Sunland North Newsletter July 2024
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
2023-2024 Sunland North Board of Directors
President: Gerry Hatler, 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: Warren Husman, member-at-large@sunlandnorth.org
Announcements
Homeowners Association (HOA) Office Hours – Monday—Friday, 9 am – 3 pm
Please follow the Sunland North 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” that is on the website, https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/contact-us/.
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 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 2024 is as follows:
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- Wednesday, July 10 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
- Wednesday, August 14 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
- Wednesday, September 11 (2:30 to 4:30 pm) Annual Owner Meeting
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.
Proposed Amendment 4 of Sunland Division 17 Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions
This September, members of Sunland Division 17 will be asked to vote on amending the Association Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs). Over the past year your Board, with input from legal counsel and a small working group, studied the CC&Rs, looking for ways they can be streamlined. The goal of this revision is to update and clarify the language without changing the conditions. The revised CC&Rs require Owner approval before they can be adopted.
The current CC&Rs still have references to setting up the association and to the original developer, which are no longer required, plus several grammatical and numbering errors. These outdated references and typos make the CC&Rs difficult to read and interpret.
The current CC&Rs come to 27 pages and 12,292 words. The proposed restatement of the CC&Rs comes to 22 pages and 10,016 words.
What has been changed
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- All references to the developer have been removed.
- Updated to conform to Washington State law as of 2024, and to incorporate some new provisions coming into effect in the near future.
- A new section on Reserve Studies was added (required by law; content currently included in Bylaws).
- References to things that would be done at some future date (but were completed years ago) were removed.
- Wherever possible, the language was revised to make it more readable.
Why this is important
The Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions are essentially an extension of your deed. They outline the obligations of the Sunland Division 17 Owners Association to the individual owners and the obligations of the individual owners to the Association. They establish the foundation that allows the Association to purchase insurance for the Association as a whole, and help the Association to ensure that standards are met in terms of architectural design, landscaping, maintenance, and other items that help protect your investment and make Sunland North a pleasant community.
What you need to do
Please study the draft amendment and prepare to vote on it, in its final form, on the September 2024 annual meeting ballot. You can find the draft CC&Rs here:
or you can download a PDF version from a link at the top of that page.
Our current CC&Rs are here:
https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/governing-documents/covenants-conditions-and-restrictions/
We will be answering questions on the proposed amendment at our Board meetings during this summer. If you have questions, please come to the Board meetings, or write the Secretary, secretary@sunlandnorth.org
Roof, Attic, Flashing, Ventilation and Insulation Inspection
Between July 2 and July 11, a contractor, BES (Building Energy Specs), will be performing inspections of roof, attic, flashing, ventilation, and insulation on several homes in Sunland North, in cooperation with the Sunland North maintenance committee. These inspections help the association address any roof or attic issues that may need repair or identify where improvements may be made to deter future issues and prolong the life and performance of your roof and attic systems.
The in-depth Inspection of each roof and attic area will take approximately 2+ hours. To perform this inspection thoroughly, the contractor will need access to the attic area and will need to look at all ceilings and interior walls. The remainder of the inspection will take place at the exterior.
The contractor will take care not to disturb the daily routines of homeowners or occupants and treat homes with the utmost respect.
These are the tentative dates and beginning times of each inspection:
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- 21/31 Mount Baker Drive: July 2 at 11:30 am
- 250/260 Blakely Blvd: July 2 between 1:30 and 2:00 pm
- 270/280 Blakely Blvd: July 3 at 11:30 am
- 290/300 Blakely Blvd: July 3 between 1:30 and 2:00 pm
- 310/320 Blakely Blvd: July 9 at 11:30 am
- 330/340 Blakely Blvd: July 9 between 1:30 and 2:00 pm
- 311/321 Blakely Blvd: July 10 at 11:30 am
- 351/361 Blakely Blvd: July 10 between 1:30 and 2:00 pm
- 371/381 Blakely Blvd: July 11 at 11:30 am
- 350/360 Blakely Blvd: July 11 between 1:30 and 2:00 pm
Please notify Michael Johnson (maintenance@sunlandnorth.org) to confirm or request a change of date.
