Hello ERC Neighbors!
There is much news to write about
in my first letter as President of the Estates
of Russell Creek Homeowners Association. However,
first let me take a few lines to introduce myself.
My name is Dave Oldani and I have lived in the
ERC with my family on Norwich Lane since October
2004. I became an ERC Board Member for the first
time last year and served as Treasurer. My wife,
Lisa, has been the Editor of the Estates of Russell
Creek Review newsletter since the printed form
was resurrected last June. Together, we have also
served in other ERC capacities including coordinating
the 2007 Fall Festival and have stepped in on
an interim basis to coordinate this year's Egg
Hunt and Spring Fling. Lisa and I have four children
that currently attend Rice Middle School and Wyatt
Elementary. We also share our home with two dogs
and a cat. Please let me know if you know of anyone
that wants a cat…
I am very excited to be given the
honor and responsibility of being President of
the ERC HOA and look forward to serving our wonderful
community over the coming year. We really do have
a great community. It is located in a wonderful
area, with great schools, well designed homes
and two first-class amenity centers that are the
envy of other neighborhoods; but most of all it
is full of great people. Since becoming a member
of the ERC community, I have met some fabulous
people that I now have the honor of calling friends.
With Gratitude - The ERC
2008 annual meeting was held on March 25th. Four
of the seven Board of Director seat terms were
expired and open for election. Directors Terri
McCoy, Joe Bisacca and Marc Niketas
served out their board terms and chose not to
run for re-election. I personally want to thank
all three of them for their years of service to
the ERC.
Welcome Aboard & Back!
- At the annual meeting, Amy Newell, Jeff Einspahr,
John Dwyer and Doug Finn were elected
as Directors to the Board. Each of these Board
Members will be serving two-year terms. John Dwyer
is serving for the first time, while Amy Newell,
Jeff Einspahr and Doug Finn have all served on
the Board previously. It is great to have these
individuals take an interest in the affairs of
the ERC and I look forward to working with all
of them. Please join me in welcoming them all
to (and back to) the ERC Board of Directors. It
would be a great gesture to thank all the Board
Members you know, or come across, for their service
and the giving of all their time and talents.
Please remember that your Board Members serve
on a purely volunteer basis.
Capital Improvements Are Coming!
- Your new Board has already held its first
meeting to discuss various ERC business. The majority
of this meeting, which lasted over four hours
(to give you a perspective as to the time commitment
of your Board), was spent reviewing and deciding
on the numerous necessary capital improvements
to the ERC. As we are all aware, as our community
(and all of us!) have aged, so has ERC property.
Both the Kimbrough Pool and Bonita Park &
Pool complexes were showing their years and are
in need of some major work to restore them as
best as possible to their original condition.
Contained in this month's newsletter
(see link above) is an article with a detailed
list of the capital improvement projects and costs
that your Board has authorized and is currently
working on implementing. I strongly suggest that
you take a moment to review this article. Hopefully,
you will be pleased to see that your HOA assessment
dollars are being reinvested into your community.
Please know that your Board is committed to improving
all the ERC community assets today, while planning
for the future and balancing our long-term needs;
and at the same time trying to be the best stewards
of the HOA's funds.
The ERC Renaissance Has Begun
-The only thing constant in this world is change.
(Yes, I know that's deep.) While things do change
and nothing is ever the same, your Board is doing
its best to restore and rejuvenate our community
back into its original state, including all its
amenities such as the Kimbrough and Bonita complexes.
These buildings and grounds have aged and become
worn and are in need of repair and restoration.
We are taking the time and are reinvesting in
and restoring our property. How about you?
It is the Board's intention to lead
by example and set the standard when it comes
to maintaining one's property. We hope that by
revitalizing our common areas and facilities,
members of the ERC will feel better about their
community and take more pride in where they live.
Then in turn, this will inspire others to do the
same with their homes and lawns. Simply put, your
Board is hoping to start an ERC Renaissance! (I
have to give Bob Geibler credit for the use of
the term renaissance, which he mentioned in a
conversation we had.)
Call for Volunteers - Since
being on the Board I have been asked countless
times: "Why don't we have pool parties anymore?",
"Why don't we have adult parties anymore?",
"Why don't we do 'this' or 'that' anymore?".
The answer to these questions is always the same.
It is because of: You. It takes individuals like
you to make these things happen.
If you would like the ERC to have
more community functions, there are several things
that you can do. Send in your suggestions and
ideas, respond to requests for volunteers and
thank those that give back to our community with
words of encouragement. Think back to your youth.
Do you have any fond memories of moments with
your neighbors? Do you want your children to have
the same? As adults, would you like to get to
know your neighbors better and build lasting relationships?
The only way that this can be done is by your
initiation and showing a little flexibility and
enthusiasm on your part. Additionally, there will
be more communication forthcoming as to how you
can help the ERC from Denise Duggan, our Vice
President who oversees committees and volunteers.
Thank You - Thank you all for your patience
over the coming year as we strive to improve the
ERC and make it even more of a premier community.
Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts,
suggestions or concerns you may have. I pledge
to do my best to address all matters brought to
my attention. However, as I always say, I cannot
do anything about it, unless I first know about
it. So please let me know if there is something
we need to discuss.
Best regards,
Dave Oldani
President
Estates of Russell Creek HOA
