The Holiday Villager October 2020
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The Holiday Villager October 2020 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Do We Have a Healthy Community? by Gail Moyer There is a need to assess the health of our association and then execute a plan of action. Board members have the responsibility to preserve, protect and enhance homeowners' property while community managers coordi- nate and execute the services needed to run the association, also acting as trusted advisor to the board with their knowledge of governance, operations and management. There are five areas to evaluate. 1. Home values - Residents want to ensure the value of their home is maintained. Have property values gotten higher or lower in recent months, or do they seem steady? 2. Curb appeal - Tying into the value of homes is the physical condition of the community. Does the community look like a place people are proud to call home? Is there a need to increase communication about rules or violation notices? 3. Proper budgeting - Budgets are crucial to community associations' financial operation. While consid- ering regularly occurring costs, it's essential to plan for future projects as well. 4. Reserve funding - Homeowners are ever fearful of hearing that they may have to pay a considerable special assessment for a project that should have been planned for. Large scale projects that do not occur every year should be budgeted for in advance to avoid assessment increases. 5. Community culture - Do the board and community manager have a good pulse on homeowners’ views of the association? Is there a strong relationship with homeowners, or is the only contact with them when something is wrong? Healthy community associations have informed board members, knowledgeable community managers and engaged homeowners who are happy and confident in the management of the place they call home. While the clubhouse is closed, the Board of Trustees continues to convene through teleconferencing on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 4 p.m. Use this number to listen in: 701-802-5028 ID 6156135# Read more from Gail on Page 8. **** STOP & READ **** You must submit an ARB application for any change to the outside of your residence. Get the details on page 12. When in doubt, check it out! Holiday Village Community Services Association The Holiday Villager OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES October 2020 1 Holiday Boulevard, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 President ........................ Gail Moyer The Villager Staff Vice President ................ Ritchie Berr Editor & Directory Manager Gil McDonald Secretary ........................ Marie Campbell Secretary and Columnist Susan Powell Treasurer ......................... Mike Trust Calendar Editor NEEDED Trustee ............................ Al Bove Distribution Nadine Garrabrant Trustee ............................ Joe Sykes Margaret Gilfillan Trustee ……………….…… Barbara Maimone Writers and Columnists: Community Manager Lou Antosh Don Rosser Kerri Perez Art Dorst Joan Fingerman [email protected] Debra Kramer Joe Sykes Administrative Assistant Deb Taraska Rita Sykes Jill McDonald [email protected] Who Out There is the Calendar Person? HVCSA OFFICE HOURS Photographers: Rick Spencer, Debbie Dion Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Holiday Villager welcomes news items, notices, Thursday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and letters. All material may be e-mailed to Appointments by request [email protected]. Although e-mail is preferred, brief, concise typed letters or legible handwritten material 856-866-1753 may be dropped off at the Holiday Village CLUBHOUSE HOURS management office in our Clubhouse. All material must include the writer’s name and phone number. Temporarily Closed Names will be withheld upon request. Watch for Updates Opinions expressed in submitted material are not necessarily those of the editorial staff or the Board of Holiday Village Condominium Association Trustees. We reserve the right to reject any material President .................. Janice Weiner deemed to be inappropriate. We also reserve the right Vice President ......... Jack Fisher to edit all submissions, but we will make every effort Secretary ................. Priscilla Knapp to maintain the writer’s concept and meaning. Treasurer ................. Trudy Collins Tomkowicz Neither the Holiday Village Community Trustee .................... June Bilenky Services Association nor The Villager has Trustee .................... Ann Torre any control over or interest in any published Trustee .................... advertising. We accept no responsibility for **ASSOCIA Condo Office. .856-996-1646** goods and services advertised herein. Lynne Hartman, Manager [email protected] Deadline for the November 2020 issue is Lisa Bianchini, Administrative Assistant October 10 [email protected] 2 Condo President’s Memo by Janice Weiner Recycle Dumpsters - As of this writing, we are