February 2003 Bulletin

Promotional material published sometime between 1950 and 1954. It was probably commissioned by realtor and developer Hugh H. Russell who also became the first President of the Innis Arden Club, Inc. in 1950.

Agenda for the March 11th,
7:00 PM Board Meeting

Approve Minutes

On Friday, February 7th, colorist Gary Volk from “On the Wall” showed us how to use color on the walls of our homes. He presented wall paper samples, palette ideas, and a slide show of some of his work. About 70 people participated, enjoying margaritas, hors d’oeuvres, and Gary’s presentation. If you wish to contact Gary, he can be reached at 206.632.4250

The Board is responding to several covenant compliance requests. It has identified some violations including

The Board has been working with the City when possible Code Violations have occurred.

Well, it’s that time of year folks--MARCH MADNESS is here! This is your FINAL notice of who, what, where, and why. Make sure you make it to the clubhouse on March 8th and 9th to pick up some SWEET deals on gently used items. We have a great LINE-UP of books, furniture, clothes, home accessories and more! If you haven’t picked a time to help out before, during or after the sale, please do so and call Sherri Robbins at 546-8366. It takes a TEAM of Innis Arden neighbors to make this event a SLAM DUNK! How can you help??? See January's Bulletin for a detailed schedule.

Again, for information to help in any way, please call Sherri Robbins at 546-8366 or Johanna Warness at 542-6984

A HUGE SUCCESS!
The 'Decorate with Color' event was a huge success with approximately 75 attendees! Gary Volk from the company, On the Wall, shared some color tips and trends while residents sipped on margaritas and punch. Some lucky residents left with more than they came with as several door prizes were given. We appreciate the prize donations from Gary, Daly's paint store and the Activities' Committee.

A special thanks goes to Kathy Malarky and Sylvia Moren in helping to set up the event. We could not have had this event without the help of many volunteers from the Activities' Committee and residents in the neighborhood. Thank you soooooooo much for your support.

Activities Committee is Looking for Help!
The Activities Committee (AC) is certainly on a roll. We have so many great events and projects planned for this year. However, we are looking for a co-chairperson to replace Pam Smit. (She plans to stay very involved in the group!) Pam has been co-chairing with Chris Kocher for the past two years. Chris would like to continue in her role but needs another co-chair. The AC is looking for someone who is willing to work with a great group of women to promote their committees’ projects and events. This person will also be the AC’s representative on the IA board. We want someone who is truly interested in the Activities Committee.

If you are interested in this position, please call Pam Smit at 533-0240. Also if you want to join our group contact Pam.

Mark your calendars! Next meeting is Tuesday, April 1^st at 7:00 pm at Tracy Landboe’s house.

First Annual Wine Taste
Saturday, March 22, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Innis Arden Clubhouse

Arista Wine Cellars of Edmonds, and our neighbor, Charles Lill of DeLille Winery, will be on hand to provide information on the wines being poured. DeLille offers a selection of premier wines. Red and white Washington state wines can be tasted, and you will have the option of purchasing wines at a discount.

It’s a neighborhood wine tasting party so get dressed up, leave the kids at home, and come to enjoy a variety of wines and light appetizers prepared by Your Table is Ready Catering Company.

Appetizers include grilled coconut glazed chicken thighs, gruyere cheese puffs, and Italian sausage stuffed mushrooms are some of the signature dishes on the menu for the evening—mouth watering indeed!

Please register in advance. Space is limited to the first 150 people. All replies received by March 1^st will be entered in a wine raffle.

Please make checks payable to the Innis Arden club and mail them to:
Jan Holbrook
16830 14th Avenue NW
Shoreline, WA 98177

The photo at left has been enhanced to highlight the sticks which represent either a plant to be planted or one that has already been planted. The sticks are marked as to type of plant such as tree, shrub, or ground cover. Revegetation includes the planting of 355 trees, 830 shrubs, and 1868 herbs/ground covers. Examples of plant species are Vine Maple, Serviceberry, Pacific Madrona, Salal, Indian Plum, Evergreen Huckleberry, Kinnikinnick and Sweet Woodruff.

Bear Reserve Trail Cleared

This trail is used by school children walking to and from Sunset Elementary. Because a transient occasionally ‘sets up camp’ in the Reserve, concern has grown for children's safety. Recently volunteers cleared the trail head of Bear Reserve (part of the mini-grant project) so that now it can be seen from street to street.

