Community College of DuPage Student Run Restaurants

One might think that with the closure of the Waterleaf that visitors to the community college will now have to dine on cafeteria fare. That was never the case.  There are a variety of opportunities for good dining on fare prepared by students.  In other words, we  taxpayers are no longer supporting a fine dining professional restaurant at the college which will compete with students in the Culinary Program.

With the closure of the infamous Waterleaf Restaurant at the College of DuPage, one might assume there is a lack of suitable fare at the community college. Not so. Former president Robert Breuder once told nearby residents who expressed concern about the financial losses at the Waterleaf that this tre' restaurant was a "lab" and as such it did not have to make money. I know, because I was sitting about 15 feet from him when he pronounced those words. If I were cynical, I would say that this "laboratory" was for the personal aggrandizement of the former president, members of the board of trustees, and to impress cronies.

COD Restaurant facilities which provide good eating (including fine dining) AND support student endeavors

Here are the cafe's and venues which are managed by college faculty with dinners prepared by culinary students. Note: The dates, times and locations may change with the announcement of the closure of the Waterleaf Restaurant. Readers should check with the Community College for current schedules.

Welcome to Wheat Café/Culinary Market
"Wheat Café is our 60-seat, casual dining room specializing in contemporary American cuisine. Students use fresh seasonal ingredients to create a culinary experience that is both memorable and educational. Culinary and Hospitality program Knowledgeable College of DuPage faculty teaching in state-of-the-art facilities prepare you to manage hotels or restaurants, become a chef, run a catering business or start your own business."

Capstone Dinners Classical Cuisine
"Culinary Class Dinners Enjoy an evening of fine food and wines prepared and served by advanced culinary students. Fresh flowers and elegant, welcoming service will delight your senses at the Classical Dinners. The multi-course dinner, in the Waterleaf dining room, is a contemporary expression of classical French cuisine served with appropriate wines.

The total cost of each evening of gourmet dining is $60 per person. (Includes 8.25% tax). Seatings are at 6, 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. on select Tuesdays this Fall beginning Sept. 8.

Click Here for COD wheat cafe classical cuisine

International Cuisine Class Dinners
Experience the enjoyment of a wonderful and relaxing evening by taking a gastronomic tour of the world from the comfort of the enchanting Waterleaf Dining Room at the College of DuPage. Regional cuisines will feature recipes celebrating the seasons and utilizing the freshest ingredients. Guests will also appreciate attentive service as they enjoy a carefully chosen wine or beer to compliment the menu. The total cost of each evening of gourmet dining is $45 per person. (Includes 8.25% tax). Dinner is served at 7 p.m. on select Mondays this Fall."

Click Here for COD International Cuisine


Culinary Market 
"The Culinary Market features baked goods, soups, salads, sides and other items created by students in the Culinary program. Pre-orders are welcome but subject to item availability. Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover), personal checks (payable to College Of DuPage) and cash are accepted. The market is open Tuesdays to Thursdays, noon to 2:30 p.m. during each term. 15 minute parking is available outside the Culinary & Hospitality Center. Call (630) 942-3809 for more information."

Waterleaf Restaurant at College of DuPage to Close

Updated

According to the community college "Warmth and elegance surround you at Waterleaf. " Well, not for much longer. 

The Waterleaf restaurant at the Community College of DuPage will close its doors. According to a Daily Herald article dated May 2, 2015 this restaurant has lost $1.8 million since its 2011 opening. The building also cost many more $millions to construct.

According to the community college, this restaurant it "has earned OpenTable Diner’s Choice awards as well as the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for a wine program well matched to our concept, menu and price point."

The decision to close was made by the board of trustees.

