With fifty members in attendance at the Tuesday, January 25 Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] meeting, Secretary Jane Sessler introduced the three candidates that are running for seats on the Board of Directors:Jim Pierman, Bruce Keyser Sr., and Dan Blue.
Sessler said said she was “very happy and very gratified to have three very well-qualified candidates to run for the Board for next year.” The candidates introduced themselves during the meeting.
Pierman, who has lived on the Westside for four years, said “It’s hard to express how neat this community is. It is really a super, super place to be.” He added, “I think about where I could have retired, and I think I hit the right spot.”
Having worked with the Lake Auman Sports Club and volunteering at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, Pierman said “I really feel great that I am going to have an opportunity to go ahead and work here in the community -- right in Seven Lakes West.”
Keyser, who has lived in the Seven Lakes area for thirty-one years, said he agreed to run after being approached by the Nominating Committee. “I understand it has been difficult to get members of this community to say ‘yes’ to participation and being a Board member," he said.
Keyser said the SLWLA Board has done “a wonderful job” and that, as a result, “we are a wonderful community.” Addressing his approach to Board service, Keyser said he plans to listen to the members of the community and then make his decision on issues as they arise.
Blue was also asked to serve by the Nominating Committee. Blue has owned a Westside lot since 1988, but does not own a home in Seven Lakes West. Blue told members: “I am the lot owner; I don't live here, so I guess I am the token.”
Blue and his wife live thirty minutes away but visit Seven Lakes on the weekends. “I look forward to being of service to you,” he said.
The Nominating Committee “cast a very wide net” in its search for candidates, Sessler said, adding that committee members spoke with fifty potential candidates.
“I want you to know we spent a lot of time," she said, "and we are absolutely thrilled that these three men have stepped forward. Each one of them brings a unique perspective to our Board for next year.”
SLWLA members will have an opportunity to vote for the three new candidates at the annual meeting in March. Current Board members John Hoffmann, Adam Wimberly, and John Goodman will be leaving the Board after serving three-year terms.
Volunteer Recognition Event
The SLWLA Board, during Tuesday's Work Session, approved a request for an annual event to be held that would honor volunteers who serve throughout the community.
“We would like them to be recognized,” said Sessler, who proposed the annual event. “It’s time for us to do this.”
Former SLWLA President Ron Shephard said that the number of hours that are put in by Westside volunteers amount to a million dollars worth of labor savings.
The Joe Fellingham award for volunteerism will be presented at the Annual Meeting in March.
Infrastructure
Curb and gutter work at the intersection of Longleaf and Lakeway Mall should be completed by January 25, reported Infrastructure Director John Goodman. Then new asphalt will be laid, and a sample guardrail and five foot wide walking path will be installed, in order to gather community feedback.
If that feedback is positive, the guardrail will be left in place, Goodman said. However, if it does not work at Longleaf and Lakeway, it will be placed at the second pond dam on Longleaf between the front entrance and Beacon Ridge Country Club.
During member comments, Westsider Phil Mayer asked about the cost of the project and whether it was on budget. Goodman said it was on schedule, for the most part, at a cost of $200,000.
Goodman reported that two lot owners have given the association easements to allow for enhancement projects. Molly Watts, who owns property at the Longleaf-Lakeway intersection, has agreed to have the trees thinned in order to restore the view of the Lake. After the thinning grass will be planted and benches installed on the dam. The lower Lakeway Mall pond will then be refilled.
The Lake Auman dam road, with a two foot cut of uneven and bumpy gravel and a sixty-foot unpaved area in the middle, needs to be repaired, reported Goodman. To patch the entire top of the dam and remove the curbs would cost $20,000, he said.
“I would classify this as something that we need to do -- the sooner the better," said Goodman. "I wouldn’t classify this as an emergency. But we need to do this to stop the erosion of the dam and to seal the dam -- and this will do both.”
The current SLWLA budget does not include funding for those repairs; Treasurer Don Freiert will present funding options to the Board at their February 14 meeting.
