Dear GSPOA members,

I wanted to give you an update, on behalf of your Board, of the discussions we are having and progress we are making.

Finance: We are thankful that $11,200 in special assessments has been collected from 97% of property owners and is now back in the infrastructure account replacing funds withdrawn last year due to water/well maintenance. Please recall that we were way over budget last year, which left us a deficit starting the year. Even with assessments mostly paid, Gana Sita POA is unlikely to have enough in reserve to meet an unforeseen contingency. 

If you have read the Board minutes going back over the last decade(s), the lack of proper funding to run Gana Sita seems to be a recurring theme. The question for all of us is how we create a reality-based budget AND start reserving for known long term contingencies (water and roads at a minimum). Or do we choose, as has been past practice, to assess when bad things happen? We are looking forward to having a robust discussion throughout the spring, at the Annual meeting on July 8th and during the summer.

Governance: All members of the committee have been spending time reading old documents (Plat map back to 1963; incorporation in 1983; 2017 Bylaws). Our goal is to find and document the agreed upon facts; where there are ambiguous documents, get firm legal opinions that would be easy to defend. John Murphy and the committee are determined to use the 2022 proposed third amended and restated declaration of covenants and bylaws, with Bill Cannon’s clarifications, and then present them for discussion and a vote this summer.

Secretary: Ellen has dutifully produced the board meeting minutes. We continue to post them on the website along with notice of our next meeting and encourage you to contact us with ideas or questions. 

Infrastructure (Roads, Water maintenance, beautification): We are fortunate to have Alex on the board as he brings his development knowledge with him. Alex has reached out to Environmental Inc (they manage the water system after Dave Bryant retired) to meet with us so we can walk/drive the entire water system—from the pump on 107 through the piping, check valves, water tank and all the capped wells on the property. Our goal is to take video and then have it posted to the website so you can have a virtual tour. If you are like me, I am grateful that the water comes out when I turn the tap but have no idea how it actually gets safely to each homeowner.

Lastly, since the annual meeting was not held until January 14, 2023, the newly elected Board would (per the 2017 documents) remain in office until the next annual meeting, July of 2024. In the interest of transparency and communication, we are proposing that the membership vote on KEEPING the full slate of officers until that 2024 annual meeting. Please expect communication from Cedar Creek Management in the next few weeks.

For those of you who are not permanent residents, I have been in Cashiers over the last few days and although cold, the plants and especially dogwoods are thinking every day about blooming—fortunately they have held off as some nights are down into the teens.

As always, please contact any of us. And you all have my cell—been quiet lately.

Sincerely, G