747 EAST BETHANY HOME ROAD ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER – January 1978

1. A regular Homeowner’s Association Meeting was held at 7:30 pm on Monday January 9, 1978 at the home of Walt and Terri Headley.

2. Change of Meeting Time: To accommodate the schedules of current Board Members, the monthly meetings will be held on the FIRST TUESDAY of each month. The next meeting will be Tuesday February 7, 1978 at 7:30 p.m.

3. Considerable concern exists that we are not getting our money’ s worth from the grounds crew. The Board will look into this matter with an eye towards awarding separate contracts for 1) the pool, 2) lawn and ground, and 3) garbage pick-up.

4. The Treasurer’s report shows the Association closing the 1977 year with approximately $200.00 as an unencumbered surplus. Uncollected accounts have dropped to a very low level and have been brought under control by exercising the Association’s right to file liens and to assess late charges and interest charges on delinquent account. These procedures have been used in a number of cases this year.

5. The question of installing fireplaces in units of our complex has been raised by three residents. During the December meeting a request to install a fireplace, made by Mr. Michael Pietzsch (5814), was made. Appropriate plans were submitted to the Board. The Board approved this request on the basis that 1) the work is being done by a licensed contractor, 2) it is an entirely masonry structure, 3) and that the exterior of the chimney conform with the existing stucco and paint finish of the unit.

The question of installing so called ‘zero clearance’ fireplaces has arisen. Preliminary inquiries to the City of Phoenix Permit and Fire Departments indicates that grave concern exists for the safety of such add-on fireplaces. This concern has been strongly reinforced by two major house fires, just recently, where-in such add on units have been installed. Your Board of Directors has tabled this matter for further research and more complete data from the fire department. A more complete report will be made at a later date. Of the many factors to be considered are: 1) is the fireplace as well as the chimney pipe, as well as the chimney cap ENTIRELY approved by Underwriters Labs? 2) a building permit will be necessary. 3) How can we be sure such units have been properly installed---the concern here is that all of our units interconnect with others. A fire in one unit can lead to fire and or damage to other units. 4) How can we be sure that a thorough inspection of the installation is made BEFORE the unit is closed in? Real concern exists here due to the lack of stringent standards for such work and for highly questionable quality control and compliance with standards as is characterized by many “renovator" contractors in the state. Even the "permit inspection" is questionable as there is reason to believe that only spot inspections are made.

The Board, at this meeting, did approve the concept of add-on, class A, ALL MASONARY fireplaces.

Should any resident desire to undertake such an addition kindly: 1) submit a written request and contractors drawings/specifications to the Board. 2) be advised that a building permit is required 3) be advised that the exterior portions of such an addition must be finished to match the existing exterior finish of our units.

6. RESIDENTS ARE AGAIN REMINDED that any exterior renovations to units, which can be seen outside the wal1s of your unit must be approved by the Board of Directors. This policy is not because the Board is a group of busybodies. Rather, it is in our common interests to preserve and maintain the color scheme, safety aspects and architectural design of the complex. The value of our properties and their overall appearance depends on this.

7. The question of exterior screen doors has also been raised, relative to color, design and Board approval. Again, this is a question of exterior change especially where such a door can be seen from the commons area. This question was clarified during a 1976 meeting. At that time, the opinion was that screen doors which can be seen from the commons areas should be either brown or black in color and it was preferred that the door reflect a 'wrought iron' look to harmonize with the architectural style of the complex. Unfinished or gold or gray anodized doors were specifically deemed incompatible with the appearance of the complex. The screening in the door should be of the charcoal tone rather then the si1very aluminum type.

8. A number of roofs in the complex are in need of repair and/or rebuilding. This is of great concern, relative to the Association’s responsibility to repair roofs, with regard to our budget. As of this writing, one flat roof is in need of complete replacement and an estimated cost of $800.00 has been given by a contractor. We have better than one half of the units in the complex having either full or partial flat roofs. The financial liability of replacing them over the next 5-10 years (which is a very realistic assumption) is going to run into sums of money that is completely beyond the scope of the present assessment/budget structure. The Board has undertaken a study of this matter and a full report will be made at the February Meeting.

9. Response to our fire lane parking restrictions has bean excellent. Your Board would again like to express its appreciation for your co-operation.

10. A request has been made to remove the "dog stop" across the drive from 5818 (on the East drive). The accumulation of dog droppings is such as to create a severe odor and fly and appearance problem for people living in that area. Re-landscaping of this spot will be done shortly.

11. DOGS AND CATS. This Board has received numerous complaints about dogs and cats. Since our complex is now almost 100% full and since our canine and feline populations are also high, steps are necessary to insure that such pets are not causing disturbances, damage, litter, etc.

PLEASE: If you have a dog--clean up after it. This is your responsibility--it is your pet. Also, cats have become a real problem on garbage pickup days. They can regularly be seen ripping open garbage bags and going through the contents. PLEASE TRY TO LIMIT THE WANDERINGS OF YOUR CATS ON THE NIGHTS BEFORE AND THE MORNINGS OF TRASH PICKUPS.

12. PAINTING: Estimates have been received which are in the range of $150-175 dollars per unit just to paint the brown trim. This represents a potential cost of between $5700 and $6650 just to repaint the brown trim. This represents better than 1/3 of our annual budget. We will look further at painting as soon as our roof evaluation has been completed.

YOUR BOARD IS MAKING EVERY ATTEMPT TO KEEP COSTS DOWN. HOWEVER, DON’T JUST DUMP THAT RESPONSIBILITY ON THE BOARD. PLEASE TAKE AN ACTIVE, CONSTRUCTIVE PART IN OUR ORGANIZATION-AND BE REALISTICALLY AWARE OF WHAT IT COSTS TO RUN A COMPLEX OF THIS SIZE FOR A YEAR.

HELP IS NEEDED……We are in need of someone to provide some limited secretarial help. This would mainly involve typing up the monthly Newsletter and some occasional letters. A volunteer would be deeply appreciated.