Transcript of Remarks from Dan Kapfhammer

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Dan and Olivia Kapfhammer

We received a few requests for a transcript (or, a copy) of the remarks delivered by Dan Kaphfammer at the last community meeting. Dan - who has come forward as a candidate for President of the association - provided a copy of those remarks and they have been posted below. If you are interested in connecting with Dan, you may contact him directly via email (kapfhammerdaniel@gmail.com), or by phone (502-641-0996).

Hi, I see a few people here that I don’t know. For those that don’t know me, I’m Dan. And I’ve been involved with the neighborhood association ever since I moved to the neighborhood. Overall, my experience with the organization has been a positive one.

First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank those involved with the neighborhood association. As an entirely volunteer-supported organization it takes a lot of work to keep things going, and those that do volunteer their time deserve our thanks.

However, I also want to acknowledge some of struggles of the SNA in recent weeks and months.

  • Membership has been stagnant, if not declining

  • As of 2/13/2024, there are only 14 memberships with paid households

  • Overall community engagement is down

To add to that, some of the things we've heard anecdotally:

  • Sedgefest is great, but what else does the SNA do?

  • What are my dues actually going towards?

  • I don't ever really hear about anything going on

  • There's an overall erosion of trust based on a lack of transparency

There are also some structural issues that need to be dealt with. Specifically, the status of SNA as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. There is a plan in place with the highest priority to reestablish this.

This isn't a shot at the existing membership / leadership. In fact, they deserve credit for shepherding the group through the pandemic and keeping the organization afloat and operational. Pulling off an event as big as Sedgefest is no small feat!

However, I think we can all agree that just keeping things afloat, today, should NOT be our goal. We have a naturally thriving and growing community - inside of which great things are starting happen organically. It's the job of the SNA to take those positives, run with them, and push things even further.

This is my call to action

We, as a community, need to re-shape the organization. This isn't about one person's vision. The goal of the reorganization is to establish a framework that will build credibility and legitimacy back to the organization.

It is unfair for the rest of us in the community to expect the association to do more, if we - as a community - don't also get involved. We can't lean on a small number of people to continue to do the heavy lifting and expect better results.

That's is why I am here today. We want repair the negative perceptions out there about the SNA. I will push for transparency in the operations of the board and the operations of the association (including detailed reporting on financials and expanding access to operations). We want to Inspire others to get involved and push the organization forward.

So what does this mean? What is possible? What are some of the things a re-energized Sedgefield Neighborhood Association accomplish? 

Some examples, not necessarily concrete plans include:

  • As part of a plan to improve overall communication with the membership, make it easier for the community to engage with, and keep up with the operations of the organization (think zoom-enabled meetings, distribution of meeting minutes, etc)

  • Build a sense of community, and drive engagement throughout the neighborhood (think social events, community service projects, etc.)

  • Ensure that the collective rights and interests of homeowners are respected and preserved. Development in and around Sedgefield is booming. A functioning neighborhood association can advocate for the community, preventing individuals from having to handle such things on their own

  • Provide resources to the community - bringing experts in to discuss topics of interest, organizing / coordinating resources and services (think, new resident welcoming committee, neighborhood babysitting lists, etc.)

  • Improve the quality of life, enhance living conditions in the community (think neighborhood beautification projects)

  • Foster a sense of pride among those that live within the boundaries of the Sedgefield neighborhood

  • Above all, we want to provide an open forum where community members can provide input on what THEY want to see the SNA do.

The PATH FORWARD

  • An immediate goal is to encourage residents to join the association as paid members

    • Reengage long-standing inactive members with transparency and innovative community contributions

    • Engage new members through “new neighbor” outreach and increased visibility to SNA happenings Membership drives and social events

  • Realignment of dedicated efforts

    • Reinstate review of financial status at SNA quarterly meetings

    • Reinstate community outreach through a newsletter, regular social media and website posting, increased community events and participation

    • Creation of sub-committees to allow more focused efforts on larger quarterly events ( i.e. Sedgefest, Back-to-School event, Fall Family Movie Night, Chili Cook-off)

How Will This Be Done?

  • Today, during the new business portion of the meeting, I will raise a motion to convene another general association meeting and call for a vote, open to the entire community where we hope to accomplish the following:

    • Vote to adopt an updated set of by-laws. The bylaws will be distributed for review immediately after today's meeting. There will be an opportunity to provide input on the draft. A finalized version will be updated and published no later than 10 days before the next community meeting.

    • Voting at the next meeting will be subject to the rules outlined in the EXISTING bylaws

    • Should the motion to adopt the new bylaws pass, this will immediately trigger the election of a new board.

      • Per the revised bylaws, the board will be comprised of an executive council with the following positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Communication Officer, as well as four at-large board positions

      • Candidates to include current board members wishing to run again, as well as new board member candidates

This neighborhood is growing and thriving, and I get the sense that there is some pent up energy that we can capitalize on within the community to bring the SNA back to the level we know that it should be.