WELCOME HARMONY WEST!! By Steve Berube Chairman HCDD and President HROA
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lease allow me to join the publisher and the residents of Harmony (Main) to both this magazine and to the wonderful community of Harmony. I’ve been watching the rapid growth of West and look forward to getting to know our new neighbors better. First, some HROA news and info: as you might have noticed, with the slight lifting of COVID restrictions, Activities Director Jennifer Harmony has been producing events once again. The Activities Budget was expanded this year to provide for even more events that most seem to enjoy. Keep your eyes and ears open!! Your HROA finished Fiscal Year 2020 with about $150,000 in Cash Reserves and about $11,000 in Delinquent Accounts due and virtually no debt. I just recently found out that the single largest delinquent account—which was about 25% of the total delinquencies— has been collected. These collection efforts are carried out by attorneys and include actions up to and including foreclosure. Some have commented that foreclosure is an extreme measure and that may be true. But, to be fair to those who do pay, it is important to be sure that ALL pay. You might have noticed the lack of HROA meetings. In response to COVID, nearly all HROA attorneys are telling their clients to suspend meetings and we have followed suit. Once the restrictions are lifted, we will get back to in-person meetings. Moving on the CDD, its regular monthly meeting was held (telephonically) on October 29th. As this is written, the election has not taken place but two seats will be changing this year and we anticipate a warm welcome for the two new arrivals. Going back to meetings: CDD Meetings will be held at Grace Community Church which is located on US-192, just east of Nova Road. As you might remember, we had been meeting at Creative School in St. Cloud, however, the room there was a “tight” fit under normal conditions so, as it became evident that social
distancing would become the norm, I knew that once we returned to in-person, we’d need more space. After checking several venues, Grace seemed like a good fit. So we signed a usage contract and hope to see you there. Bonuses: we’re saving a few dollars and it’s closer. In other business, we recognized outgoing Supervisors Bill Bokunic and David Farnsworth for their years of service to the CDD. Certificates will be framed and delivered to them. You might remember that we experienced a significant underground storm drainpipe failure which has since been repaired which restored normal storm drainage. However, the contractor did not follow specific contractual requirements and we have a disagreement over certain other actions taken by them. We anticipate holding a hearing soon to sort through the difficulties. We have approved the construction of a new dog park on E. Five Oaks, just west of Feathergrass. The District Engineer will have a site development plan prepared for the County permitting process. We also are considering a new playground adjacent to this dog park to accommodate the steady growth here—especially in the Waterside neighborhood. Also, while most residents of The Lakes don’t have young children, many DO have grandchildren and this new playground will be most convenient for them. Preliminary design includes a see-saw, round swing, an adult-facing-child-on-oneswing swing and a couple of other surprises including Handicapped access throughout. It will be expensive but kids are important, aren’t they? Field Services continues its activities including sidewalk cleaning, grinding and panel replacements as needed. Supervisor Mike Scarborough highlighted the need to resurface the Garden Road; we had been hoping to wait until Harmony Central installed their new utility lines and then regraded the road, but the fact is that it needs attention now. So, quotes are being taken.
The opinions expressed in the Harmony Life Magazine articles are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions of Quantum Marketing Communications, Harmony Life Magazine or the Publisher.
Like the HROA, the CDD FY2020 ended on a positive note with spending coming in under budget by about $55,000 despite several significant unexpected expenses…this “leftover” money is “swept” into the various cash reserve funds we maintain. As FY2021 is modeled after FY2020, we anticipate a good year even though it’s just starting. Finally, after acquiring parcel VC1 a few years ago, we have struggled to come up with an acceptable use for it. So, a survey has been prepared and will likely be mailed to every owner in Harmony so we can get feedback from those stakeholders. Most likely, it will arrive in the December/January timeframe. Thanks for reading and Happy Thanksgiving. Stay safe Harmony! n
November 2020 | Harmony Life Magazine 9
