HSVPOA CPFWC Requests Additional Committee Members

At the May 15, 2024, Hot Springs Village POA Board Meeting, John Boykin, Chair of the Common Property, Forestry, and Wildlife Committee, requested a charter change to expand the committee’s membership due to increased workload and succession purposes. The Board of Directors approved the charter change for an additional two members. Below is Boykin’s presentation.

“I have never seen nor written a proposal for a POA Board, so I have no clue what it’s supposed to look like. I have been on the committee for two years, was secretary the second year, and am now chairman for one month. I will explain our needs and how we got to where we are. Please bear with me.”

“The committee comprises four groups, each centered around different tasks. They are Wildlife, Forestry, Administration and Applications. I’ll take them one at a time to try to explain the situation.”

“Wildlife”

“Last year two things happened that still affect this part of the committee. One-half of our very seasoned two-man team left the committee. Prior to his departure, the committee decided to take on the management of the urban deer hunt. The Arkansas Bowhunters Association had been running the hunt and was collecting around $16,000 per year in hunter fees. The committee decided it could do the job and collect the money for the POA. When this idea was born, there were two very experienced men on the committee, plus a staff advisor who had worked on the hunt from its inception. When one-half of that team left, it burdened the remaining man. Scott McCord stepped down from Committee Chair to handle his expanded hunt responsibilities. He did a fantastic job, and the hunt ran smoother with fewer complaints than ever.”

“The wildlife section is also responsible for dealing with the beautiful but pesky lake geese. Arkansas Game and Fish recommended addling as the method for population control. It was thought shooting and trapping might be offensive to some folks, so addling (oiling the eggs) was the way to go.”

“Addling duty occurs mainly during the late winter months when the eggs are hidden in their nests. It is the wildlife section’s job to find the nests and oil the eggs to keep them from hatching another generation of geese. The geese create a dire nuisance with their waste. Our static goose population is estimated to deposit some 17,000 pounds of excrement on the yards and decks of lake residents every year. In some locations, yards and water are fouled past the point of nuisance and become health hazards. This job requires winter boat exploration of the lakes to find the nests. A second man is needed to assist in the work as well as to provide a safety net for the first. It’s a treacherous job in a dangerous cold water environment.”

“Presently, we are looking for someone to take the second position with the thought of leadership training. We are trying to find an applicant with some wildlife biology or game warden-type experience. The hunt requires some hunter hand-holding. Once again, a situation where a second person could provide safety.”

“We will lose Scott McCord, our one good, experienced man, at the end of this year. We need to train one if not two, people for the next twelve months while his unique institutional knowledge is still available to us. We need two hunting-oriented people.”

“Forestry”

“We have the luxury of two of the finest foresters we could ever wish for. Both men, Max Billingsley and Bart Langford, have had successful careers in the industry and are experts in all the things we need for the committee. Just today, I learned Bart is rolling off his position. He has graciously agreed to head up our newly formed natural resource think tank.”

“We recently recruited a backup forester and placed her in a think tank position. She is in the interview phase of replacing Bart if all goes well. The foresters are our gurus and final word when a permitting case hits a snag. If we need advice on tree health or damage to the environment, we ask the foresters to visit the site and give us an opinion. They’ve saved our bacon many times.”

“Our foresters provide liaison with the loggers and assist in setting direction for priority thinning. It was their drive that brought the Village back to logging and thinning the forest. The logging operation brought in around $90,000 last year. Max and Bart point out the direction to send the logger. They are trying to thin the forest to combat the pine beetles and diseased trees. Our forest is unhealthy, and only overdue thinning can help it regain its health. The goal of a healthy forest is why Max, Bart, and I involved ourselves with the committee.”

“Max has recently undergone two knee replacements and is not a candidate for tromping around in these hills any more than I am. We are looking for much younger sets of forester legs. Bart will be around to help when he can but operates a forestry consulting business and tends a large stand of his own. We will lean on Bart and Max for as long as they will let us.”

“If everything goes according to plan, we should be all right with this department. If I had them available, I would recruit as many foresters as I could find. They are perfect for all sections of this committee. The forestry sector will be a wash if we can bring our prospect online.”

“Administration”

“For lack of another title, I’ll use administration because it covers the Chairman and Secretary, both of whom somehow get involved in all sorts of little paperwork brush fires that seem to grow far bigger than either ever imagined. The problem with these two positions is one of grooming and succession. Neither position is one you want to throw a newbie into. Both need a good deal of on-the-job training with a path of years in one of the three sectors before landing in either position. I was thrown into the secretary’s spot without a clue as to what it entailed. I was just a warm body. That does not work. There are so many little secrets related
to meshing the committee with the POA staff that flying blind is not an option. I was lucky the previous secretary stayed as chair and assisted while I tried to transition.”

“Both the chair and the secretary require at least a couple of years to understand the nuances of the committee duties and relationships, not to mention about a million rules and regulations. Right now, we have no one on the seven-person committee who is beginning the path toward either position. Additionally, the past chairman, who is now the secretary, will be rolling off the committee next year.”

“Application and Permit Folks”

“It has been my experience that new, unskilled people are usually placed in these positions. Right now, we have two new men who’ve joined the committee in the past year. Both have very strong resumes, heavy in management and responsibilities but… both are employed full time. They both have some flexible hours and can make appointments for permit site visits; yet they are in no position to take on further responsibilities or advancement. We are hamstrung.”

“Application processing saw a phenomenal increase in the past year. We went from no applications some months to eight or ten per month. The site inspections and the ensuing write-up are not problematic for consumers UNLESS they get sticky. Neighbor to neighbor feuds are the worst on time consumption. I’m sure I don’t have to go into that part, but it does generate tons of paperwork and burns hours. Each case must be presented and debated at the monthly meetings. On-the-job training from working a large number of cases seems to be the only way to learn all the ins and outs and nuances of the rules. In our case, experience is not only the best teacher, it might be the only one.”

“We are currently exploring ways to cut the turnaround time for the clients. A month is far too long to have to wait for a simple decision. Tougher questions take more time of course. We have hired ourselves into a corner. Presently, we have an empty pipeline for replacements, and we have expanded our work efforts in all four sections. We have started what we hope will be a constant pool of candidates by forming the “think tank.” We are trying to identify villagers who have some sort of related natural science background. We would hope they might offer advice and help with long range planning. In the meantime, they will gain experience by attending meetings and learning the ways of the committee. But we still need two slots to help stock the pipeline.”

“Conclusion”

“The full committee voted to ask for two new members. I’d take four if I could get them, but we only approved two. One would begin training with the wildlife group, and the second would start with permits and applications. Both could be considered succession candidates for the secretary and chair jobs.”

“I apologize for the length; I thought you might like to know the whys of the request. Many folks don’t know a great deal about the committees, so if you’re one of them, you’ve just had a crash course. These slots are unpaid and don’t cost the POA one red cent. They will help us do a better job of helping you.”

“Thank you,”

“John Boykin”