still waiting to receive our new recycle dumpsters with sliding side doors. Repainted Decks - Please note that indoor/outdoor carpet is not permitted on decks. No cloth of any kind is to be placed on decks. Outside door mats are permitted. Car Towing - Be advised that the cost for car towing has increased. Posted signs are in the process of being updated to reflect this change and to reference the required NJ statute. Posting Signs - For-sale signs are permitted in condo windows. No other signs are permitted on condo build- ings or common grounds areas. Voting for Board Members - Owners should have received a package in the mail during September regarding upcoming voting for condo board positions. Budget - The Condo Board is currently working on the budget which will be presented in November. Be safe and be well - Janice HVCSA Management Corner CONTACTING THE OFFICE As the Management Office continues to work from home while the clubhouse is closed, here are a few tips to help streamline the process of us helping you with your concerns or questions. ♦ When leaving a message on the office answering system, please leave enough detail to explain your question/concern and include a return call number. Someone will try to get back to you within 24 hours. ♦ Email ([email protected] or [email protected]) is the best way to reach the office staff. ♦ If you have changed a phone number or email address recently, please provide the correct information to the office. ♦ Check your email as we are using our personal cell phones to return calls. If you do not answer/don’t receive blocked calls, the office will try to reach you by email. IMPORTANT INFORMATION As a resident of Holiday Village CSA living in an association, it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the Governing Documents: Bylaws, Policy Resolutions and ARB Guidelines. These can be found on the website www.holidayvillage55.com or you can obtain copies from the management office. MOUNT LAUREL SHRED DAY—Saturday, October 3 From 9 to Noon at the Township Police Garage, 100 Mount Laurel Road ◊ Bring bags or boxes of paper to be shredded. Limit four bags or boxes per residence. ◊ Paper only; no 3-ring binders or binder clips. Paper clips and staples are OK ◊ Be prepared to show proof of Mount Laurel residence. 3 Hey, anyone seen my cheese? Reflections on Change, Loss & Coping by Susan Powell Some of you may recall a little book by Spencer Johnson - Who Moved My Cheese (1999). Told as a fable, it presents different characters who daily travel a maze to get to their cheese and the different ways they react to unexpected change (as when their “cheese” is suddenly and surprisingly not there anymore). Each learns in their own way how to accept change, anticipate it and adapt to it. Change is a constant in all our lives whether we want it or not. Many and most changes occur gradually (growing taller, getting gray hair). You consciously work towards some, while others may be a welcome hap- penstance (getting a big raise, meeting that perfect someone). Some are sudden and/or unwelcome (getting fired or laid off, having a car accident, losing your home and possessions in a natural catastrophe). Others happen and you're not even consciously aware of them - i.e. every minute about 96 million cells are replaced in your body. Despite the fact that all of us have to grapple with many changes through- out our lives, the notion of coping with change is not something taught or even much discussed. It seems to be one of those “taboo” subjects. We pretend that everything’s fine and just carry on, at least in public. As we grow older, facing change can be a very scary and isolating experience. Change for seniors may be especially unwelcome and often involves loss. First, there’s the whole retirement thing, whether you decided to retire, were “encouraged” with a buyout or were laid off. Some new retirees feel an acute loss of self-identity, as their job may have defined them. They may have no hobbies, outside activities or other interests. Then there’s the empty nest experience, often followed by downsizing and moving to a smaller and more physically manageable home (no stairs!). Some face divorce late in life or the early death of a spouse. A lot of changes tend to snowball within a short period of time. There are other changes too, particularly physical, and not exactly welcome: medical diagnoses, joint or organ replacements, worsening eyesight (bye-bye night driving), hearing loss, and those lovely senior moments (Why is my grocery list on my kitchen counter again when I’m standing here in ShopRite?). And then, there’s your own mortality to confront, as well as that of friends and loved ones. In the face of so many changes and losses and knowing that there will be more, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and even depressed. It can be tempting to focus on what’s gone and to give time, energy, and emotions to mourn- ing that which is no more. Some of us become angry and resentful and may spend the rest of our lives this way.