Note: Washington State’s Stay Home-Stay Healthy directive places limits on all but very small gatherings. The Sunland North November 11 meeting was held virtually, via Zoom
Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
November 11, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Call to Order
President Susan Hamman called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m.
Verification of Quorum
All Board members were present.
Review and approval of minutes
The minutes of the October 14, 2020, Board meeting were approved as submitted.
Old Business
Mulching
The Mt. Baker neighborhood will not be mulched this fall, due to problems with the contractor. The rest of Sunland North is planned for mulching starting March of 2021. Mulching will be applied to all lots, uniformly.
Updates to website
Secretary Lawrence Charters asked that Board members, committee members, and residents please notify him of any items they find which need to be updated.
Communications and Outreach Committee chair, welcome lead
Vice President Dianne Bresnahan will take over as chair. The committee still needs some additions to the welcome team, as the current lead usually spends the winter months elsewhere.
New Business
Executive Session
The Board will go into Executive Session at the end of the regular Board meeting to discuss legal issues. This will be an informational meeting only, with no decisions.
Architectural request submission process
As Sunland North’s architectural requirements are equal to or more stringent than SLOA’s, Sunland North is asking for a “review waiver” of the most common architectural change requests, such as painting, handrails, etc. Major modifications to a building’s exterior, such as a fence, skylights, or solar tubes would still go through the SLOA process. Sunland North seeks to reduce the amount of time it takes to get an architectural request through SLOA, as well as eliminating redundant paperwork between the two entities.
Christmas parade
Betty Gwaltney noted that Sunland North usually has a nice party and dinner to celebrate the season, but had to cancel that due to the pandemic. One of the other Sunland divisions has a holiday parade. She proposed a similar parade for Sunland North, with golf carts, puppy dogs, bicycles, etc., scheduled for Friday, December 18, around 4:30 pm, with a weather change date of Saturday, December 19.
Officer, Committee and Coordinator Reports
President Update — Susan Hamman
Nothing to report.
Secretary Update — Lawrence Charters
Several individuals have asked for a Sunland North directory, and he is working on it..
Treasurer Update — Betty Gwaltney
Monthly Expense Report: The preliminary October monthly expense report shows our total operating expenses for the month were $5,576 which brings our total year to date expenses to $257,163 vs $250,528 year to date (over budget $6,636)
Bank account management: Washington Federal Money Market account was closed, and funds were deposited to Sound Money Market account per Board approval. $40,000 moved from First Fed Checking to First Fed Money Market.
Fourth Quarter Assessment: Fourth quarter assessments received. One account in arrears. Letter sent to the homeowner.
Welcome Letters: Two new welcome letters were sent to new Division 17 homeowners.
Vice President — Dianne Bresnahan
Nothing to report.
Board Member at Large — Mike Johnson
Mike was very pleased with the help in planting 24 trees and other plants along Woodcock and the intersection of Sequim-Dungeness. He is hoping for a 50% survival rate.
Architectural Control Committee — Richard Helmenstine
A very quiet month. Nothing to report.
Insurance Committee — JoAnne Estes
No report.
Developed Landscape — Gerry Hatler / Eric Mahnerd
Under our contract with our landscape contractor, dormant season pruning will begin in a month or so. During this time, you may see additional pruning that you think needs to be done. If that is the case, please notify the landscape committee via the link on the Sunland North website and we will pass it along to the landscape crew.
Lawn mowing is about to enter the “mow as needed” time frame so you won’t be seeing the crews weekly.
Bark/mulch is applied under a separate agreement and is scheduled every three years. Under that schedule, the mulching was to have been done in early 2020, however, due to uncertainty in the budget, it was postponed until later in the year. The plan originally was to have two different applications for separate neighborhoods. The Mount Baker neighborhood was to be accomplished in the fall of 2020 and the Blakely/Cascadia neighborhood was to be scheduled in the March 2021 timeframe. Due to concerns over the ability of a new contractor to complete the scheduled mulching in the fall per the agreement, that mulching will be delayed until it can be rescheduled in 2021. The March application is still on schedule to be completed.
Due to the rescheduling of the 2020 mulching, some homeowners chose to do their own mulching this year. Since that mulching will be approximately 1 year old and, in an effort to keep uniformity in landscaping, we will be providing mulching for all lots in the Blakely/Cascadia neighborhood in March 2021. The Mount Baker neighborhood will be done once it is scheduled in 2021. We will keep you apprised of the scheduling as it is available.
There have been a number of irrigation issues as the systems are aging. As before, if you are aware of irrigation issues, please contact the landscape committee via the link on the Sunland North website. We will have someone address the issue as soon as possible after notification.
On a separate issue, you may have noticed the removal of some trees in Sunland North. These removals have been necessitated by root intrusion issues interfering with water mains.
Exterior Maintenance and Inspection — Michael VanDiver
As fall has come, we are tidying up various exterior projects. Gutter cleaning tops the list with 20 units getting their gutters cleaned out. An additional 6 units had their gutters repaired.
New issues that are being addressed: one unit has a water leak, which has not been fully identified. It is not clear if there is a leak or a defective water meter. If a leak is confirmed, it will be repaired accordingly.
One unit has a mouse infestation. The ingress/egress is being identified and addressed.
Two units have trim paint that is failing and will require repair. We missed the weather window for any remaining painting projects. These units will be addressed next year, weather permitting.
Future moss control. The contractor has pulled out of doing any further moss control in our development. We have identified a possible replacement contractor that does moss control as well as gutter cleaning. They are bonded, licensed, and insured, with extensive experience working on tile roofs.
Under review for maintaining home exteriors, open for discussion and input. Michael recommended homes receive an exterior power washing every other year to maintain and clean the winter crud build-up from wind and weather. This would extend the life of the paint job adding several more years before repainting is required plus keep the home looking well maintained.
Natural Habitat — Sarah Miller
Over the weekend of November 7-8, about a dozen volunteers from Sunland North Division 17 gathered to plant native trees and shrubs in the Natural Habitat. Nineteen Douglas firs were planted in a roughly diagonal line at the northwest corner of Sunland North. These trees will provide a sight and sound buffer between Sunland North and the future roundabout at Sequim-Dungeness Way and Woodcock Road.
An additional four Douglas firs and eight assorted shrubs were planted on the berm along Woodcock Road near the RV storage yard.
All of the new native plants were provided with a deer-proof barrier to ensure they grow to a decent size before they get munched by the Sunland herd. The barriers will be removed at an appropriate time in the future.
Thanks to all the volunteers, and special thanks to Valerie Johnson who brought refreshments on the second day.
Communications and Outreach — Lawrence Charters (acting)
Sue Purdy is going on a new visit with Leah Prince on Monday (standing apart on the front walkway) and she will be taking over the new visits shortly. One new visit was made since the annual meeting. Leah has been the welcome team lead for two years, and is passing the task on to Sue. Sue will be gone sometimes in the winter, so we need at least one more person to step up and help Sue. It is a great way to meet new people.
Sunland Water District Update — Al Frank
New rates for next year will be announced.
Homeowner Comment Period
No comments were offered.
Board motion on Executive Session
The Board voted to end the regular board meeting and go into executive session.
Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 3:35 p.m.
Executive Session
The executive session began at 3:41 p.m. and was adjourned at 4:07 p.m.