Sunland North Newsletter April 2026
Kathy Gross, editor, information@sunlandnorth.org
Website: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382
Business Hours: Monday – Friday, 9 AM – 3 PM
Upcoming Sunland North Board Meetings
Homeowner Association (HOA) monthly Board business meetings are open for all owners to attend. Meetings include a separate “Owner Comment Period” in which owners are encouraged to participate. These meetings are 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.
The Sunland North Board Meeting schedule for the second quarter of 2026:
- April 8, 2026, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- May 13, 2026, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- June 10, 2026, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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.
A Few Notes of Interest
In Case You Missed It!
Sunland Owners Association (SLOA): Pool Closing; Special Assessment May Be Coming; Hiring HOA Management Company; RV Lot Changes; Etc.
SLOA, the overarching 900+ home HOA to which Sunland North owners are also members, has some big initiatives underway. Rather than try to recap everything, below is a link to the March 2026 Executive Committee Report sent out by the SLOA Board via a March 18 email.
Some of these initiatives include:
- Closure of the pool this summer and a special assessment that may be coming from SLOA to pay for the pool’s renovation.
- Issued an RFP (“Request for Proposals”) to look at hiring a professional HOA management company to supplement the current SLOA staff.
- Appointed five new board members last month and are looking at upcoming changes to the SLOA CC&Rs, among other initiatives that affect you.
- They’ve also set up a dedicated email address to share your thoughts and submit questions.
As a reminder, owners are always welcome to attend SLOA (and Sunland North) board meetings, and board meeting minutes are posted on the respective websites of SLOA and Sunland North.
Protect yourself from scammers
The Internet allows you to contact most people on the planet almost instantly. A letter used to take months to travel from Europe to the US, but today you can send a message from anywhere – even orbit – to anywhere on Earth in seconds. But not everyone who wants to talk to you is trustworthy.
What to watch for:
- Unsolicited messages: Unexpected emails, texts, social media messages, or calls asking for money or information.
- Impersonation: Scammers may pose as government officials, banks, companies, or even friends and family.
- Urgency: Pressure to act quickly without time to verify details.
- Emotional manipulation: Attempts to trigger fear, sympathy, or panic instead of logic.
- Unusual payment requests: Demands for cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers, or payment apps—methods legitimate organizations, relatives, and friends don’t use.
That unexpected, frantic note from a cousin who never writes is probably from an extortionist in Kansas, or a scammer in Belarus.
Special Thanks for a Nice Addition to the Community!
A special thank you to Sarah Miller for organizing the effort to clear the trail of weeds and moss along Blakely Boulevard. The volunteers working with Sarah included Rob Crombie, Mae Huffman, David Huffman, Barry Burns, Gary Jubien, John Lewis, Sydna Jones Baker, and Barry Baker. Elaine Mae Starz-Brown loaned the team her wheelbarrow, which was very helpful! In addition, thanks to Betty Gwaltney, who procured the bench, and Rob Crombie, who assembled it, cleared the area, and put the landscaping and pavers down before putting it onsite.
Helpful Repellent Recipes
Deer Repellent
1 cup soured milk (1 Tb vinegar added to milk to make 1cup)
4 whole eggs
1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
20 drops of eucalyptus oil
Blend and then add to make 1 gallon of water. Spray about every 6 weeks or more if needed.
When you finish spraying, clean the sprayer with clear water before storing.
Mole/Vole Repellant
Mix 1 cup castor oil, 2 T hot sauce, and ½ cup Dawn detergent in a gallon jug and fill with water. Pour the mixture into the tunnel holes and run.
President’s Report – Susan Hamman
Preventing Potential Electrical Fires
Most of the recent HOA insurance articles have focused on preventing water outbursts and damage to your unit. However, electrical problems can also pose a risk to you and your adjoining neighbor. Recently, a unit owner found that they had overheated fluorescent light tubes in a tight space above the bathroom vanity. The original tubes had burnt out and were replaced by LED light tubes. A few weeks after the bulbs were installed, they stopped working. Since they were difficult to access and had no effect on the use of the vanity mirror, the owner ignored them until the bathroom was being prepared for painting. When the painters took out the tubes, they found the ends were extremely hot, and one had a small, discolored burn mark and burn dots down 4” of the tube. This could have been caused by the wrong bulb being installed and/or air circulation not carrying the heat away from the bulbs.
