Signant Two 2021 AGM Part II

Agenda and Minutes

Feb 06, 2022

Via Zoom:

Topic: Fintry Zoom Meeting

Time: Feb 6, 2022 07:30 PM Edmonton

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AGENDA:

Duane is acting as timekeeper

1.   Meeting called to order

     a.    Role of younger generation and spouses present at this meeting. 

(to participate in all discussions, but not in voting which is limited to the Shareholders)

       b.    Proxies for Carson and Brenna from 2015 are in effect until further notice. 

       c.    Motion to approve the agenda – Clarification that this is a continuation of the Signant Two 2021 AGM which took place via Zoom on Dec 13, 2021 in order to complete agenda items which were not covered at that meeting due to a lack of time.

Duane moves to approve, Sharyn seconds

2.  Approval of Minutes from Previous Meeting

      Specifically, Minutes from the Dec 13, 2021 Signant Two AGM, Part I

Duane moves to approve, Vic seconds

Sheila clarifies this meeting will be considered a continuation of the 2021 AGM

3.  New Business Continued

a.        Gift Cards for People Helping with Maintenance  and Monitoring of Cabin (Sheila)

   i)      Sam and Rick Sanderson  for 2021 – 2022 

        Background:  Nov to March, they check the cabin at least once a month, according to Meloche Monnex guidelines when water and power are turned off. 

       In addition to this monitoring, when Sheila was told Spring 2021 by a representative of Meloche Monnex that the cabin should be monitored every 7 days when the water and power are turned on, Rick and Sam monitored the cabin at this frequency (every 7 days, under Melanie’s direction) in the spring and in the summer 2021 when families were prevented from going to the cabin due to the forest fire situation and the cabin was vacant, as a result.

Sheila recommends that we raise this amount given the additional monitoring that Rick and   Sam undertook this year.  Rick and Sam are monitoring the cabin every 7 days, presently, since the water is still turned on. If we decide at this meeting to leave the cabin for the winter with the water and electricity on (for the furnace), we need to ask Rick and Sam to monitor once every 7 days throughout the winter. 

Proposal:  that we increase our offering of appreciation substantially, perhaps to $300/yr for this year, in recognition of the increased monitoring in both spring & summer 2021 and possibly in winter 2021-2022. Request that Melanie take care of this on our behalf.

Discussion:

Melanie asked whether Sam and Rick have to check the cabin daily if the water is on?

Sheila clarifies that in the past when the cabin was drained and the electricity was off for the winter, it needed to be checked once a month. She believes once every seven days would be required given the current circumstances; that is, given that the main underground shut-off valve was not closed last fall. (The cabin was drained as far as the first shut-off valve in the storage room underneath the cabin.)

Vic asks whether Sam and Rick make a note when they check as this would be a good record for insurance claim purposes?

Melanie responds that she will ask them to do so moving forward.

Sheila motions we give Sam and Rick $300 this year due to the additional work they’ve had to do this year, Duane seconds, all are in favour, motion carries. Melanie will provide this to them.

                ii)     Bryan and Karen 

       Background:  We have been giving them $150, as a token of appreciation for their help with projects that Melanie undertakes at the cabin and for the use of their truck numerous times for loading and transport to the dump and waste transfer station.

It is important to note that the cost of gas is constantly going up and this summer they helped with at least two major projects:  removal of dead needles and debris on East side of boathouse and removal of dead cedars down by the lake which involved using their small CAT.

However, Melanie does not believe that they would accept more than $150/yr.

 Group decision needed regarding the amount to be given and to ask Melanie to please take care   of this gift offering, on our behalf.

Melanie notes Bryan and Karen have moved and  will not be able to contribute as often as they have in the past.

Sheila moves we provide them with $150 as a thank you, Vic and Sharyn second, all in favour, motion carries. Melanie will provide this to them.

    b.     Superior Propane Contract

             Background:  Renewal of Contract is April 01/23. Will renew automatically unless we contact them 6 months prior, which will be by Oct 01/22. If we wish to look at competitors’ offers, this must be done prior to Oct 01/22.

Action plan, if needed:

Vic notes this is one of those contracts where if you don’t renew by a certain date it automatically renews. All are in agreement we let this renew.

    c.     Guidelines Regarding Storage of Personal Items at the Lake in View of Growing Number of Cabin Users

             Discussion was introduced by Duane at Dec 13, 2021 AGM.

