POA defines guests
The POA board of directors 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 closed be to the public.
General Manager Tom Judson said the POA needs some flexibility about guests’ usage of the amenities, but Sandy Fosdick, a new board member, pointed out that the 2020 plan did not promise flexibility.
Popular events like the Cancer Challenge and some fishing tournaments have always drawn non-members, Judson said. Although golf tournaments are open to nonmembers, the lakes and the gun range are not under the current rules.
“We wanted to be very upfront about needing some level of flexibility,” Judson said, explaining that the Bella Vista 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 POA website was included. Judson wrote that portion of the plan and it discussed events like 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, adding, “I didn’t want people to think that we were doing a bait and switch.”
Fosdick said those questions were not included in all campaign literature. What was sent to the members was different from the information page and she on believes the web the printed campaign literature should take precedence over the web page. She said she would not 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 that allows guests to fish.
Three policies, 2.02, 3.03 and 3.04 will come to a vote for a second reading on Thursday. They can be seen on the POA website, bellavistapoa.com/governance/governing-documents/. includes Mo longer Another land hunting owns. which a section policy, The on the that the POA second 2.05, Ark/ regulates no reading section. will leave out that In other business, Judson told the board that he never endorsed the city’s planning document called the 2040 plan. He was on the committee that created it, he said, but he never endorsed the plan. Also, he doesn’t believe Mayor Christie said that he did endorse the plan. The board approved his participation. Chairman David Brandenburg encouraged members to email the board if they are not 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 emails would be read during the open meeting. But instead, then Chairwoman Ruth Hatcher read a “summary.”
“We got a pseudo apology after a couple of days,” Nelson said.
He filed a misconduct allegation naming the entire board, but he only got a “vanilla answer.”
Nelson said the board’s removal of Steve McKee was wrong, as did most of the 23 letter writers.
“He’s a stand-up guy,” he said.
Board member Teah Bidwell told Nelson his allegation will be addressed.
Kevin Dooley said the message that the lakes are private is not getting through. He said Recreation Committee chairman Gary Griffin told his committee that he saw nonmembers in one of the parks and he didn’t report it.