Lakecliffe - "The HOA Board should pay for this!"

This post is an update

The comment in the title of this post was made by an owner who doesn't appreciate the inconvenience imposed by the street project, which is published to occur during the next two weeks.

Yes, and I suppose he/she is also of the opinion the HOA board should don our "Sherpa Uniforms" and carry them to their door and up the stairs, too!

I've come to describe the members of this group the "Entitlement Brigade." Does anyone think these people really have any capacity or awareness beyond themselves? These are the same people who have been complaining "When will you fix Lakecliffe?" Now that the date has arrived, the primary concern is "How will you take care of me?"

Here's a current "Before" Photo of the offending street, taken yesterday:

Signs have been posted and three, THREE different notices have been posted AND MAILED so everyone is informed. Why three different notices? There are three groups affected: 1) Those on the street to be rebuilt, 2) The adjacent street which will also be access limited and 3) Residents elsewhere.

Yesterday another notice was posted in the entrances of the affected addresses on Lakecliffe. This notice, on a different color paper, was also put on parked vehicles. It provided emphasis about parking restrictions and advised that problem vehicles "WILL BE TOWED."

Here's one of two signs posted on July 23:

Some historical Information
Here's two photos from my April 7, 2010 post. These were taken on March 18, 2010. That's a yardstick in the photos. These photos were published only after the board ignored my concerns. By 2010 I'd been advising various board members for about two years that this street was in serious trouble and prone to deterioration. I finally and very reluctantly pressed to get on the board because of this and other serious financial problems. In 2009 the owners decided I wasn't qualified. In 2010, in part by accident (voter apathy) I achieved a seat on the board; lucky me! I'm not on the board of BLMH because of any overwhelming owner consensus. To the contrary, it's because the Entitlement Brigade and their entourage were unable to prevent this from happening. I'm on the board of BLMH primarily as an accident.

The potholes in the photos were eventually patched, as were more and more holes each year. But the underlying problems were ignored. My formal, written advice in January 2010 that this street would require $100,000 within 5 years (no later than 2014) was ignored. At the time I wasn't a member of the "yes board." This expensive solution was left to others, because it was really about looking good. That group walked and left this and many other messes for others to clean up. But then, it never was about solving problems or maintaining BLMH, or making it a better place to live, was it? It was about "keeping fees as low as possible" until the voters could bail. At best, I would describe that board as "misguided." For the supporters who drank the kool-aid and remained here, the economy and the real estate market did not cooperate. You were left stranded. Too bad for you! For the group that remains here, they are the few who couldn't escape via the "window of opportunity" that was created. But the "wise sages" left. The followers? They feel they are trapped, or betrayed and are unhappy. So blame others and join the Entitlement Brigade.

The reality? We are not the center of the universe; we don't control the laws of physics, we can't escape death, or the consequences of our financial ineptitude and there are consequences to our actions or inactions. I would also add that it is blatant stupidity to expect others to clean up our messes for us.The argument seems to be "I am entitled and I paid my fees!"  I'm being generous. With owner fee delinquencies, it is quite possible some of the complainers have not paid their fees.

Let's all sing the refrain together "What do we get for our money?"