DRAFT

Sunland Division 17 Owners Association
October 14, 2026, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (times are estimated)
Sunland Golf Course Ballroom, 109 Hilltop Drive, Sequim, WA

2:30 – 2:45 Registration

2:45 – 3:00 Owner Comment Period

3:00 Deadline for casting ballots

3:00 Call to Order; Verification of Quorum (announced with vote tallies)

Secretary Lawrence Charters reported that 87 members attended in person or by proxy, meeting the quorum requirement. President Susan Hamman called the meeting to order at 2:57 p.m.

Purpose of the meeting – Susan Hamman

Susan briefly reviewed the purpose of the meeting: transacting important decisions, approving the Association budget, and electing new Board members.

Approval of Annual Meeting Agenda

The Board approved the agenda.

Review and Approval of September 9, 2026 Meeting Minutes

The Board approved the September 2026 meeting minutes as submitted.

Old Business

Reserve Study Results

Treasurer Betty Gwaltney summarized the on-site reserve study results, previously reported in June. The study found the Association to be at “medium” risk of requiring a special assessment, a significant improvement over a few years earlier. While costs of labor and materials for maintenance have risen, the Association’s move of reserve funds to higher interest rate certificates of deposit, plus changes to how funds are classified, have improved the Association’s standing.

Financial Review Results

Betty summarized the results of the audit of the Association’s 2025 financial statements, reported to the Board in April 2026. The auditors concluded that, “In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Sunland Division 17 Owners Association as of December 31, 2025, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.”

New Business

Proposal from Newman CPA for 2026 financial audit – Board approval

Betty requested the Board accept a proposal from Newman CPA to conduct the Association’s 2026 financial audit. Member-at-Large Tom Steffen moved the motion, seconded by Vice President Mark Anderson, and the Board approved the proposal.

Introduction of 2025 – 2026 Directors and 2026 – 2028 candidates

Susan introduced the current Board members and the candidates for the two-year 2026-2028 Board term to the membership.

Officer 2025 – 2026 Summaries

President’s Review/Comments – Susan Hamman

Susan reminded the members that Sunland Division 17 is a member-operated HOA, rather than a HOA that pays a commercial firm to manage it, and as such is powered by member volunteers. It would cost $250 to have an electrician change an outdoor lamp bulb on one of our street lamps. Volunteers saved the Association $2500 by changing lights on Mt. Baker. Replacing or repairing sprinkler heads costs $75 to $250 per hour for labor alone. Hiring someone to do the Treasurer’s job could run $60,000 per year.

She named some of the principal volunteers of the past year.

Board Members

• Betty Gwaltney – Treasurer – Treasurer Assistant – Daphne Walters 
• Mark Anderson – Vice President
• Lawrence Charters – Secretary
• Tom Steffen – Member-at-Large

Committee Chairs

External Maintenance 

• Mark Anderson – Acting Chair
• John Lewis
• David Breeding – Concrete
• Craig Knutson – Siding
• Mike Johnson – Roof
• Dianne Bresnahan – Intake Coordinator

Architectural Control Committee

• Rob Crombie – Chair
• David Huffman 
• Greg King
• Steve Romberg

Newsletter

• Kathy Gross – Editor

Natural Habitat

• Sarah Miller – Chair
• John Meyer
• Doug Hale
• Barbara Brooner
• Alan Morris
• Tom Hamman
• Julie Anderson
• Mark Anderson
• Barry Burns

Welcome Committee

• Sandy Reed – Chair – Fall & Winter
• Colleen Weston – Chair – Spring & Summer
• Ilse Long
• Melanie Dundy

Insurance

• Susan Hamman – Chair
• Betty Gwaltney
• Colette Cavaleri

Others

• Roni Bannon
• George Bannon
• Kathy Mahnerd
• Eric Mahnerd
• Kay Hatler
• Michael Burns
• Tom Raskin
• Susan Rose
• Loretta McElfresh
• Molly Bergeson

Vice President Review/Comments – Mark Anderson

Mark had no additional comments.

Secretary Review/Comments– Lawrence Charters

Lawrence distributed Sunland North logo lapel pins to individuals who made extraordinary contributions to the Association over the past year.

• Mark Anderson, Vice President, and Acting Maintenance Coordinator
• Betty Gwaltney, Treasurer, and investment coordinator
• Susan Hamman – President, and Insurance Coordinator
• Dianne Bresnahan, External Maintenance triage coordinator, performed research on software tools the Association could use to track maintenance
• Tom Steffen, Landscaping Coodinator, appointed Member-at-Large in mid-term
• Sarah Miller, Natural Landscape coordinator, and the person who tries to remind us of why we live here.

