This very informative report contains important information for the Board.
Included in the report are the relevant information on tree complaints. No need to post the long, long Kill Tree Committee minutes. If you are interested in reading them, they should be available in several months on the Surfside web page.
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| Laura Frazier, Business Manager |
17 comments:
The fact it is addressed to the Board says a lot about how things are running in SHOA...
The Tree Committee is an embarrassment to Surfside. They are not needed and they are just looking for something to do, and you and I are paying for this nonsense.
8:39. Words well spoken. Tree Committee causes hate and distrust against their neighbors just like in Germany. Abolish this craziness and focus on what really matters.
The blog has become a propaganda vehicle for the minority, loud mouthed, members who wish to eliminate the tree policy. This group of members might better spend their energy thinking about proposing amendments to the tree covenant and enforcement policies and practices that would serve the interests of all the members, not cater to the whims of a few tree huggers.
Remember, the trees are a problem only because some lot owners do not take care of their agreed upon responsibilities to care and maintain the trees on their property. Well maintained lots with vegetation and structures in good order would make Surfside a sought after place to own a lot or two. Neighbors would not live in fear of a complaint or feel encouraged to violate our covenants for lack of fair and consistent enforcement.
The expenses of the tree committee are minimal because their work is done by unpaid volunteers who the tree huggers persist in harassing. While it is true that some of the equipment purchased by this committee is expensive, the equipment is used to assure fair evaluations of the height of the trees. Would you rather have the tree volunteers making wild guesses about whether someone's tree are within the covenants or not? Would you want to open the association to the legal challenges that less than accurate evaluations could produce? We have recently suffered with the aggressive legal actions of a former member who capriciously ignored an architect committee decision to enhance his storage shed. These covenant challenging members see themselves as righteous when the truth is that they are selfish and troublesome.
Allowing two story structures on the ocean front street while limiting I and H to one story structures was a set up for conflicts when this HOA commenced. Aligning the tree covenant with the height of allowed structures increased the contentious issues that have developed. Use your heads folks, we do own property in an area that experiences wild Pacific storms and the potential for rapidly expanded wildfires. Our covenants and policies should be in line with our environment and supportive of all members as much as possible.
One more thing, the Business Manager position is a useless waste of our money. We don't need a glorified clerk. We need a professional General Manager who has the capability, responsibility and power to manage this HOA.
If the budget is passed and a compliance officer is hired, that should negate the need for the Tree Committee's activity of measuring trees, they can just be concerned with planting them. Also, I am against the tree committee but not because I am a "tree hugger" as much as I am a "dollar hugger". Costs me thousands every couple of years to trim my trees (I am too old to be climbing them myself). If you want to see dangerous trees, look on the east side of J Place. If you don't think they will come down, just look at the trees at the edge of the clear cuts in Klipsan and U street, not to mention that many of the trees east of J Place are dead and are more of a fire hazard than the shore pines. Lets spread the wealth on tree cutting.
You contradict yourself 9:15.
You say". Our covenants and policies should be in line with our environment and supportive of all members as much as possible".
Our environment consists of trees that provide wind shelter, wild life habitat and erosion control. Tree covenants are supportive of a minority of members and not all members.
I agree that we need a professional General Manager. They need the "capability, responsibility and power to manage this HOA"
This board will never allow that to happen.
There is no contradiction. There is a narrow mindedness that is unable to conceive of the big picture of trimmed, healthy trees that can withstand our storms and fires to serve to beautify and thrive in our community while preserving the limited ocean views for those who paid for it. What do you think about those who bulldoze the dunes to preserve their view? What do you think about those on I and H who want to view tidy and well maintained neighboring properties as they enjoy their property?
Too tall and weakened trees blow over in the strong winds. I would guess that you have not been in Surfside during one of the huge storms. While providing erosion support in some areas, many of the trees have very shallow roots due to a high water table in many areas. Get real. Wildlife thrives better in an environment that is not chopped up into small lots for an HOA. Wildlife does not do well on lots that have been cleared or lots that are overgrown with shore pines that have been allowed to grow too close together. It is true that some wildlife does thrive in areas with lots of blow down trees rotting into temporary homes for rodents and termites.
