Glen Acres Property Owners Association

2023 ANNUAL REPORT

Message from the GAPOA Board President

Hello Glen Acres! I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy and that you are enjoying spring in the Ozarks. It's been beautiful this year, but a bit on the cool and wet side. The plants like it though!

This year's annual meeting was held at the Clifty Community Center on April 15^th^ and was convened at 1 PM. We appreciate the volunteer fire department at Clifty for making this very nice facility available to us (and the surrounding community). This year we had six non-board members (Mike and Linda Melroy, Jack and Peggy Wood, Sue Whitt, and Lynn Fleming) and Will Winn (our water operator) in attendance. The Board members in attendance were Tim Fleming, Rick Seger, and me. Roger Lindvall was visiting a new grandson and Tim Ballard was unable to attend for health reasons. The Board very much appreciated those members who took the time to attend and contribute! The Board had contemplated holding a potluck social as well as the normal business meeting but decided not to because of the effort involved considering the lack of expressed interest from the membership. An attending member suggested that a social might be better attended if was it held after Memorial Day when more members were in the area and the Board will discuss that and possibly changing the date of the annual meeting (which may require a vote of the GAPOA membership).

There was a discussion about the authorities and responsibilities of the GAPOA Board. All authorities of the Board as well as duties and responsibilities are guided by the subdivisions' Covenants, Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, GAPOA Policy, and the Mutual Maintenance Agreement, with the Covenants being the fundamental guidance. Copies of these documents are available upon request through our email address (provided below). The Board has limited authority to enact policy or respond to issues not related to the water system. However, as Board Member Rick Seger has suggested, the Board can serve the GAPOA in multiple ways as long as it does not exceed its authority. An obvious way is to advocate for the subdivision with other governing entities, such as the State of Arkansas, Carroll County, or the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Board can also provide a sounding board for issues between members and suggest possible solutions. The Board already provides information regarding its governing documents and fees to real estate and title companies. These "non-formal" services are not ultimately binding to members or preclude them from following their own options in any situation. So, please let us know if you have an issue we can possibly help you with.

The 2022 Annual GAPOA Report was mailed to all members last year. Anyone who would like to have a copy can contact one of the Board. Board contact information is provided at the end of this report.

The Arkansas Legislature passed Act 605 of 2021. This act provides additional state government oversight to the governing bodies of retail water suppliers, which includes the GAPOA and its Board. Later in this report, Board Member Rick Seger provides a summary of what the act entails.

And finally I would like to express my appreciation for all the efforts of the current Board. It is an honor and pleasure to work with them! They all bring a ton of experience and enthusiasm that makes handling the Board's responsibilities a positive experience.

Best wishes to all, Mark

Treasurer's Report (Roger Lindvall)

General Information

Water System Activities and Expenses

Most of the costs in the Repair category above have been for a plumbing contractor (Billy Hull primarily) to locate and repair multiple leaks that were causing the loss of thousands of gallons of unmetered water from our system. Mr. Hull speculated that these leaks were mostly the result of soils contracting during the intense heat and drought-like conditions of last summer and causing pipe connections to separate. There were 6-7 major leaks repaired. There was also some piping repaired in the well house on CR 150. During the frigid weather of the 2021-22 winter, the water level float sensor in the main storage tank was repaired after it was damaged by ice formation in the tank. The Board is looking into potential remedies for this perennial issue. The expenditures in the Capital Improvement category were mainly for burying the sensor line that runs between the well and the main storage tank. This sensor tells the pump when the water level in the tank is falling and that the pump needs to run. Burying the sensor line protects it from falling limbs, animals and other damage that can cause signal interruption. There was also a new meter put in the well house to monitor water flow to the low road (CR 150). New meters help determine where leaks are occurring.

Tim Fleming has been evaluating various means of installing a wireless system for controlling and monitoring the well. He reported that he believes the most cost-effective method would be to install a mesh wifi system that could communicate between the well and storage tank and also allow remote monitoring of various aspects of the water operation by the Board. Trial runs have been favorable. At the meeting, Mike Melroy asked if Billy Hull had installed a previously-planned alarm system at the tank. The Board will check on that.

