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COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

Please send notices to the webmasters.

 We will edit (but not censor). 


Posts could include

  • Items to buy or sell
  • Open letters to the community / thank you notes
  • Community events and activities
  • Community photos
  • and more



Many Thanks to Outgoing Board Members!

Dave Smith

Bob DeMartino

Bob DeMartino

Dave has served on the board for eight years; one as a member, another as vice-president, and the final six as president.

In this capacity, Dave has been present at various community meetings and has diligently represented the interests of the Briar Lake in such venues as the hearings for Godshall Meats factory construction, and those involving the nearby Landmark apartments. His primary goal has been to try to ensure that nothing encroaches on or influences the Briar Lake property in an adverse way.


Other issues of oversight have included working with lawyers in the dispute over who owns Academy Drive (Briar Lake does), bidding on and monitoring the road paving, and upholding the Briar Lake covenants, including disputes between neighbors (which tends to be the “hardest of all”). 


In helping to care for Briar Lake property, Dave had principal responsibility in the installation of new cabinets outside the kitchen. In this, and each of Briar Lake’s financial expenditures, he has tried to ensure that projects and responsible spending benefit the majority of the community.


Well done, Dave! Many thanks for your careful service!

Bob DeMartino

Bob DeMartino

Bob DeMartino

 Bob has been on the board for 14 years, serving as Treasurer ever since Landmark turned the development over to the board. “I have enjoyed working with other board members and being part of the decision-making process to keep Briar Lake the showcase community that it is,” he reported.


As treasurer, Bob’s accomplishments have supported and enhanced the financial viability of the community, including growing the capital reserve from $9600 to over $400,000; keeping the association fees low compared to other developments; and working with a financial advisor to produce income from CDs and mutual funds of nearly $88,000 for capital reserves. 


The more routine and monthly tasks have kept the financial wheels spinning: correcting financial statements from the previous management company, reporting on the finances at monthly board meetings, managing to keep the dues at the current level through 2030, setting up various operating budgets and investments and spreadsheets, satisfying tax obligations, monitoring and approving expenditures, and providing financial information for the audit committee.

Knowing that this is a big job, Bob will work with the new treasurer to assure continuity of financial operations. 


Well done, Bob! We appreciate your expertise!

Lynn Welge

Bob DeMartino

Lynn Welge

Lynn has served as the board secretary for the past eight years, since 2015. She has particularly enjoyed interacting with Horst and the community—meeting personally with all the newcomers to Briar Lake. In addition to the hospitality, Lynn had made sure all new residents get the current handbook and the directories (listed alphabetically by name and by address).


She enjoys working with data and file management and has turned her attention to our official documents, which she has scanned and digitized into Dropbox for ease with file sharing. This includes all our documents: minutes of board and association meetings; the Declarations, Bylaws, Restrictions, and Amendments; and the original documents transferring from Landmark to Briar Lake. In helping to manage that data, Lynn worked through amending out the terms “leasing and rental” in a multi-level process that wove through a community vote, a presentation to the township, and finally to the County for filing as a part of our Deed.


The duties as Secretary have expanded as various needs arose.  In added file and date management tasks, Lynn has traced and recorded the ownership of homes from the original to the present owners (“an interesting project”) kept up with birthday listings, noted emergency contacts, and fielded requests via the website to the board. 


Lynn has not just handled requests from the website, but for many years was the major content creator, manager, webmaster, and trouble-shooter for the community’s main information arm—an heroic job!


Well done, Lynn! We are grateful for your wonderful attention to detail!

Briar Lake Board Member Responsibilties

Board Overview

 PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO RUN FOR THE BOARD, YOUR APPLLICATION HAS TO BE SUBMITTED BY SEPTEMBER 27.



The Executive Board of Briar Lake consists of five volunteers who are assisted by a property manager from the Horst Management Company.


Three of the five members will rotate off the Board later this year, so we are in much need of fresh input and involvement from you.


