In attendance: Gale Hoover-Richmond (President), Mary Goldstein (1st Vice President), Lauren O’Gara (2nd Vice President), Ed Conway (Treasurer) and 5 Bentley Woods residents (Frank Guzman, Theo Michols, James Mazurak, Jerry Ballard, David Chaves)
The meeting was called to order at 1:37 p.m. Nov. 22, 2025 at the Orange County Public Library North Orange Branch.
Lauren O’Gara nominated Rebecca Wagner of Shelby Court for 2nd Vice President of the Board. Mary Goldstein seconded.
Ed Conway nominated Lauren O’Gara for 1st Vice President of the Board. Jerry Ballard seconded.
Mary Goldstein will continue to serve on the board until the January meeting.
Gale Hoover-Richmond reminded residents that trash and recycling days will change Dec. 29. Recycling and yard waste will be collected Tuesday, and trash and large items will be collected Wednesday.
She noted that the year has been difficult with the loss of three neighbors.
She reminded residents of the new website and noted that those in attendance could consent in writing to receiving electronic notices of meetings now.
Gale also provided an update on the sewer project. Bentley Woods is part of Phase 5b, which is set to go to bid in early 2026.
Ed Conway provided the treasurer’s update. Click here to see the budget document. He noted that in 2026, we will see an increase for the lawn service and the accounting service. This year, we also launched the website and had some expenses for that. We also spent $700 on maintenance to mulch the front area. Even so, the board has been very frugal in the past years to save money to plan for eventualities. These include maintaining the fence around the retention pond and potentially trimming or removing trees at the front.
The budget plans for 41 of 44 homes to pay their assessments. With the expected expenses, that leaves the budget $446 short. The board has therefore decided to raise the assessment from $265 to $280. It has not been raised in two years. The board considered the economy and wished to keep assessments low.
There was some discussion on liens for the sewer project and who is responsible for the trees up front.
Mary Goldstein moved to adjourn the meeting, and Lauren O’Gara seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 2:34 p.m.
The next meeting is tentatively set for Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Shelby Court.