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Many of my friends said to me "2021 has to be better than 2020!" Obviously, there's no guarantee of that, and 2021 could be said to be off to a bad start. However, I think this year will be largely what we make of it, and your HOA will be doing its level best to make it a good one. I'd like to begin by speaking to the concerns which have been addressed to me regarding the continuing pandemic. First, I want to assure you that we feel we are striking the right balance between precautionary measures and permitting residents to respond to the crisis in the way that best suits their circumstances. Second, there have been many questions about why the HOA doesn't notify the community about COVID-19 cases. The answer is simple: we have no such information. It is not provided to us by the authorities, and they have their own protocols for what is made public. Aside from taking the personal safety measures which have by now been drilled into all of us, you can access California's contact tracing phone app or one of several offered by local health systems to further protect yourselves. Third, there is plenty of stress to go around with the restrictions and suffering due to the pandemic. It is understandable that people are on edge and perhaps less patient than usual. However, there is no excuse for taking your frustrations out on our staff. Such behavior is unacceptable and simply will not be tolerated. Please treat them with the same courtesy you would expect for yourself. Lastly, the United States Department of Health and Human Services on Tues., Jan. 12 recommended to the states that the vaccines be made immediately available to all persons 65 and older. As Wendy said in her eBlast that same day, we have been in touch with Walgreen's regarding our willingness to work with them to offer an immunization clinic. We don't know if this will materialize, but we will cooperate fully if we get the opportunity. We continue to receive requests to have political signs removed. We took action at the Regular January Board meeting to formally change our rules in this regard (see below). However, I must remind everyone that the HOA's authority to take action is both limited and cumbersome. We can't go rip a sign from someone's wall or garage door; we are obligated to provide due process. Further, our choices are not a menu from which we can choose less restrictive or more restrictive measures as a matter of personal preference. Instead, we had to weigh the advice of two different sets of attorneys regarding our legal latitude and the risks to the Association from improper enforcement. We continue to monitor the progress of Keystone in obtaining forgiveness for their Paycheck Protection Program or PPP loan. As any of you who have experience dealing with the Small Business Administration or the Federal Government in general will know, its wheels grind even more slowly than HOA wheels. Keystone's forgiveness application is still pending, and indications are that it may take months longer to get a resolution. We are working with our new attorney, our construction management consultants and the contractor's representatives to put the finishing touches on the golf course reconstruction contract so that the work can begin shortly. Not only have we been waiting a long time, but costs continue to rise and we hope to take advantage of the prime growing season to speed completion of the work. The Budget and Finance Advisory Committee and Keystone staff are hard at work putting together a budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 beginning April 1. We have tentatively scheduled a special Board meeting for Fri., Feb. 5 for the Committee to present the proposed budget. We had a 7% increase in the California minimum wage in January and will have another $1 per hour increase to absorb for the last quarter of the fiscal year which will occur in 2022. Given the labor-intensive nature of our expenses, these are big chunks to absorb, but the Committee is determined to produce a good result. The Board met in Executive Session on Mon., Jan. 11 to discuss legal matters, contracts and an assessment delinquency. • We referred the proposed golf course reconstruction contract back to a committee and to our legal counsel for additional adjustments. • We approved the installation of LED lighting on one pickleball court as a test, pending further information on specific installation costs. • We approved a new contract for Clubhouse maintenance with our current vendor Building Resource Management, Inc. at a cost of $80,000 annually. • We approved renewing the Securitas contract for $869,597 annually. • We approved engaging the firm of Newman and Associates to perform our annual audit and prepare our tax returns for an amount not to exceed $4,100. • We authorized staff to issue transponders for RVs, if requested, regardless of the number of transponders issued for other vehicles of the same household, to be validated through the Citation Review Committee. • We directed staff to seek competing proposals for our general liability insurance coverage. • We referred suggested changes in the Village Management Agreements to legal counsel. • We discussed a consultant report on water allocation among the Master and Village Associations. • We reviewed the details of an assessment delinquency. • The Board held its Regular January meeting on Thursday, January 14th and did the following: • Approved the Minutes of the Dec. 10, 2020 meeting • Accepted the report of the Executive Finance Committee of Dec. 16 and the | OHCC LIVING | FEBRUARY 2021 | 3 President's Message By Gregory Kusiak Continued on page 4

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