Greenhill Acres Association
June 21, 2008
General Meeting Minutes
The meeting was called to order at 10:15.
Mr. Edward Marchetti spoke to the group at length about his bid for the repaving of Twin Peninsula Rd. from Mallard Road to just past Wild Goose. That section of road is currently paved but is in very poor condition.
He introduced himself to us as a contractor who has been in the paving business for 21 years as an
independent contractor. Previous to starting his own operation, he worked for many years with another well known paver in the South County area. Most of his work is concentrated in the area south of the tower and into Westerly. He has a standing crew of six employees.
The paving job will include:
1. Grinding of the existing blacktop and using that material as the base for the new asphalt. Mr.
Marchetti did suggest that he might simply haul the old road away and bring in new base. In that case he would bring in “rap” gravel. The pricing would not be affected if he chose that option.
2. Two inches of asphalt would then be spread over the crushed base.
3. A final spray of asphalt will then be applied to the entire road area.
4. One inch of stone will then be pressed into the asphalt.
5. The section of the road that is still in good condition will not have the
first three steps but will include step four. The stone seal topcoat will reflect the sunlight which has a
positive effect on global warming.
6. The oil that he will be spraying sets up immediately, becomes solid at room temperature, and will
not leach into the pond.
7. There will be excess stone that will not cling to the blacktop. Mr. Marchetti suggested that we
sweep the excess off, but after one year, he will return and sweep off the residue of the stones if we request it. The cost to do that would be $2,500. It will be up to the organization to determine which option they would like to pursue with the excess stone.
7. The stone used will be ¾ inch quarry stone.
8. The job will be scheduled for after labor day and before November, with October seen as the best
option.
Mr. Marchetti found no signs of frost heaves in the existing road. He was asked about including a
hump, bump or rumble strips on the road. He felt that all of those options were not prudent.
It was pointed out that we have two miles of roads in our area and the amount of road to be repaved
amounts to 635 feet. ( the width is 20 feet.)
Mr. Marchetti was thanked for attending the meeting and the formal opening of the meeting began
with the salute to the flag and a moment of silent prayer for our troops stationed throughout the world.
The secretaries report of August 2007 was accepted as written.
The treasurer’s report which included a handout of our yearly budget that indicates that we have 2007 annual expenses of approximately $8,500, and income of approximately $10,000. Last year we cleared $700 on the sale of our T shirts. A show of hands indicated that there is still interest in purchasing T shirts and a some of the membership volunteered to expedite sales throughout the summer.
To date, this year we have 54 households giving $100, and 19 households giving $500 for the road
improvement. That $500 reflecting their payment of dues for this year and the four years to follow. A
show of hands indicated that several of the $100 payers would be willing to give the additional $400 if the road project goes forward.
Last year, of the approximately 116 households, 92 were paying members to our group.
A letter will be mailed to each of our number who paid their dues for this years and the fours years to
follow. This will give them peace of mind and written verification that their obligation for dues
payment has been satisfied through and including the year 2012.
We now have a balance of approximately $22,124.91 in our checking account with more monies having been collected at today’s meeting. Our CD matured last week, and will be rolled over.
The fate of the CD going forward, after the next maturity will be discussed by the board when they next meet and the consensus will be brought before the full membership at the next meeting.
The treasurers report was accepted as presented.
EMAIL
We are trying to eliminate or reduce the cost of our mailings to the membership. In that vein, we have
asked the members to update their email addresses, and we have made them aware of our website
which will include all written correspondence to the membership. We will also provide a box in the
area that will have copies of all such correspondence for those of our number who do not have access to the internet.
Andrew Campbell, a new member of our group has volunteered to provide contacts who can help to
maintain and update our website. Currently the cost to do that is $100 annually but our volunteer for
the job has left Greenhill.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
The watch has been discontinued by the town. In the future we will have to be alert to happenings in
the neighborhood.
We did have a bureau discarded over the winter which was broken up and discarded by one of our
number, and there is some evidence of trash thrown from cars along the roads. A neighborhood
cleanup is being organized for later in the summer. We might even get together afterwards for a picnic and a bend of the elbow.
DOG SCOOPER BOXES
We have two boxes with plastic bags for disposal set up in the community. Contents of one of the
boxes disappeared shortly after the boxes were installed in May for our 2008 season. That box has
been refilled.
