Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Please Vote in This Year's HOA Election!

The following are personal statements of candidacy for each of five people running for election to the Green Meadows West Homeowners Association board of directors in 2022. Four will be elected, toward a current total of 11 board members.

These statements are presented in alphabetical order by last name, regardless of incumbency, and are posted both on the neighborhood Facebook page and website.

All GMWHOA voting-lot members who are in good standing (dues paid) are eligible to vote in this election. Because the 2022 Annual Meeting is to be conducted via video-teleconference, all voting is taking place by postal mail or hand-delivered.

If you have not received your ballot and meeting-attendance proxy, please contact Association Manager Ben McMenanin at: 515.222.5206; benm AT knappproperties DOT com

Ballots and proxies must be received by 12 noon Mon., Jan. 24, 2022 in order to be counted.

Returned proxies will also be eligible for door prizes.

The Annual Meeting video-teleconference is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tues., Jan. 25, 2022.

Here are this year's candidate statements:

*****

My name is Joel Beary. My family moved to Green Meadows West in 1995 and have had at least one branch of the family here since then. I am 2000 graduate of JHS and went on to receive my BA degree in Sociology from the University of Iowa in 2004. 

I spent a few years away from Johnston early in my career but returned in 2015 when my wife and I purchased my childhood home upon my parents retirement. We currently reside in Green Meadows West with our two children and look forward to doing all we can to help the neighborhood maintain its wonderful atmosphere as well as support its growth going into the future.

I want to ensure my children as well as everyone in GMW has the same great experience growing up here that I did. 

*****

My name is Randy Brown. My family has lived in Green Meadows West Plat 9—an area south of the power lines that cross east-west through neighborhood green space—since 1999. We have two children in Johnston public schools. We are original owners of our house. (The mortgage is nearly paid off!) I am a former editor of Better Homes and Gardens-branded specialty magazines, and am now a freelance writer and independent publisher. My 2006 graduate degree at Iowa State University involved economic and other neighborhood effects generated by changes made to residential properties. I have been a Green Meadows West board member since 2005, and have even intermittently served as a board officer.

As a board member, I have proudly been directly involved in such past GMWHOA initiatives as:

  • The installation of new playground equipment at Windsor Park.
  • Launching the annual all-neighborhood “Picnic in the Park” and (now Summer Concert series) in Dover Park.
  • The professionalization and long-term planning of maintenance for our 17 acres of restored prairie.
  • Negotiating with the City of Johnston the zoning conditions of two Planned-Use Developments (P.U.D.) along 86th Street, which prevented food-service and other cash-register businesses from locating adjacent to our GMW residents.

I would appreciate your vote. Thanks for your attention!

*****

My name is Sara Lockner and I am seeking election to serve on the Green Meadows West Home Owners’ Association Board as a demonstration of my love and commitment to the GMW neighborhood. 

I have lived in Green Meadows West since 2015, with my husband and 2 children. I feel so fortunate to call Green Meadows West home; I love the aesthetics, the prairies, the trees, the feeling of community and most importantly—my neighbors! We also love our neighborhood schools and plan on being long term Green Meadows West residents.

When not working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, I can be found enjoying walks on the community trails, baking and making crafts with my family.  I have a passionate love of birthday parties, block parties, caffeine and dinners prepared by others. I also serve as a choir coordinator for the Heartland Youth Choir (Canto) and sit on the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa Associate Board.

I look forward to learning more about our neighborhood and making positive contributions. Thank you! 

*****

My name is Chris Riester and my wife and I bought our home in Green Meadows West in 2019 and prior to that I lived in the Beaverdale/Merle Hay neighborhood.

I would like to be on the board to help improve the communication and openness of board activities to the community and involve more direct involvement with all members.

I have not served on the board of an HOA in the past, but I currently serve on the Des Moines Valley Region Sports Car Club of America. Our chapter currently has 300+ members and we hold monthly events spring, summer, and fall with 30-100 participants. I have also participated in working with the

Iowa Chapter BMW Car Club of America that also has 300+ members and holds monthly events year round.

My wife and I love living in GMW because it truly does feel like a community. The trails and parks are a big perk for us and we enjoy using them to walk our 2 dogs and enjoy the natural prairie that the neighborhood is known for. Our dogs also enjoy the neighborhood for all of the squirrels they get to watch, bunnies they get to chase, neighbor dogs to bark at, and smells they get to smell going through the prairie.

*****

My name is Jon Vasey. We have lived on Tiburon Place in Green Meadows West for 25 years. My wife Dana and I have two children. I am an attorney with Elverson Vasey, and have been in practice 35 years. I was one of the founding members and first president of the Beaverdale Neighborhood Association. I have served on the GMW board since 2014. In my spare time, I enjoy Drake basketball, music, and architecture. My primary goals are to preserve the character of the neighborhood, and to see that property values are maintained.

Friday, January 14, 2022

Virtual Annual All-Neighborhood Meeting is Jan. 25, 2022!

The annual meeting of Green Meadows West Homeowners’ Association will again be conducted via video-teleconference only at 6:30 p.m., Tues., Jan. 25, 2022.

Proxies and ballots have been mailed by U.S. Postal Service to all voting-lot members. If you wish to participate in elections and/or attend via video-teleconference, please return your materials not later than 12 noon Central Time, Mon., Jan. 24, 2022.

This is the second time the annual meeting will be conducted via video-teleconference. The board of directors began experimenting with the format during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, and often now meets virtually for its monthly board meetings.

Neighbors will be able to connect to the annual meeting audio-only by phone, or the audio-visual presentation via computer, tablet, or smartphone via the Zoom application. To officially conduct voting for board members, however, a “quorum” must still be achieved via returned proxies!

The meeting agenda will include discussions of:

  • the 2022 operations budget
  • membership dues
  • the election of new board members

All neighbors who are in good standing (all fees paid), who return their ballots and proxies will be sent the Zoom meeting ID number and password via e-mail.

As always, signed proxies will be used to draw for door prizes—including two cash awards of $100 and one of $50!

For more information, please contact: Association Manager Ben McMenamin, 515.222.5206; benm@knappproperties.com