Community Forum July 27, 2024

Our Community Forum's are open to all community members. This is a forum for Association Associates and other property owners and residents to discuss items of interest.

8/6/20248 min read

On Saturday July 27, 2024, a Community Forum was held at the residence of Gary and Modesta Hicks in Cinco Ventanas. Here are the Forum highlights for those that couldn't attend:

A.) A thank you was extended to everyone in attendance. Our forums serve as a town square opportunity. Most people avoid situations where they may receive negative feedback because it is painful, but face-to-face interaction is what builds an Association out of a community comprised of different viewpoints.

B.) A Treasurers update was presented at the meeting, and the latest statement is available for viewing by Associates on the Members page.

C.) Interim July/August roadwork was recently completed, and Road Work Committee (RWC) Chair and Association Vice President Bill McSpadden provided a report:

  • Compared to the December 23 cycle, this time we used a different contractor, a different type of equipment (bulldozer vs grader), and different fill material from a different source.

  • Work was completed within budget and all contractors have been paid in full.

  • The focus of the July cycle this year was: 1. Build up the crown in the center of the road. The Crown is designed to shed water to the side and not allow water to run down the road and wash it out. 2. Clean and improve the drainage ditches to carry water from uphill and not allow it to enter the road. 3. Grade over and compact rough areas for a smoother ride. 4. Clean out critical alcantarias (pipes under the road) Not all areas in CVF8 were regraded.

  • Work priority is based on the amount of use each road section gets, their current condition, and the number of Associates that use any particular section.

  • The RWC feels that the work objectives were met. Given the fact that we changed so many things, we expected to learn some things. Some of those lessons are that the bulldozer works great in some areas but not in areas with cunetas. It was difficult to efficiently clean out the ditch lines without losing some amount of good material to the edge of the road and without bringing in some undesirable clay into the road surface. Some of the problem areas that we have noted for future action are: 1. Traction on the steep hill section 3.0 to 3.4 before the trash cans. 2. Loss of the roadbed (narrowing) just above the mirror 3. Soft areas after Asada has backfilled water lines in several areas. 4. Issues with broken and dislodged cunetas. A significant cost went into cleaning and chopping around these structures.

  • The next work will be done in December. The December cycle is typically 3 or 4 times larger than the July cycle. It is our hope that the drainage improvements that we made this time will protect the road bed so that during the December cycle we can hit more areas of the spur roads and add lastre to improve traction in multiple areas.

AGENDA ITEMS

  1. A brief discussion was held regarding the form and function of the Association. We are a formal non-profit organized under Costa Rican law which allows us to have a dedicated bank account, but also requires a structure and constitution (bylaws) which regulate legal functions, requirements for gaining and keeping Associate status, and procedures for carrying out Association activities. Formed in a structure with a separation of powers like a democratic government in 3 distinct bodies, the elected Officers and Vocals (Executive) are empowered to conduct Association business, the Assembly of Associates (Legislative) is the only body that may establish fees and make or modify bylaws, and the Fiscal (Judicial) serves as an independent voice to monitor that Association activities and monetary transactions are done correctly and in accordance with the bylaws and Costa Rican law.

(It was suggested after the forum to remind everyone that all funds that are raised or donated goes to roadwork, there are no stipends or reimbursements for the time or expenses of any Board or Committee members)

A vacancy of the Vocal position held by Board Member Mike Wooten was announced. A job opportunity has led to the family relocating back to the US. His spouse Amanda Wooten was also a former Board Member, and they will both be missed.

  1. Time allotted for a discussion of the RWC role and function was not used as these items were discussed during the RWC report. Worth noting is that the RWC efforts are all volunteer, and Chairman Bill McSpadden was personally present monitoring the all the road work being done and was assisted by other RWC members Clyde Keys, Will Bissell and Ross Baldwin.

  1. An update was given regarding 3 motions approved by Associates at the March 2024 Assembly for the Annual Work Plan of the BOD.

    a) The list of 2023 Associates and contributors has been published as well as a 2024 list-to-date of Associates who have paid this year in the Members section of the website. All Associates in attendance confirmed they had received the Members page password and had reviewed the list.

    b) A WhatsApp Associates group will be activated in the coming weeks. Using the new “Community Announcement” format on the application, new postings will be made by Chat moderators only. Chat members may respond to individual posts but using this format means that chat members will not receive a notification for every individual response, although they may be viewed under the original post if desired. Not all Associates are included in or wish to participate in existing local WhatsApp groups but would like to receive Associate updates and announcements.

    c) The Association will facilitate street name signs in accordance with Muni guidelines. Facilitating means helping to begin conversations among owners on streets where there has been no discussion of the topic and inform them of Muni guidelines. They may determine if they wish to maintain or modify their street name. If there is agreement on placing a sign, inform them that there are privately donated funds from other community members to purchase and place the sign.

