Residents Respond in Big Numbers

Just as the 2011 Annual General Meeting of the Blackburne Creek Homeowners' Association was about to begin, it was clear more chairs were needed to accommodate everyone who took the time to attend on November 7th. When association President Grant Ainsley called the meeting to order, there was hardly an empty seat at the Ellerslie Rugby Club, a dramatic change from the 2010 meeting.

 

Ainsley presented the President's Report based on the question "What do I get for my money."  He let the membership know about the major items in the association's expenses and the reasoning behind many decisions made by the Board of Directors on behalf of the membership.  The proposed budget for the 2011-2012 year was also presented and after some discussion, it was approved by the membership.  Also during the meeting, there were concerns expressed by two residents about the penalities they were facing for not paying their membership fees within three months of the deadline.  Ainsley said the Board would discuss the policy that led to the added costs at its next meeting, but noted that there have been difficulties obtaining payment from the full membership for the last few years.

 

Two new members of the Board of Directors were elected.  Longtime Blackburne Creek residents Sushanta Mitra and Dan Edwards were elected, along with returning directors Ainsley, Glenn Thamer, Len Hawreliak, Drew Schofield, Brian Hawrelak and Guy Luke.  The Board will vote on which positions the directors will assume at its November 29 meeting.

 

Also at the meeting, the annual Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to longtime association Secretary Len Hawreliak (pictured to the right with award).  Ainsley said that all residents are indebted to Len for the amount of time he spends sending correspondence to residents, dealing with phone calls and emails from members, legal firms and others and even doing the minutes at each meeting of the Board of Directors.   He said the reward is just a small way of saying thank you for Len's years of service to Blackburne Creek.