Caroline Cove Owners Association, Inc.

Secretary to Resign after Homeowners Meeting...

Sep 20, 2004

As most of you may have observed, my wife Pamela and I have sold our home in Ft Caroline Cove. For 7 out of the last 8 years I have served in some capacity on our Board of Directors. As a professional REALTOR?® with Watson Realty Corp, I know the value of a community with an active Board and with enforcement of community standards. It?’s simply amazing to me as I drive through the different communities, many which are newer than ours, and see ones which appear to have no Boards or do not enforce community standards. Those communities have depressed property values or values which are not appreciating as fast as our neighborhood?’s property values have done. As my wife and I prepare now to move to our apartment while we await the completion of our new home in the Dames Point area, I would like to share a few thoughts about our community and its future.
First, I am grateful to so many of you that have helped us along the way. We were here when this association was first turned over to us to self-manage after Property Management Systems Inc (PMSI) could no longer provide good service. We were here too when the reigns of the first Board passed to new leadership only to see that leadership get too busy with personal commitments and as a consequence, our association stepped backwards from where it first started.
A new Board then hired Sentry Management Systems Inc. to manage the day-to-day operations of the association and then we watched in horror as they just took our money and did almost nothing in return. The Board immediately fired them and regained self-management of the association.
From that point on, I made a personal commitment to becoming state licensed as a Community Association Manager. In addition to my Real Estate career, I found that helping other communities manager their associations was something I was good at and in return as a volunteer board member in our association, I could bring that knowledge and skill to our community without a financial cost to the association.
Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Since I will no longer be an owner in the association I can no longer be a member of your Board of Directors. The President and Vice President will be looking for someone who has 6-8 hours per week of free time, is computer savvy and has a computer, a member in good standing (no outstanding covenant violations or arrearages) and is willing to be appointed to take on the role of Secretary/Treasurer of the association for the remainder of my term which expires in December 2005.
If this describes you, please be at our homeowners meeting on September 16th. The Board will be interviewing volunteers after the meeting. If you do volunteer, be ready for some long hours and hard work. It?’s not a position for those who do not have a commitment of time, energy and effort. It will take a lot of each.
I sincerely hope someone out there will decide like I did that it?’s worth the effort to keep this community going and prospering. As a professional REALTOR?® I know it will only take a few months without enforcement of community standards before this community will decline and with it your property values.
Ft Caroline Cove has been a great place to call home for the last few years and I look forward to helping many of you ?“Live your Dream?” and realize a good return on your property investment when it?’s time for you to leave too, so please get involved!