Quarterly Newsletter July 2021
Email: sunlandnorth@gmail.com
Website: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382
Business Hours: Monday – Friday; 9 AM – 3 PM
Announcements
2020-2021 Sunland North Board of Directors
President: Susan Hamman, president@sunlandnorth.org
Vice President: Dianne Bresnahan, 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
A reminder for 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 July 14, 2021, Board Meeting
The July 14 Sunland Division 17 Board meeting will be held 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., at The Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive. For those who have never attended an in-person meeting, The Gathering Place is on the first floor of the SLOA office.
Note: This will be our first in-person meeting since February 2020. While Washington State health officials are permitting such meetings, please note it is recommended that unvaccinated folks avoid such meetings, and everyone should still wear a mask when in such gatherings to protect others.
Annual Meeting
Sunland Division 17 Homeowners Association will have its annual member meeting on September 8, 2021. We are planning for this to be an “in-person” meeting and hope everyone will be able to attend. It is scheduled to be held in the ballroom of the Sunland Golf and Country Club, 109 Hilltop Drive.
No major changes to by-laws or rules and regulations are anticipated at this time, but the annual meeting will approve the budget for the forthcoming year and elect new Board members. The package with materials for the annual meeting will be mailed at the end of July, and owners need to return their ballots by mail as circumstances could prevent an in-person meeting.
Residents who wish to bring matters before the Board at the annual meeting should consider written submissions, and submit them in advance of the annual meeting. Submissions can be sent to secretary@sunlandnorth.org or mailed to Sunland Division 17 Owners Association, Attn: Secretary, P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382.
Roundabout at Sequim-Dungeness and Woodcock
The Clallam County Road Department recently purchased 0.15 acres of Sunland Division 17’s natural habitat area bordering the Sequim-Dungeness and Woodcock roads. The three large fir trees on the corner will be removed. The land was purchased for $2,123.00, and the county will also plant six Leyland Cypress trees behind the recently planted small fir trees on the property. Construction on the roundabout is due to start in August and is expected to take less than a month. Division 17 will be updated by the county should any changes occur to the timeline.
Messages and Reports from Our Volunteers
President – Susan Hamman
This will be my last president’s message for the newsletter, as my term on the board ends September 8, 2021. We are coming out of a tumultuous year of having our lives upended by the COVID pandemic. Division 17 Board and Committee members rose to the challenge of conducting HOA business via Zoom instead of in-person meetings. On the heels of COVID, the current real estate boom has brought many new owners to Division 17. Things have really changed since the developer turned over the HOA management to unit owners in 2012.
Little did I know in 2012 how involved I would become in the community over the next several years. I’ve served two terms on the Board, been president and treasurer twice, Architectural Control Chair, Insurance Committee member, newsletter editor, and a member of the board recruitment committee, not to mention “other duties as required.” I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to run this community so that it maintains the attractive appearance, lifestyle, and home values that drew many of us to it in the first place.
What it takes besides our HOA assessments, is the contributions of the homeowners, either by Board or committee involvement. Many newcomers may not know that we are a self-managed homeowners association. We do not have a property management firm to handle the governance and maintenance of our association, which is unusual for a homeowners association of our size (139 units). Doing so would probably double the amount of our assessment contribution, which is something that we all wish to avoid.
If you are hesitant about getting involved because you think you don’t have the skills or knowledge to be on the Board or a committee, please think again. All of us have skill sets that can be utilized by the HOA. There are a few of us left in the association who have steadily volunteered since 2012; we can provide history and institutional knowledge to you. We are only too glad to help you succeed in your work with the community. It has been a real privilege for me to be involved in our community; I’ve worked with great volunteers and met a lot of nice people over the years. I am just taking a step back from Board or Committee Chair responsibilities, but have no doubt that I will be volunteering again in the future!
Vice President – Dianne Bresnahan
Since most of my work this past quarter has been in Communications and the Welcoming Committee, please see my report under Communications below.
Treasurer – Betty Gwaltney
Just as we welcome summer and the warmer weather, we also see increased expenses for maintenance, landscaping, etc. In June, we started the intense moss control project which was a much-needed but costly undertaking. The careful management of our operational expenses has helped to offset the impact of this and other unanticipated work. Just as you see when filling up your car or buying groceries, costs for our vendors are rising. We will continue to keep you posted on our financial status, but this will likely impact the budget for 2022. Thank you for your timely quarterly assessment payments as this helps to manage our cash flow.
