Community Forum August 26, 2023

On Saturday August 26, 2023, a Community Forum was held at the residence of Anne and Oliver. Here are the Forum highlights for those that couldn't attend:

1) A thank you was extended to everyone on the RWC for their planning and "boots on the ground" to supervise the recent roadwork. This is important to be sure that the desired work outcome is achieved and to control costs by verifying loads of material delivered and equipment time. Thank you to Ross, Oliver, Clyde, Carol, Will, Garth and Bill!

2) A thank you was also extended to those that volunteered time at the recent CV entrance/bridge cleanup, it was also noted that several of our Costa Rican neighbors donated time as well and helped tremendously. Further work will be done to pressure wash the bridge and entrance walls.

3) A Membership Report was given: At the beginning of this fiscal year on March 31 we had 74 Associates. We have lost one due to the sale of a home but we gained 4 NEW Associates for a current total of 77.

4) A Financial Report was given: As of the day of the Forum, 32 Associates contributed for 38 properties with a breakdown of 12 properties in Fase 8, and 26 properties in CV and Las Brisas. The Financial Report has been posted in the Members section of cvf8.org.

5) A July road work report was given: The BOD had authorized $6,600 total for roadwork, and it was completed a day early for $6,545. An additional $695 was collected for additional owner specific road work and the total paid was $7,240. This included 7 hours of backhoe (primarily drainage and water management), 22 hours of road grader (side material recovery and material leveling) 18 hours with the vibrating compactor and 17 loads of road material. The grader side material recovery reduces our expenditure for new road material.

6) Municipality Report: On July 13, 2023, Association Representatives had an audience with the Osa Chief Road Engineer. The previous Chief Engineer that had been working with us has been transferred, so it served to establish a relationship with the new Engineer, but unfortunately some of the projects the previous Engineer had been working for CV road could not be located. The Engineering Department recommended the use of a Convenio (An agreement whereby we would fund material or fuel and the Muni would contribute men or equipment resources). The Road Work Committee will explore this further to see how our community might best benefit. The Muni already has equipment scheduled on a 5 year plan for every working day of the year, a Convenio would not make equipment magically available. To compound matters, the day of the meeting the Muni related that all road work machinery was inoperable and in need of repairs or parts. The Road Department did not know where it would get funds for their operation. Also, Mr. Gary Hicks has been attending the weekly Muni community meetings. The meetings were twice/month, but are now 4 times/ month. If he can attend at least once/month then we will have a continuous presence. We have submitted 2 written requests for floor time to request Municipality resources.

6a) Time was taken to address fundraising: As work is done twice a year now, fundraising is a continuous effort, with the mid year work done, it will primarily fall on the shoulders of Associates that have not yet paid their 2023 quota/fee and development fees (if any), and any new Associates who join moving forward. Our fundraising historically began in August, but we are doing road work twice/year now, so this was the first year we asked for funds starting in April. We had a successful start to the year and met our financial goal for the work done this past July. For the December road work to begin, we need to bring in funds by October 31st. Please pay when you can if you haven’t already.

6b) Regarding fundraising, several questions about paying a road quota/fee have been received:

Q: On a road or road section where no contributions have been paid will road work be done?

A: No. Side roads or a road section with no or low participation can always individually opt to participate in funding specific road work for their benefit taking advantage of the cost savings when done in conjunction with the bi-annual road work projects. We’ve historically had side roads where there has been no contribution for 5-6 years. And then one day when asking for money, one owner responds that they can’t get to their property at the end of the road. Why isn’t this road worked on? Well, there has never been participation on that side road. When there’s no contribution, it’s not fair to expect others to cover that repair. Calle Tortuga: at this point, if everyone contributes, they will have 90% contribution. So, a lot of that money will be proportionally used to fix that road. But, if only one person contributes, then it’s difficult to adequately repair the roads. We will still guarantee access.

Q: Can personal spending for road work be applied to my quota/fee contribution?

A: No. The road work contribution quota/fee should be proportionately applied to the entire distance from your property to the Costanera, not just in front of or to benefit a specific property. Every road repair cycle, there are Associates that fulfill their quota/fee contribution and also contribute separately for road repair adjacent to their property taking advantage of the reduced cost by it being done in conjunction with Association Road work.

Q: I contribute on my side road but my neighbors don't, will you fix my road?

A: The Association will always guarantee vehicle access to all homes in our domain. On roads with little or no participation, the Association has stepped in several times to stabilize roads where access may become an issue. Sometimes this has been funded by other Associates in addition to their quota/fee participation. To help the Association and yourself, if you don't currently participate - PLEASE DO! Please encourage your friends and neighbors to do so as well! Many hands lighten the load, even if it is only financially and it is to everyone's benefit.

Q: I pay my quota/fee, why aren't you chopping vegetation on my lot?

