AGM mailing and ballots

The AGM packet has been sent.  The packet contains the financial information, along with two ballot measures related to the budget.  Please vote on approving the budget.  Also enclosed with the financials is a ballot for waiving the yearly audit requirement.  Please vote on that item.
 
Also in the packet is a voter pamphlet and ballots for the Board of Directors.  Please vote.
 
On each of the ballot measures, please sign, date, add your address, and return the ballots to the HOA.  The address is:
Sea Links at Birch Bay Community Association
4550 Birch Bay-Lynden Road
PMB 1190
Blaine, WA  98230
 
Alternatively, forward your scanned ballots to the sea links email account.
sealinksboard@gmail.com
 
Sincerely,
 
Sea Links Board

Information regarding recent mailings.

All community members have recently received 2 different mailings. 

The first mailing was a board approved mailing explaining the needed changes due to Covid-19 and asked for people to come forward to volunteer for election to the Board of Directors. This mailing was to help community members understand the difficulty the board is facing regarding in person meetings and to offer up a legal solution regarding voting for future board committee members and the upcoming revised annual general meeting. The cancelation of the in person AGM and the decision to not hold a zoom style meeting were taken after many discussions and following legal counsel from the association attorney. This mailing was an approved letter from the board of directors and is in line with the guidelines of the CC&R’s.  

A second mailing, sent by a homeowner in the community, was not approved or sent from the Board of Directors.  The mailing seeks to undermine the legitimate process of voting for Board members as outlined in our governing documents. Worse, their actions exposed Sea Links to additional charges, as they are using Birch Bay Tax and Accounting as their personal mail stop and secretary. Birch Bay Tax and Accounting is the Sea Links accountant, they are not a post office box, and they are not the Sea Links secretary. 

While it is completely within their rights to contact other members of the community regarding changes to the bylaws, the Board has been approached by many within the community who have expressed anger and frustration at receiving their mailing. Especially as they make many accusations which are either false or misleading. We encourage all homeowners to voice their opinion; however, homeowners are under no obligation whatsoever to respond to a mailing from a individual member. Additionally any costs to the community will be billed directly to them for payment, as they have no authority to bind the Board, or have the community pay for their personal grievances.

We look forward to sending out the Annual notices this coming week. Inside, there will be information on the budget and several items to vote on related to the budget. We will also send out a voter pamphlet to give all homeowners information on those who have expressed interest in serving on the board, enabling all homeowners to make an informed decision of who gets to serve Sea Links. 

Should you have any questions or would like to still submit for consideration as part of the board please email us at sealinksboard@gmail.com or contact a Board member.  We are happy to respond to any questions you may have.

Regards,

Sea Links President

Joe Black 

Deadline extension for new board member nominees

November 20th, 2020

Dear Homeowners of Sea Links:

Due to clerical errors with the mail out recently sent out to members we have extended the deadline for the nominees regarding the open board positions. We had planned for the information to be mailed on Nov 1st and due to circumstances outside of the boards control the mail out was delayed. The board tried to coordinate a new date and mailing and unfortunately a clerical error resulted in the document having incorrect dates. 

Due to this error we are extending the deadline for submissions to Nov. 29th and nominees for consideration can be mailed or emailed to the board up until that point. We have also adjusted the original mailing and it can be found below:

 Dear Sea links members,

Due to the ongoing issues surrounding the Covid 19 pandemic the Sea links AGM (annual general meeting) will not be able to happen as per years past. The board of directors has been in discussion with our state representatives as well as legal council on how to move forward with the AGM during these difficult times. We have been advised that an in person meeting is completely forbidden and a zoom style meeting would require a change in our bylaws of which would be an almost impossible task. This along with the many members who don’t have access to Zoom along with the technical difficulties surrounding a zoom meeting, we have been advised that we should move forward with the following meeting in lieu of an in person meeting:

1 – We will be requesting that any member wishing to be part of the board of directors submits their names for consideration. There are currently 2 open spots that need filled immediately. The board positions are as follows:

Position 1 – open (1 year term remaining)

Position 2 – open

Position 3 – Joe Black (1 year remaining)

Position 4 – open

Position 5 – Steve Skannes (1 year remaining)

The term for Positions 2 and 4 have expired and need to be filled, Position 1 is also up for re election as the board member filling that position voluntarily resigned and there is 1 year left on the term. Please email any considerations to the board sealinksboard@gmail.com by Nov 29th, 2020

2 – Once we have the name of those wishing to help serve we will send out mail in ballots for voting. The ballots will be returned to Birch Bay Tax & Accounting for tallying and will be reviewed by the board of directors once completed.

3 – All of the information that would normally be distributed as part of the AGM will be mailed out to all members ie; yearly financial statements, proposed budget for 2021, letter from president etc. these would all arrive in the same package with mail in ballots. This mail out will hopefully go out the first week of December.

4 – Once the mail in ballots have been reviewed and approved a final mailing will be sent out to all members with the results. The new board members along with any changes to the structure of the board will be in effect starting Jan 1st.

We appreciate patience and understanding in this matter as we are all striving to make the best of such uncertain times. We would encourage those who have not served in the past to please put their names forward as this is a community responsibility and it would be great to have new faces and ideas on the board.

