February From the General Manager, Mark Reid
More and more these days, I find myself taking a moment to quietly recite to myself the Serenity Prayer. It keeps me balanced as covid, inflation, and angst significantly affect our lives in the present moment. I will be the first to admit that two years (and counting) of Covid sucks. Runaway inflation sucks. But our mission throughout has been, and continues to be, to embrace the suck and move forward in a calm, smart, and methodical way that keeps the Association on the charted path. This was created by the developers in a Master Plan 50 years ago and memorialized in our Declarations of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions. Over the past 50 years there have been moments similar to this such as previous times of inflation, pandemic, and even war. We have the benefit of being able to look back and see how the Association performed during times of Inflation and Pandemic. Most notably was the runaway inflation of the period of 1977 through 1982. In 1977 inflation jumped up to 6.45%. This was followed by a steady increase over the next few years until it peaked in 1980 at 13.5%. Then inflation steadily declined to 6.16% in 1982 before staring a trend of low inflation beginning in 1983. During this period, the Association raised dues in 1977 to 26.75%, as they were struggling to keep up with the costs of a growing community and inflation was at their doorstep. This was followed by a 20% increase in 1977, another 20% increase in 1979, a 15% increase in 1980, and finishing the period with a 15% increase in 1983.
In This Issue 5 6 6 8 11 12 13 15 18 19 20 21 22
From the General Manager From the Boardroom
Board Meeting Minutes Calendar of Events
Attenention Graduates
Welcome New Residents
Sending Love to Lakewood Artist Series
ID Card Renewal
HOA Payment Options Clubs
Resource Directory
January Maintenance Update
22 December Community Service Report
After this historically difficult period of inflation, history shows that the following years, up to 2015, were met with a majority of zero (0%) dues increases which precluded the Association from meeting their reserve obligations. With the benefit of historical knowledge, we now follow a formula in our By Laws that keep us on track and prepared for times like these. History also shows us that both inflation and pandemics run their course in due time. So as my internal voice recites “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.” It reinforces the belief that we live one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time because better days are ahead.
Lakewood Property Owners Association // Serving Our Members Since 1973
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