Painting project complete!

I’m pleased to share that our painting project has finally completed. Throughout the project I’ve been really happy with how well the community has engaged with the process, from everyone who trimmed back their trees and bushes, to the 33 homeowners participating in our color vote, to the 67 members who pre-selected their door color, and to the 16 people who reported painting issues that needed correction. It’s always my goal as a board member to solicit and share information with the community as much as I can, and I’m so proud of what we accomplished together. 

And here’s some of the best news – and news we so rarely get to share – the painting project has come in significantly under budget! The painting project consisted of 3 major components, each of which was estimated by an independent third party as a part of our reserve study: wood trim repair, wood trim painting, and stucco painting, for a total of $517,325 estimated. Our actual cost was only $290,540, or 44% under budget! (To be completely transparent, this isn’t some master stroke by board – the third party projection was simply overly pessimistic.)

I’m sure you’re wondering – what does this mean for the dues? It’s hard to say exactly, though we can certainly say that dues will be better than if we hadn’t been able to come in so well under budget. With the management and vendor changes that have happened this year there are several factors we need to assess the impact of. We’ve also just commissioned an entirely new reserve study, with the aim of producing a more accurate estimate of upcoming large expenses. Rest assured we’ll be evaluating these very carefully going into our 2025-2026 budgeting session, and all homeowners will have access to all the information in our annual report this summer (or even earlier if you tune in to board meetings).

Looking forward to a great 2025!



Board Transitions, November 2024

Hello Camino del Prado Community,

It is with sadness that I share with you all that Susan Sandstrom has decided to step down from her role on the Board. Susan has been instrumental in getting our massive repainting project underway, and – very understandably – wants to reclaim time to spend with her family. Please join me in thanking her for her service, and looking forward to her future input and advice.

With that said though, I am excited to welcome Margaret H to the Board. It’s always great to have new people volunteering in our community! Here’s what Margaret wanted to share about joining the Board:

Hello everyone! I am truly excited and honored to be joining the Camino del Prado board. I am a Bay Area native and have been a part of this community since August 2023. I live here with my husband Tom and our small Cavapoo dog named Alfie (please say hello if you ever see us on our morning walks). I look forward to getting to know even more members of the community through my role and am excited to support my fellow board members as well.

With these changes, the Board also decided to rearrange our responsibilities to better match our experience. Going forward, Barbara Smith will be president, and I (Chris Shull) will be taking on the role of treasurer.



Painting Issues – last call!

We need you! Everyone, painting is now complete and the painters have indicated that they have addressed all previously reported issues. Inevitably, a few things will still not quite be correct. You have until Sunday Dec 8th to report issues for the painters to fix.

If you previously reported an issue, we need you to verify that it is addressed. If your issue was not addressed, please help us by re-reporting it in the form.

https://forms.gle/2mdtcNtgHRNLZXxc9

Please report painting issues

While the painters and the board endeavor to review all the work being done, the community is large and we only have so many eyes. The best people to notice if something is off are you who are living in each unit.

If you see anything amiss, please make sure the painters finished with your unit (it takes them several days to finish a building in each color). Then report the issue here: https://forms.gle/2mdtcNtgHRNLZXxc9

Thanks!

Fireplace inspection and dryer duct cleaning results

Thank you all for coordinating with us and having your fireplaces inspected and dryer ducts cleaned. Almost every unit passed inspection! Units which passed inspection can be found listed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jey9WWs2qb2d_sPcePV4V8B587Ji6BayT_jlO027l00/edit?usp=sharing
(We’ve also separately reached out to units which did not pass.) Please also note that the clubhouse fireplace should not be used at this time.
I am so happy that we have finally made real headway on this longstanding concern, just in time for the weather to start getting colder! 😁
If you have any feedback pertaining to the fireplace inspection or dryer duct cleaning, please let us know at help@caminodelprado.org.

How to Go Paperless

To all homeowners, please consider going paperless. Not only is this good for the environment, but it saves the HOA a little bit of money each month.

When you log into your account on the portal, on the left side is a menu: select “My Profile,” then “Profile Settings,” and then go to the “My Login” tab there you can set your general communication preferences and billing communication preferences.

(If you prefer paper communication, that’s perfectly fine – but we want to make sure everyone knows how to go paperless if they want.)

Action Required – Door Colors

All homeowners should have received a link to a form for selecting their front door color. Also note that a new option has been added for those with varnished doors who do not want them touched up.
Doors in good condition can be painted for no added cost. The Board has chosen paint colors similar to our currently approved colors, but which match well with our new paint scheme. Paint color samples are available on the west side of the clubhouse. Links to the colors are also listed below, but please check the painted color samples – any changes after painting will come at an additional cost.
If you have a varnished door you may select to have it painted (as a limited time offer, our Varsity Painting is including this at no added cost as a part of our broader painting project). Varsity Painting can also lightly sand and varnish existing varnished doors at no added cost during this project, or provide a quote for a complete refinish (stripped, stained, and varnished or painted).
All submissions are due by October 15th. If we do not receive a submission by then, your door will be painted/varnished with one of the options below that we think is most similar to your existing door color.
In terms of scheduling, Varsity Painting will post notice to all units ready for door painting (completed buildings). They will post this door notice as they’re ready to schedule them. The notice will provide their email and phone number to schedule a specific 3 hour period for your door painting.
Paint colors: