Making short work of a packed agenda of discussion items, the Seven Lakes Landowners Association [SLLA] Board of Directors met for an hour long evening Work Session on Monday, May 9.
The meeting time change was prompted by a call for more openness and public participation in the planning and decision-making process — in particular as the Board begins to tackle the financial impact of last year’s Reserve Study recommendations.
However, the newly seated majority of four directors had to first clear an early hurdle brought about when two veteran Board members resigned shortly after the Organizational Meeting.
At the April 27 Open Meeting, former Director Bruce Keyser, Jr. who was unsuccessful in his bid to retain his seat in the last election, was appointed by a vote of acclamation to fill one of those vacancies. [A full report on the April 27 Open Meeting is available at sevenlakestimes.com.]
During the May 9 Work Session, the Board gave a unanimous nod of support to Anderson Lowe, who was nominated to claim the other seat. A formal vote on Lowe’s appointment will be called at the May Open Meeting.
A longtime Northside resident, Andy Lowe has served on various committee and subcommittees in the past and has been asked to serve as Security Director. He is well-known for his expertise in working with electronics, particularly in correcting malfunctions in the barcode security system and the North Clubhouse public address equipment. During his professional career, Lowe was the AT&T Representative to the Consultive Committee International Telephone and Telegraph [CCITT] in Geneva, Switzerland. A graduate of Elon University, he also completed Master’s programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic in Troy, New York, and the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
Keyser served two years as Recreation Director, but with newly seated Director Bob Racine already in place, he was tasked with overseeing Grounds and Maintenance interests. Keyser has significant experience in management and the building industry, having first begun his professional career in restaurant management before owning and operating his own successful construction business for over twelve years. He also has the unique experience of growing up in Seven Lakes and has a thirty-year history with the community.
“Thank you for allowing me to step in. I will do the best I can this year,” said Keyser.
He then shared two timely fortunes he received in cookies from a Chinese meal that he enjoyed earlier in the evening with his family.
“I opened my first cookie and the fortune read, ‘There is nothing permanent except change.’” Keyser said. “And then I opened my second cookie, which read, ‘To build a better world, start in your community.’”
Davenport Landscaping
Key representatives from Davenport Landscaping were introduced at Monday’s Work Session. Only months into a hotly debated three-year contract to provide landscaping maintenance services, Davenport has received many rave reviews and positive comments, reported Community Manager Alina Cochran.”
“It is a pleasure to be here,” said President Damon Davenport, “and we look forward to working both with the Board and the community. This is a beautiful community. It is a place we absolutely enjoy, and something that we are taking a tremendous amount of pride in.”
He noted that the on-site crew has been receiving positive and constructive feedback almost on a daily basis.
“It has been very exciting to see things coming together,” Davenport said. “We’re hoping to have more good turf grass in priority areas. Flowers are also a big deal to us. I want people to feel like they’re coming home when they come in the gates. I am tickled to drive in and see how things are growing.”
He explained that in addition to the installation of many new flowering plants, the entrance areas are also being mowed twice a week to maintain a crisp appearance.
“We have a ton of ideas; but we want to take our time, do it right and pace ourselves,” he said. “We are very open to your comments and suggestions.”
During public comment, Frank Hayes, a member of the currently inactive Beautification Committee, expressed appreciation for their work.
“The entrance to Sequoia Point and the North and South gates have been decorated and the place looks one hundred percent better,” Hayes said. “It is a pleasure to ride around. Finally, after all these years, it’s good to see people do a little planting.”
Cochran said many residents had visited the office or made calls in the last few weeks to offer positive feedback. She said one resident admitted that she had opposed outsourced contracts for management and landscaping, and said she had been wrong twice.
“She said she appreciates the changes, even though she didn’t want to accept them in the beginning,” said Cochran.
Director Bud Shaver, who also opposed the contract, thanked Davenport for their work but reminded residents that any suggestions or ideas should be presented to Community Manager Alina Cochran, rather than directly to Davenport staff.
Sequoia Point
A popular weekend hangout for boaters and families, Sequoia Point is a well-used amenity, but it is also a frequent problem spot for vandalism and security concerns.
Finance Committee member Ed Sanchez addressed the problems during the Work Session’s public comment segment. In particular, Sanchez reported recent vandalism to his own boat while it was moored at the marina docks.
He said he found ashes and cigarette butts on his boat, adding that a neighbor had contacted security to report kids jumping off his craft — a violation of the rules and also clearly outside of the marked swimming area. Sanchez said security told the neighbor he could not enforce the rules, because he did not know the community rules and had not been given instructions.
“We need to let the community know what is going on around here,” Sanchez said. “We pay close to a quarter million dollars on security — let’s get something for that quarter million,” he demanded.
