News Articles

Over the course of a challenging yet ultimately rewarding year, I was reminded, again and again, that there are so many reasons to live in Applewood Estates.  In fact, by year-end 2014, the extraordinary board and committee members who serve all our homeowners had set an impressive array of new accomplishments for the HOA.  Below is a list of items in our year in review:

 

 

Safety in Applewood - One of the highest priorities for the HOA is safety.  This year the three HOA boulder signs along Westcliffe Blvd were moved to improve the line of sight for homeowners and all drivers at the intersections of Westcliffe and Fuji Way, Gala Way and Jonagold Dr.

 

 

Communication - The HOA believes that communication is the key to a successful homeowner association.  It has continued the quarterly newsletters and email updates while keeping the website updated with full access to meeting minutes and other information.

 

New Board Meeting Location - To continue the goal of open and transparent communication to the homeowners, the HOA set a neutral site for board meetings with enough room for homeowners to attend.  Board meetings are now held at theSharehouse in their conference room and are normally held on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

 

HOALeader Membership - HOALeader helps Applewood Estates realize the potential of our association.  As a member, we receive legal compliance help, advice on best practices, and practical tips in preventing and resolving conflicts in the community.  This information saves money and helps the HOA make wise choices for the betterment of all homeowners.

 

Board Policies - More polices were developed to clarify the components and implementation of our legal fiduciary responsibilities.  Board policies are shared with new board members and enables the board to monitor and guide its work.  New polices included:  Board Member Election Policy and the Capital Reserve Fund Investment Policy.

 

HOA Insurance Review -  The HOA periodically reviews its insurance and reassesses needs for commercial liability, commercial property, and professional liability.  The HOA also looks at our finances, insurance deductibles and cost vs. risk analysis.  In 2014, the HOA dropped commercial property coverage due to our existing reserve funds, deductible, and low risk of incident history saving the HOA $860.00 per year.

 

Capital Reserve Fund Investments - The HOA established a Capital Reserve Fund and in doing so it used its fiduciary responsibility to wisely research the best investment vehicle for these funds.  50% of the funds were invested in 14-month, 30-month, and 60-month certificates of deposit.

 

Business Renewal and HOA Taxes - The HOA renewed its business license with the State of Washington and completed the 2013 U.S. tax return for the homeowners association (form 1120-H), as completed by Co CPAs PLLC.

 

2015 Annual Budget Proposal Workshop - The HOA has embraced the concept of strategic planning to drive the direction, resources, and decisions made when developing the HOA's 2015 budget.  The HOA has looked at the last month's balance sheet, the year's revenue and expense report, the current year's budget and reserve study to develop a budget proposal. The budget will focus on what is important to the homeowners and keep dues low.

 

Architectural Control Committee (ACC) Duties - Throughout the year the committee reviewed and approved all projects, new construction and exterior changes to existing homes.  They also enforced the covenants to ensure that the visual harmony of Applewood was protected. Homeowners derive the benefit of increased property values as a result.

 

Home Sales - The HOA continued to monitor home sales in Applewood Estates.  The HOA assists title companies with timely information on dues and covenants.  The HOA has also monitored homes in foreclosure and vacant home landscape issues.

 

Land and Block Wall Survey - The HOA had Worley Surveying Services conduct a 9-page document which gave definition to the issue of ownership of the Keene Road land and also identified the perimeter 
block wall location.

 

New Entrance Lighting - The HOA contracted with A&B Electric, Inc. to replace and upgrade the entrance sign lighting.  The lights were wearing out and the light sensor could not even be found.  The old lights were replaced with waterproof LED energy efficient lights along with new conduit, boxes and wire.

 

Block Wall Inspection - The HOA conducted an inspection of the perimeter block walls and notified the appropriate homeowners of any maintenance issues that needed to be addressed.  Most all trees and bushes have been trimmed and we thank those homeowners for protecting the life of our block walls.

