Chairman’s Report

Dear fellow homeowners,

It has been my honor and privilege to represent each of you as chairman of the homeowner’s association for 2022. We have been fortunate to have an outstanding board of directors this year, and each of them has given tirelessly to making Gatewood an even better place to live.

There have been many challenges, such as the flooding over Brookfield Drive and the continued problem with silt building up in our large/upper lake. I do believe we have made great progress with the latest dredging and establishment of a catch basin on the upper side. We still must address the drainage piping and the continued increase of drain and stormwater flowing directly into our lake as a result of our being at the bottom of a 1600-acre watershed/runoff.

Speeding and unsafe driving continue to be a problem. Hopefully, the stop signs and speed limits are causing us all to be more mindful. We are fortunate to have many new young residents with children that are often out walking or strolling.

As you are aware, there are some residents who desire to have the gates closed 24/7. Once the board was made aware of this issue, I believe we performed a very comprehensive survey of the membership and the results clearly indicated that many residents do not want the gates closed during the day, or don’t have an opinion either way. I commend those residents who brought this to the attention of the board, and I especially wish to thank the roads committee for working so diligently and objectively. Your board never had any official position and each one voted his/her opinion.

Some residents do not understand why we spent a large amount of money on pickleball. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the US. We are seeing constantly increasing numbers of people playing pickleball on the almost completed courts. In fact, we have several top-level tennis players (including our tennis pro, Paul) who have become quite proficient in this sport, and a few of them have told me they believe that this will be their sport of the future.

Please give the Clubhouse Committee a special thank you for the tireless work they performed during the year to create activities, functions and events. Our decision to hire a part-time manager for the club is a direct result of their efforts and successes.

Linda and I hope to see you at the New Year’s Eve party.

Sincerely,

Bill Stevens