Quarterly Newsletter January 2023
Kathy Gross, editor, information@sunlandnorth.org
Website: http://dvc.omx.mybluehost.me
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382
Business Hours: Monday: Friday, 9 AM – 3 PM
2022-2023 Sunland North Board of Directors
President: Gerry Hatler, president@sunlandnorth.org
Vice President: Lawrence Charters, vicepresident@sunlandnorth.org
Treasurer: Betty Gwaltney, treasurer@sunlandnorth.org
Secretary: Shirley Legg, secretary@sunlandnorth.org
Board Member-at-Large: Warren Husman, member-at-large@sunlandnorth.org
Announcements
Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours: Monday-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.
Sunland North Board Meetings
Sunland Division 17 Owners Association (Sunland North) monthly Board meetings are open for all owners to attend. If you have concerns about landscaping, home maintenance, insurance, home modifications, traffic, parking, pets, neighborhood communications, or almost anything else dealing with our community, this is the forum where such issues are addressed. A separate “Owner Comment Period” is part of each meeting, to bring up concerns not addressed by the Board. 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. If meetings cannot be held in-person meetings, meetings will be held virtually via Zoom.
The Sunland North Board Meeting schedule for the first quarter of 2023:
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- Wednesday, January 11, 2:30 to 4:30 pm
- Wednesday, February 8, 2:30 to 4:30 pm
- Wednesday, March 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 meetings are scheduled separately from Sunland North Division 17.
2023 Unit Assessment: $3,720 Annually or $930 a Quarter
Quarterly payments are due: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. Please mark these days on your calendar; the Association does not send out reminder notices. If you pay quarterly and do not pay by the due date, a late charge will be added to your bill.
Late charges will be assessed at the rate of $10 per month of delinquency. Checks should be made payable and mailed to:
Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
P.O. Box 1655
Sequim, WA 98382
Please note that the Sunland Owners Association (SLOA) and the Sunland Water District (SWD) are billed separately, as these are separate entities.
Messages and Reports from Our Volunteers
President – Gerry Hatler
Happy New Year!
We have many new residents who moved into Sunland North during this past year. If you have any questions about living in our community, check out our website, (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/about-us/). There is much good information there as well as past newsletters that can provide perspective on happenings around our neighborhood. If you need additional information, you can contact one of your Board members, their contact information is also on the Sunland North website
I continue to be impressed with the amount of talent we have here in Sunland North. As a self-governing community, volunteers who live here and care about the community are important to maintaining the quality of life that we all enjoy here. Sunland North was incorporated in 1999 and 2023 begins the eleventh year of the HOA being run by its homeowners. Sunland North would not operate as efficiently as it does without the many talented volunteers that we have. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you.
We have lots of volunteer opportunities that will provide you a sense of belonging and pride. You can find the Community Volunteer Application on the website and at the end of this newsletter. If you have any relevant experience in any of these areas and would like to actively participate in the neighborhood where you live, please let me know by emailing me at president@sunlandnorth.org
A volunteer application is included on our website: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sunland-division-17-community-volunteer-202012.pdf
One notable event during the quarter was the wind storm in late October. There was considerable tree damage that was cleared through a combination of owners’ efforts and our landscape crew. I’d like to thank everyone who pitched in to help.
An area where we continue to get complaints from homeowners is cats and dogs that are 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.
Here’s wishing you a Happy New Year, and may 2023 hold promise for us all.
Vice President – Lawrence Charters
Sunland North website
The Sunland North website has a wealth of current and historical information on the development of the community, from its start in 1999 until the present. Using the Search function, you can discover, for example, that the new Sequim-Dungeness and Woodcock Road roundabout was discussed as early as 2016, and that the county assumed maintenance of the neighborhood roads in 2009.
There are web-based forms for requesting landscape maintenance or exterior maintenance, forms for requesting architectural reviews (for changing the external appearance of your home), maps of both Sunland North and the more extensive Sunland as a whole, photos showing parades and parties as well as volunteers working on maintenance projects, and a wealth of other materials. https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com.
Kathy Gross is assisting the website manager in converting older minutes and other materials from PDF (Portable Document Format) files (which cannot be searched) to searchable web pages. There are currently over 400 pages on the website, and if printed, they would fill three reams of paper.
If you would like to contribute photos of our neighborhood (flowers, wildlife, volunteers working, scenic surroundings), email your photos to information@sunlandnorth.org.
