HOA Board of Directors: A Volunteer
If you have ever served on your HOA’s Board of Directors, you can understand the amount of time and effort that goes into preserving your neighborhood and protecting community property values. A long time House Speaker once said, “All politics is local.” With that said, what could be more local than a democracy practiced within the community you live?
Today, there are approximately 68 million Americans living in about 338,000 homeowner associations, condominiums and other planned communities. More specifically, there are about 1.5 million residents and about 7,500 associations here in Minnesota! Needless to say, the amount of volunteers needed for associations in Minnesota is about 30,000 dedicated owners.
A volunteer can be described as a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. The key to this definition is freely. For many of the volunteer board members, this is a second job that takes time from their families, evenings and/or even their weekend. Many times, if something doesn’t go as designed, fingers are first pointed at the Board of Directors, but often it can also be a lack of communication when an owner buys into a community or misinterprets the association’s governing documents. Generally, one of the great attributes of being a volunteer is reliability, so being there for owners when called upon can show a great deal of trust and commitment to your community.
A board member’s job can be full of challenges, issues and opportunities, some of which can be controversial. As a board member, the role can be both rewarding and thankless. If given the opportunity, please share a simple note of thanks to your board members. It could be at the next board meeting, annual meeting or in a simple e-mail. Chances are, as you are settling in for the evening for your favorite home remodeling show or to catch your favorite sports team in action, your board members are enduring a 60 to 90 minute board meeting, reviewing the upcoming budget, looking at additional bids, or reviewing pending architectural change applications. Most board members have a great deal of integrity as there is a big responsibility with the community’s resources, facilities and homeowner correspondence.
For more information on how to become a board member, how Gaughan Companies can help your community, or for general questions in regard to your community and/or Board of Directors, please visit us at www.gaughancompanies.com/hoa.
CAI-MN has additional resources, too.
Minnesota Construction Industry on the Rise?
In April of 2016, Minnesota added 7,400 employment opportunities with great thanks to the development and construction industries. Statistics indicate a solid increase in development projects throughout Minnesota over the past several months. The construction industry is currently booming with this month having the largest increase in production within the past 25 years. These factors attribute to Minnesota’s lowering unemployment rate which is now approximately 3.7%, and a 1.7% increase in job growth over the past year. Specifically in the Minneapolis and St. Paul region, employment growth increased by 1.8%. These trends help to provide a positive outlook for what the future of construction may hold.
U.S. Bank Stadium Complete
Vikings fans unite in celebration of the completion of the U.S. Bank Stadium! On June 17th, 2016, Mortenson Construction was proud to announce that the stadium had been finalized six weeks prior to the scheduled completion date, and is now ready for business. The U.S. Bank Stadium boasts architectural beauty, as it was designed to reflect a modern day Vikings ship.
The grand opening ceremony is currently scheduled for July 22nd, 2016. The ceremony will be followed by a weekend long festival that will include fun festivities for the whole family!
We are proud to recognize this achievement as a historic milestone in the Twin Cities.
Stealth Train – A reality or fantasy?
In 2014, the North American High Speed Rail (NAHSR) had proposed a business plan for the privately funded 200 MPH Stealth Train, which would be built to expedite travel from the Twin Cities metro area to Rochester. The High Speed Rail (HSR) route is a proposed 77 mile track that is estimated to make the commute in 45 minutes.
The HSR will be fueled by clean electricity supplied by renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and ocean power. The HSR project is estimated to create more than 4,000 construction jobs, and will help alleviate the congestion on highways and runways. This would positively impact society by decreasing the amount of traffic fatalities caused along this route. This project would also boost economic activity due to a variety of factors that are estimated at $1.6 billion dollars per year.
Current theories on the actuality of the HSR coming to life in MN are met by opposition due to rural land owners in Minnesota, and conflicts of interest expressed by concerned MN citizens. There is also concern over the speculation that the train would be outsourced to China for their rail expertise, however no official statement has been released regarding this theory.
The statement from MN Transportation Commissioner, Charles Zelle, was optimistic as he commented, “The Governor’s observation is this will happen in someone’s lifetime in North America, why not here?”
The development of HSR should be an interesting topic as MN learns more about this project coming to life over the next two years.
Read more on the HSR at, (TCB) Twin Cities Business www.tcbmag.com
Village Apartments in Forest Lake Introduces Its New Website
The Village Apartments in Forest Lake, Minnesota is pleased to announce the completion of its brand new website. The website brings a modern feel along with an easy to navigate format. Potential residents will be able view floor plans, look at interior photos of units as well as have the ability fill out and submit their applications directly from the website. If you are a current resident of the Village Apartments, the resident login portal is front as center as you land on the page, making it convenient to access your online account.
The Village Apartments website can be found at:
