Community Association Pools

(00:01) Speaker:   It's time for AMG's Community Leader series podcast edition. Over the last three decades, AMG has worked to make the role of community leaders more effective and less of a headache. Seminar topics are a response to which our executive board members have requested. And now here's your host and CEO of AMG, Paul K. Mengert.

(00:23) Paul K. Mengert: Welcome, everyone. This is AMG's 2024 Community Leaders Series podcast edition. In today's episode, we will be discussing the crucial topic for HOA boards of Community Association pools. We are thrilled to have Kyam Gibran, Vice President of Pool Professionals and their Operations Branch Manager with us today, as well as Dave Hebert, one of AMG's community managers, as our special guest to provide insight on this essential topic. Kyam is, as I said, the Vice President of Pool Professionals and Director of Operations. He's been with them for over a decade, he has lots of certifications, many of you probably already know Kyam because he's worked on a lot of pools throughout the footprint of AMG. We also are pleased to have Dave Hebert, one of AMG's community managers, with us. Dave is an AMS and a CMCA, and works with a lot of community association boards, including on operating their pools. I'm going to jump right in, Kyam, welcome. I want to just get right to it. When it comes to operating pools in a community association, can you talk to our listeners about some of the important aspects that the leadership of the community should focus on? I understand that enjoyment is important, but of course safety is paramount. What are your top priorities for community association pools?

(01:57) Kyam Gibran: Well, you hit it on the you hit the nail on the head, Paul. Safety, safety and a little more safety. However, to extrapolate having the resources to facilitate safety with the willingness to trust and empower your service provider slash pool operator to implement their expertise is a crucial concept that should not just be focused on but put into action. A well-planned budget, willing pool volunteers, and a reputable service provider, I would suggest one with the with history, all teamed with an effective and responsive property manager, contributes to the synergy of the pool operations as well, ultimately.

(02:35) Paul K. Mengert: That makes a lot of sense. Dave, do you have some comments on that?

(02:40)  Dave Hebert: Yes, actually, Paul, what we do is, you know, it's very important just to lead off the pool season in the early months of February, March, April and taking a look at the pool deck, the pool surroundings, the furniture and things like that. But most importantly, we are always talking about the fencing that seems to come up every year about, you know, does it need to be redone, does it need to be fixed in certain areas? Because obviously our concern is, is safety, safety, safety, like Kyam said, the most important.

(03:09) Paul K. Mengert: Of course. Well, I think the other thing you touched on, in addition to safety, which always is going to be paramount, is starting the planning process early. And I just see in almost every aspect of association, early planning really pays dividends to our communities.

(03:29) Kyam Gibran: What we'd like to practice at Pool Professionals is at the end of each season we do a location inspection: inspect the pool deck, the pool pump room, its equipment, the pool surface, things of that nature, and we generate a report. We call it a Capital Expense Recommendation report, and then we'll submit that to the HOA, our point of contact, the property manager, and this way they have an overview on what items are code required that are urgent, what items they need to plan on. For example, the pool interior surface might have be coming approaching the end of its life, and we might be able to get another two seasons out of it. And we'll say that that way the HOA can have two years to budget and actually afford that significant expense of resurfacing the pool. And then additionally with the equipment, because just like a I always like to use a car analogy, just like a car, you know, it requires maintenance. Tires need to get changed. Oil needs to get changed. Things of this nature. Same thing for a pump room. It's always great to do preventative maintenance there and we will, a solid service provider can provide that guidance to the HOA to set the HOA up for a successful safe season with minimal downtimes.

(04:50) Paul K. Mengert: That makes a lot of sense. Thank you for those insights, Kyam. We're going to take a AMG Community Leaders Series news break and we'll be right back.

(05:03) Speaker: And now it's time for your HOA Solutions Today newsbreak.

(05:07) Newsbreak:  A recent study highlights a significant growth in homeowners associations across the US, emphasizing their increasing role in residential real estate. These associations are now managing a vast portion of new housing developments, impacting housing trends and community management practices. The study indicates that the surge is not just in traditional suburban areas, but also in urban and semi-urban regions, reflecting a broader shift towards organized community living that prioritizes managed services and amenities. For more information, please go to HOACommunityleaders.com.

(05:45) Paul K. Mengert: Welcome back everybody. I'm Paul K. Mengert and I'm here with Kyam Gibran and Dave Hebert discussing community association pools. Um, let me start with, I'll go to Dave first this time. What are some of the long-term considerations that community leaders should have regarding their community association pools.

