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Good Morning Everyone!
Cypress Landing Homeowner Association… a Service Organization adding
Value to our community? Or a Necessary Evil?
For many associations, this answer is usually a resounding “BOTH”! And
let’s be honest, many of you sitting here right now are thinking that
very same thing! So, why is that?
After attending the CAI National Conference this spring, it became quite
clear to me that many HOA’s nationwide are experiencing “growing pains”
as the focus of associations are evolving from old school “rule with an
iron fist” organizations to that of service organizations. The
difficulty most associations have with this new “Service Oriented”
approach is in the actual evolution itself. While the old school
leadership embraces a quasi – governmental bureaucracy, the new service
conscious leadership embraces community building, where change is
considered natural and healthy. While old school leadership find
themselves paralyzed by the “We can’t”, “We don’t want to set a bad
precedent”, “Governing Doc, Rule & Regulations are the ultimate HOA
authority, Service oriented leadership has the courage and vision to set
their own new “good” precedents, believe that Governing Docs, Rules &
Regulations are only the beginning and are always asking the question,
are we making the community better with this decision or action?
While I tend to agree with what most of the experts are sharing, I
believe for a community to truly survive and thrive, a balance of both
leadership styles should coexist. The Community Association has
many functions including Community Governance and Management, Homeowner
rights and responsibilities as well as Building Community.
Community Governance and Management, “The Necessary Evil”, provides the
structure for operations, including mandatory obligations required by
governing documents, financial responsibilities and rules of the
association. These obligations are facilitated by volunteer members of
the association through our Board of Directors and Officers. They in
turn delegate areas of responsibility to various committees, as well as
the community association staff, all of whom are dedicated to sweat the
small stuff so you don’t have to! Working in tandem, the day to day
operations and maintenance requirements are accomplished thus keeping
Cypress Landing the premier community you bought into. We shall call
that a “Value added service”!
Members of the homeowner association (Homeowners) have two
responsibilities, one to themselves and their individually owned
property and one to the association and the community concept. To
maintain the quality of life that accompanies a well-maintained
residential community, each individual member must do his or her part.
The success of our community association depends on how well each member
meets and keeps the responsibilities that are established by the
governing documents creating the overall community vision.
Community spirit is an essential component to building and sustaining a
vibrant, responsive, and healthy association. Building and sustaining
community spirit requires soliciting the opinions and input of residents
and offering community harmony and spirit-enhancing programs that
residents will enjoy. Again, many committees have been established to
accomplish just that! From Art to Architectural Control, Building and
Grounds to Social, Cultural and Education to Finance, just to name a
few, our committees and clubs provide venues in which residents can get
involved and share their talents to support the community. “Another
Value Added Service”
In each of these areas, it is evident that continued volunteerism is key
to the health and well-being of Cypress Landing. I for one have always
been amazed and THANKFUL for the dedication of the hundreds of residents
that have given unselfishly of their time and talents to benefit this
community. The challenge is to sustain this high level of enthusiasm and
dedication now and into the future. I also recognize that Cypress
Landing is like the neighborhoods of yesterday. Warm welcomes to new
residents, support offered to those experiencing loss or illness,
assisting neighbors during and after storm events, the championing of
causes, outside the walls of Cypress Landing are all a testament to the
community pride and spirit that exists within this community. “Another
Value Added Service”
The main function of the community association office is to manage the
day to day operations of Cypress Landing. We continue to be the support
system of the BOD, 12 Committees, Ad Hoc committees as well as over a
1000+ residents and 400 non-residents. In addition, Catherine and
I both completed QuickBooks training and with the assistance of our
Treasurers David Stoll and Chris Harris, successfully transitioned the
accounting functions in-house. Scott Moody, completed two HVAC courses
and obtained his CDC Certification. I completed the necessary coursework
to obtain my AMS (Association Management Specialist) certification from
CAI. Caroline Lanier – our janitorial vendor for the past 4 years
became a permanent member of our staff in January. Darnell, our
head bartender will celebrate five years of service this December.
Darnell, Kim and Penny are members of our Iris Lounge “Dream Team” and
have been quite successful in keeping the residents in “Good Spirits”. I
would like to acknowledge and THANK our entire staff for their
professional attitude, strong work ethic, integrity, and commitment to
the highest level of customer service possible. “Another Value
Added Service”
In closing, Cypress Landing has grown from a drawing board concept to a
thriving entity that is wealthy beyond measure. It is a community
of opportunities and it is up to you to get involved. Many
volunteers have stepped up to the call and have done their part to keep
the dream of Cypress Landing alive for the entire community, thus adding
value to your investment and the community at large. Perhaps today
is your turn. I encourage you to check out the committee sign up
sheets in the lobby.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Community Manager and I
hope you enjoy the weekend festivities!
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