Not your same ole HOA here 

                             

Article Courtesy of The Boca Raton News

Published November 24, 2009

  

When is the last time you heard something positive about a Condo or Homeowners Association? Many have referred to the members as “condo commandos” or recited horror stories of board members fleecing HOA accounts and taking off to Mexico. But one community in West Boca Raton is looking to change those negative connotations to ones more positive -- like community, township and neighborhood, according to Boca Barwood Board Secretary Dina Diana-Rizo.

“It’s a better place to live when all people are kept in touch with what is going on, rather than a relying on a select few or rumor," said Diana-Rizo, adding:

"We give our residents ample avenues to information- from closed circuit TV, to telephone lists, email addresses and the website-all so they can feel secure knowing how their community is maintained and managed.” Best of all, Rizo feels residents are more likely to participate in volunteering to serve on the board or committee when the environment Is open and positive."

The Village of Boca Barwood is working hard to foster a sense of community in their small 209 unit HOA, she said. Once a development where board meetings were inconsistent, communication was scarce and disharmony was felt among residents, the HOA now has an open-door policy of communication, regular board meetings and an atmosphere where residents are invited to offer feedback and suggestions.

Board President Stacy Volnick, says: “I maintain the belief that we can build a neighborhood where community is not only fostered, but where it thrives. Building community spirit is more than informing residents about board actions and business matters. It is about asking them what their opinions are and developing programming that they will enjoy and will spark further community involvement.”

Residents can see the changes, said Diana-Rizo. In just seven short months, the new board changed their property management company for more streamlined service and proper record keeping, assigned a new landscape company that cleaned up and brought back poorly maintained lawns and hedges and implemented an online HOA website to keep residents connected and informed of latest news. Old projects once never completed are now getting done, like painting and price shopping for cheaper insurance, as well as cable TV to replace their outdated bulk satellite contract.

At first, people were slow to show interest, said Diana-Rizo. But after several outreach programs, free community rummage sales (where the non-sold items were donated to AVDA) and a call for volunteers, people are starting to feel a change in the atmosphere. Volnick adds, “The community associations of today are neighborhoods of yesterday. Spirited communities and safe neighborhoods have higher sale values. Community spirit creates an emotional equity that sets communities apart from the rest.”

Adding to that sense of spirit, the Village is hosting it’s first ever Community Health & Wellness Fair, in conjunction with a blood drive with Community Blood Centers of South Florida this Saturday, Sept 12th. “We wanted to do something nice for our residents at no cost to them”, says Rizo, who helped organize the event. Free blood pressure and glucose screenings will be offered as well as discounted flu shots. Local participants include Humana, Comfort Keepers, Walgreens, Planned Parenthood, Comprehensive AIDS Program of PB County, Teen Time, TLC Colon & Massage Therapy, Kawa Orthodontics and One-2-One Fitness.

In addition to health services for adults, the association has organized a Family Fun Day with a sponsored bounce house, face painting and pizza party. Bill Schmearer, Proprietor of The Melting Pot of Boca Raton will be giving a lesson on the history of chocolate plus handing out freshly dipped chocolate treats to all. To further aid the sense of community spirit, the community is collecting food and donations for Boca Helping Hands Organization, which recently had its office buildings damaged by fire.

 

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