Sudden Valley Community Association will be hosting a Firewise program starting on July 11^th, 2022. The purpose of a Firewise program is to promote awareness of homeowners to the dangers of fires from vegetation surrounding their home and other properties. One hazard that is prevalent within Sudden Valley is the tree limbs that have fallen naturally or during windstorms. These limbs are referred to in a Firewise program as “ground fuels”. Because large limbs are difficult to remove, Sudden Valley Community Association assists homeowners by providing a free service whereby residents of the Association can dispose of the tree limbs that have broken from trees on or surrounding their property. This Firewise service is provided by SVCA’s Maintenance Department during a published scheduled time frame.  

Residents can take advantage of this program by having their tree branches placed in an accessible pile next to the roadway prior to the scheduled pickup time for their area. Piles of branches placed by the roadside after the scheduled pickup time will not be picked up and will be the property owners’ responsibility.

Scope of Service:

• Service is limited to resident’s; no commercial support is available.
• Branches must be plied next to the road and easily accessible to the Firewise crew.  Do not block ditches with branches.
• Pickup is limited to tree branches that have naturally broken from a tree. Services do not include limbs that are “cut” from an established tree.
• The maximum diameter of the limb is six (6) inches.
• There is no limit to the length of the limb.
• The height of a pile of limbs should be no more than five (5) feet tall.
• Vegetation such as brush, lawn waste, tree roots, bagged leafs, etc. will not be picked up as these items will jam/plug equipment. If these items are left alongside the roadway, they will be the property owners’ responsibility to dispose of.  
• Questions pertaining to the Sudden Valley Community Association’s Firewise program can be directed to the Maintenance Superintendent by calling (360) 778-2223.

Recycle Disposal: Limbs are fed into a large wood chipping machine and the chips transported to a Sudden Valley Association wood chip composting site. The chips will be made available free to residents to self-load on a first come basis.

Firewise 2022 Schedule:

Date                                    Location

July 11th                             Gate 5, Maintenance Zones 51, 52, 53

July 18^th                              Gate 3, Maintenance Zones 3, 4, 5, 6

July 25^th                              Gate 3, 9,13Maintenance Zones 1, 2

August 1^st                           Gate 1, Maintenance Zones 10, 11, 12, 14, 15

August 8^th                           Gate 2, Maintenance Zones 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26

Sudden Valley will hold its 2022 Annual General Meeting on Saturday, November 5 at 1:00PM. Many positions are open on the Board and Standing Committees, and applications are now being accepted. Please see the application letter from the N&E Chair, along with the official 2022 application package HERE. The application period is open from July 5, 2022, and closes at the end of the business day  September 6, 2022 at 4:30 PM.

On Tuesday, June 14th, petitions for the recall of 3 SVCA executive board directors were dropped off at the Association’s law firm. On Wednesday, June 15^th, these were retrieved by Board president AJ Tischleder and N&E chair, Nancy Alyanak. 

As per the bylaws, the president is required to hold an SGM for any legal petitions with signatures from at least 10% of all members–or 313. After careful vetting and recounting as a result of slim margins, the N&E committee found that two petitions had enough valid signatures to move forward.  AJ Tischleder (321) and Sonia Voldt (318) will go forward. A third, Josh Bowens (310) did not have the required number of signatures. 

A voting packet will be sent by mail and the recall SGM will be held on August 13, 2022. Further information about the process will be forthcoming from the N&E committee. 

~Andrew “AJ” Tischleder, SVCA Board President

Street sweepers are hitting the road beginning June 8^th and will be onsite for approximately 2 weeks. Gates 2, 1, and 5, are scheduled first – followed by Gates 9, 13, and 3.   Please exercise caution while in the vicinity of the street sweeper.  An update will be provided if there happens to be any changes in scheduling.  Thanks for keeping it safe while we’re keeping it clean.