In an article dated August 13, 2015 the Edgar County Watchdogs said it this way "College of DuPage voted to end era of the Waterleaf wateringhole" Here is the post:

"College of DuPage (ECWd) – The College of DuPage Board of Trustees voted to close the Waterleaf. The vote was 5 – 1, Wazniak voted no, with Birt absent. The building will be converted to an educational purpose. Closing date is Aug 31, 2015."

http://edgarcountywatchdogs.com


Notes:
I'm posting the following reviews or headlines about this restaurant. In the future some may wonder what the uproar was about. The restaurant was controversial because it was a money loser at the community college, and possibly lost $500,000 in one year if one ignores the $200,000 the board of trustees spent there, largely via funds provided by the college or related organizations. It is unclear how much the restaurant actually lost, if one removes the college and related funds spent for President Breuder and the Board of Trustees to wine and dine there. We have no idea how much the PR spin machine of the college spent to promote this restaurant, but my guess is it was probably $hundreds of thousands if one considers the cost of the communications staffers that Breuder and the board put in place in recent years.

Here's a summary of reviews from the Community College of DuPage website for this restaurant:

Chicago Tribune's Phil Vettel gives Waterleaf a 3-star Review 
There are hidden gems, and then there are hidden gems. Waterleaf restaurant, for instance, isn’t a good restaurant where one wouldn’t expect to find it; it’s a good restaurant tucked away where you’d never think to look for it. it. 

Inn at Water's Edge and Waterleaf Restaurant on 190 North. 
The award-winning "190 North" showcases the hippest,trendiest lifestyles and entertainment stories around! You never know what to expect from multi-talented host Janet Davies. Janet takes viewers on a tour of the Inn at Water’s Edge and talks with guests about their experience. She also give viewers a behind the scenes look at the Waterleaf Restaurant. The episode aired on ABC channel 7.

Waterleaf is an Open Table Diner's Choice winner! 

Waterleaf earns a second Wine Spectator Award For the second consecutive year, 
Waterleaf received a prestigious “2013 Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator’s comprehensive World’s Best Wine Lists has been compiled annually by the magazine since 1981.

Crain’s Chicago Business gives Waterleaf 3 Stars! 

Waterleaf earns a Reader's Choice Award in Glancer Magazine for best "Restaurant for Dinner"

Naperville Magazine Yelp Elite Gives Waterleaf 5 Stars!

Culinary luminaries lend their light to fine dining at Waterleaf in Glen Ellyn

Opentable.com "Best Overall" designation.
Waterleaf has the “Best Overall” designation from Opentable.com for restaurants in the west suburbs. In addition, the new fine-dining establishment received “Best Ambience” and “Best Service” recognition by the dining and foodie website.

Sun-Times Declares Waterleaf “Hidden Gem”
Waterleaf garnered a three-star “Excellent” rating in a recent Chicago Sun-Times restaurant review.

[Here's an excerpt from the article: "COD’s fine-dining establishment is described as a “culinary treasure” and “a classy newcomer” to the western suburbs, featuring high-quality fare, top-notch service and a plush ambiance.  A shakedown period is inevitable with new restaurants, and diners usually must make allowances as the kitchen tweaks its menu and management smooths out the rough spots in service. But that’s not part of the drill at the well-tuned Waterleaf Restaurant, a classy newcomer in Glen Ellyn. The 150-seat restaurant, housed in the new Culinary and Hospitality Center of the College of DuPage, has enjoyed smooth sailing since its October 2011 debut........Waterleaf’s ambience is plush. The main dining room has an understated decor and dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. Its walls display a collection of black-and-white lithographs by renowned American artist Richard Serra."]

Final comment: "Smooth sailing"? Sounds like only something the shills for Illinois politicians Blagojevich, Madigan, and so on, could come up with.

Lakecliffe Street Repaving - Schedule Update

The board approved the repaving of Salisbury Court as part of the south Lakecliffe repaving project. This approval came during the HOA meeting last Thursday. Precise scheduling is to be determined, but the contractor has advised management that they can to this project in September.

Snagging a Drone

Saw a video of a fishman versus a drone over at ECN. It resulted in a tussle between a fisherman and a drone. I think it is time for something completely different.

First, this is what was being filmed:

Apparently the drone upset a fisherman and this is what happened:

That was an amazing cast!

Drainage Improvements and Landscaping - A Distinction

Continuing a recent series of posts. This one includes a series of photos with explanations and some history; "Why is it taking so long?" It's also useful to know the "how" and the "why."

Note: I edited this as it was too long, split it into two posts. The auto scheduler will post the second part in a few days.

To accomplish drainage improvements does require Architecture, Maintenance and Projects to take on some landscaping chores. However, that is not considered landscaping, which is another domain and other board member responsibility. The drainage work includes mechanical and concrete too, but because we can't lay pipe, or alter the flow of water through berms or trees without removing soil, adding retaining walls to protect trees,  etc. it does require that we sculpt these areas and then do landscaping to restore them. I'd like to point out that this HOA has 84 building entrances. That's a lot of work and a lot has been accomplished since the fall of 2010. It is also true that this HOA is aging and some problems have accelerated in recent years.  Boards have had real difficulty keeping up.

After several attempts at completing these drainage projects it was determined that the use of grass mat was labor intensive. Easy to put down, but difficult to grow and prone to lots of weeds. Watering of all of this is done using maintenance personnel and is generally charged to maintenance anyway. So if maintenance is going to take the hit to get this done, why not do it right the first time? That's an example of flipping the status quo.

One thing to bear in mind is that sod doesn't always take the first time. This is especially true if it is put down in the heat of summer. Some additional landscaping repairs will be required to deal with sod that doesn't take. However, our maintenance does water it regularly. The problem is the sod. It is force fed and watered at the farm to grow rapidly. The change to a permanent location can be a shock for the grass. As far as I am concerned, once the sod is in place, the maintenance falls to landscaping and is no longer the responsibility of A, P &M (Architecture, Projects and Maintenance). At that time it is for the rest of the board to step up to the plate.

This post is to point out some examples of maintenance chores versus landscaping chores, so the readers recognize the difference when they see it on the property. First I'll provide some photos of drainage improvements and then a few photos of areas undergoing landscaping. Different board members are involved in the decision making and the leadership of these two areas. In fact, each board member has a specific area of responsibilities. With each area come decision making, the requirement for action and the results.

Here are a few photos of recent drainage improvement areas which include berm modifications, drainage piping, retaining walls, creation of swales, new soil and laying sod. We have a range of solutions to choose from and because the driveway and front area of each entrance is different, we can't use the "cookie cutter" approach some board members have preferred. That approach simply won't work. These photos don't include work areas in 2010-2013 and only one area from 2014 is shown below. These photos are about this year's accomplishments and realities. We now have dozens of areas that have been improved and it's taken four long, uphill years to get to this point. All of this to get water to run downhill; how ironic!

The drainage project will take a few more years and should be completed a year or so after the last roof is upgraded.  I hope there is a board in place that will get the job done. Some owners have noticed how problems have been compounding. It will take some additional effort to set things right. Who will do it?:

A modified berm and drainage pipe addition

A modified berm and new walk to improve drainage to the street

A modified berm with new walk to direct flow from the building to the street

Another modified berm with new walk to direct water flow from the building to the street

A modified berm with retaining wall and new walk added to direct water to street 

Another view of the entrance above. We prefer not to install retaining walls, but sometimes there is no other solution if we want to keep the healthy trees

A reworked berm and new walk to direct water to the street

A reworked berm with new walk and retaining wall to direct water to the street

A large berm where two trees died was removed and new walks to direct water to the street

A reworked area after a water main-fire hydrant replacement - more for Landscaping to do

A reworked berm and new walk to direct water to street

A retaining wall to allow cutting a swale to direct water to the street

Another view of the retaining wall in the photo above -Save those trees!

The following are a few photos of areas that are strictly landscaping. A, P & M were not involved. I would also add that with the completion of drainage improvements that the maintaining of grass, planting new trees, remedial work, etc. is entirely the responsibility of landscaping at this HOA:

a dead tree was removed from this location and sodded. Many more to do!

