Service awards presented at December MVF Board meeting

During the final Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors meeting of the year, Board President Pete Webb made two presentations recognizing staff for their contributions to the community.

Webb first presented Assistant Director of Recreation and Parks Scott Gole with an Employee Service Award for his 41 years of service to the organization and Montgomery Village. Gole has worked in many capacities in the department over the years, and most notably managed the Reserves program, major projects (including the recent pool renovations) and oversaw park management. He will be retiring effective Friday, Jan. 7, 2022.

The second award was presented to outgoing MVF Student Representative Hali Janzen for her service on the Board this past year. Janzen was appointed as the Student Representative in March, and participated in a summer internship at the MVF Office from June through August. She worked with the Department of Recreation and Parks on the Organizational Green Plan, and spent time in each department gaining a comprehensive understanding of how Board decisions affect daily operations for the organization.

Other Agenda Items
In Personnel matters, the Board approved a number of items for 2022, including insurance, health benefits, an additional holiday and the changing of a full-time position to a private contractor. The EVP was given the authority to negotiate and execute contracts from 2022 Insurance with the current insurance carrier, as well as for health care benefits from CareFirst BlueCross/BlueShield. Additionally, based on a recommendation from the Personnel Committee, the Board approved Juneteenth (celebrated on June 19 each year) as a new holiday on the MVF calendar. This follows suit with the federal government, as well as other local municipalities and jurisdictions, who added the holiday to their calendars in 2021.

Regarding full-time positions, the Board approved the EVP to negotiate and execute a contract with Silver Horse Security Services to provide specific services and monitor MVF facilities. The Personnel Committee reviewed the position and recommended the Board return to a private contractor to monitor MVF parks and parking lots; lock gates; report hazardous conditions, broken lights, graffiti, etc.; assist with MVF special events; and other duties similar to the previous Parks and Facilities Assistant position. After several years of trying to maintain this position in-house, staff found retaining personnel difficult due to the odd hours and nature of the work. Silver Horse, who already performs similar work for other HOAs in the Village, is more suited for this duty; staff has confidence in returning to a contractor-based model for these functions.

To finish out the North Creek Pool renovation project, some additional outdoor furnishings were approved. The Board awarded a bid for picnic tables, trash and recycling receptacles and lifeguard tables for $16,619.78 to Playground Specialists Inc. MVF has worked with Playground Specialists on a number of occasions in the past.

Director of Recreation and Parks Duncan Mullis also gave an overview of the MVF Organizational Green Plan, which will come before the Board for discussion and potential adoption in January 2022. Mullis said the plan is not a new priority, but is a way to formalize how MVF should continue to move toward being a “greener operation.” Previous environmental enhancements include: solar panels at Lake Marion Community Center; LED installation projects; planting of 200+ trees; stream restoration projects; stream and park cleanups; and converting to 100% renewable energy for MVF facilities.

Mullis noted the Green Plan (a “living” document that will be updated regularly) was based on data collected from surveys, fuel consumption, paper usage, energy audits and site visits to neighboring communities. The plan focuses on ways MVF can improve resource efficiency; air quality and transportation; land management; waste reduction; and public engagement and programming. It was reviewed and approved by both Committee on the Environment and the Recreation Committee.

Finally, a discussion about a pool contract with Thomas Choice Gardens Condominium, which was originally on the Action List, was tabled for a future meeting.

President’s Remarks
In addition to the awards presented, Webb answered a few questions posed during Residents Time regarding the proposed North Creek Stream Valley Restoration Project and the proposal by Evergreen Investment Company to build an apartment complex on the lot next to Lidl. Webb noted that both projects were conceptual at this point, and no action by the MVF Board had been taken in either case.

EVP Report
Executive Vice President Dave Humpton reported that there has been no movement on the redevelopment of the Lakeforest Mall site, despite the City of Gaithersburg approving the Lakeforest Master Plan earlier this year. He said none of the anchor stores have been purchased by the owner of the mall’s interior, which could speed up any potential redevelopment opportunities. Humpton noted some frustration with the lack of progress, as the site sits at the main entrance to Montgomery Village.

Treasurer’s Report
Board Treasurer Stephen Taylor presented the Treasurer’s Report for the year-to-date (YTD) and the month ending October 31, 2021. He noted that overall results remain favorable to the budget.

Net Income was reported favorable to the budget by $1.4 million mainly due to Investments, Capital Contribution Fees (CCF) and Pool Memberships. Additionally, MVF saw lower-than-expected Personnel Costs from open positions and temp labor due to the North Creek Pool not being open, as well as Operating Costs.

Taylor said Total Revenue through October was $7.85 million and Operating Expenses YTD were $6.4 million, both favorable to the budget. He also said the Contributions to Reserves (CTR) were made monthly in accordance with the budget; YTD CTR was reported at $1,124,541. YTD Capital Expenses totaled $3.38 million for reserve related assets; the largest expense in 2021 has been the North Creek Pool renovation with $3 million of the total spent in 2021. He noted the CCF received through October was $199,304, which was also favorable to the budget.

Taylor said the Balance Sheet continues to show MVF’s strong financial position with over $10.3 million in Cash and Investments. The MVF Operating Fund maintains nearly $2.61 million in Undesignated Reserves. Accounts Receivable decreased $316,032 due to payments received from the condominiums covering outstanding receivables since 2020. A decrease in homeowner receivables of 3.2% was also reported.

At the end of October, the Delinquency Rate was reported at 18.6%, which follows the trend for the 4th quarter assessment payment. The rate remains 1.8% lower than the same quarter in the prior year and 1.1% lower than the 5-year average.

Taylor also noted that 5 new units in the Bloom Village development had settled in October and another in November. All 6 units have successfully been brought on board to MVF.

Next Meeting
The next MVF Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 27, as a conference call/Zoom meeting. Residents are invited to join the call; full meeting details, the meeting packet and/or participation instructions will be posted online at www.montgomeryvillage.com the week before the meeting.