Deciding whether to require members to purchase barcodes, as well as how to handle the several classes of frequent visitors to Seven Lakes North and South, continues to be a challenging issue for the Seven Lakes Landowners Association Board of Directors.
With Gerry Stickl and Ken Dennis of The Budd Group -- the SLLA's new security contractor -- in attendance, the Board worked through a draft rewrite of Section 2 of the Association's Rules and Regulations during the Monday, June 11 work session.
Security Director Steve Ritter walked the Board through the draft, prepared by Ritter and his Security Committee, based on input they received during the May Board work session. The debate touched on a number of key issues, including mandatory barcodes.
Barcodes & Stickers
Ritter's proposal continues the SLLA practice of utilizing both barcodes and windshield stickers, and does not require that all residents purchase a barcode, as is the current practice in Seven Lakes West.
Ritter explained that a windshield sticker is particularly valuable when the barcode reader occasionally "goes down," whether due to a lightning strike or some other reason. In addition, he said, with so many communities using barcodes, "the fact that you have a barcode doesn't prove that you are an SLLA member." Windshield stickers permit roving security patrol to determine whether a vehicle parked on Association property in fact belongs to a member.
President Bob Darr said he would like to move away from windshield stickers so that any resident driving a vehicle without a barcode would be inconvenienced by having to present their membership card at the gate, "so that we can encourage folks to get barcodes."
Darr added that he was not convinced of the importance of identifying vehicles once they have entered the gates. "The only place that we have any control is at the gate," he said. "If someone is in here, whether or not they have barcode or sticker, there is not a darned thing that is going to happen."
Ritter said the Committee believes barcodes should be mandatory for all residents, but stopped short of requiring them in its revision of Section 2, because "what are you going to do with the person who refuses to purchase a barcode?"
"We can't force people to get the barcode," Darr said, "but I think the only way you can make it happen is to make it really inconvenient."
Guests, Westsiders, Clubs, Etc.
In addition to encouraging all residents to purchase barcodes, the Committee recommends allowing residents to purchase barcodes for immediate family members, and also allowing residents of Seven Lakes West to purchase barcodes, without any sort of 'sponsorship' by an SLLA member. Because both communities use the same barcode system, Westsiders would not need to have two barcode stickers on their vehicle. Instead, their existing barcode could be authorized in the SLLA system.
Director Chuck Leach argued that, in all cases, security would be enhanced if the Board required that all stickers and barcodes be affixed to vehicles by SLLA staff, rather than by the resident. The Seven Lakes West Landowners Association currently has staff affix barcodes to vehicles. Ritter agreed that would enhance security, but questioned the amount of staff time that would be required. "I do like it, but we are trying to cut costs here, not add positions," Ritter said.
Under Ritter's recommendations, clubs that regularly use SLLA facilities -- for example, the Lions Club, Women of Seven Lakes, and Project Linus -- would be asked to provide the gate with a roster of their non-resident members, so that they could be admitted at the gate.
Darr argued for asking the same of Seven Lakes Country Club, Seven Lakes Health & Fitness, and the Tennis Center, all of which have non-resident members who visit the community on a regular basis. The Security Committee had recommended allowing those entities to issue monthly hangtags to their members and employees -- something the Country Club does now. Ritter said the hangtags allow traffic to move through the gate more quickly, since the driver does not have to stop and give a name to the gate guard.
Director Conrad Meyer said he was "intrigued" by the idea, but felt the organizations allowed to distribute hangtags should provide a list of those people who received them. Director Chuck Leach said he felt allowing the Country Club to issue hangtags "is a big hole in the system."
The Budd Group's Stickl said some of the larger communities his company serves are relying increasingly on barcodes -- even for non-members. He pointed out that the barcode issued to a Country Club employee can be coded to only allow access to the community during that employee's work hours, rather than at all times. A barcode issued to a construction worker can prevent entry on the weekends -- and can be turned off once the job he was working on is finished.
After additional discussion, President Darr asked that Ritter's Security Committee meet with Budd Group representatives to refine the draft policy.
Lake Security
Darr asked the Board to consider a revision to Rule 8.4.2.2.1, to require that every boat and boat trailer entering the community have an Association sticker. Visitors entering the community towing a boat would be required to park it in an area near the gate. Those revisions will move to the open meeting on June 21 for a vote.
Lake Director Don Fentzlaff expressed concern that enforcement of rules on the lakes is ineffective at best: "Violations escalate throughout the year. They get written up throughout the year. There is essentially no follow-up on any of our rules and regulations that go beyond registration. There are no penalties. Our rules and regulations are toothless and always have been . . . . Yet problems continue to worsen on the lakes."
Darr added that there is some concern on the Board that the lake security patrol provided by The Budd Group "don't have a clue what our rules are."
The Budd Group's Stickl explained that his company experiences the greatest success in communities that back up their rules with clear and prompt penalties.
"We have two communities in which speeding is an issue," he said. "In one, speed enforcement will never happen. In the other, the Board will escalate the fines to the point that they will place a lien on your house . . . . In POAs that have clear organized rules -- with escalating fines -- that word is going to spread, and that will make our job easier."
"I think what happens, is that the word is out that people can ignore you," Stickl said. "Fines are the unfortunate answer."
Wake Surfing
Director Fentzlaff briefed the Board on a new water sport -- wake surfing -- that is beginning to appear on Lake Sequoia. The stern of a boat is weighed down, either through internal ballast tanks that can take on water or by loading down the stern of the boat with passengers. The boat is then driven at nine to twelve miles per hour, and throws a wake that can be four to six feet high. The surfer uses a short ski rope to get up on that wake and then "surfs" it, without the rope.
Fentzlaff expressed concern about the damage that such wakes could cause to bulkheads, docks, and even swimmers in shallow water, as well as the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning to the surfer and passengers sitting in the rear of the boat.
He recommended new rules that would outlaw the ballasting of boats, either with internal water compartments or loading up the stern with people, that would require ski ropes of standard length, and that would ban wake surfing.
After discussion and input from Rodney Godwin, an avid skier, Fentzlaff will consider eliminating the restrictions on the number of people in the stern of the boat and bring a revision of the new rules to the open meeting for approval.
ARB Rules Revisions
Director Fentzlaff presented several rules revisions suggested by the Architectural Review Board [ARB], including adding a rule 13.2.10 that would impose an immediate $100 fine and a stop work order on any landowner who failed to obtain ARB approval for a project.
Director Racine objected that a fine should not be imposed without due process. He suggested a strong penalty would be to ban offending contractors from working in the community. Manager Conchran confirmed that NC General Statutes require due process before a fine is imposed.
But Fentzlaff and Darr both expressed frustration that the existing "due process" takes too long.
"The ARB is a sanctioned committee, and it hasn't had any teeth since the day it was born," Fentzlaff said.
He also asked for a revision of Rule 5.1.1.1, which prohibits landowners from parking their commercial vehicles outside their residences, to make clear that the rule also applies to renters.
Other Business
In other Business during the Wednesday, June 11 work session:
• Community Manger Alina Cochran presented quotes for the renewal of the Association's insurance policy protecting its Directors and Officers. The Board expressed a preference for increasing coverage limits from $1 million to $3 million. Cochran indicated that would increase the cost of the policy above the amount budgeted for this year, but did not make public the actual costs. The Board is expected to vote on the change during the June 21 open meeting.
• Director David Buckingham reported that his work moving the current content of the SLLA website into a new hosting software is nearly complete. Once that work is done, he will organize a committee that can suggest enhancements and new features for the site.
