Parkwood Neighborhood

Club house

I agree with Mike McCormack. The new club house is a wreck, and looks like a dump! The windows have been broken now forever. You the board members and association heads want this neighborhood to stay nice, however you move so slowly on getting things done around here, it's no wonder so many residents don't comply with association guidelines. They are following your snails pace! Gettough with the contractors or whoever balking at getting the building finished so it doesn't look like an eye sore, and for those residents that rent, or own who refuse to comply with yard and fence maintenence, get a back and get them to comply or get them out! Parts of this neighborhood are looking really trashy!

Club house

Your curt and immature response to the question concerning the looks of the club house is unnacceptable from a ''board member.'' Sure things take time, but I think most folks around here want to see that their investment is worth the money. I find it sad that the windows remain broken, the area is full of weeds and trash. You expect the homeowners to maintain the property, if that building was next to your home, you can bet you would be furious at the shape it is in and want it fixed right away.

By Kim Najera

Don't blame the BOD

The windows that are broken are brand new as were the ones before that and the ones before that. The problem is vandalism. I have spent over 6 hours today, trying to get assistance with this problem from the Park Police and the SAPD. The only additional monies spent since the last meeting was a about $4,000 for a security and surveillance system for the clubhouse. The contractor has spent thousands of dollars of his money replacing the glass. The BOD is talking about offering a reward and a resident caught 2 teens and restrained them for about an hour while SAPD failed to respond after 90 minutes.

So when you ask what your BOD is doing, the answer is everything including waiting for the residents of Parkwood to get involved. It is easy to stand on the sidelines taking cheap shots and complaining about someone else not doing enough. If the residents of Parkwood would come together, these problems would all go away. I personally give the HOA hundreds of hours of work and have met or spoke to everyone that would give me the time. No volunteers have ever been refused. Parkwood is just too big for 3-5 unpaid, hard working volunteers to do everything. In addition, some residents are so slanderous in their accusations; it is no wonder only a few good, decent, civic-minded volunteers would step forward. Time to stop complaining and be part of the solution. Every meeting of the Board of Directors is open to the residence upon request. Guess what - - - not a single request. Maybe we should blame the BOD for that as well!

The certificate of Occupancy cannot be issued when the windows are broken and they take 2 weeks to order. We are currently getting bids for LEXAN (bullet proof glass) replacements. Last night, the new fence posts installed yesterday were torn up and another window was broken. I took of work early and spent 2 hours reviewing security video and several hours talking to police agencies and the city. Then I come home and read an email from one resident that is so full of putrid ilk that it makes me wonder why I bother. Maybe its because what I do for my community is its own reward.

The BOD IS the HOA!

I salute Gil's efforts and leadership and initiative. We have not since after the pool was installed in 1998 perhaps seen the likes of such an informed, energetic, helpful, earnest leading member of the HOA's BOD. I for one think he is doing too much; I do not know what the other BOD members do, as the BOD has partitioned up the oversight of several committee activities and I for one do not know what is going on or what the BOD has been doing for the last 8 months since the annual meeting.

But you know, this is the first time a board member has even communicated, not to individuals, but to the community. I have not seen anything for so many months from the BOD and the newsletters we receive frankly always say almost nothing (not a new comment either), so it seems to many.

I know I have asked and asked questions of the BOD and seem not to ever get an answer, it seems at least from what I can remember. I personally have asked ''when is the next BOD meeting'' of the property manager (who should know) and never got an answer or any information. ''Every meeting of the Board of Directors is open to the residence upon request. Guess what - - - not a single request.'' Well, there have been requests and no information given when or where are these meetings. I have not seen a single BOD meeting scheduled and announced in the newsletter, nor on the marquee, nor at www.parkwood-sa.org. I have asked so as to put it in the Calendar at this website - but without any information from the BOD (or agent, AMS) - then what?
What goes on in these meetings? Do we have to take time off during the day to drive the 20+ mile round trip to the AMS (property manager) office to pay for the minutes? I made a request to gain financial reports on April 6 (which by the bylaws some of which the BOD is to have sent to all members by about April 1 - and no response yet.

I have learned all of this information Gil has shared with our website readers just last night. I for one ask that we be told ahead of time when are the BOD meetings and see what goes on as the BOD performs its HOA management job for all of us, without having to always beg for this information or traipse across town to learn it. I thought that was what the newsletter and web site was for.

I have been the president of a property owner's association and I have some sense of the some challenges with our HOA, our neighborhood.

Indeed there is a need for volunteer spirit, and action, in Parkwood HOA members. Gil's own spectacular efforts are good, but the BOD as a whole it seems needs to operate in a different fashion. There is over control and poor or non-existent communications with the community. Everyone has some interest in their investment in the HOA and certainly carry their own views and expectations of it. Yes, the HOA is all of us, but it is the BOD and its style of action over the many recent years that can indeed influence views in substantial ways.

If there are suggestions for the BOD, it seems here is as good as any other to make public ideas, suggestions, questions which over time hopefully can more successfully energize our HOA activities. The Community Center may help; everyone helping in but even small ways can be what can make our community truely a great place to live and raise our families, while nurturing our investment in our homes and our neighbors.

Surely everyone has some helpful ideas they can share with the rest of us now, at this web site, rather than later....

I know of people willing to volunteer - but the BOD may have to be willing to let them......