Backflow Preventers (Annual Testing)
Sunland Water District recently sent an email indicating that backflow preventers (BFPs) are required to be tested each year. The Board of Directors is aware of this requirement and has contracted for this testing with a certified irrigation plumbing contractor. This cost is covered by our annual dues. Please Note: Owners should not hire out annual inspections for backflow preventers.
Of Special Interest
Living in a Homeowners Association Community (HOA)
For many in Sunland North, it’s our first experience living in an HOA. Owners buy into this HOA for many reasons; downsizing from a single-family home, the convenience and pleasure of well-kept landscaping and exterior unit maintenance, and enjoying a real neighborhood feel, as well as the beauty of the surrounding area.
Here are some tips for living in an HOA community to make it a good experience for you and your fellow HOA unit owners:
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- Know the rules and respect them.
- Try to be a good neighbor.
- Get out and enjoy everything your community has to offer.
- Actively participate and volunteer with your HOA.
- Stay connected and talk to people who are involved.
For an article with more information about these five tips, go to https://hub.associaonline.com/blog/hoa-101-tips-for-living-in-an-hoa-community
Pest Control – Unit Owner Responsibilities
Division 17 residents live in a beautiful natural area that also attracts creatures other than ourselves! Those creatures may include rodents, insects, opossums, and raccoons.
Did you know that you, as a unit owner, are financially responsible for maintaining, repairing, and/or replacing any damage caused by pests to your unit? (Division 17 Rules and Regulations, Appendix A). Neglect to repair can cause serious damage not only to your unit, but to the adjacent unit in your building. You could end up being financially responsible for both units if you have not taken the necessary steps to fix your pest problem.
Be proactive by checking the vents on the outside of your unit for entry damage or by seeing signs of mice or rat infiltration in your unit or garage. It may save you a bundle in the future!
Did You Know? Escallonia
Definition: The Developer’s choice of a fast-growing shrub successfully established over 20 years ago all over Division 17; attractive and helps hide utility boxes. Escallonia is a woody shrub native to South America. As evidenced over the last two years, however, it can be damaged by winter frost and strong, frost-laden winds, and temperatures of 10–15°F, but recovers quickly if it’s sprouting. Encouragingly, escallonia can grow 6-12 inches per year.
Messages and Reports from Our Volunteers
President – Gerry Hatler
First, I would like to thank all the volunteers that have made our association successful. If we had used a management company to fulfill those responsibilities our Homeowner’s dues would be substantially higher. I think a good estimate would be double, so you can see the benefit and value of our volunteers and why we have a continuing need for more volunteers. We have folks who have been volunteering since they moved into the community and have served on the Board as well as Committee Chairs and Committee members. We also have many new homeowners who bring new talents to our community.
At present, we have two important Committee Chair positions that need to be filled, Exterior Maintenance and Architectural Control. The current chairs have served well but would like to pass the opportunity on to others. If you would like more information on either of these positions send me an email (president@sunlandnorth.org) and I will get you in touch with the current chairs. They will provide you additional information and they will be available to provide whatever transition that’s needed.
We will also be seeking volunteers to help at our Annual Meeting in September so please go to the volunteer form and review the opportunities, complete the form and send it in.
There is a volunteer form you can complete on our website: (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/sunland-division-17-community-volunteer-202012.pdf). You can send the form to me at president@sunlandnorth.org or mail it to me at:
Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382
As my mother used to say, “Many hands make light work!” and we need more hands. Let’s not burn out the folks who have served so faithfully or risk the need to engage an outside contractor which would require an increase to the anticipated budget for homeowners’ dues.
Please consider how your skills might help your fellow homeowners!
Vice President – Mark Anderson
House Maintenance Awareness
We have entered the longest (daylight hour) month of the year! Best time to see what is going on around your house. You may ask “why?” Answer: Dry Rot! Dry Rot is most often in wood that has been exposed to the elements and loses its structural support. It visits (eventually) every house and we all need to be aware and on the lookout for clues of the rot. The sooner this issue is identified the better our budget looks and less inconvenience in our daily routines. Here are a few trouble spots:
House Exterior
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- around windows, skylights, or doors;
- around edges of the roof (near the gutters) and on exterior trim boards (around the base and on the corners);
- wood near your faucets and sprinkler heads.
