President’s Message

By Stephen Sapp

I now switch hats from my role as Editor of Ripples and write to you in my new capacity as President of Lakeport Homeowners Association. I am fortunate to follow in the footsteps of Chuck Foster, who left Lakeport in great shape through his tireless efforts as President and Treasurer. Thank you, Chuck (and Marcy)!

Speaking of Treasurer, in addition to having the benefit of working with three experienced Board members—Vice Presidents Rich Kolko and Rich Rosenberg and Secretary Jeannette Malin-Berdel—I also welcome fellow newcomer Tod Vollrath, who will be handling Lakeport’s finances, including the first and arguably most important responsibility of the Board in the fall: setting the budget for the upcoming year.

Working from a draft left us by Chuck Foster and with the assistance of Ali Long, our Portfolio Manager from SCS, Tod presented the 2024 budget to the Board at its November meeting. After due deliberation, the Board unanimously approved the budget, and I am very pleased to let you know that there will be no increase in the quarterly assessment, which will remain at $350, even in the face of recent inflation. Thanks to Tod, and  also to the many Lakeport volunteers who give so much time and energy to do many things that we would otherwise have to pay contractors to do.  

One more note on the assessment: If you have not set up Direct Deposit, I urge you to do so (see Reminders elsewhere in this issue for how to do this). The main advantage is that you never have to worry about being late and incurring extra fees, but you also 

save the hassle and expense of mailing a check (or being charged a fee for using a credit card online). Some people have told me that they don’t like to use direct deposit because they want to know how much their bills are, but unlike, say, electricity or water, you do know exactly how much your quarterly assessment will be and when it will be deducted from your account! So please consider this time- and cost-saving way to pay your assessments.

I look forward to serving Lakeport in this new role and continuing to make us the wonderful place to live, work, and play that we know it to be. Please feel free to communicate any questions, concerns, or suggestions you have to board@lakeportcluster.org.