Quarterly Newsletter April 2022
Kathy Gross, editor
Email: information@sunlandnorth.org
Website: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382
Business Hours: Monday – Friday; 9 AM – 3 PM
Announcements
2021-2022 Sunland North Board of Directors
President: Gerry Hatler, president@sunlandnorth.org
Vice President: Shirley Legg, vicepresident@sunlandnorth.org
Treasurer: Betty Gwaltney, treasurer@sunlandnorth.org
Secretary: Lawrence Charters, secretary@sunlandnorth.org
Board Member-at-Large: Michael Johnson, member-at-large@sunlandnorth.org
Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours – Monday thru Friday, 9 am – 3 pm
We want to remind all new and current residents, the Sunland North (Division 17) Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours should be adhered to by all of us, except in the event of an emergency. Contact information for each Board and committee chair member is on the Sunland North Website: (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/about-us/); or use the generic “Contact Form” that is on the website (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/contact-us/).
Keep in mind, we don’t have paid administrative staff, and people may be away from home or otherwise occupied; anticipate at least a few days for a response.
Upcoming Sunland North Board Meetings
Homeowner Association (HOA) monthly Board business meetings are open for all owners to attend. The Board meetings always include a separate “Owner Comment Period” in which owners are encouraged to participate. The meetings are also a good way to find out what is happening in the neighborhood and how our volunteers handle different aspects of our shared HOA life. The meetings will be held at “The Gathering Place” 135 Fairway Drive.
Note: While Washington State health officials are permitting such meetings, please note it is recommended that unvaccinated folks avoid such meetings, and everyone should wear a mask when in such gatherings to protect others. Clallam County is currently seeing a Moderate rate of COVID-19 infections. https://www.clallam.net/coronavirus/
The Sunland North Board Meeting schedule for the second quarter of 2022 is as follows:
- Wednesday, April 13 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
- Wednesday, May 11 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
- Wednesday, June 8 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
Note: Sunland Owners Association (SLOA) is a separate, overarching HOA that includes several other divisions, the pool and tennis courts, and all the individual homes in Sunland; their Board meeting schedule is separate from Sunland North Division 17.
Roundabout work
Clallam County expects to complete work on the Sequim-Dungeness Way and Woodcock Road roundabout in April. This may disrupt traffic and result in delays, but the county does not plan to shut down the intersection.
In response to queries from bicycle riders, Mark Ozias, our Clallam County Commissioner, said that the roundabout will not have dedicated bike lanes. Construction of “multi-modal” work has focused on building out the Olympic Discovery Trail. However, the roundabout will have a crosswalk, and shoulders extending three feet beyond the paint line.
Messages and Reports from Our Volunteers
President – Gerry Hatler
Good news!
You received a request for volunteers and a number of folks have responded. Thank you to all who did. They are currently visiting with the Board members responsible in the various areas and learning more about the ways in which they can help.
I want to thank John Lewis, as he retires, for his contributions as chairman of the Exterior Maintenance Committee. We are still looking for a volunteer to succeed John. The chairman is someone who coordinates with vendors, including the handyman who works with us, to complete the projects needing attention. So, if you have any relevant experience including project management experience and would like to actively participate in the neighborhood where you live, please let me know by emailing me at president@sunlandnorth.org. This is probably one of the more significant areas as the HOA is responsible for the exteriors of all the buildings and it represents the largest percentage of the reserve funds the HOA maintains.
Shirley Legg, Vice President, is in the process of receiving proposals for maintaining our developed landscape and evaluating the applicants. She hopes to have that process completed well in advance of our current landscapers retiring. [A bid request for a new contract was passed at a Board meeting on March 29.]
The new speed monitoring signs SLOA ordered have arrived and put in use. SLOA has made a request to use our natural habitat area to rehabilitate a water situation around the 11th tee box on the golf course. The Board is awaiting further information before responding to the request.
We have had several complaints from homeowners about cats and dogs being allowed to roam free. Remember, it is the responsibility of homeowners to keep their pets on leashes when outside and to ask that their guests do the same.
And as a preview of coming attractions, Brian Scott, the new manager at the Sunland Water District will be attending our May Board meeting. He will make a presentation on things the Water District is responsible for and how they go about providing their services. He will be available for questions afterwards.
Vice President – Shirley Legg
No report, but see Gerry’s note on her work on the landscaping contract.
Treasurer – Betty Gwaltney
As the 1st Quarter closes, our expenses have been under budget year-to-date by almost $8,000. While that is good news, we do expect some of the maintenance projects to kick in and some other expenses that occur in the spring and summer months, and with prices and bids for work increasing, it is fortunate to have a little cushion in the bank. I would like to extend a big “Thank-you” to everyone for getting their 1st Quarter Assessment payments mailed in promptly. And a reminder that the 2nd Quarter Assessment comes due April 1, so if you haven’t mailed it, now’s the time! Speaking of assessments, the Board has approved opening accounts at a couple of Credit Unions that offer higher interest rates on Certificates of Deposits. Per our CC&R’s, we are in the process of purchasing several CD’s that mature in laddered intervals (6, 12, 18 and 24 months) for a total of up to $300,000 of our Reserve Accounts (the total current Reserve Account balance is $617,000). The laddered CD’s have significantly higher interest rates and will help grow our Reserves while keeping the money accessible if needed.
