Of the Board of Directors
Eagle-Vail Metropolitan District
May 17, 2007
A Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eagle-Vail Metropolitan District, Eagle County, Colorado, was held on May 17, 2007, at 8:00a.m. at The Eagle-Vail Pavilion, 538 Eagle Road, Eagle-Vail, Eagle County, Colorado, in accordance with the applicable statutes of the State of Colorado.
Attendance The following Directors were present and acting:
§ Tom Allender
§ Bob Finlay
§ Cindy Gilbert
§ Bruce Mielke
§ John Nichols
Also in attendance were:
· Kim Ahmad, Operations Manager
· Tamara Milagres, Administrative Assistant
· Ben Welsh, Golf Professional
· Steve Barber, Superintendent
· Joanna Levin, Food and Beverage Supervisor
· Ken Marchetti, District Accountant
· Bobbi Shirkie, District Accountant Assistant
· Jim Collins, Esq.
· J. Eichholz, Eagle County Sheriffs Deputy
· Marty Stewart, Eagle-Vail Resident
Call to The Regular Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Eagle-Vail Metropolitan
Order District was called to order by Chairman Nichols on May 17, 2007, at 8:00 a.m. noting a quorum was present.
Minutes The Board reviewed the minutes of the April 16, 2007 Regular meeting. By Motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the April 16, 2007 Regular meeting.
Changes to
the Agenda Chairman Nichols stated that there were to be no changes to the original agenda.
Public Input Ms. Ahmad introduced Mr. Eichholz, Eagle County Sheriffs Deputy; Ms. Levin, responsible for Food & Beverage this season; and Ms. Shirkie, who is new at Mr. Marchetti’s office, working financials for the District.
Chairman Nichols asked Mr. Eichholz if there are any relevant updates to share. Mr. Eichholz answered that the Police have been working on Stone Creek Drive with better enforcement, especially after school. Mr. Eichholz said that there is better enforcement at the stop signs. Mr. Eichholz talked about a new rule regarding seat belt laws, where the Police are able to stop somebody just for not using the seat belt and also give a ticket for it. Director Mielke asked how much is the fee for the ticket. Mr. Eichholz answered that the fine for not wearing the seat belt is $17. Mr. Eichholz mentioned that there are many children hanging around the Pavilion parking lot during the mornings, as well as at the Skate Park, and that the Police have been tracking this situation and been present at those areas. Chairman Nichols said that the Skate Park is pretty much demolished. Mr. Eichholz informed that there is currently still a ramp at the Skate Park, and kids are still trespassing on the property. Ms. Ahmad will make sure to remove the last ramp situated at the Skate Park. Ms. Ahmad stated that there is a higher level of interest in breaking into the Eagle-Vail Pavilion building. Ms. Ahmad referred to the event that happened on May 15th, where someone tried so hard to get the door open, it was broken. Ms. Ahmad said that the cost to fix the door is unknown. Director Allender questioned Ms. Ahmad if there are motion sensors to keep the lights on outside the Pavilion during the night. Ms. Ahmad answered that there are lights on until 10p.m., but there are no motion sensors. Ms. Ahmad mentioned that future contact will be made with Mr. Maddux to clarify this situation.
Director Gilbert asked if the Board discussed an alternate use for the Skate Park area or it will be void. Ms. Ahmad answered that the Skate Park area will be void until the District set up a Master Plan for what is going to happen with Tennis and Swim Club. Ms. Ahmad explained that the District is following the survey results, in which the Skate Park was considered one of the lowest concerns. Ms. Ahmad mentioned that there are no suggestions for what the District should do about the Skate Park area. Ms. Ahmad also said that a recently reviewed phone call from a young man implied interested in having the last ramp at the Skate Park, and Ms. Ahmad asked the Board Members for suggestions. Director Allender suggested writing an agreement stating that the District does not have any responsibility for the last ramp, and making sure that the young man has permission to put the ramp somewhere else. Director Mielke suggested to remove the ramp at the Skate Park as soon as possible, due to possible drug use at the property.
Mr. Eichholz has noticed that kids are hanging out behind Par 3. Mr. Eichholz said that the Police officers are patrolling the area, especially after school.
Staff
Reports -Golf- Mr. Welsh said that things are going great so far. Mr. Welsh informed that all the 18 holes are open, the golf course is looking fantastic and the staff has been really busy.
