Barry, 2 Durbin, as the HOA’s three voting directors. Barry was elected to the board last November. Under the present HOA bylaws, the three directors will serve until the regular annual membership meeting later this year. Atkinson defeated incumbent director Gwen Cowan, 28 Georgetown, who was running to retain her seat on the board. McIntyre ran unopposed to fill the director’s seat held by Thomas Humphrey, 17 Astor. Humphrey did not seek re-election to the board.

In the same meeting, HOA members rejected a proposed amendment to the bylaws that would have altered the directors’ terms.

Cowan and McIntyre had been proposed by a board-appointed nominating committee to fill the directors’ vacancies. Atkinson ran as a write-in candidate after she nominated from the floor during the Feb. 15 meeting for the seat held by Cowan.

Both Atkinson and McIntyre have been critical of what they described as a lack of communication between the board and other HOA members, as well as of the responsiveness and some operational practices of Cone Properties, the HOA’s current management firm.

HOA Will Seek New Firm To Manage Walden Pond
Cone Properties Will Cease Administration by April 22

Phyllis Cone, owner of Cone Properties, announced on Feb. 22 that she plans to terminate her contract as property agent with the Walden Pond HOA, effective in 60 days. In a meeting with the HOA board of directors, Cone told the board that she would work with the HOA to ensure a smooth transition to a new property agent.
The HOA’s contract with Cone Properties had been scheduled to expire on June 30, 2006, but it permits termination by either Cone Properties or the HOA board with a 60-day notice. Suggestions for new management companies should be directed to director Don Barry, who will lead the search for a new property agent to serve the Walden Pond HOA. More details of the transition are to be discussed at the board’s next regular meeting on March 14. Cone Properties will continue as Walden Pond’s management company until mid-April, and homeowner should continue to direct maintenance concerns and related questions to its office at 493-5459. Cone cited personal reasons for her decision to end the contract. She also indicated that recent criticism of Cone Properties, which figured in the Feb. 15 elections of two new HOA board members, influenced her decision.

HOA Members Reject Proposed Bylaw Change

In a special membership meeting on Feb. 15, HOA members turned down an amendment to the association’s bylaws that would have affected the terms served by HOA directors. The current bylaws, which remain in effect, specify that the all three board members be elected to one-year terms. All three board members may stand for re-election but can be replaced annually. Two new board members were elected later in the meeting, after the bylaws amendment was rejected. Thomas Humphrey, a director who did not run for re-election, and a longtime resident of Walden Pond, stated before the vote that he recalled that the intention of the original Article VIII of the bylaws was to provide for three HOA directors with “staggered,” three-year terms. That system had been observed, in fact, in recent years, with one director’s seat coming open annually, and each director elected to a three-year term. The amendment would have changed the language of Article VIII to reflect that practice.
Proponents of the “staggered” three-year terms argued that electing only one director annually helped maintain stability and experience on the board. However, several homeowners indicated they preferred the existing language and would want to vote on all three directors every year.

HOA Board Members Meet Informally; One Vote Taken

Following the Feb, 15 election of Laura Atkinson and Edison McIntyre to join Don Barry on the HOA board of directors, the board has met twice for informal discussions and is working closely together to deal with member concerns. The only vote taken in these sessions was to accept the termination announcement from Phyllis Cone regarding her management of Walden Pond. That vote was taken on Feb. 22 at a two-hour meeting in the offices of Dieter Mauch, attorney for the HOA. Mauch had asked to meet with the directors and Cone to discuss his relationship with the HOA and related issues. Atkinson and McIntyre also met for two hours on Feb. 27 with director Don Barry at his home. The three directors discussed several HOA issues and agreed that Atkinson will undertake re-painting of the community’s entrance signs. The board meets for its regular monthly session on March 14.

Official Walden Pond HOA Website In the Works

HOA director Laura Atkinson is heading a project to establish an official Walden Pond HOA website, securing the HOA’s own “domain” address on the Internet. The official HOA website is not intended to replace the “waldenpondhomeowners” Internet group that was established last year and now has about 50 members. This group is private, meaning that only members of the group can see or post messages or files, and only Walden Pond homeowners can be members. Saki Kinney, 12 Prestwick, moderates the group. To join this group, send an e-mail, with your name and Walden Pond address, to:

waldenpondhomeowners-subscribe at yahoogroups.com

The official HOA website is planned for now as a “read-only” site to provide general information to homeowners and others interested in the HOA – for example, potential buyers of Walden Pond townhomes. Eventually, this newsletter and other announcements would be posted on the official website, along with an E-mail address for contact with the HOA board. Details to come!

Plans to Revive Several Membership Committees

The HOA board of directors is discussing establishment of a new Aesthetics and Maintenance Committee to advise on Walden Pond’s physical appearance. The board also is considering three other standing committees that will require extensive member participation and action. Details will be announced in future HOA meetings.
Current HOA bylaws require standing committees on aesthetics, maintenance, and nominations. However, the directors are considering combining the first two committees, since their functions are so similar. The Nominations Committee would solicit HOA members to run for the board of directors and would conduct the elections. The board also is considering a Budgetary and Legal Committee to advise on those issues, including a possible rewrite of the HOA bylaws later this year. A Communications and Events Committee also is in the works, to publish this newsletter, run the planned website, and organize community get-togethers and other events.