Text of Letter sent to members on July 6

Dear Suissevale Neighbor,

My name in John Hawkins, and I have lived in Suissevale with my wife, Barbara, since 2006.

Throughout our married life, wherever we have lived, each neighborhood has had a directory or roster, so neighbors could contact one another. Suissevale is the only exception to this. The Board of Directors has a roster but will only allow use upon their approval.

We want to create a way to communicate on issues of importance to the whole community. Barbara and I have put together a mailing list of Suissevale owners using public records. We are sending this letter to invite you to receive a periodic newsletter. To this end we ask you to provide your email address so that we can communicate more efficiently electronically.

You can do this by returning the enclosed pre-addressed postcard. Or you can go to the website: LoveSuissevale.com and fill in the form. Or email me at johnhawkins@lovesuissevale.com.

Using your email address, we will send out a periodic newsletter.

Suissevale is unique in that many homeowners live elsewhere most of the year and cannot always attend board meetings. This puts all of us at a disadvantage in understanding Suissevale issues that are not posted in the Board Minutes or the Suissevale website. Our newsletter will provide an alternative communication to Board Minutes, to inform you about issues discussed at Board meetings that may affect you, but that may not be included in the minutes or which the board does not want to be discussed in an open forum.

What has compelled us to undertake this? At the January 20, 2018 POASI Board meeting, I proposed to the Board that they raise prices of the marina docks to $1,795 (vs. the $1,000 they now charge) to reflect the benefit the 60 dock holders get. Current dock rentals on the lake range from $2,300 to $3,500.

This would reduce what the 366 non-dock holder home owners would pay for fees to run Suissevale by $112 per household per year. My proposal was not printed in the meeting minutes and was not posted on the Suissevale website. The Board rejected it without allowing homeowners to see, hear, or vote on the proposal, despite my request. Interestingly, 8 of the 14 current board members are dock holders. Can they be truly objective in votes which set marina rates?

My full proposal and all communications with the Board are posted at LoveSuissevale.com. It is worth reading the proposal as you will see that non-marina holders have been subsidizing the marina holders for many years.

We plan to use our website to provide an additional forum for Suissevale homeowners to communicate and post issues that the Board does not post on the Board’s Suissevale website. Open and honest communication can only make our Suissevale community better. Please join us.

Best,

John Hawkins