 

Sink Hole Filled - The HOA noticed dirt eroding into the drain ditch and coming dangerously close to the block wall. That dirt was replaced and compacted back to original form without any damage or undermining of the block wall footing.

 

Improved Street Signs - After 12 years, some of the street and stop signs were leaning.  The HOA put in a request to the City and had them all vertically straightened.  This improvement gave a small face-lift to our overall development's curb appeal.

 

Street Repairs - In 2014, the HOA had several asphalt street repairs completed through the City's Request Tracker. There were no major holes or repairs completed but several small holes near the curb and storm drain locations.

 

Storm Drain Repairs - A big project for the HOA in 2014 was our storm drain repairs.  After another heavy rain season and Applewood streets flooding for the 2nd time in three years, the HOA contacted the City and began an inquiry into our storm drain system.  The HOA and City were able to identify inefficiencies at the south and west end of the Applewood development and had improvements made without cost to the HOA to eliminate future street flooding after heavy rains.

 

City Storm Water Reservoirs Monitored - The HOA continues to monitor the addition of water reservoirs in approximately 10 locations throughout the city of Richland such as the one proposed at the north end of Leslie Groves Park and the water facility treatment plant at Meadows East.

Community Development Projects - The HOA kept their commitment to clearing and keeping the Keene Road land clean of garbage and weeds.  The HOA also developed the Keene Road Landscape Master Plan which is near completion.

 

Applewood Estates Wood Fences - In 2013, the HOA identified 89 properties who had wood fences and sent them a letter calling all into action to inspect them and make appropriate repairs and consider applying an earth-tone color stain for older fences.  At the end of this year, all but two homes have improved their fence!  Thank you to all homeowners who promoted a positive neighborhood appearance.

 

Welcome Committee - The Welcome Committee was busy with welcoming 11 new homeowners! The committee delivers a nice basket to a new homeowner along with all the HOA paperwork and governing documents.  They are also there to help a new homeowner for any reason and gather their information for emergencies and email communication.

 

Social Programs Continued - The HOA hosted both the 6th annual community barbecue and the 7th annual community sale.  The BBQ is a great way to meet neighbors and the sale helps everyone who puts on a spring sale while limiting individual sales occurring throughout the year.

 

New Neighborhood Elementary School - The HOA continued to be involved with the construction of the school. The HOA gave input to part of the design and was a part of the contractor bid process.  The HOA also was involved with the school name and boundary revision.  The HOA will now look at giving input to the school crossing at Westcliffe and Gala Way next.  The school's name is Orchard Elementary and will open next year.

 

New Neighborhood Park Improvements - The HOA continued to monitor the development of Gala Park.  The City has completed the infrastructure for the irrigation water and sprinkler system, placed boulders and planted 25 trees!  This summer the City installed the play-structure and sidewalks!

 

2014 Traffic Studies - The HOA continued with traffic studies along Fuji Way to monitor changes in traffic flow and volume.  These studies will help the HOA and City determine if there is less or more traffic due to the new school and new development south of Applewood.

 

Opt Out Newsletter Program - The HOA gave homeowners the option to opt out of having a newsletter printed and delivered to their home and receive it by email.  With the help of hand delivering them, the HOA saved $563.00 in 2014.  Thank you to our delivery volunteers: Cheryl McNutt, Brad Wagoner, April Valdez, Stephanie Pedersen, Lucy Huang, Bob Young, Jennifer Schreiber, Rolande Berlage, John Mahoney and Carolyn Krogness.

 

BC Mosquito Control Program - The HOA worked with BC Mosquito Control and worked on a program for Gambusia fish, drain ditch maintenance, and mosquito evaluation to reduce mosquito population in Applewood.

 

Even as we achieved many successes in 2014, we're not satisfied.  The HOA believes it can do better as we progress forward in achieving our mission statement.  Promoting a sense of community, enhance the livability, safety and interest of the homeowners while preserving property values.  With homeowner's support, I'm convinced we can accomplish all of the above and more.

 

Very best wishes and Happy New Year!