What the Board Does For You

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you enjoyed rest and peaceful new beginnings for 2025. 
Board members are often asked, "What do I get for my dues?" And "What does the Board of Directors do?" Here is a partial list of some of the benefits your all-volunteer board has provided. 

• Repaired the broken solar light on our Sunday Harbor sign (purchased by a previous board).
• Replaced the street light bulbs with LEDs to save money, using grants from PSE to avoid depleting our savings. 
• Removed the outdated dock with minimal costs and a great deal of volunteer labor by one board member. 
• Maintain the park by contracting with a landscaping agency for seasonal mowing and by volunteers saving you money by removing dead trees and branches and maintaining the playground equipment and bark chip area. 
• Contacting the state DOT to repair the huge hole in the pavement at the junction of Blaine Road and California Trail Rd. 
• Responding to member complaints and concerns. 
• Reminding members to maintain aesthetic and safe conditions in our neighborhood. 
• Conducting business meetings to meet the needs of running the HOA efficiently and finding ways to reduce or minimize financial costs for all members. 
• Authorizing and paying the bookkeeping and accounting office to deposit dues payments, mail member statements, print and mail annual member meeting packets, pay our bills for insurance, park maintenance, street lights, and to do our annual taxes. 
• Maintaining records of business and financial transactions. 
• Helping elderly or disabled neighbors with yard maintenance. 
• Providing information to post on the website by your volunteer website manager (me!)
• Ensuring the Registered Agent files the annual non-profit business report to the Secretary of State. 

Additionally, in the past decade, the board has fended off squatters on vacant lots, enforced clean-up of a huge tire collection by a renter, authorized towing of an abandoned vehicle in the park, cleaned up the toxic mess after intruders vandalized the playground, contacted law enforcement when intruders tried to break into a vacant home, contacted Animal Control when dogs were running loose in the neighborhood, contacted a private detective to locate an deceased owner who had been MIA for over 2 years; helped the next-of-kin clean up and remove years of collected junk, and then collected thousands of dollars in back dues and fees after the next-of-kin sold the abandoned home. 
I hope this list inspires you to thank a board member when you see them at the annual meeting or in the neighborhood! They live here and pay dues like everyone else, plus they volunteer to make Sunday Harbor a safe, clean, welcoming neighborhood for all. Please consider taking a turn on the board this year! Guidance is provided, even if you have never been on a board before. Best wishes to you and your families!