This is lawn repair

Plantings where a tree died. Did residents do this? Yes, they did, according to Management.

More to do - Landscaping now has the responsibility to take over

Scars left by the removal of trees - Landscaping required

Typical scar left by the removal of a tree - Landscaping required

Etc., etc., etc.

Front Lawn Improvement - After Removal of Trees, etc. - Example

Continuing an earlier post. If we say that our landscaping is one of the primary reasons people purchase in this HOA, then that's worthy of a program and some air time. Some people can't understand why things are the way they are, or why it takes so long to deal with issues. Perhaps this post will clarify.

The HOA is now continuing drainage work and cleaning up after the death of a substantial number of trees. This post includes some examples. The primary one is an extreme case. It is not necessarily the worst on the property nor is it the only such example. In some cases trees have been removed for four years and we've yet to get to the drainage work so sod, etc. can be planted. Maintenance continues to catch up on drainage improvements required by new roofs.

Some years ago, I stated to management that it was difficult to impossible for a HOA to catch up when it falls behind. Management agreed. We were discussing finances (funding for reserves) but this also applies to many other aspects of the HOA. Maintenance issues, if allowed to decline create terrible pressures.

This following example is the aftermath of the death of three large trees, all in front of a single building.  Most tree removals leave a scar which can be corrected with removal of chips after stumping and replacement with topsoil and turf, or plantings. Planting can be done later, after turf. Turf is an inexpensive planting. After turfing, the area can and probably should be revisited and a decision made to put in plantings, or new trees.

At the location which lost three trees, after removal of one dead spruce in 2012 a new tree was planted in this location but it died in 2015. Then two other large trees died.

When a series of closely spaced trees dies as these did, the consequences are very noticeable. Suddenly those berms look odd. Because the berms contain the remains of stumps and other organic material, they will become mis-shapen. The wood chips which remain mark the grave. This will require substantial work to bring back to normal.

At this particular building that was the extent of the work that was done to deal with the removal of the tree. This building was one of about 17 that yet need a new roof and about 25 that will get some additional drainage improvements. Planting a new tree was premature.  I knew what was coming and so I simply shrugged. But some owners weren't happy and I suspect board members feel pressure from time to time to show some performance. Better to plan long term and explain what we are doing is my mantra. But now that time is past and any such planning would require a willingness to state to owners the details. So boards may fail on two counts; a lack of a plan, and an unwillingness to tell the owners what the plan is. I'm also really clear that this HOA has not had a plan prior to 2010.

Here's one way to look at this. If a facility that spends between $1.2 million and $1.6 million per year knows that all roofs will be replaced within 10-15 years with drainage improvements, what's the appropriate leadership tack? The first roof in the series was replaced about 15 years ago. That building got the full treatment, including drainage improvements. So why wasn't this incorporated in the planning process? It can't be blamed on a lack of continuity in leadership. We've had at least two long term members in leadership positions for many years.  I've never gotten a straight answer about this.

Now, the reader might ask "Why wasn't the front lawn of the building in the masthead photo simply regraded in 2014?" There's a really simple explanation. This HOA is attempting to catch up with a variety of projects which were either ignored or pushed back for a decade. In other words, it has taken four long, uphill years to get this HOA to where it is today. It will take additional years for maintenance to get this done and catch up. After attempting to do some of this with a landscaping contractor, I gave up. Simply not responsive enough and we actually had to do one front lawn twice, after deciding to move to turf. Yes, it needs water, but it doesn't need weeding. Now, if I want to spend $20,000 on a lot of rock and plantings in a small area I know where to go. If I want to get the drainage work completed with alacrity, I also know how, and I am. However, there is simply too large a backlog and the board isn't about to spend $300,000 to get the job done in a year.

