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Four Seasons Breeze July 2016

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8 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2016 "war" in this community. I lived through Board wars for five years in my last community and it did nothing but tear the community apart. Friend versus friend and neighbor versus neighbor and it got very ugly. During that time I was asked to run for the Board and bring the community back together. I spent six years as President of the Association working to undo all of the harm that the past Boards had created, and built a foundation for future Boards to build upon. It was a community of 350 homes and as one of the five Board Members we were the Finance, Architectural, Landscape, Rules and Regulation Committee members. I attended 11 Euclid Management's Legal HOA BOD seminars on the running of HOAs. From these seminars I learned that it does not take a genius to be a good Board member, but it does take a lot of common sense and the willingness and ability to listen to others. The Operating Manual is already written out for you in the CC&Rs, Rules and Regulations and in the Davis-Stirling Act. I keep hearing that we need "change" and when I ask what needs to be changed I never get an answer. What this community needs is a strong foundation that can be built upon, not be changed. With a good foundation we can have consistency from Board to Board. In an HOA a good foundation has to start with a strong financial foundation. This community is very lucky to have such a knowledgeable and wonderful Finance Committee. The most important facet of the HOA financials is the HOA's Reserves which our Finance Committee understands and firmly believes in. There will be a time in this community when we will not have the luxury of new money coming in from new home sales. Our HOA bills will continue to increase. Repairs, such as street repaving, will start to add up. The more we have in the reserve the more money we will have to cover these increases without raising dues. Board members have to use their common sense to prepare for the future at least 10 years out. Board members have to remember that they work for the community and don't rule the community. Board members do the work of the community so the members can enjoy the community without worrying about today, tomorrow, or the future. Just remember that we are all here to enjoy the remaining years of our lives. So let's just all work together, preserve our friendships in the community and have lots of fun. Please list any experience or reasons why you feel you would make a good Board member: I actively encourage residents who are interested to participate in our community's governance. For example, I served as the Landscape Committee chairman for two years (April 2008-April 2010) before voluntarily stepping down to let another newer member be the chair. By contrast, after her one year term, the very next chairman kept the chairman position for nearly five years. I stayed on the committee as recording secretary only long enough until a replacement committee member volunteered to take and type up the minutes. As district delegate in the last election, I worked hard to raise the voter participation rate up to 70 percent. My leadership style is collaborative, not combative. I prefer to build consensus within the team (whether it's a Board or Committee) and keep all the members informed, where every member has an equal voice. Community Association experience within Four Seasons Beaumont: As Landscape Committee chairperson, I planned, organized, and led the first ever Four Seasons Beaumont Town Hall meeting in June 2009, attended by over 160 residents. I instituted monthly 'landscape walks' with the landscape maintenance contractor and committee members to see landscape issues up front and identify corrective measures. I personally researched, then published, a list of attractive but drought tolerant plants suitable for our residents to plant at their homes and had it put on our web page. After numerous inspection walks, I wrote the proposal to the HOA Board for upgrading the poor quality landscaping in the Springdales. I led a January 2011 town hall meeting of Springdale residents, solicited their inputs, listened to their concerns, addressed their concerns, and interviewed landscape architects, worked with the landscape architect and landscape installation contractor to manage the largest project ever accomplished in our HOA up to that time. I have been on the Emergency Preparedness Committee since 2013, and currently serve as one of three Co-Chairs since September of 2015. I helped plan and organize two 'table top' disaster drill exercises by writing the disaster scenario, and had an active role during the exercises. I made arrangements for logistic support of the participating members and helped take down the exercise equipment and supplies afterward. I have completed the 20-hour Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training program given by our City. I planned, organized and conducted training of the response team responsible for safely removing injured residents from damaged dwellings. I have earned my Ham radio license with the FCC and participate in the weekly test of our Four Seasons emergency radio communication system. I planned, organized, directed, and led the largest Town Hall meeting ever conducted within our HOA, attended by 300 persons in January, 2016, aimed at preparing for disasters including earthquakes and any predicted El Niño rain storms. Civic Organizations and/or Career positions held: • Director, Facilities Management Department, University of Redlands, 1995-2007. • Commissioner, City of Redlands Public Works Commission, 1996-2004 • Member, Board of Directors, Univ. of Redlands Town & Gown, fosters better relations with community • Board Member, Kimberly-Crest Historic Home in Redlands, 1995-2003 • Committee Member, City of Redlands Utilities Advisory Committee, 2002 • Base Civil Engineer/Fire Marshal/Commander, 22nd Civil Engineering Squadron, March AFB, four years • Member, Fellowship in the Pass Church, Beaumont. I was a deacon at my last church in Highland, CA. Service to our country: I served as an Air Force officer, from 1967-1994, all active duty, served in Vietnam, retired as full colonel. John Noonan, continued from page 6 Fred Weck, continued from page 6

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