(This is regarding all personal items such as lockers, water toys, and any large personal items, given the increasing usage of the cabin by family members, and the growing number of adults using the cabin. It is a proactive measure, intended to pre-empt difficulties in this regard, in keeping with our desire to have the cabin, boathouse, and yard clutter-free.)  

 Further Discussion:

Duane notes this isn’t a major issue now but that when he and Vic had cleared out the boathouse they were able to get everything off the floor. Michael had mentioned we could get the boat out onto his lift, which could free up some space.

Vic believes this is an issue we need to deal with proactively. He notes there’s a kayak chained to the rafters and another float on top and a footlocker that belongs to Melanie and Wayne H. If everybody left a similar amount of belongings, there would be no remaining floor space. Vic believes nobody should have personal storage aside from the lockers in the boathouse.

Duane asks where we draw the line? For example, his family brought out an inflatable paddle board and kayak over the summer but didn’t think to leave either at the cabin after their stay.

Sheila notes her family used to bring out two kayaks from Calgary and now bring out a canoe. They bring everything back to Calgary every time they visit. If everyone left their stuff out there it would cause substantial clutter in the boathouse. She asks whether it would be possible to change the limitation from the lockers to a locker plus a big tub per family block.

Melanie asks whether there was not an understanding in place whereby Jennifer is allowed to leave the kayak out there because of all of the accounting work she has done for the cabin over the years.

Sharyn responds that is the case and states she doesn’t see the kayak as an issue as it’s stored up in the rafters.

Duane responds that if every family left something up in the rafters there wouldn’t be any room left.

Sheila notes she has the same recollection as Melanie that Jennifer was given permission to leave the kayak out there as recompense for all she does for the cabin. Sheila asks whether Jennifer and her family have their user fees waived?
Sharyn doesn’t believe they have to pay user fees.

Vic also believes Brad and Jennifer don’t pay user fees. However, he doesn’t recall whether we made a formal decision on whether she could keep the kayak in the boathouse. He also notes we are at risk of running out of time in this meeting as we tend to get mired in these discussions.

Sheila responds that she understands the time issue but wants to emphasise this is a family business. She cautions we need to be careful about how we make decisions to avoid rushing everything and risking lingering hard feelings.

Vic responds he understands this is important but doesn’t want to spend endless hours talking everything to death.

Vic motions water toys should not be left in the boathouse unless they’re for common use, Duane seconds. Vic, Duane, Sheila, Cody in favour, Sharyn is opposed. Motion carries.

Vic states if we’re going to tolerate footlockers then we should all know that and he’ll load one up and put one in the boathouse. Do we want to do this?

Sheila responds that given there have been footlockers left in the boathouse in the past, should we allow each family block one footlocker and that way each family block can decide what to leave and what to bring so we don’t have too severe of a change at once?

Melanie suggests we would want each footlocker to be the same size / shape so they could be stacked in a designated location. She notes this might clear up some of the items left out now.
Sheila likes the idea of uniformity so we can stack them and minimise their footprint.

Vic motions nobody leaves boxes or footlockers of personal use items in the boathouse or cabin, seconded by Duane. Vic and Duane in favour, Sheila, Sharyn, and Cody opposed. Motion does not carry.

Sheila suggests each family block be allowed to have one footlocker with the company purchasing footlockers so they are uniform in size.

Vic asks who is going to purchase the footlockers?

Melanie responds she could do this in Vernon.

Cody suggests we purchase new ones to replace the one that’s already out there for simplicity’s sake.

Sheila motions each family block be allowed one footlocker, to be purchased by the company so they are uniform in size, Sharyn seconds. Sheila, Sharyn, and Cody in favour, Vic and Duane opposed. Motion carries.

Sheila notes we might want to revisit this in the future and asks whether there is anything else anyone wants to bring up around guidelines for the storage of personal items at the lake. Sheila does not think we should leave the boat out on the lift throughout the winter as it could be stolen.

Mike suggests the boat could fit in the boathouse during the winter and not be in anyone’s way.

Vic notes his understanding of the plan is that the boat  would be left out in the summer only.

Mike recommends we chain it up to the boat lift and keep the motor in the boathouse to deter theft.

Sheila asks whether it’s easy to put the motor on the boat while it’s on the lift?

Mike responds he would pull it up to the shore, bring the transom up to the shore, and put the motor on.

