Board Meeting Minutes 1.29.24

Board Meeting Minutes – 1.29.24 6:00 pm – 7961 W Golf Course Dr.

Board Members in Attendance / Quorum Established: Myra Whiting (President), Darrel Hildebrand (Vice President), Donna Chavarro (Secretary), Pat Achey (Treasurer) and Diana Fisher (Member at Large)

Begin Meeting

  • Initial proof of notice of meeting posted on Sea Links website January 26, 2023. 
  • Called to order at 6:00 pm – Myra motioned it and Diana second it.

Flag – Compliance

  • 2 homeowners spoke on the flying of flags other than just the US flag. They would like to fly their country-of-origin flag. They mentioned that the previous HOA Board changed the wording and rewrote the rules as it said any flag in the 2015 meeting. 
  • Some meeting minutes (regarding the flying of flags) cannot be found online.
  • Myra (President) said that we will look into all of the past issues and history. We asked the homeowners to NOT fly their country’s flag for 30 days while we research and check with our HOA attorney. To be discussed at the next meeting.

Gate Repair

  • Gateway controls our gate maintenance.
  • There are 3 sensor pads buried in the asphalt – there are 3 loops on the outgoing side: 2 you hit to open the gate and the 3rd keeps it from closing on a vehicle.
  • 1 sensor loop was completely dead and 2 were broken.
  • The cost to repair= $1800 per loop – estimate $5500 – should be good for years 
  • Board 100% approved to allocate $6000 for the Front Gate. To test and evaluate the whole gate (gate sensors in the ground) repair and test the outgoing loops and to test the incoming loops.

Committees

  • Pat (Treasurer): Design and Control – house colours and roofs
  • Pat (Treasurer): Covenants 
  • Darrell (VP): Maintenance – Drains and contracts for lawn care and snow plowing.
  • Myra (Pres) & Diana (Member) will assist both Pat & Darrel with the committees.
  • Communication is critically important between Board and Community

Other Business 

  • Director’s Insurance: Insurance for whole Board – all members – Country Financial $1000+
  • Follow up on drain issues with storm waters (sandbags, grates, trenches, sump pumps
  • Flag issue – discuss US Flag vs. Country of Origin, etc. 
  • Plowing – get 3 bids (like Ruben’s Landscaping & a couple of others)
  • Lawn Care – get at least 3 bids (like Augusta, Borderview, Birch Bay Lawn, North Country) also to clean up trees and weeds.
  • Residents interested in Committees – will provide a sign-up sheet at the next meeting.
  • Projects: possibly form subcommittees for projects like – updating the Bylaws, snow plowing, storm drains project, etc.
  • Try to find the missing meeting minutes (from previous years) to post online.

Adjournment of Meeting

  • Meeting adjourned at 8:10 pm. Pat motioned it and Myra second it.

New Ruling Regarding Flying of Flags – National Origin ONLY vs. US Flag ONLY

There is a new ruling regarding flying of flags in Sea Links – effective immediately. It will be written – Flags: allowable flags include Flags of National Origin ONLY. The HOA Board of Directors unanimously voted last night (March 4th, 2024) to update the rule to include Flags of National Origin (a national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a country) versus flying the US Flag only. This is a change to the Rules and Regulations that the Board of Directors has authority to update without Homeowners approval. More information to follow in the upcoming Newsletter. 

HOA Meeting 3.4.24

HOA Meeting 3.4.24

The HOA Board will hold their next meeting of 2024 on Monday, March 4th, 2024, at 5:30 pm at the home of Myra Whiting (President) at 7961 W Golf Course Dr.

Sea Links HOA 1st Quarterly Meeting Minutes 1.13.24

Sea Links HOA 1st Quarterly Meeting Minutes 1.13.24

Start – 8:00 am 1.13.24

Board Members in Attendance / Quorum Established: Myra Whiting (President), Darrel Hildebrand (Vice President), Donna Chavarro (Secretary), Pat Achey (Treasurer) DIana Fisher (Member at Large)

Proof of Notice of Meeting

  • Initial notice of meeting posted on Sea Links website January 6, 2023. 

