Quarterly Newsletter July 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

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

Your Community Needs You

Please Respond by July 8, 2022

Sunland North (Division 17) is a community of 139 homes. We share a wonderful place to live in a lovely natural setting, friendly neighbors, great quality of life, and the opportunity to control our way of life through set standards that a “typical” neighborhood cannot do.

The Nominations Committee is seeking new volunteers to run for the 2022 – 2023 Board of Directors. In addition, there are two committee chair vacancies, Architectural Control and External Maintenance, which must be filled.

There are five Board positions and five active committees, with four other committees that meet on an as-needed basis. Each year, there is a rotation of members going off the Board, while others stay on the Board for the remainder of their term and Board continuity.

The Board members make a two-year commitment to serve on the Board. Once a month, the Board meets for a two-hour meeting. Additional time may be spent during the month dealing with the business of the HOA or a committee assignment.

With 139 units, we have the potential of at least 139 individuals who could serve on the Board or a committee. Your volunteering helps keep your association costs down. Many HOA’s of Sunland North’s size have property management firms to handle all the administrative, landscaping, and external maintenance needs of the association. This, of course, adds exponentially to the cost of living in this kind of development.

Thus far, Sunland North has been able to maintain the organization through its volunteers, but many of those people have volunteered in multiple capacities and new volunteers are needed to replace or help them.

The Nomination Committee urges all of you to consider what we have and enjoy as a community and ask you to do your part to enhance the value of our community as a Board member. Many viewpoints and opinions are important to keep Sunland North viable and healthy. If you are new to Sunland North, this is a good opportunity for you to get to know your neighbors and contribute to the community that you have chosen to live in.

Please contact your Nomination Committee members, either Ellen Valway at (541) 325-3500 or Dianne Breshnahan at (425) 359-2459 with your interest by no later than July 8, 2022.

Announcements

Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours – Monday thru Friday, 9 am – 3 pm

We want to remind all new and current residents, that 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 that 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 High rate of COVID-19 infections. https://www.clallam.net/coronavirus/

The Sunland North Board Meeting schedule for the third quarter of 2022 is as follows:

• Wednesday, July 13 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
• Wednesday, August 10 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
• Wednesday, September 14 (2:30 to 4:30 pm) (Annual Meeting see information below)

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.

Annual Meeting

Sunland Division 17 Homeowners Association will have its annual member meeting on September 14, 2022. 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, 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.

Messages and Reports from Our Volunteers

President – Gerry Hatler

We continue to have new homeowners join us in Sunland North. On June 9th, we had a “welcome get together” at the Cabana. While the weather did not cooperate, we were able to get to know several of the new owners who had moved in since 2020. We are in the process of restarting the seasonal monthly get-togethers at the Cabana. We’ll let you know more as the schedule firms up.

You may have noticed that the “Sunland North” sign at the entrance from Woodcock Road has disappeared, well actually it disintegrated. Thanks to the efforts of Eric Mahnerd, we should have a new sign installed shortly. Eric and Kathy Mahnerd have taken on the responsibility of keeping that area looking fresh and inviting.

We are still looking for a Chair of the Exterior Maintenance Committee. Mike Johnson, our Member at Large (Board member) has been pinch-hitting while we seek a new Chair. Basically, the Chair coordinates with vendors to take care of exterior maintenance projects. If you have any relevant 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 for the Homeowners Association (HOA) as it is responsible for the exteriors of all the buildings and it represents the largest percentage of the reserve funds the HOA maintains.

We are also looking for a Chair for the Architectural Control Committee. This committee reviews requests for permanent changes to the exterior of homes in Sunland North and coordinates the annual painting of buildings scheduled each summer.

Brian Scott, Manager of Sunland Water District, made a presentation at the May Board meeting. He spoke of the State requirement for annual testing of backflow valves. In early June, the Water District sent an email to all homeowners in Sunland and Sunland North about irrigation, including the subject of testing. Subsequently, I received several inquiries about backflow valve testing. We are in the middle of mapping our irrigation system to facilitate this testing. The issue was discussed at the June Board meeting and will be scheduled for Sunland North when we are ready.

Treasurer – Betty Gwaltney

Each year the HOA members authorize either a Financial Review or a Full Audit of our financial records. The Financial Review for FY 2021 is underway now and I thought it would be helpful to highlight the financial controls Division 17 has in place to assure our annual assessments have oversight and controls.

The first step in our Financial Management is developing and approving the annual budget. Each committee chair and Board member carefully considers the current expenses and projected expenses for the upcoming year as well as anticipated needs for major costs covered by the HOA Reserves. The budget is then presented to the membership for final approval. Per the Division 17 Bylaws, there are limits set for monetary authority, allowing committee chairs to authorize up to $300 for needed expenses. For example, exterior maintenance can authorize up to $3,000 with supporting documentation from a vendor, Board members can authorize payments up to $5,000, however, anything over that amount must be approved by the Board.

Invoices and reimbursement requests are submitted to the HOA CPA, Bell & Bell, who generate the checks and maintain our accounting books. Any check to a Division 17 owner is supported by a Reimbursement Request form, that identifies the purpose, receipts, and authorization by a Board member. Individual Board members do not have direct access to checks.

