Property Owners board defines guest

BELLA VISTA — The Property Owners Association board dedicated much of its work session to guests last week.

It was the first work session since offices were closed because of covid-19 and an extra table was added in the board room so participants could sit 6 feet apart.

Members were asked to watch on a screen in the Welcome Center or at home on Facebook.

The board and the rules and regulations committee have been working on guest policies. During the lead-up to January’s assessment increase vote, literature describing the 2020 plan was circulated promising that amenities — with the exceptions of golf, tennis, restaurants and some trails — would be closed to the public.

General Manager Tom Judson said the association needs some flexibility about guests’ use of the amenities, but Sandy Fosdick, a new board member, pointed out the 2020 plan didn’t promise flexibility.

Popular events such the Cancer Challenge and some fishing tournaments have always drawn nonmembers, Judson said. Although golf tournaments are open to nonmembers, the lakes and the gun range aren’t under the current rules.

“We wanted to be very upfront about needing some level of flexibility,” Judson said, explaining the city’s Police Department has always used the gun range to qualify officers.

So when the 2020 plan was introduced last year, a question-and-answer section on the association website was included. Judson wrote that portion of the plan and it discussed events such as the Cancer Challenge.

“I wanted to include that all the way back to September of last year because I didn’t want a situation where we were accused of not being forthright.” Judson said.

Fosdick said those questions weren’t included in all campaign literature. What was sent to the members was different from the information on the web page and she believes the printed campaign literature should take precedence over the web page. She said she wouldn’t vote to approve the policy at the next board meeting.

Teah Bidwell said she supports the policy because a handful of controlled events doesn’t negate the promise of privacy. The events are designed for the members, not for the guests. Adding guests in a controlled environment won’t hurt.

Members take better care of community property, Fosdick argued. She would support a fishing tournament for members only, but not a tournament allowing guests to fish.

Three policies will come to a vote for a second reading Thursday. They can be seen on the association website, bellavistapoa.com/governance/governing-documents/.

Another policy, 2.05, includes a section regulating hunting on the Ark/Mo land which the association no longer owns. The second reading will leave out that section.

In other business, Judson told the board he never endorsed the city’s planning document called the 2040 plan. He was on the committee creating it, he said, but he never endorsed the plan. Also, he doesn’t believe Mayor Peter Christie said he did endorse the plan. The board approved his participation.

Chairman David Brandenburg encouraged members to email the board if they aren’t comfortable speaking in person.

Two members were allowed into the board room to address the board during the open forum. Ken Nelson said he was one of 23 members who emailed the board last month, believing their email would be read during the open meeting. But instead, then-Chairwoman Ruth Hatcher read a “summary.”

Nelson said the board’s removal of Steve McKee was wrong, as did most of the 23 letter writers.

Board member Teah Bidwell told Nelson his allegation will be addressed.

Kevin Dooley said the message the lakes are private isn’t getting through. He said Recreation Committee chairman Gary Griffin told his committee he saw nonmembers in one of the parks and he didn’t report it.