Secretary’s – Lawrence Charters
The past couple of months have been spent preparing for the annual membership meeting in September, which involves a whole bunch of writing, revising, and proofreading, and lots of background organizational work. Complicating things a bit: our neighborhood has had a very high number of home sales, and keeping track of member addresses and contact information changes have been difficult.
The pandemic has also posed a challenge as we try to both maintain lines of communication among neighbors and also minimize contacts in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Board has wrestled with how to handle large events, such as the annual meeting. On the one hand, we’d like to see our neighbors; on the other hand, we are very much aware not everyone is vaccinated, and have no wish to cause harm.
Current plans call for the July and August Board meetings to be in-person events, and the September Membership Meeting to be an in-person event. We encourage people to attend, but recommend unvaccinated folks avoid these gatherings, and recommend those attending wear a mask, and clump together only in familial bubbles. Sometimes, the best way to love your neighbor is from a distance.
Communications Committee – Dianne Bresnahan
Our Communication and Board Recruiting Committees have been busy. Our Communications Committee members have been reaching out to many of our homeowners to update their contact information. The Washington State Homeowner Association Act requires that the Sunland Division 17 Owners Association maintains on file the names and addresses of (a) owners and (b) if not owner-occupied, the names of other occupants such as renters or those leasing your unit (RCW 64.38.045). The Washington State Homeowner Association Act also requires the association to secure and maintain your written permission to send you alerts, newsletters, and general correspondence electronically (i.e., via email), instead of via US mail (RCW 64.38.035).
Legal documents such as election ballots must still be sent to registered owners via US mail, and for that, we need your mailing address, which may not be the same as your home address. The association also requests that homeowners and renters provide an emergency contact, in the event of an emergency. The emergency contact information is held in the Division 17 archives, and only used by the Association Secretary or President in the event of an emergency. You can find the Contact Information form on the Sunland North Division 17 Website, so please take the time to complete a new form if your contact information has changed, and send the updated form to the Division 17 board secretary via email at secretary@sunlandnorth.org or mail to: Division 17 Owners Association, Attn: Board Secretary, P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382.
Our Board Recruiting Committee is pleased to announce that we have two homeowners who are interested in running for the Board of Director positions. Please remember to cast your vote either by mail or in person at the Annual Meeting!
Our Welcome Committee members have been busy meeting and greeting new homeowners. We welcomed six new homeowners this quarter.
Board Member-at-Large – Mike Johnson
Nothing to report.
Architectural Control Committee – Richard Helmenstine
In this quarterly update, I hope to address the procedures necessary to request a change to the exterior of your units. The instructions are clearly posted on the Division 17 Website at (sunlandnorthownersassociation.com). All requests should be submitted to the Division 17 Architectural Control Committee (ACC) for approval, not the ACC at Sunland Owners Association (SLOA). This will only delay your request and your request may get lost in the shuffle. If you are new to Division 17 or are unable to determine which direction to follow, do not despair, your Architectural Committee will help you find your way through the process. Forms required to make a request are also posted on the Division 17 Website under Forms. All forms submitted will be reviewed as quickly as possible. Please keep in mind there are limited resources available for construction and trying to obtain a contractor can take a while. Only major construction requests will need additional approval from the Sunland Architectural Committee (SLOA) under the guidelines recently negotiated with that committee. Finally, you may call me directly for assistance with any questions. Richard Helmenstine, ACC Chairman (360) 477-2310.
Exterior Maintenance Committee – Michael VanDiver
General information: May and June inspections of Sunland North were undertaken by Michael VanDiver, Michael Johnson, and Rob Crombie. Over the past two months, we have inspected every home in the development. Well over 200 maintenance items were noted that need attention. Repairs will be done on as many items as we can address with the limited availability of contractors and their existing work schedules.
Area of focus: Roof flashings, exterior walls, gutters, privacy fences, garage and patio cement pads, boundary fences, and problematic landscaping issues.
Maintenance items of concern fall into three main areas: wood rotting and paint flaking on privacy fence caps and fireplace wall trim, leaking corners on gutters, and cracks in patio concrete pads.