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
A show of hands indicated that there is interest in activities that we might organize in our group that
would be fun, charitable, or both.
Suggestions were made regarding a blood drive, a community cleanup, or a neighborhood “tag” sale.
Anyone interested in those activities or with thoughts about other endeavors in that vein were asked to call our president, Tom Masotto.
Carol Perasso expressed an interest in co-chairing a garage (tag) sale.
Jill Langley has volunteered to co-chair a clean-up day.
BOAT STICKERS
The boat stickers are strictly for identification purposes. Claudia Anderson has stickers available for
those who request them.
RULES OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
A copy of our rules, mailed in our spring mailing were made available to the membership at today’s
meeting. It was noted that the rules now include an item about clean up with our pooper scooper bags, and the use of non-registered motor vehicles on the roads in Twin Peninsula acres.
CALCIUM CLORIDE APPLICATION TO THE ROADS
Calcium cloride keeps the dust down on the dirt roads. In the past we have paid up to $800 of club
dues to purchase same. The spreading can be done with a hand sprayer and volunteers have done the job in the past. We will look into possibly buying a supply of the calcium cloride for membership use, and will bring back suggestions on the best way to distribute and store purchases of the calcium
cloride in the neighborhood. It was suggested that each of the roads form a group to maintain their
individual road. Each group will need to have a representative who will speak at the general meeting.
This will have to be a group effort that will require some good organizational skills to bring it to
reality.
The board will take up the concept of reimbursement for calcium cloride purchases that will be spread by the varying road groups, and those of our number who would find the job physically challenging will be helped by those of us who are not quite there yet.
The membership was asked not to use grass clippings on the roads because it hastens deterioration of the road bed, and was also admonished not to throw brush on the paper roads that are scattered
throughout the area.
It was noted that the corner of Twin Peninsula and Teal have water build up with heavy rain but that it
clears quickly. Gravel will be put in the depression that has developed at that junction. Mr. Foster has
volunteered to do that job.
STOP SIGNS AND BUMPS
Discussion of the stop signs and bumps centered around whether they did the job as intended. The
placement of both of those items is done simply to protect our children from excessive speed. Neither seems to work consistently and the offenders are almost always one of our own.
The speed bump on Twin Peninsula has been relocated to Brandt Road at the request of one of the
owners on that road. We still have one portion of speed bump left and any member who would like to
place it on their road in the most advantageous place need only contact Tom Massotto and he will see that you have it made available.
NEW MEMBERS
David and Mary Woods 30 Mallard Rd. So.
Carlo and Nancy Valente 113 Twin Peninsula
Stacey Di Piazza 119 Twin Peninsula
Charles and Joyce Foster 13 Teal Rd.
Jill Langley & Andrew G. Campbell 306 Twin Peninsula
ROADS
We have three options regarding the portion of Twin Peninsula that is now paved road.
1. Do nothing to the existing paved road.
2. Get as much of the road done as the collected monies from our spring mailing generated.
3. Take some of our CD monies and make up the short fall on the completion of the job.
A straw vote was taken resulting in the following counts:
1. Option 1 Two votes
2. Option 2 One vote
3. Option 3 Twenty five votes
CD
Questions on the use of the CD were presented by the membership. Our treasurer pointed out that the size of the CD makes our non-profit organization subject to a $500 tax levied by the state of Rhode Island. It was suggested that we deplete the CD to avoid paying that tax in the future, placing the monies in a tax exempt vehicle, using the money now in some way that would be advantageous to the association, or leaving the CD in tact with no change in the handling of the money represented.
The executive board will meet within the next three weeks to make a final decision on the paving of the Twin Peninsula and the fate of the CD.
It was noted that the by-laws indicate that the board can make the final decision on the above items
without a full association membership vote.
PAPER ROADS
Suggestion was made that the paper roads that we still own, be sold to abutting property owners to
replenish our calamity fund should we use all or part of the CD for the road project now at hand.
The next meeting of the full membership will be at the Baptist church on July 26, 2008. The August
meeting will be held on August 23, 2008 at the same location. A social will following that meeting in
the afternoon at the lot on Brant Road.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:15.
Respectfully submitted,
Lois Schroder
Secretary