New organizational setup

As you know, part of the mission of the Board of Directors, as directed by the governing documents of Westlake Village, is to ensure our residents are complying with our deed restrictions. It has been accepted practice that the Architectural Committee head this endeavor on behalf of and with the permission of the Board. This dynamic has become less and less "fruitful" as resident volunteers, not wanting to get involved with their neighbors, have become scarce. Unfortunately, enforcing deed restrictions for 585+ homes in our community is a labor-intensive job and one that CANNOT be dismissed.

As a realtor, I can tell you the appearance of our community has a DIRECT correlation on our home values and that's why ensuring compliance with the deed restrictions is so important to ALL OF US.

Desperately in need of dedicated volunteers, the Board has approved a change in the composition and duties of the Architectural Committee to encourage resident participation. In addition to the Architectural Committee, the Board has created another entity: the Covenant Compliance Committee (CCC). These 2 committees will have distinct duties yet operate in concert with each other.

Our new Architectural Committee will no longer be the entity monitoring and enforcing our deed restrictions. Instead, the Architectural Committee will go back to it's mandated job of:

1) Approving exterior improvements such as roof, paint color, fence, etc.
2) Developing and refining guidelines and policies for lawns, mailboxes, fences, etc.
3) Working closely with residents as a source of information to allow residents to achieve substantial compliance with out deed restrictions, ie Florida-Friendly Landscaping, native landscaping, etc.

The new CCC will take over the enforcement of our deed restrictions. It is comprised of volunteer Zone Coordinators (YOU), a Board member liaison, our part-time employee, and the office staff.

This new dynamic is a result of resident feedback combined with lack of resident participation/interest. Residents NOT wanting to volunteer due to the deed restriction enforcement issue are now free to volunteer for the Architectural Committee. There is still a need for volunteers on both committees!

It is the hope of the Board that with this new organizational setup will spur resident participation which will lead to an even MORE cohesive community....YOUR community!

Lake Restoration HERE WE COME!

I am proud to announce that at tonight's Board meeting, the Board of Directors voted UNANIMOUSLY to fund the lake restoration proposal given to us by Project C, a non-profit group whose mission is to "re-introduce" native fauna in our area. Please look out for upcoming dates for the volunteer "workshop" where we will learn HOW to do the installation of plants AND the date of the project installation...

Also, the Board voted today to create a new committee to handle deed restriction enforcement, freeing the Architectural Committee to approve residents' exterior improvements, draft rules and guidelines, and work more closely with homeowners'. The new committee is called the "Covenant Compliance Committee" (CCC) and our new team is hard at work learning the ins and outs of the deed enforcement process.

Whether you like it or not (most don't), enforcing deed restrictions is a mandatory duty of the Board and also 100% responsible for the beautiful appearance in our 30 year old community. I'll be honest - telling a neighbor that their lawn is looking ratty (too many weeds) or that the mold on their roof w/ small weeds growing in the gutters is unsightly isn't always easy. However, imagine you are trying to sell your home is this miserable economy - wouldn't you want your neighbors homes to look their best???? Of course.

Would you be so hesitant to tell them to fix their fence if your buyers kept mentioning the neighboring home with the dilapidated fence as the reason they didn't like yours???

If you want to make a difference in your home's value, let me know. We might have an open spot for you.

South Entrance signs being restored

You may have noticed the south entrance signs getting some attention recently. A much-needed overhaul was approved by the BoD at the Feb meeting and is just another example of your Board working hard to keep our neighborhood looking nice and your home values as high as possible.

We're always looking for like-minded, community-focused individuals to assist us as we prepare our Village for the next 30 years. Forget all the "stuff" you've heard about the Board and come see for yourself!

Pursuant to my last post, I would like to invite Board members and residents down to the lake to ses the deteriorating condition and our vision for it. I will be holding a gathering for all interested parties at 6p on Tuesday March 9 down at the lake.