Give our fellow members a break.
We have become an association of "Them against us"/ It does not or should be that way. We need to all work together for the common good of all the members. We need to look after one another. The whole world, the country and out local area is in crisis. The stock market is in a plunge while the covid 19 has reached an all time high. Many of our members are suffering. Yet, those in power to make decisions in our HOA, continue as if nothing is happening.
Other than reasons of safety, we must put a moritorium on covenant enforcement. We need to put a year hold on enforcement. For example, the trees if left alone for a year, will not take away any view of anything. Our members need abreak so that they can concentrate on their own personal problems and issues. The statement by a new Board candidate that the members will use the covid as "an excuse" to not comply, is wrong and an insult to our fellow members. This kind of an attitude only fosters the "them against us". For the most part, we have good members who care and want to follow the rules. That doesn't mean they have to like them, and they should have the right and opportunity to change the rules.
Please!, give our fellow members a break. They are not the enemy. They are our friends and neighbors.
96 comments:
That board candidate will fit in great with Williams, Clancy, Olds, Minich, Scott, and the rest of them. I can't wait to get out of here!
Why can't we afford governing documents amendments by a majority vote of the membership? Why can't we afford vote by mail for all voting? Why can't we afford to attend the board meetings? Why can't we afford to opt in to the latest hoa statute WA RCW 64.90? Why can't we afford to abide by all laws?
Because members don't care enough to participate. Have you ever been to a board meeting? The same 10 people come every month. If you don't participate you can't invoke change, that logic gets lost around here
It is not that they don't care. Many have attended, served on a committee or even the board and have given up when they won't listen and treat you with disrespect. Everything is stacked against the members with the power and control with the same few. They don't vote on the budget because it will mke no difference. They will not vote for a board candidate, because it will make no difference. This HOA and those that rule and make the decisions, are corrupt. MANY who have served on the board have thrown up their hands and walked away. It is not as simple as attending a board meeting that provides no information. The real business is conducted in secrete. Attending a board meeting will not change that. The truth is, the board does not want you informed.
And what am I supposed to do or be able to do my attending board meeting?
Also, HELLO MCFLY!!! WE CAN'T ATTEND BOARD MEETINGS RIGHT NOW!!!
Sure. It's the members fault because they don't attend a board meeting or travel here to attend a committee meeting in the middle of a week. Only mistake the members made was to trust a trustee to act for them in a fair way. They should join the community relations committee and then they could learn how to pot a plant or make a wreath. They could also read the weekender a see the board meeting agenda the day before the meeting. Have you ever tried to make sense of the posted agenda or read the minutes? Yep. It's all the members fault. Give me a break.
Are we allowed to have christmas tree and outside christmas lights? I was told that someone got in trouble for that.
Absolutely agree George! Surfside is not a government and needs to stop acting as such. We need to focus on what matters...our parks, trials, signs need upkeep. Looking after the elderly who may need help with maintenance or shopping.
I believe in Karma, these Hitlers on the board will get theirs.
The comment from the candidate is at the least partially correct. There has always been a group of members who ignore the covenants as has been shown by all the letters going out. To say they would use covid as an excuse isn't an insult, just a logical statement. Also, people don't have to correct their violations right away. They can acknowledge them with a plan and take up to or even over a year to comply. Many have done this.
To 10:10:
Surfside is a HOA. It is now acting like one in requiring people to follow the rules they signed up for.
Tree related enforcement dominates compliance efforts, as stated by the HOA attorney at last year's Annual meeting. (At least 95%).The most critical matters such as proper permitting on buildings are also County requirements, and owners make every effort to be compliant. So all of this righteous posturing about the naughty members who misbehave given ANY opportunity is a big fat excuse for maintaining the Tree restrictions no matter how pointless and ill-conceived. This is an elitist program of intimidation that serves only ridgetop oowner's interests. It's a ruse that has nothing to do with "views", and everything to do with maintaining a class structure, and stroking the egos of a few. It's disgraceful and an embarrassment. The comment by the candidate is out of touch with the most important matters in Surfside. The Contract with the Sheriff's office reflects this ridiculous obsession with control.
Once you all recognize and admit that limiting heights of trees, buildings, and structures to protect views is legal, you'll be much happier and begin trying to change the management, personnel and procedures, of the policy.
It has not been established that the Policy IS legal. The enforcement requires continuous maintenance at considerable cost to owners at the demand of anonymous members on private property, where trees require minimal maintenance for optimum health. The Rule is founded on a lie - that trees blocks away from the ridge interfere with views of the Ocean. It cannot be proven, therefore the objective of the rule- protecting views - has been eliminated from the covenants. There has been no legal contesting of the written rule.
