August Newsletter
Thank you for filling out the Pool Survey. The results are in and we want to share them with you. Twenty-six homeowners submitted their choice for additional assessments to cover possible changes to the pool and surrounding area.
1. Paint the Black Fence another color.
Yes - 6
No - 20
2. Landscaping around the pool now versus waiting for money in January's budget
Yes - 7
No - 19
3. Replace the gates
Yes - 9
No - 17
Based on the results of the survey the majority of homeowners do not want another assessment at this time to cover these expenses.
The board would like to thank the homeowners for your patience during this renovation project. This was a very big project that was decades overdue. The board understands this work caused inconvenience, especially to homeowners near the pool area. But this was an important project and we shouldn’t have to do it again for another fifty years. We want to emphasize again the importance of securing the pool with a fence. We have been out of compliance on this for decades and it was becoming a major liability issue for the association. Our previous insurance company refused to renew our policy because of this safety issue. The addition of the fence will now make it much easier to get affordable insurance.
Now that the pool is open but not quite finished, the Board would like to provide a review of the project and mention next steps.
In November 2019 the association held a vote to assess homeowners for the pool renovation project. The assessment passed overwhelmingly with 22 yes votes and 7 no votes.
Project dates were not set at the time of the vote. Images were included to give an idea of what the updated pool area could look like, but this was prior to selecting vendors or getting architectural plans and they were not presented as exact representations of the final pool plans.
The association’s governing documents give the board the right to make design decisions about the property and do not require approval from every homeowner about every decision made. Association meetings were held in December, January, February and March where the pool was discussed by the board and the pool committee. These meetings were open to all homeowners. Throughout the renovation project the board sent weekly updates to the homeowners.
When the results of the assessment vote were announced the board asked for volunteers to be on a pool committee. The committee would help make decisions about the final design elements of the pool and to assist with the vendor selection. Three homeowners volunteered for the pool committee. The committee made recommendations to the board and the board made all of the final decisions.
During the month of December 2019, the board and pool committee reviewed bids and chose a final contractor, who then created architectural plans.
In the January 2020 newsletter, the board shared the details of these final architectural plans with the homeowners. The final plans included removing the steps, moving the main entrance to ground level, and adding a fire pit. The newsletter let homeowners know that the hope at that time was to finalize the contract in February and start construction sometime in the spring, with the permit process taking 2-3 months.
In the March 2020 newsletter, the board shared the updated renderings showing the final design plans. The architectural plans and an updated rendering of the design were attached to the wall next to the pool area during the entire remodel project so that people could see it. (In the May newsletter, the wrong image was accidentally attached, and the board apologizes if this caused any confusion.)
The March newsletter, which was sent out March 16, provided a tentative project timeline, with construction starting in mid to late April and ending sometime in July. The hope at that time was to have the pool ready for use for most of the summer swimming season.
The county-wide shutdown in late March due to the pandemic caused a delay in the permit process of about one month, which pushed the entire project timeline back, with completion expected sometime in August. At that time community pools were shut down in Los Angeles County until further notice. It was not clear at that time if we would be able to use the pool in early summer anyway. The board decided to move forward with the project, with the hope that it would be safe to use community pools again in late summer when the project would be completed.
The pool area is now open, and residents can swim in the pool. Due to social distancing guidelines, there are restrictions on the number of people allowed in the pool area and these rules are posted on the pool gates.
Next Steps:
The walls in the pool area as well as the bench and the fire-pit will be painted. A survey has been sent to the homeowners to vote to select one of the three color options.
Pool Furniture: The funds for pool furniture will be available in 2021, with the completion of the reserve study. We welcome input from homeowners about the preferred style. Then we can put together some options and have a vote to select a favorite from these options.
Landscaping: There will be some plants added to the pool area in the coming months, including moving a few planters into the pool area and adding the pygmy palm in the planter bed in the corner. The irrigation lines have been reinstalled around the pool area and we will be able to add more landscaping starting in January, when we can access the 2021 landscaping budget.