Fellow Homeowners,
2023 has been a rather quiet year but we still accomplished
a lot:
RULES AND REGULATIONS
With the community’s blessing, we amended the parking rules
and added a new section on postings on mailboxes.
Parking in Mendocino is getting tight due to more resident
and vendor cars, fuller garages and uninvited “guests” from the apartment
complex across the street. Residents are now required to park in their garages
first, then in their driveways, and only then on the street. The uninvited
“guests” will be towed – the apartment complex residents and Lingua Natal
guests have been warned.
We banned postings on the mail boxes to protect our valuable
asset from the damage caused by residual markings. Violators will be fined and
required to clean up after themselves.
We continued the drive to make residents remove their trash
cans off the street and out of sight after trash pickup, and keep their
hardscaped driveways weed-free.
ARCHITECTURAL
A section of woodcrete fence along Garden View Rd damaged by
tree roots has been repaired and painted by the homeowner.
For the first time in Mendocino history, two residents
removed their faux balconies from the façades due to the rickety conditions –
and the new fresh look is great!
The Architectural Committee (AC) continued to carry out its
inspections to make sure homeowners maintain their homes in first-class
condition. Basically, its policy is: it’s OK to overlook minor things but major
issues must be addressed by the set deadline to avoid fines. The AC conducted a
thorough inspection of the original wooden fences in Mendocino and determined
that most were beyond the end of their useful life and would need to be
replaced by July 1, 2024. In the process, 17 homes upgraded their fences to
vinyl. Mendocino is now majority vinyl, and it shows!
LANDSCAPING
We raised the sagging soil levels in some parkways and
overseeded the grass for a greener look.
We moved our 2024 tree trimming into 2023 to prepare for a
potential El Nino – trimming overgrown trees and removing large branches in
order to minimize the chances of trees falling or breaking in heavy rain.
In order to reduce water waste and expense we capped
sprinklers in the smallest parkways and replaced the grass with DG (decomposed
granite). We also converted a parkway in front of 1141 Pacifica Way to rocks.
An underground drain was installed on the north trail to mitigate
rainwater runoff erosion.
FINANCIAL
Our reserves remain healthy at 100% funded. The recent dues
hike has allowed us to put more money in the reserves and alleviate the inflation
pressures that are showing in everything from vendor services to water bills.
2024 is shaping up to be a year of big changes and major
upgrades:
(a We will be repaving Pacifica Place and Pacifica
Way for the first time and resealing the asphalt throughout Mendocino. As an
option, we may consider using pavers at the Pacifica entrance to create a focal
point. Please note that since this is by far the largest project undertaken by
Mendocino, member input/participation is welcome. Please send your
suggestions/comments to Mills Management Services or attend the next scheduled Zoom
board meeting.
(b We will start a major transformation of our
slopes by removing weeds and overgrowth and clearing spaces for a more open and
manageable space.
Slav