Treasurer – Betty Gwaltney
This past year has brought many challenges – catching up on some of the deferred maintenance, unplanned expense of tree study, and increases in the cost of everything! While there have been challenges, we have been able to get a lot of needed work done, and also improve the earning power of our Reserve savings by opening several certificates of deposit at much higher interest rates than before. Finally, we were able to deposit back into Reserves a total of $115,000. Looking forward, you should have received your invoice for 2023 assessments. ($3,720 annually or $930 quarterly). Remember that assessment payments are due the first of the Quarter (Jan 1, Apr 1, July 1, Oct 1). We very much appreciate it when payments are made on time. Hope everyone has a wonderful New Year and looking forward to great times in Sunland North in 2023!
Insurance Committee – Susan Hamman
Do You Know: Facts on the HOA Insurance Policy
Sunland North (Division 17) had a 30% turnover in homeownership in the past three years. With that kind of turnover, do you, as a new homeowner, know about the master HOA insurance policy that covers your unit/building?
The HOA is insured through Community Association Underwriters (CAU), one of the largest insurance providers in the United States exclusively serving community associations, residential and office condominiums, cooperative apartments, and homeowners associations, the latter of which Division 17 falls under.
Insurance coverage is obtained by the HOA, with all 139 units coming under that umbrella. CAU provides what is called “all-in insurance” to the HOA; if you take your unit, turn it upside down, and shake out the contents, whatever falls out is your responsibility to insure on your own. The rest is covered by the master HOA policy.
CAU also provides “guaranteed cost replacement,” with a $5000 deductible. For example, if a unit sustains a fire, the insurance will cover the replacement of the damaged unit at current construction costs, including any upgrades you may have made to the unit. If you do make upgrades to your unit (new flooring, cabinetry, countertops, etc.), it is important for you to document those upgrades, including costs, and keep that information in a safe place away from your unit.
You may access a copy of the Certificate of Insurance for your files on the Division 17 website at:https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/ownerinfo/insurance/
If you need your unit-specific certificate, complete the CAU online request form at www.cauinsure.com/certrequest — this provides all of the information CAU’s certificate department needs to create and send the certificate to you.
There is a two-page fact sheet that summarizes both information concerning the association’s master policy and the type of insurance that a unit owner will need to purchase on their own for personal property, additional living expenses should your unit be uninhabitable, and personal liability.
Earthquake and flood insurance are not covered under the Division 17 master insurance policy.
If you have any questions regarding this insurance or claims, please send an email to information@sunlandnorth.org
Exterior Maintenance Committee – Michael Johnson
As the temperatures continue to drop, please disconnect your hoses from the hose bibs. Consider installing foam covers over the bibs to prevent freeze-ups. In the last few years, we have had problems that resulted in major damage to a home on account of hoses that were not disconnected.
Developed Landscaping Committee – Tom Steffen
January is the beginning of a new calendar year but the continuance of dark and wet days that seem almost suspended in time. Writers of various genres refer to these days as “fallow time.” You can do your own research concerning what exactly our manicured lawns and plantings are up to these mysterious days.
Our contracted team of professionals turned off our irrigation systems and finished mowing and edging many weeks ago; occasional pruning and leaf pickup will continue to take place. The annual repairs to irrigation lines, replacing sprinkler heads, and fertilizing will begin again in spring.
Here are a few reminders:
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- Check that all hose bibs are securely covered with insulated caps;
- Report incidents of unusual water that is running or standing near your building or in common areas;
- Try to reduce traffic on your lawn when temperatures are low and the ground is soaked;
- Remember that planting bushes and bulbs in common areas is not allowed. The following is taken from the minutes of the December meeting of the Board of Directors: (Planting in common areas) creates both additional work and expense for our landscaping contractors as well as genuine hazards, as sometimes the plantings create safety issues for the landscaping crew, and sometimes the plants are invasive.
Continue to communicate your landscaping issues via our website, or via my email address, landscaping@sunlandnorth.org — I look forward to doing whatever I can to address your concerns.
Let’s have a great new year!
Natural Habitat – Sarah Miller
Call for volunteers: We will meet again on Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday/National Day of Service to clean up wind-fallen debris. Meet at 10:00 AM on Monday, January 16th, at the Woodcock Road entrance to Sunland North. Please bring saws, loppers, and gloves if possible.
We’re hoping the County will soon be planting the six Leyland cypress they have for us, to replace some trees which were removed during the construction of the round-about. They had planned to plant them before the end of the year, but the weather wasn’t cooperative. Three will be planted along Woodcock Road near the round-about, and three will be planted along Woodcock Road, across from Many Feathers Way.
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.