BARQUE HILL ASSOCIATION Annual Report - 2005

May 27, 2005

Dear Neighbors,

Enclosed is the annual report for 2005 (5/1/04-4/30/05), an income statement including our budget for 2006, the minutes of the annual meeting held earlier this month and the dues notice. Thanks for supporting our Association.

Future e-mails from the Association will be coming from BarqueHillAssociation@yahoo.com. You might want to add this e-mail address to your contacts list to ensure that your spam filter doesn’t automatically remove these mailings.

The annual picnic has been scheduled for Saturday, September 24 at 3:00 PM at Shipyard Park. In addition to the great food, Matt Hendison of MY GYM fame will again provide a full schedule of games and activities for the kids. A flyer will be sent out later this summer as a reminder.

Please let me or any of the directors listed below know of any concerns or requests you have for the Association’s attention. We will do our best to make Barque Hill a safer and more attractive place to live.

Treasurer's Report

We ran a somewhat larger deficit than projected this past year (5/04-4/05) as the enclosed Income Statement details. This deficit was almost entirely due to increased expenditures in landscaping where a great deal was accomplished as summarized later in this report. Our revenues were more than anticipated as 93 of 107 owners paid their annual dues of $150. Paid members are so noted on our address/telephone listing which was recently distributed. Adding further to our revenue was a generous donation. As mentioned, our expenses were more than budgeted in the landscaping area. On the other hand, we were not hit as hard on our insurance premium as expected, and our real estate taxes actually declined as the increase in valuation of our six common land parcels was more than offset by the reduction in the tax rate.

Looking forward, we are budgeting a small loss for this coming year although as usual there are question marks. Chief among them are our mowing and landscaping fees which may increase and a possible increase in the insurance premium. Our real estate taxes are almost certain to rise as the Town of Norwell deals with an extremely tight budget. However, we do have funds budgeted to continue improvements in the neighborhood including ongoing fence repairs.

Web Site

John Garvey has created a very interesting and attractive web site (www.barquehill.org) which contains the history of our area, pictures and other helpful information. He is always looking for more material – pictures, articles, etc.

Grounds

We have an agreement with the Town of Norwell, negotiated in 1983, whereby our 64 acres of common land is under a conservation restriction which prohibits any building, dumping or cutting on the common land without the approval of the Conservation Commission. In return, the taxes are at a reduced rate and the land is reserved for use by members of the Barque Hill Association.

General:
We made significant improvements in the appearance and enjoyment of our common lands, primarily through clearing dead wood and underbrush and planting. All the trees on Barque Hill Drive were trimmed of dead branches and the grounds raked. Barque Hill Trail was cleared of dense growth and debris and is once again a pleasant walking path. Dead trees and limbs in Barque Hill Common were removed and burned. Shipyard Park was enlarged and new grass planted. Landing Green was surveyed and cleared near the road. Finally, a large effort in Till Rock Park cleared years of accumulated undergrowth and dead wood, opening the whole area for residents to enjoy.

Mowing:
We are fortunate that Bill Goodwin and his On the Green staff have been attentive and efficient in caring for our grounds. In addition to mowing, they provided both a spring and fall clean-up and some minor trimming. Mowing on common land, particularly the center strip on Barque Hill Drive and the frontage of Till Rock Park, is hampered by dog owners not picking up after their pets. Please be considerate of our neighborhood where so many of us walk and play by cleaning up after your dog. Fences: No repairs were made this year. However, several rails have rotted and fallen and several posts have weakened. We expect to continue to replace fences every year or so as the aging process continues.

Flowers and Rocks:
 Jessie Chai and Loann Keene have done a wonderful job in planting flowers at the foot of Barque Hill Drive and Till Rock. Christmas wreaths added to our enjoyment of the season. Loann repainted the Barque Hill logos on the two rocks a year ago.

Stetson Road:
Our Association volunteered to help keep Stetson clear of trash and neater in appearance. We spent some time last summer and fall on the strip paralleling Route 3, picking up trash, mowing and trimming. Many of our residents enjoy walking and running on this road.

Rope Swing:
The rope swing and all the attendant problems have long been topics of discussion in our Association. At the 2004 annual meeting, several points of view were raised, both pro and con. Positions and comments were posted on the web site and then a vote was taken. In May, 44 resident owners voted, 25-19, to cut down the rope swing and limb. I June the swing was gone, and most of the accompanying problems disappeared this past summer.

Association Functions

Picnic – September 18:
We had nice weather and a great time with activities and games organized by Matt Hendison, food prepared by Paul McCarthy and salads and desserts brought by many. One of the highlights was the resurrection of the infamous egg toss.

Halloween – October 26:
At Matt’s suggestion, we held a Halloween parade at Shipyard Park to give the kids a chance to show off their costumes in the daylight. There were more games and treasure hunts, accompanied by desserts, making for another successful day. We did not hire a roving policeman this year did not appear to have any incidents of a serious nature.

Welcoming Committee:
Under the leadership of Anne Merna, a welcoming committee put together a package of gifts to present to the six new owners in Barque Hill. This initiative was well received and adds to the congeniality of our area.

Roads

Condition:
Although the subject of road maintenance has been a common one every year at Town Meeting, that expense has continually been deferred to more pressing budget priorities. Finally, this year Town Meeting approved a $1 mil. bond issue for this purpose. Our roads have been rated “poor” and were given two of three steps this past fall by the Highway Department. First, drainage areas were cleared and repaired. Second, a base coat and berm were laid down on the existing roads. The top coat was not begun and awaits action this summer when a contact can be settled with a consortium of towns in the Norwell area.

Speeding:
In November, 2003, we sent a letter to the Traffic Study Committee requesting a review of the speed in Barque Hill and the feasibility of STOP signs, particularly at the corner of Till Rock and Brigantine Circle. Another dangerous area is opposite Shipyard Park where cars speed down the hill and can’t be easily seen by pedestrians and bike riders. Among the concerns expressed was the obvious danger to children and walkers/runners. This letter was addressed at the May 27 meeting attended by Tom Flynn and Tom Poor. Any action to be taken on this request will require study and measurement, a process which hasn’t happened in a year and seems indicative of the speed of this Committee.

Other Topics

Home Owner’s Guide:
This guide is usually given to new residents of Barque Hill. It was reprinted in the spring of 1994 from the original version created in 1962 to provide design standards and general information for the development of the Barque Hill area by Norwell Associates. It would be nice to have a modern version, meaning a review of the present guide in its entirety and making appropriate additions/subtractions. Please speak to Kris or Tom if you’d like to work on this project.