House Interior
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- around the shower/bath walls and base;
- skylights and
- around the sinks (bath, kitchen, and laundry rooms).
What to look for: Peeling paint, dark stains (mold) soft wood, or soft walls (easily pressed in with a finger or screwdriver).
What to do about it: Fill out a maintenance request, here is the link: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/homeowners-forms/sunland-north-exterior-maintenance-request/ or if you are just ‘suspect’ of dry rot, just ask for someone to come by and have a look.
Treasurer – Betty Gwaltney
As we start the second half of 2024, I would like to share some observations regarding the financial health of Division 17 HOA:
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- The first half has seen increased expenses in maintenance and repairs – roof leaks, etc. And the cost of the repairs has increased. But not addressing these issues would only cost more in the future so we have supported getting the work done.
- Our investment strategy of moving reserve funds into higher-interest CDs continues to build our reserves – projected to add ~$30,000 this year!
- We have great owners who faithfully pay their assessments – many pay the entire year in January. While circumstances can happen and occasionally a payment might be late, we haven’t had any significant issues this year, which is GREATLY appreciated.
Financial Review vs Audit: Each year, the membership is asked to authorize doing a Financial Review instead of a full audit. While we submit all of the financial records for both of these processes, the Financial Review looks at samples of expenses rather than every entry but still evaluates whether accounting principles were followed. The cost difference between the two is also significant – the Financial Review this year is $2000, while a full Audit would be closer to $5000-6000. To assure that our finances are handled appropriately, our Governing Documents require several safeguards: Specific limits on amounts, a Committee Chair or Board Member can approve. Items over $5000 require Board approval. Each check has 2 signatures – not for the bank but to show a second authorized signer is reviewing the invoice or reimbursement request and approving payment. Each month our CPA service reconciles their record of checks with bank accounts and sends a report to the Treasurer. As Treasurer, I am happy to answer any questions you might have regarding our finances.
Architectural Control Committee – Eric Mahnerd and Mark Anderson, Co-Chairs
Hi Neighbors,
Looks like summer is finally here. Time to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and perhaps do a project or two for your unit – install a screen door, put in a safety railing (Great Idea!), or add a privacy fence. Don’t forget that you need permission from our committee before you start any exterior project. The required forms can be found on our website.
And speaking of the Architectural Control Committee, we are looking for someone to head up the committee. It is an easy job and a great way to meet your neighbors. Give me a call if you’d like to volunteer and I will provide you a briefing of what the job entails.
Have a Great Summer!
Landscaping Committee – Tom Steffen
Welcome to summer! Thanks to our professional landscaping crew, our lawns, bushes/shrubs, and recently refreshed planting beds look spectacular. And thanks to a growing number of owners who are regularly tidying up their bushes and beds, power washing their drive and walkways, and looking out for the occasional misguided sprinkler head. Special thanks to the volunteers who continue to beautify the entrance to our little paradise.
As you are aware, our HOA lost several bushes/shrubs again this winter. At last count, we have located approximately 400 dead bushes/shrubs, and our landscaping crew is in the process of removing them. Per discussions with the Board, we are in the process of determining which bushes/shrubs may be replaced; most will not, given that our HOA was overplanted at the time buildings were sold. In addition to this wide-scale loss, the large hedges of escallonia around the power boxes on Blakely, Cascadian Loop, and Mendel were damaged again this winter. We are in the process of deciding our next steps in addressing this situation.
If you have questions or requests concerning landscaping and irrigation issues, please continue to use the email link prominently displayed on our website. By communicating via our website link, we have a record of requests that allows us a way to keep track of the ongoing issues in our community. Our volunteer landscape coordinator will copy and paste all email requests and forward them to our landscape contractor or irrigation plumber.
Thank You!
A special thank you to Lisa Parise for her efforts in making the Happy Hour events at The Cabana from June through September possible. It is a wonderful opportunity for residents to get together and to meet new neighbors as well.
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!