Letter to homeowners, March 2015

The below letter was distributed to all homeowners in early March.

March 10, 2015

Dear Homeowners:

As you may have heard, I have been thinking about resigning from the Board for several years now.  As we know, in 2013, three members of the Board resigned (citing to health issues and personal issues).  That left Jessica and I.  The members of the Kenthill Townhomes Board all have jobs and many other life issues pressing on them.  At nearly every Annual Meeting, an opportunity is given to homeowners (both to those present, and to those not present) to serve on the Board.  Rarely does anyone volunteer.  At the 2013 and 2014 Annual Meetings, this opportunity was again presented, and no one volunteered. 

I have been giving the subject of my volunteer work, at and for, Kenthill Townhomes, a great deal of thought over the past several years.  As you know, I have often reviewed at Annual Meetings the subject of how much time it has taken, or takes, to do the things necessary to maintain course at Kenthill Townhomes, and to keep Kenthill Townhomes on track with its many issues, problems, and projects.  I have also stated that doing these things has been very rewarding, although very difficult at times.

I have spent countless hours over the past thirteen years working weeknights, weekends, and vacation time on matters concerning Kenthill Townhomes.  These include projects, issues, documents, and communications.  I send and receive far more emails than any other Board member.  I have met regularly with contractors in early morning hours, late evening hours, and sometimes taking time off during the day.  I work second shift from time to time.  This has allowed me to observe, provide input, give direction, and document these matters over the course of more than a decade.

Suhrco Residential Properties, LLC., like Phillips Real Estate Management, Inc. before them, insists on having only one person that they can interact with.  That person is almost always the President.  As President, I typically get 3 to 5 more emails [from Suhrco employees, the Attorney (& his assistant), and contractors & vendors] than any other Board member.  I physically cannot keep up with this; I cannot be the entire Board.

As many of you know, I often work long hours at my job.  I am the Team Leader at my job.  This role means that I am the point person for many difficult and complex issues.  My job has more stress than that of my co-workers, and I often am the one who makes sure things get done, no matter what the situation.  My company is doing very well.  We had some mergers with certain other sister sites.  We have been very busy.  I am currently working 55 to 65 hours a week. 

For these reasons, as well as those stated above, I cannot continue to serve on the Kenthill Townhomes Board.  It will be too much for me, even if I wanted to continue.  Therefore, I will be resigning from the Board.

I will announce this at the Annual Meeting.  It did not seem right not to give the members of the Kenthill Townhomes Homeowners Association adequate time to think about this.  Therefore, this letter is being sent now, so that adequate time may be given to those homeowners who may consider serving our community on the Board.  Please remember that according to our governing documents, the Kenthill Townhomes Board consists of five members.

If you consider yourself a qualified, dedicated homeowner, and would like to join together with other qualified, dedicated homeowners, please prepare for the meeting.  If you are elected, please prepare for a lot of work, a steep learning curve, many worthwhile challenges, and a rewarding sense of accomplishment (especially when difficult projects are undertaken and results are achieved).  And yes, it is all at no pay.  It's volunteer.  [The Bylaws of the Kenthill Townhomes Condominium Association state:  “5.14:  Compensation.  Directors shall not be paid compensation for their services as directors”].

Sincerely,

Thomas Flynn

President

Kenthill Townhomes Homeowners Association Board

2015 Wood Siding and Window Replacement Project [(con't (3)]

This is a picture of the wood siding repairs occurring at Building D (west end).

2015 Wood Siding and Window Replacement Project [(con't (2)]

This is a picture of the work being done on the south end of Building L.

2015 Wood Siding and Window Replacement Project [con't (1)]

This is a picture of the work being done on the east end of Building P.

2015 Wood Siding and Window Replacement Project

This is a picture of the work being done on the west end of Building I.

Fence replacement near Building M

This is a picture of the replacement fence being installed near the east side of Building M.  The contractor is just finishing up the work, and the job should be completed soon.

2015 Annual Meeting

It is a known fact that for decades, the  Kenthill Townhomes Annual Meetings are always held in March, coinciding with the date of typically held monthly homeowners meetings, that being the 4th Monday of the month.

[So, during any given month, the month homeowners meetings are held on the fourth Monday of the month, at 7:00PM, in the Cabana].

The 2015 Kenthill Townhomes Annual Meeting will be held at 7:00PM in the Cabana on March 23, 2015.

Homeowners are urged to sign proxies if they are unable to attend.

2015 Halogen lights

Various halogen light repairs and adjustments were accomplished throughout the Kenthill Townhomes condominium complex.

2015 beauty bark discussion

The subject of beauty bark came up at our November homeowners meeting.

I had a conversation with our Landscaping Foreman, Rick Lack.  One of the topics we discussed was the subject of beauty bark.  I know we have been over this issue several times before in years past.  I have  been on the Board since 2002.  Since then, we have had beauty bark installed ion the property every three years.

Rich Lack has been over the benefits of beauty bark with current and past Boards.  But I asked him to review the benefits with me again.  Then I went upstairs and typed them out.  Here they are.