Community Manager’s Report
Community Manager Joan Frost said that most of the CAS staff's time this month has been consumed by Annual Meeting preparations. Notices for the meeting will be sent out on January 31.
Frost announced that preparation for boat registration, assigning boat slips, and boat and trailer storage registration has begun. Stickers for boats have been ordered and will be available at registration time. Boat registration letters will be sent out on February 2. In the future, Frost said, registration will begin on March 1 and any lack of compliance by May 1 will incur fines.
CAS has been working with the Safety and Security Committee to develop a proposal to be presented to the Board about access control options. That work has included many staff hours spent researching guard services and security software.
On January 23, a NC House Select Committee held a public hearing on Homeowners Associations. A summary of the meeting can be found in the CAS office.
Other business presented by Frost included:
• Staff continues to monitor the replacement of the decking at the Johnson Point boat slips.
• Frost anticipates a $1,300 refund for copier services in the Community Center.
• CAS is now taking meeting notes for the Legal Committee.
Architectural Review
The Architectural Review Committee [ARC] has developed an application procedure for variances that will be presented to the Board during their next regular meeting, Director John Hoffmann reported.
A builder who had been “non-compliant in many different ways,” has paid all fines -- a total of $4,500 -- due to the Association, Hoffmann said.
Communications
Secretary Jane Sessler thanked Betsy Mekula and the newsletter staff for a “wonderful run of newsletters.” The SLWLA website has increased its membership and “still continues to grow,” Sessler said.
The Area Reps are now being called "Community Reps," Sessler reported, and will be a welcoming committee for new residents. The CAS staff will be integrated into the committee, which should be up and running in February. A newcomers reception will take place in April.
Finance
The net cash position of the Association continues to be monitored and is “doing well,” reported Treasurer Don Freiert.
The Finance Committee continues to work on their remaining objectives for the year, which include an inventory and capital replacement study. Freiert said he is “not sure” if a formalized study should be done, because Infrastructure Director John Goodman is planning an inventory and capital replacement study of community roads, which represent the majority of the Association’s future replacement costs.
The Finance Committee will evaluate the rest of the assets from the Association’s tax records and make a recommendation to the Board.
Noting that the financial reports posted online for members to review include a substantial amount of detail, Freiert said. “[I] want to find ways to simplify the financial reporting." The Finance Committee will develop a recommendation for the Board.
Due in part to the sluggish economy, Freiert reported an “increase in delinquencies in dues and assessments.” The Association is now “sitting on” a two percent delinquency on annual dues collections, he said. The Finance Committee is looking at aged accounts receivable, write-offs, and future policies to approach the situation more effectively.
Long Range Planning
The Long Range Planning Committee continues to work on the Future Vision and Master Planning of the community Freiert reported, with an expected completion date in mid-2013.
“We need to really step back and say: ‘What do we want the next thirty [years] to look like,’” said Freiert. More information will be provided to the community on the long term planning project as the work develops.
Other Business
In other business conducted at the Tuesday, January 24 SLWLA Work Session:
• The Board decided to add Wednesdays from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm to the Yard Waste schedule for the remainder of the Winter.
• The Amenities Committee will present a report at the Board’s next meeting on February 14.
• On February 17, a Chocolate, Cheese, and Wine Event will be held in the West Side Park Community Center’s great room. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in the CAS office.
• Redecking on one of the docks at Johnson Point is complete and the other is almost finished, Manager Frost reported. The next step is for cleats and bumpers to be installed.
• Westsider Phil Mayer asked that the Board continue to hold evening meetings so that those who work can attend.
• Rearranging the speed humps at the back gate of the community has helped with vehicles tailgating through the entrance, reported Safety and Security Director Jim McCarthy.
• The Board agreed that lots 5199 and 5200 can be combined, contingent upon lot 5200 being purchased by the owner of 5199.
• Directors Adam Wimberly and Jim Ferguson were absent from the Board’s meeting.
