Todd Greisen
Hello, Pine Mountain Club!
We continue to make progress on many fronts, making improvements and addressing member concerns. There is much work to be done, and with the support of the board of directors and association members I intend to continue the progress I’ve made thus far. In some cases, I’ll ask for your patience as I manage priorities and budget while continuing to fulfill PMC’s Mission Statement. I would like to take a moment to remind us all of it so that we can all remain focused on what’s most important in our community. So here it is:
“The PMC POA will provide high-quality service to its members and continually improve its organizational operations and capital assets while maintaining fiscal responsibility. It will protect the intimacy and mutual respect of the community’s small-village atmosphere and practice sound stewardship in conserving the surrounding natural environmental resources.”
Today, I’d like to share some of what staff is doing with the support of the board of directors, as we continue to strive toward fulfilling PMC’s mission statement.
Service that staff provides to residents and guests is always important. Are there improvements needed? Absolutely. We are working on additional customer service training for staff who interact directly with members and guests. Some of our key amenities, where customer service comes into play are the front office desk, the restaurants, the post office, the pool, and a few others. Unfortunately, staff is sometimes put in situations with difficult people. Even in these circumstances we desire to protect the “mutual respect” of members and guests and ask that you treat staff the same way you’d like to be treated.
Also regarding “mutual respect,” safe driving on our roads has become a concern. Cars are sometimes observed violating safe driving laws and practices. Although the association has no sworn law enforcement officers that would give us authority to cite reckless or speeding drivers, we are improving our warning signage, both along the roadways and painted warnings on the roads. With enough evidence, the board of directors can take measures within our authority under association rules to enforce through hearings and fines. Unfortunately, this enforcement is not an immediate response like getting a ticket for speeding on the highway. But when we can, a strong message is still sent to the violators that they are not treating their fellow drivers with “mutual respect.”
Regarding “organizational operations,” many improvements are underway. Sometimes improvements bring their own unanticipated challenges. One of them is the implementation of our new management software. While software implementations are never perfect, this one has been particularly difficult within the accounting module. Those of you who pay attention to our financial reports, know that we’ve been unable to produce monthlies since March. This is due to the inaccuracies created when carrying over numbers from the old system to the new. After many unsuccessful attempts to correct the numbers, a new plan is underway to resolve the situation ahead of the CPA’s annual audit due this fall.
Another operational improvement has been updates to POA communications. As you may have noticed, we have a new website. It is still under construction, but has begun a new path toward better transparency and more accurate information for members and guests. Note that it is a new domain name – no longer pinemountainclub.NET. It is now pinemountainclub.ORG. More information and updates will be added over time. Our Facebook page, requiring no membership, is also getting updated much more frequently. It is the best source of accurate information regarding anything to do with PMC. It’s been reported that many are confused regarding the true source of Pine Mountain Club’s social media. If you are asked to “join” a group, please know that you are not on the authorized PMC page.
The board of directors is taking steps to establish a new reserve study, a tool used in community associations to maintain its “capital assets.” The existing study has been found to have significant errors, impeding our ability to maintain operations through proper maintenance, repair, and replacement of its assets, when needed. Capital assets include major items such as the clubhouse and other buildings, roads, and amenities such as the golf course, pool, equestrian center, tennis and pickleball courts. The reserve study inventory must include major components that support, or are found within the assets, such as association vehicles, heavy equipment, furniture, tools, etcetera. When complete, the study will establish funds to be set aside within its own budget for the cost of all these components as maintenance, repair or replacement is needed in the future. When properly managed, funds are available when needed, instead of borrowing from a bank.
To maintain the “small-village atmosphere,” we are increasing the cooperation with the commercial center and their annual events. While these events often bring in many guests to Pine Mountain Club, we are striving to increase the appeal to residents, as well. For example, the upcoming “Run to the Pines” car show will also include a cart show, given the large number of PMC residents who use golf carts as a mode of transportation. Our plan is to have a vendor on site who can help with maintenance concerns for your cart, along with a cart contest with prizes. The car show is planned for August 31st and will coincide with our monthly Concert on the Greens. We hope to see you at this event that will be happening on both sides of Mil Potrero Highway.
To “practice sound stewardship in conserving the surrounding natural environmental resources,” there are also multiple PMC efforts underway. We all understand that we are surrounded by nature, and with our greenbelts have it within the community, too. Living in this environment requires a balance between protecting it and protecting our homes. We all understand the great risk we face of wildfires. This month, as part of an ongoing effort to mitigate the risk, another section of greenbelt will have fire-reduction maintenance completed, following rules and guidance of the federal government for environmental protection of plants and wildlife. Each year, using available grant money this seasonal work will continue.
With this reminder of Pine Mountain Club’s mission statement, I hope you all will be encouraged to participate in making it a wonderful place to live and visit.
Thank you for being a part of this amazing community!
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