CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Welcome GFOA Members,
As I find myself Chairman of the Board, I look around at those who have also volunteered to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Past and present members have all had the same goal, to improve the quality of our community.
This new Board, Directors and Executive Board, has an aspiring feeling of hope. We are very diverse. Some of us are new to the Forest, while other have been here for decades. All of us own property. Some own multiple lots and some just own one. We consist of landlords and residents. Some of us have been serving you for a while and some of us are new to this. We all come with our unique skillsets and talents. I love that about this group. I feel representation should cover everyone that became a member of the Association by purchasing property here. We are very excited about serving our community.
I appreciate the weight of this commitment. Right now, we are in a honeymoon period. I’m hoping it lasts, but do they ever? After serving two years as Secretary, I can understand why it’s hard to find volunteers. Serving on the Board is often a time-consuming and thankless job. Many members also donate personal resources in attempts to cut costs. We are bound by state laws and codes. To stay in good standing with the state, we must follow these regardless of whether we like them or not.
As Secretary, I was only able to listen to the community’s concerns from the sidelines. I believe communication has been a major issue. With the help of one of your neighbors, we have been able to reactivate the email addresses that are posted on the website. All email addresses on the GFOA site will be actively monitored. I would love to say that all emails will be answered within 24 hours. However, there will be times when they aren’t. We have lives as well and sometimes we take vacations or work odd hours just like the next person.
My goal is to have out-of-office messages for those who cannot answer right away that include who to contact in their absence. You should get a response within 24 hours, up to 48 hours on weekends. Answers to your requests or concerns might take a little longer than a quick response. If they require meeting up, researching or are a little more complex, you will be given a time when we can provide an answer. Sometimes, the answer will be no. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t willing to find a reasonable solution or compromise when the covenants, bylaws, state laws and codes allow it. Your voices will be heard.
Any group should review their By-Laws every three to five years. We will be doing this as some seem antiquated or contradictory. The last change to our By-Laws was in 2015. Before making any changes, we will research how this needs to be done. Again, we need to adhere to not only our Covenants, By-Laws, and Article of Incorporation, but also state laws and codes that apply to both non-profit and HOAs.
I hope our enthusiasm rubs off on all we meet and that you look forward to this next year the way we do.
Respectfully,
Amy Schott
PRESIDENT
I’ve been a traveler the majority of my adult life. Never really caring to put down roots anywhere other than a far off beach, or in some tropical forest I couldn’t pronounce. I was not one to stay still for long. To me, at the time, the grass was always greener on the other side. I spent much of my time trying to find something that continually eluded me. And that vision never really came to focus until I moved to a quaint little community, built on the side of a mountain called Glenwood Forest. In my tenure here amongst the trees I found a peace I had only dreamt of. A little place I could call my own, and mold as I imagined. Throughout those years I met many of my neighbors and slowly built friendships I know will last the rest of my life. Slowly yet surely we became our own little tribe. Friends that travel together, have dinner together, laugh and cry together, as well as have a love for our community. It is that community that we have worked so hard to make even just the slightest bit better through our efforts. From hosting events for the kids to adopting Nancy Jack and ridding her of litter. And that’s just a few of us. Imagine what could happen if more joined?
As many of you may know, there’s been a new Executive Board elected. And a few more general members were added to the line up. We now have a completely full board, which is essential for being able to vote on issues that will make a change for the better. We, the board, generally want what you want. So much so that we are willing to donate our time and definitely our peace of mind to try and do just that. Over the past month we have had multiple meetings to get our game plan together to make us more efficient.
First was establishing good communication channels. All of the emails listed on the website are now accessible and monitored, with response time under a few days. Along with disseminating our emails, phone numbers, and other various ways of contacting us through the Facebook chat groups. Second, we have updated our website to be more information based. There you will find documents and frequently asked questions as well as events with times and dates. Eventually we want to be able to add in the ability to access your HOA fee accounts so you may see it anytime you like. We feel transparency is a must if we are to have trust. Finally, we are educating ourselves on any and all things HOA. From books, to classes for certification, to having a professional come in and teach us how to be the best we can be and AT NO COST TO THE COMMUNITY! We want to be able to have a manageable budget, and though times are hard we know there are ways to help offset the financial burden of late. We want to build our infrastructure up, and become more self-reliant on what needs to be done in the forest. Thus keeping our expenses lower.
But we will have to work together! This will take time and patience. It will not be easy. But with persistence and community this can be achieved. We have committees that need volunteers and people to help breathe more life into the forest with their ideas and dedication. But most importantly we need to do this with respect for one another. Keeping civility can show us that we aren’t so different and can work together to build something better than how we found it! It’s never too late to let the past go. I myself am not interested in what has been. Past differences or grievances. I want to start fresh and build a solid foundation for a better future.
Our vision for Glenwood Forest is that of a real community. Happy, healthy, and safe. Something one can be proud of. We want to know our neighbors and let them know that they are not alone and that they are heard. I urge all of you to consider helping in any way you can. No help is too small yet greatly appreciated. So come get to know your neighbors and help us make our beautiful mountain community the home we always dreamed of!
GFOA President,
Jonathan Spaulding
TREASURER
Hello,
I’m Vicky Deehan and I’m happy to have been elected the Treasurer of GFOA at the 2025 Spring meeting. As with all the Board and Executive Committee members, I volunteered to serve our community. Just to be clear there is no payment of any kind for volunteering.
A little about me. I’m married, have 2 grown kids, and have lived in the neighborhood for over 30 yrs. As with anyone who has lived here that long, I have seen a lot. Throughout my time living here I have held various positions from President to Board member. I’m have a BS in Accounting and have been working in the field for few decades. I’m currently the Accounting Manager for a global company with a manufacturing site in Berryville, VA. I use QuickBooks daily in my job and am in the process of getting certified in the software. I’m also certified in ISO 9001, Quality Management Systems, through Auditor.
My goal as Treasurer is to be accurate, available, and transparent. I want to help make the financial system and our community communications more efficient utilizing today’s tech. There’s a lot to do to and I’ll make mistakes but I’ll own them and make appropriate corrections.
Please feel free to contact me at GFOATreasurer@gmail.com. I’m also on a couple of FB Hood Chat Groups so you can PM me as well. If you have an issue, let’s work together to get it resolved. If I don’t know the answer, I will seek answers and get back to you in a timely fashion. As we go forward together, please be aware like most of you I have a life, family, and a full-time job so some patience will be needed.
I look forward to working with our community members and stakeholders.