The Board requested at a previous meeting that the food & beverage manager attend their meetings to give updates and answer any questions that may arise. Mr. Welsh introduced Ms. Levin food and beverage manager, to the Board members. So far Mr. Welsh believes that the Food & Beverage Department is doing really well. Director Gilbert said that it is important to set a regular minimum amounts of hours for each shift at Mulligans. Ms. Levin said that the current schedule is from 10a.m. until 5p.m. Mr. Welsh answered that when the Golf Course gets into the peak season, it will be necessary to change the schedule to have someone from 7a.m. until 7p.m.. Mr. Welsh mentioned that obviously if the Golf Course is not making money, Ms. Levin will cut the schedule accordingly. Mr. Welsh informed that adjustments on the schedule will be made as the need arises. Director Gilbert said that it has been a problem in the past when employees used to decide to close the department one hour earlier. Mr. Welsh stated that the Golf staff had a meeting in which the golf management expectations, customer services, and other issues were covered and the staff this year is much better than in past seasons. Mr. Welsh is really confident with the staff. Director Gilbert questioned Ms. Levin as to how many staff are employed at Food & Beverage Department. Ms. Levin answered that there are 10 staff members. Mr. Welsh added that all of the staff is being rotated as planned.
Director Gilbert questioned Ms. Ahmad about how the Food & Beverage Department’s orders are going. Ms. Ahmad answered that everything is good and Ms. Ahmad feels comfortable. Ms. Ahmad has been in touch with representatives and put in the initial orders that the Food & Beverage Department needed. Ms. Ahmad said that the department is trying to use some of the liquor left over from the bar business last season, and that this season liquor is measured out so that the department does not have revenue loss. Ms. Ahmad mentioned that one hot dog machine was broken, but another one has already been ordered. Ms. Ahmad also informed that there is a new hot pretzel machine at Hole 11, which is a quick snack to grab and go and Ms. Ahmad thought it might go over really well.
Director Allender questioned Mr. Welsh as to how the sales have been. Mr. Welsh answered that the sales have been good. Mr. Marchetti talked about a recent meeting with Mr. Welsh, Ms. Levin and Ms. Shirkie during which it was established to set up inventories on a weekly basis to make sure that the Food & Beverage is doing the right thing. Mr. Marchetti said that it would be much easier to control the department with the weekly reports. Mr. Marchetti explained that basically the plan is to make sure that the invoices that come in are added into the inventories, and then use the combinations of the inventories and the purchase information to monitor the costs. Mr. Marchetti said that the cash register will be checked daily to track the sales, that way the District can analyze the sales versus costs. Director Gilbert asked how the District is planning to split the orders to each department: Hole 11, Beverage cart and Mulligans in order to analyze the financials. Mr. Welsh answered that the District made basically one register, one inventory. Mr. Marchetti informed that the District will have one Food & Beverage page on the financial reports.
Director Finlay questioned Mr. Welsh regarding marketing with the Radio Stations, if the Golf Course is trading services or payments are been made, and if so, how much. Mr. Welsh answered that both; the Golf Course pays the Radio Stations for a few services and also trading for other services. Mr. Welsh explained that the Vail Daily is the company with which the Golf Course most actively trades services for ads.
Director Allender questioned Mr. Welsh how many participants the Golf Course has in the leagues. Mr. Welsh answered that for the Men’s League, which played the past week, it was almost 20 participants and for the Women’s League almost 30 participants.
Mr. Welsh briefly discussed differences of Golf prices in the Valley.
-Maintenance- Director Allender stated a few observations to Mr. Barber. Director Allender noted the size of the tee box on hole 15 and the blue tees on 13. Mr. Barber stated that his crew will continue to clear areas as the summer progresses.
Mr. Barber noted that hole 15 has some dead trees and Mr. Barber is planning to continue cleaning up all the dead trees on the Golf Course. Mr. Barber said that recently four huge trees fell down close to the 16th hole and that the whole area needed a close inspection. Mr. Barber said that once the Maintenance crew is done with the tree removal, by mid summer the crew will dispose of the pile created behind hole 15. Director Allender asked what Mr. Barber is planning to do with the chips. Mr. Barber said that he is going to leave there for now. Mr. Barber explained to the Board the process of chipping.
Mr. Barber talked about the frequent communication with Long Excavation Company, which is the company that dredged Trout pond. Right now, Long Excavation is in the beginning of a huge project and it will take 4 to 6 weeks until Long Excavation will be able to return to Eagle-Vail.
