President’s Corner
Thanks to an additional neighborhood signing event in September, the number of owner votes for the SMA Board’s proposed new Declaration, our main governing document, has risen to 71, some 30 votes short of the necessary 101 signatures.
“It’s been a slow process,” said Donna Groller, “but we remain confident that we will reach our goal.” She said a personalized mailing went to absentee owners in early October, and a similar mailing is planned for homeowners who live in the community. Why is it taking so long? We were told in the beginning to expect this effort to take a long time, because membership in any HOA includes owners who are apathetic, indifferent, or even distrustful of anything the HOA wants to do.
That’s human nature, I suppose, but
those of us who have spent countless hours working on getting the required
votes do feel a frustration that’s hard to accept. Some
owners complained that the draft of the document we are trying to get approved
looked messy and confusing because of the “strike-throughs” (to show what was
coming out of the old document) and italicized sections (to show what was being
inserted).
So we took out those marks and font changes and started handing out a finished-looking document. Then we received complaints that it was too hard to read; “It looks too legal”.
The reality is: it looks legal because it is legal, in a format dictated by State law and court decisions. As we explain to those who ask, it is designed to bring the original governing document into the 21st century and give back to the Association its ability to maintain standards owners expect in a well-run HOA. These are rules that make life safer and less stressful for residents, while protecting everyone’s property values.
With close to 340,000 HOAs governing
20 percent of America’s residential buildings, it’s not surprising that many
people have heard or experienced horror stories about poorly run HOAs—those
that are little more than a vehicle for petty grievances and tyrannical
policies.
But I contend that you should judge Stratford Manor’s HOA on your own experiences with it, not on what some other HOAs have done. A good, well-run HOA can be a huge benefit to owners in the community, and I would stand ours up against any other HOA in terms of its fairness, transparency, and professionalism.
I am completing my fourth year as president of the Association (and plan to continue—God willing—for the foreseeable future), so I think it’s fair to look at our actions in recent years and decide for yourself whether you approve of what we are doing to help improve the community. If you have faith in our integrity and good intentions, then you should vote for the new governing document so we can move on to more important issues facing our community. If you don’t have that trust, then we are destined to face some hard times ahead.
Repaving work finally scheduled
The SMA Board received some good news at its October 13 meeting: Basic Construction Co. plans to come to Stratford Manor in the last week in October to start the project to repave all of our roads and parking lots.
“We now have a starting date, but we don’t have the detailed plan yet,” said Bob Lucas, Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee. “But we are excited to know that the paving should be done before winter sets in.”
Lucas explained that the logistics of clearing out vehicles in areas targeted for the work will be challenging, and will depend on the full cooperation of all residents.
“Based on our good experience with the curb and sidewalk repairs, I am optimistic about getting this done without any major problems,” he said. He also noted that some tree limbs may need to be cut in a few areas, to allow clearance for some of Basic’s equipment.
As with the recent curb and sidewalk work, committee members and others will be notifying affected owners prior to the scheduled start date for work on their section of the community. “Our goal is to minimize the disruption to owners,” he said, “ but it’s never easy to ask people to give up their parking spaces for days at a time.”
Once the repaving is completed, parking stripes and numbers will be repainted. The Committee is currently developing a master list of all assigned spaces to ensure they are numbered properly.
Annual Owners Meeting to be virtual
Due to lingering health concerns, The SMA Board voted at its regular October meeting to conduct November’s Annual Owners Meeting via Zoom. “We struggled with this decision”, said President John Gullett, “knowing many people look forward to gathering in person at these annual events. But until the risks associated with the coronavirus and its variants subside, we just don’t feel comfortable holding an in-person meeting. Plus, if we held it in-person everyone would have to wear a mask for the entire meeting.”
Mr. Gullett noted the Board continues to hold its regular meetings via Zoom, a popular videoconferencing link, and that some owners prefer utilizing this mechanism to attend these sessions as observers.
“The good news,” he said, “is that, unlike one year ago when we had to hold a two-part Annual Owners Meeting via Zoom, this time around we can take care of all of our business in one session. That’s thanks to a resolution the Board approved at its Oct. 13 gathering that allows us to hold virtual meetings .” He added that he expects this option to be used only sparingly in normal times.