Board Expectations and Responsibilities:

  1. Look over and read the Board of Directors Operating Principles (revised Oct 2016) for next meeting.
  2. Be kind. Respectful. Timely. (try to reply to emails within 72 hours)
  3. Will discuss at next meeting the management duties by month (from 1999)

Committee Assignment: 

(should send out an email to see if any of the residents would like to serve on one of the three committees)

  1. Design / Control: (new roofs, lawnscaping, new paint colors)
    1. Pat – lead, Darrel, Diana
  2. Maintenance: (gates, lawns, empty lots, contracts)
    1. Darrel – lead, Pat, Diana
  3. Covenants: (appearance of lawns, weeds, need to drive around the neighborhood, any infractions – go as 2 Board Members together)
    1. Pat – lead, Diana, Darrel 

Treasurer Report (Pat) : 

  1. CD was renewed at 5 ¼ % for 14 months.
  2. Money is coming in as dues are being paid. Notices were sent out in January.
  3. Board approved to pay Pat the mileage from St Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham to Sea Links – when he drove here to open the gates due to inclement weather and ice. Paid him from the petty fund a total of $25.46 ( $0.67 / mile) leaving $164.77 in petty cash.

Secretary Report (Donna)

  1. Went over the emails received to the SeaLinksBoard@gmail and what to do with them and how to respond to them. Forward to the group those that need to be voted on or discussed at the next meeting.
  2. I will have the contact list. Asked where to find an official contact list for Sea Links – will it need to be updated?

Bank Signing:

  1. Myra and Donna will need to go to Banner Bank in Blaine to sign as the new Board President and Secretary (they emailed their paperwork to Nancy Stall)

Mailbox and Storage Change 

  1. Pat will need to update the names at the storage/mailbox to Myra’s and Donna’s names (and remove Karla’s and Tamara’s namesMyra will check and pick up the mail when she heads home.

Flag Update

  1. We will continue with the rule that we only fly the US flag in Sea Links. If we open it to other countries – it will be too hard to control or police and that is not our job. 
  2. Myra checked with Birch Bay Village on their stand on flying flags. Same. US Flag only in the Village.
  3. Myra is going to investigate further with Semiahmoo and the new development on H Street in Blaine to see what their positions (policies) are as well.
  4. Regarding the flag rule – the attorney sent out the latest legal opinion letter in November.
  5. Also discussed fines – past and present with homeowners.

AUD Rental Update:

  1. It is out of our hands. It is in our attorney’s hands and they are handling it.

Front Gate Flagpole Light

  1. There is a camera on the flag pole – would like to look into putting a new camera with an app for surveillance and security. What would the costs be? 
  2. Need to get an electrician out to disconnect the light on the flagpole.
  3. Keys to the front and lower gates will be with Darrel and Pat.

Mowing Contract:

  1. We use Birch Bay Lawns right now – but the contract is up in March. We need to see what our contract covers right now: $485 / mo. for 12 mos. Coming bi-weekly?
  2. We may need to add to the contract – the trees at the front gate – they have a lot of brown on them – they need to be trimmed and the brown cut out.
  3. We may need an arborist to come out to check if they have a fungus – and if they all need to be removed.

Design Request – Drainage

  1. Discussed Joel’s drainage request. Donna will email him.
  2. Darrel will look into the drain cleaning and flushing. $$ We need to pump/clean out our drains in the neighborhood.
  3. Need to see where water goes on West GC as there is only 1 drain there.

Quarterly Newsletter:

  1. We can add it to the website
  2. It can let residents know what was addressed at the meetings
  3. It can also be a great reminder for residents

Miscellaneous:

  1. Snow plowing:
    1.  need to get some quotes from companies that can come to service Sea Links. They need to be reminded that we have speed bumps also.
    2. Myra had the names of a couple of plow companies that we can check with for quotes
    3. Need to also decide where they can dump the snow…if they do not have a place.
  2. We do have some office supplies: stamps, envelopes, etc.
  3. Who will have the gate remotes –  they are $50 each. Once a resident returns them – they get their $50 refunded. Need to check with the Accountant. Does the Maintenance Committee take care of them?
  4. Reminders – friendly reminders go out this Spring.

