Welcome everyone to the February Association Board of Directors meeting.
A few weeks ago, the Governance Council received a presentation from management on the new technology in The Villages. We have moved from the age of The Flintstones to the age of The Jetsons. From reserves to budgeting to tee times to work orders, it is amazing the improvements we have had in a very short time. Yes, some of the transition was painful and maybe could have been done differently but the result is incredible, and I think it was worth it. And look: now we have our own app. The more I use it the more I like it.
I have a personal example of how this improvement has worked for me. A few weeks ago, at 9:23 a.m., I created a work order on MaintainX to trim some bushes that had overgrown my kitchen window and were blocking the light. I received an email confirming the request eight minutes later. Fourteen minutes after that my doorbell rang and it was a BellaVista employee confirming which bushes I wanted trimmed. Twenty-one minutes after that, I received email confirmation telling me the trimming was done. That’s 43 minutes from creation to completion. Now as most advertisements will tell you, results like that cannot be guaranteed but I was really impressed with the response. Hopefully that level of service can continue for everyone.
The ABOD had a working session on February 13 regarding budgeting and priorities. I would like to thank the DACs for all their hard work and input into this process so far. It appears to me we are now getting squeezed on two sides and decisions are being forced upon us. We are required to do turf reduction by 2029 but on February 6 Governor Newsom signed an executive order requiring everyone to complete fire hardening in “Zone 0.” Approximately 1.4 million acres are now being considered a high fire risk. I am unsure of the deadline for this work, as the regulations have yet to be released but it will likely be sooner as opposed to later. The CalFire fire zone maps are being updated and the Santa Clara County map was supposed to be released yesterday. Zone 0 is the space between 0 and 5 feet from any structure and is being characterized as “ember resistant zones.” Considering the LA fires, which were the most devastating fires in California history, we will be voting on whether or not to make The Villages perimeter our budget priority this year. Our annual four acres of turf reduction for the coming year will be covered by The Club Board so as a community we will continue to make progress with our turf reduction.
Thank you all for being here and as usual, my phone, my email and my door are always open and I am available for questions or comments.
—Association Board President Michael Schwerin
