12/04/2015
To: All Cypress Point property owners
From: Cypress Point HOA Board of Directors
Date: November 23, 2015
Subject: Streets and drainage
Due to the poor condition of our streets and drainage, in 2014 your board of directors contracted with a civil engineering firm, Southeast Engineers, to conduct a study to determine what is causing the erosion and how to repair the alleyways. The engineer in charge of the project, Craig Duos, attended our 2014 annual meeting to discuss how we should proceed. At our 2015 annual meeting held Monday, November 9, our biggest topic of discussion was that engineering study. The results of the study were staggering, and your board of directors has been brainstorming for the last few months to come up with a solution.
The cost to repair everything, streets and drainage, is approximately $500,000. While we are still working with the city to have some repairs done on their areas of responsibility, we do not feel it will provide a significant reduction in our expenses. The full cost of our repairs would require a special assessment of approximately $4,500 from each property owner. This would be a huge burden for most of us. Since it is already difficult to collect our monthly fees and we have several people who owe in excess of $5,000, it is not likely that we could collect a special assessment of this magnitude from all owners.
The board proposed at the annual meeting to create a Crime Prevention and Improvement District which has been done by many communities in Baton Rouge. This district will enable us to set an annual fee on each property that will be collected by way of the sheriff as tax collector. Creating this district would require passing a bill in the Louisiana legislature, and then the proposal would be placed on a ballot for a vote. Once approved, this legislation will give us the ability to borrow money to be paid back over time with the revenues collected. At the annual meeting a motion passed giving the board authority to move forward with this proposal. A second motion passed that would put a maximum amount of $300 per year on each parcel. At approximately $300 per year ($25.00 per month) for 20 years we can pay for the entire project and add crime prevention measures to address the vandalism we have been experiencing this year. This method will be fair to everyone – you only pay as long as you own the property but repairs will begin as soon as we are approved for the loan.
The issues with our streets and drainage did not happen overnight. It is through years of wear and neglect. These problems have been discussed for many years with no resolve. In order to maintain and improve our property values we must act soon. According to the engineer we “will be driving on gravel if something is not done within the next two years.” Due to the critical nature of this issue, we have decided to send this notification via certified mail to ensure that everyone is informed of the situation. It is our hope that all property owners will support the members of the association in this endeavor.
If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact either Brenda Williams at 924-6127, [email protected] or Andrea Cassidy at 930-0606, [email protected].
