Recommended changes to the Seven Lakes Landowners Association [SLLA] access policy stop short of requiring that members purchase barcodes, perhaps reflecting uncertainty among Board members about whether such a policy is enforceable.
Though the Wednesday, May 30 Open Meeting touched on almost every other aspect of Association operations, in the absence of Security Director Steve Ritter, his committee's access policy recommendations were not discussed. Instead, a draft revision to Section 2 of the Rules and Regulations was distributed to landowners who attended the meeting.
The document may be downloaded from The Times website.
Highlights of the suggested revisions include:
• Windshield stickers will continue to be issued.
• Barcodes stickers will continue to be available for purchase by residents for a one-time fee, and "All residents should purchase these stickers."
• Both non-resident immediate family members of residents, and residents of Seven Lakes West would be allowed to purchase SLLA barcodes for an annual fee.
• Clubs that meet in community facilities would be asked to provide a roster of members.
• Seven Lakes Country Club and Seven Lakes Health and Fitness will be able to issue hangtags valid for up to one month to their non-resident guests.
• Residents may request "service passes" good for one month.
• Contractors and landscapers are both required to provide enhanced documentation of vehicles and personnel working in the community, and may be issued hangtags valid for up to six months.
President Bob Darr encouraged landowners to review the proposal, announcing that it would be discussed during the Board's Monday, June 11 Work Session.
Chapman urges cooperation
During Member Comments, former SLLA President Ed Chapman weighed in on the conflict that revised access policies have created between the communities on either side of NC Highway 211.
"While I was on the Board, we had trouble with the West Side," Chapman told the Directors, referring to protracted negotiations over a reciprocal agreement in effect at the time that allowed Westsiders access to Northside amenities based on an annual fee paid by the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA].
"We had a long hassle," Chapman said, "but I found that you can work with the West Side."
Chapman said he and then SLWLA President BIll Mamel met once a month for lunch, to keep the lines of communication open. And the two boards met jointly on an occasional basis.
"We met to keep this community one community," Chapman said. "And we are still one community, but we have this access thing dividing us. There has to be a way to resolve that easily. Get together with the West Side and work out a way to make us one community."
His remarks met with applause from the landowners in attendance.
President's Report
President Darr complimented the staff in the Landowners Office for their work in handling a last minute crush of payments and paperwork that appeared as the May 31 deadline for dues payments and sticker renewals approached.
"The office staff has slaved over this issue," Darr said. "Things may not have been accomplished in the time you would have liked. There has been a lot of stuff that we haven't been able to get done with the dues all coming in. I applaud them for what they have done. I hope that you all, if you have been inconvenienced, you understand what a terrible job that has been. We are just about through it."
Treasurer's report
Treasurer Conrad Meyer, noting that that Finance Committee met on May 15 in its usual three-to-four hour monthly meeting, reported that the committee has a number of key items on its agenda for the current year, including:
• Potential Dues Increase. Meyer said the committee has begun to pull together information that will help the Board decide whether or not to recommend a dues increase for next year. Noting that the last dues increase was devoted strictly to building reserves to pay for road maintenance, Meyer said " We haven't had a dues increase for operating expenses for some time. . . . We will be looking at all the major expenditures. Any suggestions about ways to be more efficient are welcome."
• Registration and billing process improvements. Meyer said that the inrush of paper during the annual registration has been handled more efficiently this year than in the past. The Committee will continue to work on improving the process, including pre-populating registration forms, so that members have less information to fill in. Suggestions for improvement are welcome, Meyer said.
• Financial Statements. Meyer said the committee will continue to work on improving the financial statements provided to the Board and membership.
• Audit. Even though the audit for Fiscal Year 2011 is not yet finished, it is time to begin the audit for FY2012, which ended April 30. An inventory of capital assets has begun, Meyer said, noting that the committee had found several parcels of real estate owned by the Association that had not previously been on the list.
FY2012 expenses come in under budget
The Association ended the 2012 Fiscal Year with $1.2 million in cash, Community Manager Alina Cochran reported, with more than $918,000 of that in reserve accounts.
Treasurer Meyer thanked Cochran for not only meeting her budget, but in fact bringing expenses for the year in at $30,000 under budget. "That's money we will be able to find a use for," Meyer said, adding that, once the FY2012 audit confirms the savings, the cash will be transferred to the Association's reserve accounts.
