Mail delivery in Seven Lakes West is a matter of "significant interest" to the community, the Board of Directors of the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] unanimously decided during their Tuesday, May 24 Work Session. That finding triggers special opportunities for public input before the Board makes a decision about whether or how to replace the current aging mail house, which sits between the entrance and exit lanes of Lakeway Drive.
The Board plans to host a "Town Hall" meeting to take input on those options; a date has not yet been set.
On behalf of the Long Range Planning [LRP] Committee, former SLWLA President Ron Shepard presented the Board with two options: have Westsiders rent boxes at the West End Post Office, or construct one or more mailhouses inside the gates. The US Postal Service has ruled that home or curbside delivery within Seven Lakes West community is not “economical or efficient.”
Shepard said a community mail house may be less costly than having everyone rent a box at the post office, adding that the facility would be an additional amenity and could be paid for without increasing dues.
The LRP Committee recommends adding one or two mail houses in the community over the next two fiscal years. The cost of that option was not presented at Tuesday night’s meeting, but Treasurer Don Freiert said he would get that information out to the community. Box rental at the West End Post Office is $56 a year.
President Mick Herdrich said, “[The Board] needs to hear from the community,” adding that “the Board does not have any pre-conceived notions” on the matter.
The mail delivery issue was table last August, but is back on the front burner in part because the NC Department of Transportation is scheduled to complete the upgrade of the Lakeway Drive rail crossing in 2012. In addition, the Association committed to relocate the front gate as one of the terms settling a lawsuit with former developer Lakeside Development, LLC.
Shepard said the current mail house was built in 1979 and is structurally unsound. Although it looks nice because of the recent paint job, he added “if you put lipstick on a pig; it’s still a pig.” Plus the mail house can only hold 1,740 mailboxes; and, at build out, Seven Lakes West will have 2,000 residents. There are currently 966 residents on the West Side.
Lake Patrol
A Standard Operating Procedure [SOP] for the Lake Patrol Officer was presented at Tuesday night’s meeting by Community Manager Joan Frost; the Board took no action on the proposal, pending a review by Lake & Dam Director Adam Wimberly.
[Clarification - On Thursday, Wimberly told The Times that this draft SOP was released prematurely. He explained in an email:
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for the Lake Auman Boat Patrol reported in the May 27th edition of The Seven Lakes Times were a very preliminary draft copy of a document. They were prepared by the Community Manager to start a discussion about Boat Patrol procedures. The Board intentionally declined a review of the document at the Tuesday meeting because they had not been reviewed by the Lake and Dam Director. Upon review of the document it is clear that some of the SOP's do not reflect the wishes of the Lake and Dam Director or the Board. They were prematurely put into the Work Session packet and were not intended to be distributed at the meeting.
Wimberly said he would be working to refine the SOP's to more accurately reflect the scope of responsibility and authority of the Boat Patrol.]
The SOP states that the Lake Patrol is not a police officer — rather he or she is there to be a “deterrent to violations” and to “observe and report.” During each patrol the officer will make a run around the lake, 30 yards from shoreline, looking for speeding boats, no-wake-zone violations areas, boats in swimming areas, and boats that do not have SLWLA boat stickers or a North Carolina registration sticker.
The officer will also be “spot-checking” boats to ensure the proper equipment — fire extinguisher, life jacket, and throw cushions — are on board. If any of this equipment is not on board, the boat owner will be escorted to shore to get the proper equipment. After each incident, a note will be made of the boat’s registration number, date, and time, along with a picture of the boat and driver. If an owner or operator of a boat becomes aggressive, the Lake Patrol is advised to keep a close watch on the offender while calling the gate house or Sheriff's Office.
Boat operators may not consume alcohol. Passengers of legal age can drink on the boat, but will be asked to return to shore if they show signs of being drunk. No one under the age of 26 should be operating a vessel without a Certificate of Completion from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission Boating Safety Course, and children under the age of 14 must wear a life vest while on the boat.
Wimberly said 600 boats have been registered so far this year; last year there were 850. He encouraged members to review the North Carolina boating guidelines on the community website.
Safety and Security Report
An officer trained to use radar will begin patrolling in Seven Lakes West after training is complete this week, Safety and Security Director McCarthy reported. Patrolling will begin on June 1 to help slow down traffic around culvert repairs.
The first thirty days of patrolling the officer will issue only warnings; after that tickets will be issued with fines of $25 and up. McCarthy said a person can appeal a ticket to the Board but asked that individuals do not contact current or previous board members to get a ticket waived.
“This will only jeopardize the integrity of the Board,” he said. The patrol officer will give a 7 mph leniency waiver over the 35 mph speed limit.
