Introduction by R. Duncan
The letter below typifies the attitudes of the editors and staff of ACT. The letter, a ‘PRIVATE’ communication between an obviously disgruntled person and the ACHOA Board need never have been presented to the community. ACT appears to be continuing in the vein of divisiveness for the ArrowCreek community that they have professed to want to be ‘together.’
The summary of this letter is “…I will not compromise my position on any of these subjects….” For anyone in a position of authority elected by his constituents to have this attitude is a travesty. We, the governed, expect compromise for the betterment of our community. To resign because of a lack of compromise, that’s a shame. The issues referred to were and are not insurmountable. The issues that brought this letter to the light of day remain. They are:
1.) Relationship with the Golf Course: This relationship is imbedded in our CC&R,s and By-Laws with respect to a ‘Non-Residential’ area. The ‘issue’ of bankruptcy was intended for the previous owner to shed unwarranted debts and influence. It wasn’t going to go ‘brown’ and D’Andrea, a non-gated community, was never an appropriate example of what would happen in ArrowCreek. The Non-Residential area is now owned by the FOA and is doing quite well without the HOA’s funding. Does ArrowCreek need the golf course? That’s still a question that perhaps lies in the future.
2.) Use of ArrowCreek Name: The words ‘ArrowCreek’ appear in numerous places and publications. What the ‘failure’ to compromise brought about was a true community web site that allowed people to present their own views on the goings on within our community. It is not a ‘sterile’ management communications tool. Management did not appreciate the fact that they were being challenged to justify their words and actions. There is not, nor has been, any violation of copyright/trademark protections. In fact, the ACHOA Board should consider licensing agreements if they are indeed concerned about the image of our community. Who has rights and who does not? People need and want information, suppressing it only leads to distrust and rumors.
3.) Distribution of Welcoming Flyers and Newsletters by the CNA: The ACHOA, post the Declarant’s/Developer’s transition out of ArrowCreek, rightfully focused on ‘managing’ the development. It has done a fair to good job in those functions. However, the members of Concerned/Caring Neighbors of ArrowCreek perceived that more could be done to build our community. One of those activities was to begin welcoming new resident owners. Many communities already have this function in place and since the ACHOA Board presented itself as ‘hostile’ to CNA suggestions (again ‘no compromise’), we struck out on our own initiative. it’s been demonstrated that that apprioach has had a positive effect and the ‘New’ Board is considering setting up and doing that function. That would be a great improvement that costs the property owners nothing. Lastly, there isn’t a CNA newsletter. Where that BS came from is someone’s figment of imagination.
4.) Administrative Committee: This tirade appears to come from a person who has no clue about the dealings of government contracting. The practice within government to have a ‘Best and Final’ competition for work to be done is a long standing method applied to get the best technical/management support for the least price. Indeed, the Administrative Committee followed exactly that process and did get the community the best solution for the least price. Complaining because you didn’t understand a process or were unwilling to compromise is a very poor example of leadership.
So, Thank You ACT for publishing this most private communication two months after the fact. I’m certain we’ll get many responses, not necessarily to your liking, but it will be from the COMMUNITY.
We’re now beyond this, so let’s begin acting like a community! Ron Duncan
REPOST:
Sam Fox, ACHOA President, Resigned
by A Community Team (ACT)
It is with great regret that the community learned of Sam’s resignation earlier this year. He was wise and fair president of the HOA for many years. We thank him for his service, and although he resigned over a month ago, we are posting his letter for two reasons: the community has a right to know why he resigned, and the controversial issues in this letter may not be fully resolved.
The ACT team sees the Board working together well now, and has every reason to believe they will continue to do so as discussions and issues arise this year.