To say it only serves ridge top owners is your opinion only and not completely true. I don't live on the ridge and I don't want to have tall trees next to my property given the storms, that's why I bought here. I couldn't do anything about it when I lived in Seattle, here I can. I know others that feel the same.
To continually say that it isn't about views and only has to do class structure and egos is more than just your opinion, it's asinine.
No one can verify a single instance of a shorepine blowing down on the Westside of the ridge. Continual topping of trees makes them much more likely to fail in heavy winds, but it still doesn't occur. Your contention is asinine.
My questions to my fellow members is why don't you trim your trees annually? You do home maintenance, yard maintenance, car maintenance so why not trees???
If you keep them regularly trimmed you don't have to top and then they don't die. So why aren't people keeping them trimmed?
You are in denial if the simple truth tjat trees do not require maintenance. It is not recommended by tree experts that trees be routinely pruned. Visually monitoring their health is enough. Fruit trees are pruned for fruit production, and they consequently have limited life spans. This kind of constant alteration is NOT recommended by tree experts on ANY other varieties.
I think a lot of people bought and moved here for the simplistic way of life, not this constant monitoring and micro management. The board needs to start doing something about the empty trashy house and yards as they are supposed to do! In the previous HOA we lived in, when appearances and yards were not maintained, the HOA hired someone to do the needed work and of course put a lien against the property. I would much rather have places brought up to code appearance and safety wise than to worry about these trees so much!
We don’t know what is going to happen this next year for sure! I know our property appraisal is up considerably, so there go our taxes. Someone made the comment about who couldn’t afford the $35 for sheriff coverage. Well maybe not us. Our income is not going up but our expenses living here certainly is!
@JoAnne - you mean enforce the covenants?
OMG Joanne. What did you say that you had to remove your comment?
1248 - asinine because it's so accurate? Been here 20 years, never seen one of those trees down yet. Scare tactics aren't going to work. We prefer truth.
It has everything to do with egos, self-interest, and lack of any moral compass. To protest to the contrary is simply adhering to the party line, probably because it aligns with YOUR self interest, or hiding your head in the sand.
I just choose to as I felt I got a little too pointed at board member actions.
I think Joanne said some dirty words.
Everybody always looses their cool every once in a while. She was probably all wound up. I think she would be a great board member. I did right her in and also rhonda
Not gunna bother to vote, tossed in trash where it belongs. Process of stripping my place ,in n out. I'm out here.
I don't blame you at all. I understand.
That's what this board needs. Although particularly with proactive enforcement beginning, they will surely start with the "disgruntled" members. We all know they monitor this blog so be careful what you say.
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t vote when for the first time you can actually bot without attending the annual meeting or voting by proxy. This is finally one vote per membership! Attending the annual meetings was never a realistic thing for the majority of our membership.
Hate auto correct! Vote instead of bot!
Wow, goodie, I get to vote once a year.
Proxy voting will be back next year. They have not said otherwise.
WE ARE STILL NOT ALLOWED TO ATTEND BOARD MEETINGS!!!
7:56 says, 1) no choice in bot vote, 2) no quorum ,budget fails.
Was that a threat 9:37?
The Board has approved spending $100.000 on a chipper - a big commitment to the longterm enforcement of the Tree restrictions. With as many as 300 tree compliance letters going out annually, figure an average of $750 each, is a combined expense of $250,000 every 1 to 2 years. What a stupid waste of money! Add to that the financial catastrophe created by the pandemic, and you should seriously question the wisdom of continuing such a useless policy.
Ask Williams or Clancy.
Is there an echo in here?
None of you will ever stop or change the tree policy!
The Faction
I think they just discussed it. What I saw was Kurt Olds voicing concerns over doing this. Simple solution, do away with the height tree covenant. There is no need to trim trees that really don’t grow to unreasonable heights!
Kurt Olds is going to make a motion to end the tree policy? I'll believe it when I see it!
Well Cox, you can't verify anything when you're sitting in front of the computer.
One of the main reasons you haven't had a problem with down trees is BECAUSE of the covenants. But please explain this. Over the years you could go by some of the undeveloped lots and see trees that have fallen. What do you suppose cause it, beavers? And for your information years ago when I first moved here the one lot next to me was vacant and a tree did fall onto my property during an unusually high wind storm. But let's be real, you don't care to hear anything that contradicts your agenda.
But what HAS been verified is what happens to those shore pines when they catch fire. How the crown fires from them drift and can catch a house on fire.
