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The following is the latest in a series of monthly messages from the RVR Master Association Board, called “A View From the Board.” The messages summarize recent Board decisions and discussions, and are designed to bring RVR homeowners up to date on issues important to the community.
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Dear RVR Homeowners,
While there have been more than 7.9 million cases of Covid-19 in this country, and nearly 218,000 deaths, we’ve been very fortunate at RVR that the pandemic has had a minimal effect on our community. Normal routines at RVR have been slightly disrupted over the past seven months, but with a focus on the health and safety of employees and homeowners, our members have generally been able to use many of the Ranch House’s amenities.
The pool is now closed till spring, and tennis is winding down its season. The lap pool will continue to be open throughout the year, and we are turning our attention to opening the Ranch House itself for the first time since March. Using social distancing and limiting the number of people inside the building at one time, we will continue to put health and safety at the forefront of all we do.
This month’s “View From the Board” will highlight some recent Board actions, as well as upcoming activities.
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John Lund to Join Board: We’re pleased to announce that we have appointed John Lund to join the Board, beginning at the October 21 monthly Board meeting. John will take Gary Harada’s place, following Gary’s resignation from the Board in September. John will fill the remainder of Gary’s term, which expires in June 2022. John and his wife, Julie, have owned a home at RVR since 2013 and became full-time residents earlier this year. To learn more about John, <click here>. Congratulations, John.
Board Accepts 2019 Financial Audit: At its September 23 meeting, the Board accepted an audit of the Master Association’s finances for 2019. The audit, believed to be the first ever for the RVRMA, was completed by Porter & Lasiewicz, a California CPA firm that specializes in homeowner association tax law. Providing financial data to support the audit was a huge task. Kudos go to RVRMA accountant James Maguire for working closely with Porter & Lasiewicz on the audit to produce a complete picture of our finances. To view the audit, <click here.> Porter & Lasiewicz also recently completed work on RVR’s 2019 Federal and State of Colorado tax returns, which we filed earlier this month.
Work on 2021 Budget Underway: One of the Board’s most important activities each year is preparing the Master Association’s annual budget. The process of developing the 2021 RVRMA budget is underway. Homeowners will have a number of opportunities between now and the budget ratification vote in December to review the numbers and provide input. The Board will have its first review of the draft budget at its October 21 monthly meeting. Homeowners are, of course, encouraged to Zoom in and view the initial budget conversations. This year, for the first time, homeowners will ratify the budget by e-voting, similarly to the way we handled the Board election this past summer. On December 16, we will hold a brief budget ratification meeting, prior to the regularly scheduled monthly Board meeting. During the annual meeting, we will provide results of the ballot vote, and answer any questions you may have.
Board Approves Governing Documents Report: The Board, at its September 23 meeting, approved a comprehensive report from the Governing Documents Committee. <click here> to read it. In approving the report, the Board thanked the committee for its efforts over the past year, and formally suspended the committee’s work. The Board said it could reform the committee at a later date. The committee was chartered in summer 2019, and met 13 times since then in an effort to address covenants that may not have kept up with the times. When the Covid-19 crisis closed the Ranch House earlier this year and shifted the governance focus at RVR, the committee’s direction changed as well. The committee chairs felt the time was not right to approach the community with proposed amendments to the governing documents. The committee’s report, however, lays the groundwork for future work that could result in proposed changes to our covenants.
Zooming in to RVR Board Meetings: As a result of social distancing restrictions imposed by Covid-19, the Board is in Zoom meeting mode for foreseeable future. Like many organizations and businesses, we are gradually getting used to holding our meetings virtually. One result of the Zoom meetings is that our homeowner participation has increased significantly. That’s a good thing. We encourage and welcome your involvement. Our challenge now is finding ways to improve the format so the Board meetings are most engaging for both homeowners and Board members. If you have suggestions for meeting improvements, please send them to Community Services Manager Kendra Ford (csm@rvrcommunity.com).
Halloween at RVR? Not This Year: Finally, one of the highlights of every October at RVR is Halloween in Old Town. It’s a tradition that trick-or-treaters throughout Carbondale have come to enjoy. This year, due to Covid-19 safety concerns, things will be different. A number of Old Town residents are concerned about the potential health risks for children, and as a result are not planning to participate in the Halloween festivities. The success of Old Town Halloween has always been its home-grown, organic nature; but since it’s an unplanned, informal event, it can’t be “cancelled,” in the true sense of the word. Still, members of the Old Town Advisory Committee say they’ll develop a communication plan to get the word out in Carbondale, via social and traditional media. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed <guidelines; link> to keep children, families and neighborhoods safe for Halloween. We’ll have more on this in upcoming editions of RVR’s weekly newsletter as well.
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That’s it for now.
Our next Board meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5:30 pm. The meeting will be held via Zoom videoconference. Hope to see you there, virtually.
On behalf of your volunteer RVRMA Board,
Cathy Cooney & Gary Lesser
Board Co-Presidents
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