Other reasons for a failure to get this done in 2014 was the roofing project, which boards pushed back for about 8 years. Another is the drainage work required by new roofs. Last year, it was a major street replacement which had failed about 15 years earlier than expected.  Boards handled that by leaving it for me to deal with. BTW, that's why I have a beef. I've said that since I've been on this HOA board I've spent nearly all of my time "cleaning up the messes made by others." That's not a joke or an idle complaint.

Boards simply ignored the drainage problem for about a decade. Consider that with a little planning, this work could have been done in advance of the roofing project. But it wasn't because boards, comprised of a variety of owners including some really seasoned veterans simply ignored the problem. So today, we need to do work at dozens of entry ways. Some have been waiting since 2008-9.

Currently, about 50 locations need work because of the removal of trees. Some is extensive and some are not. Some of this was not expected, but most was. Trees have been removed because of the EAB, old age, death, disease and so on. The building later in this post has been selected by management and maintenance/architecture to get a new roof this year and the board issued an approval. The existing roof on that building is 21 years old, but had a projected life of 18-20 years. That roof is typical of the remaining (old) roofs on the property. I think the oldest is approaching 25. My building is 22 years of age and is not yet on the list for replacement (probably 2016 or 2017 assuming we have a board in place that will get the job done).

Here's what it looks like after a large tree is removed:

But in recent years we've lost many trees, some small, others medium and some large. These include pines, spruce, willows, ash, birch and ornamentals. I have taken thousands of photos over the span of 9 years. I also have taken extensive notes, surveys, etc. This is not always a good thing because I'm really aware of the condition of the property as well as shortcomings, problems, mis-steps and so on:

Here's the subject building with two large dead trees straddling the driveway. It has an extensive berm across the entire front of the building: 

One year later almost to the day, it has been cleaned up and re-sodded.  This is not the best time to do this as extreme heat may kill the sod. But this HOA has a short time each year in which to accomplish this type of work:

The next photo depicts this same location shortly after the removal of three large trees. A small tree was planted in 2011 to replace one of the three; you can see it to the left of the photo. Then the spruce died; it had already been removed in this photo. Later in 2014 the remains of the ash to the left of the driveway were placed on the berm prior to removal. 

The small tree is behind the remains. That tree died this year; it had survived for three. It was planted on top of a berm which included a pile of wood chips left behind after the removal of a large tree. 

With the death of the small replacement and a new roof scheduled this year, it was a necessity to remove some of that berm to allow water to move away from the building entrances and to the street. It was also the final opportunity to do so. After removal of two stumps in the berm in the photo above, there was a lot of dead or dying organic material in that berm. 

The garage to the left will also receive a new driveway and the slope will be improved. Both entrances in this building will have a walk installed, which is part of the roofing project and/or driveway project. (The walks were installed in June of this year, in anticipation of the other work.)

Because of the new roof, this property will also have new and more extensive gutters and relocated downspouts. Without drainage improvements, water from these gutters would pool against the building or at the entrances. In some cases where drainage improvements were not made, we have had water actually raise to such a level against some buildings as to enter units and/or garages.

Here's the way the area looked about a week ago after the tree roots had been cleared, chips removed, excess soil removed and preliminary grading was completed. The next step will be to haul this detritus and put in topsoil.

A week later after grading and so on, this is how this location looked today after sod had been laid:

This is the problem in about 50 locations. Most are not as severe. In some cases after removal of the tree and chipping of the stump the HOA or residents have added plantings. I'd say these need to be improved but maintenance is swamped at this time:

How does this work? Here is a typical chronology. Some boards do only the first or second step (remove the dead tree and then follow up with removal the stump). After that, it's all up for grabs. After the dead or diseased tree (or trees) have been removed, then the stump remains can be reduced to chips. After that, the board has several choices. Leave the chips in place and move on, or do remedial work. Sometimes the board moves on. That's the lowest cost, easiest way to get the job done.

I prefer to do it completely the first time, rather than leaving mine traps for future boards and future owners who will then have the unpleasant surprise of paying for these problems. Yes, this really is avoidable. But there are other factors at present, and there have been for about five years.

