Many of our Seven Bar North residents frequently express joy and satisfaction in having chosen to live in our great neighborhoods. Our reputation as “a desirable location” speaks for itself. We should celebrate our ongoing efforts to maintain and improve our homes and yards in an attractive and cohesive manner.  Our advantageous status is a testament to the covenants serving us well for 26 years. Perhaps now is the time to imagine how we can build on our success and strengthen resident engagement with the HOA and our community.

First and foremost, we would like to spark an interest in attendance at the annual meetings. It is important to have a quorum at these meetings. A voting quorum for our HOA is two thirds of our membership (648 homes). We need 435 votes to conduct official business. That’s why we would like to increase attendance at the meetings. We would also like to encourage more volunteerism by adding volunteer committees and by engaging with residents to support our existing committees.

One committee we would like to get off the ground is a Neighborhood Coordination Committee, comprised of one representative from each of our eight neighborhoods. Although Seven Bar North as a whole experiences common concerns, i.e., traffic, speeding, suspicious activity, etc., we recognize that each of our subdivisions may be grappling with their own unique circumstances. Establishing communication from each neighborhood via a representative familiar with their respective community would be invaluable in guiding HOA decisions. The chair of the committee would also serve on the Executive Council. Each area coordinator would also be asked to serve, or seek a volunteer to serve, on the Neighborhood Watch Committee for their area.

Resident turnover occurs in all communities. So far this year, we have gained seventeen new neighbors.  It is important that our new residents feel welcome.  We are proposing establishing a Welcome Committee to orient our new neighbors regarding the HOA, the neighborhood, and the community at large.

As mentioned earlier, our covenants have served us well; change is inevitable, however. The world has changed substantially in 26 years! We are hoping that Increasing volunteerism and engaging more residents may potentially lead to a review of the existing covenants. We plan to survey our residents regarding their thoughts and perceptions of our current CCRs, to gain insight into whether or not updates are deemed necessary. We encourage you to participate in our surveys. If there is enough interest, we will be seeking volunteers to help work on proposals to consider at a future annual meeting.

We envision maintaining our “highly desirable” status, and continually improving the quality and livability of our neighborhoods. Kudos to all of you for showing your pride in home ownership.