A discussion was held by some Fase 8 residents about some signage that has recently been located at the entrance to and an intersection in Fase 8. The Association position in this case, in conjunction with Muni practices, is that these issues need to be discussed and resolved by the residents on the affected streets.

  1. There was a discussion of how the allocation of donated funds is determined for any given section (zone) of road. As an example, last December on a section of road in Fase 8 considerably more resources were spent than was received from residents on that section of road in an effort to encourage participation. To summarize the decision-making process:

    a) A collaborative road work assessment is made by RWC members which prioritizes repairs and resources by zones that benefit the greatest number of users to those with less or no use.

    b) Calculations of machine time and material are estimated and proposed based on previous road work history.

    c) The RWC assessment is reviewed and approved by the BOD and published for community feedback for at least 1 week.

    d) The RWC and BOD consider all feedback received to modify the proposed road work proposal if necessary.

    e) The BOD approves contractor(s), road work proposal and budget by vote and authorizes roadwork.

The BOD will continue to monitor how resources are allocated in the fairest manner possible balancing road quality versus a minimum standard of road access. This will mean that zones that have little, low, or no participation, will not receive an allocation of funds for vegetation chopping and road repair donated by Associates from other zones unless it is necessary to maintain access. Funds will be allocated to zones based on fees received and allocating these resources to zones serving the largest number of community members possible.

  1. Muni 5-year Road Work Plan – a presentation was made on developments working with the Munis Plan Vial Quinquenal. The current 2020-2024 5 – year allocation plan is expiring this year which allows us the opportunity to request resources. After attending a community meeting for Bahia Ballena this year, a participative diagnosis using stated Muni factors (daily use, population, construction, tourism, employment etc.) was submitted for what we call Cinco Ventanas Road. No other street in our community is included in the plan and will never receive any roadwork or resources. The coordinating Engineer has responded that our status for Cinco Ventanas road has been improved from being only an inter-district connector, to being “among the first” of the higher category urban centers (Politico 1). The plan must be accepted and voted on by the Muni consejo later this year. Follow-ups will determine what resources are to be received by this new designation. At the meeting it was stated that resource rich (read expat) streets would not receive resources as they have the funds to maintain roads themselves. The effort here is to receive Engineering assistance and expertise and equipment time in areas that exceed our ability such as major drainage improvements and road widening. The diagnosis and response in original Spanish and English translation are published on the CVF8 website.

  1. Property owners' best practices were discussed. The Association has for some time given out information to new property owners about drainage, cunetas and chopping of frontage vegetation. The BOD will review and compile additional suggestions and compile and distribute the list.

  1. Development Impact Fee – This fee has been in place since May 1st, 2022, and is a one-time fee for properties when transitioning from the minimum $100 lot fee, upon beginning any development and transitioning to the “house” amount of road fee determined by distance from the Costanera. Since inception it was simply designated as due upon “any construction on a property, even a driveway”. At that point your fee changes from the $100 per year “lot” amount to a 2x fee of your property “house” amount and is the simple 1x “house” amount annually thereafter. Over the past 2 years, the BOD has specified and published specific examples of “any construction” so that property owners understand when the fee is due. Some examples are creation of a plantel, driveway installation, water or electric meter installation, any earth moving, use of heavy equipment, material deliveries etc. The BOD will periodically publish this topic as a separate communication to keep new and current owners informed.

  1. Possible Bylaw amendments for March 2025 assembly – At this time the only issue that has arisen is a vacancy of a BOD seat. The options at this point are to wait months until the next election in March, or to schedule an additional Extraordinary Assembly to hold an election for one position. Observing other Associations, a practice that is used (if stated in bylaws) is that the President may appoint an individual to fill the remaining term until the next annual Assembly when a vote is held. This amendment would need to be discussed and possibly proposed for the next Assembly in March 2025.

  1. Concurrent with the recently completed Interim Road Work, the BOD authorized payment for gravel removal and vegetation maintenance on the concrete section between the Costanera and the bridge. All feedback so far has been favorable, and the BOD will have this maintained periodically moving forward.

  1. Open Community Discussion Period

    a) Dengue vectors and mitigation – the Dengue outbreak was discussed – please see the Dengue info posted on the Announcements page of cvf8.org

    b) CVF8 Security Committee – the Security Committee is no longer needed as individual efforts encouraging Muni and Fuerza Publica presence in the CVF8 area are being pursued.

    c) Security Signs – Security (Organized Community/Video Surveillance) sign frames are available, the signs need only be printed at Uvita Print, printing pricing will be shared with the community for anyone who would like to purchase.

    d) The recent accident of Carlos Quesada was shared for community awareness for anyone who would like to help the family financially at this time.

At the conclusion of the Forum, everyone shared in a cornucopia of various potluck and finger food treats those in attendance had brought. It was truly a feast and shared amongst good neighbors! If you are a long time resident or a newcomer, please plan on attending the next Community Forum with us, all are welcome!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to info@cvf8.org