Treasurer Review/Comments – Betty Gwaltney

• Monthly Expense Report:
  • Sept 2026 Operating expenses: $92,176 YTD $488,954 OVER budget $8,069
• Interest income YTD: $ 29,225
  • Over budget due to Exterior painting invoices paid and concrete repairs
  • Total Funds on hand Aug 31, 2026:
  • Operating Accounts $ 179,691
  • Reserve Accounts $1,262,258
  • TOTAL $ 1,442,258

Insurance Claims

290 Blakely

• • Total Payments received (Deductible + Insurance) $30,439.22
  • Total Payments $30,580
  • Balance $ (141.06)

21 Mount Baker

• Total Payments received (Deductible + Insurance) $ 50,459.98
• Total Payments $ 29,561.64
• Balance $ 20,898.34

Betty requested an extension of check-signing authority for outgoing President Susan Hamman through October 31, 2026, to cover expected absences. The Board so approved.

The proposed approval of Newman CPA to conduct the 2026 financial audit was covered under New Business.

Member-at-Large Review/Comments– Tom Steffen

Tom had no additional comments.

Committee Review/Comments

Architectural Control Review/Comments – Rob Crombie

The ACC received a number of requests for changes during the year:

Projects Approved	Number Approved
New Storm Doors	1 unit
New Front Gate	1 unit
New handrails, front and rear decks	3 units
Front handrails	1 unit
Patio and privacy fence	1 unit
New mailboxes	2 units
New brick/pavers on walkways	2 units
Starlink dish	1 units
Building paint changes	2 (total 4 units)

Insurance Review/Comments – Susan Hamman

The Community Association Underwriters (CAU) insurance policy was renewed, effective May 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027. This is a 13% premium increase over the prior year’s premium. The total premium payment for 2026 – 2027 is $130,524.

There are three claims on the insurance policy this year, two water claims and one structural claim. The water claims were approved, the structural claim was denied. The three claims totaled $88,535.20, which is well over half of the Division 17 premium payment for this year.

Given this claim history, there is an increased risk of a significant insurance premium increase or even receiving a notice of non-renewal next year. To demonstrate that the HOA is making an active effort to curb or eliminate incidents that may trigger an insurance claim, the Board took the following actions:

1) The Board voted at the August 2026 Board meeting to raise the water deductible from $10,000 to $30,000, effective October 14, 2026. The deductible is the amount paid by the owner in whose unit a major water incident occurs. Notification of this change was sent to all unit owners on August 17, 2026, in order to give owners time to adjust their personal HO-6 policies to accommodate the water deductible increase.

2) Multiple communications have been sent to owners detailing proactive ways to prevent and detect water leaks before they become major issues. These communications, as well as others regarding fire prevention, will be presented to CAU during the next insurance renewal cycle.

Susan then held a drawing for several under-sink mats to catch drips, with most winners declining the prize as they had heeded earlier messages about home health and safety.

Developed Landscape Review/Comments – Tom Steffen

I have completed my fifth year as Landscape Coordinator and enjoy working with Paul West (and his crew), who is the owner/operator of Cutting Edge Landscaping, our landscape contractor. I continue to receive affirming emails from owners who express their thanks for the quality work our landscaping crew provides. I am grateful for the ongoing support of the Board and owners who care for shrubs, lawns, trees, and the occasional sprinkler head that needs adjusting. Throughout the HOA, a growing number of owners are investing their time and money in renewing the landscaping around their property, and many lend a hand to neighbors who are limited because of a lack of mobility or tools.

I’ll report on the following categories:

1. Tree and Plant removal
   1. Town and Country Tree Experts made four trips to Division 17 in 2025-26, trimming several and removing five trees that were diseased or a risk to property, irrigation or electrical lines. The cost was just over $4,000.00
   2. We continue to remove dead, diseased or unwanted shrubs and trees.
2. Irrigation
   1. We have over 3,500 sprinkler heads that water the landscaping around our buildings and entrance off Woodcock Road, supplied by over 400 valves and 67 control boxes.
   2. We invested over $9,000 in our irrigation systems this year (over $7,300 in repairs, Sanford Irrigation; approximately $1,800 for just over half of our required annual backflow preventer certifications). In addition to paid professional irrigation plumbers, a number of owners assisted in preventing water waste and damage to our building and grounds.
   3. Irrigation control boxes were activated in late April and deactivated on 26 September. Seasonal adjustments were made in spring and fall for the purpose of reducing irrigation water usage.
   4. Sunland Water District continues to be a good partner and resource for alerting us to irregular water consumption when it shows up on their instruments.
3. Pruning

