Monthly Board Meeting of Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
November 10, 2021, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., at The Gathering Place, 135 Fairway Drive
Note: While Washington State health officials are permitting such meetings, please note it is recommended that unvaccinated folks avoid such meetings, and everyone should wear a mask when in such gatherings to protect others. Clallam County is currently seeing a High rate of COVID-19 infections. https://www.clallam.net/coronavirus/
Call to Order
President Gerry Hatler called the meeting to order at 2:30.
Verification of Quorum
All Board members present except Vice President Shirley Legg.
Review and approval of minutes
Minutes of the October 13, 2021, meeting approved as submitted.
Old Business
Governing Documents Committee legal assistance
Lawrence Charters noted that in October the Board authorized the Committee to seek new legal counsel to replace a previously authorized law firm that was unresponsive. The Committee met once, via Zoom, with the new counsel, and were quite pleased. However, the new counsel informed the Committee shortly after the Board meeting that she was retiring.
The Board authorized the Committee to search for new, new legal counsel.
Grievance Committee chair
The Grievance Committee chair, per Association Bylaws (Article V, Section 13 c(4)), must be a Board member. The Board appointed Vice President Shirley Legg to serve as Committee chair.
New Business
Bookkeeper
The Association’s long-time contract bookkeeper is stepping away from doing bookkeeping for homeowners associations as of the end of the year. As the end-of-year accounting, mailing of annual assessments, etc., will create a crush of work, this creates an immediate, critical need to find a new bookkeeper. Considerations for the new bookkeeper include tax services, handling checking and disbursements, financial statements, mailing and receiving assessments, and other transactional activities. The Board authorized an immediate search for a new service.
Time and Date of Board meetings in 2022
The Board decided to continue with meetings on the second Wednesday of every month, at 2:30 p.m.
Rental documentation, Bylaws, Article III, Section 8
The Sunland North Division 17 Bylaws require unit owners to submit “an Association Rental Notice to the SLOA Business Office.” The problem: Sunland North is not SLOA, and SLOA does not supply Sunland North with rental information or contact information on renters. Especially in light of experiences with natural and other disasters experienced by HOAs in other parts of the country, having accurate renter contact information is not only a legal requirement, but also a safety and welfare requirement. We have also had problems with renters violating Association or health and safety rules, and lacked contact information on the parties involved.
The Board asked the Secretary to work with SLOA to get more accurate and timely renter information.
Copying of Association Documents, Rules and Regulations, Section II, Part 22
An abusive request for Association records, combined with sharp increases in the costs of duplication services and supplies, necessitate some changes to the Association Rules and Regulations on copying of Association documents.
Practical experience implementing the earlier rule, written ten years ago, has highlighted the need for several changes. Unlike SLOA, Division 17 does not have an administrative office or administrative staff to respond to records requests; instead, Sunland North made the decision early on to post most records of interest to Owners on its website, where the information is easily accessible and owners can print it out themselves, if desired.
The Board voted to amend Section II, Part 22, to read:
All Division 17 members will have access to the records of the Association and may request copies of documents not posted on the website at a charge of $1.00 per page via written request delivered to the Board at P.O. Box 1655, Sequim, WA 98382-4328. Two-sided documents are considered to be two (2) pages when copies are made of both sides. Prepayment is required for any request of over 20 pages, and copies will be provided in hardcopy only. The fee for copies will be payable to Sunland Division 17 Owners Association and will then be distributed to the person(s) who provided the copies.
The amendment will be submitted to the membership for ratification at the next available opportunity.
Officer, Committee, and Coordinator Reports
President Update — Gerry Hatler
Gerry noted that this was the 246th anniversary of the US Marine Corps, and tomorrow is Veterans Day.
Mike Johnson, John Lewis, and Gerry met to talk about the irrigation system with a contractor. While the entire system is poorly designed and unmapped, taking it out and replacing the entire irrigation system is probably prohibitively expensive. The group decided that a first step would be to create an accurate map of the piping, control systems, and other components. Mike and John Lewis are starting on the mapping.
In a related matter, individual residential water meters are a requirement of the State of Washington, but Sunland Water District doesn’t see that happening any time soon. At present, our irrigation system, which is handled by the Association, is intermixed with the residential water system. Backflow valves are also a requirement for irrigation systems, to be tested yearly; to test the Association irrigation system would be over $27,000 per year.
Gerry sent a letter to SLOA, prohibiting the killing or trapping of deer on Division 17 property.