Right now is the best time to prune, crown, or even remove trees and hedges on our property which do not comply with the Innis Arden covenants and/or Tree Height Amendment and which obstruct the views of our neighbors. Let’s make VIEW RESTORATION a project for all of us living here. The covenant is available on our web site. Select on Innis Arden subdivision.

In the event that height-appropriate replacement plantings are sought, check out the View Information Packet. Scroll down to the list of plants which includes ornamental species suitable for Western Washington and a view community such as Innis Arden.

Enclosed in the February Bulletin are some aerial photos (from 1953 and 1998) of Innis Arden, obtained from the city of Shoreline. Using the large map enclosure from November’s Bulletin will help identify areas of the photos. If you have misplaced the map, more will be available at the next Board meeting, March 11th, or by going to our Web site and clicking on the 'neighborhood' link at the top of the home page.

Innis Arden Club, Inc.
Board of Directors Meeting
February 11, 7:00 PM
Summary of Minutes

Board members present: Michael Rasch (President), Mike Jacobs (Vice President), Carol Solle (Secretary), Ewa Sledziewski, (Clubhouse), Loys Lamb (Buildings and Remodels), Maggie Taber (Grounds), Dave Fosmire (Reserves), Pam Smit (Activities), excused: June Howard (Treasurer). Community members attending: About 30

A. Community Announcements and Concerns

B. Board Agenda
Building and remodel process changes: Rasch said that the Board is in the process of reworking the Building and Remodel Policy and will present this during the next Board Meeting. Included in the changes are requiring a complete application prior to Board consideration.

Reconsider 500 foot notification rule: In some cases, notifying all neighbors of a remodel within 500 feet seems excessive. According to Loys Lamb, the 500 foot notification rule requires contacting over 50 neighbors (although it varies from property to property). There was a dialogue similar to that of January’s meeting. One idea was requiring the person seeking the remodel to send letters to all neighbors within 500 feet, and getting neighbor signoffs from immediate neighbors. Another idea was simply to contact affected and/or neighbors within 200 feet.

Mandatory marking of trees higher than roof line (excluding lots documented in tree height amendment): Sledziewski feels it is difficult for those folks up the hill to determine whose tree is blocking their view, not to mention knowing which house is up for remodeling. Unless you see the framing for the remodel or pay attention to the bulletin for the list of homes up for remodeling you may miss an opportunity to provide input. If vegetation compliance is mandatory for approval then it should be demonstrated. It should be the responsibility of the owner, not the board, to show that their vegetation is in compliance if there is a question. She suggested floating latex balloons to mark trees above roof height.

Discuss vegetation consideration for remodels that include higher roofline: Can vegetation be limited to the original roofline by amending the deed? There are instances when raising the roofline would not be view blocking, but if vegetation were allowed to grow to the higher roofline, then the vegetation would be view blocking. Looking at the criteria in section 4 of the covenants, the Board sees a potential for impairment of view if the roofline is raised. Normally, based on the potential for view impairment, the board would deny the remodel, but it sees a way to approve the remodel it if it doesn't facilitate trees going to the new roofline height. The Board can make a conditional approval, that the deed be amended; otherwise the Board would have no choice but to deny it.

Discuss changes in the policy for approval of fences and storage sheds. Sledziewski suggested that only immediate neighbors should be required to sign off, not all in 500 ft radius. Warranty of Compliance stands since this is another chance to restore view.

Rasch concluded that all of the above will be considered during an executive Board meeting, and that findings resulting from this meeting will be presented to the community during the next general Board meeting.

Sign at Entrance: Add www.innisarden.com to the existing sign. Sledziewski estimated that it would cost no more than $200 to have a sign made that would hang under the existing entrance sign. Fosmire suggested that ‘a covenanted community’ would be more appropriate (in fact, there used to be a sign that said ‘A Restricted Residential Community’), as not all people have access to the Internet. Judy Allen requested that we wait four months at which time Shoreline Community College students will come up with a design for entrance signs, and our neighborhood can again apply for a mini-grant with the City to help finance this.

