In the famous lyrics of Bob Dylan, "The times they are a-changin'." With the resignation last week of Director of Operations Paul Johnson – the last of the “old guard” managers of the Property Owners Association – residents are pondering the changes taking place in the Association.

Some don't like losing this visible link to the old ways of doing things. Others see it as a sign Board members are keeping a promise to cut spending, eliminate inefficiencies and run the Association like a business.

As POA Treasurer Sean McDonald writes this week in his message to the community, "As promised, we no longer have any employees making over $120,000 per year."

Undoubtedly, there are boards of homeowner associations all across the country that are having to make tough decisions about their employees, budgets and assessments. As Joseph West, president of Community Associations Network, wrote in a recent article, "Money, more specifically the lack of it, was the main problem faced by most associations in 2011. The likelihood of a major turnaround in that area during 2012 is not promising, and as a result, most associations are again going to face tough decisions on how to spend what they can raise."

Leaving the employment of a company he has served more than 15 years couldn't have been easy for Paul either, but he started seeing the proverbial writing on the wall months ago as departments were instructed to tighten their belts. Just since January 1, he has had to let go of six of his Operations Department employees.

Budgetary considerations aside, for residents who have depended on Paul and his Operations crews for everything from event setups to vandalism repairs to park maintenance to Lake cleanup to potholes getting filled, it will be difficult to replace Paul's long-range perspective and knowledge of the community.

As longtime volunteer Ed Strong puts it, "He was Mr. Multi-task personified – the go-to guy when something needed to be done. What a lost asset he is to our community."

Given the opportunity to comment on their dealings with the Operations Manager, other residents voiced similar opinions.

Photographer Bert Barbay says, "With Paul's resignation, our community has lost an important asset. His institutional knowledge of Canyon Lake is irreplaceable. His positive, 'can do, will do' attitude permeates his organization and, hopefully, will remain. We will miss him."

Community leaders Ken and Dorothy Cable say, "Paul Johnson more than qualifies as a Canyon Lake icon. His intimate knowledge of the operational workings of our community is legendary. We wish him success wherever he is going; please count us among all grateful Canyon Lakers who thank him for his long service."

Dennis Pitts, speaking for the Yacht Club but representative of other organizers who have depended on the Operations Department to help with their events, says, "We would like to thank Paul for all the work he has done in support of the many activities the Yacht Club puts on or participates in each year. He and his teams' support have been extremely valuable to the successes our club has had, as we have tried to 'give back' to the community of Canyon Lake."

Joanna Spiller, another volunteer who has been involved in a wide variety of community events and projects, says, "Many thanks to Paul for his many years here in our community. His professionalism and knowledge were a great help in many situations, especially during Fiesta Day. He was always a gentleman and will be missed greatly by me and many others."

Mike Shroyer says he has known Paul for about 17 years, calling him "one of many wonderful people who worked for our POA." He adds, "He was always so helpful with Fiesta Day, Movie Nights, July 4, Taco Tuesdays and anything else we were doing that involved Operations. Paul and his wife Michelle are great people and I'm proud to call them my friends. I wish them all the best!"

Representing the fishing community, and also those who have served on POA committees with Paul, Mike Wiley says, "I have known Paul for several years and had the privilege of working with him during my time as chairman of the Lake and Marina Committee and the research and installation of the Solar Bees. He has always been very knowledgable and extremely professional no matter what issue we were dealing with. Paul has always been there to help in any way – from answering questions about the Lake to helping with setup and traffic control for the Kids Fishing Derby, insuring a smooth running event. His hard work and dedication is evident all over the community. I believe there is an old saying, 'You don't know what you have 'til it's gone.' Paul will be missed."

Paul worked for many Boards of Directors in his 15-plus year history with the POA. He was the staff liaison to a number of POA committees that depended on his expertise to help them research and develop ideas that would benefit different aspects of Canyon Lake. They included the Green, Equestrian, Lake and Marina, Facilities Review, Public Safety Feasibility, Tennis Facilities, Tuesday Work Group (TWG), Parks and Beaches, Campground, Fairway Estates and Long Range Planning Committees.

Some of these committee are now on hiatus and some, like the Community Garden Committee, no longer exist. Many of the volunteers who served on these committees would have liked the opportunity to express their appreciation to this man.

Paul may have had the most visible presence in the community, but he isn't the only manager leaving the Association. Since the first of the year, Human Resources Manager Bonnie Jensen and Planning and Compliance Manager Kathryn Rich have been terminated. Bonnie worked for the Association 23 years and Kathryn for 10 years. If there is a sense of sadness and unsettledness in the corporate offices, residents will now understand why.

Country Club Manager Pat DePinto also was relieved of his duties, with talk that other Food and Beverage Department employees are gone as well.

Yes, times are changing. Like most businesses in America, the Property Owners Association is adapting to changing economic realities, technological advances and leadership priorities. What the community is fortunate to have is young, enthusiastic new leadership: General Manager Jeremy Wilson and Director of Finance Chris Mitchell, along with POA Directors who want to make decisions that will benefit the Association.

Residents may feel sad, mad, glad or indifferent to the changes. But one thing is sure, today's changes will someday become someone else's "good old days."