Finance and Budget Committee established to review expenses and evaluate reserve fund

A Finance and Budget Committee was established at September's HOA Board meeting. The purpose of the committee will be to review association expenses and evaluate the accuracy of future reserve fund expenses (as estimated in the 2009 Reserve Study) -- to ensure we're not under-funding (or over-funding) our reserve fund.

The recommendations of this committee will be relied upon to plan future budgets and assessments.

If you would like to participate in this effort, please contact a member of the board and receive committee meeting details. Or, call Sandy Cobb at CWD Group at 206-706-8000.

More Landscaping Progress!

The beautification of our community will continue this Saturday (Nov. 28)!

Volunteers are going to put in additional plants around some of the utility boxes, as part of the approved landscaping plan. Check out this truckload of donated (yes, free!) boxwood bushes! They're awesome! Thanks to Sue Swanson, Caddy Swanson & Wendy Pynn for digging 'em out & transporting them here. The Landscape Committee plans to plant these around 3 utility boxes on Saturday.

If you can help, just gather on Hancock at 9:15 am on Saturday (in front of the utility boxes planted last month), and we'll git 'r done! Everyone is invited!

As before, no HOA funds will be used for this new landscaping.

The Landscaping Plan was presented by the Landscape Committee and approved at the November Board meeting. The approved plan includes a master landscaping plan, identified priorities, an approved plants list, and a funding plan (which does not require HOA funds). To learn more -- or to learn how plantings like these can be added near your home -- please contact Sue Swanson (Committee chair) or Jason Pynn (Board member).

Great New Landscaping!

HUGE thanks to the landscaping committee for the great, new landscaping on Hancock! (It disguises the utility boxes on the west side of Hancock Ave, half-way down the hill.)
Ten wonderful homeowners volunteered a portion of their Saturday morning on Oct. 24 to plant this beautiful landscaped bed.
No HOA funds were used, and all costs were covered by funds raised during the Spring Garage Sale. If you want to learn how similar plantings can be added near your home, please contact Sue Swanson (Landscape Committee Chair) or Jason Pynn (HOA Board Member).

This is the first of several projects likely to come, and the committee's first landscaping priority is planting around all of the unsightly utility boxes.

Snow Removal

Winter will be here before we know it!

If it snows like last year, we want to communicate the Association's snow removal plans early. (Remember how crazy last December's snow storms were?!?!) Here goes...

• Professional snow removal will not be hired. (We explored this last year, but plowing could cost thousands of dollars, and the plow company will not take responsibility for any damage they cause to your vehicle.) The city plows the streets, but the parking lots & walkways are up to us.
  
• Homeowners are encouraged to work together to keep walkways clear, and make parking lots accessible. We recommend that each home purchase an inexpensive snow shovel, and be prepared to pitch in when help is needed.
  
• Homeowners are requested to shovel the walkways in front of their homes within 24-hours of snowfall. If you need help, please contact the Board & we will try to help connect you with willing volunteers (or hired help).

• Please let the Board know if you are willing to serve on a volunteer snow removal committee, or if you are available for hire. Our community can use this information to organize ourselves for snow removal.
  
  

A Message From Your Landscape Committee

My thanks to everyone who helped with the garage sale. We netted $230, which was really great seeing we only gave people 4 days notice!

Our goal is to find ways to lower the landscaping costs the HOA is paying (so we can put more of that money into the Reserve) while at the same time enhancing the plantings around the cottages. We'll be doing that by finding free plants, doing the extra planting ourselves and possibly some of the maintaining of the beds. This will be Mt. Si Cottages-wide project that you will be able to join if you are interested.

I'd like to thank the four members of the Board who helped with the garage sale by donating and/or manning the tables--Dawn Davis, Lynette Erb, Megan Roberts (who is expecting any day!) and Jason Pynn's wife Wendy. Bill Erb donated his truck and time to get the leftovers to the Goodwill truck.

Also, thanks to the members of the Landscape Committee who made it all happen: Cara Axe (let us use her super location), Julie Hopkins, Wenda Miller, Ron Sajjad, Doris Shelton and Paige Weed. Thanks also to Viera Baran, Shauntel Hart and Dana Guinn who offered items for the sale.

This was a great community effort--it was fun to get to know each other and you'll be able to see the results in the new plantings around the utility boxes (pending approval).

We'll do this again with the spring ROA garage sale and give you more warning.

Please let me know if you want to help with the Landscape Committee--25% of our homeowners took part in the garage sale! Way to go!

Sincerely,
Sue Swanson, Committee Chair

Landscaping ideas (and helpers!) needed

A Landscaping Committee was officially formed at the August 17 Board meeting. This new committee has an important role in maintaining & improving the landscape of our community -- helping to maximize our home values!

Anyone is welcome! Share your ideas, ideas, ideas! Sue Swanson is the committee lead, Jason Pynn is the Board representative and six others have already volunteered to serve. Volunteers will be needed to help plan, make recommendations to the Board, plant, and maintain any newly planted areas.

To join the fun -- and participate in planning meetings or planting parties -- contact Sue Swanson at 425-441-8162.

Early ideas include:

Landscaping around unsightly utility boxes.

Planting between homes to beautify & "screen" barked areas.

Enhancing the sparse landscaping in beds in front of homes.

Adding flowers (bulbs) beneath the trees along Hancock.

Replacing the dead/missing plants & trees that are no longer under warranty by Quadrant Homes.