Mr. Barber said that work has been in progress for the past two years with Mr. Welsh trying get Lightning Detection System. Mr. Barber mentioned that the Golf Course has had the speakers for several years, but the community did not approve. Mr. Barber said that checked all of the speakers and all of them are electrical, hard wired and battery operated. All the batteries are from 1999 and are not good anymore. Mr. Barber informed that the process has been set in motion to get new batteries and once the batteries can be delivered, probably in the next 3 or 4 weeks, the maintenance crew will start working on the Lightning Detection System. Mr. Barber mentioned plans to set up at Hole number 2 going across the highway; another speaker at the Clubhouse; another one at the Maintenance Shop and then over by hole 8 and 14 as well; and the last speaker at hole 11, serving hole 9 and 10. Mr. Barber said that he will set up a testing day and organize with Mr. Welsh and Ms. Ahmad concerning e-mails being send to the District e-mail database explaining what the policy procedures to keep the community aware. Director Allender asked if any kind of investigation has been made about the liability if the Golf Course didn’t set the alarm off if someone get hit by a lightning. Mr. Welsh explained that having researched that already, conclusions dictated that everyone is out there at their own risk. Mr. Welsh mentioned that the alarm is sounded manually, it won’t go off in the middle of the night, only during golf hours. Director Finlay suggested to post what the signal is and to put stickers on the carts, at the swimming pool, restrooms, parks, pet pick ups, that way people will know what the signal means. Mr. Barber said that having already spoken with the company about the speakers, it was decided that the company will bring the model of the speakers to show to Mr. Welsh and Ms. Ahmad.
Director Gilbert questioned Mr. Barber if a horticulturalist has been hired. Mr. Barber answered, no, because the flowers will be done in house. Mr. Barnum and Mr. Barber will make sure to check the flowers all over the Golf Course.
Mr. Barber handed out a paper with photos from the fence situation at the Maintenance Shop. Mr. Barber explained that since 1999 the fence has been getting worse. Mr. Barber said that it was in the budget to replace the fence, but five overhead doors are old and broken, so all the money designated to replace the fence was used to fix the broken doors. Director Mielke asked how much it will cost to fix the fence. Mr. Barber explained price quotes obtained in bids from two contractors and it will be approximate $13,000.00. Mr. Barber also budgeted with the District’s labor, and it will cost about $4,500.00. but will take most of the year to complete. Director Allender asked Mr. Barber if he has time to do it. The reply was that it will need to be done in sections. Small sections at the time. By August or September it will be completed. Mr. Barber mentioned complaints from residents that live around hole 13 concerning holes, snakes, etc.
Mr. Marchetti explained that the yearly budget was set at for $12,000.00 and current expenditures are around $3,500.00. So the District still have $9,500.00. Chairman Nichols said that we should fix the fence, and to solidify a contract to proceed. Director Mielke told Mr. Barber to be sure to use six by six posts on the 8 foot sections and four by four posts on the six foot sections to ensure the strength of the new fence. Mr. Barber will move forward with this.
Mr. Barber and the Board Members had a brief discussion about irrigation for this summer and worse case scenario if something were to happen. Ms. Ahmad and Mr. Marchetti had meetings with the Borne Engineering Company and if they start the pipe project by June, the project will be done in six weeks.
Director Allender suggested to Ms. Ahmad the importance of making sure the District is more engaged with the Eagle-Vail Property Owners Association (EVPOA) Newsletter. Director Allender said that the District is being accused by the community of not communicating properly. Ms. Ahmad said that more information will be added on the next EVPOA Newsletter. Ms. Ahmad mentioned that the District has been sending out a Newsletter to the District’ database once a month.
-Operations- Ms. Ahmad started a discussion about the huge amount of dandilions in the parks. Ms. Ahmad had a meeting with a professional in the area and learned that to kill the flowers, the chemical could be dangerous for children and pets. Ms. Ahmad asked for direction from the Board of Directors. Director Gilbert questioned Mr. Barber as to how long it would take to clean the parks up. Mr. Barber answered that it would take about 2 days. Mr. Barber started a discussion about what is the process of killing the plant. The Board of Directors agreed that that as long as there are signs up regarding the chemicals, Mr. Barber can do the process with the Maintenance Staff, making sure to track hours of labor and materials used.
Public
Input Mr. Stewart, who is an Eagle-Vail Resident, came to the meeting to complain about the huge amount of the ground squirrels present in the parks in Eagle-Vail. Mr. Stewart said that after living in Eagle-Vail for 15 years, has never seen so many before. Ms. Ahmad having just recently heard about the problem was not sure what to do about it, especially because there are kids playing in the parks and disposal of the animals could involve poisonous chemicals or materials. Ms. Ahmad handed out to the Board Members paperwork about the situation with a list of exterminators. Mr. Stewart questioned Mr. Barber how many weeks ago Mr. Barber first started the treatment on the Golf Course. Mr. Barber answered that probably 3 weeks ago. Director Finlay suggested that Mr. Stewart write a letter to the EVPOA and to the Metro District or an email explaining the situation. Ms. Ahmad said that communication will be maintained with Mr. Stewart about the situation.
