At the Thursday, September 7th Board meeting, the Directors, after hearing the concerns of the membership regarding the need to maintain Sudden Valley’s valuable assets, have committed to begin the process. This came after a thorough and cooperative in-depth discussion, all members of the Board present unanimously approved a solution, and authorized the following projects:
- Rebuild of Marina shoreline. This project repairs the failed spit and stops the erosion; the Marina would be lost in a few years without this repair.
- Installation of Fire Protection at the Marina required by the County Fire Marshall.
- Replace two ramps required to access the Marina docks. These failed ramps are unsafe and will be required to transfer the fire line (above) from the land to under the wet docks.
- Demolition of Barn 6, and installation of a temporary structure which houses emergency snow supplies and equipment.
- Replacement of two pool liners, decks, and ADA compliance implementation at both the Adult and Main pools.
- Funding for a Project Manager to oversee the completion of the above projects to protect the members’ financial interest.
Some of the funding for this work will be provided through existing funds currently held by the Association. The balance of funding will come from a loan not to exceed $1,125,000, to be repaid through existing Capital cash flow, which will NOT result in an increase in membership dues.
With the BOD having approved both a Parks and a Roads Measure for a membership vote at the November AGM, these additional projects listed above address the highest risk of the stated concerns and desires of the membership. (Details regarding the Parks and Roads Measures follow this message).
This is a significantly positive step forward in ensuring the future financial stability of the Community and our lifestyle. We look forward to your support in November!
2017 AGM MEASURES
MEASURE 2
Proposed Roads Special Assessment
The result of the vote on this measure will be determined by SVCA Bylaws, which provide that a Special Assessment increase is approved if 60% or more of voting Members in good standing vote in favor of the measure.
Ballot: Shall SVCA impose a 10-year Special Assessment of $14.00 per month to fund major repair of roads
Explanation: For developed and undeveloped lots, this measure imposes a 10-year Roads Fund Special Assessment of $14.00 per month to fund all aspects of the roads and culverts repair plan as provided by Wilson Engineering. Specific items funded by this measure are all road re-surfacing and the replacement of the Western Lane bridge at Gate 13 (aka Culvert 54).
If approved, this 10-year Special Assessment will start January 1, 2018 and will end December 31, 2027. As shown in Chart 1, initial funding for this work is to be obtained in 2018 through a Board approved loan of $1.7million and re-paid through this Special Assessment.
As provided in the Restrictive Covenants and Bylaws, the Special Assessment will attach to each “Lot” in existence on the date of the Annual General Meeting as defined by the SVCA Bylaws. The Special Assessment will run with the land until fully paid.
Why do we need this? The majority of our road bases remain structurally sound though the road cover (overlay) has deteriorated from years of wear from traffic and the environment. The road overlay lifecycle now requires scheduled repairs to ensure the overlay’s continued performance as a road. Multiple options were evaluated for road re-surfacing repair ranging from a full remove and replace overlay ($9.4 million over 20 years) to various types of sealants with micro-surfacing* ($3.9 million over 20 years) being selected for best value for cost and performance.
SVCA is seeking to micro-seal all main roads and 76% of the secondary roads in 2018, and then reapply the micro-sealant on all roads starting in 2024. The 24% of roads not being sealed in 2018 are in good condition and do not require the sealant now.
This proposed 2018 measure will also fund the replacement of the Western Lane bridge at Gate 13 (aka Culvert 54). This bridge needs to be replaced in 2023 at an estimated cost of $828,531.
The Capital Road Reserve was established to meet the requirements of SVCA Restrictive Covenants. “Said Club at all times must maintain an adequate reserve fund out of assessments and /or dues as specified in paragraph 16 for such road maintenance.” When it was discovered in 2014 that culverts needed to be added, the dues became inadequate to fund all facets of road repair and maintenance. The proposed Special Assessment will provide adequate funding for all engineer planned roads work for a period of 10-years (see attached Chart 1).
What does our SVCA Capital Roads Fund currently cover? The Capital Roads Fund currently funds three distinctly different types of work typically identified as 1) scheduled culvert replacement, 2) annual drainage maintenance, and 3) engineering, planning, and inspection.
