Perspective and Opinion by Tom Harris
The purpose of this article is to publicly inform all dues-paying residents of the Swansboro Country Property Owners Association (SCPOA) of matters of interest to our community.
Board president Karen Paul presided. Roll call indicated five directors in attendance: Meredith Blain, David Dudley, Rob Kirkpatrick, Megan Lattanner and Melissa Stever. Derek Trimble was absent. There were approximately 20 residents in attendance.
Highlights of the meeting included the announcement that the “Open Forum” session is moved to the beginning of the meeting at the recommendation of TMT manager. Evidently, some resident members were making disruptive comments during the board meetings without permission from the President. More meeting highlights follow:
Unfinished Business, agenda item VIII. A.
The issue regarding the use of Zoom by residents at board meetings has been tabled for this year. The Communications committee found little interest in this practice, and no interest by anyone in providing it.
Agenda item VIII. B.
The contract for providing lake maintenance has been changed to a new company. After being confronted and verbally accosted by a local resident at Dyer Lake, the previous lake maintenance person refused to return unless security was provided. The same degree of lake maintenance was provided at all SCPOA lakes by the previous board, and by all boards in recent memory.
New Business, agenda item IX. A.
The Building Committee, presided by Meredith Blain, provided a comprehensive Power Point Presentation regarding planning, operations, and maintenance, including a budget estimate of costs associated with the “Community Building” plan that the present board inherited.
Meredith consulted with and conducted exhaustive research with the El Dorado County Planning Department and the El Dorado Community Development Agency – Development services Division. A copy of this seven page Presentation is available on the SCPOA website. Highlights are as follows:
To date, the prior SCPOA board spent $23,273.25 – $15,982 of which is not recoverable. The budget approved by the prior SCPOA board for the building was approximately $52,000.
The building cost estimate taking into account most county requirements is $187,883. This cost estimate does NOT include costs for a septic system, if needed, water tank and fire pump, water to the site or parking lot improvement. Nor do the estimated building costs include annual operating and maintenance, utilities, custodial services, communications, or fire monitoring system. Other unknown costs are county, state and federal taxes, building and landscape maintenance and insurance.
Previous budget anomalies also surfaced, but as a result of this presentation, the board voted unanimously to scrap the idea of a SCPOA “Community Building”. What to do about the money already spent by the previous SCPOA board will be among future issues discussed by the Building committee. For example, it was noted that the building was originally intended (and approved) as a “maintenance shed”. This may be a more appropriate use of SCPOA dues-payers’ funds.
Agenda item IX. F.
The board discussed their options for hiring a different management company. The contract with The Management Trust expires toward the end of this year, and the board wants to explore their options.
Editor’s note:
I have personally attended many SCPOA board meetings since I first moved to Swansboro sixteen years ago. The present board, under the direction of President Karen Paul, is one of the most professional, respectful, good-natured groups I have had the pleasure of dealing with. Their thorough, business-like approach in confronting complex, and sometimes controversial issues is truly a joy to observe.
The stated goal of the majority of board members is to apply due process, follow existing rules, and bring concerned dues-payers in to the decision making process by listening to and respecting their views. Independent thinkers will often disagree on some issues, but agree that negotiation, not intimidation, is the path forward.
The next SCPOA board meeting is scheduled for September 19th at the Fire Station.
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