Sunland North Owners Association
Quarterly Newsletter October 2019
Email: sunlandnorth@gmail.com
Website: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382
The next three Sunland North Monthly Board Meetings are scheduled for October 9th, November 13th and December 11th, 2:30 PM at the Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive.
Welcome to all our new residents: As a reminder, please review Sunland North Homeowners Association Governing Documents (CC&R’s, By-laws, and Rules and Regulations) available on Sunland North’s website.
New Business Hours Established for Board Members and Volunteers
To be respectful of our volunteers’ time, Division 17 is instituting business hours to contact the Board and Committee Chairs. Business hours are now Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
If you do not get a response within 24 hours after a call or e-mail is made, please understand that the volunteer that you are trying to reach may be on vacation or have some other reason why they cannot immediately respond to your inquiry. Either try again or contact another Board or Committee member for assistance.
Emergencies are an exception to these business hours but emergencies are confined to events such as a fire, flood, irrigation main break, earthquake or other disasters that must be immediately dealt with.
Most of the residents in Division 17 are retired. So are the volunteer Board of Directors and Committee Chairs and members. They volunteer because they want Sunland North to remain a great community to live in and to maintain its affordability by keeping costs down with their volunteer efforts.
You can help by volunteering for the community you have chosen to live in. People who leave during the winter months can share responsibilities with volunteers who live here year-round; just ask any of the Board or Committee chairs how you can assist! And as always, A Huge Thank You to all our Board Members and Volunteers!
Great Washington Shakeout
Each year Washington State (and all states along the Pacific Coast) conducts an emergency drill specifically aimed at earthquake preparedness. In Washington State, this is known as the Great Washington Shakeout, and this year it will be held on October 17, at 10:17 a.m. (10/17 at 10:17).
As Katrina and other events have shown, communities cannot expect a quick response from outside agencies when region-wide disasters strike. First responders can’t respond when their own lives and families fall victim, and when power, water, and transportation are disrupted on a massive scale. Families, neighborhoods, and communities should become more resilient.
Participation in the drill is self-selected (you participate if you are interested). Go to the Washington State page on the Shakeout site, https://www.shakeout.org/washington/register/ and register to participate. The site has a number of resources to help with preparation, including videos and checklists.
There will also be a test of the tsunami warning system, though the sirens cannot be heard from Sunland North. Sunland North is beyond the tsunami evacuation zone, http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_tsunami_evac_sequim.pdf though the Sunland beach cabana is well within the zone.
Vice-President’s Report – John Lewis (Volunteer)
As reported at our last two Board meetings the Clallam county Conservation District is implementing the next phase of an ongoing project to convert open irrigation ditches to buried pipelines. Their current project includes converting the Sequim Prairie-Tri Irrigation Association ditches in our open areas along Sequim-Dungeness and Woodcock Road. In accordance with the motion passed at our last meeting, the pipeline route was approved and a number of conditions were established for work on Division 17 property. The conditions include: hours of work in accordance with our CC&Rs, specified access points and staging area, Division 17 to be listed as an additional insured on the contractor’s insurance policy, and legal review and approval of a new easement over the pipeline. The cost of the legal review is still an open issue. We maintain that the Conservation District should pay but they are objecting; even though we are not receiving any compensation for granting the easement.
The contract is currently being advertised and we will be following the project including attending the preconstruction meeting with the contractor to ensure that our conditions are understood and met.
Treasurer’s Report – Jim Jones/Susan Hamman (Volunteers)
At the Board Organizational meeting following the Division 17 Annual Meeting, new Board member Susan Hamman was selected to be Treasurer replacing Jim Jones who retired from the Board after serving four years as Treasurer.
Division 17 expenses during the first eight months of 2019 totaled $241,825 which is $50,923 less than Budget due primarily to the annual painting project occurring later than planned. Operating expenses, however, were $18,709 over Budget due to legal expenses and the unexpected need to provide an injunction bond of $250,000 which cost the Association $5,350. At the end of August the Operating Fund balance was $111,543 and the Reserve Fund balance was $94,573 which does not include the $250,000 from Reserves used for cash collateral for the bond. Two progress payments were made to Belfor ((the contractor for the Cascadia Loop restoration) from the Fire Trust Fund during the July and August period which totaled $212,149 so the Fire Trust Fund balance at the end of August was $300,053. Monthly Expense Reports and Fire Trust Fund Summary reports can be found on the Sunland North website.
On September 19, 2019 there was a court ruling that Division 17 no longer had to post an Injunction bond so the $250,000 cash collateral will be returned to Division 17 Reserves during the week of September 23rd.
The 2020 Budget that was ratified by the owners and adopted by the Board at the September 11 Annual Meeting, the 2020 Reserve Study, and the 2018 Financial Review have been posted on the Sunland North website.
Secretary’s Report – Lawrence Charters (Volunteer)
Annual Meeting Summary
The Sunland North Division 17 Owners Association meeting was held September 11, 2019. We had an excellent turnout, and an excellent response to the mail-in ballot. As the September meeting was a formal meeting of the Board, official minutes must await approval by the Board at their October meeting. This is an unofficial summation:
2020 Budget: owners approved the 2020 budget. As approved, there will be no increase in the per-unit assessment for 2020.
CPA Financial Records: owners voted for the CPA financial records review rather than the more expensive full financial audit of the Association.
Candidates for Board of Directors: Mike Johnson and Susan Hamman were elected to the Board for two-year terms. At an organizational meeting on September 12, Board members met to select officers: Sunland North Division 17 Board of Directors 2019-2020
President: Gary Fortmann, gfortmann@gmail.com, (360) 582-3044
Vice President: John Lewis, jjaklewis@aol.com, (360) 504-2521
Secretary: Lawrence Charters, sunlandnorthsecretary@gmail.com, 240-389-0052
Treasurer: Susan Hamman, sunlandnorthtreas@gmail.com, (360) 683-1800
Member-at-Large: Mike Johnson, sunlandnorthmaltwo@gmail.com, 208-274-3892
As things do change over the course of the year, please check the Sunland North website for the latest information: https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/
Architectural Control Committee’s (ACC) Report – Susan Hamman (Volunteer)
Fifteen Exterior Change Requests have been processed since the last newsletter report; primarily, the addition of storm doors, gates, privacy fences, and handrails.
With rising cable bills, a number of Division 17 residents have switched from cable to satellite receivers in recent months. Please be advised that there are both SLOA and Division 17 rules regarding the size and placement of satellite dishes in our community. These can be found under the following web address and section of the Division 17 Rules and Regulations:
5. Antennas – Satellite receivers, or dish antennas, shall be no larger than one meter in diameter, may extend no more than twelve feet over the house line, and shall be discreetly placed in a location to blend inconspicuously with overall property appearance.
Under no circumstances are the dishes to be attached to the roof unless there was a pre-existing satellite dish in place which a new owner will use for their receiver.
If you are uncertain as to where to place the satellite dish, please contact Division 17’s Architectural Control Committee for assistance before the dish is put in place: sunlandnortharchitecture@googlegroups.com
This is my last report as chair of the Architectural Committee, on which I’ve served for the past two years. Richard Helmenstine is the new Architectural Chair; thank you for volunteering for our community, Richard! Rob Crombie and Gerry Hatler will remain as committee members.
Exterior Maintenance & Inspection Report – Doug Hale (Volunteer)
It’s that time of year again. With fall comes cooler evenings and the chance of overnight freezing. All owners should disconnect their outdoor hoses to prevent expensive repairs from freezing pipes. A hose connected to outdoor faucets usually will have water in the hose. If the water freezes, it will back up water inside the faucet. This water, in turn, can freeze and split pipes, resulting in floods within your home. Freezing weather isn’t good for the hose, either.
Our website, https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/ has a form to request repairs for exterior maintenance if you have any issues that require attention. The form (and forms for Landscaping, Exterior Change Request (Architecture) will be found on the right site of the home page of our website.
Communications and Outreach Committee Report – Kay Hatler (Volunteer)
Leah Prince completed three welcome visits this quarter and has three more visits planned for October.
Lawrence Charters is our Website Coordinator. There’s lots of useful information for HOA residents online, so check it out at (https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com). The website now has a search function which should simplify finding things on the site. Enter a search term into the box next to the magnifying glass. The site is now encrypted which makes it safer to visit and helps to ensure identity, authenticity, and reliability to our Website. If you do a google search for Sunland North Owners Association, the search will provide the site and you can click on that.
Landscape Coordinator’s Report – Eric Mahnerd (Volunteer)
The Landscape Committee is comprised of two Coordinators. Eric Mahnerd handles requests from May through October and Gerry Hatler handles November through April. On average, we receive 5 to 10 landscape requests or notifications of problems a week! We normally handle the problems as we receive them but occasionally there are delays when we have to call in outside vendors.
As many of you know, during a fertilizer application a weed killer was used by mistake and it killed some of the grass on several lots. Geoff and his crew have thatched the dead areas and over seeded with new grass seed so we should see improvement.
Fall brings cooler temperatures and an increase in rain so the sprinkler systems have been shut off. If we run into a dry spell the sprinklers will be turned back on. Fall pruning continues as the crews are working from the West to the East of the development and the lavender is being trimmed as it dies down. Major winter pruning will begin once the temps drop down and the plants become dormant.
We have had numerous sprinkler problems. If you notice a problem, please let us know, and we will arrange to have it fixed. Many have required new heads to be installed. The failure of a sprinkler head to retract can usually be rectified by giving it a squirt of WD-40. If you need assistance with this please let me know. We also have had problems with leaking valves which normally require professional replacement.
If you have a Landscaping change requests, please submit a Landscape Maintenance Request Form. It can be found on our website. All changes to the landscaping must be approved by the Landscape Committee and usually only takes a day or two to process any requests.
A reminder that if you change the landscaping you become responsible for the maintenance of the new landscaping. And when adding any new plants, please do not put them in front of the sprinkler heads.
We had a meeting with our landscape contractor last week. He shared his concerns with the increase in the weekly workload as the plants, bushes and trees continue to mature. He also reiterated that as home owners add more plantings to their property it makes it much more difficult for his crew to have clear access to do their pruning. While we all want our yards to look beautiful, please be mindful of the ramifications for our crews with the addition of new plants. Also, remember that bird baths or other yard sculptures cannot be place on the grass areas. Geoff is in the process of finalizing his bid for 2020 and we expect to see an increase in the cost due to the increased workloads.
From your green thumbs volunteers…Get out there and enjoy your beautiful surroundings before the snow returns!
Greenspace Report – Tom Hamman (Volunteer)
The third and final mowing of the greenspace took place the second week of September. Barbara Brooner, Alan Morris, Doug Hale, and Tom Hamman continue their vigilance on eradicating poison hemlock infiltration.
Homeowner are reminded that they are not to toss their yard waste into the greenspace area! Yard waste should go into your trash can for disposal.
2019/2020 Sunland North Board Members
President – Gary Fortmann
Vice President – John Lewis
Treasurer – Susan Hamman
Secretary – Lawrence Charters
Member at large – Mike Johnson
Kay Hatler – Newsletter Editor, kay.hatler@gmail.com