Addressing a common practice of keeping reports of vandalism and other potentially inflammatory events from publication, he pushed for more openness.
“Let’s not hide things that happen here because we don’t want to drive people away,” Sanchez said. “Because we, the residents, are the ones who suffer.”
Director Bob Racine said he was aware that vandalism concerns prompted many boat owners to leave their marina slips vacant except on the weekends, and said one idea under consideration is to remove two of the three gangplanks: leaving one in place that could be securely gated.
During public comment, Frank Hayes also complained that security was lax at Sequoia Point.
“I saw a car drive through the gate and park down by the gazebo,’ he reported. “They started fishing. I went back an hour later and they were still there fishing with the car parked at the gazebo. Where was security?”
He also noted that a parking post had been knocked down.
Director Shaver responded that Roving Security has very little power to enforce. Their primary role is to watch and report any violations. Shaver said he is also working with state representatives to see if legislation can provide additional powers, such as writing parking tickets.
“We do have a problem,” Shaver said, “and what you’re talking about, we can’t control with security guards. They don’t have police authority. They have been told to report any violations they see and the issue will be handled through our Judicial Committee.”
Hayes countered that security doesn’t need to “hit them over the head with a club.” Instead he recommended they should politely tell such violators to move their car.
Parking at Sequoia Point is allowed in the gravel lot near the beach and along Primrose Circle.
Parking is not allowed along Firetree Lane, and only vehicles with handicap permits may park near the gazebo restroom facility.
Echo Dam concern
A Seven Lakes West resident with experience in dam safety issues alerted the Association to a plume of murky water in Lake Sequoia that was emanating from Echo Dam.
“He was very involved with the Auman Dam project and recognized the murky water could be a possible sign of trouble,” explained Director Don Fentzlaff.
Fentzlaff said pictures were taken and forwarded to dam engineers S&ME. In addition, peizometer readings will be taken. This information will also help determine the health of the dam and whether there is any need for alarm.
“It’s something we’re keeping an eye on,” said Fentzlaff.
Streets
Seeking professional advice before moving forward with what could quickly become a multi-million dollar project, the Board has tasked Cochran with recommending several competent paving engineers to assist the Association with drafting a paving contract and then monitoring progress on the project.
“Neither I nor anyone on this Board is qualified to define what we need to have done to a contractor,” explained Shaver.
He said he was correcting some details in his own road analysis and made several recommendations for moving forward, including maintaining a policy that property owners along unpaved community roads should assist with funding a portion of the cost if paving is desired.
In addition, Shaver said he was in favor of paving secondary roads first. He explained that the primary roads may be damaged by heavy trucks moving in and out of the secondary roads, therefore, paving the primary roads later would be beneficial. Shaver said he is currently trying to map out clusters of roads that could potentially be paved at the same time.
Treasurer Meyer compared the approach to how the Association contracts with a dam engineer to provide direction on relevant concerns. He said he also would be in favor of “one stop shopping” with a single engineering firm to draft the road repair specifications and then oversee the project to completion.
“If something comes up, there’s only one person to point the finger at,” he explained.
A critical decision will be how much paving to do at any one time.
“There’s not enough extra in the budget to fund these big paving projects,” said Meyer. “We have to decide if we do it piecemeal — a little every year — or do we take out a loan to do it in a big chunk because it will be cheaper [to pave] — but then we will have to pay interest. That’s why it is important to get into looking at this: what is it going to cost?”
Shaver reminded the Board that the Reserve Study recommended a monthly reserve of funding set aside to pave in sections rather than borrowing money or approving a special assessment to fund all the paving work at once.
“That’s what we’re wrestling with,” Shaver said. “We want to see what the paving engineer might say versus what the reserve study has recommended. We need an engineering firm to tell us what to do and how to maintain our roads.”
Lakes & Dams
The newly reconstituted Lakes & Dams Committee met for the first time this week, Director Fentzlaff reported. Fentzlaff said discussion items would include installation of a sign at the Sequoia Point boat launch that lists a few of the most important rules and regulations concerning boat operation.
He said a similar sign had been located at the launch, but had fallen into disrepair and was eventually removed.
“Because education is our best chance at our rules being observed by as many as possible, we need to get the sign back up,” he explained. “We’re just hoping it will help.”
Also in the works is another boating safety course conducted by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. All boat operators under the age of twenty-six must have complete this certification, per state law and recently updated community rules.
Any interested residents should contact Cochran at the SLLA office to register.
Northsider Dennis Mueller said education was fine, but stated that more stringent enforcement of the rules was necessary.
“It doesn’t help people who live on the lake when you have boats coming outside the buoy line at full speed while towing skiers,” said Mueller. “If the Board doesn’t determine some way to deal with this stuff, then it will continue to be out of control.”