Recommendations for Property enhancements: owners should take special notice to periodically clean their privacy and propane fence caps, and keep trees and bushes that are touching the property under control. Keep an eye on moss and mildew and flaking or cracked paint and monitoring any patio or driveway cracks. The sooner these maintenance items are addressed, the less cost to the HOA in the future.
Requests by Owners: If you see any maintenance items that need attention, please send it to: Michael VanDiver: Maintenance@sunlandnorth.org or text or call me at (206) 954-7770.
Current work in progress: home painting, moss abatement, gutter cleaning, and leaking gutter repairs.
More photos of work around Sunland North can be found in the web version of the newsletter, https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/newsletters/sunland-north-newsletter-july-2021/
Future work to be addressed: Cleaning and painting privacy wall top caps, applying self-leveling cement caulk to cracks in patios and driveways, adding flashing to problematic fireplace roof construction and adding drainage wells to foundation vents.
Established Landscape Committee – Gerry Hatler and Eric Mahnerd
As I have often said, Summer in Sequim doesn’t start until July 5th. Well, color me Wrong!! It was 94 on Saturday, June 26, 100 on Sunday, June 27, and 102 on Monday, June 28!! A friend and I worked outside at the Food Bank on Monday. After our shift, we decided to get a cold drink. Every restaurant we went to was packed with people trying to beat the heat. Some were even closed because of the heat. Luckily, most of us at Sunland North have air conditioning to help beat the heat…until the electricity went out! Well, it looks like we have turned the corner and we are back to the gorgeous weather we’re used to.
As you can imagine, the heatwave really did a number on some of our grass and plants. The power outage also took its toll on the sprinkler timers. Several timers went offline and the backup batteries (which we just replaced) did not kick in. Geoff has been checking the systems. If you think yours is off, please let me know and I will get it reprogramed for you. Geoff will be adjusting the watering schedule as needed as the temperatures continue to climb.
What else? The lawn fertilizing is complete, and the grass is really greening up nicely. The mowing and edging are in full swing, and the summer pruning will begin in July. As you can imagine, I have been getting numerous landscape requests or inquiries. Please be patient … I will get to them as soon as possible.
One last item. Geoff is having a very difficult time finding help. Most days he is working shorthanded. So please don’t stop the crew to talk about landscape or watering issues. Instead, contact me and I will convey the message to him.
Well, that’s all for now. Get out and enjoy the fabulous weather. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and be sure that you thoroughly water your potted plants and flowers … they really get thirsty when it’s hot!
Special Note: We are sorry to be losing Eric and Gerry as co-chairs of the Established Landscape Committee and want to thank both of them for their leadership in these positions. With that said, we are now looking for new Established Landscape Chair(s). This is a position that can be done as a “job share” position. Both Gerry and Eric are willing to train the new person(s) who are willing to take over this role.
Natural Habitat/Greenspace – Sarah Miller
With two cuttings of the Natural Habitat, plus the heatwave that we are experiencing at the time of this writing, we should soon see the grasses in the green space begin to slow down their growth. Please continue to keep an eye out for Poison Hemlock, which generally shoots above the grass level as it flowers. Report any sightings of this toxic invader to me so we can continue efforts to control it. Please see the photo below of Poison Hemlock in blossom.
June has brought about my turn to watering the new trees we have planted in the Natural Habitat. It has been interesting to spend dedicated time standing in our fields while waiting for each plant to absorb its three minutes of hose soaking. I get to enjoy the fantastic mountain view, and frequently am treated to sights of eagles riding the thermals overhead. One evening while I was waiting, a gentleman with a walker came up Sequim-Dungeness Way, in heavy traffic, and asked for help as his car had run out of gas. A kind neighbor had seen the man pushing his walker and pulled over just as he reached me. She drove him to his friend’s house nearby, who he had been visiting just prior to running out of gas. Sunland sure has some nice neighbors!
The trees and shrubs are doing fine, responding well to the extra water they’re getting this first year. Many thanks to the volunteers, and to the Dennises, Purdys, and Franks for making this job so much easier!
Thank You!
It takes a great deal of time and effort to keep our HOA operational and maintained so as always, we thank all of 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.
Kathy Gross, newsletter editor.