Beauty bark:

1. Improves the aesthetic appearance.

2. Provides an amount of cover during the summer months.
            (a) Protection from ultraviolet sunshine; tough on exposed roots.
            (b) Helps retain moisture.  Even a little moisture retained is better than none; esp. since we                         do not water our landscaped areas.
            (c) Retards the growth of weeds.  The is especially true during the first year after application.

3. Provides an amount of cover during the winter months.
            (a) Although only a small amount, the beauty bark does in fact act like an insulator.  Not for                    warmth, but preventing even lower temperatures that can cause further damage [The                            surface ground can't get lower than 32 degrees (freezing point)].

4. Eventually breaks down over the course of several years, providing a measure of nutrients to the soil which helps the trees and shrubs stay healthy.

From Wikipedia:

Like many other types of mulch, barkdust is used in gardening and landscaping for its properties in affecting soil pH, in regulating the temperature of the underlying soil, and preventing water loss and erosion.

Barkdust increases soil acidity, and the decomposition of barkdust consumes nitrogen, especially when fine bark mulch is mixed in with soil; coarser barkdust laid on top of soil will extract nitrogen at a much slower rate. Barkdust is also effective at absorbing water and preventing water loss due to evaporation.

Two excerpts from a letter from the Board

A letter from the Board of Directors was recently mailed to all 82 Kenthill Townhomes homeowners.

Below are two paragraphs from that letter:

"Worked with contractors to install a new roof at one building.  The Kenthill Townhomes Roof Installation Project began in 2003.  We have 15 buildings. The plan was to have two new roofs installed, each year, until the project was completed. But some timeouts occurred over the years. Some wood siding dry rot issues had to be addressed at certain buildings. Building J was the last building.  So this marks the conclusion of the project. It should be noted that for Kenthill Townhomes, unlike numerous other condominium complexes throughout the area, Special Assessments (often used for projects such as this one) are very rare, (the last one being in 2002)."

"The Board has been doing everything it can to not raise the homeowner dues.  It should be noted that the Property Management Company has recommended raising the dues for many years now, as has the company that performs the Reserve Study. The last increase in the homeowners dues was in 2010, when a 5% increase was enacted.  Since then, all major and minor projects have been accomplished with no increase in the monthly dues, and with no special assessments. This has been a major accomplishment, and a feat not likely to be matched by other condominium complexes throughout the City of Kent area."

Money, monthly assessments, delinquencies, etc.

The last increase in the homeowners dues was in 2010, when a 5% increase was enacted.  Since then, all major and minor projects have been accomplished with no increase in the monthly dues, and with no special assessments.

[Try that, when comparing us to other condominium complexes throughout the area].

Compared to 2010, when delinquencies were at an astonishing high of $92,087.80 - the Association has reduced that figure to a new all-time low of $4,975.12, as of July 2014.

Incoming fresh water pipe break [with video]

This is what was discovered at approximately 7:00AM this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VG4jwMhezQ

Fence re-installation

The City of Kent is finishing the widening of SE 256th Street (estimated to be concluded by the end of the year).  The fence that runs east and west on the south side of Building A was removed in March of 2013, so that the sidewalk could eventually be installed (after the street was widened).  It is now time to re-install Kenthill Townhomes' fence (it had been rolled up and stored in the back yard).

2014 Water valve replacement

This is a picture of the water valve replacement project which recently occurred at Building R.

2014 Retaining Wall Project

In the 1970's, when Kenthill Townhomes was built, a retaining wall was installed near the front of Building N.  The retaining wall was constructed using railroad ties.  Railroad ties can last a very long time.  However, eventually they do deteriorate over time.

The old retaining wall was removed and a new retaining wall was installed in its place this month.

2014 Wood siding repairs (con't)

This is a picture of the wood siding repairs occurring at Building M (west side).

Street closing

The City of Kent contacted the Assistant Manager of Easthill Apartments.  They gave her this (see above).

106th Avenue S. is the southern entrance to our property.  This letter is saying that it will be closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

It is difficult to tell, but I expect 116 Avenue SE will be closed as well.  This implies that the only way to enter the Easthill and Kenthill property plat will be to use the eastern entrance which is located along 109th Avenue SE.

2014 Wood siding repairs

This is a picture of more wood siding repairs occurring at Building K (south end).

2014 Fence Repaired

The fence that runs east and west on our property [along SE 254th Place (near Building E, Unit E-1)] has been repaired.

2014 Lawn Repair Project

The grass lawn area that is located in the back yards of Buildings O, P, Q, and R was hard hit by the long, dry summer of 2013.  The lawn was in very poor condition in certain sections.  This topic was discussed at the 2014 Annual Meeting.  The homeowners in attendance at the Annual Meeting made it clear that they wanted this lawn area repaired.

This week, the landscaping crew performed some work on this lawn area in the hope of bringing it back. Aeration, overseed and a topdress with soil mix was applied.

But this effort and expenditure of funds will almost certainly fail  -  if these areas do not receive adequate watering.

Letters were sent to homeowners.  Requests were made for volunteers to ensure the watering gets done.