Monthly Board Meeting of Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
July 14, 2021, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., at The Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive
Note: This was our first in-person meeting since February 2020. While Washington State health officials are permitting such meetings, please note it is recommended unvaccinated members avoid such meetings, and everyone should still wear a mask when in such gatherings to protect others.
Call to Order
President Susan Hamman called the meeting to order at 2:30 pm
Verification of Quorum
All board members were present.
Review and approval of minutes
The June 9 Board meeting minutes were approved as submitted.
Old Business
Sequim-Dungeness and Woodcock Road roundabout
Susan talked to Clallam County Public Works about the status of the roundabout construction. The county is awaiting approval from the state; as the county proposal will involve county, state, and federal funds, it does take some time. The project will then go out for bid. The county still expects the project to be completed by the end of the year.
Governing Documents Committee
Lawrence Charters provided a brief history of the articles of incorporation, the covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs), the bylaws, and the practices and procedures. The committee revised the practices and procedures very quickly), and they were approved by the Board in March 2021, along with a Division 17 Records Retention Schedule.
Some outdated information in the Articles of Incorporation were then addressed, but the committee decided to defer seeking approval for amendment from the membership until the new Board is constituted in October. Work is also proceeding on the CC&Rs, which when completed will require membership approval, and the bylaws will be revised at the same time.
Division 17 set up an agreement with a law firm for guidance on revising the governing documents. The law firm has been unresponsive to questions from the governing documents committee. The Board voted to terminate the agreement with the firm.
Annual Meeting preparation
Treasurer Betty Gwaltney presented a Sunland Division 17 proposed budget for 2022. Increased costs for all budget categories, but particularly for landscaping (labor, fertilizer, equipment, etc.), and maintenance (labor, materials), will require a larger budget, which in turn will result in a larger annual assessment on each unit in Division 17. The proposed budget was approved by the Board for submittal to the membership in the annual membership meeting packet to be sent out in late July or August. The proposed budget is appended to these minutes: 2022 Detailed Budget proposal
Secretary Lawrence Charters submitted a host of documents to the Board for inclusion in the annual membership meeting packet, including statements from candidates for the Board, financial information, a mail-in ballot and quorum form, a letter from the Board President, and other materials, including the annual budget for 2022. The Board approved the packet for mailing to Division 17 members.
New Business
Developed Landscaping chair
The Developed Landscaping committee chairs have both resigned, and Sunland North will need new leadership for the committee after the September membership meeting. Please contact the Board Secretary (secretary@sunlandnorth.org) or the Landscaping Committee chairs (Eric Mahnerd and Gerry Hatler) to volunteer for the Committee.
Officer, Committee and Coordinator Reports
President Update — Susan Hamman
Susan had nothing more to report.
Secretary Update — Lawrence Charters
Lawrence thanked everyone involved in reviewing the annual meeting documents.
Treasurer Update — Betty Gwaltney
Monthly Expense Report: The preliminary June 2021 monthly expense report shows our total operating expenses for the month were $39,638, which brings our total year-to-date expenses to $212,660. This is $12,360 over budget year to date.
Moss remediation on Tier 1 priority units has been completed at a cost of $24,999.
New owner letters were sent to three owners in June.
The 2022 proposed budget is covered under Old Business.
Vice President — Dianne Bresnahan
The Communications Committee has been working on getting updated contact information. Dianne praised Kathy Gross for her great job on the quarterly newsletter.
Board Member at Large — Mike Johnson
Mike has been working extensively with Michael VanDiver on maintenance issues. Mike recommends everyone read VanDiver’s article in the newsletter. Mike also thanked the retiring landscaping chairs.
Architectural Control Committee — Richard Helmenstine
No report.
Insurance Committee — chair vacant
Nothing to report.
Developed Landscape — Eric Mahnerd / Gerry Hatler
Extreme heat “did a number” on a lot of the plants. Most were injured, but some expired.
The power outage confused the sprinkler timers, and they went offline. The sprinkler controllers have backup batteries, but they failed and are being replaced. The landscaping contractor is monitoring the sprinklers and watering.
Fertilizing is complete and the grass is responding. Please do not put additional fertilizer on your lawn.
Be sure to water your potted plants, even when it isn’t extremely hot.
Manpower shortages are slowing down the summer trimming of bushes and trees. Please be patient; they are working their way through the neighborhood.
Eric concluded: “It has been a pleasure being the Established Landscape Co-Chair these past three years. I am stepping down from that position to pursue other voluntary positions with my Rotary Club, Sequim Wheelers, and the Sequim Food Bank. Therefore, I’m looking for a replacement. It is easy to do and the best part is that I will reward my replacement with a bottle of Champagne when he or she finishes the rigorous indoctrination training…takes about 5 minutes!”
Exterior Maintenance and Inspection — Michael VanDiver
Susan mentioned that the buildings scheduled to be painted were painted, and the first tier of moss remediation has been completed.
Natural Habitat — Sarah Miller
Tom Hamman said an informal team has been working hard on controlling poison hemlock in the natural habitat, working with the county.
Communications and Outreach — Dianne Bresnahan
Sue Purdy, head of the Welcome team, reported that, of the twelve sets of new owners, the team has met with eight. She added that the new owners seem happy to be here.
Sunland Water District Update — Al Frank
As of July 5, 2021, Brian Scott became the new Sunland Water District Manager. Brian served a rural water system in Pennsylvania and two other private water systems on the Peninsula before coming to us. We would like to thank the outgoing District Manager Mike Langley for the many years of service he provided to the district; his leadership and vision will be missed.
The Sunland Water District office is operating under revised rules, if you are fully vaccinated you no longer require a mask when visiting, otherwise please wear a mask to do business in person.
Homeowner Comment Period
Jann Hale talked about SLOA’s possible culling of the deer herd. Jan is pursuing a petition for a special meeting of SLOA to discuss the issue.
Several members said they would really like a new Division 17 directory. It has been difficult due to some owners failing to return contact information.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3:17 p.m.