Operations- (continuum)
Ms. Ahmad explained to the Board that Superior Alarm, which is the company that handles the District building alarms and fire panels, did an annual inspection and realized that the Clubhouse alarm panel is broken. Ms. Ahmad said that the amount to repair the panel was not budgeted for 2007 but the District can not have the Clubhouse open without the alarm system. The total cost to replace the panel will be $1,660.00.
Ms. Ahmad informed to the Board that this season might be the last year of operating the pool facility, because the swimming pool is in bad condition and almost collapsing. Ms. Ahmad said that having hired a Pool Professional to take a look at the swimming pool, it was found that the pool has some safety concerns. Ms. Ahmad will soon know if the contractor will be able to repair the pool for this season or not. Ms. Ahmad explained that if the contractor repairs the pool this year, it will cost about $4,000.00 to do the repairs on the concrete and tile, which has already been included in the budget. Ms. Ahmad also mentioned that there are some cracks that may take filler injections, also each injection will cost $1,500.00. Ms. Ahmad said that injections will become a void issue because the District doesn’t have the money for it.
Ms. Ahmad said that the Tennis and Swim roof are both in poor condition. Director Allender suggested not to spend too much money at the Swim Club building if it will be the last year, because the District should not do unnecessary things. Director Finlay asked if the District has sold any swim pool passes yet this season. Ms. Ahmad said no, but the staff have been hired. Ms. Ahmad started a discussion concerning the ramifications if the pool contractor does not think that the swimming pool should open this season. The Board of Directors would like to know what is the contractor’s opinion, because the Board does not want to put lives in danger. Ms. Ahmad was directed to speak with the contractor and get back to the Board with the final word and if the pool opens, Ms. Ahmad was directed to communicate to the community by the database. The Board of Directors started a discussion of a possible plan B, just in case the pool does not open.
Ms. Ahmad informed the Board that more cracks have begun to reappear at the Tennis Courts, just like last year. Ms. Ahmad explained that the estimate to do the repair is $5,780.00 and the District has budgeted about $4,500.00 to do repair and maintenance, and Ms. Ahmad would like to ask for additional funds for the work to be done. The Board of Directors agreed that repairs need to be made.
Ms. Ahmad stated that the large copier situated at the administrative office bought in 1999 and there are no longer parts and services available. Ms. Ahmad and Mr. Marchetti did research into copiers and Ms. Ahmad chose a network option, where all the computers will be connected to the big copier, saving money on ink. The cost of the new copier is under $8,000.00 and the amount is already outlined in the budget.
Financials
Mr. Marchetti started the Financials section referring to the current situation, regarding operations and the 10 mils for debt service. Mr. Marchetti also discussed the financial page, located at the Elections tab of the packets, showing the next couple of years the asset value. Mr. Marchetti explained the Summary page located on the Financials Report, which has a prospective back from 2001 looking forward to 2013 showing the Districts assessed values, the District is projecting an large increase on the values for 2008 budget.
The Board of Directors and Mr. Marchetti started a discussion about the Mil Levy, how much the District really needs, and how to relay this to the home owners. Mr. Marchetti mentioned that it will help the District to allocate the capital needed for real projects if a plan is made showing what the District is considering doing.
Payables The Board reviewed the April 27 and May 11, 2007 Accounts Payable and Payroll. By Motion duly made and seconded, it was unanimously.
RESOLVED to approve the April 27 and May 11, 2007 Accounts Payable and Payroll.
Executive
Session The Board entered into Executive Session at 10:50 a.m. pursuant to 24-6-402(4) (f) C.R.S.
to discuss personnel matters.
Public
Session The Board returned to public session at 11:33 a.m.
Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Board at this time, by Motion duly
made and seconded, it was unanimously at 11:33 a.m.
RESOLVED to adjourn the Regular Meeting of the Eagle-Vail Metropolitan District Board of Directors on Thursday, May 17, 2007.
Respectfully submitted,
Secretary for the Meeting
Statements contained herein are a summary representation of discussions that occurred during the May 17, 2007 meeting, unless otherwise stated or specified, and are not meant to include verbatim dialogues that occurred. In addition, statements made by individual Board members included herein do not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the Eagle-Vail Metropolitan District or the Board as a whole.