My problem is the extraordinary effort and cost of cleanup. After passing the buck and avoiding solutions since 2000, this HOA can't continue the status quo. I've been the lucky winner with the broom following the parade. I've not been the most popular here since 2008. Some people don't like the fees, others don't like the messes. Here's the reality. I didn't create these problems. I'm merely the janitor. But I can say after eight years that some don't like reality or anyone who points it out. I've concluded that some would prefer to live with their head in the sand.

Here is a location which was regraded last year after several large trees were removed. This is the way it looked after chips, roots and so on had been removed. Then topsoil was brought in and finally sod was put in place. Multiply this by 50 and you can get some ideas of the magnitude of the problem facing the board.  If we want to keep fees low, it is argued that the proper approach is to do as little as possible. I disagree with that and I have the evidence to back my position up (our current fees include a substantial amount required to deal with past failures to collect necessary fees). That is not what occurred in the following photos.

Here's another view of the area in the above photo, facing the opposite direction. This is about one year later. It will take a few years to get the grass to grow well, and in many areas there is additional watering required.

Can Better Planning Assist a HOA Board?

Recently several owners in our HOA expressed concern about the progress and condition of the exterior areas of the property.  The exterior areas are reeling from requirements posed by new roofs and the destruction of numerous trees in recent years. The Emerald Ash Borer was one problem which was kept at bay until the drought of 2012. Numerous pines and spruces have succumbed to some insect pests, willows have been removed that posed a danger to buildings or fell, and a lot of smaller ornamentals simply died because of end of life. There will be more!

Escalation of the roofing project as our building roofs have approached and passed beyond normal "lifespan" has aggravated the situation. By escalation I mean moving from 2 or 3 roof replacements per year to 4 or 8. I did this to avoid having roofs on the property which were "scheduled" for replacement in 18-20 years, yet reached 25 years of age. I say "scheduled" in quotes because that is an example of the problem. We all know the condition of the roofs and the lifespan. Management can tell us, Maintenance can tell us, and we have no less than three reserve studies to tell us. Yet for 5 years, it has been a mad dash for me to replace roofs at a high pace, to avoid imminent failure. Am I being melodramatic? I don't think so. There should be a plan in place to replace a roof that was designed and installed for a lifespan of 18-20 years, shouldn't there? But the powers that be from 1990-2000 didn't bother.

So, at the slow pace of previous boards, some of these roofs might not have been replaced for 30 years. Think about that. How would you like to live under a roof designed for 18-20 years which was not replaced for 30 years? Not many of us would, and boards at BLMH had their roofs replaced on schedule.

Here is the larger question. Shouldn't a board put in place a plan to accomplish just that? This is what I mean by "better planning."

Well, this may not be a concern of a board which has units in buildings with new roofs. Sometimes reality will guide planning, but if board members are sequestered within their buildings with new roofs and drainage improvements, and don't track the real condition of the property, then is it a surprise that some of us have roofs more than 20 years of age?

An owner was surprised to learn while I was A&M Director and pressed for the escalation of this project that I reside in a building with a 22 year old roof. He said "I guess that means there is no favoritism on the board." Unfortunately, it only means that in this example, with me as Architecture Director, there is currently no favoritism. I advised that owner that because the roof had no leaks or ice dams that it was not the most in need of replacement. That is true. But I can't say what other board members would have done.

Nor will I make up "good news" stories for poorly acting board members on a variety of boards over the years. The property speaks for itself. But, it is necessary to state that our HOA is well maintained according to some experts. Now. as for the other aspects of aging infrastructure, if plans aren't formulated, then future boards will be struggling for another 5-10 years. After that? It will be entirely dependent upon plans put in place in 2016 and beyond.

Is drainage a problem? With the replacement of each roof, two entrances at each building must be re-worked to prevent water from new gutters with relocated downspouts from entering garages, entering units or inundating entrances.

