Hendren likes direction of POA
Special to The Weekly Vista
Although Jeff Hendren is new to Bella Vista, he spent most of life in nearby Gravette and has been a Property Owners Association member since 2002. He now owns both a home and unimproved property within the POA.
“I think the POA has been headed in the right direction the last couple of years,” he said, “I want to see it continue.”
He plans to be an “even keeled” voice on the board.
He sees the trail system as an asset just like the other amenities and is open to expanding it.
“I am sympathetic to the people with common property in their back yard,” he said, explaining that people who bought homes based on a desire for privacy need to protected.
Hendren said he doesn’t have any plan in mind to add a particular amenity. If there are funds available to add to the amenities, the first step should be feedback. Members need to have a voice.
“The demand needs to be there,” he said.
Assessments are bound to go up at some point, he said, because it’s important to keep up with inflation and pay employees enough to retain them.
“I would anticipate assessment increases but not the amount or frequency,” he said. The two most recent increases were necessary to catch up after a long period of no increases, he said. When an increase was approved in 2020, it was the first in almost 20 years. A second, smaller increase was approved in 2022 and went into effect in early 2023. Governing documents limit increases to once every three years.
Although Hendren comes from a political family, he has never run for office before. He owns a heating and air company and spent three years in law enforcement. He has served on the board of both the Gravette Youth Football League and the Gravette Athletic Boosters. He’s also the vice chair of the Golf Committee.
“As a fellow property owner, I believe we have a vested interest in protecting and nurturing our investment in our property and our home,” he said. But he also believes in community service. “I would be failing the community if I did not offer my participation,” he said.