Tips to prevent potential electrical fires:
Every light fixture has a maximum wattage limit (printed on a sticker inside the socket or fixture). If you have a fixture that states “Max 60W,” installing a 100W bulb can cause overheating, leading to a fire.
Use the correct bulb type. Not all bulbs are interchangeable. Common types of bulbs are incandescent, which produce more heat, halogen bulbs, which burn very hot, CFL bulbs, which are more efficient and have moderate heat, and LED bulbs, the coolest and safest overall. Using the wrong shape or base type can cause poor ventilation and heat buildup.
Avoid enclosed fixture mistakes. Some bulbs (especially LEDs and CFLs are not rated for enclosed fixtures. If using in a closed environment without proper rating, heat gets trapped, electronics inside the bulb can fail, and fire risk increases. Check the packaging for “Enclosed fixture rated.”
Check for warning signs and replace bulbs immediately if you detect flickering, a burning smell, discoloration of the socket, frequent burnouts, or a cracked base or loose fit.
The safest recommendations are to use LED bulbs, stay under the maximum wattage, buy certified bulbs (UL, ETL listed), and don’t leave high heat bulbs unattended.
With all the “Smart” technology we have around us, other items in our units also have the potential to cause an electrical fire. Issues can be caused by damaged or worn-out outlets, extension cords, or multiple outlet extensions that become overheated, and appliances that have “gone on the fritz” or are improperly plugged into outlets. Don’t wait until you see smoke or “burn marks” to check for problems around your home. Stay safe!
Treasurer’s Report – Betty Gwaltney
As Treasurer, I appreciate all the owners in Sunland North for their support and timely assessment payments. I realize sometimes time flies by, or circumstances may result in a late payment, but compared to many HOA’s, we don’t have a problem with late payments—over 30% of owners pay the annual assessment in full in January! Some have asked if we accept electronic payments, and the short answer is no. Our accounting service has investigated this option, and there would be a monthly fee (~$40) to the association, as well as a fee tacked on to the sender. Most banks offer online bill pay, allowing you to set up automatic payments, which is acceptable. Due to the added cost of electronic payment transfers to our account, we have opted out of that program. Keeping track of all our accounts has its challenges. Did you know that Sunland Division 17 has deposits in 7 different banks (each with its own unique online site), 23 different accounts, and 10 CDs with various terms and renewal dates spread throughout the year! Oh MY!
Secretary’s Report – Lawrence Charters
Some of the steps we take to ensure your privacy:
- When we send an email to everyone, we use BCC (blind carbon copy) to avoid revealing personal addresses.
- If at all possible, we avoid specific street addresses and occupant names on the website.
- We have multiple levels of security on our website to cut down on attacks on the site (the site sometimes gets tens of thousands of attacks a week).
- Official messages sent by Division 17 are sent from @sunlandnorth.org email accounts.
“But why don’t you send out postal letters instead?” Mailing out agendas, minutes, and other notices would require many volunteers, and the postal, printing, envelope, address label, and paper costs would amount to tens of thousands of dollars per year. We’d rather spend that money on maintenance, landscaping, and insurance.
Exterior Maintenance – Mark Anderson
If you didn’t know, our HOA is responsible for gutters and downspouts, privacy and screening fencing, wooden railings (exterior porch steps), siding, and trim – just to name a few. For a complete list of HOA/Owner Responsibilities, please see https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/governing-documents/maintenance-responsibilities/
In spring, our Exterior Maintenance volunteers assess the condition of our units as well as HOA and/or owner responsibilities.