Condos in IA: Keith Miles presented reasons why the community should consider building a limited number of condominiums exclusively for elderly Innis Arden residents who want to remain in the neighborhood, but no longer want to maintain large houses and yards. There are already several people who would be interested in purchasing such condo. Cottingham pointed out that a 10-story condo building was proposed to be built in the former ‘business area’ of Innis Arden (along 8^th NW near Richmond Beach Road) and was rejected by the community. Dick Wolf expressed concerns about ‘spot zoning’.

C. Committee Reports

Activities: Pam Smit reported that 75 people attended Friday’s ‘Decorating with Color’ event. The Beach walk scheduled for February 14^th may be canceled because only 7 people have registered so far. Valentines Day may not have been a good choice to schedule such an event. On February 28^th Susan Wirth from Sweet Basil will be speaking about cooking and food presentation. There will be a wine tasting party on March 22^nd for which there will be a $15 admission. The rummage sale is scheduled for March 8^th and 9^th, the proceeds of which pay for Club functions, playground equipment maintenance, paving the parking lot and more.

Clubhouse: The good news is that there are new lights installed on the walls of the Clubhouse. Thanks to Dave Fosmire and Roger Lowell for their work. The bad news is, there is a major problem with the drain. The floor near the bar area must be jack hammered for repairs. Sledziewski would like to hire a building inspector to issue a full report on what is wrong and what needs to be done to the Clubhouse. After that, we could prioritize and determine costs.

Action: A motion to hire a building inspector to check on the Clubhouse, limited to $500 was passed unanimously..

Reserves: Surveyors are back out in the Reserves. Trees in Eagle Reserve have been tagged for location, size and species. Clearing right-of-way on the initial sites approved by the city has been completed. A half dozen more sites adjacent to Reserves has been approved by the city and will be announced in the Bulletin. The Board is paying for a water meter to irrigate Grouse Reserve in the amount of $3,097.

Grounds: Payment from last year and deposits for this year have been received by Richmond Little League and Hillwood Soccer. The leagues need to be billed for this year, and insurance policies need to be reviewed. Jacobs will get the contracts and copies of their insurance policies and Howard will send invoices.

McCarthy-17236 12th NW: Fence. McCarthy is erecting a 5-foot chain link fence with three 12-foot corner posts to support a fishnet to keep balls from escaping the existing sports court. This is not a boundary fence but more like a backstop for pitching. There will be no lighting.

Action: A motion was passed to approve the McCarthy fence, 5-2 with one abstention.

Stamey-18533 8th Ave NW: 2-story addition, 24' x 22', will be approximately the same height as existing structure, which is currently about 24' high

Cottingham-17228 10^th NW: Elevator. Although the Warranty of Compliance was not submitted, Cottingham affirmed that his property is in compliance with the covenants and that he intended it to keep it in compliance. Because an incomplete application was submitted, Loys Lamb recommended that it be denied without prejudice.

Action: A motion to deny without prejudice the Cottingham application was passed unanimously

The board did offer to try and expedite his application because of Mrs. Cottingham's needs. The board will continue to offer facilitation once the application has been completed.

Marcu-1435 NW 188th St: New addition in back, three rooms and a bath. Because revised plans were presented too late for the Board to review, the following action was taken:

Action: A motion to deny without prejudice the Marcu remodel was passed unanimously.

E. Closing
Elaine apologized for her rude behavior. And, while the Board accepted her apology this time, it does not condone such rude and inappropriate behavior and it will not tolerate that kind of behavior again.

Action: At 10:15, a motion to adjourn was passed 7-1.
-Carol Solle, Secretary

As you may be well aware, the City of Shoreline approved a neighborhood mini-grant to remove overgrown vegetation from street right-of-way for pedestrian safety and to improve visibility into our Reserves. The City matches $10 to every volunteer hour worked on this project. Additional sites are:

Condos in IA: Interested in the Condo idea discussed during February's meeting? If so, please contact Ewa Sledziewski at 546-3466 or azs13@attbi.com

Wanted: Willing helper to give two hours a month to prepare the Bulletin for mailing, usually the morning of the fourth Wednesday. Call Gail Schwarz at 206-546-3887.

For Sale: Kawai Digital Piano PN80 Black piano with stool in great condition. Features include sounds of organ, harpsichord, vibraphone, and strings. Plays your recorded songs or recorded music. Volume control and headphone option. Great for your young beginner. $900.00. Please call Jan at 546-3524.