You don't know what you're talking about. You really work this myth of trees blowing down, and wildfires being common. There is no factual basis to this. Yes there was a grass fire a year or two ago that got a bit out of control. It was not a big deal. It was a reminder that there are safeguards owners can take to minimize chances of grass fires reaching homes.
There has been one tree blow down on the eastside, an alder, last Winter, in 3 years.
We live in a Tsunami zone, but we mentally deal with it. There are dangers in life and we weigh the odds in our limited ability to predict, prevent, and prepare for what natural forces can throw at us. Paranoia, if allowed to run wild, would kill us from worry and fear. Wanna live like that ?
By the way, there is a lot of amazing wildlife that passes through Surfside. A pair of Sharp-shinned Hawks work our backyard acreage regularly, and a Northern Harrier has been performing incredible aerial stunts out back daily. Deer pass through in the middle of the day. Eagles will be showing up in large numbers as Winter comes.
Blah, blah, blah.
You give away the real intent of your rambling on and on. "preserving the limited ocean views for those who paid for it". You fool no one except maybe yourself.
My 10:46 comment refers to 10:10, not 10:45, I totally agree with
10:45 sez - Glad we are in agreement. My comment must have snuck in ahead of yours. We have beach property but no view. It's funny, but I had imagined that if I could ever own Coast property, I thought that I would rather not have a constant view, so it would always be this reward when I walked over the ridge.
Our first foray looking at peninsula real estate, we found this place in our price range, and pounced on it. Remodeled 2 years ago and beautiful, the view of the dunes and wildlife wonderful - we are so very happy with our Surfside place. At high-tide you hear the roar, but we have some protection from fierce winds. my dream come true !!
Right on 11:19!
My dream has come true also. I live on the east side of G and enjoy the view of sea, canal, hill, and the road, which can be quite entertaining at times with various people and wildlife flowing by. I enjoy it here. Don't have much issue with anything else, not concerned about the trees - don't have any, or water color - I just filter it, or sheds - I'm in compliance, or RV's - I have an occasional RV/camping neighbor, and I send my Proxy in - I vote yes.
I know that I'm in the majority when I say this.
And just how do you know that? Did you do a survey of all the members? Seems that one mans dream is another's nightmare.
So of 60 complaints only 23 were for trees. So please, tell me again how trees are the only complaint issues in SHOA.
Wow... 2 very pleasant comments, and back to the bruisers. 2:54 - shouldn't have eaten those orange mushrooms with the white warts ! 5:34 - essentially half of the complaints are CLAIMED to be over trees, and it is often a larger proportion. No one has said "the only complaints are about trees".
It's a large community and things come up. The Arch. Comm. now has a new guideline to enforce. The covenant change on shed eaves which has been SUCH an urgent matter (joke) will be enforceable as soon as it is registered with the County. As far as I know, this change has not been published by the HOA, and appears to intentionally put several nice sheds instantly in non-compliance.
How overhangs and small porches on sheds negatively impacts the community has not been demonstrated. As I have mentioned before, the County does not have time or resources to worry about Surfside sheds that may have minor appurtenances. It is likely that the County would allow Surfside some latitude (allow a variance) on this issue, as Surfside requires approval of all sheds, and can allow minimal appurtenances that are well designed, and built as approved.
Why not give as much credence to what owners want as efforts to restrict ?
This stream of comments illustrates how we should just let the County codes rule, abolish the HOA, and run the water company. Getting back to a good General Manager does not seem possible with the yahoos in charge of things. Nobody needs all this. How does the number of inches on a shed overhang impact anybody's quality of life? Really?
First off, find me a HOA that doesn't have rules that some disagree with. At the end of the day there really aren't that many here as compared to elsewhere.
About the overhang's It's just not about a few inches. It's about the yahoos who build mini cabins and then call them sheds.
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