UNIVERSITY HILL ASSOCIATION OF HOMEOWNERS

In accordance with the Bylaws of UHAOH the Annual General Meeting of the Membership was held in the Ballroom of the Las Colinas Country Club.

Board members present were; Arnold Martin, Charles Schmidt, Don McGee, Charles (Chuck) Hosler, Martin Kahn, Nell Anne Hunt, Barbara Hull, James Wells, and John DeMarco. Board Members absent were: Esther Nachimson, Anna Walther, Linda Oliver, and Felix Fenter.

About 40 residents of UH were in attendance hence a quorum for the meeting was duly established.

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President Arnold Martin called the meeting to order at 7:15 PM and extended a warm welcome to all. Arnold noted this was the 10^th Annual General Meeting of the UHAOH membership.

Arnold acknowledged the presence of Mr. Rick Bidne, President of the Las Colinas Association (TLCA) and his wife along with Kathrine Pennington, Community

Relations Coordinator for TLCA. Arnold remarked how grateful we are for all the good works done by TLCA and the support given to us by TLCA.

Arnold called up to the podium Don McGee, Immediate Past President and Advisor to the Board of Directors.

Don asked everyone to review the sign-in sheet left at each table and to volunteer for any activity of their choosing. The association is always in need of good folks to make better things happen in our community.

Don then asked everyone to bow their heads in a moment of silent reflection on the debt we all owe to the members of our Armed Forces and to our veterans.

Don made reference to the minutes of last year’s AGM that were posted to the UH website and asked for any comments or corrections. As there were none Don made a motion to accept these minutes. Martin Kahn seconded the motion and it passed.

In his capacity as Chairman of the Nominating Committee, Don outlined how there were 4 vacancies to fill on the Board of Directors. Candidates nominated by the Committee for a three-year term were: Jennifer Davis, Nell Anne Hunt, Barbara Hull, and Chuck Hosler.

Don asked if there were any nominations from the floor. There were none and the four candidates for directorships were approved as nominated by acclamation.

Don then informed the meeting that Linda Oliver, a director who had been elected for a two-year term last year, had submitted her resignation. The Nominating Committee in consultation with the President has appointed Garland Sherrod to fill out the remaining term for Linda.

Arnold drew attention to several individuals who were "retiring" from their positions with the association this year, viz. Linda Oliver and Felix Fenter, board members, and Kent Smith, Deputy Chief of Area B. Arnold expressed our sincere gratitude to them for their years of service to the association and to our UH community.

Arnold recognized Allen Taylor, the new Deputy Chief of Area B, and re-iterated Don McGee’s call for volunteers, especially as Block Captains. The Block Captains provide an essential link in the communications between UH residents and our association.

Arnold then introduced our featured speaker, Albert Zapanta, President and CEO of the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Chairman and CEO of PAZ Energy, and a member of TLCA’s Board of Directors. Mr. Zapanta spoke about the natural gas industry from his current experience with his company’s Exploration & Production activities at the DFW Airport and his former employment with ARCO. At the conclusion of his remarks, Mr. Zapanta was open to Q&A’s from the floor, all of which were most interesting given the current depressed prices for natural gas yet whose future seems very bright.

Arnold called upon Mr. Rick Bidne and Ms. Kathrine Pennington of TLCA to speak on current and future developments in Las Colinas. This they did with their usual aplomb and answered several questions from the floor to everyone’s keen interest.

Chuck Hosler, our Treasurer, reported that the financial health of our association is sound. Currently UHAOH has about $28,000 in assets of which $15,000 is in a reserve account. Chuck commended previous administrations as well as the current board for their building of the reserve fund and for sustaining our financial security..

Chuck then outlined a forecast of monetary inflows and outflows for year 2010. If all goes according to plan the budget will be balanced for 2010 without any need to dip into the reserves. Copies of the budget forecast for 2010 and of the financial reports as at end October 2009 were made available to those in attendance.

Charles Schmidt, Vice President, announced the eleven (11) winners of the prestigious 40 Year Home of Distinction Award for this year. At this time there are 111 homes in UH aged 40 years or older. Over the past three years 37 of these homes have met the high standards of maintenance and upkeep inherent in the criteria for judging. The 11 winners for 2009 were presented with the 40 Year Home of Distinction Marker on an aluminum stake for display in their front yards.

Charles then spoke about the Green Neighbor Program in Las Colinas. Our association was one of the very first to participate. Now some 16 % of the homes in UH are qualified as Green Neighbors and have been given the coveted Green Neighbor Medallion. . Charles enjoined other residents of UH to become Green Neighbors; application forms are available from him or on the UH website.

Pat Andres, Chairwoman of the Neighborhood Beautification Committee, explained to the attendees the criteria she and her committee use to select Yard of the Month. Pat also reminded everyone about the up-coming Holiday Lighting Contest. Judging will be conducted on the 14^th of December.

Arnold recognized Scott Glover, long time homeowner in UH, who had been away for a period of time. Scott was a member of the board with interest in Special Projects for many years and would like to resume his volunteer efforts on behalf of the association.

Barbara Hull invited everyone to the opening of the Deck the Hills event. It will be held on Monday, December 7th, at 6 PM. There will be lots to see and do for the whole family. Of special attraction will be the enhanced light displays some of which are new this year.

While Barbara opined that this year’s DTW event is certain to be the best ever, she suggested it might be made even better with the addition of some reindeer light displays. They cost about $400 each. She asked for donations from the meeting attendees. Their generosity resulted in the collection of about $260 which donations are greatly appreciated.

Nell Anne gave a recap of the Great Flag Caper for 2009 in which some 40,000 flags were put on display around Irving. She thanked the association for its contributions and for the volunteer efforts of so many of its members. Parts of the City of Irving do not have the resources to do a flag display on the 4^th of July, so the donation from UHAOH is most effective in providing for a city-wide celebration of our nation’s birthday.

Martin Kahn recounted the efforts of the Bylaws Committee in formulating the new set of bylaws that were adopted at last year’s AGM. Martin also pointed out the unique attributes of UHAOH in comparison to the other HOA’s in Las Colinas and acknowledged the accomplishments of our volunteer association in prior years, e.g. the Red Wall and the closing of Wingren Drive to establish a park in that area.

Don McGee joined Martin in this praise of our association and remarked what a good value the residents of UH obtain for their $50 annual dues contribution.

Don made a motion to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

John De Marco on behalf of Esther Nachimson