Our insurance cost has risen significantly in the past few years and the Treasurer is actively seeking a less expensive provider, so far without success. If anyone can suggest a potential insurer to contact, please let Roger, or another Board member know.

At the meeting, there was a question about the PayPal fees. PayPal charges GAPOA a percentage fee for members to use it to pay their lot fees and water bills. It was suggested that other e-commerce companies might not charge for such a service. The Board will check on that.

After a question by Mike Melroy at the meeting about how many households use the water system, Rick Seger responded that there were 27 residences on the water system and 17 that were not. It was calculated that GAPOA income from the base water charge is $13,500 a year. This does not include overage charges or lot fees.

The issue of when the subdivision will need a new well was raised at the meeting and has been discussed at Board meetings on a numerous occasions. Tim Fleming and Roger Lindvall looked at the 2-year trend for water use and found that leakages were the driving factor on high water use. When leakage was reduced by repairs, the general trend was downward as shown in the following chart:

This shows the quarterly amount of water used by residences as indicated by readings from the members' meters compared to the total amount of water drawn from the well. The difference between the two lines is mostly the result of leakage. When leakage was reduced, the total usage went down considerably. Metered water for this period of time showed a generally downward trend. Based on this information, the Board does NOT believe that the need for a new well is urgent at this time but the usage trend will be tracked. We do anticipate that as new residences are constructed and consumption goes up, or aquifer depletion occurs, that there will be a need in the future. The Board is actively monitoring our water use and exploring various new well scenarios, including funding. Mike Melroy asked if the GAPOA would be allowed by the State to keep the old well if a new one is installed. The Board will investigate that.

Will Winn (Winn Environmental Tech, LLC), our contract water operator, reported that except for a couple of borderline e. coli counts associated with the repair work on major leaks, the subdivision's water quality was good. The counts required another level of testing (as per the Arkansas Department of Health) and those results were acceptable. Will has been trained in all aspects of Act 605 and has met with the Board to help us understand and implement its various requirements. He reported that there are water suppliers, including municipalities, that have had serious financial and operational issues, and that is the reason for Act 605. According to Will, our water system is not a problematic one. Will has also been advising us on what a new well will entail. He visits our subdivision on a routine (and as-needed) basis to conduct water quality sampling and, some system maintenance (such as for the chlorine pump), and other functions. Will has much experience with a wide variety of water systems and has been a valuable resource.

Summary of Act 605, Rick Seger

A piece of Arkansas legislation, referred to as Act 605 of 2021, places some new responsibilities on our Board and the management of our community water system. All of our board members have met the educational mandate of attending an 8-hour course pertaining to community water supplies. We are also in good shape financially, meeting NONE of the criteria in the legislation for Fiscal Distress. Finally, we are required to obtain a Rate Study, which evaluates our water system, and is performed by a certified provider, to be done later this year. Note: Will Winn provided us the name of a non-profit that performs rate studies at no cost and it has agreed to do ours.

2023 Board Member Election- Tim Ballard

This year's Nomination Committee consisted of Tim Ballard, Roger Lindvall, and Mark Oliver with Tim serving as Chairman. We had two positions open. These were the seats occupied by Rick Seger (earlier appointed to the Board to serve out the term of a Board member who moved from the subdivision) and Mark Oliver. A request for nominations was sent by mail to all full-time GAPOA residents asking for volunteers or nominations for potential Board members. There were no respondents to the request. Since both Rick and Mark were willing to continue on the Board, no election was required. If anyone would be willing to serve on the Nominating Committee for next year's Board member election, please contact Tim Ballard, or any Board member.

2024 Annual Meeting of the Glen Acres Property Owners Association

Next year's annual meeting will be held at the Clifty Community Center on April 13. We encourage all to keep that date open and to attend. It will be a great opportunity for you to directly participate in the government/operation of the subdivision. Any issues requiring a vote of the membership, such as election of Board members, will be mailed out to all members in good standing, with included addressed and stamped envelopes, with sufficient time for return of completed ballots prior to the annual meeting.

Board Members

General email for the GAPOA Board: glenacrespoa@gmail.com