Next Meeting:

  1. Can we stop entrance gate codes? ALL CABLE van put marks on ground and there was digging at 7929 address 
  2. Pat – investigate with Whatcom. He will check on the golf course property – if Whatcom takes off the taxes (it is taxable right now) – basically does not charge us for the property taxes – we could buy and take over that portion of the land. Cannot build on that land as it is an animal sanctuary – mostly wetlands. We could have a community garden? Common area? 
  3. Changes to bi-laws and Covenants.
  4. Next meeting will be at Myra’s house on Monday March 4th at 5:30 pm.

Close Meeting – Motion to adjourn made by Myra Whiting, 2nd by Pat Achey at 10:30 am

  

 

Sea Links Annual General Meeting 12/16/2023

Annual General Meeting for the Sea Links Community 12.16.2023

Call to Order/Roll Call

The Annual General meeting for the Sea Links Community Association was called to order at 9:15am. The meeting was held at North Bay Christ the King Community Church, 4895 Birch Bay Lynden Rd, Blaine, WA 98230. 

Board Members Present: Karla Savage (President), Tamara Addis (Secretary), Pat Achey (Treasurer), and Shannon Dunn (Member at Large). 

Quorum established: 29 in person, 11 proxies = 40 total 

Proof of Notice of Meeting

Initial proof of notice posted on website November 27, 2023. Packets were mailed out November 22, 2023. 

Agenda Approval

Karla Savage (President) makes motion to approve agenda. Motion seconded by Shirley Sell and Pat Achey.

Approve: 28

 

Review and approval for 2022 Annual General Meeting Minutes

Motion made by Tamara Addis (Secretary) to approve 2022 AGM Meeting minutes; motion was seconded unanimously. 

 

Presidents Welcome

Karla Savage (President) welcomes all homeowners to the 2023 Annual General Meeting. Thanks them for attending and stresses that the community is in need for volunteers to step up and volunteer for the board. Also gives a slight overview of what it would mean if the association should need to hire a management company. 

 

Board of Director Reports

 

Presidents Report

Overview of tasks accomplished in 2023, speed bump painting, front gate side fencing replaced, Reserve Study Completed in February 2023. Continued communications and conversations with RHINO Development, golf course owners regarding use and Mt. Baker Blues Festival that was a success and didn’t negatively impact our community. The importance of volunteering to support our community by serving on the board. And the potential cost of hiring a property management company and what that would mean to homeowner’s dues. 

 

Treasurers Report

Review of all financial reports for 2022-2023 for both main account and reserve accounts.  Reviewed the projected 2023-2024 Annual Operating budget. Discussed the big boost received from putting our money into larger interest-bearing CD, we earned 4% in 2023. We have the option to roll the money over for another 14 months and ear 5 1/3% interest for 2024-2025 and discussed the penalty should it need to be taken out early. 

 

Budget Ratification

Pat Achey (Treasurer) made motion to approve the budget, it was approved unanimously. A motion was also made to waive the audit and that was also waived unanimously.

 

Committee Reports 

Grounds & Maintenance- well maintained by Birch Bay Lawn Care, speed bump painting was completed and are more visible. 

Design Control – had dozens of improvement request from new roofs & fencing to yard and property beautifications. Some tree removal and community care of the drains. 

 

Election of Directors

We had one homeowner volunteer for a board position prior to the meeting, LaVonne Kranz. However, this homeowner was not in attendance at the meeting. We had 4 homeowners volunteer for the board. We took individual votes, and they were all voted in unanimously. 

 

They will fill the following positions:

Myra Whiting – Position 2 (two-year term)

Donna Chavarro – Position 4 (two-year term)

Diana Fisher – Position 3 (1 year term)

Darrel Hildebrand – Position 5 (1 year term)

Pat Achey will remain in Position 1 and complete his term in December 2024. 

 

New Business/Open Forum

Get an electrician out to remove the power from the light pole at the main gate. Concerns of storm drains throughout community, conversations about the size of the drainpipes, if they are large enough and potential solutions to be explored with new board. 

 

The topic of flags was discussed because there have been a handful of homeowners flying flags other than the US Flag. The verbiage of the Flag Rule under Rules & Regulations was changed by the board for clarification which was their right to do pursuant to RCW 64.38.025(1) it provides in part that except as providing in governing documents, the board of directors shall act in all instances on behalf of the association.  The Amended and Restated Bylaws, at Section 4.4(a), specifies that the Association may, through its Board of Director: “(a) Adopt and Amend the Rules and Regulations (which is where the flag rule is posted) and, subject to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, adopt and amend Bylaws for the Association. 