A: Every property owner is asked to maintain the vegetation on their road frontage. This is for 2 very important reasons. The first is to keep the ditches clear of any obstructions for water management. Clogged ditches result in water going over the road and the subsequent washing away of road material. The second is to clear the foliage prior to road work. This helps determine where work may need to be done for water management. If road drainage needs equipment such as a backhoe to clean, the operator must be able to see what he is doing. Also, we actively try to recover as much road material as possible every repair cycle with a road grader. Again, the equipment operator must be able to see exactly where the edge of his blade is. There are sections of road, such as in Fase 8 and Las Brisas, where the property adjacent to the road is not part of the subdivision. The Association does maintain those sections. There are also areas where the lot owners have never been identified, and those areas are maintained as a function of water management where necessary.

Q: I don't use CV road, why do I have to pay?

A: Everyone who owns property benefits either directly or indirectly from participating financially. At a very minimum, the Association maintains and adds to your property's value and utility. Even if someone were to never leave their house, they benefit themselves by guaranteeing access to the Costa Ricans we all depend on for police and fire protection, electrical grid maintenance and repairs, ambulance and emergency services, internet and cable services, lawn and pool maintenance and on and on. Secure and safe vehicle access can literally be a life or death situation.

Q: Only new home construction is causing road damage, why do I have to pay?

A: Without a doubt vehicular traffic for new homes contributes to road damage. Dump trucks, heavy equipment, delivery trucks and workers vehicles all put an additional strain on our infrastructure. Most people are unaware of how many load-trips they generate at just the driveway and building plantel phase. Generally, no one homeowner causes the damage, but it is a cumulative effect. The Association asks for a one-time development impact fee to offset the additional wear and tear on our roads. To the main point of the question however, road maintenance is needed on a regular basis. During a period of time when building permits were not available, our roads still needed repairs. Since building permits have again become easily available, there has been a noticeable increase in home construction. If you are building, please pay your impact fee so your neighbors are not paying to correct the damage. On 2 side notes: It was mentioned that it was observed that 2-wheel drive delivery trucks (blocks, sand, cement, rebar, panels etc.) were causing damage because of spinning wheels. Other passenger vehicles and light 2-wheel drive vehicles were also noticeably "spinning out" on portions of road with a pronounced incline. Although we cannot enforce a "4 wheel drive only" requirement, the Board of Directors has discussed signage to encourage the use of 4-wheel drive.

Q: Why doesn’t the Muni fix the roads?

A: Once in 20 years the Muni fixed the main CV road and owners had to pay for the materials. As beneficial as it was, it was a fluke. It happened because there was some machinery that was idle. They work on a 5-year road schedule and have resources to repair 10% of the roads.

Q: Why is so much being spent on things other than road maintenance?

A: Other than the costs associated with placing a safety convex traffic mirror at the curve adjacent to Cinco Ventanas lot #40, all funds collected as quotas/fees or development impact fees have gone directly and only to road maintenance. Every other expenditure has been funded separately by Associates who have volunteered extra funds.

Q: I own more than one property; can you just send me one bill for everything?

A: At this time, each lot, whether an undeveloped lot or a residence is invoiced separately. If you own 3 properties, you will receive 3 seperate emails! If more than one Associate is in a household, each will receive an email to pay the quota/fee for their individual property

Q: What exactly is the quota/fee and is it different from what we used to call the road fee or voluntary contribution?

A: No, they are the same. To avoid confusion and align our conversations with the terms established in our legal Español bylaws, we are calling it the "quota" which is sometimes translated as "fee" in English. In our bylaws paying the quota gives Associate rights including a voice and vote in all Association matters. If an Associate fails to meet their annual quota by October 31, they will lose their status as an Active Associate. Previously you could go 3 years without paying and still be able to vote. This was changed at the last assembly. There is a separate development impact fee that is distinct from the annual road quota. The development impact fee is a one-time voluntary contribution we ask from owners that have started the development process on a lot. This begins at entrance/building pad preparation and/or any construction. This fee is asked of all owners that started or finished construction after July 1, 2022. This is to offset the additional and extraordinary road use of trucks and heavy equipment on our road network.

Q: Why are you asking for money now?

A: This is the first year that fundraising began in April so that we could do an interim maintenance cycle in July. Some sections and curves were down to one lane of usable surface and the improvement for this start to the rainy season is so noticeable. I can't thank the Associates enough who made the road work possible by contributing early. Please note that the final day to pay is October 31 to maintain Associate status. The extent that repairs will be done at the end of this rainy season will be determined by the fundraising between now and November 1.

7) Community Announcement

The CVF8 Board of Directors is pleased to announce the publication of our Community Website: cvf8.org

The website is available in English and Spanish (Click Top Right Menu Bars)

The cvf8.org website will be used to communicate better with our Community and Associates and also serve as an informational tool for owners, residents, builders and real estate professionals.

We have published the website as a starting point, and it will be a work in progress as more content is added. It is already content rich with public information as well as an Associates "Member" page with Association specific information such as financial information and statistics as well as legal documents and BOD meeting minutes which will begin to be added in the near future. If you have any comments or suggestions, please send them to info@cvf8.org