The meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM by Jeff Gough. Board members present: Jeff Gough, BJ Oneal, Cindy Esselman, Jason Barth, Dave Fosmire, Mary Ruhlman, Bruce Vincent, Steve Johnston & Maggie Taber.
PRESIDENT, Jeff Gough –
Bylaw amendments – A motion was made to adopt the proposed bylaw amendments, as posted online, to accommodate the solar panel policy. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Likewise, a motion was made to adopt the proposed Solar Panel Policy, as posted online. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Based on feedback from the community, the threshold for reaching a quorum, originally proposed at 34%, has now been modified to a proposed threshold of 40%. The current bylaws are set at 50%, which has made it quite difficult to conduct business at the Annual Meetings. Note: the quorum is the amount of members needed in attendance to conduct business, not to be confused with the number of people needed to, for example, pass a vote for amending the covenants. It was also decided that there could be additional language clarifying what constitutes an electronic notice and how it only is effective for an “opted-in” member to electronic communications. A slightly revised proposal to the amendments will be available here for community review: https://innisarden.org/bylaws-and-policies/. Please send questions or comments to president@innisarden.org or show up on May 11th to discuss.
Storm Creek – The city of Shoreline sent us revisions to the draft agreement for the Storm Creek remediation project. We intend on responding soon though there is a lot of material to digest. We are maybe 75% of the way there as we are still trying to gain assurances on the work they perform and gain better liability protections.
I would also like to offer my condolences to the Weinberg family and friends. Marc Weinberg sadly passed away this past month. His home is arguably the most impacted by the erosion at Storm Creek and Marc has made countless hours of contributions and documentation toward reaching a solution. Marc rightly kept pressure on the Board and City to push forward and I always appreciated his sharp mind and kind but determined demeanor. He was a sincere pleasure to work alongside, despite a frustratingly slow process. I know he will be greatly missed in this neighborhood!
Hjelle – A permitting agent from the City sent a lengthy letter with corrections to Hjelle’s permit application. The letter went very deep into regulations and details beyond what we’re used to seeing. We expect Hjelle to begin the process of addressing these unmet requirements so the permit application can continue being processed.
Swim Club – Meetings continue with the Innis Arden Swim Club as we explore consolidating the two organizations and drafting a proper Committee Charter from which to operate. There will likely be an open meeting on this topic to encourage community feedback and involvement in the near future.
A neighbor near the Swim Club has expressed frustrations with the expanded Swim Club operations and associated noise. The Swim Club and myself will be reaching out to this neighbor to try and engage in direct discussions to better understand the concerns and see how they might be addressed.
This past month, we renewed the Club’s insurance policies.
VICE PRESIDENT/COMPLIANCE, BJ Oneal –
Compliance update:
• BJ and Jeff visited the home of property owner at 824 Innis Arden Dr. with the listing agent of property 933 NW Richmond Beach Rd. to discuss compliance vegetation concerns on 03/23/21. There were several other phone and email conversations between involved parties related to this property. Ballard Trees completed vegetation trimming on 03/30/21. There continues to be a vegetation compliance hearing scheduled for this property on Tuesday 05/04/21 at 6:00PM via Zoom. All involved parties are aware of this hearing.
• BJ and Jeff visited several neighbors’ homes on 185th (as well as the properties located at 18440 and 18454 16th Ave NW) on 03/16/21 and 03/17/21 regarding vegetation view blocking concerns related to the 16th Ave NW properties. Neighbor discussions were productive and we understand that both 18440 and 18545 will be working with their uphill neighbors to remedy the view blockage issues.
• The homeowners of 1032 NW 175th are working with their neighbors to address vegetation view blocking concerns and we have received emails from various neighbors are this matter. BJ and Jeff will be following up with all involved neighbors in the near future regarding the status of the matter.
BUILDING AND REMODEL, Cindy Esselman –
Codsi
17747 15th Ave NW
Solar panels
74 panels to be installed on the east facing and southwestern portions of the existing metal roof. As required the panels will be installed to conform to the slope of the roof and will not extend above the roof ridge. To aid in assessing the impact of the possible impact to neighbors a few solar panels were placed on the roof for neighbors to review. All surrounding neighbors have signed off in approval.