Deb Temple also complained that she has seen families violating the rules and creating hazardous conditions by towing children — sometimes two at a time — outside the ski area.
“We need to prevent a terrible catastrophe,” she said.
Fentzlaff said her concern will be discussed by the Lakes & Dams Committee, adding that he still needs a few more members. Any interested resident should contact him directly.
Northsider George Temple said it was the responsibility of the Boat Patrol officer to take down sticker numbers of boats seen in violation and then turn that information over to the Judicial Committee for review.
However, many seemed in agreement that the current boat stickers are small and difficult to read — particularly when entering the gates on a trailer. A sign at the entrance directs all trailers to the guest lane, but some residents are not adhering to that restriction.
New stickers for boats will be issued in June, following a slight delay at the printers, explained Cochran.
In a related discussion, several suggested that the Boat Patrol pontoon boat could be more clearly marked as security vessel. In addition, Andy Lowe recommended having a yellow flag affixed to the craft. He explained that, in previous years, a volunteer group of boaters had enforced safe practices on the water and had identified themselves by yellow flags.
Tom Zaleski also made a well-received suggestion that all registered boat owners should be invited to attend a meeting called specifically to cover the many safety and boat related concerns that were presented.
“The vast majority of our boat owners follow the law,” Director Shaver said. “It is only a minority that is not doing what is right. I feel that pulling in all the owners for a discussion is a good idea. Perhaps there may be a little more policing on the lake by other boat owners.”
However, he cautioned against a suggestion to re-form the volunteer boat patrol, especially since so many recent incidents have involved drunken operators.
“We don’t want a resident to get in conflict with someone who has been drinking,” he cautioned.
Lake chemicals
Chemicals will be sprayed in the lakes over the next few days and residents are urged not to swim for at least 24-48 hours or irrigate for the next five days.
The Spraying schedule is as follows:
• Wednesday, May 11 - Big Juniper and Lake Sequoia
• Thursday, May 12 - Echo Lake, Longleaf Lake, and Little Juniper
• Friday, May 13 - Timber Lake, Dogwood, and Lake Ramapo.
Northsider Ron Erskine recommended that “No Swimming” signs should be posted at public beaches at those locations during the restricted period.
Cochran reported the chemicals will be applied by in-house maintenance staff who have been certified for aquatics and ground maintenance. In addition, she thanked those staff members for also undertaking and completing Certified Pool Operator training.
Grounds and Maintenance
Several minor capital projects have been completed recently, reported Cochran, including replacement of a portion of the stables roof, significant repairs to the North Clubhouse roof, replacement of the window frames at the Clubhouse that were damaged by termites.
In addition, self-latching doors were installed at the Clubhouse to comply with new state legislation for pool areas, the parking area at Sequoia Point was graded and new gravel installed, and new sand was added to the playground and beach areas.
Management evaluation
Emphasizing Talis’ primary responsibility for financial services to the Association, Shaver distributed copies of a draft document that he proposed should be used to evaluate Talis Management and the performance of Community Manager Alina Cochran.
Shaver recommended that the draft should be finalized by Treasurer Meyer following a meeting with Cochran to help define what she feels she should be held responsible for — based on the two page contract with Talis.
Meyer agreed, but added that a thorough evaluation must also include a review and study of other areas of performance in addition to financial considerations.
List of tabled items
Secretary Bob Racine presided over the Work Session meeting for SLLA President Bob Darr, who was unable to attend because of a death in his family.
Because of Darr’s absence, many agenda items were tabled, including discussion of By Laws concerning Board meetings, a central Board email address, windshield stickers for Westside residents, and security cameras.
Other Business
In other business on Monday, May 9, the SLLA Board:
• Appointed Jane Lowe to serve on the Judicial Committee, to replace Ken Keating who recently resigned.
• Appointed Richard Weber as the alternate member of the Judicial Committee, to replace Bob Racine who resigned following his election to the Board.
• Heard from Cochran that she is waiting for additional information on a drainage solution for a location at Overlook.
• Heard a request from Jim Allen to develop a formalized follow-up mechanism, other than meeting minutes, for issues under discussion. He commended the Board’s efforts to create a more open forum for input, but said such action would not be as effective without a follow up communication.
• Heard from Director Fentzlaff that he is drafting a simple explanation of responsibilities for the ARB Chair, committee members, and management. “If someone came in here cold, there is nothing in place to help clarify who is responsible for what,” he explained. “With this in place, in the future, we would be able to move right in with a brand new crew.”
• Heard from Southsider Tom Zaleski that a section of new pavement has created a “speed bump” on Hastings Drive near the ninth tee. Cochran explained the bump was intentional, to prevent an eventual dip in the road because the repair work at that location is anticipated to settle.
• Heard from former ARB Director Donna Stephan that community rules are not being followed that require that, whenever possible, water lines should go under the road.
