The Lamppost Vol. 2006/11 November 2006
The Official Newsletter of the Walden Pond Homeowners Association
On the Internet at http://waldenponddurhamnc.org
ANNUAL HOA MEMBERSHIP MEETING and ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 7:00pm
McMannen United Methodist Church
4102 Neal Road , Durham
Preceded by regular monthly HOA board meeting
Wednesday, December 6, at 6:00pm , same location
All Walden Pond owners and residents welcome
Three Incumbent Directors Seek Re-Election on Dec. 6
Proxies Due by Meeting Start
Walden Pond HOA members are being asked to choose three voting members for the board of directors on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
The three incumbent directors – Laura Atkinson, Don Barry, and Edison McIntyre – are seeking re-election to one-year terms. Former director Sarah Wright also is seeking one of the three open seats. (See candidate statements, Pg. 2).
Nominations for the seats also will be taken from the floor at the membership meeting, which begins at 7pm at McMannen United Methodist Church , 4102 Neal Road .
Any HOA member in good standing (i.e., no delinquent fees as of Dec. 1, 2006) may vote in the directors election. Renters are not eligible to vote unless designated as a proxy.
Any HOA member who plans to designate a proxy (representative) to vote in the election must submit a proxy form by the beginning of the meeting at 7pm.
Proxy forms were mailed to all members in November. Forms may be submitted by mail, FAX, or in person to Morgan's Property Mgt. (See contact information at right.)
Walden Pond HOA Contacts
Ms. Frankie Johnson
Mr. Frank Morgan
Ms. Sheryl Morgan, of
Morgan's Property Mgt. LLC
BY MAIL:
Walden Pond HOA
Morgan's Property Mgt. LLC
PO Box 71294
Durham NC 27722-1294
PHONE:
919.479.5762
FAX
919.471.4280
E-Mail:
MorganPropMgr@aol.com
HOA Board Member Contacts: See the HOA website at http://waldenponddurhamnc.org
Please make your monthly assessment check ($68.00) to: Walden Pond HOA
Candidates for HOA board: Why do they want to serve?
--Laura Atkinson, 7 Prestwick: “ I would like to serve one more term in which I will continue listening to homeowners' concerns, ensuring that homeowners are treated with respect, and working to improve the quality of life and property values of Walden Pond .”
--Don Barry, 2 Durbin: “I was honored to serve as president this year. I feel the board increased communication and also got some projects done, and more are ready to be funded. We accomplished this while having the difficult task of hiring two different management companies, after Cone Properties resigned. I pledge to work even harder this coming year to improve Walden Pond and to increase all of our property values.”
--Edison McIntyre, 10 Prestwick : “I want to serve one more year on the HOA board. I have four main goals for 2007: (1) Revamp and update the HOA bylaws and covenants; (2) Complete the process of instituting a five-year plan, to be updated annually, to prioritize future HOA projects and spending; (3) Continue improving communication between the board and the other HOA members; (4) Continue to promote community citizenship among HOA members. The HOA can accomplish a great deal more if more people get involved. Please vote for me. “
--Sarah Wright, 32 Prestwick: “ I moved into Walden Pond in November 1983. Since then, I have served my community in a variety of ways, on the Aesthetics Committee, as a board director, as newsletter editor, and as a board officer. The community has evolved in a variety of ways -- and cannot function without many residents stepping up to the plate and working toward building and maintaining a respectful, respected and thriving community. Three board directors and one property agent cannot possibly do all the work we need to do to sustain a viable community. We all have a lot of work to do – individually and collectively -- and I want to continue to take an active role. Walden Pond is positioned to be a great community -- not just a good investment or place to park for a year or two.”
DID YOU KNOW? Under its current bylaws, the HOA annually elects three voting directors who make decisions for the association. The voting directors can appoint other non-voting officers to the governing board.
HOA Needs Your Insurance Information The Walden Pond HOA is collecting homeowner's insurance information from all members to certify that all the community's townhouses are adequately insured. “We just want to make sure that everyone has insurance,” said Frankie Johnson of Morgan's Property Mgt., the HOA's property agent. “You wouldn't want to be living next door to a townhouse that wasn't insured.”
Frankie asks that each owner request that his or her insurance company send a copy of the policy's “declarations page” to the HOA by mail or FAX. (See contact information, Pg. 1.) The Walden Pond HOA should be designated as an “interested party” eligible to receive this information. The HOA management will keep these pages on file. The insurance information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with other homeowners or vendors. If your policy is changed, the updates also should be submitted to the HOA. For more information, contact Frankie.
Aesthetics Policy Updated A four month-process to revise Walden Pond 's maintenance and aesthetics policies ended on November 11when the HOA board adopted the new policy document. The revision attempts to clarify certain provisions regarding the upkeep of townhouse exteriors and yards, trash disposal, parking, and other issues affecting the appearance of Walden Pond .
“The aim of these policies is to afford each homeowner the opportunity to make improvements and customizations to his or her home while also maintaining a baseline of standardization across the community and holding all construction up to a high level of quality,” the introduction states. The policy notes that the HOA board must review proposals for all exterior changes to a townhome before the changes are made. The revised maintenance and aesthetics policy can be viewed in the “Governing Documents” section at http://waldenponddurhamnc.org