Mr. Gullett said the owners meeting—scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 17-- is expected to be fairly routine, with the election of four directors a high point. “But homeowners also will have an opportunity to ask questions and make comments,” he said, “and we look forward to hearing what they are going to say.”
Detailed information about the meeting will be mailed to homeowners in early November.
Four Board seats will be on the ballot on Nov. 17
A total of four seats on the Stratford Manor Homeowners’ Association will be filled by owners at their Annual Owners Meeting next month, with three current Board members seeking reelection. The fourth seat, currently held by Katie Johnston, will be open when her three-year term expires next month. Ms. Johnston recently moved out of Stratford Manor.
“We are fortunate to have a highly qualified slate of nominees for these seats,” said Linda White, Chairperson of the Nominating Committee. Treasurer Bob Lucas and Landscape Committee Chairperson Nancy Allen are running for reelection. Director Betty Blackburn, who was appointed to the Board in August when a seat was unexpectedly vacated, is running for election to the two years remaining on her seat’s term.
Under Association rules, additional nominations may be made from the “floor” at the virtual meeting, which will be held via Zoom.
“I am delighted to report that we have an
outstanding candidate for Katie’s seat,” said Ms. White. “Madoline Wallace, of
143 Wellesley Dr., recently retired from a distinguished 25-year career as a mortgage loan underwriter, and has
experience serving on the vestries of two local churches and on the boards of
two local community theaters.”
Ms. Wallace said she feels that “the Board is heading in the right direction, and I would like to help. This will also give me a good chance to get to know more of my neighbors.”<
Stratford Manor News Briefs
Landscaping crew launches fall prep—YRL, the Association’s landscaping service, is in full fall preparation mode these days, aerating grounds in the common areas, seeding, and fertilizing—all while trying to keep up with falling tree branches and other debris.
Nancy Allen, Chairperson of the Landscaping Committee, said YRL’s work is ongoing. “If you see them aerating in other areas but not near you,” she said, “please be patient. They have to clear debris before running their aerating machine over the ground, and sometimes they have to skip some areas to keep up with the total job. But they will be back.”
Ms. Allen said the landscapers will focus later on getting up the falling leaves, with a total of four big collections scheduled between November and January.
“But
please remember,” she said, “that owners are responsible for picking up leaves
that are on their patios. When you blow
your leaves out onto the common area, you are interfering with the landscaper’s
very methodical approach to cleaning our community.” It’s also against
Association rules to dump leaves from patios or flower beds into the common
area, she added.<
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No dues increase in 2022—The SMA Board has approved the Association’s 2022 budget without an increase in owner assessments. “We really didn’t even consider raising dues,” said President John Gullett, “even though we do expect inflation to increase our expenses next year. We know many owners are still struggling with the impact of the pandemic.“ He said the new budget will be made public to owners at the upcoming Annual Owners Meeting.
How was curb and sidewalk work selected?—The curb and sidewalk repairs that began in September and wrapped up in mid-October were a familiar and reassuring sight for most of us. But when the dust settled, some were asking: “Why wasn’t the curb (or sidewalk) in front of my place fixed?”
“The answer is complicated,” said Bob Lucas, Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee. “First, the areas to be repaired were selected by TAM Engineering, who is serving as the SMA’s general contractor for this work and the repaving. They based their decisions on whether the damages were considered tripping hazards or if they affected the structural soundness of the curb or sidewalk section. If the damage was merely a crack, it didn’t qualify.
“Fixing all the cracks would not be economically feasible”, he said. He added that the committee will be conducting an inspection of all the work, to make sure nothing was overlooked.
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Trash Pickup Schedule
Oct. 26—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Nov. 2— Trash only
Nov. 9—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Nov. 16— Trash only
Nov. 23— Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Nov. 30— Trash only
Dec. 7— Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Dec. 14-- Trash only
Dec. 21—Recycling, bulk pickup & trash
Dec. 28—Trash only
If your container was missed during collection, call 757-933-2311 within 24 hours.
Trash and recycling receptacles should be curbside no earlier than 3 p.m. on day before scheduled collection day and removed from the street by the morning after collections.
Bulk trash, which is collected on the same schedule as recycling, may be put out the weekend before scheduled collection.