Various boards dealt with trees for decades on a year-by-year basis. This worked well because the volume was low. Removing one or two trees, or grading two entrances in a year is something that can be dealt with easily. Sometimes stumping occurred with application of new turf, but not always. Only in the past three years has maintenance taken over some of these chores simply to get the work done.

However, boards have failed to do some (any) of these things. That created a backlog of problems which has overwhelmed recent boards, management and maintenance.

In May I presented a diagram to management and the board which depicted the extent of stumps, dirt piles and so on left behind by the removal of trees. This also indicated most, but not all, entrances where drainage work was required. Just a sketch, not rechecked. I'm of the opinion other board members can do that.

Now that it is full summer, some owners have complained about conditions or expressed a concern about a lack of progress. That is their opinion. As usual, we simply can't move fast enough for them. However, there is a good reason for this. Boards generally operate as a reaction. Only after "disaster" has struck will the board move. That's the way it has been at BLMH for decades. Until we clean house, that is the way it will continue. However, a new board does not assure improvement. Remember 2008? We got koffee klatches, hand wringing and kum-bay-ah.

I responded to a recent owner's email about the issues this way:

"Management is on top of this, and a whole lot of other ongoing landscaping and maintenance on the property. This HOA can't move as fast as residents can type. 

In May (nearly 90 days ago)  I presented a diagram to the board and management which defined the current state of the [property] as a consequence of removed trees, the piles of wood chips, dirt spots and drainage work. It will take more than a year to get this all back together. When a tree is cut down it must be stumped. There is a lot of organic material under some of these berms that supported a large pine or ash. That has to be removed before the area can be re-landscaped. Of course, it isn't practical to dig up and pick through this by hand, so the material is removed and new soil brought in to replace the organically laced. .........We could just throw turf over it, let the organic rot and in a year or so you'd have an uneven and browning lawn. That would be a problem for a future board and at additional HOA expense. 

And some owners wonder why fees are where they are?

I'd prefer to publish this type of information in the newsletter so everyone would be up to date, but not all board members agree. So the HOA doesn't. Of course, writing an article takes time and it may provide less than wonderful information to owners and other residents. That information will be published on the WWW with the posted newsletter. Purely conjecture on my part, but I wonder if a "touchy feely" and "feel good" mentality drives some of this. Property values can be driven by perception, can't they? 

It is important to remember that the leadership for decision making is in the hands of multiple board members, but can be driven by the president or another board member.  Because I'm involved in Architecture and projects, my primary concern has been coordinating drainage with landscaping. Funding all of this is of course the responsibility of the entire board which makes the decisions. The stone trim you expressed concern about is landscaping. During a recent HOA meeting the landscaping director stated that this is to be the final year of the replacement of mulch around buildings with stone. He stated that mulch will continue to be spread under trees which are away from the buildings. 

After this is completed, we'll see what is next, and the entire board will make a decision and that will be it. There are of course a range of opinions. One owner expressed the opinion that she didn't  like the color of the stone, the mess created by several dead trees adjacent to the building housing her unit and so on. However, there was no plan in place to deal with this and so we are now punting.  While it is true the existence of a plan would not have prevented the death of trees, it would have been something that .....could have proceeded simply by pulling the trigger. 

But most HOAs don't operate that way. "

And, at times neither does BLMH. So we today are struggling to deal with the accumulation of about 6 years of drainage improvements required by new roofs (this was put in place by the boards from 2002-2010 and before my tenure). I should add that we are also struggling because the boards of 2007-2010 failed to deal with these drainage improvements, preferring to pass the problem to future boards and future owners. Of course, better planning would assist the HOA board, but that planning would be accomplished by HOA boards which include members who may loath to plan and avoid communications. So this is a problem which cannot be resolved without new, and more competent boards.

It is true that organizations sink to the level of the lowest common denominator. After about 50 years in leadership positions, I can say this from personal experience and observation.