News Announcements

FIRST NOTICE of the 2020 Annual Meeting!

Posted on Jul 14th, 2020

Greetings Allegheny Springs Homeowners –

We hope this communication finds you well during these unprecedented times. It’s great to have the Mountain open again and we were happy to see such a large turnout over the Independence holiday weekend.

The past few months have been challenging for HOAs across the mountain, specifically for larger projects and contractor presence due to the impact of COVID-19. Typically, the month of April is the kickoff for Association projects; this year that would have included a much-anticipated building envelope investigation project that would outline a roadmap for spring/summer/fall 2020 projects and future building exterior maintenance plans. Fortunately, the engineers were able to return to the Mountain and perform that investigation at the end of June and we are optimistic that we will still be able to address some of the necessary items contained in that report before ski season is upon us again. Since the Governor issued his reopening plan, The Comeback, we have been able to pick up progress on some of the planned projects including painting and other smaller scope repairs throughout the building. The Board has also voted to convert the smaller “splash pool” adjacent to the large pool to another hot tub, which will be an added amenity for owners and guests, especially during our colder seasons. The association is also looking to improve the ski lockers, install new stairwell signage, perform multiple mechanical system repairs, and update various areas of the courtyard.

The current state of affairs proves challenging for the planning of upcoming events. Out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of our owners and guests, we will have the Annual Meeting of the Members of the Allegheny Springs Condominium Association on Friday, August 7th at 3:00pm via virtual meeting. More information with instructions on how to participate virtually will be forthcoming.

At the annual meeting, there will be an election for Directors of the Board as allowed by the Association bylaws. We encourage each owner to participate in the election for Directors and request that we receive your intent to run for the Board of Directors no later than Wednesday, July 22nd at 5:00pm EST. We also encourage any owner who runs for the election to submit a one-page biography outlining your background and interest in serving on the Board.

As you may recall, a Governing Documents Committee was appointed in response to the 2019 election of two directors from the owners of commercial units, and one director from the residential unit owners. This committee has finalized their proposed amendments to the association documents and is working with the Association’s attorney on a final draft to be presented to the ownership for review and approval vote. The key elements of the proposed changes are:

1. The Board membership would be increased from 3 to 7;

2. The Board would be elected on a "class" basis, with 5 directors elected by residential unit owners, and two directors elected by commercial unit owners.

More information on the proposed amendments and finalized documents for your review will be forthcoming along with a summary provided by the Committee.

Additionally, your Board of Directors recently reviewed and adopted the 2020/2021 budget. This budget must now be ratified by the ownership and will be an agenda item at the annual meeting. A proxy form for your vote for ratification of the budget will be sent out with the annual meeting agenda and election ballot. The average residential increase in dues is 0% and average commercial increase is 8.1%. Some notable changes include adjustments in various line items to bring expenses closer to actual figures from the prior year, increases in contracted services based on contract negotiations, and an increased contribution to maintenance reserves. The Board and management team want to stress that increased reserve contributions will help strengthen the reserve fund balance and help prepare the association for upcoming building envelope expenditures, as well as component replacements as outlined in the Association’s reserve study.

Finally, on the proposed budget you may notice that “Parking Revenues” has been omitted and a new line for “Amenity Fee” income was added. These lines are essentially a wash. The Association is in receipt of a termination notice from Snowshoe Mountain, Inc. regarding the remittance of parking fee income to the Association effective October 1, 2020. Historically, this parking revenue has afforded homeowners the luxury of meeting annual budget requirements by offsetting an increase to monthly dues. The reason behind this change is due to the inequity that exists across the ownership with only a portion of guests (units participating in Snowshoe’s rental program) contributing to this income that ultimately benefits all units in the building. Therefore, the Board has approved a policy that will replace the parking fee income with income from an amenity fee. This line item has been approximately $87,500 the last several years, but has been reduced by 30% to $64,614 in the FY20/21 proposed budget due to the pandemic. The purpose of this fee is to offset HOA expenses related to additional wear and tear on the common elements. The Amenity Fee policy requires that the fee is paid by all homeowners (or though extension of their rental agents) based on the number of rented room nights. A copy of the new Amenity Fee policy can be found under the "owner-privileged information" section of the website. The other 4 Village condominium associations have also implemented similar policies. Please note that Snowshoe will collect the amenity fee in place of the parking fee so guests will not see an increase. Homeowners who participate in rental programs outside of Snowshoe’s program should share this policy with their property managers.

If you have any questions about the Amenity Fee policy, budget, annual meeting, or election, please feel free to contact me at meredith@mountainlife.net or 850-797-9058.