Manager's Report
Cochran reported that the pool opened on May 26. Barbara Keating, who managed the pool last year, will continue in that role, as well as coach of the Seven Lakes Stingrays Swim Team. Pool hours were emailed to the membership and are posted at the mail houses.
Water aerobics meet at 8:30 am Monday - Friday at the pool under the supervision of Andrea Schmidt. The Annual Open Water Swim is scheduled for Lake Echo on Friday and Saturday, June 1 and 2.
Noting a personal achievement, Cochran reported that she had attained the Professional Community Association Manager designation from the Community Associations Institute.
Grounds & Maintenance
Cochran reported that the Debris site would be closed June 18-20. Director Chuck Leach explained that a new contractor had been hired to haul debris from the site, and would be reconfiguring the dump areas for improved efficiency. Additional clean-up is also planned during the hiatus.
Reflecting on the just completed discussion on the stables, Leach noted that the debris site was not, in fact, one of the original SLLA amenities, though it has become a very popular one, which costs the Association $30,000 to $40,000 per year to maintain.
Leach said his six-member committee met on May 10 and had already begun, individually and in smaller groups, to tour the Association's infrastructure assessing maintenance needs. So far, they have identified fifty-five items that need attention, Leach said, including siding and shingle replacement, painting, and pressure-washing on a number of structures. He noted that the surfaces of the Association docks also need to be replaced.
The Committee will meet next month with the three-man maintenance team to prioritize the work. Leach said that the responsibilities of maintenance employees, as well as the handling of work orders, has been changed with an eye to improving efficiency.
Lakes & Dams
Lakes and Dams Committee volunteers have performed the first water testing of the season, Director Fentzlaff reported, "and we got tremendously good numbers. Our lake waters are darned near pristine."
Fentzlaff said the lakes will be tested three more times over the Summer -- and additional testing will be done in the event of a large storm that dumps four or five inches of rain in a few hours. The runoff from a storm of that size can significantly increase bacteria in the lake water, he said. He encouraged residents to wait a day after such a storm before swimming in the lakes, in order to allow time for sunlight to kill the bacteria.
Lakefront residents who would like the water around their dock or bulkhead tested can sign up at the office for a $10 fee, Fentzlaff said.
A new sign with twelve key boat and lake safety rules has been placed near the launch ramp at Lake Sequoia, Fentzlaff reported. The Association hosted a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary on Saturday, May 26, who was on hand to do voluntary safety checks of boats. Unfortunately, only four boats were offered for inspection, and one of those was the SLLA Security Boat. Another belonged to Treasurer Meyer.
A subcommittee of Lakes & Dams has developed pumping program that moves water from one lake to another, Fentzlaff said, in order to maintain all the lakes at the same level, to the degree possible.
During member comments, Phil Thingstad told the Board that he saw a very large boat being launched at Sequoia, clearly larger than the 23-foot maximum specified in the rules and regulations. "All you have to do is tell them it's 23 feet and they will give you a sticker," the owner told Thingstad. He encouraged the Board to make sure that those issuing boat stickers verify the length of the boat. President Darr assured him the matter would be addressed.
Community Standards
Director Racine reported that the massive influx of registration paperwork in the Landowners Office has delayed the issuance of notices of rules violations. "But we have been out and about checking on violations," he assured the landowners present for the meeting, encouraging them to report any violations they observe.
Architectural Review
Director Fentzlaff reported that the Architectural Review Committee had approved two split rail fences, one new deck, one deck repair, one re-siding, and two roofs.
Long Range Planning
Present Darr said he had received proposals from two paving companies for work on the community's streets, and that the Long Range Planning Committee would be reviewing those proposals in the coming week.
"It very well may be that we will recommend a combination of the companies," Darr added, explaining that a variety of types of patching and repaving are required on different streets, and that each of the companies offered the lowest price for certain types of repairs.
Communications
In the absence of Director Dave Buckingham, Darr reported that work on a new community website is nearing completion.
Other business
In other business during the May 30 Open Meeting, the SLLA Board of Directors:
• Approved the recombination of lots 964 and 965.
• Unanimously approved changes to the lot recombination policy, requiring that a deed reflecting the recombination be filed with Moore County before the Association will recognize the combination.
• Appointed Dean Charles, Carolyn Follansbee, Jane Lowe, Richard Weber, and Sam Halpin to the Judicial Committee, with Ed Chapman to serve as Chairman.
• Approved the minutes of the April 25 Open Meeting and May 14 Work Session.