Per our Bylaws, two signatures by authorized Board members are required on any Reimbursement Request form. Finally, each month the bank statements and balances on accounts are reconciled by Bell & Bell with the Treasurer’s records. All checks issued are accounted for in the Treasurer’s records.

For the Financial Review, the Treasurer submits bank statements for the year, the budget, balance sheets, etc., and the accounting firm (Bell & Bell) submits their records as well. We use an independent firm, Olympic Tax Service (OTS) to do the Financial Review. While this Financial Review is not as detailed as a full Audit (or as costly), it does provide a thoughtful and independent review by a CPA of our accounting practices.

As Treasurer, I will submit the final report from OTS to the Board by the August Board meeting. Each of the steps I’ve outlined serves to provide controls on any withdrawal from the Division 17 Accounts, and confidence the HOA money is being spent as authorized.

Secretary – Lawrence Charters

One of the most common messages sent to the Board is something along the lines of: “I’m not sure who to send something to.” In addition to the Board email addresses (listed at the top of the newsletter) and our P.O. box, you can also write directly to the committee chairs:

• architecture@sunlandnorth.org (for inquiring about changes to unit exteriors or yards)
• maintenance@sunlandnorth.org (for inquiring about exterior maintenance issues)
• landscaping@sunlandnorth.org (for inquiring about landscaping issues)
• information@sunlandnorth.org (for requesting general information, or when you are not sure who might be the proper contact for a question or issue)

In any email or letter, please include your name, phone number, email address, and the address of your unit. A few months ago, I received a message that said, in its entirety:

“Did you know about the moles?”

There was no name, the email address did not work (it was incorrectly typed), no phone number was given, and there was no unit number. This made follow-up exceedingly difficult.

Remember that all Board members, Committee chairs, and Committee members are your neighbors. They live in Sunland North, too, and want our community to be as attractive, comfortable, and safe as you do.

 Insurance Committee – Susan Hamman

The Sunland Division 17 Owners Association Insurance policy with Community Association Underwriters of America (CAU) was successfully renewed for the time period May 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023. 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.

The units are insured at guaranteed replacement cost, with a $5000 deductible per incident.

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.

Developed Landscaping Committee – Tom Steffen

Summer has arrived, so be on the lookout for: (1) selective pruning that will begin in a few weeks (the second round of pruning will take place in late fall). If you have specific questions, concerns or requests, please specify them in an email to landscaping@sunlandnorth.org; (2) seasonal weed control and fertilizer applications will be applied in the next few weeks (some weed control is applied weekly in sections); (3) added watering days will be made to irrigation schedules as we move into July and August.

Sunland Water District (SWD) has increased its efforts to inform Sunland residents of their water usage. You may periodically receive an email from SWD with an attachment (scene shot of a chart of your usage). If you have questions, please reply directly to the office staff who sent you the email. If you have a concern regarding irrigation water usage, feel free to email landscaping@sunlandnorth.org.

A few owners have reported trouble with their irrigation system not working at all or working at odd hours of the day. If you have concerns about your irrigation system or are noticing the browning of plants and grass, please email landscaping@sunlandnorth.org.

Most of the landscaping on the northeast section of Blakely Boulevard (Phase One) is 22 years old. In some areas, landscaping is dead, diseased, or overgrown well beyond what annual pruning can maintain. Work is underway at one site; the removal of 12 plants was done by our landscape contractor, and the replanting will be done by a group of volunteers.

Communications and Outreach Committee

Since the first of the year, the welcome committee contacted three new owners, and is working on contacting two others sometime soon.

Natural Habitat Update — Sarah Miller

Thanks to the diligent attention of our volunteer watering crew (Kathleen Charters, Joann Sahs-Cavin, Michael Johnson, George Bannon, Mike & Carol Paine, Mike & Dianne Bresnahan, Kjell Stoknes, and Sarah Miller), our baby trees by the new traffic circle are doing well. Each one is covered in feathery new growth which will become strong branches and trunks reaching high. We will be getting some additional trees from Clallam County to replace those that were removed as part of the roundabout construction. These will be planted in the late fall so we can rely on the natural watering from the winter rains.

Thanks also to some Good Samaritan(s) who picked up garbage along the roadside before our volunteer crew took care of it on the first Monday of June. We will be having a volunteer work crew on the first Monday of each month throughout the year, unless that date is a holiday such as Independence Day.

Depending on the season, volunteer activities might be fallen branch pick up and disposal, roadside garbage pickup, or other Natural Habitat needs. Thanks to all who have already stepped forward. Doing this work with volunteer labor keeps Sunland North the beautiful place we all love. It also keeps our HOA dues lower than they would be if we had to pay staff or contractors to do the work.

We continue to do battle with poison hemlock; thanks go to Tom Hamman, Doug Hale, Barbara Brooner, Alan Morris, and Gerry Hatler.

The tall grasses in our natural areas are beginning to block the view of fawns at play. Jim Rossi will begin the second mowing of the season on July 1.

Enjoy your Independence Day and stay safe!

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.