Thoughts from a former LHCA Board Member

The following op-ed is the viewpoint of Bruce Bornstein a former LHCA board member . It has not been edited.

The past, present, and future of the Las Huacas Community Association Road and Security Goals and funding.

I am writing this document to inform our LH community of some of the history of our roads and security systems, to assess the current situation, and present a proposal for consideration and discussion about our opportunities going forward. Over the last ten years we have had many new homes and residents added to our community. There seems to be some misconceptions of how things decided in the past apply to our current situation. An easy example of this is which roads are part of the community road system, maintained by collected fees and which roads are the private responsibility of the home owners on non LHCA  maintained roads. The Board of Directors has always strived to have the highest level of community support and participation. While we have never received 100% support, there is a generally broad support for the work on roads and security.

The Past.

When we purchased our first lot on LH in 1989 the road was a barely passable 4 wd track. Since the inception of the American Project and the formation of the Nosara Civic Association road maintenance was performed by the NCA. This consisted of a yearly scrapping of the road surface to try to keep the surface passable. There was no maintenance of the drainage system, resulting in the road surface continually lowering below the drainage ditches. The result was the road becoming the drainage, continuing to degrade the road.  There was no vegetative management along the road, leading to the encroachment into the road system, further narrowing the road. 

In 2009 I took over road maintenance from Peter Burke and began an intensive effort to build the road up above the drainage ditches. For 11 years the community supported the placement of 100 truckloads of gravel yearly to build up and improve the road. This also included leveling, watering, and compacting the road. This maintenance was scheduled for 3 times per year, mostly in the high season when most residents were here. As our population continued to grow, so did the level of financial participation. Also at this time a construction impact fee was initiated to cover the additional cost of the heavy wear of construction activity associated with new building or remodeling.

In 2015 the owners on the sections of road from the Tee to Tierra Magnifica, the owners from the tee to the cell phone tower, and the F Road privately raised the funds to widen, rebuild, and apply gravel to their sections of the road. These roads had to meet LHCA standards to be included in the basic LH road system. All these funds were raised outside of the LHCA system. Then the owners agreed to an additional fee above their regular fee to maintain these sections. Also during this period LHCA hired its first road gardener. This position cleans the ditches of fallen leaves, cut protruding brush, and generally maintains the cleanliness of the LHCA road system. 

In 2020 the community tried an experiment with a tar based emulsion to control the dust and stabilize the road. It was effective for about 2 years but then began to fail leaving hard edged potholes. In 2022 an effort was begun to raise voluntary money to put down the real pavement we have today. These funds were raised by a private effort outside of the LHCA. The road fund structure was amended to provide future maintenance of the pavement. 

The Present

LHCA today has responsibility to maintain the current LH road system with all private roads still the responsibility of the owners on those roads. 

The Future

The present LHCA BOD will present at the annual AGM meeting in February the plan to fold the road and security fund into one payment. It will be the same no matter where a home is located on the road. Of the total fee about 85% will be used to fund security and 15% to fund road maintenance.

SECURITY

The Past

Until around 2010 there was no security. There were less than 20 house on LH at that time. Security meant bars on your doors and windows but with no one watching it was relatively easy to break into a home. At that time the thieves were after household items. Sheets, towels, pot and pans were taken. There was not much that could be done other than continue to reenforce your vulnerabilities. Bars got stronger, doors were edged in steel so that crowbars could not be used. Break ins occurred mostly in the off season. When you were here, chances are your house was being watched, waiting for a lapse in self security.  The goal off break ins switched from household items to jewelry, money, and electronics.

After 2010 the initial attempts at providing security were begun. The guard casita was built. Different security companies were tried. Robberies decreased, mostly thefts of opportunity, doors left unlocked, things left outside unprotected. The security company of Johnny was the longest lasting and most successful. We went years without a significant incident. 

The Present

Over the last two years due to key employees leaving, and health problems with the principle, LH needed to make a change of security companies. It has not been easy, especially for the BOD members overseeing security. We recognize that the present system is still not adequate after our first major break in in many years. This year besides changing security companies, installing additional lights, improving the security casita, we have realized that what we have now is still not working.

The BOD began a search for a better system. Interviews were conducted, costs analyzed, alternatives were explored. Costs came in substantially higher than our present dues system could absorb. Security fees have not been raised on LH in many years. Besides we have homes that pay both road and security, homes that pay just for roads, some just for security, and too many that pay nothing. This is not a sustainable situation.

The Future

At the next annual meeting the residents of LH will be asked to discuss and vote on a new plan which combines the road and security fee which was stated above. Security will represent 85% of the costs. We will move our security system into the 21st century with additional camera, license plate readers, video recorders, well trained and paid guards with supervisors, and accountability. 

If the plan is accepted and the required number of households participate financially, we will have good security again.

If the plan does not get the pledges needed to pay for itself there will be no security or future road maintenance overseen by the BOD. This will bring us full circle back to 2010 when there was no security or an organized road maintenance system.

Now is the time to get involved. Give your input, pledge to participate and we will go forward into a bright future for LH. Lets recover the sense of community that was once so strong here on LH and convinced many of you that this is the community where you wanted to live.