Thus, per RCW 64.38.025(1) and Section 4.4(a) of the Amended and Restated Bylaws, the Board has the unilateral authority to act on behalf of the Association in adopting and changing Rules and Regulation. Nothing in the governing documents or the statute provide otherwise. 

This was all clarified by the Sea Links Association Attorney, Greg Thulin. 

 

This information was read at the meeting for clarification to homeowners who disputed the rule and were fined for flying something other than the American flag. 

 

The empty lots on East Golf Course Drive are up for auction. 

 

Adjournment

With no further business to discuss a motion to adjourn, seconded and carried to adjourn the meeting at 10:35am.  

 

Letter from the HOA President

1st Quarter 2024
I’m pleased to announce a full volunteer Board of Directors:
President- Myra Whiting
Vice President- Darrel Hildebrand
Treasurer- Pat Achey
Secretary- Donna Chavarro
Member at Large-Diana Fisher

Committee Chairperson’s have been assigned, but as you all know it takes a community to assist with all the work to ensure Sea Links continues as a pleasant place to live. We are looking for anyone who has skills or knowledge in building, architecture, website, or community involvement.

If anyone is interested, please email us at Sealinksboard@gmail.com.
Design Committee- Pat Achey
Maintenance Committee- Darrel Hilderbrand
Covenants- Pat Achey

The Board of Directors is responsible for upholding the CC&R’s along with contractors, volunteers and homeowners. Everyone can help by keeping yards neat and clear of debris and junk. Sweep the street in front of your homes. Pick up dog poop and the disposal bags, I’ve noticed bags being left on Sea Links Drive. Our commitment to our community is to address all homeowners’ concerns with a resolution that serves our community best, following the CC&R’s.

Quarterly I plan on providing an update on the Board of Director progress. I’ve listed a few things we are working on:
⦁ Mowing contract expires March 2024
⦁ Snowplow bids
⦁ Storm water drain and cleaning bids
⦁ Flagpole light removal
⦁ Front gate security camera bids


Future Project is to review and possibly update CC&R’s.
We are excited about serving our community and look forward to any suggestions you may have on how we can continue to make our neighborhood a great place to live.

1.18.24 Help needed with Storm Drains

With all the snow we have a possibility of flooding. If you have a storm drain near your home, could you please clear the drain of snow, ice and debris. Hopefully this will give the melted snow a place to go.
 
Thanks and Stay Safe.
Myra Whiting,
President Sea Links Association

 

Fall Cleaning Tips

Autumn fall clip art dr odd

Everyone’s heard of Spring Cleaning—but what about those little (and not-so-little) things that we can do to keep our properties in tip-top shape for the autumn. With Labor Day now firmly in the rearview mirror, the time for that fall sprucing up is now! 

  • Clean your gutters. In the Pacific Northwest the gutters are really put through their paces during the fall months, when all manner of leaves and debris can get into them. You might as well get into the routine of regularly cleaning them now—and make sure they are in prime condition before the autumn begins in earnest.
  • Don’t forget to clean up after your trees, leafs and needles can quickly clog the gutters on your home along with the street drains and cause flooding. 
  • Take now as an opportunity to check the batteries in all of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, replacing them as needed.
  • If you are going to be using your fireplace during the winter months, it is highly recommended to have it professionally inspected and cleaned at the start of each fall, to avoid the risk of fire or other fiasco.
  • Inspect the exterior of your home—especially around doors and window frames—and use caulk to plug any holes or cracks that have developed. This will boost the energy efficiency of your home.
  • When the time finally comes to store your lawn equipment for the winter, drain the gas, to prevent engine damage.
  • Turn off any and all exterior wall faucets, which will help prevent them from freezing.
  • Finally, fall is a great time to do any touch-up painting that you need to do on the outside of your home!

Birch Bay Derby Day, August 26th

This upcoming weekend, 8/26 is Birch Bay Derby Day, 9:00am – 5:00pm which will have loads of fun activities! During this event there will be a parade down on Birch Bay Drive that could briefly impact the use of our lower gate. Please be mindful and use main gate on Sealinks Drive to avoid any delays. 

