Hello Neighbors,
Spring can’t get here too soon for the homeowners of Countryside 7-10. The main water line supplying their homes has frozen some 5 to 7 feet below ground. Repairs will not be attempted prior to the middle of April for fear of doing additional damage to the line by disturbing the frozen ground around it. While the intense cold temperatures helped to assure some of the best snow and ski conditions for the winter, the extreme cold had some negative effects as well.
The Home Inspection program enters its third month and continues to grow in popularity. What was originally thought to be a program that would be embraced by non-renting homeowners has actually found favor with homeowners in the Resort rental program. Inspections that have been requested after a rental have turned up unlocked or open doors or windows, and thermostats left at higher than necessary settings. Correcting these items alone will provide owners with savings in their gas and electric bills. A surprise discovery was that many homes are not being cleaned immediately after a rental departure, and sometimes not until just before new guests are scheduled to arrive.
We are again sponsoring a water heater replacement for water heaters that are beyond their warranty life. Encouragement to replace water heaters after warranties expire is a policy adopted by the Association several years ago when we experienced huge losses that put our master policy insurance in jeopardy. Due to the degree of loss within a short period, the Association was faced with having to raise the deductible level to $5,000 in order to maintain the policy. Since these losses from old water heaters could be reduced by regular replacements and the addition of auto-shut off valves, the Association developed the program and policy. The program added a self-insured fund managed by SNHA to provide relief to homeowners who experience loss by covering portions of the deductible up to $5,000 after which the insurance coverage begins. This fund has limited the out of pocket loss to homeowners. The Association agreed that access to this fund in the event of a water heater loss will require that the homeowner maintain a water heater with a warranty in effect at the time of the loss. While it is true that water heaters usually outlive their warranty period, and most of us in our private homes don’t replace them until they leak, a leaking water heater in our Smugglers’ vacation homes has a much greater potential to cause massive damage in a short time due to the location of many of the water heaters in the stacked condo design, the nature of adjoining floors of townhouses, and because a leak may not be detected for days or weeks in the absence of guests and occupancy. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
To all non-renting homeowners; The State of Vermont requires that fireplaces in the Smugglers’ homes be inspected and tagged regardless of if you rent or not. The State of Vermont considers all homes at the resort to be in the public building category, therefore requirements for public buildings apply. If you are in the Smuggs rental program this service is already provided on a yearly basis. If not, please contact Tracy Whitney tracy@snha.net to schedule this service for your home.
An e-mail survey from your SNHA Board was launched to help us determine the best time to schedule our annual Homeowners Meeting. The 4th of July falls on Saturday this year and many desire that day to be “meeting free” and available for a day for family. The results from the survey are in and the date of the Annual Meeting will be Friday July 3rd in the morning.
It is also that time of year where we start looking for volunteers to serve on the Board as Associate Directors. Being an Associate Director helps the board expand the number of homeowners participating on the board and provides an opportunity for a homeowner to see what it takes in time and effort to serve as a full director who are elected by the homeowners before taking that step. If you are moved to volunteer to serve, please let us know and we will put you in touch with Florrie Page, SNHA Director and member of the SNHA Nominating Committee.
Have a great spring.
Best Regards,
Bob Oehrlein
SNHA President