- Scheduled culvert replacement funds the 2015 – 2025 SVCA Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) by providing annual capital funding to design and replace 34 of our 446 culverts currently scheduled in our 10-year CIP. This function currently includes replacement of culverts rated F (failing), D, and some of the C rated culverts. Ratings are like grades in school, with A being the best and F the worst. The Western Lane bridge (Gate 13, culvert 54) is NOT funded with current Roads Funds though is included in the CIP. The Western Lane Gate 13 bridge replacement will be funded by this measure.
- 2016 Membership approved annual drainage maintenance maintaining roadside ditches, culverts and swales due to those items being a critical component of the infrastructure of the roads. These monies fund a 10-year SVCA work cycle through an annual 6-month (April thru October) effort to perform essential and major maintenance of rain water ditches, culverts and swales that focuses on the efficient flow of rain water away from homes and roads back into the environment.
- Annual engineering support which includes on-call engineering response to emerging roads/ culvert problems, large culvert and bridge inspections (alternating years) and Stormwater Runoff Management and Phosphorous Mitigation support for Members and the Association.
Conclusion: This proposed measure fully integrates and funds ditches and culverts (the SVCA Capital Improvement Plan [CIP]) with roads re-surfacing capital repair into one unified process by funding the balance of the currently un-funded items: road re-surfacing and the Western Lane bridge at Gate 13.
Recommendation: The Board of Directors recommends approval of this measure.
*What is Micro-Surfacing? – A cold-mix expansion of slurry seal with a higher polymer and asphalt residual content, better quality aggregate and fast-setting chemicals. It will also correct
moderate to severe raveling by sealing and filling voids in the existing surface. Typically placed between 3/8 – 3/4 of an inch, micro-surfacing can improve the life span of an existing surface by 6–10 years, depending on the pavement condition. The addition of better quality aggregate, emulsifiers and fast-setting chemicals makes for a more durable skid resistant surface that’s traffic-ready in less than 1 hour. Cure Time for Traffic: 1 hour. Life Span Improvement: 6-10 years.
*As shown in Chart 1, initial funding for this work is obtained through a Board approved loan and re-paid through this Special Assessment.
MEASURE 3
Proposed Special Assessment for Parks, Trails,
Common Grounds & Adult Pool Operations
The result of the vote on the measure will be determined by SVCA Bylaws, which provide that a special assessment increase is passed if 60% or more of the voting Members in good standing approve the measure.
Ballot: Shall SVCA impose a 5-year Special Assessment of $4.74 per month per developed lot and $4.53 per month per vacant lot with an annual 3% inflation escalation to be solely used to fund the maintenance and operation of parks, trails, common grounds, and the operation of the Adult Pool?
Explanation: Areas to be maintained and enhanced by this Special Assessment include our parks (e.g. Dog Park), Marina, AM/PM Beaches, trails, playgrounds, gate entrances and mailbox clusters.* This Special Assessment funds the following types of maintenance services: (i) year-round mowing, trimming, weeding, fertilizing and cleaning, (ii) operation of the Adult Pool, (iii) refurbishment of one playground each year, (iv) sufficient engineered bark and gravel to all playgrounds where needed each year, and (v) repairs to playground equipment as discovered. If approved, this measure will fund the operation of the Adult Pool making it a free amenity for the Association’s Members who are 21 and over (one-time $5 activation fee for amenity card). Funds collected will be placed into its own department in the operations fund and tracked separately. The assessment is escalated at 3% per year.
Note: Based on 93% collections rate and a total of 2,600 developed lot and 544 vacant lots
If approved, this 5-year Special Assessment will start January 1, 2018 and will end December 31, 2022.
As provided in the Restrictive Covenants and Bylaws, the Special Assessment will attach to each “Lot” in existence on the date of the Annual General Meeting as defined by the SVCA Bylaws. The Special Assessment will run with the land until fully paid.
Recommendation: The Board of Directors recommends approval of this measure.
*Reclaiming the parks as prioritized by the Board with input from committees.