THIS SURVEY IS NOT AN OFFICIAL VOTE FOR OR AGAINST ANY DIRECTION FOR MAILBOXES. IT IS A WAY TO GATHER FEEDBACK FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
Mailboxes were discussed during the October 18th Zoom HOA board meeting wherein the board agreed to survey residents for further input.
BOARD CONSULTED OUR HOA ATTORNEY
In early October, our attorney reviewed our CCR’s (revamped in 2019) which do not address our mailbox clusters. It was his opinion because our CCR’s do not define mailboxes as common areas the HOA is not legally responsible for replacing them. Moreoever the Post Office is also not responsible for replacing. This leaves mailbox replacement as the responsibility of homeowners.
MAILBOX QUOTES OBTAINED
Landscape volunteer Rick Wallace obtained several quotes from multiple mailbox companies. Depending on the size of the box (8 to 16 units per cluster) costs for an individual box ranged from $1700-$2800 with discounts given for replacing all 47 at once or for 10+ units at a time.
EXPENSIVE ENDEAVOR
Based on these quotes, estimates for the entire project (47 units), including the materials, installation and removal of the old mailboxes, would range from $90-$100,000. These are funds our HOA currently does not have allocated. Based on forecasts for the end of 2023, our reserve funds will be at just under $40,000. The board will likely not deplete these reserves any lower in order to fund this project. That said, there are a variety of avenues that could be pursued.
THE BOARD VALUES YOUR FEEDBACK
Before moving forward with a formal direction / vote in 2024 the Board felt it would be prudent to survey homeowners to determine the severity of the issue. Potential options:
1.) Have individual homeowners replace on their own timelines and at their own expense (working with their fellow cluster neighbors).
2.) Have the HOA board try to obtain a one-time special assessment (requires 75% / 232 homes to approve which may be very hard to gather).
3.) Have the HOA budget for and replace all mailboxes (likely take 4-6 years and increase HOA dues (would be no more than a maximum of 15% per year as described in our CCR’s, section 7.7).
OTHER DATA POINTS TO CONSIDER:
A couple of units on Cascade Loop were broken into and damaged beyond repair within the past five years. These were replaced by homeowners at their expense.
One of the mail carriers last month said the following about our mailbox units:
—most decrepit/rusty boxes in 97070
— security issues (easy to pry the backs open with a screwdriver or crowbar)
— many leak when it rains
— some units mail gets damp or wet during rainy weather
— due to their age (25-33 years old), many parts are no longer available
— the Post Office has the ability to tell any cluster of owners they need to replace their box immediately; owners would pick-up mail from the post office until their box has been replaced.
A one-time special assessment would require 232 homes / 75% to approve
Some owners have already begun cleaning up their mailboxes. On Crestwood Drive one owner spent 35 minutes with a wire brush, elbow grease and an $8 can of rustoleum paint. Another commented they use silicone caulk to stop water leakage. See pictures below of how individual owner’s can fix-up their mailboxes on their own.