If you are interested in running for a  board position, you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire that indicates your interest and the gifts you would bring to the board. A letter will be sent to all unit owners with the information regarding your desire to run. At the next election in October, the new board members will be introduced at the annual meeting. This board relies on the experience and expertise of its residents do its work. 


The current board members have provided information about what each of them does. (This has been edited for clarity, and doubtless some details are not included.)


PRIOR TO THE ELECTION, THIS INFORMATION WILL BE SENT AGAIN BY EMAIL. Both outgoing and remaining board members will be happy to help new members through their initial learning curve.

President and Vice-President

 

  • Conduct the meetings (or the VP in the president's absence).
  • Go to town meetings or other meetings pertaining to the welfare of the community.
  • Oversee that everything is running right.
  • Receive / resolve problems within the community


All the board members share responsibility in getting bids for work and in the discussion of Briar Lake business.



Treasurer

 

It would be helpful is the person becoming Treasurer has accounting or finance experience and have a full working knowledge of spreadsheets in order to effectively manage the Association's money.   


The duties of the present Treasurer are:

  1. Review and analyze the financial statements produced by Horst and advising them of any corrections.
  2. Report the monthly financial condition to the Board.
  3. Approve invoices to be paid by Horst on a daily basis or decline any that are in error.
  4. Update all excel schedules monthly, i.e., the Capital & Operating Reserve Analysis, the Interest, Dividends & Capital Gains/Losses schedule, and the Equitable worksheet.
  5. Prepare the Association's Federal Income Tax. 
  6. Ask each committee to submit their budget for the following year and prepare the Operating Budget and submit it to the Board for approval.
  7. Update the Capital Reserve Budget to Actual at year-end.
  8. Conduct a special meeting to update the Capital Budget every fifth year.
  9. Chair the Audit Committee.
  10. Tell Horst to move funds at year-end to the Operating Reserve.
  11. Invest funds in CD's and/or Board approved Mutual Funds.
  12. Update the Capital Reserve Investment Plan.
  13. Deliver the Treasurer's report at the annual meeting.
  14. Update all schedules to the following year.


The entire Board has the fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the Association's money is kept safe. Monies should be spent based on what was budgeted. The Treasurer has the responsibility to keep track of spending versus budget. Un-budgeted items should be spent only if they are of an emergency nature.


Time spent by the Treasurer is mostly at the beginning of each month when analyzing the statements and preparing the schedules. 

Secretary

To begin:

  • Read all of the minutes to familiarize yourself with the history.
  • Read all of the formal documents of Briar Lake
  • Make notes that will help you in the discussions at Board Meeting
  • Any information that will be attached should be in a PDF—that way all can read it.


Board Minutes

  • Before the meeting, request items for the agenda. Once the agenda is set, send to the Board members and to Mary Ann (property manager) along with the Maintenance and Board Calendars.
  • Record the Minutes of the Executive Board & Homeowner Meetings
  • Send a PDF document of the Minutes to the Board members for approval—all members MUST approve.
  • Once all have approved the minutes, print them out, sign them, put them in the notebook.
  • Put the minutes into Drop Box
  • Send the copy of the approved minutes to the community (PDF form)—use briarlake815@gmail.com. If you are unable to send out the minutes, send them to the website editors and they will send them out for you.


Board & Maintenance Calendars

  • Include any items due and place on the agenda
  • Send a copy of the calendars along with the agenda to the Board members for the meeting
  • Note: Calendars are presently written on M/S Excel. Updated calendars will automatically reflect the current date of update. Save the files as M/S and PDF. Send the calendars as PDF.
  • The calendars get updated on Drop Box.


Home Owner Meetings

  • Request each person giving a report to send their written report for inclusion in the minutes. This way you do not have to take notes during the meeting. However, it is better to put them into the M/S format for inclusion. Most of the committee chairman do not use computers; that is the reason you will have to reformat their work.
  • At the meeting, note the names of the attendees to be included in the minutes.
  • Compile all the reports, names, etc. and write the minutes. Submit to the Board for review and approval; send a copy in PDF form to all residents using emails.
  • Sign and file the approved minutes; upload to Drop Box.


