Friends and Neighbors,
Happy new year! Hard to believe that January has already come and gone. For those who could not make our Annual HOA meetings two weeks ago, I wanted to give everyone a status update on what’s happening in The Overlook.
First, I would like to introduce myself for those that don’t know me. My name is Reece Stead and live in the North Gate section on Overlook Pass with my wife of 10 years Brandy and our three children, Sawyer, Addie, and Saylor Grace. I have served on the board for the past two years along with Andrew Band and Dan Ruckman. I will be taking over as President this year with Andrew as Treasurer and we are adding Tom Olson as Secretary.
Dan will be rolling off as President after nine long years. I cannot say enough about the incredible job he has done, mostly behind the scenes, to get our HOA in the strong position it is today. He spent an unbelievable amount of time and energy managing our HOA, which was close to insolvency when he started, to get our budget and reserves to the healthy levels they are now. As a Board, we hope to build on the hard work he did for our community.
Here is a quick recap of what we accomplished last year:
Started upgrading the builder grade landscaping in both the entrances and at the corner of Lackey and Bucksport.
Formed a social committee, currently being helmed by Erin Band, that helped organize multiple social events including the Spring band party
Upgraded the cameras at both entrances by adding an additional one to each side for a total of two and at each entrance. The new ones are lower and able to see the people and the license plates.
We have the website up and running. We are still fine tuning some things but please check it out at www.overlookatlitchfield.com. Here you can submit any request for items that need to fixed like street lights that have gone out, apply to Architectural Review Board for changes to your home or landscaping, etc. We added access to the neighborhood documents, financial reports, and social calendar updates. There are also links to view the cameras and instructions on how to add the app and view the cameras directly on your phone. These are password protected so let us know if you need that password.
Budget
Our budget is in solid standing right now and we are going to continue to see if there any areas where we can be more efficient. Our reserves are at a point where we feel that if any major expense were to arise, we could handle it without having to assess each neighbor to cover that cost.
We have to remember we are a small HOA that basically supports two neighborhoods, the north and south side of Lackey. That includes two sets of entrance gates, all the roads and sidewalks inside those gates, landscaped common grounds, entrance signs, entrance fences/monuments, exterior lighting, entry signage, custom street and traffic signs, drainage structures and detention ponds. Those are all privately maintained by the neighborhood and not the City or County. As your Board we are dedicated to maintaining a reserve to cover the repair/replacement of those items.
2019 Goals
Continue upgrading landscape and beautification projects. We are working with a landscape architect to come up with a design to possibly do some hardscape and landscape upgrades to the HOA common areas between the detention pond fences and the roads on both sides. We are also looking to do the same around the area of the Bucksport and Lackey monument sign.
Fix and maintain all the sprinkler systems up and down Lackey, there are quite a few leaks and heads not working correctly
Continue to provide quality social activities to bring all the neighbors together. Erin is already working on planning the spring party and we are going to have a fall potluck at the Polus’. Other events are also being discussed and more info will come out later. SPRING PARTY IS GOING TO BE FRIDAY, APRIL 19th so please mark your calendars.
We are looking into sealcoating the roads once the majority of home construction is complete. This will not only make them look clean and new but it will also provide a layer of protection from the elements like water, oils, and U.V. damage. This will help with maintenance and make the roads last longer.
We would like to power wash and clean all the curbs, gutters and sidewalks but that is going to depend on pricing. If we don’t have the funds to do it this year, we are going to try and earmark them in the budget for next year so it definitely gets done in 2020.
Get a quote to clean out both retention ponds. Again the budget will dictate if that gets done this year or next.
We would like to close the gates full time. We are meeting with two companies this week to inspect our systems and make sure they can handle the wear and tear of being closed 7 days a week. Also going to make sure the emergency back-up is working incase power ever goes out the battery should kick in and automatically open till power comes back on. More info will go out on that as once we come up with a plan per our meeting with Gate vendors.
The board is going to re-price all the major capital expenditures that we are liable for like roads, ponds, gates, storm sewer, etc. Once we know the neighborhoods cost to fix/replace those items we can make sure we are carrying the proper reserve to meet those expenses should they arise. Again, that way the Board hopes it does not have to assess everyone to cover those costs should/when they arise.
Last but not least, we are looking for someone to help take over the neighborhood Christmas Decoration Committee. Amanda has done an amazing job these last few years but it is time to pass the torch. We need someone to provide a small storage area in their basement for the decorations and someone to help organize installing and removing them (does not need to be the same person). The Board is committed to this because we feel it really does add a great look and feel during the Holidays. We are open to suggestions on how to incentive people to help and make it a fun holiday event. We want it to be a more social gathering and willing to provide some funds, etc. to make that happen. If anyone is interested please let us know, it would be greatly appreciated.
Stephanie Munn and Access Management will continue to manage the day to day and has been doing a wonderful job for us these past few years. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to her or anyone on the Board.
Stephanie Munn, CAM
Access Management Group
1100 Northmeadow Pkwy., Suite 114
Roswell, GA 30076
D: 678-710-6227
O: 770-777-6890
F: 770-777-6907
www.accessmgt.com
In closing, I want to thank everyone in Overlook for their support and patience while we work through these items. The entire Board looks forward to continuing to improve our neighborhood while still being good stewards of our finances. We really do love our community and how everyone cares and supports each other and as your Board we want to do the same.
Sincerely,
Reece Stead
