The Feb. 20 annual meeting was by necessity the first held by videoconference. Only about ten homeowners attended in addition to the five board members, so we hope those who missed the meeting will read this recap.
Enough homeowners returned ballots by mail to ensure a quorum of 41 votes. Two routine motions were approved without opposition and the three incumbent candidates were overwhelmingly re-elected to the three open board seats: Greg Reid, Roy Landon and Steven Wolfe. The board officer positions remain unchanged.
Board President Carl Toland, who has a year remaining in his term, gave a report looking back at “an eventful year.” He said the board, the management company and our contractors had been diligent in maintaining our property values. “Projects and actions that flaunt our rules, regulations and Bylaws are given notification in a timely manner.”
Three owners who replaced rooftop HVAC units recently set a good example of following the rules — notifying the management company, submitting the Architectural Variance forms found on our website, and working with the HOA’s roofers. We recognize homeowners feel less time pressure regarding air-conditioning when it is 70 degrees outside as opposed to 120 degrees, but the process is necessary to protect fragile roof tiles.
Seven owners of two-bedroom units obtained HOA permission this past year to install desertscape in front of their units. The HOA removed the lawn and in-ground trash bins, and the owners paid for the materials and landscaping work. We thank them for this cost sharing, which saves on lawn irrigation and mowing.
Toland praised the completion in April of the repainting project and the work of landscaper Ismael Ramirez in relocating sprinklers away from the buildings, pruning shrubs and trees, and facilitating two tree-trimming projects by other contractors. Timely palm tree trimming kept blossoms out of the pools this summer, and aggressive trimming of jacaranda and pine trees helped ensure we lost no large limbs during recent windstorms that wreaked havoc elsewhere in the area.
Several units went on the market recently and sold quickly at record high prices. “This is good and bad news because we hate to see our friends move away,” Toland said. “Please make it a point to welcome our new community members as much as social distancing will allow.” Looking ahead, he said he hoped a bingo get-together canceled in April because of COVID can take place this year, probably in the fall.
In the homeowners’ comment portion of the annual meeting, topics discussed included whether we could increase hedges to deter intruders or use video surveillance. The board agreed to consider these suggestions.
The treasurer’s report was emailed to all homeowners on the HOA Board mailing list.
Beginning in October the center pool will be heated to 84 degrees for two months. December and January will see the east and west pools heated, then back to the center pool for February and March, finishing with the east and west pools for April and May as needed. Spas at all pools will continue to be heated year-round to 102 degrees.
Landscape staff is busy planting geraniums and lobelia in the beds near our pools and in one or two other areas. Our valuable Bougainvillea shrubs blend with and form a backdrop for the annuals. We have not “poodled” our Olive trees for two seasons so they could sprout some trunk-shading branches that will help prevent sunburn of the bark in the future. This photo illustrates the kind of pruning that we will do with our Olive trees. The citrus trees will be pruned in November and a contractor will prune the large pine trees and other trees that must be professionally climbed for that purpose.