(06:07) Dave Hebert: Well, Paul, what comes up every year in communities is the idea of what's the status of the resurfacing of the pool. You know how much life do we still have in it? You know, in the pool deck too, specifically, um, that that is a constant concern of, uh, the boards and HOAs, uh, along with the FOB system, you know, or the fencing, like I mentioned before. That's always important if there's a camera system. But those are the kind of long-term things. Furniture, obviously, that is something where, you know, you can't have a pool without pool furniture. So, um, planning for those kinds of things, between the resurfacing, fencing, FOBs, and pool furniture are some of the long-term items that boards address. You know, they look to address it in typically like a five-year span, you know, especially if they have a reserve study. Um, but those are the kind of concerns that that come up every year for boards.

(07:03) Paul K. Mengert: And Kyam, how can a company like yours support a board in, uh, in thinking about the long term uh, considerations?

(07:12) Kyam Gibran: Visit the location. We'd be happy to meet with the HOA, the property management, or we could just do it independently. And we would just perform a location inspection and write up a report and look from everything from basically what we like to say is from the fence in. As Dave pointed out the gate, the gates, the fence is always something, and particularly the entrance gate where it has so much traffic, it takes a beating and you know, those gates have to self-close and self-latch on a consistent basis to prevent accidental drowning, inappropriate access to the pool. 

(07:45) Paul K. Mengert: Right. And Kyam, I know one of the things I heard, one of the things you mentioned that's uh, I've found as a community manager to be really important, um, do you like it when the board members or community leaders are willing to meet with you and, you know, kind of be hands on in the inspection process?

(08:05) Kyam Gibran: Yes, it is always beneficial. Sometimes it can be a little bit of a mixed bag. It is very beneficial to meet with the HOA, that way they can see first person what we're talking about, because it's one thing to try to explain it and articulate it in words through an email, as opposed to seeing it in person and visually seeing the issues. And also, just having a dialogue and being able to answer questions right in the moment when these things are being evaluated.

(08:33) Paul K. Mengert: I think that dialogue is really important. Dave and Kyam, hold on just a minute we're going to take another AMG Community Leaders Series newsbreak and we'll be right back.

(08:49) Speaker: And here's another HOA Solutions Today newsbreak.

(08:53) Newsbreak: The article on WCNC discusses the legal obligations of homeowner associations regarding the holding of annual meetings and elections and emphasizes that state laws typically mandate these associations to conduct annual meetings to ensure transparency and member participation in governance. These meetings are crucial for electing the HOA board and addressing community concerns, reinforcing the democratic process within residential communities. To read the full story, please go to HOACommunityleaders.com.

(09:27) Paul K. Mengert: Welcome back folks. I'm Paul K. Mengert here discussing community association pools with Dave Hebert and Kyam Gibran. Gentlemen, thank you all very much for sharing with our clients some important tips about operating their pools. Um, let me ask you this. If there are community leaders out there listening to this that are perhaps considering hiring a new or different pool service next year, what are some of the qualifications that they should look for in a company to be sure they're making the best choice for their communities, Kyam?

(10:01) Kyam Gibran: Well, the business should be licensed and insured to operate. Additionally, it should have worker's comp to protect the employee’s injury in the event the injury occurs on location or while they're working. Secondly, if the HOA is planning towards a significant pool repair or renovation that exceeds 30 K in the state of North Carolina, a general contractor license is required. Even if the HOA might not take on a project that size, the benefit from having a service provider that actually has a GC shows that that provider made an effort to meet those professional standards for the trade and are committed to stay on top of codes and industry standards. Additionally, I would suggest the HOA strongly consider the property manager’s recommendations. Typically, a property manager has had pools or has pools in their portfolio, and they can speak positively or negatively to experiences about the providers they've interacted with and ultimately steer the HOA in the right direction. Finally, I would suggest the HOA choose a company that has their own R&R department. Believe it or not, there are other pool companies here that serve the Triad, the Triangle, and different regions that don't have their own R&R department. And the benefit of having their own R&R department is this way when things do fail, the pool’s downtime closure is minimal. And also, the HOA will get more competitive pricing because they're not dealing with the smaller pool company that's having to contract with another pool company and deal with those markups and things of that nature.

(11:28) Paul K. Mengert: I think this is like every other aspect of operating or maintaining a facility. Not all operators are created equal. So, it's really important to do your homework and figure out the right fit for your particular community. We're going to take one final newsbreak, and we'll be right back with some final thoughts from Kyam Gibran and Dave Hebert on operating pools. I'm going to ask each of them for their three takeaways from today's podcast.

