January Neighborhood 2009 Election Meeting
The 2008 board has scheduled a neighborhood meeting for the express purpose of electing officers for the coming year. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 7:30pm at Doby’s Bridge Presbyterian Church. This will be a short meeting. First we will seek volunteers/nominations to fill the 2009 board positions. If more than five people volunteer, a formal vote will be held. After the vote, we will pause for a moment so that attendees who wish to depart can do so. Those who choose to remain in attendance will have an informal discussion with the new board about items they would like to address at the "annual" meeting, which will be held around March 1.
The bylaws of the Oxford Place POA mention the timing of the annual meeting, but do not prevent elections from being held prior to the annual meeting. In previous years the outgoing board set the agenda and conducted the annual meeting. At the 2009 "annual" meeting, the new 2009 board members will present the budget and annual fee, and address any topics that were suggested at the January neighborhood meeting. If a quorum is not present at the January meeting, the board will mail a ratification ballot to the neighborhood.
2008 Board Members
We would like to thank Kim Knapik of Savile Lane for volunteering to fill the remaining board vacancy shortly after the July 2008 newsletter was received.
Jayne Guchone 547-xxxx Kim Knapik 803-746-xxxx Winston O'Reggio 802-xxxx Kathy Sandvoss 803-233-xxxx Jay Schwartz 548-xxxx email = oxfordplace@gmail.com
2009 Nominations / Board Volunteers
We would like to thank Jayne Guchone and Winston O’Reggio for serving on the board in 2008. Both have decided to withdraw their names from consideration for serving on the board in 2009. The Guchone family is excited about a possible move to Hilton Head later in 2009. The other three 2008 board members have expressed a willingness to either serve on the 2009 board, assist newly elected board members, or step down and take a break. We are hoping that several new residents will step forward to serve on the 2009 Oxford Place Property Owners Association board. If you would like to serve on the board in 2009 please send us an email or call one of the 2008 board members.
Oxford Place Email
Our email list reaches about 70% of the neighborhood. Please send us your email address. We send notices about social events, zoning hearings, neighborhood crime, garbage company issues, lost/found pets, rabid animals, postponements, property info, etc. We will never send advertisement. Please send an email to oxfordplace@gmail.com to be added to this important mailing list.
Ladies Bunko Group
The Oxford Place Ladies Bunko group has become quite popular. Bunko is both a social event and an easy to learn dice game. If you would like to join the group, email us at oxfordplace@gmail.com or call Kathy Sandvoss at 803-233-xxxx.
Playground Safety & Code Compliance
A recent external evaluation found our playground equipment area had two Category One Hazard Priorities. The number one reason for injuries or deaths on a playground comes from a fall to the surface. Therefore, having the required 6 inches of ASTM certified wood or 3" rubber mulch at all times greatly minimizes the HOA's risk for a liability lawsuit as well as minimizes the child's risk for injury. We will add 6 inches of PlaySafe mulch to bring the surface area into compliance.
We were also informed that the landscape border is too small for the structure. The Consumer Protection Safety Commission requires a six foot fall zone around all equipment. Two sides of our playground structure did not meet this requirement. The existing borders are the old style pressure treated lumber, which contain a harmful chemical. Many of the timbers are splinted. To slightly increase the border size and address the lumber issue, we will replace the borders with plastic borders.
Typically we spend about $1000 of the landscaping budget on the play area mulch each year. This year we had to spend about $1950 more from the landscaping and reserves to bring the area up to code. After receiving several quotes and cost comparisons, we decided to complete the playground border work with assistance of neighborhood volunteers. We will be sending an email once we have the work scheduled to look for a little more help. We would also like to thank volunteer, Keith Sandvoss, who spent a half-day in October pressure washing the playground equipment. We would also like to thank Roger Guchone for repairing a swing. The equipment looks much better.
2008 Year in Review
Some of the neighborhood accomplishments in 2008 have been:
Increased Communications – This is the fourth newsletter the 2008 board has sent and we will be helping the 2009 board send a newsletter at the end of January to announce the "annual" meeting. We have also created an informative web site for the neighborhood www.oxfordplace.us and have increased email communication.
Increased Social Events – Neighbors hosted several neighborhood wide parties including cul-de-sac parties, Halloween parties, and a progressive dinner event. Neighbors also formed a very popular ladies Bunko group. Thanks to the following families for hosting neighborhood wide events in 2008 - the Allred, Bivens, Collins, Grich, Sandvoss, Siebert, & Johnston families. The Grich family will be hosting a neighborhood wide New Years Eve party. More details will be sent by email.
Improved Infrastructure – After the ballot item passed, Mike Mead of Savile Court installed low voltage lighting at the entrances and continues to maintain them at a considerable cost savings to the neighborhood. The Guchone family put attractive wreaths at the entrances for the holiday season.
If we have missed any other contributions to the neighborhood in 2008, please accept our apologies.