Regards,

Sea Links Board

Paving Project Update

On Monday, August 17, 2020, the pavers came and started work on West Golf Course Drive and a section of North Golf Course Drive.  They returned on Wednesday, August 19 to pave.  The project was done quickly and efficiently, and with a minimum impact to those homeowners affected.
 
Due to weather, and the contractor’s scheduling, they will be returning within the next two weeks to reinstall the berm by Wedgewood, and replace the four speed bumps/humps.
 
The Board wishes to pass along their appreciation to those affected in being patient while this project is being completed.

SEA LINKS COMMUNITY HOA MEETING TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH 6:00 PM

Meeting will be held in the backyard of board member Steve Skannes with ample social distancing. FACE MASK REQUIRED!

4763 N. Golf Course Drive

Premier agenda item will be a presentation with Q and A from the firm repaving West Golf Course Drive and a portion of North Golf Course Drive. Repaving is scheduled to begin August 18th, so come to the meeting to get all pertinent information.

**In  case of rain, meeting will be Wed.**

 

New Markings on WGCD

There are newly painted markings on the road along WGCD and a portion of NGCD.  These were placed by the paving contractor for the purpose of letting utility companies mark where their lines are located under the road. This is just being safe for all of us and the contractors.  It takes a lot of pre-planning before the actual paving starts.

Soon we will receive their schedule and safety priorities for all of us.  I will pass things along as I get them.

Steve Skannes, Maintenance Committee

Neighborhood Maintenance: Three Highlights

Steve Skannes, Maintenance Committee

Thanks to Volunteer Mowers!

I would like to thank all those volunteers who help with mowing on the golf course. Keeping the golf course tidy is a huge undertaking for our HOA. These are the names of folks I know have been working to keep the grass in check; sorry I don’t know the last names but I’m sure most of you know these guys:

Chris Dale Michael Richard Leon

A recurring annoyance that mowers have to deal with is dog poop: Please, if you walk your dog on the golf course be sure to pick up after them.

Fire Safety (grass) Buffer Zone

I will try to have a meeting with the fire department to get ideas on safety questions like how much of a ‘buffer zone’ a homeowner should have for fire safety behind their home.  It is up to homeowners to mow if they want that safety zone behind their home. As with prior boards, we have made attempts to contact Chen Holdings, and have not received any response.

Planned Paving on WGCD

Paving on WGCD was held up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On June 13th I received a call from our selected contractor reporting that they are now working to get caught up.  Soon we will be delivering a letter handout to all WGCD and Wedgewood CT homeowners, supplying details of the project plan.

Parking is always an issue during road work. Residents of WGCD may want to park on NGCD or SGCD until the project is finished. Parking outside the rear or front gates is also worth considering. Please be courteous in finding temporary parking. Estimated project duration is 7 days.

I will do my best to answer any questions you might have. You can reach me, Steve, at 907-738-7619. 

“Tsunami Hazards in Whatcom County” (virtual briefing)

The Whatcom Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and the Whatcom Watershed Information Network will be hosting a public speaker series event via Zoom on Thursday June 4, from 5-6 pm. Additional information on the MRC homepage, https://www.whatcomcountymrc.org/.

“Learn about the latest tsunami model and historic tsunami deposits in the North Sound Area.”

Some of you might already have seen this announcement in Kathy Berg’s excellent Birch Bay Info newsletter, but I judged the opportunity valuable enough to warrant sharing within the Sea Links community.

Your neighbor,
Brian Bell

Q2 Meeting Delayed & Good Deeds

The Sea Links Board of Directors meeting originally scheduled for June 18th is hereby postponed. This regrettable action is being taken:

  • in response to Washington State restrictions placing limits on group assembly
  • because our planned meeting place will be unavailable until at least July

It’s our intent to reschedule this meeting – which is mandated by Sea Links bylaws – as early as circumstances permit. Once a new date has been selected it will be published here.

We appreciate your understanding in these challenging times and hope this delay does not inconvenience you unduly. If you’d like to share your thoughts on meeting alternatives (e.g., try ‘virtual’ format?) please do so via the Contact Us page.

Neighborly Nominations

I’m sure from time to time you’ve all noticed Residents out doing things that make our Community a better place. From sweeping debris away from roadside drains to prevent flooding, to mowing unattended lawns, to clearing a neighbor’s driveway of snow, these actions all contribute to making Sea Links a better place to live!

If you’d like to nominate someone in particular for their positive actions, please send us their name and a few words describing how they helped out. Our plan is to collect these submissions and arrange a simple Thank You! recognition.

Stay Safe!
Brian

Buzz + Lightspeed = Injuries

Coronavirus or no Coronavirus, it’s yard maintenance season again: Healthy grass waits for no man – and very few women.

Unfortunately, today we received a report from the contractor cutting the grass on Sea Links Dr. that some folks are driving without due care and attention, putting the lives of the work team at risk. There’s been one near miss already, and we sure don’t want another!

Please drive responsibly on that stretch, following these simple rules:

  • Always hold your speed down to the posted 25 MPH speed limit.
  • Pay special attention when you see traffic cones and vehicles parked at the side of the road.
  • Be on the lookout for workers, and give them a ‘brake’!

Thanks in advance!