Your Long-Time Neighbor

With permission, we are sharing this personal story with owners in Lake Naomi. The author’s last name has been redacted to protect our neighbors. If you have a story you'd like us to share too, please simply reply to this email for consideration.

We have owned our home in Lake Naomi for over 20 years. Because of dear family friends, the proximity to skiing and hoping to return to the tennis courts when the kids were grown, we fell in love with all that Lake Naomi offered. Over the years we have hosted friends, housed traveling sports teams, held corporate retreats, and celebrated a number of family milestones. No regrets. We knew when we bought we would need to rent to help cover property improvements, household obligations, and various expenses. We looked forward to a time when we would be less concerned about generating rental income and we would be able to use the home (and the community) more. We have reached a point where the financial pressures are less, but arriving at that point is now bittersweet. As others have lamented, the Lake Naomi community of yesteryear is a different community than that of today. The discussions about short term rentals, Pickleball, and renovating the Lake Naomi Clubhouse kitchen or potentially building a new clubhouse altogether reflect a community that is clearly divided. For me, we need to put this current deed restriction proposal aside. I will vote NO and propose we can start the entire conversation over again. We need to ask the appropriate questions, collect relevant data, and engage the fullmembership. As it stands, the conversation has been behind closed doors, without direct input from impacted owners in our community. We all want a solution that is the result of thoughtful and appropriate data, conversation amongst the entire membership, collaboration with all interested parties, and something that will ultimately help heal the community. We now ask ourselves, is this a community that we still want to be part of? Do our voices and opinions matter? In my heart, I truly believe the answer to both questions is YES! The question is how do we get to the point (again) where we can all engage peaceably, respectfully and constructively. How do we reconnect as a full community? I am not sure at this late stage it serves any purpose to attack a survey that was skewed before it even went out, or complain that the decision to get us where we are today was void of public discourse or discussion of alternative approaches, or continue to point out that the Club, PPCA and TTCA have earmarked considerable sums of monies paid by members, to hire consultants and distribute biased emails and mailers that do not represent the views of a significant percentage of the membership. Do you think the process that got us where we are today, was fair, collaborative, transparent, open-minded and properly researched before announcing the Second Amendment to the Amended and Restated Declaration of Covenants, Restrictions and Easements (a.k.a. “Proposed Deed Restriction”)? Is the recent rancor really about short term rentals or something more? If granted the opportunity for a “do over” I would hope we would ensure that we collect missing and important information and consider following through with some procedural recommendations mentioned below: 1. Collect and look at the REAL numbers that will shape policy.

2. Define and study the impact short term rentals place on members and the community and understand the true metrics to evaluate and study the impact.

3. Take steps to ensure a joint resolution – membership and leadership, hosts and non-hosts – so that all members work together.

4. Involve a third party to help guide the process for the impartial collection of information and to moderate an inclusive discussion leading to an equitable and representative solution.

5. Imagine the impact of any proposed policies, financially and with respect to resources, for both the short and long term.

6. Explore moving from an appointed and closed system of governance to one that is democratically elected, publicly shared, and accessible to all members.

7. Design a program of community compliance and enforcement that applies to all members, regardless of whether they host or not.

8. Establish a program to set standards for our hosts, to help them operate in a manner consistent with community guidelines and mentor those new to the community.

9. Provide equal time, platforms, and resources to present all sides of the discussion. Certainly there are other items to add for discussion. The list can and should be more extensive. I am sure you have ideas as well. Contribute to the conversation! Lake Naomi has a rich and lengthy history of welcoming guests to our community; why are we attempting to change our legacy moving forward? Your Long-Time Neighbor, Wendy M