lake forest shores

Goodbye to 2020

December 17, 2020

Most people are probably welcoming the idea of saying "Goodbye to 2020". It was a year full of unforgettable events that made an impact on many lives: Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Australian bushfires, Beirut, Lebanon explosion, worldwide protests & riots, invasion of the Asian giant hornet aka "Murder Hornet", plus the Silverado fire and so much more. So, is it really going to get any better in 2021? I can't predict the future, but I prefer to have a positive outlook and hope for the best.


Realistically, if anything were to change it wouldn't happen overnight.

But after that beautiful intro, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas (Happy Holidays)!!! As in every year, the Beach & Tennis Clubhouse will be putting up their Christmas decorations. Unfortunately, no one will be allowed indoors to truly appreciate their hard work in making this time of year festive.

Also, if you're planning on decorating your home with a real Christmas tree, CR&R will be doing their free annual Christmas tree & holiday greenery collection. This will be starting December 26, 2020 through January 7, 2021. This will give residents of Lake Forest Shores 2 opportunities to have their Christmas trees removed by the end date. If anyone misses the deadline, you can always schedule a bulk pickup for a later time.

In other news regarding the Beach & Tennis Clubhouse, it has been scheduled to undergo some major renovations that will take a few weeks to complete. As always, I'm looking forward to seeing the results. I'm crossing my fingers that it doesn't turn out to have issues like the lagoon which seems to be constantly in need of repairs; rendering it unusable, yet costly.

As for the other outdoor amenities, the junior olympic pool acid wash project has been completed. Members are able to go back and enjoy the use of a heated pool during these cold days. In addition, the following are available to use at this time: all the pools, tennis courts, ping-pong table, basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts.

Even though there have been cancellations of holiday events and things still aren't quite the same at the Beach & Tennis Clubhouse, their HOA fee did not increase for 2021...Yay!!! That's the good news, but wait...

Before I get to the bad and the ugly, there is more good news; our HOA board has no vacancies. It's been a long time, but all of the board seats have been filled. So, a big "thank you" to all of the board members dedicating their time in making Lake Forest Shores a better place to live.

Unfortunately, the bad news is that making Lake Forest Shores a better place to live comes at a cost and because the wrath of 2020 continues, the homeowners can expect an increase in their monthly HOA fees. Based on the session minutes, a $20 increase assessment was approved, but expect to pay more in the upcoming years. It was recommended to increase the HOA fees by $70 / month by Crummack Huseby's controller due to low reserves. Luckily, our board came to the rescue and kept the increase to a minimum. I'm not sure what will happen next year, but we may get hit with a double whammy if both HOA's decide to increase their fees.

Now comes the ugly! (Sorry, it's not a picture of me.)

Based on further reading, the Lake Forest Shores earthquake insurance is being cancelled. The money saved by not paying the insurance will be directed to the reserves. In other words, pay more for less...Ugh! Let's hope that Nostradamus is wrong about the big one hitting California on November 25, 2021. Actually, it is said a powerful earthquake will hit the New World (western lands), but everyone always assumes it will be California. If that's the case, I may have to go on vacay next year to a land far far away.

If you want to see how your HOA fees are allocated for Lake Forest Shores, the annual budget report was mailed. I'm not an accountant, but after spending a few minutes studying the budget report, it seems expenses are greater than our receivables; meaning we're dipping into our reserves to pay bills.

So what is the solution? Keep paying more each year because it's never going to end or cut back on services to save on costs? Maybe shop and compare by looking at the competition? Based on experience, it seems everyone is out to get a hefty paycheck these days. The word, "reasonable" is subjective and it seems to have lost its meaning. By the way, I'm surprised James LeCourt Plumbing is still being used. Aren't they expensive? I still remember the numbers shared to us by the board in order to persuade the community in switching to PEX piping. It was approx. 150K in plumbing repair costs based on that year's budget report prior to the PEX piping project and James LeCourt Plumbing was the company on speed dial.

Anyways, I think the impact of the increases can be more felt due to that there are two (2) HOA fees; making it quickly add up. That being said, don't forget to change the monthly HOA fee amount to $375 prior to your January 2021 payment if you're using your bank's automatic online bill pay. Another option for paying your Lake Forest Shores HOA fee is to sign-up for direct payment via the Crummack Huseby client portal.

That's it for right now. Be safe! Stay healthy! Enjoy this time with your family and friends, and we'll meet up again next year.

Oh yes, these blogs / articles are based on my personal perspective and subject to change without notice. If you would like to chime in or submit an article to be considered / posted, please use the contact form.

2021, here we come! ^.^