2023, September 10

Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association 

Annual Meeting Minutes

Date: September 10th, 2023

Board Members:  Steve Beckman (Secretary), John Hays, Jeff Johnson (President), Matthew Kazmierski (Vice President), Gail Lytle Lira (Communications), Pat Poli, Alice Schehr (Treasurer), Mark Warner, Steve Whelan

Call to order: Jeff Johnson called to order this annual meeting of the Brookfield Heritage Neighborhood Association at 5:02 pm ET on September 10th, 2023 on Oakland Dr.

Roll Call:

• Property owners from the following addresses were in attendance:
  • 144, 152, 164, 175, 192, 205, and 237 Maplewood
  • 103, 120, 131, 136, 147, 155, 158, 164, 205, 216, 219, 224, 236, 237, 244, 245, 252, 261, 274, 277, and 284 Oakland
  • 1511, 1547, 1625, 1635, 1645, 1653, 1707, 1715, and 1724 Roseland
• Quorum present: Yes – 35 of 94 property owners

Recognition of Garden Walk and Luminaries Volunteers

• Jeff Johnson acknowledged the efforts of the volunteers that helped with the 2023 Garden Walk and the luminaries that lined each street for the 2022 Winter Solstice

Approval of Past Minutes

• A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes from the annual meeting held on September 18th, 2022 as presented. The motion carried without objection.

Treasurer Updates

1. Alice Schehr stated the association’s current account balance is $3,535
2. Materials for the 2023 luminaries event cost $300
3. Due to inflation and increases to the cost of replacing trees, the association would benefit from raising annual dues from $20 to $25
   1. A motion was made and seconded to raise the annual neighborhood association dues to $25 starting in 2024. The motion carried without objection.

 

Neighborhood Covenants Renewal

1. John Hays spoke about the neighborhood covenants and how they prevent the building of multi-family homes, multi-story apartments, and other buildings in the neighborhood
2. The board continues to make efforts to remove the illegal racial restriction language from the covenants
   1. Every property owner must sign a consent document in order to remove the language from the covenants. 67 of the 94 properties currently have signed documents on file.
3. Covenants are due for a 25-year renewal in July 2024
   1. If the covenants are not renewed, buildings other than single-family residences would be permitted
   2. Two-thirds of property owners (62 total) must sign notarized documents to renew the covenants or they will expire
      1. All 35 property owners in attendance signed a renewal document that was then notarized
      2. Board members will make efforts to contact the remaining property owners in order to obtain notarized documents from at least 27 others to meet the two-thirds threshold by July 2024

 

Tree Report

1. Pat Robinson, who maintains a record of the health of the neighborhood trees that are next to each street, was not present. She provided her report to Jeff Johnson.
2. Replacing a tree requires a waiting period of at least three years to allow the soil to recover from the removal of the previous tree
3. Multiple trees need to be removed after being damaged during recent weather events
4. Property owners should contact the East Lansing Department of Public Works at 517-337-9459 to request the removal of dangerous limbs or trees near their street
5. Property owners should contact Pat Robinson at 517-351-6958 to request the replacement of a tree near their street
   1. Pat has been in contact with the city arborist but has not walked the neighborhood with them yet this year
   2. A question was asked about the increase to the cost of replacing trees. Alan Munn answered by talking about the desire to purchase higher-quality trees that will last longer than the trees provided by the city
      • Pat researched prices, recommended tree species that would thrive in the neighborhood’s conditions, and identified providers that could deliver those trees

 

Board Member Elections

1. The three-year terms for board members John Hays, Jeff Johnson, and Steve Whelan have expired
2. Nella Davis-Ray (164 Maplewood), John Hays (1645 Roseland), and Denise Moore (252 Oakland) were nominated
   1. A motion was made and seconded to accept all of the nominees. The motion carried without objection.

 

Open Discussion

1. The board was asked to stay informed and in contact with the city regarding the upcoming construction at the intersection of Hagadorn and Grand River. Consumers Energy will be breaking ground soon for a project to install new gas lines on the north side of the intersection. The project is expected to last through December of this year.
2. Gail Lytle Lira acknowledged the efforts of Jeff Johnson and Steve Whelan during their time on the board and thanked John Hays for returning for another term.

Adjournment

• A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting at 5:44 pm ET. The motion carried without objection.

 

Minutes submitted by: Steve Beckman

Minutes approved by: TBD