10 AM: Birch Bay Parade

    • Parde route will start at Birch Bay Drive & Alderson Road and head North on Birch Bay Drive to Harborview Dr.

Volunteers needed August 5, 2023

As many of you may be aware a tribute to the Mt. Baker Blues Festival will be held on August 5th starting at 11am in the “Festival Area” behind CJ’s Beachhouse/Beach Bar/Beach Cat Brewing/WorldMark. We are asking for volunteers to assist at the lower gate/bridge area to make sure we don’t have any overflow or unwanted visitors in our community. Please send an email to the board if you are interested in volunteering some time. Sealinksboard@gmail.com. Pat Achey the HOA Treasurer will be heading up the volunteers. 

 

Update on Front Gate

4/5/2023

Gateway Controls was able to come out yesterday afternoon to assess the issues we are having with the front gate remaining open for long periods of time and they were able to determine that the ground loop car sensor is going out. They need to order a replacement part and are looking at working us into their schedule in the next few weeks.  We will keep you updated on a repair date once that has been established. 

Front Gate

4/4/2023 We are experiencing some issues with the main front access gate. We have reached out to Gateway Controls to have the issues resolved and are currently waiting to hear back as to when they are available. 

Spring is coming!

Spring is finally here! 

With the weather finally warming up we would like to share a few friendly reminders.

Maintenance of Lots:

All developed lots must be mowed two times (2X) monthly between the months of March through June and at least monthly between the months of July through October. A neat condition means:
1.1 Brush, grass clippings and debris are removed from Sea Links.
1.2 No grass clippings are left in the street.
1.3 No plants or lawns extend beyond the road curb line.

Fires:

Outdoor fires, including fire pits, for burning of wood, trash or debris are not permitted, but outdoor barbecues are permitted in appropriate devices. There will be no initial warning, and the local Fire Department will be called to take appropriate action.

Animals:

Cats, dogs, or birds may be kept on lots, but no livestock, poultry or other animals shall be raised, bred, or kept on any lot. Dogs shall be on a leash outside the limits of the dog owner’s lot. Dogs may not be allowed to roam loose, run on other lot owner’s property or on the golf course property. It is unlawful to keep a dog that frequently, or habitually howls, barks, or otherwise produces loud noises that unreasonably annoy or disturb other residents. Property owners should contact Whatcom County Humane Society to report owners who have dogs that violate this law.

Storage:

Inoperable or non-licensed vehicles; appliances, rubbish, refuse or garbage, and recreational vehicles, including boats, travel trailers, tent trailers, motor homes and utility trailers shall NOT be kept, maintained or stored on any lots unless the same are enclosed in a garage, carport or other screened area, and in the case of rubbish, refuse or garbage, in appropriate sanitary containers. In addition, other than during construction, in compliance with the Covenants, unused building materials of any nature, tools and equipment shall not be kept, maintained, or stored on any lot, unless the same are enclosed in a garage, carport or other screened area.

Parking:

Curbside parking is intended to be used solely for visitors. Automobiles shall not remain parked curbside for more than 24- consecutive hours and shall not be moved from curbside location to curbside location to try to avoid the 24-hour limit. No residents should be parking on the curbside on a regular basis. Boats, trailers, recreational vehicles of any type and inoperable vehicles are not to be parked on the street at any time. No lot owner or occupant shall work on or service any boat, trailer or recreational vehicle in driveways or curbsides.

Temporary Parking:

Recreational vehicles, boats and trailers may be kept in driveways for up to 72 hours for the sole purpose of loading, unloading, cleaning, and washing. NO HABITATION IN THE RECREATIONAL VEHICLE, BOATS OR TRAILERS IS ALLOWED. Construction dumpsters and temporary storage pods may be kept in the driveway for up to 72 hours. Longer stays for any of the above must be approved prior to parking by submitting a Temporary Parking Extension Request Form to a member of the Board of Directors.

Sea Links Annual General Meeting 12/16/2023

 Annual General Meeting for the Sea Links Community – December 16, 2023 

Where: North Bay Christ the King 
4895 Birch Bay-Lynden Rd, Blaine, WA 98230

Call to Order/Roll Call

The Annual General meeting for the Sea Links Community Association was called to order at 9:15am. The meeting was held at North Bay Christ the King Community Church, 4895 Birch Bay Lynden Rd, Blaine, WA 98230. 

