BY JOHN A. NAGY, Insider Reporter
Seven Lakes West property owners re-elected incumbent board of directors member Jim Greaves and challenger Jack Roberts to the board on Sunday, March 20.
Greaves and Roberts bested incumbent board member Tim Niewald and challenger Bob Long. Vote totals were not announced.
Outcome of the election was announced at the end of the annual Seven Lakes West Landowners Association meeting, which was held virtually over the Zoom platform this year.
Greaves, of 105 Patman Court has been on the board since 2020 and previously served on several committees, including communications, legal affairs, infrastructure and lake master plan.
During a meet-the-candidates forum in February, Greaves touted his willingness to pitch in as needed in the community, saying he helped install a new phone system and rewired offices in the community center. He’s also contributed toward improving digital communications and even worked to help keep the community pool open during the summer when pool contractors weren’t available.
Roberts, of 150 Swaringen Drive, moved to Seven Lakes West in 2018. He has served on the Seven Lakes West Infrastructure Committee since 2019. He was chairman of that committee until 2021.
“Seven Lakes West is a very special place to live,” he said during the February forum. “I feel like I can make a difference to maintain Seven Lakes West as a premier community.”
The two took their positions immediately following the annual meeting.
Also during the meeting, board president Pat Zlotin announced the vote results of this year’s budget. Of the 1,717 lots eligible to vote, 772 member ballots were cast: 393 for the budget, 369 against. However, the N.C. Planned Community Association Act in state statutes requires that all non-votes be counted as “yes” votes, which meant the 955 remaining lots were counted as supporting the budget.
The budget, which goes into effect May 1, raises property owners’ dues by $250 a year, for an annual fee now of $1,500. The $3 million spending plan includes for a number of improvements in the community, including planning for an addition to the mail house, which is nearing capacity, and upgrades at Johnson Point, the Lake Auman dam and other amenities.
The budget also will include a number of fee increases on items ranging from RV and boat storage to the charge on boat slips at Johnson Point.
As proposed, the new spending plan allocates $1.93 million for operating expenses and $1.16 million for capital expenses.
Following the annual meeting, the board went into a closed session and, when it came out, announced the following roles:
* The executive members are: Pat Zlotin, president; Josh Davis, vice president; Jim Greaves, treasurer; and Jack Roberts, secretary.
* Tim Niewald, who did not originally win re-election to board, was appointed to a two-year term, ending March 2024, to complete Lois Ann Eisel’s term. Eisel passed away last month.
Contact John Nagy at (910) 693-2507 or john@thepilot.com.
