On 27 May 2025, I sent an open email to the board as well as the membership at large describing questions we should address if the Board is serious about trying to resolve a way ahead. We have not heard back from them yet, but are hopeful that they will accept our invitation to a dinner to start discussion.
Here is the content of that email:
In the meeting last Thursday, we had the vote on dissolution, which failed to pass in spite of the many measures the Board took to slant the vote in their favor. Many of us would say that this was something to be thankful about. Is this because we simply want to keep SAEPOA in its current form? No. I believe there is a shared view that the airpark should be better than it has been in the past, and certainly better than it is right now under the current leadership.
Until now, our board has indicated that it has only one purpose in mind, dissolution of the Association, to be followed by their management of our assets without any checks on their authority. If they have a plan for what they would do with our assets after dissolution, they have not divulged it. For this reason, there is a sizable minority that is strongly against dissolution, certainly enough to block a dissolution vote. For a way ahead, the Board simply must work with those it disagrees with.
What would be a meaningful path ahead? Let me suggest that the questions that should have been addressed prior to the vote be addressed now. The Board can certainly help if it seeks now to work toward a better future. For example, committees should be formed with balanced viewpoints to make recommendations about the following, and not just with one side of the opinions:
- What is the desired end state to manage common property? (e.g., Who do we want to ultimately own the roads? How are they maintained? Who pays runway access fees? How do we raise the funds?)
- What is a legal path from our current state to the desired end state?
- If keeping SAEPOA, what amendments should be made to covenants and bylaws, and how?
- If we decide to dissolve SAEPOA, we must first (1) decide what exactly replaces it, and (2) ensure a method to transition to the new state through a legal and sure process.
- What is our collective interest in community activity and charity? To wit, do we have a legal (and agreed upon) definition for charity?
- What is a sufficient answer to the question of our 501(c)(3) status and how do we get to that answer? (e.g., do we contact the IRS as an organization? What risks will we take—no matter whether we dissolve or not?)
- How do we “fight fair” (such as following rules, allowing better dialogue, etc.)?
In the coming days, I will put out a blog post about each of these topics. The first is here: https://kloudcraft.com/blog/2025/05/27/what-happens-to-the-roads/.
There are many more questions, but I believe these are the big ones.
I want to make an invitation to the Board. Deborah and I would like to invite the Board to a nice dinner to establish a way that a dialog can take place that then subsequently involves the greater airpark community. Just let me know the dates/times that work best and we’ll adjust as well as we can. The ball is in the Board’s court. All they have to do is accept the invitation.
Steve
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