1:50 is correct. If you do take care of the trees properly, which means doing so BEFORE they get above the covenant height, they don't die. That's what my neighbors and I have been doing for years and we have not lost a tree or have stumps on our properties.
What about that Cox!
Anonymous 2:05. Do you live on the west side of the ridge?
205 - haven't had any problems because there aren't any. It's all about self-interest, including yours, apparently.
Why do you tree cutters think you're better than the rest of us? Why do you like cutting trees? Do you deny climate change?
@ Joanne, the run down turdhole on Oysterville and I has not paid taxes in 3 years. Give it time, Im sure Clancy will have it cleared at our expense like he did the J place lot.
When are the RV and trailers supposed to be removed from the lots, I thought it was oct 1?
October 31st. But RVers are welcome to come back any time they want, just need a winter permit. We would drive ours down every weekend when we had a lot
Hi 10:20. Where are you now? Why did you leave Surfside?
$100,000 for a chipper and what maybe 2 or 3 more full time employees to run it?
$8500 for a water trailer, if a tsunami hits all of the houses including J place will be scattered between here and the Bay.
Maybe we could spend $5000 on a custom saddle for the trailer and Deputy Dawg (Clancy) could ride it in Parades and throw candy to the kids!
This HOA is so out of touch with reality and common sense that I am more amazed at the stupidity daily!
To JoAnne:
Yes
I have nothing against people enjoying themselves on their lots with an RV or trailer, I just don't want to see them left on the lots. The one that im close to me is sloppy looking, basically an eye sore, I can't wait for it to go
Accept what you signed up for 12:25. Sound familiar?
What does sloppy looking mean?
Get your eyes checked if you have an eye sore lol.
RVs should be allowed to stay all year. This is a free country. If you want to live in a RV on your property, you have the right to do so.
Yes. Our leadership are a bunch of idiots!
The county doesn't allow full time rv use so the HOA can't, pretty simple
And the county was the one to allow us to extend the rv use months from March -October, we didn't get to come up with that on our own.
Just gonna say:
There are sloppy house sites, RV sites, and empty lots.
Why do house owners just point fingers at RV lots? If not for those RV lots the BOT wouldn’t have their 1.8 million dollars to waste every year!
Some lots are not build able and use a lot less of the supposed amenities of Surfside, do they get discounted HOA dues?
The County does not allow year round living in an RV but has nothing against them being on the owners property year round. But I’m sure that could be changed with another 1/2 million dollar donation over the next 5 years by Surfside!
The single wide trailer on the corner of I street and Oysterville road unfortunately isn’t going anywhere! I’d rather look at the RVs year round than that mess! It’s been there at least 3 years and is starting to fall down. To my knowledge nothing is being done.
Thanks for the clarifications 1:15! I appreciate it!
The bylaws and articles of incorporation say that all members are to be assessed identically regardless of how the property looks or if its developed in any way. That is why everyone pays the same in dues
J Place needs to pay higher dues and assessments. We cut our trees for them. Or they pay us for the cost to cut our trees for their benefit.
J Place also pays the highest in taxes, it evens things out
No it doesn't. Your property taxes are between you and the county. Our HOA dues and assessments have nothing to do with property taxes. The county doesn't make me cut my trees for your benefit. The HOA does. I have no recourse with the county for the HOA making me cut my trees for your benefit.
It must be nice being king of the hill and looking down on the peasants.
And if they are able to change the lighting covenant, they will have a “dark sky “
I wish you people would research the benefits of a dark sky. Some of you claim to be considerate of the environment.
Many who live on J don't get the same water pressure that those below do and because of it some have had to purchase water pumps so it doesn't take an hour to fill a bath. That coast money for the pump and the electricity to run it. So using your logic since we don't get the same service should our dues be lower?
And spare me this continued free country crap. Yes, it is a free country and you were free to buy property elsewhere. But you didn't and made the free choice to live here. Deal with it.
The water system is owned and operated by the HOA. We all pay for the entire system. We pay for your pumps and all. Spare me with this, the property taxes "it evens things out" crap.
Get in on this Cox. What do you think?
Back to the RV conversation. Only allow 1 RV per Property.
Allow up to 5 RVs per property if you pay more than $1,000 county property taxes.
The idea for dark skies here had nothing to do with the environment! I was at many of those meetings and it had all to do with being able to see the stars on the deck with a glass of wine! Give me a break. Our little bit of light pollution means nothing! How many of you go to Las Vegas?
If you must build a 900 sf single level house on a lot to pass the Architectural Committee requirements then I see no reason why at anytime you can’t have a minimum of 900 sf of RV on your lot. HHMMMM, got you hilanders all thinking. Maybe we could double stack our 250 sf RV,’s to get mor on the lot.
