The meeting of the Topkie Home Owners' Association took place at the home of Gary Dorer.
Those in attendance were:
Horacio Shakespear
Carol Welsh
Gary Dorer
Bob and Donna Berry
LoRee Parker
Phillip and Grace McKee
Carole and John Sheffield
The meeting was called to order at 3:15 p.m.
The agenda was approved and accepted. The minutes from the last meeting (February 9, 2005) were read with one correction, M&L Bank should be M&I Bank.
The treasurer's report stated that we have $5,784.12 in our account as of December 31, 2005. Treasurer LoRee Parker requested that all homeowners have their dues checks written out by the day following the meeting in order to make deposits easier in that they could be made on one day.
Under old business, it was decided to maintain the $50 dues fees from the year preceding, the motion made by LoRee Parker and seconded by Phillip McKee.
The subject of creating a Loma Topkie archives again surfaced; in the past, Gary Dorer had agreed to interview Betty Martin for her remembrances of the development's history. However, this had not yet happened. A date of March 1, 2006, was set as a deadline for Gary to arrange an interview in hopes of having the archives completed by next meeting.
Beautification of the entrance to Loma Topkie is still an on-going subject. While much has been done to improve the entrance (Donna worked with the city to get gravel distributed in the area in question) we are, overall, still unsatisfied with the area's appearance. Suggestions covered additional trimming of the juniper tree that obstructs the view of the Loma Topkie sign, and placing benches (two) to discourage traffic in the area. Donna said she would contact the city to ascertain the feasibility of such a plan, keeping in mind liability issues, etc. John Sheffield offered to make said benches at a total cost of $140. He also offered to measure the distance from Dry Creek to where we thought the benches should be placed, which Donna would also clear with the city.
An area of Topkie Drive is still in bad repair although the city filled the pothole last year (at Donna's request). Donna agreed to check with the city again to find out if we should repair the pothole at our expense or expect the city to do a better job in the future. We will also attempt to find out how much it would cost to have aforesaid pothole repaired at our cost.
Carol Welsh noticed (and others concurred) that speeders seem to have been slowed on Dry Creek Road at the entrance to Topkie Drive. It was agreed that an increased police presence combined with a volunteer group has helped in this regard. The group was also updated on the progress of the State grant that would place interactive speed signs on Dry Creek Road; the city is still trying to find out where funding is at present.
We also agreed to stay with Northern Arizona Waste Systems as our primary trash hauler even though they no longer conduct recycling services. It was decided that our group would do its own recycling with Carol Welsh, Bob Berry, and Carole Sheffield volunteering to transport others' recyclables to Sedona's recycling center should they need help.
In light of recent break-ins in the city, a question was raised regarding either a security gate across the entrance to Topkie Drive or having a surveillance camera installed in the same area. After much discussion, it was decided that such measures would not be advantageous to our neighborhood.
Carol asked that all homeowners pay $10 to John Sheffield for building the community bench that now graces one of our islands.
Elections: Gary Dorer made a motion to retain all officers as are currently in place; Phillip seconded that motion and all voted in favor. The slate is as follows:
Carole Sheffield made a motion to adjourn the meeting seconded by LoRee Parker. The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
After the meeting a wonderful dinner was served by our host.