Here is a list of the HOA and owner responsibilities we look closely at this time of the year:
HOA Responsibility
Railing, wooden (exterior porch steps and stairs)
Fencing attached to units and wooden gates with Division 17 standard Hardie plank construction
Siding and trim
Owner Responsibility
Railings, non-wooden (exterior porch steps and stairs)
Gates and fences requiring Architectural Control Committee approval
Cleaning of Siding and Trim
Deck Surfaces
Doors (internal and external screen and glass, storm, security doors)
As you will notice, HOA and owner responsibilities are very similar. This makes communication critical for timely maintenance activities. When maintenance items are forgotten or suspended, infrastructure breaks down, and maintenance and repair expenses increase. Please help our Exterior Maintenance committee volunteers guide you through these shared responsibilities that keep our community affordable, highly regarded, and reputable.
Here are some helpful “year-around” maintenance activities that make all our duties lighter:
- Spray “Wet & Forget” Mold, Mildew & Algae stain remover on all affected areas.
- Remove all vegetation within 18 to 24 inches from all buildings and fences.
- Consider removing and or replacing overgrown shrubs and trees that are the root cause of moss, mildew, and algae growth.
That’s it, three (3) simple things we can all do to make a huge difference in our community.
Landscaping Report – Tom Steffen
Signs of spring and new growth are all around us! Our contracted landscaping crew is already busy with early spring lawn care.
- Mowing and edging have begun and will soon move to weekly as weather permits. Edging will continue to be every third week.
- Irrigation testing and repairs will begin in mid-April. Water activation will begin when needed. As we have requested before, please do not access sprinkler control boxes on your own. A dedicated effort to conserve irrigation water will be made this year. Depending on the type of sprinkler heads, lawns will be watered 3 times a week for between 10 and 25 minutes; planting areas will be watered 3 times a week for between 5 and 7 minutes.
- Pruning plants/bushes/trees is typically done in fall, winter and spring. Our crew has our HOA in great shape for spring and summer. If, however, you want more pruning/trimming at your location, please complete a request via our website.
If you have questions or requests, please reach out through our website. We do our very best to reply promptly. We plan to circulate the schedule for fertilizer application via email by May. To report an irrigation emergency (only an emergency), please text Tom Steffen, Volunteer Landscape Coordinator, at 206- 473-7177.
Meet Your Neighbors
Meet Donalee Dawson, one of our newest neighbors in Sunland North! Since she’s lived in Sequim for over 30 years, she knows the area well, and finally picked the best place to live – Sunland North! Long ago, Donnalee moved to this area from Montana and fell in love with Sequim, and the weather here. She retired from her Human Resources job, but that doesn’t mean she stopped working; she now buys, fixes up, and sells houses. Yes, she did drywall, painting, etc., and from the looks of her home on Blakely, she’s a very gifted decorator! Other hobbies are gardening and tending to her flowers – can’t wait to see what her patio looks like this summer – and watercolor art. Donnalee has 2 sons, 3 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren; only 1 of those is a girl. Stop by to say “Hi”!
Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours: Monday—Friday, 9 am – 3 pm
We want to remind all new and current residents of the Sunland North (Division 17) Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours, except in 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” on the website (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/contact-us/).
Sunland North does not have paid administrative staff, and people may be away from home or otherwise occupied; anticipate at least a few days for a response.
2025-2026 Sunland North Board of Directors
President: Susan Hamman, president@sunlandnorth.org
Vice President: Mark Anderson, vicepresident@sunlandnorth.org
Treasurer: Betty Gwaltney, treasurer@sunlandnorth.org
Secretary: Lawrence Charters, secretary@sunlandnorth.org
Board Member-at-Large: Sunny Stern, member-at-large@sunlandnorth.org
Thank You!
Volunteers are central to the running of Sunland North. While we do hire contractors for landscaping and repair work, the management of the contracts and much volunteer labor go into keeping our homes in proper repair, our landscaping well maintained, HOA insurance researched and renewed, debris picked up from the natural habitat area, and countless other chores. Remember to thank your 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 them, and you.
A special thank you to Daphne Walters for her assistance in organizing this issue of the newsletter.
Kathy Gross, editor, information@sunlandnorth.org