January 2015

After the recent storms, our winter season is now upon us. We have plenty of snow and a wealth of activities to enjoy at your own, personal, resort community of Tahoe Donner. Of course, the three primary winter amenities—Downhill, Cross Country, and Snowplay areas—are open and ready for fun. Our Cross Country Ski Area will operate from temporary facilities in the parking lot of the new Alder Creek Adventure Center while our year-round facility is being completed this winter. You’ll find our amazing trail system fully available for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. We also have our year-round operations available with fitness activities and hot tubs at Trout Creek Recreation Center, and excellent new food and beverage options at the Lodge Restaurant & Pub and at Pizza on the Hill. Aside from the January highlight of activities noted in the monthly Let’s Get Together section starting on page 10, you can always locate updated information online at our TahoeDonner.com website, or sign up for weekly emails which highlight information about events, programs, and services in your community (click on “subscribe” in the upper right corner of any page on our website).

This past month we recognized four great employees for their contributions to the association during 2014. Matt Belote was recognized as team member of the year for his continued dedication and excellent skills in our Information Technology department. Brian Yohn, our replacement reserve manager, was recognized as our most valuable player of the year for his ability to consistently master the various aspects of our association’s replacement reserve program in order to improve both the visual quality of our amenities and the behind-the-scenes functionality of equipment. Sheryl Walker, our Architectural Standards Office manager, was recognized as manager of the year for her great team leadership skills, in-depth review of our architectural standards and covenants programs, and continued superior customer service engagement with our members. Our banquet manager Jeffrey Jack was also recognized for outstanding customer service, consistently delivering excellent banquet events at the Lodge Restaurant & Pub throughout 2014. If you have the opportunity, please recognize these great team members who have set themselves apart in the work they do for our community.

A few important membership events are scheduled for January 2015. Friday, Jan. 9, there will be a town hall meeting to review the Equestrian Campus remodel draft plan before final permitting and potential work begins this spring/summer 2015. Saturday, Jan. 10 is the 20th Annual Winter Trails Day! I want to invite you to join this national winter celebration at our Cross Country Ski Area. To those who are new to snow sports, Winter Trails Day offers a chance to try snowshoeing and cross country skiing for free, and discover the great fitness and social benefits with these easy-to-learn winter activities. For a suggested $5 onsite donation, which benefits Truckee High School’s Nordic ski team, you can join organizations and vendors for a day of winter fun with free trail passes, mini snowshoe and cross country ski lessons, interpretive snowshoe hikes, education, product demos, food, and entertainment.

On January 14, the board of directors has also scheduled an association Town Hall meeting to discuss the pros and cons of the association taking a more active political stance on key issues impacting our members’ investment in this community. The Town of Truckee has a population of 16,475 and 13,038 housing units. Tahoe Donner represents over 5,800 of those housing units with a membership base of almost 25,000 (primarily non-voting second homeownership).

As the board solicits feedback from the owners on becoming more engaged in local matters that have a direct effect on our membership’s $3.1 billion real estate asset value in this community, there are some basic organizational fundamentals you should be aware of in how our elected California Mutual Benefit Corporation/Common Interest Development boards of directors operate. You might wonder what the difference is between a board meeting and a special meeting, or an annual meeting and a town hall meeting. Here’s some clarification.

Annual Meetings
Annual meetings are required by our governing documents, which specify when they’re to be conducted and how and when members are to be notified about the meeting. This is the main meeting of the year when members elect a board of directors, hear committee reports and discuss items of common interest. Our annual membership meetings take place the fourth Sunday in June.

Special Meetings
Special meetings are limited to a particular topic. The board can call a special meeting at any time, and they must notify all members in advance. Notification is conducted on the association’s bulletin board in the Northwoods Clubhouse and on the company website. The notice will specify the topic so interested members can attend. Special meetings give the board an opportunity to explore sensitive or controversial matters in order to be better informed in their decision-making. Members are often requested to participate in the meeting during scheduled membership comment periods, and members always have a right to listen to board discussion.

Town Hall Meetings
Town hall meetings are informal gatherings intended to promote two-way communication between the board and association members. The board may want to present a controversial issue or explore an important question like amending the bylaws. The board also may want to get a sense of members’ priorities, garner support for a large project or clarify a misunderstood decision. However, given the size and part-time occupancy of our 6,500-property resort community’s ownership interest, information is often communicated and feedback solicited online and via the Tahoe Donner News magazine, in addition to actual physical meetings.

Board Meetings
Most of the business of the association is conducted at regular monthly board meetings. Board members set policy, oversee management’s results, review operating and financial results, resolve disputes, hear appeals, talk to residents and plan for the future. Often the health and harmony of an entire community is directly linked to how constructive these meetings are. Tahoe Donner’s board of directors hold monthly meetings on the fourth Saturday of each month, typically starting at 9 a.m. at either the Lodge Restaurant & Pub or the Northwoods Clubhouse. Meeting schedules and agendas are published online under the association’s membership and board of directors pages.

Executive Session
The governing documents and California law require the association to notify homeowners in advance of all meetings, including executive meetings. However, the only time you may not attend is when the board goes into executive session. Topics that the board can discuss in executive session are limited by law to a narrow range of sensitive topics, including personnel matters, legal topics, contracts, or similarly related sensitive topics. Summarized results of these discussions and decisions are disclosed at the next regular board meeting.

Happy New Year!

Robb Etnyre | General Manager