What happened to September, you ask? Well, I just didn't get around to writing the newsletter. Oh the vicissitude of finding good help these days! What can I say? The time I would have spent writing a newsletter, I spent instead preparing for our annual Association Meeting.

And what a meeting it was! We filled the Pozzi Nature Center Meeting room with interested owners! I didn't actually count the attendees, but I'm sure there were 20 or more people there. Easily the largest gathering of owners ever.

Our grounds welcomed us. The asphalt had just been sealed a few days before. Our grassy commons were neatly trimmed; our sprinklers were operating properly. Mother Nature greeted us with crisp, clear air, coolish in the mornings but pleasantly welcoming during the day. Perfect days for golf, tennis or biking.

I don't want to "scoop" the meeting minutes with a play-by-play of the meeting, but for those of you who were unable to attend, Ray Cook was elected to our board, replacing Chuck Beardsley. Chuck has economically administered Wildflower II Association business for nearly ten years. We thank him for that long and dedicated service. I am sure that since he is a continuing owner, we may draw upon Chuck's wealth of knowledge and business associations in central Oregon.

Ray brings us energy, enthusiasm and a passionate commitment to maintenance. He has an understanding of the divergent requirements of the Phase II and Phase III units, and an appreciation for the wide range of priorities among the many owners of Wildflower units. I expect him to form constructive working relationships both on the board and with Mel Nunn, the association manager. I have found him open to communication from any of the owners. He responds promptly to e-mail, so if you have questions or comments, feel free to contact Ray, Ron Wise, (503) 624-7382 or Steve Peters.

I presented a show-and-tell requesting more attention to our needs for capital replacement. Rather than accept my homegrown estimates of our capital needs, the board had already budgeted money for a professional capital reserve study to be completed in year 2000. That's probably a good idea, given that there seems to be divergent opinion among some of membership over what is really required, at how much cost, by when.

The other thing I'd like to recount from the meeting - mostly because I'm sure it won't make it into the minutes - is a great story about our new manager, Mel Nunn. It seems that our former landscape contractor wasn't meeting his contractual obligations, Mel relieved him of duty. Mel was then faced with finding a replacement contractor. Unwilling to accept bids that he believed were inflated by a "resort economy" factor, he rented a riding mower and mowed our grounds himself, just to see how long it really did take. He then negotiated a contract based on personal experience rather than guess work. What a hands-on, can-do attitude! Thanks Mel!