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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2016 9 Jacque Sneddon, continued from page 7 Len Tavernetti, continued from page 7 The early construction of Rec Center Three put a hold on the Lodge grounds project because some facilities envisioned there were included at the Rec Center and not needed at the Lodge. The builder will put four tennis courts in the Rec Center, which freed the Lodge courts for pickleball and paddleball, she said. She feels the Board has established policies and procedures that allow the community to operate more efficiently and effectively. She said,"It's like the duck analogy. On the surface it looks nice and smooth, but below the water it's paddling like crazy. That's what we want, things to work." She took issue with complaints about a lack of communication from the Board to residents. She said, "We have the Breeze, we have the suggestion box at the Lodge, comment at the Board meetings, emails to the Board, a web site, committees that can be visited, the Meet with (Board Member) Jean (Sandoval) meetings; we try to cover all the bases that we can." General Manager Jeri Mupo's monthly report in the Breeze includes a summary of Board action. "We hold Town Hall meetings when needed." There was one March 15 regarding the ban on gambling in common areas. "When there are things people need to know right away, we do mailings. We take surveys when we want information. Meeting minutes are on the website." When residents asked for more information from builder K. Hovnanian Home, a system was set up to have KHov representative Kevin Metcalfe answer questions before each Board meeting. "We even have a Facebook page. "If all else fails, they can call us. We're in the directory. We're accessible," she said. "Communication has to be two ways." Sneddon was one of the very first residents to move in — in October, 2005. "There were only 47 houses that had closed escrow," and most of them were still empty. "Now there are 1,300 homes. Being involved from the get-go, I think I've had my fingers in nearly every aspect of the community in some way, shape or form." Before she first joined the Board, appointed to the Board to fill a vacancy in 2008, she was a member of the Landscape Committee, which she credits with "pushing, pushing, pushing to make sure what we got was good. Our constant conversation about how some of the planting plan was really poor and did not fit the community or the environment really pushed KHov to make sure we got the correct plant palette for our community." As for the Board on which she serves, she said: "We try to be very pro-active. We try to recognize problems before they begin." "I feel that the appearance of our community, the stability of our community, the way we control our decisions — to be sure they are correctly made — it shows in the community today." "We are in amazing financial condition; we are so strong financially. Our buildings are maintained, they are beautiful. We set really high standards. Our grounds are gorgeous. We want it to be like a resort. Those are the standards we set and those are the standards we hold." "I am most proud to be able to be part of the community for all the years that I've been here. I've been able to contribute to the community — give back some of what it has given me." He would recommend a program of replacing committee members only if qualified replacements were available. He would require each committee to put the qualifications in writing. Periodically, as a resident applied to a committee he or she would first be qualified and then appointed, replacing the committee member with the longest tenure. In addition to getting new ideas and perspectives on the Board and committees, term limits would encourage more residents to engage in the governing of the community, he said. He also sees a problem in a lack of communication "from the Board to the people and the people to the Board — it doesn't exist." He would like to see a direct email to interested residents on a weekly basis: "Here's what's going on: the hot tub at the Summit is broken, we've got a new canopy over the hot tub at the Lodge — just general information stuff, what's going on." If elected, he plans to write an article each month for the Breeze to help inform residents. Further, he would like to see the actions at Board meetings more easily understood by displaying items under discussion on the screen in the Ballroom among other measures. He would also like to see committee recommendations brought to the Board by the committee chairs, not the Board liaisons. "I was never in a situation in civilian life or the military where the boss wanted to talk to a middle man." To further improve communication, he would like to see a monthly meeting of all committee chairs with the Board president so each committee will know what the others are doing. He also proposes a new committee of residents with limited mobility to consider matters like opening the walking trails to wheelchairs and sports activities for the wheelchair bound. "We're all over 55 and 10 years from now we're going to be 10 years older — we need to consider these things," he said. "A large portion of our community is in one club or another, but we have no structure for the clubs to surface their concerns." He said. "I think we should have two councils — each chaired by a Board member — one for inside activities and one for outside activities, to meet monthly with the club captains to hear their concerns and arbitrate disagreements between them." "I think we need to start thinking now about build-out," he said, with the goal of making sure we have what we want when K. Hovnanian leaves. The community might be able to trade for some features it wants in exchange for features the builder plans to put in that are unwanted — at no increase in cost. Even though build-out is a few years away, "We should form an ad hoc committee" to begin thinking about these matters, he said. Tavernetti, a retired Army colonel and aerospace executive, thinks term limits would provide "bench strength" for the community in the form of former Board and committee members — "People with experience who could be called upon in a pinch, for short term projects." At build-out, we will need a seven-member Board, he said, and it would a problem "to have, say, six members of the Board with no experience at that critical time."

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