February

7, 2015

Fellow Fallwood Homeowners,

Our sincere thanks to all of you who took the time to complete our fence survey. 51 of 58
homeowners, i.e., 88 percent of you, completed the survey, which is a fantastic response!
Many of you provided some very good comments in addition to voting for your preferred
option. These were very helpful to us in making our decision on how to proceed.
First, the results of the survey:
1 vote (2%) for Option 1 Fence Replacement
24 votes (47%) for Option 2 Fence Rejuvenation and Annual Maintenance
14 votes (27%) for Option 3 Fence Homeowner Maintained
12 votes (24%) for Option 4 Fence Removal
After careful consideration of the four options, the results of the survey, and all the comments
received, the Board believes that Option 2 is in the best interest of the neighborhood. 76
percent of you voted in favor of keeping the fence. Many of you expressed, and the Board
agrees, that the common fence adds value and character to Fallwood. In fact, as some of you
expressed, the fence played a large role in many of us choosing Fallwood over other
neighborhoods when we were shopping for a home. The common fence is the amenity that
makes Fallwood unique and more desirable to potential homeowners.
So the question then becomes how to maintain this valuable amenity. As with our other major
amenity, the pool, the fence requires annual maintenance. While 27 percent of you expressed
a desire to maintain the fence yourselves, that leaves at least 49 percent that do not wish to do
so, and probably more when those that desire the fence removed are included. Therefore,
while the Board acknowledges that maintaining the fence ourselves would save money, we do
not believe it is a practical option. It would likely result in an inconsistent appearance of the
fence and an ongoing enforcement challenge. Nevertheless, the Board welcomes and
encourages homeowners to help with annual touch-ups of their fence to reduce the cost of
annual maintenance, and to participate when a fence repair volunteer day is organized. The
HOA will gladly furnish the materials for anyone who wants to do some fence repair
themselves.
The Board believes that hiring contractors to repair and maintain the fence is the only practical
option to ensure that the entire fence retains a uniform and acceptable appearance, and that
the cost to maintain it is equitably spread among all Homeowners. However, for those that are
concerned that it will be business as usual, please know that our approach will be different
than in the past. We plan a major rejuvenation of 1/3 of the existing fence each year for the
next three years, along with annual touch up maintenance for the remainder of the fence.
After the first three years, only annual routine maintenance should be necessary for several
years. We will soon provide greater detail on exactly what the rejuvenation will involve.

February 7, 2015

Finally, for those of you who expressed a desire to remove the gates, the Board believes that
the gates add to the character of the fence and are a finishing element to the amenity. Also,
some homeowners do use the gates to keep their pets and children from running into the
street. Therefore, we have decided to keep them. However, we acknowledge that many gates
are sagging due to lack of adequate support. Therefore, as part of our annual maintenance this
year, we plan to repair the sagging gates and install bracket supports under them to prevent
future sagging. In addition, even though the Covenants place the burden of maintaining the
gates on the homeowners, the Board is considering proposing a Covenant change that would
make routine maintenance of the gates the responsibility of the HOA, along with the common
fence. However, non-routine repairs to the gates due to damage caused by homeowners or
others would still be the homeowners responsibility.
Again, many thanks to all who participated in the survey and in helping the Board to make a
decision on the future of our common fence. We know that not all of you are pleased with our
decision, but we believe it is in the best interest of all homeowners and the future of Fallwood.
Sincerely yours,
FALLWOOD HOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS