Quarterly Newsletter October 2022
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
2022-2023 Sunland North Board of Directors
President: Gerry Hatler, president@sunlandnorth.org
Vice President: Lawrence Charters, vicepresident@sunlandnorth.org (returning member, new position)
Treasurer: Betty Gwaltney, treasurer@sunlandnorth.org
Secretary: Shirley Legg, secretary@sunlandnorth.org (returning member, new position)
Board Member-at-Large: Warren Husman, member-at-large@sunlandnorth.org (newly elected)
Welcome to our new Board member, Warren Husman. A big thank you to our continuing Board members, Gerry Hatler, Lawrence Charters, Betty Gwaltney and Shirley Legg.
New Board Organizational Meeting Held September 21, 2022
The outgoing 2021-2022 Board met with members of the incoming 2022-2023 Board on September 21. The organizational meeting was used to elect Board officers and assign duties. Mike Johnson and Warren Husman were not present. Board President Hatler met with Husman after the meeting and briefed him on the Board assignments.
The Board elected officers from among their members as listed above under Board of Directors.
In addition to the above positions on the Board, Lawrence Charters will also serve as Board liaison for the Developed Landscaping and Natural Habitat Committees, and chair of the Grievance Committee. He will continue the additional duties as manager of the sunlandnorth.org communications accounts and the Sunland North website.
Shirley Legg will also serve as the Board liaison for the Communication and Outreach Committee.
Betty Gwaltney will also serve as the Board liaison for the Insurance Committee.
Warren Husman will also serve as the Board liaison for the Unit Exterior Maintenance Committee and the Architectural Control Committee.
These positions will be reviewed and receive a formal vote by the Board at the next scheduled Board meeting on Wednesday, October 12.
Your Community Continues to Need You!
Sunland North (Division 17) is a community of 139 homes. We share a wonderful place to live in a lovely natural setting, friendly neighbors, a great quality of life and the opportunity to control our way of life through set standards that a “typical” neighborhood cannot do.
We have a continuing need for volunteers to assist with minor maintenance, landscaping, and noxious weed control, as well as picking up litter and debris. Assistance with the association website would also be appreciated. For more information, please write to information@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.
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.
The Sunland North Board Meeting schedule for the third quarter of 2022 is as follows:
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- Wednesday, October 12 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
- Wednesday, November 9 (2:30 to 4:30 pm)
- Wednesday, December 14 (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 meeting schedule is separate from Sunland North Division 17.
Annual Sunland North December Holiday Party
The Sunland North Holiday Day Party is an unofficial (non-HOA) event with a long history, interrupted recently by the pandemic. But it is on again, scheduled for December 8th, 5:00 pm no host cocktails; 6:00 pm dinner, at the 7 Cedars Casino. Flyers will be distributed to your door in early October.
Messages and Reports from Our Volunteers
President – Gerry Hatler
First, I would like to thank my fellow Board members for their continued stewardship of the association’s resources. Mike Johnson completed his term on the Board. Mike, thanks for your willingness to serve the community in so many ways.
At the Annual Meeting, Betty Gwaltney and Lawrence Charters were elected for an additional two-year term and Warren Husman joined the Board. At our Board organization meeting, the following appointments were made: Betty Gwaltney as Treasurer, Lawrence Charters as Vice President, Shirley Legg as Secretary, Warren Husman as Member at Large and I will remain as President.
I would also like to thank all the committee chairs and the many volunteers for helping to take care of the important tasks that make Sunland North a pleasant place to live.
Mike Johnson has agreed to officially become the Chair of the Exterior Maintenance Committee and Eric Mahnerd and Mark Anderson have agreed to Co-chair the Architectural Control Committee.
I hope all of you had an opportunity to attend the POD meetings for the Cascadia Rising event. There was much good information that was presented. I know Kay and I came home and made some changes around our place right away with plans for keeping current on these important areas.
Vice President – Lawrence Charters
Each year states along the West Coast participate in a voluntary exercise, the Great ShakeOut, to prepare for earthquakes and other regional disasters. The exercise is entirely voluntary, and is designed to help you prepare your family, your neighborhood, and your community for a regional disaster — before the disaster takes place. Please consider visiting the website, and signing up for the drill, held this year on October 20, 2022. https://www.shakeout.org
Treasurer – Betty Gwaltney
In March of 2022, the Governing Board passed a resolution to purchase $300,000 in Certificates of Deposit in a laddered fashion (6-month, 12-month, 18-month) in order to have a higher yield with our Reserve accounts. Since then, we have been working diligently to achieve that goal despite encountering some logistical challenges – meeting the required documentation requirement, etc. I am pleased to report that we are finally on our way. In July, we purchased a $100,000 (13 month) CD at Sound Bank with a 2.27% yield, and in September, we purchased a $125,000 (17month) CD at Kitsap Credit Union also with a 2.27% yield. While the term of the CD’s varies from our original plan, these maximize the return on our money. We will continue to pursue an additional $75,000 CD as financial institutions offer higher interest rate specials.
2023 Budget: Thank-you for the overwhelming support of the 2023 Budget. We are committed to using our money responsibly while maintaining our homes and subdivision in good condition. The 2023 assessment will be $3,700 annually or $930 quarterly due Jan 1, Apr 1, Jul 1, and Oct 1. If you have set up payments with your bank, please remember to update your autopayment with the new amount.
Secretary – Shirley Legg
Please check out the Sunland North website for the association governing documents, past and present newsletters, meeting minutes, and other useful information. https://sunlandnorthownersassociation.com/
Insurance Committee – Susan Hamman
October is National Fire Prevention Month. It is a good time for us as residential homeowners to take a look around at our units and be proactive in identifying anything that could potentially be a fire hazard.
- Check light bulb wattages and make sure they are appropriate for the light fixture, both in overhead lights and table lamps. Dust the fixture surrounding the lightbulb in your overhead fixtures.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are in good working order. Smoke detectors have a useful life span of ten years and should be replaced after that time, even if they appear to be in working order.
- Have the external dryer vent checked and cleaned at least once a year. Check and clean out the dryer filter each time you use the dryer. Dryer lint is one of the most common sources of home fires.
- Clean the grease filter in the stove hood; clean oven for spillages and grease.
- Notice any power fluctuations in your unit that may be cause to have the electrical system checked.
- Major appliances (refrigerators, dryers, washers, space heaters, stoves, microwaves, etc.) should be plugged directly into a wall outlet. Never use extension cords or plug strips for these appliances.
- Know the warning signs of problems for electrical appliances: flickering lights, smoke or odd smells, blowing fuses, tripping circuit breakers, or frayed or cracked cords. Check any appliances that display one of these warning signs and either repair or replace the appliance. Do not run extension cords across doorways or where they can be walked upon or pinched by furniture.
- Never leave anything on the stove unintended. It is easy to walk away and forget that something is on the stove. Use the timer as a reminder to check on cooking food.
- Have and practice an escape plan from your unit. About 75% of house fire deaths result from smoke, not from the flames. You must crawl under the smoke with your head 12-24 inches off the floor.
The Clallam County Fire District 3 station on 323 N. 5th Ave. has several free fire tip pamphlets available to the public. In addition, they have free 911 Alert tubes, which look like large pill bottles. Fill out the paperwork enclosed in the vial with your emergency contacts, medications, and health information and put it in a visible spot on your refrigerator door shelves. A 911 sticker is included to affix to your front door to alert 911 professionals that you have this information in your refrigerator, which will assist them (and you!) in the event of a medical emergency.
Architectural Control Committee – Eric Mahnerd and Mark Anderson, Co-Chairs
The Architectural Control Committee (ACC) consists of 5 members: Eric Mahnerd and Mark Anderson are Co-chairs and they are assisted by John Wilson, Dave Huffman and Rob Crombie. Our job is to review any requests for changes to the exterior of the units. So far this year we have had 15 requests and 13 have been approved. To make a request to the ACC simply go to our website and download the forms. It should be noted that the forms are being revised and we expect Board approval in October. Once the completed forms are received, the committee will review them and get back to you with our decision. Like the government, “we are here to help you!” If you have any questions, you can contact me at landscaping@sunlandnorth.org or 360-477-1314.
Exterior Maintenance Committee – Michael Johnson
Fall is here, and with it come opportunities to assist in lowering the maintenance costs for the 139 homes in our lovely neighborhood.
As the temperatures start 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 which resulted in major damage to a home on account of hoses that were not disconnected. I am going to ask our newsletter to publish this reminder again in January.
Rain gutters on homes where roofs received moss treatment will have to be cleaned later this fall. If you notice gutters overflowing during the winter rainy season, please notify us.
We have worked diligently this summer to decrease the list of items on our maintenance repair list. It is estimated that we will remove 40 items from our maintenance “to do list”. I would like to encourage those that can to continue to assist the HOA in preventative maintenance tasks that will preserve the beauty of our homes. Those of you that have the ability can clean privacy fences yearly. We are spending in excess of $20,000 this year to take care of wood rot problems on privacy fences and other portions of our homes. If you are allowing shrubs and trees inside your enclosed patios to touch the house, you are creating an environment that encourages wood rot.