Secretary – Lawrence Charters
Questions? We’ve got questions!
Fire alarms
One owner asked if the HOA could help with smoke detectors in the home. No; Sunland North is focused on the outside of the home (landscaping, external maintenance) and doesn’t deal with the interior. But we do have suggestions:
- Many homes have wired smoke detectors purchased a decade or more ago. Smoke detectors have “expiration dates,” and until recently, smoke detectors were good for three to five years. Currently sold smoke detectors are good for 10 years, and many are both smoke detectors and CO2 monitors, and some have motion-activated emergency lights.
- If you want to have your smoke detectors checked, please call the Fire Department (non-emergency number: 360-683-4242). They do this as a service, if they are not otherwise busy.
- Given the high ceilings in most of our homes, it is a good idea to hire someone to replace old smoke detectors.
Finding things on the website
The Sunland North website (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com) has a built-in search engine. Located at the bottom of the right column, just type in what you are looking for, and the site will return anything that matches. Typing in “panda” won’t find anything, but typing in “elk” will come up with two hits. “Irrigation” comes up with lots of possibilities.
Owner Directory
An owner directory was emailed (or sent via postal mail) to all owners in January. It is not posted on the website as a privacy measure. If you don’t have a copy, please write to the secretary, secretary@sunlandnorth.org.
Change of name, phone number, email
Washington State requires Sunland North to maintain an up-to-date directory of owners and, in the case of rental homes, information on renters. While “owners” and “renters” seems to suggest just those signing checks, we really need the names and contact information of everyone residing in a home. This information is invaluable in case of emergencies, and we ask that you send us an update any time someone moves in or moves out, changes their name, changes or drops a phone number, or updates their email address. The contact form can be found here:
Photos
Quite a few of the photos on the website are several years old. If you have a photo of an interesting bird, or a deer eating your daisies, or a nice sunrise or sunset, or almost anything else of interest in our neighborhood, please consider sending it in for publication in the newsletter or on the website. Send photos to: information@sunlandnorth.org.
Insurance Committee – Susan Hamman
Earlier in March, CAU received the subrogation demand for the trailer destroyed by a falling section of a Douglas Fir tree located on Division 17’s greenspace. The next step is for CAU to reach out to the owner’s insurance company with the settlement amount.
Division 17 received the 2022-2023 CAU insurance renewal policy. The policy is being reviewed by the Insurance Committee. The renewal increased by approximately 10% over the previous year.
Exterior Maintenance Committee
A Memo to Our Homeowners Who are Selling Their Homes
Within Division 17 Homeowners Association exterior maintenance is monitored and managed by a Board-appointed Coordinator. Any homeowner aware of a maintenance issue with his Unit shall report the problem to the Coordinator before attempting repairs.
Selling your home may require a third party to inspect the overall condition of the property. Those inspections occasionally uncover unknown exterior maintenance issues that, when reported as an exterior maintenance request to the Coordinator, will result in scheduling of those items for repair.
These outside inspection services are a welcome adjunct to our process for preserving the beauty and value of our homes.
Developed Landscaping Committee – Tom Steffen
No report, but see Gerry’s note on the landscaping contract.
Natural Habitat/Greenspace – Sarah Miller
Volunteers Needed! As we enter the dry season here in the rainshadow of the Olympic Mountains, we need to provide supplemental water to our ‘tiny trees’ that are near the new roundabout. These conifers, if they survive the dry season, will grow up into a nice sight and sound barrier over the next several years. Please consider signing up to help water these trees over the next several months. We will provide the hose to apply the water, volunteers will just need to drag the hose from one tree to the next, applying water for a few minutes per tree. Since there are 20 or so trees, this takes a bit more than an hour. Depending on the weather each month, the trees may need to be watered up to three times per week in the hottest and driest month of August.
Next summer (2023) these trees should have a sufficient root system such that they won’t need watering in any but the very driest conditions.
Please contact me if you’d like to sign up for a month of watering. The following months are all available: May, June, July, August, September. Thanks for considering this important volunteer opportunity, it is truly life-or-death for our baby trees!
Flags in the grass – a reminder that you might notice marking flags in the grass in the Natural Habitat areas. These are marking locations of poison hemlock plants which will be controlled with herbicide once the weather warms up a bit more. It is important that we spray these plants before they set flowers and go to seed.
Communications Outreach – Ellen Valway
Since November of 2021 to date, notices have been received for five new families in Sunland North. Welcome Packets and calling cards have been left with all five residents. Two residents were having medical issues and asked to postpone their visits. One resident was visited in December and the other visit will take place next week. We have not heard anything back from three of the five residents who received the Welcome Packets.
Sunland Water District – Tom Hamman
Nothing to report this period, but note that the Sunland Water District manager plans to be at the May 11 Board meeting.
Thank You!
It takes a great deal of time and effort to keep our HOA operational and maintained so as always, we thank all our Board members, coordinators, and committee members for their ongoing support and the volunteer time they donate to our community – we couldn’t do it without you.