Dear fellow Board members,
I have spent the previous week pondering over several major issues facing the Board this year. Following are my thoughts on what I perceive to be the major issues facing the ACHOA:
Relationship with the Golf Club
The relationship with the golf club is a symbiotic relationship. The golf club provides an attractive draw to people looking to live in an attractive beautiful community. While only 25-30% of our residents may be actual golfers, realtors tell us that over 50% of people buying in ArrowCreek like the idea of living in a golfing community. Those same realtors have described the golf course as the “jewel” of the community. The community provides excellent homes for those who want to be close to a golf course, and also provides other amenities such as walking paths, open space, pool, tennis etc. Given this relationship I believe that a close and friendly relationship with the golf club is very important. I was very surprised and disappointed when several of you did not want to publish an article in the bimonthly newsletter talking about the mutual cooperation that now is taking place between the two entities. I can only assume that some of you do NOT want this cooperation to continue. Some of you have said, and rightfully so that, “this is a private corporation”. I would like to point out that this corporation is also owned and controlled by our friends and neighbors. Since they have a vested interest in the community this makes the corporation different from a company in another state. The previous owners of the club ran it into the ground before they declared bankruptcy. Had it not been for the intervention of the FOA you would all be looking at 500 acres of dead grass. If you cannot imagine that, take a trip to D’Andrea and see what it looks like. An independent study concluded that a failed golf course could have a negative effect on housing prices of up to 20%. Despite the heroic efforts of the FOA in saving the communities most precious asset I hear some of you saying things like, “we need to keep them last arm’s length”. Instead of finding innovative ways to work together, it appears that we are going to take a “what have you done for me” approach towards the Club. I am totally opposed to this policy. It will only serve to bring down the community as a whole.
Use of the ArrowCreek Name
The name ArrowCreek is trademarked. It can only be used by the ACHOA and the Golf Course. Over the past year two additional web sites have come into existence as a result go the golf debate. ACT ( ArrowCreek Truth) and ArrowCreek 411. I, along with the rest of the Board decided not to challenge the use of the ArrowCreek name during the debate as we did not believe in stifling free speech during the debate. Now that the purchase of the golf course property is history, both of these web sites should be told to remove the ArrowCreek name from their titles. (ACT has already done so; therefore this site.) As I pointed out in a recent planning session websites serve as communication within the community but also, and more importantly, serve as a window to the outside world. Prospective buyers looking for information about ArrowCreek would have gotten three different web sites to look at. The official ArrowCreek web site, ACT and ArrowCreek 411. ArrowCreek411 is basically a blog which often contains inaccurate information, rumors and hateful comments. Is this really the website you want future buyers to see? The official ArrowCreek website should contain only the information and policies approved by the ArrowCreek Board. A failure to enforce this is an abrogation of the Board authority and in the end will be detrimental to the community. Both websites should be contacted immediately and told to change their names. Some of you are reluctant to do this so we are now using the “legal” approach to justify an action we have every right to take. Apparently we are afraid to approach members in our own community on this subject. Failure to act on this only serves to weaken the Board’s authority.
Distribution of Welcoming Flyers and Newsletters by the CNA
I was stunned to hear that the CNA is now distributing welcoming letters and starting their own newsletter. The fact that they did not consult or even advise the Board prior too starting this project tells me how little respect they have for the ArrowCreek Board. They are free to publish anything they want and you have no say in it’s content. Even if you continue allow them to publish their own material, at minimum, the material should contain a disclaimer saying that “the information provided here has not been approved by the ACHOA.” If this is allowed to continue different neighborhoods will be publishing their own newsletters and, once again, the authority of the Board will diminish.
Administrative Committee
As you all know I am in favor of eliminating this committee. Its main function is to obtain competitive bids for outside services. This function can and should be moved to the Budget and Finance Committee. This is a committee looking for something to justify their existence. Several members took it upon themselves to start designing a Community Plan. There is no need for a community plan as the ACHOA functions perfectly well at the present time. We have a sound financial plan, and an excellent reserve plan. We also have in place an excellent operations group which handles our maintenance and security. What is needed is a plan for the long term vegetation which will be planted and cared for in our common areas. Community plans have the long term effect of limiting the power of future Boards decisions. Future Boards will be limited by what the “plan” dictates.
I realize that my views on the above subjects are diametrically opposed to the opinions of some members of the Board. I feel very strongly about the issues I just discussed. I will not compromise my position on any of these subjects. Therefore, effective immediately, I am resigning from the ArrowCreek Board. I am also resigning from the Reserve Committee. I wish you all the best in the coming year.
Respectfully,
Sam
ArrowCreek411 