As has been highlighted in in the financial presentation portion of the last couple of Annual General Meetings, there is a need to address the issue of our aging perimeter fence. To develop a strategy for undertaking this, earlier this year the Board commissioned a subcommittee to collect the facts and to develop some recommendations for its ongoing maintenance and subsequent replacement.
First some background:
Responsibility for the perimeter fence was assumed by the Board in 1992 by a vote of the Association Membership and via a legal process that lasted a few years in which all but a very few residents who lived around our perimeter signed fence easement agreements. The purpose of this transfer of responsibility was to ensure that a fence would be erected that was uniform in design and would be maintained to a consistent standard thus protecting the aesthetic appeal and hence property values of the neighborhood for the benefit of all residents. During the 18 years since its installation the fence has been maintained on an as-needed basis. Initially a contractor was commissioned to do this work but over the last few years Lance Gordon took on this task donating his labor and providing a considerable cost saving to the Association. However, the issue of the funding of the eventual replacement of the fence has never been adequately addressed. When the cost for a complete one-time replacement was put into the reserve projections around 2004, the impact was so huge that in 2006 a decision was made to remove it from this projection on the basis that it would not all be replaced at one time. Instead, funds for its ongoing maintenance were included in each year’s operating budget recognizing that any catastrophic replacement would be handled by insurance. That is what occurred when Ike struck in 2008 when 2,846 linear feet of the 13,545 total was replaced. As the original portion of the fence is now getting towards the end of its operating life we need a strategy that addresses how it can be maintained and eventually replaced in an affordable way to avoid the significant increases in our maintenance fees that would otherwise be incurred to keep the fence as an asset to our subdivision as opposed to a liability.
The Way Forward:
As the Association does not have the funds for the replacement of all of the fence at one time the Board believes that the way forward should be one of maintaining what we can for as long as practical with the help of resident participation while at the same time building a replacement fund so that sections which become structurally unsound and hence no longer viable can be replaced as this becomes necessary.
Routine Maintenance:
A major cause of the accelerated deterioration of the fence is the growth of vegetation, including some trees, within the 5 foot Association easement along the inside of the fence line. Residents whose yards have a boundary with the perimeter fence are asked to continually inspect their vegetation and remove all that which is causing damage to this fence both above and below ground. There are many situations in which roots are causing a lot of damage.
All residents who live along the fence line are encouraged to regularly inspect their section of the perimeter fence and report needed repairs via the Fence Repair Request form. In so doing, it would be of great benefit to all residents if those noting problems would express their willingness to perform minor repairs, such as replacing pickets, themselves. To maintain the standard of the fence these resident would be given a brief technical specification of the fence construction and to keep this legal would be asked to complete a WSMA Perimeter Fence Agreement On acceptance and submission of the Fence Materials Request form any approved material would be supplied by the Association.
Recognizing that some residents are not able to perform such manual work themselves, to keep the maintenance cost down the Board is also soliciting able-bodied volunteers who would be prepared to periodically volunteer some time to fence maintenance tasks under the direction of the Larry Crain, the Board member responsible for landscaping issues. In addition to the above appeals for voluntary repairs the Association will also contract with a fence company to have it fix certain high priority segments where select skills are needed or where no volunteer action is available. Contracting is the fall-back and obviously most expensive solution and is to be avoided to the extent possible.
Replacement:
When complete sections of the fence are no longer structurally sound they will have to be replaced. The intent is that this be done incrementally over a number of years addressing first the sections that have most visible impact. The first priority will be given to sections along Franz and Colonial Parkway and then Mason. The remaining sections along Mason Creek and North back to Franz, and the part at the NE corner behind the commercial property (Berkeley Park) will be the last priority.
Just as in the approach to routine maintenance, if a resident wishes to replace his section of the fence before the Association is able to address it he may do so, subject again to approval of the request and based on the construction specification and approval of the signed agreement.
From 2012 onwards a sizable contribution will be set aside at each budget meeting for the foreseeable future to fund the long-term fence replacement project. Every attempt will be made to build this fund without an increase to the annual maintenance fee. At some point the funding requirement will in all probability outstrip the money available for this purpose. In this event reserve funds allocated for the replacement of other Association assets will be temporarily allocated to the fence and paid back later. If further funds become necessary then the Board will consider other options.
Closing comments:
The Board is trying very hard to maintain the subdivision and its amenities to as high a standard as possible while continuing to control our annual maintenance fees. So we are asking our residents to help out during these difficult economic times by volunteering to join with us on this fence project to provide some labor to reduce the funds that we would otherwise have to pay to outside contractors.
Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Your Board of Directors