(12:04) Speaker: And now our final HOA Solutions Today newsbreak.

(12:09) Newsbreak: The article of NC Newsline outlines five recommendations that North Carolina lawmakers might consider to resolve disputes within homeowner associations. These suggestions aim to enhance clarity, fairness, and accountability to HOA operations. The proposed measures include improving transparency in financial dealings, enforcing more straightforward communication channels between homeowners and HOA boards, and instituting clearer guidelines for dispute resolution. These changes are intended to reduce conflicts and ensure smoother governance with HOA communities. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment at HOACommunityleaders.com.

(12:50) Paul K. Mengert: We're back everyone, as we close out, I know it's important to always summarize with three important takeaways. Let me go first to, uh, community manager Dave Hebert.

(13:02) Dave Hebert: My three key takeaways are obviously most important is the safety of the pool and the surrounding deck, which is important. Like Kyam said earlier, from the fence in. The second takeaway is it's important to always consider the long-term plans for the pool. Budget wise and keeping it, you know, with the rotating boards, making sure that the new board is up to date on what the long-term plans for the pool and costs are. And the last one, I feel, is the communication between the pool management company, property management company and the HOA. It's imperative that there's good communication, not just about maintenance issues, but about any other issues that could come up and to inform the HOA as soon as possible if there's a concern on behalf of the pool management company, that's critical to the success of the pool.

(13:53) Paul K. Mengert: And Kyam, what are your three takeaways?

(13:56) Kyam Gibran: To begin with, I think it's crucial and important for anyone that is involved with facilitating pool operations to always put safety at the forefront. It's easy to minimize, oh well, we don't need those extra safety signs, or we don't need this, or we're just going to do this until it breaks down. That's a mistake. Folks involved, pool operations should always be thinking preventively and proactively with maintenance and safety. Additionally, a key point and something I've taken away from this is partnerships. It's crucial to have a strong partnership with the HOA, your property management, and your service vendor, because it takes a whole teamwork and a synergy to facilitate a safe and successful swim season.

(14:46) Paul K. Mengert: Gentlemen, you've summarized this, you've summarized this well. As your podcast host, I'll give you my three quick final takeaways, which would be: number one, safety, number two, planning, number three, do your due diligence on the companies you're working with. Thank you to everyone for tuning in to this episode. And a special thanks to Kyam Gibran and Pool Professionals, as well as Dave Hebert from AMG for speaking with us today. I'm Paul K. Mengert, your host for the 2024 AMG Community Leaders Series Podcast Edition. If you would like to explore more of our podcast or access additional 2024 CLS content, please visit HOACommunityleaders.com. That's HOACommunityleaders.com.

(15:38) Speaker: Thanks for listening to AMG's Community Leaders Series podcast edition. To find out more information on this episode, please visit HOACommunityleaders.com. This podcast is a production of BG AD Group. All rights reserved.

• Safety: of both the pool and the surrounding deck.

• Planning: consider the long-term plans for the pool, keep in mind the budget- both short-term and long-term goals, and always be thinking preventively and proactively.

• Communication: it's crucial to have a strong partnership with the HOA, your property management, and your service vendor, because it takes a whole teamwork and a synergy to facilitate a safe and successful swim season.

Study: Homeowners Associations Are Booming

A recent study highlights a significant growth in homeowners associations across the U.S., emphasizing their increasing role in residential real estate. These associations are now managing a vast portion of new housing developments, impacting housing trends and community management practices. The study indicates that this surge is not just in traditional suburban areas but also in urban and semi-urban regions, reflecting a broader shift towards organized community living that prioritizes managed services and amenities.

Can HOA boards skip meetings and elections?

The article on WCNC discusses the legal obligations of homeowners associations (HOAs) regarding the holding of annual meetings and elections. It emphasizes that state laws typically mandate these associations to conduct annual meetings to ensure transparency and member participation in governance. These meetings are crucial for electing the HOA board and addressing community concerns, reinforcing the democratic process within residential communities.

Five recommendations North Carolina lawmakers may consider to tackle HOA disputes

The article from NC Newsline outlines five recommendations that North Carolina lawmakers might consider to resolve disputes within homeowners associations (HOAs). These suggestions aim to enhance clarity, fairness, and accountability in HOA operations. The proposed measures include improving transparency in financial dealings, enforcing more straightforward communication channels between homeowners and HOA boards, and instituting clearer guidelines for dispute resolution. These changes are intended to reduce conflicts and ensure smoother governance within HOA communities.