Gerry noted that, after a message was sent out to members to remove hoses from hose bibbs, Mike discovered quite a few hoses still attached. Given the serious consequences of frozen pipes and internal flooding, Mike worked with owners to remove hoses.
In a roundabout update, Gerry noted the project has started. Completion is anticipated by April 14, 2022. Clallam County has contacted us about planting six Leyland cypress trees to serve as a sound and dust barrier; we requested they be planted at the end of the project.
Secretary Update — Lawrence Charters
Nothing to report.
Treasurer Update — Betty Gwaltney
Monthly Expense Report: The preliminary September 2021 monthly expense report shows our total operating expenses for the month were $17,791, which brings our total year-to-date expenses to $281,598. This is $7,155 over budget year to date.
Nine owners are overdue on fourth-quarter assessments.
Total Funds on hand:
Operating Accounts $ 115,702
Reserve Accounts $ 526,463
TOTAL $ 642,164
Three new owner letters were mailed out in October.
The Board approved a motion to add reimbursement from the county for the roundabout to be credited to assessments sent out at end of the year.
Vice President — Shirley Legg
No report.
Board Member at Large — Mike Johnson
Nothing to report.
Architectural Control Committee — Jim Rozanski
No report.
Insurance Committee — Susan Hamman
Nothing to report.
Developed Landscape — Tom Steffen
Tom sent in a written report, with illustrations:
Since my October report, I have been active in the following ways:
- I remain in weekly contact (personally, by email, and by phone) with the Landscaping Maintenance contractor.
- I met with John Lewis and Mike Johnson to discuss ongoing efforts to create a document that maps the location of the irrigation equipment (values and controls) for each of our buildings.
- I have scheduled a tree service to remove a tall evergreen tree that is leaning toward one of our units; this should happen in the next ten days.
- I have made visits to six units to discuss: pruning requests; the removal of tree limbs after windstorms; irrigation; and replanting of a small tree.
- In the last three weeks, I have pulled together volunteer work crews for the purposes of (1) pruning and cleaning up the grounds around the rather sad-looking elderberry tree next to the hill going up to upper Sunland (after consultation with Sarah Miller); (2) pruning trees and cleaning up the grounds in the area between Blakely Blvd and the driving range lawn; (3) replacing a fence post behind a Blakely Blvd unit.
- I have had email conversations with six owners concerning various landscaping issues and questions.
Thanks to Fritz Field and John Meyer for replacing a broken post behind a home on Blakely Blvd.
Exterior Maintenance and Inspection — John Lewis
John discussed a variety of maintenance and inspection issues. One continuing issue: the Association is hard-pressed to find contractors due to ongoing labor shortages. There is now a significant backlog. John is checking out a new contractor, properly licensed, bonded, insured, etc. John is optimistic that work can get done in a timelier fashion in 2022.
Volunteers have responded to help with street lighting, but move volunteers are needed for the spring inspection program.
John met with the Landscaping and ACC chairs, Tom Steffen and Jim Rozanski, to discuss overall issues with the Association.
John is not aware of any outstanding work orders.
John is looking for help with putting together an irrigation system plan. First step: mapping the system.
Natural Habitat — Sarah Miller
Sarah submitted a written report:
As we see branches down and leaves blowing around the neighborhood, it is clear that the stormy days of November are upon us. The branches that have broken and fallen into the developed landscape areas have been hauled away, but they remain in the Natural Habitat areas. We will be holding several ‘clean-up days’ later in the winter and will be recruiting volunteers after the holidays. If you’re able to help in any way, we can use lots of help. If you have access to a pickup truck to collect the deadfall and transport it to a soil contractor, that would be especially helpful.
Many thanks to Tom and Juli Steffen for pruning the elderberry at the base of Blakely Blvd hill, and freeing it from its concrete prison. It looks great!
Thanks also to Dianne Bresnahan, Tom and Susan Hamman, and John Meyer for reporting and helping me deal with the dead deer between Mount Baker and Woodcock.
Communications and Outreach — Kathy Gross
Please send in information for the next quarterly newsletter. You may send contributions to sunlandnorth@gmail.com.
Sunland Water District Update — Tom Hamman
Tom had nothing to report.
Homeowner Comment Period
From Dianne Bresnahan: A big thank you to Sarah Miller for using her connections at WDFW to get the deer carcass removed from the greenbelt behind Mt. Baker. As I’m sure everyone knows, homeowners are responsible for the removal of dead wildlife on their property – normally the WDFW and/or the Sheriff will not help with wildlife removal on private property. Thank you, Sarah!
Adjournment
Gerry adjourned the meeting at 3:47 p.m.