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MUIRFIELD eNEWS: Jan. 20, 2023
Report on the HOA January Board Meeting
At our bimonthly Board Meeting this week, the Board heard from General Manager Walter Zeier about the ongoing competition locally for lifeguards, and voted to add $30,000 to the pool budget, to increase hourly starting pay to $16/hr., consistent with what Dublin and other nearby pools will pay guards. Board members discussed but made no changes to an ongoing policy that our pools will not close nor restrict hours in order to rent them out to other groups. This does not apply to Muirfins, a competitive swim team made up of only Muirfield children. Resident Danelle D'Onofrio, new President of the Muirfins, presented a need for a brief, one-off special pool time to accommodate Muirfield children who are students at St. Brigid for qualifying trials, as they are not on the same academic calendar at the Dublin schools.
General Manager Zeier further reported that the City of Columbus, the provider of our water service, informed us that due to new Ohio EPA regulations that we are required to have an engineer-designed, heated, above-ground structure with a backflow preventer, at an estimated cost of $10,000, effective immediately. This applies to all commercial properties with a setup like the one servicing the Muirfield office and pool. Assistant GM Chris Carter informed the Board that for 2022, 600 applications to the Design Review Committee were submitted, with 85% approved.
Mr. Zeier also informed the Board that for the 2023 mowing/mulching season, the City of Dublin has contracted with a different company, not our HOA for the first time in 3 years, to provide services to City properties within Muirfield. This change was not due to unsatisfactory work, but instead by receiving a bid that was $18,000 lower than what the Association submitted. Several Board members expressed concern about the quality of those services, recalling many Muirfield residents had complained about the decline in quality of maintenance in these areas when a private contractor was hired by the city in prior years. Complaints about those areas this year will need to be directed to the City's Parks and Recreation Department, 614-410-4710.
Since the Association will have extra labor available, we will start offering to contract directly with a limited number of residents for tree removal services and mowing. Please direct any questions to the Association staff at 614-889-0922. Board President Bob Fathman announced that for the Annual Meeting April 19th we have a tentative plan to reserve meeting rooms in the Dublin Branch Library, 6 to 7 pm. Details later. Incumbents Rory Gaydos and Bob Fathman are re-running, whereas current Board Member Kyle Lucas has announced he will not be running for another term, as his family will be relocating outside of Muirfield before the next term would expire.
Published Jan. 2023