Board Members Present: Karla Savage (President), Tamara Addis (Secretary), Pat Achey (Treasurer), and Shannon Dunn (Member at Large). 

Quorum established: 29 in person, 11 proxies = 40 total 

Proof of Notice of Meeting

Initial proof of notice posted on website November 27, 2023. Packets were mailed out November 22, 2023. 

Agenda Approval

Karla Savage (President) makes motion to approve agenda. Motion seconded by Shirley Sell and Pat Achey.

Approve: 28

 

Review and approval for 2022 Annual General Meeting Minutes

Motion made by Tamara Addis (Secretary) to approve 2022 AGM Meeting minutes; motion was seconded unanimously. 

 

Presidents Welcome

Karla Savage (President) welcomes all homeowners to the 2023 Annual General Meeting. Thanks them for attending and stresses that the community is in need for volunteers to step up and volunteer for the board. Also gives a slight overview of what it would mean if the association should need to hire a management company. 

 

Board of Director Reports

Presidents Report

Overview of tasks accomplished in 2023, speed bump painting, front gate side fencing replaced, Reserve Study Completed in February 2023. Continued communications and conversations with RHINO Development, golf course owners regarding use and Mt. Baker Blues Festival that was a success and didn’t negatively impact our community. The importance of volunteering to support our community by serving on the board. And the potential cost of hiring a property management company and what that would mean to homeowner’s dues. 

 

Treasurers Report

Review of all financial reports for 2022-2023 for both main account and reserve accounts.  Reviewed the projected 2023-2024 Annual Operating budget. Discussed the big boost received from putting our money into larger interest-bearing CD, we earned 4% in 2023. We have the option to roll the money over for another 14 months and ear 5 1/3% interest for 2024-2025 and discussed the penalty should it need to be taken out early. 

 

Budget Ratification

Pat Achey (Treasurer) made motion to approve the budget, it was approved unanimously. A motion was also made to wave the audit and that was also waved unanimously.

 

Committee Reports 

Grounds & Maintenance- well maintained by Birch Bay Lawn Care, speed bump painting was completed and are more visible. 

Design Control – had dozens of improvement request from new roofs & fencing to yard and property beautifications. Some tree removal and community care of the drains. 

 

Election of Directors

We had one homeowner volunteer for a board position prior to the meeting, LaVonne Kranz. However, this homeowner was not in attendance at the meeting. We had 4 homeowners volunteer for the board. We took individual votes, and they were all voted in unanimously. 

They will fill the following positions:

Myra Whiting – Position 2 (two-year term)

Donna Chavarro – Position 4 (two-year term)

Diana Fisher – Position 3 (1 year term)

Darrel Hildebrand – Position 5 (1 year term)

Pat Achey will remain in Position 1 and complete his term in December 2024. 

 

New Business/Open Forum

Get an electrician out to remove the power from the light pole at the main gate. Concerns of storm drains throughout community, conversations about the size of the drainpipes, if they are large enough and potential solutions to be explored with new board. 

 

The topic of flags was discussed because there have been a handful of homeowners flying flags other than the US Flag. The verbiage of the Flag Rule under Rules & Regulations was changed by the board for clarification which was their right to do pursuant to RCW 64.38.025(1) it provides in part that except as providing in governing documents, the board of directors shall act in all instances on behalf of the association.  The Amended and Restated Bylaws, at Section 4.4(a), specifies that the Association may, through its Board of Director: “(a) Adopt and Amend the Rules and Regulations (which is where the flag rule is posted) and, subject to the provisions of Section 10 hereof, adopt and amend Bylaws for the Association. 

Thus, per RCW 64.38.025(1) and Section 4.4(a) of the Amended and Restated Bylaws, the Board has the unilateral authority to act on behalf of the Association in adopting and changing Rules and Regulation. Nothing in the governing documents or the statute provide otherwise. 

This was all clarified by the Sea Links Association Attorney, Greg Thulin. 

 

This information was read at the meeting for clarification to homeowners who disputed the rule and were fined for flying something other than the American flag. 

 

The empty lots on East Golf Course Drive are up for auction. 

 

Adjournment

With no further business to discuss a motion to adjourn, seconded and carried to adjourn the meeting at 10:35am.