Directory

The Directory is in a M/S Word format. There is one in regular print and one in large print. There is also one by street address—this is especially helpful for newcomers. This file needs updating when a home is sold.


The date any changes are made is automatic at the top of the file. Once a change is made, destroy the old directory under the old date. 


Also update the Contacts in briarlake815@gmail.com; label as residents, lady’s luncheon, etc. If you want another category, you can set it up. If you are unable to do this, ask the website editors to do it.


The Directory goes to Drop Box month when analyzing the statements and preparing the schedules. 

At-Large / General

The board meets monthly; meetings are generally about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 


Board members are assigned to a specific area of need, such as maintenance of the grounds, the clubhouse, snow removal or the lake, and they will do the research and connection with bids for work that may need to be done. But the entire board has the responsibility for these things and they work  cooperatively to get it done. 


It is advisable for anyone running for office to read the documents that are given at the time one closes on their home.  They are the Declarations, Bylaws, Restrictions.  Also helpful to have full knowledge, would be to read all the minutes. 

Anyone who would like this information can request it from the website or from Lynn Welge (current secretary).  Each position has different needs at different times of the month. 


NOTE: The Briar Lake bylaws (Article IV) permit the Board to add an assistant treasurer, assistant secretary, or "other" in order to facilitate and fulfill their duties. Those added persons would not be board members, but would report to the person they assist. The current openings on the Board are for the core officers only. The Board had advertised earlier in the year for an assistant treasurer; but no plan, provision, or decision has been made to recruit an assistant secretary.

Horst is a resource.  They provide sources for obtaining bids, print the checks, and provide the financials.  They deal with the board, not the individual homeowner with the exception of street lighting problems. The treasurer deals with our property manager with regard to the financial side; the secretary for other issues.


Glenn's Nature Photographs

    Glenn's Comments

    FLYING LOBSTER TAILS & OTHER INSECTS


    The 2 butterflies were trying to mate, but I couldn't get a clear picture of the act.

    So "close" will have to do. (8/14/23)

    Community Yard Sale Information TODAY!

    Community Yard Sale

     Just a reminder, that Saturday, September 16 is our community yard sale for anyone interested. I will advertise it in the Merchandiser for the Lebanon and Myerstown area, but feel free to advertise anywhere else or put out signs. I’m advertising a start time of either 6 am or 7 am and you can close down whatever works best for you. Hope you all do well. 


    Please contact Lori Miller with any questions.

    Area Happenings

    Fall Pet Portrait Day


    Fall Pet Portrait Day  


    Event by Jordan Leigh Photography and Brandts Mill 



    September 23, 2023


    9 a.m. to 2 p.m.


    Brandts Mill

    630 N 9th Street

    Lebanon, PA


    Come Join us for Fall Pet Portraits at Brandt's Mill!
    No appointment Needed!
    $33 For a 5x7 Print, $43 for a High resolution digital image,
    and $60 for both! 



    Fall Barn Sale


    Fall Barn Sale  


     Event by Carriage House Style 



    Friday, September 29, 2023


    11 a.m. to 6 p.m.


    689 Whitman Road

    Lebanon, PA


    Shop our 150 year old family barn where you will find a little something for everyone created by over 40 curated local makers - vintage and reimagined home decor, hand-painted furniture, handmade jewelry, homemade baked goods, vintage clothes, hand-poured soy candles and artisanal gifts.

    Looking for a custom piece of furniture? Check our the "pick and paint" area. Pick a piece, pick a color and The Farm Chix will paint it!

    Thank you to The Farm Chix for hosting this event for the 3rd year and to Wander Awhile Style for making it beautiful! 



    Liverpool Legends Concert

    Link to Website for More Information & to Purchase Tickets

    AAA Coach Tours

    Check out  AAA  coach tours (many of them one-day trips) that depart from Lancaster and Harrisburg. The cost is a bit higher, but you do not have to be a member of AAA to travel. 


    Click the image at right to connect to the website ----> .



    Birthday List - September

    Print List

    Copyright © 2023 Briar Lake Unit Owners Association - All Rights Reserved.

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