The Southlands

The President's Message

Feb 21, 2001

The year 2001 has started off well and has been full of challenges for the Association. As we continue to grow in size, it is even more important that we continue to strive to maintain a sense of community. There are several topics of information I need to pass on to you. Please email or call if you would like to discuss them further.

There is a rumor that the golf course is closing. This is not true. However, you should know that the membership at the golf course is at an all time low. The Board is trying to assist with efforts to make the course profitable and to make it a more viable facility for the community. The course is currently semi-private, which means much of the membership should come from within the community. We all bought in the Southland for the quality homes and the ?“golf community?”. Many of us are not golfers but we understand how a golf course increases the property value of our homes. We will approach the association at large within the next few weeks with some recommendations for increasing membership. We are also researching the acquisition of the tennis, pool, and clubhouse amenities, which are currently owned by Golf Matrix (owners of the golf course). If you have any thoughts on this subject, please drop me an email.
PRESIDENT?’S MESSAGE continued

2000 Accomplishments
This has been a very productive year for the Association. Financially, we are fiscally sound. Approximately 80% of the assessments were paid on time. A plan has been developed to address late or unpaid assessments. Our annual independent audit performed by Tab & Tab Associates was favorable. Our financial portfolio has been diversified into interest bearing instruments, a portion of which has been deposited in an African-American owned bank. In the Political arena, we hosted a Candidates Forum, which was extremely successful. We had the opportunity to hear the new platforms, express the concerns we have as a community and to establish relationships with newly elected officials. It was the most well attended association meeting we?’ve had in several years. Organizationally, we elected 4 new board members who have served well. For the first time we have instituted monthly board meetings, which have made us a stronger team, allowed us to be pro-active on several fronts and enabled us to address ongoing issues within the community. Two new committees were started: the Education Committee and the Resident?’s Advocacy Committee. These groups bring lots of promise and hope in helping us help our schools, in bringing the issues to us and in being the resource channel for collaborative efforts within and outside of the community. We now have street lights in the new section of The Trails and new signage to announce meetings. Our 2nd annual Holiday Event was a wonderful networking opportunity. We had food, entertainment by the Stephenson Middle School Jazz Band and prizes provided by the Southland Golf Club.

Going Forward
We are not perfect and probably dropped some balls, but with your help this year we need to work with the builders within the Southland to improve customer service, work to increase membership at the golf club, enforce the covenants, and improve the appearance of undeveloped areas. Additionally, this quarter we will elect 4 new board members, approve the 2001 budget and elect committee chairs.

All of these accomplishments were possible because of the commitment of members of the Southland community. Know that there is room for everyone to help. Participating in the association helps you meet other people and broaden your network. It is also the opportunity to demonstrate to our children by our actions what ?“giving back?” to the community is all about.

Check out our website www.southlandowners.com. This is just the beginning eventually it will evolve into a powerful vehicle for helping us stay in touch. --Surina A. Jordan