Candidates discuss community involvement

The five-member Canyon Lake Property Owners Association Board of Directors are collectively responsible for the management and operation of the CLPOA’s business affairs. The board members are elected for staggered two-year terms.

Two of the five seats are up for election on May 10 when the two-year terms of Paul Queen and Dale Welty expire. In the order they will be listed on the ballot, candidates are incumbent Dale Welty, Dudley Thompson and Jim Barringham.

In the weeks leading up to the election, The Friday Flyer will feature a series of questions to the candidates. During this period, residents will have a chance to hear directly from the candidates and learn what they hope to accomplish if elected to serve.

In this third installment of questions for the candidates, The Friday Flyer invited them to answer the following question in 500 or fewer words:

Question: What is your involvement in the Canyon Lake community and how will the experience you’ve acquired benefit homeowners if you are elected?

Dale Welty

The first Canyon Lake Property Owners Association (POA) committee I was a part of was the Tennis Facilities Committee in 2010. At the time, the seawall at the tennis courts was failing. Working with the POA we were able to have the current rock retaining structure built to preserve the tennis courts. With the rock structure instead of a standard retaining wall, the POA was able to save thousands of dollars and create a structure that significantly reduced the wave action. The landscape walking path around the tennis courts was also created at that time.

In late 2013, I became a member or the Finance Committee. My work on the committee includes monthly reviews of the operating budget and annual reviews that provide the final budget recommendation to the Canyon Lake POA Board of Directors for approval.

In 2014, I became the chairman of Youth Action Committee, which later became part of the Recreation Committee.  During my time with the Recreation Committee and Facilities Review Committee (FRC), I have been a part of numerous projects. Central to these projects were the workshops and surveys addressing the communities long-range plans. Out of the survey, many projects were completed, including the water feature at the front gate and shade structures installed at the lodge, East Port Park and pool.

The POA, Recreation Committee and FRC working together has resulted in the completion of the new pickleball courts and solar lighting at East Port Park, new arena surfaces at the equestrian center, patio enclosure at the senior center and a new storage building at Gault Field.

FRC is currently working with POA members to look at installing a pump track and motorcycle storage facilities.

In 2015, I became a member of the Lake Lease Litigation Committee. The POA resolved the lake lease fee structure issue with Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District, which extended the lease and will save the POA millions over the life of the lease. The lake boundary line part of the lawsuit is still pending but should be resolved in the near future.

I am currently a board liaison to the Dredge committee that is investigating the possibility of dredging the sediment that is coming into the lake and to the Tuesday Work Group whose members dedicated 4,100 hours of their time last year to maintaining and upgrading the golf course.

As a POA director for the past two years, I ‘ve worked with the board to reorganize the upper management structure. The board promoted Eric Kazakoff from the operations manager to the general manager of the POA and promoted Lynn Jenson to assistant general manager to handle the restaurants and daily HOA activities. This reorganization was a major change that empowered the staff to accomplish everything they have done in the last year.

The goal for me is for Canyon Lake to be a first-class community.

Dudley Thompson

Being an Air Force retiree, I’m accustomed to applying my experience to the job ahead. As a Lieutenant, I learned early on the importance of leadership, decision making, management and planning. This helped build the foundation for my accomplishments as a colonel and positions in between and after. Life lessons that I continue practicing to this day.

We were boat owners for many years before we moved to Canyon Lake. We loved the water and boating and it wasn’t long before we acquired another boat to utilize this wonderful amenity. Our family spent endless weekends enjoying wakeboarding, skiing and taking in the beautiful sights around Canyon Lake. Experiences I can’t forget and will work to maintain for others.

Our daughter, who owns horses, moved to Canyon Lake and introduced her daughter to riding. I have fond memories of those days when we used to go to the stables. We would watch our granddaughter during her lessons at the equestrian center acquire skills that she later put into practice in competition. I’d like to see these opportunities revived for a new generation.

My wife and I are golfers and Canyon Lake Country Club was another of the reasons we chose to move here. It’s one of our finest amenities and I currently serve on the Green Committee, the POA Committee charged with oversight for the maintenance and playability of the golf course. This experience, as well as being a golfer and user of its adjacent restaurant facilities, provides me with insight into what needs to be done to preserve this amenity.

Four years ago, I was appointed to the POA Finance Committee. Throughout my working career, I gained increased experience in cost controls and financial management. I’ve learned how to watch for signs of potential problems and implement change before they become reality. Our community is 50 years old. More than ever before, fiscal responsibility and planning are essential for Canyon Lake.

To help head off potential problems, the POA is mandated by State law to complete a “Reserve Study” every three years. If properly utilized, this study is an early warning indicator for pending problems. It alerts us that equipment and infrastructure are approaching the end of their useful life and allows us to proactively “repair and replace” before total breakdown. For our Reserves to be effective, they must be adequately funded and utilized. In my four years on the Finance Committee, we have diligently made those recommendations. This was accomplished without significant increases in homeowner assessments and sometimes none at all.

The POA board’s biggest responsibility is to protect homeowners and their property values. Proper financial management and amenity management are key components.   When there are questions and concerns about finances and major amenities, property values can falter. My experience in Canyon Lake prepares me to hit the ground running to manage our finances and in turn maintain property values in Canyon Lake. I’ll work to make Canyon Lake “A Better Bit of Paradise.”

Jim Barringham

Prior to moving to Canyon Lake in December 2011, my wife had contacted the president of Canyon Lake Tennis Club, Marga Kidd, and was told about the best way in getting to know the people of our great community is to participate in our social tennis every Monday and Friday which is available to anyone interested in playing tennis; from beginners to experienced players. When we see someone new on the tennis courts, we always try to make them feel welcome, like Marga made us feel.

Our next involvement was when we heard of something called pickleball, what was pickleball? The tennis community was not too happy about losing one of the courts to something called pickleball. During this stressful time, we as a community were able to work together and realize that pickleball was, in fact, a great sport, and the POA was able to add another amenity to our “Little Bit of Paradise.” Now, we not only enjoy playing tennis, we also enjoy playing pickleball.

Participating in so many activities in our community (tennis, pickleball, Fiesta Day, car shows, Taco Tuesday, 4th of July fireworks, boating, etc.) has been such a wonderful experience for my wife and I in getting to know so many amazing people who have so much to offer to this great community. It is all our amenities that makes Canyon Lake a special place.

Last year, I joined the Recreation Committee. Being on this committee has given me another view of how this community is structured. The nice part of all the committees in our community is that everyone lives in Canyon Lake and is volunteering their precious time in making Canyon Lake a better place.

For the past several years, I began following some of the hot topics of Canyon Lake POA, like the lake lease, front gate, and how things did or did not get done.  I also began to look at the cost of our amenities by reviewing the financial statements. I attend as many monthly board meetings as possible to get to know the issues and concerns of our community.

I am currently president of Tennis Club and saw some changes that I felt needed to be made. Working with the Tennis Club Board, we rewrote the Mission Statement and the Bi-Laws to better reflect the Tennis Club. As a club, we worked with the POA and board of directors to hire a full-time tennis pro for our community whose mission is to build tennis programs for the adults and the juniors. The bonus for the juniors would be for them to get a full-ride scholarship.

The type of work I have done is looking at things and coming up with something better or know we are doing it correctly. I have always prided myself on being open and honest and working with people.

If elected, I represent you and all the amenities we have in Canyon Lake.  I am always open to input. Without input what do you have?