Date:    March 19, 2020
 
Notice:  COVID-19 – Impact on The Bluffs Operations
 
To:        All Homeowners of The Bluffs Homeowners’ Community Association
 
From:     General Manager, Todd Borland
The Board of Directors of The Bluffs Homeowners’ Community Association held an Emergency Executive Board Meeting on March 18, 2020 to review the impact of the revised OC Health directive on COVID-19 on to the Association’s operations. The situation remains very fluid, so all items remain subject to change. At this time, these are the current operational changes that are effective immediately. Each of the items below is consistent with State and Local guidelines on Social Distancing, in consultation with the Association’s legal counsel. By all indications, taking decisive action now will help reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
No “In-Person” Visitors to The Association’s Onsite Office
(Except for Viewing Paint Schemes – By Appointment Only)
 
The front entrance gate to the onsite office and Fiesta Room will be locked. The office staff will remain available to serve residents of The Bluffs during regular business hours of 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday. If you need to reach The Bluffs office, please call 949-759-1200 or email info@bluffshoa.com . For any after-hours emergencies, please dial the same phone number (949-759-1200) to be routed to the after-hours prompts. 
 
If you need to reach the General Manager for any emergency, please don’t hesitate to call 949-524-6668.  Please leave a message . Any life and property threatening emergencies should be referred to 9-1-1, as appropriate.
Some Office Staff Telecommuting
 
The Board voted to authorize some of the Bluffs staff members to begin telecommuting. All office staff members will remain available during business hours at their same phone and emails. Please continue to call 949-759-1200. This should be a seamless transition for residents as existing remote access systems are already in place. Staff will continue to make site visits, as necessary, to conduct Association business. All staff members are attempting to observing Social Distancing. If you see staff out and about, please feel free to say hello (from a distance greater than six (6) feet away).
Fiesta Room Rentals Cancelled
 
All Fiesta Room rentals are cancelled at this time. Most of the groups with recurring rentals already called the office this week to cancel. If you have an existing reservation, staff will be contacting you today to discuss how you would like to handle your deposit and cleaning fee. The online reservation system for the Fiesta Room may be temporarily taken offline, and no new reservations will be taken at this time.
The March 25, 2020 Open Session Board meeting
 
The March 25, 2020 Open Session Board meeting will be conducted virtually. Board members will NOT be meeting together in the Fiesta Room. Homeowners will have access to hear the entire Open Board meeting via a virtual conference call (call-in details below). During the Homeowner Forum portion of the Board meeting, Homeowners will continue to have an opportunity to address the Board for the allotted 3 minutes.
 
For those wishing to address the Board during Homeowner forum, an online Request To Speak form has been posted to the Association website under forms via www.bluffshoa.com . You may submit the Request To Speak form online or print a copy and email it to info@bluffshoa.com .   You may also drop off a copy of the form in the Association’s mailbox located by the street-side gate by Vista Del Oro, which will be monitored just prior to the start of the Open meeting. The General Manager will provide the requesting parties an opportunity to address the Board and all participants. 

How to Participate in the Open Session @ 7:00 p.m. 
By phone by calling US: +1 (773) 231-9226 Meeting ID: 148 144 4051
Annual Meeting on April 15, 2020
 
To promote a fair and impartial election process, the Board of Directors has employed, for the past several years, Accurate Voting Services, Inc. as the Association’s Inspector of Election. They are a fully independent 3 rd party Inspector of Election firm. All ballot materials were mailed out by the Inspector of Election, and all completed ballots should be returned by mail DIRECTLY to the Inspector of Election at the address printed on the return ballot.  Please do not deliver ballots to the onsite office.  
 
To encourage participation, the Board approved the return ballot envelope to include prepaid postage. If you did not receive a ballot last week or have questions, please email todd@bluffshoa.com .  The Inspector of Election is responsible for issuing replacement ballots. 
 
