Announcements

Announcement

GM Corner 27 October 2023

Friday, October 27, 2023

Happy Halloween Weekend, Team LMOA!

Halloween festivities started last weekend with Five-Oh Club’s Witches and Wizards Paddle. Despite the wind and choppy water, there were even more participants than last year, and the Main Beach was packed with children in costumes. We want to thank the LMPD Officers and the Water Safety Patrol volunteers who helped coordinate water safety and hand out candy!Please continue reading for this week’s news update:

Halloween: For more Halloween fun, be sure to stop by Bunker Park (14 Bunker Blvd.) tonight between 6-8 PM to admire jack-‘o-lanterns at YRF’s Pumpkin Path or The Pub for live music and a Halloween Party. Trick or Treat is on the 31st from 6-8 PM. Participating households will have their porch lights on.

Beach Bonfire: We are happy to report that the Beach Bonfire was approved by the Board of Directors! Bring a camping chair to the Main Beach from 4 -7:30 PM on Saturday, November 11, and enjoy a cozy evening with your neighbors. Hop on a free hayride and play games from 4 - 5 PM. Purchase food and a hot drink while listening to the Outliers play live down by the water from 5 - 6:30 PM. There will be a food truck, and we will sell beer, wine, and alcoholic and nonalcoholic hot chocolate and apple cider from the Shark Tank. This is a family-friendly event, and everyone is welcome to roast marshmallows for a complimentary s'more provided to you by the Young Residents and Families Committee from 4:30-6:30 PM. Hope to see you there as we kick off the holiday season together!

Trimming: Our Maintenance Team has begun trimming back trees, bushes, shrubs, and other plants from the LMOA roadside right of way. They will be in the Cherokee Section for the next couple of weeks. LMOA’s roadside right of way is generally 15 feet from the edge of the road back to private lot property lines. These areas must be cleared to increase driving visibility and roadside mowing. The crew will be using chainsaws, trimmers, and a woodchipper to complete this work.

October Board Meeting: LMOA’s financial future was again a hot topic at last night’s board meeting. Both the Finance & Audit Committee and the Public Safety Department presented their concerns. These are the highlights:
Public Safety: Our Director of Public Safety, Chief Wells, summarized his difficulty in keeping his department fully staffed. Though he has successfully implemented quality community policing that complements our neighborhood, he noted that operating a private police department is an expensive enterprise. According to Chief Wells, the Lake Monticello Police Department had to increase salaries to be competitive; however, private police do not receive death and retirement benefits, making it very hard to attract new officers. “One officer resigned in September to take a law enforcement position with a locality for better pay, benefits, and stability," he said. “Currently, we have three patrol officers with a vacant position that we are unable to fill. We try to provide the best levels of service possible with limited staff and focus coverage on peak times while relying on the Sheriff’s Office for additional coverage.” Chief Wells shared that our contractor Allied Universal Security Services, which provides security patrol of LMOA facilities and Main Gate staff, is also experiencing staffing challenges. He concluded by saying his department may need to reevaluate operations if budgets and labor markets do not improve, asking if the community is willing to cut other services or raise dues to maintain police and an aging gates system.

LMOA’s Financial Future: According to Jay Hinkle, former Board Member and current Finance and Audit Committee Member, LMOA has reached a crossroads. At the October Board Meeting, Hinkle voiced his committee’s concerns about LMOA’s finances and recommended that LMOA either cut services or increase dues. The latter can only be done if the Membership votes to do so. LMOA forecasts a $450,000 annual operating deficit over the next 10 years, reducing our reserve funds by about $10 million. Despite enormous efforts to reduce spending, LMOA cannot keep up with the growth of inflation and labor costs. The future of our reserve funds will continue to be a hot topic in the coming year. The committee’s full presentation can be found in the Board Meeting packet. Please log into lmoa.org, Select GOVERNANCE, BOARD MEETING DETAILS, and scroll down to the October meeting where you will find the agenda, packet, and a link to the recording provided to you by our Broadcast Group.

Compliance & Job Opportunities: Supervision of the Environmental Control and Compliance (EC&C) department recently transferred to Chief Wells. The chief reported that he will be reorganizing EC&C in the coming months. He will be rethinking protocols as well as recruiting new staff to replace Henry Owen and Carol Cavanaugh. Carol will be retiring soon, and Henry has accepted a job elsewhere - we wish him all the best! Both the part-time Associate and full-time Administrator positions are posted on lmoa.org/web/pages/career. We look forward to hearing from good candidates!

Fox Property: LMOA has a new neighbor. An individual purchased acreage that borders Tufton Pond known as the Fox Property. The new owner plans to build one home there and use the driveway that opens onto Jefferson Drive. The property has a deed right-of-way through LMOA property. To control access to our community and generate revenue, the Board will consider giving the owner an Easement Associate Membership which costs about as much as LMOA Membership Dues. If passed, the new neighbor will access their driveway via Jefferson Drive, receive trash pickup, be able to call in guests, and obtain other Social Association Membership benefits.

Outdoor Lighting: The Board approved new rules for outdoor decorations and lighting. The changes allow soft white string or “Edison” lights. Also, holiday decorations are now allowed 45 days before holidays instead of 30 days.

CPR Training for Staff: The Board also approved funds to train LMOA employees in Basic Life Support and CPR, both courses that would be given through the American Heart Association.

Pub Winter Hours: The Pub will start operating under a winter schedule in November. Opening hours November 13, 2023, through March 31, 2024, will be:
Sunday 9 AM – 2 PM
Monday and Tuesday 11 AM–4 PM
Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 11 AM–8 PM
Friday, 11 AM–9 PM
Have a wonderful weekend!

Tom Schauder, General Manager

We use Cookies

Side Navigation

Announcement

GM Corner 27 October 2023