Our contracted crew stays busy pruning almost year-round. Thanks to Mother Nature and the extra efforts of several owners, our escallonia hedges (mostly surrounding electrical/phone boxes) are looking better than ever. We continue to remove diseased and dead plants, and, when necessary and advised, some are replaced. Whenever pruning around your own unit, remember to place debris in a small plastic container near the street on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Please continue to use the Landscaping Link/Portal on our website to report, request assistance and ask questions about landscaping issues.

Exterior Maintenance Review/Comments – Mark Anderson, Acting Chair

Mark praised Mike Johnson’s work as external maintenance chair, and the evolution of the job to a team approach to maintenance. He mentioned that Sunland North will soon be using a software-assisted project and maintenance tracking sytem; more information on this will be coming next month. Mark also mentioned the work of Dianne Bresnahan in receiving, tracking, and coordinating external maintenance work.

Natural Habitat Review/Comments – Sarah Miller

Fall is the season for watching and listening to the geese overhead practicing their V formations in preparation for flying south. It is also the time to appreciate the slowed growth of the grass in our Natural Habitat. After our last of three field mowings in late August, it’s easy to see this year’s crop of fawns pick their way along to the tastier morsels of our landscape plantings.

This year’s dry summer gave us a chance to see if the extra watering we’ve done in past years on the trees near the roundabout paid off in the creation of a deep root system. For the most part, it appears that it did. One of the plants looks like it probably won’t survive, but the rest look fairly healthy. Unfortunately, the tree that we will probably lose is the Fraser fir planted in memory of Mike Bresnahan.

We have continued our efforts to manage the poison hemlock in the natural habitat. Through the efforts of many volunteers, we have been very successful this year. In 2025, we worked with the Noxious Weed Coordinator to come up with a better solution (pun intended) to the herbicide we were formerly using. The new mixture works well on the plant itself, and also suppresses germination of any seeds that remain in the soil. Much appreciation to Diana Burns, Gerry Busch, Gary Jubien, and Greg King for their work in this area.

Barry Burns continues his regular monthly patrol along the frontage roads to pick up trash. Barry has been cheerfully completing this task for five years. He provides a humorous analysis of what he finds and keeps an informal tally on the alcohol consumption patterns of the regular litterers who drive down our roads tossing garbage out their windows. Many thanks to Barry for his ongoing work and his reports!

I’ve tried to salvage the elderberry tree that grows by the bench that was installed this spring at the bottom of the Blakely hill. Trimming off all of the dead wood might help the tree survive a few more seasons, but I would be surprised if it lasts into the 2030’s.

It’s difficult to predict what extreme weather conditions might come our way over the winter, but we can usually count on at least one large windstorm to knock branches down. Look for requests for volunteers this winter so we can clean up the deadfall. If you’d like to help, reach out to me at sarah0458@gmail.com or (206) 947-1347. Thanks.

Welcome Committee Review/Comments – Sandy Reed

There was no Welcome Committee report. Barbara Brooner, as the Unofficial Official Recognition Committee, presented tins of Accomplish-mints to Board members.

Communications and Outreach Review/Comments – Kathy Gross

Lawrence mentioned that it would be really nice to have a backup person to cover management of the cloud-hosted website and cloud-hosted mail system.

Voting Results

Lawrence read the voting results, as reported by the election inspectors. There were 101 votes to accept the budget, 1 to oppose. Tom Steffen received 92 votes, John Lewis received 91 votes, and Betty Gwaltney received 91 votes. Steffen, Lewis, and Gwaltney were each elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors.

Board Actions

Adoption of 2027 Budget (if passed by owners)

Lawrence moved, and Tom seconded, adoption of the 2027 Association budget. The motion passed.

Additional Owner Comment Period

Adjournment

New Board Organizational Meeting, following the annual meeting

The 2026-2027 Board selected Tom Steffen as President, John Lewis as Vice President, Lawrence Charters as Secretary, Betty Gwaltney as Treasurer, and Mark Anderson as Member-at-Large.