Maybe it's a gender thing, maybe it's excitement, maybe it's being to worried about the project getting canceled, maybe it's lack of help, maybe it's the intentional but, it's a problem for many HOA boards. Once the focus is shifted from maintenance of common areas to redesigning or redecorating projects they neglect to maintain it and everything else.
Here's an example. Our community was painted in 2006 beginning 2007 with new colors. Since then the board has started installing drip systems, redesigned the entrance easements, redecorated the monument sign, redecorated the pool bathrooms, and redecorated a couple small islands / roundabouts.
On a short walk I took the other day that only covered a small amount of area on the interior, about 1/4 of the exterior of the boundary wall and most of the landscaping along Hayden Rd. I saw fresh shrub trimmings that weren't picked up, in-fact it looks like none of the shrub trimmings have been picked up for years it's all blown against the boundary wall and under shrubs (this prevents water from getting to the ground), a tree that looks like it could be in danger of falling into Hayden Rd., a tree stump that wasn't ground down, paint that is peeling off the wall but has no plants near it and thus no water hitting it, areas that were not painted by either owner or by the association and is visible from the street since it extends above the boundary wall, and a sizable chunk of stucco was removed out of the trim of the boundary wall about 2" deep (there is not any trees near the area). Based on the location the person was on the outside of the wall when it happened, plants that need removing, and rocks need dead leaves and pine droppings removed and leveled. On the interior I saw bird droppings covering sidewalks and mailboxes, paint peeling off common walls and mailboxes, lawns that need to be dethached and reseeded (grass will go dormant but eventually has to be reseeded) because the lawns are virtually nothing but dirt, and shrubs that need attention.
Since this is a Condo Community we all own a portion of the common areas and our dues include the money needed to maintain what exists. But, instead of maintaining what we have, the board is more interested in doing projects.
So, now we have to point it out to them and be the bad guy or we have to get rid of them because they cannot keep their priorities in order. Where the board should be apologetic for not maintaining the existing elements effectively costing us more money they are not. Which amazes me. Only in planned communities can the board do whatever they want or so they think. Because in planned communities the owners do not have an interest in the common area. In Condo Communities the owners do own the common area thus have a say in what is done to them.
If you find your board losing it's priorities remind them to keep things in check. If you don't things could get out of control causing costs to get out of control. At which point the ownership is better off removing the board just to keep the dues from increasing.
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