The following motion was made, seconded and approved unanimously.
Approve the proposed Solar panels for the Codsi residence at 17747 15th NW.
The Board has received the updated Puezt-Heng plans for 17259 13th Ave NW that were approved in February 2021 with the condition that the house would be lowered by 18”. The Board will review in the next week to confirm that the revision was made.
The Esselman property at 18211 Ridgefield Road will be removing old and failing exterior concrete patios, walkways and brick planters and will be replacing with new concrete, pavers and brick in the coming months. Board members visited the site and concluded that Board approval was not required.
May 2021 B&R Agenda
Hardy Residence
18261 Springdale Court NW
Remodel/Addition
Niblack
1302 NW 175th
Deck/hot tub addition
Petersen
1453 NW 186th
Porch enclosure
Voce
16704 16th Ave NW
Shed
Vu
18014 15th Ave NW
Remodel/Addition
TREASURER, Jason Barth –
No report this month.
SECRETARY, Dave Fosmire –
No report this month.
CLUBHOUSE, Mary Ruhlman –
We are looking to begin renting the Clubhouse to Innis Arden HOA members only sometime in the near future for events to be held following current guidelines of 50% capacity and masked.
Our cleaner is staying on with us for the time being. We will clean before the first rental, have mask and social distance signs in place, ask that doors be kept open during the event, etc, and work with our attorney to have an appropriate Covid clause added to the rental agreement.
There were no rentals in March and no scheduled rentals for April.
If you have questions about renting the clubhouse, please contact Cheryl Malone at 206-542-5558 or reservations@innisarden.org
GROUNDS, Bruce Vincent –
Grounds:
*Weekly maintenance and seasonal pruning continued during March.
*Field grass was patched with new topsoil and grass seed as needed.
*Grass cutting has started for the season. Irrigation may start sooner than expected due to the unusual warm weather.
Main Entrance:
*Weekly maintenance and seasonal pruning continuing during March.
*New fine dark bark was added in key areas and season flowers were planted on the NE face of the center island.
*Near the south side of the entrance, adjacent to the 6 ft cedar fencing, AS Landscaping continues to find trash, including many cigarette butts each week. Pruning up the trees and plantings in the area has improved the visibility of the area from the street. I will install a remote game camera for a week or more to help determine the source.
*We have agreed with the owners of the new cedar fence to stain the IA side this summer after their painting contractor has completed their side. AS Landscaping will perform the work for IA. Stain color is a dark brown.
Right-of-Way Trees:
*18008 13th Ave NW, Joseph’s: Planting of the replacement trees is still pending planting location confirmation with the City.
Other Grounds Items:
*Retaining Wall Replacement: A geotechnical engineering with Aspect Consulting visited the site this month. They are preparing a proposal for the geotechnical study required for design and construction. Options will be presented to the board for review and comment.
*Parking Lot Railing: No update.
City of Shoreline IA Reserves Park & 15th Ave NW Park Entrance Problems:
*On March 25th, over 14 neighbors met with Shoreline Police Department (King County Sherriff’s Office) Community Outreach Officer, Detective Paula Kieland. The Covid distanced meeting, held in the middle of the street just outside the park entrance, was arranged by neighbor Andrew Sledziewski. Andrew and his neighbors described firsthand of seeing speeding, street racing, drug and alcohol use in the street & park, noise at all hours of the night, fires in the park, fireworks at all hours of the night, continued park use (partying) after closure hours, thefts, and even activities that could be described as car-to car drug sales and prostitution occurring in front yards. Many neighbors told of how they had to keep their windows closed all night due to the noise in the park or street, of near misses with fast speeding vehicles, and of the daily garbage found in the street in front of their homes. The discussion of activities took up about half of the meeting, with the remainder of the time spent with Detective Kieland discussing enforcement options and other measures such as park gates, street lighting, etc.. that may help reduce the unwanted activities.
*Post meeting, Detective Kieland is following up with the City of Shoreline Parks Department & Public Works Department to look at specific improvements such as cleaning up the park entrance and adding an entry gate that can be kept locked after park hours. She is also pursuing the City installation of a streetlight at the park entrance. Other improvements, including speed bumps, maybe coming to help with the goals. Detective Kieland requested and received some limited overtime authorization for Shoreline Police Department officers to provide additional time to target some of the Park entrance problems on at 4:20pm on April 20th (“420 Smokeout”, a cannabis celebration). We also learned that prior to, and currently, the Officer that secures Richmond Beach Park every evening also drives over to the IA Reserve Park entrance, knocks on parked car windows, and even walks down to the park bluff to clear the park. This occurs while most of us are asleep and may go unnoticed, but our police officers have been out there.
*Andrew Sledziewski is heading up the coordination of these efforts with Detective Paula Kieland and will be keeping the IA Board updated through direct communication with Bruce Vincent.
*At the Boards request, Bruce will work with the Shoreline Police Department to develop a proposal for a trial hiring of off-duty KCSO/Shoreline Patrol Officers to provide the entire IA Community with additional police coverage. This will involve the Police Department’s review of actual data of all criminal activities in IA reported, or responded to, by the Police. The intent will be to reduce the level of criminal activities occurring within IA. This will also consider some emphasis on after hours enforcement in our forested Reserves, such as the Boeing Creek Reserve, and other Reserves with beach access.
*Key items you should know that help your Police Dept.:
1. If you don’t report it, the Police will not know about it. If you see something that does not look right, call 911 and tell them it’s “not an emergency”. You’ll be connected to the non-emergency que. Be patient and leave details. Law enforcement is data driven. If you don’t report it, there is no data to support the level of, or type of, criminal activity occurring in specific areas.
2. Collecting Detailed Information: A photo, or video, can yield valuable information such as time, location, license number, description, etc… that maybe a piece of the information puzzle a detective needs to solve a case, or series of cases. Video doorbells, or other IR video surveillance pointed at, or down, the street in front of your property can be very helpful. The still shots from the videos, with specific details, are easily emailed to the Police when you file a police report. Be sure to store the full video files until the case is resolved or closed.
NATURAL RESERVES, Steve Johnston –
Trails
Gravel was added to the trails where needed. There is now a handrail at the Boeing Creek Reserve steps and also at the pedestrian tunnel opening to the beach.
Invasives and Plants
The invasive plant crew has been removing Blackberry cane and other invasives and has pulled out old tires and other garbage at the east end of Storm Creek.
Signs
News signs reminding folks that the reserves are a Wildlife Area were placed at Reserve entrances. The signs emphasize that dogs must be leashed and also that bags of dog waste should not be left on the trail (even “temporarily” as they tend to be forgotten). Thanks everyone for cooperating in making the Reserves enjoyable for everyone!
Tree Removal
A tree leaning across the trail was removed from Blue Heron.
ACTIVITIES, Maggie Taber –
Save the Dates:
Salmon BBQ – Wednesday, July 21st (TBD depending on Covid status)
The Egg Scramble – Version 2021 was held Saturday, April 3rd. Around 55 kids attended and enjoyed the 5 stations that were set up and meeting The Bunny! Games included: a jelly bean bunny toss, toss the ring onto the bunny’s ears, picture search, bunny’s lost carrots and a puzzle game. Big thanks to Mike Konopinski and Randi Fattizzi (aka The Bunny!) for leading the charge, along with fabulous volunteers Ann Garnsey-Harter, Brian Branagan & Rissa Sanchez, Judy Runions, Frayne McAtee and Kim Helland. Look for photos in an upcoming IA Living Magazine.
If you have any fun ideas for Activities, let us know! Our next meeting will be Monday, May 4th at 7pm. Please come join us!
Meeting was adjourned approximately 9:40PM.
If you are new or have changed your phone number and/or email address, please email updates to communications@innisarden.org and be sure to include your address!