What is Your Role?

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By Aaron “Wally” Barger, Resident since 2012

If you live in Blackhawk, you are most likely a member of a Homeowners’ Association as well as a proud homeowner. For a few people, I mean a very few, this means that you take an active role in issues affecting your HOA. Most of us, however, either take a limited role or almost none at all.

Homeowners’ Associations are a lot like professional sports, that is, you are either a “participant” or a “spectator”. The difference between an HOA and watching a baseball game is that as a property owner you have financial interest in your home as well in the quality and effectiveness of your HOA. For us, who live in the Blackhawk area, the quality of life we enjoy is one of the main reasons that we moved here. It is for this reason that we want to maintain our standard of living for as long as we live in this community.

As stakeholders in the HOA, we have certain obligations to our neighbors, the HOA Board of Directors, and staff. They, in turn, assume a number of obligations to us, as well. As a homeowner in an HOA, we agree to follow the organization’s standards and regulations.

But, what does all this have to do with whether we are a participant or a spectator? Well, if you decide to be a spectator and only get involved in things that directly affect you or your property, then you have elected to let others handle issues in your community. Further, if you do not know what actions or inactions the Board, its’ staff, or its’ committees have taken, you are “out of the loop” and, most likely, unable to influence or correct the problems.

Fortunately, the HOA’s in the Blackhawk area are well managed with seasoned board members. However, most of us do not participate enough in board, committee, or staff actions or decisions. By not attending board meetings or committee meetings, we miss the opportunity to learn about the community leaders who make the decisions that affect our lives and our property values.

I recommend that you attend a board meeting, or a committee meeting, or log on to the HOA’s website to learn the date and time and agenda of meetings. Better yet, talk with a board member, a committee member, a staff member, or one of our local service area’s police officers. You can contact the Blackhawk Police at (925) 646-2441 or 736-1018. They are a very valuable law enforcement resource in our community. Following these suggestions will make you a better-informed resident.

The bottom line . . . be an active participant by getting involved or, at least, be an active spectator in your HOA. If you have any questions or comments, please email me at aaron.barger@yahoo. com.