Sheila responds that it works for her.

    d.     Upcoming Maintenance

             i)          Walkway and Deck – Vic mentioned at Dec 13, 2021 meeting that replacement of the 2x4s on the front deck is a growing concern and would be a good item for a work bee.

           Action Plan:

Vic notes he hasn’t finalised the timing or the goal of the work bee.

Mike asks when they are targeting and whether the invitation is open to everyone?

Duane responds April 9-16, 2022.

Mike notes he has some vacation time which could potentially be used.

Vic notes they want to keep the work bee small but agrees he, Duane, and Mike should talk. He clarifies that the area underneath the cabin is a horrible mess which has to be dealt with. He doesn’t want to rent a bin because it will fill up with other people’s junk as soon as it shows up. He believes they could use the pit at the end of the boathouse to store junk in the interim.

Sheila also raises the possibility of renovating the deck. Vic and Duane will report back after the work bee.

             ii)          Furnace Maintenance

                         On Jan 29, 2022, Carson sent the family an email where he outlined his analysis of the propane lines and the condition of the furnace after he and his hvac friend assessed them. His friend recommended that we replace the furnace in the next couple of years and Carson mentioned the possibility of replacing the pilot and thermocouple soon to avoid problems in the interim.

                           Action Plan:

Melanie explains Carson was going to look into heat taping the pipe but wanted to get people’s opinions first.

Sheila asks whether we want to use heat tape or propane to keep the pipe from freezing this winter. (Presently, the furnace is on.)

Mike notes the amount of propane it would cost to heat the furnace room would be substantially more than the cost of the heat tape.

Cody notes the risk we run either way is power outages.

Melanie agrees to ask Carson to take this on and install heat tape.**note, Carson has since installed heat tape on this section of pipe**

Vic asks about the state of the furnace given it’s at least 40 years old. He notes if Carson recommends maintenance on the furnace he should be empowered to make the expenditures. He suggests we assess the condition of the furnace rather than waiting for it to fail and should also look into installing ducting in the three bedrooms and AC.

Duane asks whether Carson had committed to looking into the cost to replace the furnace?

Sheila believes he has committed to getting a baseline quote from his HVAC friend and that we should make a decision once the appraisal comes in.

Duane notes they have two furnaces in their house and one died quite quickly. He cautions the furnace at the cabin is old and could fail at any time.

Sheila recommends we make this an item on our next zoom meeting.

    e.     Development of Backyard (Duane) 

At the Dec 13, 2021 AGM, Duane presented some initial thoughts on “low to zero maintenance landscaping” for the backyard.

Further Discussion:

Duane states he knows someone who can help with this but believes a committee should be struck. He will think over whether he wants to lead the committee and circle back with this at the next Zoom meeting. This is not his area of expertise but he still believes we should go in this direction because the grass isn’t growing and the backyard looks terrible.

Vic asks Sheila whether she received information about Sheep’s Fescue?

Sheila responds this is a type of natural lawn which is native to the area. (This information was provided by Darryl Arsenault, our Qualified Environmental Professional – QEP – hired at the time when we had a portion of the boathouse ramp removed.)

 f.     Contingency Fund Plan

At the Dec 13, 2021 AGM, Vic proposed an initial figure of $30K as a goal for the Contingency Fund which would be available for repairs, emergencies, and major projects.

Further Discussion:

Sheila notes we have not achieved this amount and should continue to assess projects and prioritise based on available budget.

Vic cautions the downside of this approach is that we keep circling on some of the projects as we never know what we have. He doesn’t believe we’re going to be able to build up a contingency fund based on user fees alone.

Jim asks why we don’t finance major expenses like we did with the dock?

Vic responds the risk is if we get hit with a big expense it might be more than people are comfortable covering.

Sheila asks whether Vic is suggesting we need a special assessment to build up the fund instead of relying on the increased user fee rate to build it up.

Vic responds if we’re fine with what Jim has suggested then we should formalise the approach. He would like us to avoid having to check with Jennifer whether there’s enough money in the bank account.

Duane notes we’re running out of time so we should meet again to create a plan for the furnace and the contingency fund.

Cody notes that were we to have information about the contribution of increased user fees and increased usage to our revenue generation this would help make decisions relating to the contingency fund.

Vic highlights there will always be headwinds (such as forest fires, COVID, etc.) which will slow down our revenues, and suggests we could set a lower initial target (for example $10k instead of $30k) and then build from there. He notes the current balance in the account looks to be $8766 after the recent propane bill.

Sheila agrees we need to continue the discussion and notes this conversation has been informative as she thought the increased user fee would be instrumental in building up the fund.
Sharyn notes it would have been, but people weren’t able to come out over the summer due to the forest fires.

Sheila proposes we agree to have another meeting within 8 weeks.
Duane recommends we connect after the work bee in April. All were in agreement.

  g.     Purchase a Tall Step Ladder

            Recommended by Vic regarding pruning tops of cedars on the East property line.

            Action Plan:

  h.     User Fee Exemption for “Work Bee Project Days During a Pleasure Stay at Cabin” (Sheila)

  i.     Friends of Fintry Membership (Stephen)

  j.     Possibility of Transferring Ownership of the Cabin to the Next Generation

             i)      Any feedback from next generation?

            ii)       Next steps:

4. Year-end Review and Synopsis

Apart from acknowledging family members for their efforts, this documentation is a helpful cross-reference for the Maintenance document. Anyone who has kindly taken responsibility for any item in the Maintenance document is asked to personally update the details of this action in that record. 

Please let Sheila know of items that should be added to this list for the current year since she is not aware of everything that should be mentioned. Thank you.

  Maintenance, Acquisitions, Projects Accomplished 2021:  MANY THANKS TO ALL

                       i)               New Fridge (Kathleen & Vic, Mike & Jim)

                      ii)               Overhead Cupboard Renovated to Accommodate New Fridge (Vic)

                     iii)               New Hot Water Tank (Mike & Jim)

                     iv)               New TV (Mike)

                      v)               Shower Repair (Carson)

                     vi)         Main Bathroom Tap Washer Replaced (Carson)

                    vii)                Tiling in Main Bathroom (Mike & Jim, Kathleen & Aileen)

                   viii)                Shower Rod Tension Bar & Bathroom Window Curtain (Vic & Kathleen)

                     ix)                Dead Cedars and other “Smallish” Trees Removed from West Property Line   (Melanie, Bryan & Karen, Richard)

                      x)                Utility Trailer (Ron & Sheila, Mike & Jim)

                     xi)                Barbecue (Ron & Sheila)

                    xii)                Leaf Blower and Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors (Duane)

                   xiii)                Wrench Set (Imperial & Metric) (Vic)

                   xiv)                Insulation of Water Pipes Under Deck Between Storage and Kitchen (Carson)

                    xv)                Removal of Pine Needles and Leaves from Gutters & Roofs (all families)

                   xvi)         Pruning of Fruit Trees (Duane)

                  xvii)         Removal of Yard Debris (Melanie, Bryan and Karen; Ron, Sheila and Stephen)

                 xviii)         Professional Chimney Sweeping (Melanie)

                  xix)          Bugmaster Platinum Service (+liaison role throughout the season-Melanie)

                   xx)          Internet access set up at cabin (Cody, at his own expense); later disconnected

                    xxi)        Draining of Cabin (by Cody: the cabin has been drained and antifreeze has been applied to the toilets and sink drains. The new hot water tank has also been drained manually, using a hose. Note:  the underground main underground water valve was not closed in 2021.)

5.  Directors’ Resolutions

(Great thanks to Jen for preparation of all Financial documents and Directors’ Resolutions)

Decision regarding positions of President and Secretary

Directors are to sign Resolutions and email to Jennifer at their earliest convenience.

Sheila is willing to continue as President but hopes that someone else can take it on after next year (preferably someone from the next generation).

Cody is willing to continue as Secretary for the upcoming year.

Sheila notes the resolution date on the Directors’ Resolution forms is wrong, so signatories will need to cross it out and update it to today’s date (February 7, 2022) and add “(2021 AGM)” when signing in order to avoid confusion regarding the fact that these forms pertain to the 2021 AGM rather than the 2022 AGM.

Vic asks whether each shareholder is expected to sign separately?

Sheila confirms that this is what was done last year and asks that these forms are passed to Jennifer via email. Sheila notes her intention to return the Signant Two Minute Book (binder) to Jennifer who will file the Directors’ Resolutions therein.

Sheila asks everyone to state their priority for the agenda items for upcoming Zoom meeting.

6.  Zoom Meetings Spring 2022

     How often shall we have meetings?

     What are your priorities for discussions?

     Action Plan:

7.   Meeting Concluded