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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2016 11 We are a gated community. To some homeowners that means we are safe from intruders. To some homeowners that means it is less likely intruders will enter our community. The latter is a more realistic understanding of security. Our five-six-foot-high fences and walls will deter most outsiders from entering the premises; a determined intruder will still be able to breech these barriers. Should we be worried? Absolutely! As our community has been developed, security has been a shared responsibility with the builder. The builder constructed our fences and walls and we have guarded the gates and have nightly patrols of our streets. Yet, intruders have entered the trails and housing areas and left their marks with spray paint, damage and vandalism. Some of these actions may have been made by homeowners or guests. Certainly the midnight Paul Bunyons who scalped our common area trees to enhance private views appear to not be the work of intruders. While the costs of repairing and replacing these damages have been minimal, the unsettling reality is we are not completely safe. Future occurrences could be worse and with over four miles of fencing we need to re-examine our strategy for providing security in our community. We have the Neighborhood Watch, Emergency Preparedness Committee and Safety and Facilities Committee. Each group addresses some aspects of security during emergency and non-emergency times, but none address an overall strategy. That is a Board responsibility. I will ask the Board to establish a standing Security Committee. This committee would develop a strategy that identifies threats, evaluates the probabilities of occurrence and their impact, and then recommends approaches to minimizing the danger. While all threats should be addressed, the focus will be on external ones. We will then ask the community to balance the cost of prevention with these identified threats. We will never be completely safe inside or outside our community but we will take prudent steps to reduce risks. Observations from the Board President The What, Why and Hows of Association Reserves By Claudeen Diaz, Board Vice-President K. Hovnanian began construction in 2005 with the development of the community of Four Seasons 55 and better. When a community of this type becomes a Homeowners Association (HOA), the state of California requires that a Reserve Fund be formed. A bank account is to be established to cover the replacement cost of common area assets. The reserve covers assets that have a useful life of one year or more. A Reserve Study was finalized, which itemized each asset in the common area. The study covered the smallest items, such as chairs and desks and included replacement of the roof of the Lodge and other buildings; each asset was assigned a useful life and estimated cost of replacement. When items, such as gazebos, are found to be in need of replacement, the Safety and Facilities Committee requests Management staff to obtain proposals from various vendors. Once the proposals are reviewed by the Safety and Facilities Committee a recommendation is made and passed to the Finance Committee. The Finance Committee "crosses the t's and dots the i's" and assigns a reserve account to the proposal. They then confer with the Safety and Facilities Committee and submit recommendation to the Board of Directors. Even though there is a useful life assigned to an asset, if this asset isn't in need of replacement, it isn't replaced; yet the dollar amount for the asset remains until it is replaced. The new item is then assigned a dollar value and the process goes on. Why the reserve account? First, the State of California requires a reserve account. Second, it is fiscally responsible. I was a member of a Homeowners Association and no reserve was set up. Therefore, when the roof needed replacement all homeowners were assessed a very large dollar amount, which needed to be received quickly, so replacement could be done. In this community, our reserves are more than adequate, we are in good shape. SECURITY IN OUR COMMUNITY By Len Tavernetti 5% Military Discount (former & current members) Ask for the Jarhead! 909-965-8404 Since 1985 Licensed & Insured DON'S TREE SERVICE • Ornamental Beautification of Trees • Preventative Maintenance from Wind Destruction • Correct Pruning, Trimming Skills • Tree Removals, Stump Grinding • Tree Planting/Transplanting

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