Dark sky is BS, this is the darkest place I have been in WA state and you know what in all of WA state I have still been able to see the stars, moon, planets, and satellites. All that you have here is the inability to find your property when driving down the street!
If you have NO water pressure on J, blame Clancy as the water Department is his baby along with the Wolfe re-election!
BS-Based on Science. Yes. You're correct.
It's not just about astronomy. That's one part.
I'm glad you enjoy astronomy. I do too.
Don't need to go to Vegas to see a bunch of lights JoAnne. Just have to drive by your place!!
I don't recall the HOA writing the check to the plumber who installed my pump. You make no sense 5:44.
Well one thing our place is in compliance unlike a lot that aren’t. Including quite a bunch on J place! Sorry we offend you with our horrible lights! At least we close our blinds at night so our inside lights aren’t shining clear out in the road like many I know do!
I don't believe any of this crap you're saying 9:26. I don't care how much property taxes you pay. I pay property taxes too. Property taxes don't have anything to do with the HOA, so stop diverting with your crap and lies.
Be satisfied with what you signed up for. Sound familiar.
i was thinking of moving to Surfside. I was interested in your HOA and getting a feel for who would be my neighbors. This Blog has really opened my eyes to the dark side of your community. Start to work together..
According to some here, it depends how much property taxes you pay.
According to others, they never will. It's all about them
Typical for our country in these times.
Good Morning Stumpside!
How's that water system treating you?
I have to close my blinds at night so the lights from J place don't blind me. Thank you J place for letting me see everything that happens in your house after dark.
I wish I would of seen this blog before I bought. I wouldn't of bought here.
In retrospect, I guess I should have known by all the butchered trees, for sale signs, and undeveloped lots.
Be assured it wasn’t always like this! We bought in 2008 with no concerns over living in a HOA, until a few years ago when we started seeing the trees being cut down. Then when we got our lighting complaint July 2019 we learned of the total control of the HOA! We’ve certainly had second thoughts the past two years, but refuse to give up our little piece of heaven for rules that are not written in stone! I realize changing covenants is completely under control of the BOT, but I also think it’s time to have an open dialogue about them. Just my opinion!
Opt in to the latest HOA WA RCW 64.90.
Update the governing documents at that time.
Are you listening Williams?
I bet he'll continue to be our President or Vice-President. He's a perfect puppet and stooge for our special interests.
According to the SurfandTurfsider, a couple committees need members. Guess your choice is either hair sniffer Foghorn Leghorn Clancy or getting pegged by deLiest.
Hey 2:43, you got some serious issues. I haven't even talked about property taxes for some odd reason you keep coming back at me about them. So stop your crap and take your hate glasses off before reading. It's YOU who is spewing crap.
Well George, I would say it's time to shut this topic down since it is obvious the trolls are out but they'll just show up another so why bother.
Some of you must be pretty dang bored to constantly harp on rvs on properties. Why would it concern you if SHOA rv folks want to spend time out at Surfside in the winter? Is their presence hurting any of you? Have you given any thought to the money that rv folks spend in Ocean Park? Who in their right mind would promote only 1 rv on a member’s lot? In these Difficult times, seems to me that we should all be a little less meddlesome of others business and have mercy on our fellow neighbor. After all, rv members pay exactly the same dues as you busy bodies!
Fed Up
Looking forward to all of the Sloppy trailers and RVs being moved out this weekends! Yeah!
Sloppy Joe? Hahahahaha
Does anyone remember proactive enforcement in 2010? How did that go?
2010 had a very different board that didn't want to move on proactive complaints so they got rid of Myers.
Oh by the way the comment of the county not allowing full time RV’s on a property holds no water in the real world. Along with the statement that Surfside persuaded the county into allowing from 3-15 to 10-31.
How is it then the East side of the Ridge from 320 to 324 is allowed to have their RV’s on their lots year round, are they not in the County and also part of Surfside Estates (haha). Also other areas except places West of J Place of course!
Please don’t play the County card unless you know what you are talking about, after all Clancy used the County card to build his shop that is truly not allowed per Surfside HOA CC&R’s!
The person or persons lies. That's all.
Clancy and the board members are allowed to violate the covenants.
How about proactive enforcement of the covenants on the board members first!
We all need to be careful for lies, manipulation, and diversion. That's what The Faction and other similar special interests here will do when they can't win or defend an issue.
Good last comment on tis topic. We will move onto the National and local election. In about a week, we will return to this mess, called Surfside. Maybe we can fix it also.
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