By the end of this fall we will have made repairs to concrete at 18 homes. Hopefully, we will have painted 4 homes before the rainy season is upon us. We accepted Sublime Paintings estimate and weather permitting they will begin in October.
We have been fortunate to be able to secure handyman services from several companies this season. Denk Construction, Matvey Foundation Repair, DC Backflow Service, and G&S Property Enhancements. The Exterior Maintenance position has been very busy and appreciates the support it has received from volunteers in the neighborhood; Michael Breshnahan, John Lewis, Michael Paine, Ed Frazelle and everyone that has sent in a maintenance request.
Developed Landscaping Committee – Tom Steffen
Beauty is all around us as we move into the cooler temperatures and shorter days of autumn. Lawns tend to remain green and will return to a deeper hue, due to the final application of fertilizer that will come in late October. Lawns that were damaged a few months back are being repaired by dethatching and over-seeding the patches. Do not be surprised if you notice some irrigation systems activated at odd times of the day; newly seeded areas require added moisture throughout the first few weeks.
We are still pruning but hope to wrap things up before the end of October. In some locations, additional pruning will take place before the winter months. Cooler mornings and evenings allow us to conserve irrigation water usage. We have moved all systems to 70% of their normal usage.
If you have questions or want to report a concern that relate to developed landscaping, please contact me via our link on our website.
Natural Habitat – Sarah Miller
This fall, we will be receiving several additional trees from Clallam County as replacements for the trees which the county removed during the traffic circle project. These will be planted in the gaps that exist in our tree line along Woodcock Road.
Regular monthly volunteer work parties are planned for branch cleanup or litter patrol on the first Monday of each month. So far this year, nearly all of these work parties have been canceled because individuals had picked up most of the litter they found on the roadside during their regular walks.
We are all fortunate to live in such beautiful surroundings. As the Natural Habitat Coordinator, I’d like to thank all of the people who are willing to help in any way to keep Sunland North such an amazing place to live. These include Fritz Field, Mike Bresnahan, Kay & Gerry Hatler, George Bannon, Tom Steffen, Gerry Busch, Kathleen Charters, Mike & Carol Paine, Bill Bombadier, Kjell Stoknes, Eldon & Jan Dennis, Michael Johnson, Barry Burns, Tom Hamman, Doug Hale, Barbara Brooner and Alan Morris.
Please contact me if you have any interest in helping with the Natural Habitat efforts. Watch for alerts in our regular Sunland North newsletters or via emails asking for volunteers. Your support is always needed and is much appreciated!
Kudos
This summer, Sunland North members were invited to nominate neighbors who had made exceptional contributions to the neighborhood over the past year. Nominations were received for: Alan Morris, Barbara Ross, Barry Burns, Carol Paine, Dave Welp, Dean Daugherty, Dick Helmenstine, Division 17 Board Members, Doug Hale, Eldon Dennis, Fritz Field, George Bannon, Ilse Long, Jan Dennis, Jay Daugherty, John Meyer, Kathleen Charters, Kjell Stoknes, Lawrence Charters, Michael Bresnahan, Michael Paine, Neighbors who pitched in (to battle escallonia), Neighbors who put up holiday lights, Patti Paul, Susan Daugherty, Terry Grier, Tom Hamman, Valarie Fratus, and Valarie Grier.
Custom-made metal lapel pins of the Sunland North logo were awarded to ten exceptional volunteers:
- Gerry Hatler – President, first responder in times of chaos
- Shirley Legg – Vice President, wrangler of the tree survey
- Betty Gwaltney — Treasurer, finances guardian, receipts and bills puzzle solver
- Tom Steffen, hero landscaping coordinator (Tom also got the most nominations)
- Michael Johnson, hero emergency problem solver (Mike came in second for nominations)
- Susan Hamman, insurance coordinator, association archivist, advisor, leader of the dog mafia, wildlife photographer
- Barbara Brooner, proofreader, idea generator, corporate memory, photographer
- Kathy Gross, newsletter editor, reader of information@sunlandnorth.org, problem triage specialist
- Eric and Kathy Mahnerd, for maintaining the Woodcock Road entrance flowers and bushes, and rehabilitating the Sunland North sign, as well as lots of other volunteer work.
Note: the pins were donated; no Association funds were expended.
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.
Special thanks also to our 2022 election inspectors, Linda Simpson, John Wilson, and Elsie Mae Huffman for stepping in this year to count ballots and tally the votes!