Board Buzz
BOARD BUZZ – DECEMBER 2022, by Mary Cheston, President
Posted on Dec 1st, 2022
“No matter what happened yesterday, today is filled with hope and promise…”
The end of the year is always a busy period for the Board of Directors as contracts and budgets must be put in place for the new year. Here is a recap of some of our key recent actions:
- Our 2023 Budget is now approved and posted on the website. Several revisions were made based on owner feedback, especially to the Village Walk neighborhood budget.
- The landscape contract with James River Grounds Management is in place and the Board has developed guidance for owners on what to expect for services starting in January (NTRA Policy 9.2. Landscape Services and Responsibilities).
- Roof repairs by Eagle/Northeast Construction are underway in Village Walk. All roofs will be examined and repaired over the coming weeks at Eagle’s expense.
The results of our efforts to revise the NTRA governing documents will be tallied on December 14th at the Continued Special Member Meeting on the vote. Because of the Developer’s unauthorized filing of two Supplemental Declarations for Shirley Park, 40 lots have to be removed from the total pool of votes, which reduces the 2/3 threshold for passage of the documents from 411 to 385 NTRA Members.
At our 2022 Annual Meeting you will be asked to approve an amendment to the Amenities Use Easement and Agreement between the NTRA and the New Town Commercial Association (NTCA). This is an important action to keep the NTRA in compliance with this agreement. The Amendment would remove language which prohibits us from having a management company that is different from the NTCA. The Board is very happy with the services provided by Chesapeake Bay Management and has no plans to rehire Town Management LLC. Please vote in favor of this amendment. (See related article.)
This month brings to a close my service for the past 2 years on the NTRA Board of Directors. In December 2020 I never envisioned the roller coaster that would follow. I was requested to serve, submitted an application and the Board elected me to fill a remaining 2-year vacancy created on the very first homeowner-control Board. Miracle of miracles, I stuck it out.
A big THANK YOU to all those volunteers who have served diligently with me on the Board as well as those who worked tirelessly on our Committees to advise the Board and keep our community engaged and beautiful. Volunteer to be part of the solution and keep New Town moving forward! Almost all of our Committees are seeking multiple new members as vacancies abound at the end of 2022.
As volunteers, the current Board of Directors has done our very best to represent homeowners while protecting the overall interests of our Association as a corporation. Please be mindful of this responsibility as we welcome a new Board for 2023-2024 – give them your trust and the benefit of the doubt before jumping to conclusions, and treat them with respect. Boards are required by law to follow the governing documents of their Association. Civil discourse when you disagree with a decision without name calling or maliciousness is the least that you owe your neighbors.
As tumultuous as the past year has been, the Association has much to be proud of. Our transition to Chesapeake Bay Management and the tireless contributions of our community manager has been key to many of these improvements – for which I am also very grateful. At our Annual Meeting on December 14th, we will review the accomplishments of 2022 together. Plan on attending both the Continuation of the Special Meeting on the governing documents vote starting at 6:30PM, and the NTRA Annual Meeting at approximately 7PM in Legacy Hall.
Wishing all a happy and healthy holiday season.
No Comments