Board Approves Finance Changes
The SLWLA Board approved two changes to the finance policy that would give functional directors the ability to make approvals for general expenses and budget items up to $25,000. Treasurer Don Freiert presented the changes to the Expenditure Approval Policy and the Capital Expenditure and Depreciation Policy to the Board on Tuesday night.
Currently, the amount that a director may approved without the Board’s approval is $5,000. Freiert said some Directors don’t have a budget as large as $25,000 — but for those who do, the budgeted expenditures will have been approved by the Board during the budgeting process. He said the Finance Committee felt raising the discretionary amount would be more efficient and is a "low risk recommendation."
Freiert told The Times that any un-budgeted item of $5,000 or more will still need the approval of the Board, and that Capital Improvement Projects costing $5,000 or more will also need the Board’s approval. ARC Director John Hoffman abstained from voting, noting that “it could be nine or ten months since a budget is approved . . . circumstances change.”
However Director Wimberly supported the financial policy change, saying “We have to give Directors of committees some latitude . . . it's part of the evolution of the community.”
Freiert also proposed a change in the check-signing policy: allowing CAS the opportunity to sign checks of $1,000 or less and allowing checks from $1,000 to $5,000 to bear the signature of only one officer of the association for all previously approved invoices. Currently, all checks must be signed by two officers, and two signatures required for checks over $5,000 under the proposed policy.
The Board took no action on the check-signing changes, because the new policy would require modifying the bylaws.
"It was a good year with good results,” Treasurer Freiert said, reporting that the books for the fiscal year have been closed as of April 30 with a positive variance of $54,000 for the year. This amount excludes the $216,000 received in prepayments of next year’s annual assessments and fees during the month of April.
An additional $552,000 was placed in Reserves for Roads, Infrastructure, and Capital Projects. The additional $54,000 will be added to the reserves after the final audit later this summer, Freiert said. The financial report will be posted on the website.
Culvert Repairs Scheduled
Eight additional culvert repairs are scheduled in the community through the Summer, four of which will require a barricade across Longleaf Drive and a temporary guardhouse at the back gate. A Construction Update section on the home page of the website that will have information such as maps of detours and the schedule of road closures due to the culvert replacements.
Goodman asked for community members to “be careful” during the culvert repairs East of Beacone Ridg Drive and Tucker, currently scheduled to begin June 1, because a temporary road will have to be built for this culvert to be repaired, which could become dangerous at night. Although reflective lights will be put up and it will be big enough for two cars, the area should be avoided as much as possible at night, Goodman warned.
Asphalt patching near the two ponds located after Lake Way Mall will begin on May 26 and could make a “very dangerous section on Longleaf,” said Goodman. During the two week repair project, the road will have one way traffic during the day but two-way traffic will reopen in the evenings.
Rosemary Webber spoke during the public comment period and asked the Infrastructure Committee to consider adding guard rails to this area due to tree removal last year that opened up a ravine. Goodman said after the culverts have all been prepared the Board will then consider installing guardrails in the community.
Decals for SLWLA and SLLA
How best to accommodate reciprocal gate passes for members of the Seven Lakes and Seven Lakes West Landowners Associations has been a hot topic for a number of years, and SLWLA Community Manager Joan Frost has been in talks with SLLA Community Manager Alina Cochran about the issue again this year.
The Board tabled the item at Tuesday night's meeting, but Frost had developed a proposal that would have each Association charging a $15.00 fee for vehicle decals — a price tag that landowner Rosemary Weber called “ridiculous” during public comment. Vehicles bearing the decals would use the visitors lane to enter either community, but would be waved through by the guard.
Vehicles without decals will need a hangtag to enter the community.
During the public comment period, Grace Kirkpatrick asked the Board to consider returning to the window stickers. However former SLWLA President Ron Shepard said the old stickers were “a real security issue.”
Frost said programming the barcode systems used by both communities to allow reciprocal access would require more manpower than either Association has.
Another meeting regarding the issue is scheduled and will include SLLA President Bob Darr, SLWLA Safety and Security Director McCarthy, and Frost among others.
Back Gate
President Mick Herdrich announced that members who want to offer feedback or suggestions regarding the opening of an additional back gate to the community or a road around Lake Auman Dam should contact the individual committees handling these studies. The SLWLA Board is not discussing either issue at this time and are awaiting feedback from the Safety and Security Committee regarding an additional back gate and the Long Range Committee concerning to a road around the dam.
During the member comment period Stan Bolett said he didn’t know anyone in favor of a back exit at Finch Gate Drive, which he described as a “quiet and peaceful cul-de-sac.”
The Safety and Security committee is exploring the possible installation of a gate on the Beacon Ridge side of Seven Lakes West. Four areas have been recommended as options: Banbridge Drive, Grace Court, Paula Court, and Finch Gate Drive. Safety and Security Director McCarthy told the Times a back gate would be an “un-tethered exit gate only.” At this time nothing has been decided, he added. Everything is still under review.
