Newsletter – April 2022
HOA BOARD
HOA Member Attendance at Board Meetings
The HOA Board is committed to openness and transparency and recognizes that every HOA member has a right to attend and participate in monthly board meetings. In fact, the board welcomes participation as an important part of building and maintaining a strong community that seeks input and welcomes diverse points of view. As promised last month, the Board has developed guidelines for HOA member participation and attendance at monthly Board meetings. These guidelines can be found on the Sovereign Oaks website (https://sovereignoakshoa.com) under the “HOA Board” tab.
The guideline’s key points are:
- The Board Agenda will be posted on the HOA website five days before each monthly meeting. HOA members wishing to be put on the agenda and present to the board should make both their attendance and the topic of discussion known ten (10) days prior to the meeting by contacting the board at board@sovereignoakshoa.com.
- If the topic is of a sensitive nature and a member wants to meet in Executive Session, they should also make that known.
- HOA members wishing to attend as observers but not requesting time on the agenda should notify the Board of their plans ahead of time, as a courtesy, to ensure adequate seating is available.
Sovereign Oaks is looking for a part-time bookkeeper
As Sovereign Oaks has continued to grow and the amount of building activity has increased, the number of transactions between the HOA and members, contractors and outside service providers has risen as well. To manage this increased activity, the HOA is seeking a part time bookkeeper, well-versed in QuickBooks, who can provide us with timely and up-to-date financial records. If you know of anyone who fits that description, please have them contact Brad Allen at secretary@sovereignoakshoa.com
2022 Budget Update: Legal Fees
While the Board has been diligent in attempting to limit the use of outside legal counsel, two recent issues have arisen with HOA members, including potential litigation, requiring the Board to seek legal advice. As a result, while we are only a little more than a quarter of the way through the calendar year, the HOA has already incurred just under $8,000 in legal fees. While this is below the $10,000 budgeted for the year, the Board is looking at ways to economize in other areas of spending to offset potential additional legal costs.
COMMITTEES
Social Committee Notes:
-The Nature Walk at Warren Wilson College with Dave Ellum is POSTPONED due to anticipated weather. We will announce a new date once it is determined.
-Our first wine and appetizer gatherings were great successes! Thanks to the Klippels and Connollys for hosting. Stay tuned for future opportunities to join in!
-SO Book Club: Our next meeting is on Wednesday, May 4 at 7 pm- Anxious People by Fredrick Backman presented by Jack Klippel & hosted by Jack and Sally at 34 Hickory Top Lane. Please RSVP to sallyklippel@gmail.com if you will attend.
FROM NEIGHBORS
-A special note of appreciation from all who attended the Social Open House, hosted by John Tremlett. Thanks to John for sharing your beautiful space with us for a lovely event!
–Bobbi Allen will exhibit her new work at Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville. The opening reception of TOPO is May 6th from 5-7pm, and the exhibit runs from May 6-June 22. Bobbi hopes you have a chance to stop by and see the show! www.rallenart.com
Blue Spiral Gallery
38 Biltmore Ave
Sunday-Tuesday 11-5, Wednesday-Saturday 11-6
Do you have something to contribute to this monthly newsletter?
Please send neighborly announcements to be included to amandagalvin1@gmail.com for each monthly newsletter.
Also, if you know a neighbor who says they aren’t getting these emails, please remind them to check their spam or promotional folders in their email inboxes. They might need to filter this source so that it goes straight to their preferred inbox.
Accessing the Sovereign Oaks Website
The SO website https://sovereignoakshoa.com contains lots of useful information for residents. For those HOA members who have not logged on before, you can use the gateway password “sovereignoaksHOA” for your first log in then set your own username and password. Please note, a site administrator has to approve the new login, so there may be a delay in activation.
Current users, please remember that you may have to enter the gateway password in the future if it has been a while since your last visit.
SOVEREIGN OAKS WEBSITES TO BE REVISED
Amanda Galvin and Rebekah Owings are taking on the task of revising the Sovereign Oaks public-facing website (sovereingoaks.com) and the HOA website (sovereignoakshoa.com). The goal for the public-facing website is to have it be more informative about the community in general. The goal of the HOA website redesign is to institute an initial login request that ensures only HOA members can gain access, but also make the login process easier than the two-step process that currently exists. The site will also be redesigned to be easier for HOA members to navigate and find information.
We appreciate your patience!