The Annual Board of Directors Election remains scheduled for April 15, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. (polls will close at 6:00 p.m.).  Please be sure to return your ballot by mail no later than the Friday before (April 10 th ) to be sure the ballot is delivered to the Inspector of Election prior to election day. The ballots were mailed in an oversized envelope. Please be sure to read the set of instructions on how to vote. It is very important that the outer return envelope be signed by the Owner, as this is how the Inspector of Election will validate one vote per home owned. 
 
At this time, the plan is to conduct the Annual Election virtually (without members present). The Inspector of Election will be set up within the Fiesta Room.  All Homeowners are strongly encouraged to mail-in their ballot and to not attend the election in person.  To provide viewing access to the vote tabulation process, an online video feed of the Inspector of Election will be provided prior to the meeting. Homeowners will have an opportunity to deliver their ballot in-person prior to the close of the polls. To stress the point, please participate by returning your ballot BY MAIL.
Earthquake Insurance Survey (Included with Ballot Envelope)
 
Enclosed with the Annual Election materials mailed last week was a membership survey on whether the Board of Directors should purchase an earthquake insurance policy. 

At this time, the Association does not maintain a separate earthquake insurance policy. 
 
The Board of Directors consulted with the Association's legal counsel and the Association’s insurance agent to prepare additional details for the membership. If you previously responded to the Association's survey posted online, please be sure to complete this survey as the previous responses will not be considered. You are welcome to include your survey response in the same envelope as the election ballot. Otherwise, please feel free to return a copy of the survey to the office. The Board of Directors will be reviewing the survey results at the April 22, 2020 board meeting.
Parking Enforcement within the Bluffs has been relaxed temporarily in order to address COVID-19 Family Needs
 
The Board of Directors has voted to temporarily relaxed the Parking Permit & Guest Parking program. This only covers driveway and off-street guest parking. All fire lane and overnight street parking rules remain in effect and subject to immediate tow. In addition, if you share a driveway with another home, please be sure that you do not block access. Vehicles blocking access to another resident’s garage or driveway are subject to tow. This will be reviewed at the Board Meeting on April 22, 2020.
All Association Pools Closed
 
Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the Board of Directors has voted to temporarily close all Association pools and pool areas. Signage will be posted today on all pool gates.
Impact on the Paint Project – G Streets
 
For those residents on the G streets, the Association’s paint contractor, Hutton Painting, will continue per the current schedule (weather permitting). However, in compliance with Social Distancing guidelines, the front doors will not be painted at this time to avoid homeowner contact. Details on the painting of the front doors will be included in subsequent updates.  
Impact on Paint Scheme Selections – L & M Streets
 
For those residents on the L & M streets, the forecast remains that the painters will start the first set of homes around June 1. The anticipated start date will continue to be adjusted as we get closer to June. The onsite office courtyard will be accessible to view paint schemes by appointment only. Please email info@bluffshoa.com or call 949-759-1200 to schedule an appointment. You are strongly encouraged to review the completed paint schemes on the completed homes on the E & F streets. The office can provide you with the scheme selection on any completed home. Alternatively, if you see a scheme at the office that you like, staff can provide you with the addresses of the homes that have been painted in that scheme. 
General Association Operations
 
All Association contractors will continue to provide services to the community. Contractors will be observing Social Distancing in their operations. As cited in the revised OC Health directive issued March 18, 2020, Orange County businesses remain open at this time. 
If you have a specific concern, please do not hesitate to contact the onsite office at 949-759-1200 or info@bluffshoa.com .
Community Emergency Updates
 
If you have not previously signed up to receive emergency alerts, you are recommended to do so by visiting https://www.nixle.com / and registering. You can also receive text alerts by texting your zip code to 888777 (standard text rates will apply).
Helpful Links
 
New California COVID-19 Website
 
Orange County Health Care Agency
 
Orange County Health Care Agency – Revised Directive Issued March 18, 2020
 
California Dept. Public Health
 
California Dept. Public Health – Guidance Documents