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Three Years of Progress on Oakland Hills
A number of people have asked what we have been doing with their assessment payment since we “re-launched”. The following narrative breaks things down by years, starting the fourth quarter of 2019.
Fiscal Year 2020 (October 2019 through September 2020):
At this time, there was four people on the board: Wally Lewis, Theresa Fairweather, Joan Prince and myself (Stuart Roberts). We were also helped by Steve Moses, in an advisory role. I had been on the board about ten years at that point and the others had been around twice that long or more. Things had been going downhill for a while – we lacked the funds for anything but the most essential repairs and had no savings to speak of. Just as critically, we had lost hope that we could turn anything around. Wally resigned at Thanksgiving 2019, which left me as president with Steve to help. Joan and Theresa only showed up at board meetings. It didn’t take too long before it became apparent that we couldn’t go on this way. Steve and I met with an attorney about what to do, but she didn’t respond to us and apparently didn’t consider us a viable client. I was faced with the very real possibility that the state would take over the center and install a management company, who would charge us a lot more to do what they saw fit, rather than what we wanted.
I prayed a lot and talked with my wife and a younger couple we knew from the neighborhood (Matt and Becky Parido) about how to avoid this disaster, just as COVID hit to complicate things even more. The following is what happened during the rest of that year:
· I wrote a letter about what was going on and knocked on the doors of all the residents who had lived here at least five years and were current on assessments (over 200 houses). These hand delivered letters led to conversations and got things started.
· We organized new volunteers and installed a new board from those who had skills and were willing to help
· Performed background checks on Board and employees
· Established teams to be led by board: HOUSE, SOCIAL, CONNECT, SECURITY, CARE, ADMIN
· HOUSE:
o Took down broken swing set
o Cleaned and organized maintenance rooms, overflow and closets
o Equipment and tool inventory
o Named and organized rooms
· SOCIAL:
o Put together first community event in many years (Back-to-School)
o Put on light display contest
· CONNECT:
o Set up website and Facebook account
· SECURITY:
o Logged keys, replaced many locks
o Installed RING doorbell
o Established COVID protocol
o Replaced and installed exterior lights
· ADMIN:
o Started having monthly homeowners’ meetings (later quarterly)
o Put office number on cell phone and saved lots of money
o Organized community workdays to clean out rooms and throw out junk
o Designed and printed T-shirts
o Quite a few other ideas were pursued, but later abandoned (e.g., electronic sign, playground, name tags)
Fiscal Year 2021 (October 2020 through September 2021):
By October, we had a new board, some volunteers and lots of ideas, but no money to do anything with those ideas. The first order of business was to get sufficient homeowners to vote and hope that we could get an assessment increase passed, enabling us to make some things happen. We managed to get the increase, but the actual funds were still a year away. While we were able to come up with some limited funds with mid-year collection efforts, for the most part, there was only so much we could do.
Here’s what we did:
· HOUSE:
o Purchased yard signs and banners to advertise homeowners’ meeting and events
o Removed ugly trees
o Put up basketball hoops
o Replaced three low roofs
o Took down barbecue roof; put in new grill
o Removed bee colony
o Tracked down persistent water leaks
· SOCIAL:
o Put on Valentines’ event, but it apparently was not something Oakland Hills wanted
o The Back-to-School event was expanded to include a barbecue
o Holiday light contest
· CONNECT:
o Started collecting phone numbers, emails and demographic information for both homeowners and renters using both email and door to door
· CARE:
o Organized and promoted benevolence fund
· ADMIN:
o Presented new budget and proposed raise to assessment
o Set up neighborhood vote on assessment raise, built in inflation increase, late fee structures and voting procedures, the first homeowners’ vote in fifteen years or so
o Created Welcome letter for new owners
o Set up and sent out mid-year collections letters and lien warnings
o Started sending informational email blasts
o Started quarterly newsletters
o Started answering phones during normal business hours
o Put up bulletin board
o New files and filing system
Fiscal Year 2022 (October 2021 through September 2022):
Finally, last fall, we had some money to spend on repairs and upgrades. Here’s what we were able to do with your social center last year:
· HOUSE:
o Installed two small grills, three picnic tables and shade sails
o Replaced sidewalk
o Power washed pool deck and sidewalks
o Many repairs to pool; replaced pool equipment; black algae cleaning
o Filled in wading pool to save money and curtail improper use
o Many plumbing repairs on both buildings
o Replaced water heater and plumbing fixtures
o Many electrical repairs to all three buildings
o Cleaned out electrical and storage room in Building #2 (including mold)
o High roof repairs (on warranty)
o Repaired and replaced both roof and window A/C Units
o Door and Window repairs
o Modernized kitchen ceiling
· SOCIAL:
o Put on Memorial Day barbecue
o Put on first holiday party December 2021
o Put on second Back to School Barbecue and Valentines Craft events
o Planned fall festival
o Corn hole and croquet for events
· CONNECT:
o Continued collecting contact and demographic information
· SECURITY:
o Upgraded rental contracts and security arrangements
o Installed parking lot chains to deal with troublesome elements
o Made agreement with towing company
· ADMIN:
o Threw out another ten years’ worth of old records
o Renovated office
o Started hurricane emergency fund
o Adjusted to 2022 economy and no employees