2021 Annual Meeting Summary

The meeting was called to order at 6:30pm and as there were not sufficient homeowners or proxies present at the meeting to constitute a quorum and vote on the proposed 2022 budget, the budget from 2021 has been rolled over and will be the budget going forward for 2022.

The Board of Directors approved the minutes from the 2021 annual meeting and each director gave their report for the year.

Chuck Danick, our Treasurer, gave a rundown of how much money was spent this past year, that if the 2022 budget had been approved, then the dues would remain the same; the dues will remain the same for 2022. Chuck and the BOD gave permission to the Windward decorating committee to spend money to replace and refresh our worn-out Christmas decorations.

John Duhaime reported he was stepping down as head of security and would be replaced by Don Wick. Additionally, John stated he has almost completed clearing out gate access codes for resident’s service providers, directing residents to purchase gate swipe cards or clickers instead of having an issued code. Clickers still cost $35 each and swipe cards are $10 – the cost of these items remain the same as it has for the last 3 years. The total cost of maintaining and repairing Windward’s gate from 2020 through 2021 was $10,000; $4000 of that amount was spent in 2021, which was above the budgeted amount, but after all the replacement parts and equipment were finally in place – the gate has been working well. Well done John Duhaime and thank you so much for stepping in when our previous Security person left unexpectedly.

Marcus Kollross, ARC chairman, reported there were 20 requests this year submitted for various home improvement projects to include re-roofing, tree removal, pavers, pool construction and a room addition. Marcus has asked me to tell the community that there were at least 5 projects performed without ARC removal – to include a mass clearing of trees that encroached on protected land that was not entirely part of the homeowner’s property – had an ARC request been properly filed, protected swamp lands would not have been affected because the set-backs that would have been surveyed and observed. Marcus stressed that starting any project without prior ARC approval is a violation of the Windward covenants and could result in potential fines, as well as the removal of the project. Please contact the ARC when you plan a project.

The report that generated the most discussion was given by John Radke, who oversees the Roads and Grounds. John gave a lengthy explanation about the cracks in the road, discussed whether we should seal the roads this year or next (to keep them in good condition) and he answered several questions regarding grass encroachment into the road surface and the impact it will eventually have on the roads. Another big concern that John addressed was locating stormwater drains that had been covered up with grass, pavers, new driveways, and construction. John was able to locate the original engineering company who worked in Windward when it was built in 1987 and find the location of those drains and have them cleaned out to help mitigate the flooding several residents have concerns about. John is continuing that work to get all storm drains identified and he reminded residents who have storm drains on their property that it is their responsibility to keep them clear of debris so water can drain properly. John will be stepping down as the Roads chairman and has asked for someone to volunteer for that position. John will stay on the BOD to head up the landscaping in our community and has promised to work with our landscapers to remedy the shrubbery and other obstacles that inhibit drivers’ field of view.

There was a brief discussion regarding the property in Windward that has long-standing covenant violations. That situation is being handled by Windward’s legal team and it is hoped there will be resolution to this situation by the end of December. As a result of that situation and the numerous other occurrences of covenant violations in Windward, it was suggested by our legal team that we establish a group of community representatives who will have the responsibility of addressing those violations and determining an appropriate course of action to remedy them. Windward will have a new committee to specifically address Covenant Violations. Three community members have graciously agreed to help with this project – no one on this committee will be a member of the BOD – their sole purpose is to deal with disputes between the homeowner and the community and levy fines if the homeowner is found in violation. The Windward BOD members will not participate in the discussions or decisions of this committee, however there will be a BOD member present when the Homeowner Advocacy Committee meets to report back to the BOD their findings and decision. The affected residents will be given an opportunity to discuss their situation with this committee who will then determine whether a fine is appropriate if the resident refuses to rectify the violation.

Last, but not least, I’d like to ask for volunteers to join our Windward Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors – we need at least 2 more BOD members, and a third person would be most welcome! This is great way to get involved in the community and it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of your time. We meet every 2 months for a BOD meeting and the meetings usually last for about 30 minutes to an hour. Please consider joining our team – we could really use the help.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:05pm and an executive BOD meeting convened immediately afterwards to assign duties and offices for the upcoming year.

Respectfully,

Teena Hammond
President, Windward Homeowner’s Association