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Manufactured Housing

Your community's history is worth gathering

By LEN BONIFIELD
Published February 5, 2005

Thousands of factory-built communities - some new, some 20 or more years old - dot the Florida landscape. Each one develops a unique personality, style and community spirit. Each one evolves over the years.

Most communities have a homeowners association whose members and boards of directors change regularly. From time to time every community faces some contentious issue. The way the community resolves those issues becomes part of its history.

It is not uncommon for older communities to have had two, three or more owners. Residents bring unusual backgrounds and experiences to the community. Turnover of residents is high, sometimes as much as 20 to 25 percent a year.

All this came to mind recently when I received a copy of A History of the Homeowner's Association of Swiss Golf & Tennis Club and Associated Activities. This 50-page history of that Winter Haven community visit www.swissgolfandtennis.com was prepared by Gerald "Peter" Phelps, a longtime activist in his community. He was president of its homeowners association, a representative to the Florida Manufactured Homeowners Association of Florida, and a member of the District 1 FMO board of directors.

Peter recognized his community's varied history and realized that each year, with the turnover of residents and the passing of time, some of that history is lost. He researched association records back to 1985, when the community opened and recorded the memories of the original residents. He reviewed every back issue of the community newsletter, The Alpenhorn. He reviewed back issues of the community newsletter published by the park owners. All this research took three years.

I found it interesting to follow the growth of the community from the early years, the development of various problems, the way they manifested themselves and how residents and board members resolved them. It is a testament to residents' power when they unite to resolve problems.

A chapter on "Those Who Served" will become a permanent record of the outstanding efforts and accomplishments of those volunteers.

The booklet's 27 chapters cover such topics as the association of associations, amending by-laws, park purchase, incorporation, legal representation, imposition of the fire tax, gray pipe plumbing issue, the computer users group, and more. The booklet is well researched and well written.

It would be an excellent task for every association to begin researching and preserving the records of their community before they are lost and forgotten. Every community is bound to have items of interest to current and future residents. Such a history also could be a valuable reference and tool for future board members, providing background on these vital questions: What issues have previous boards dealt with? How were they resolved?

Send comments or questions to Len Bonifield at elb@gate.net or fax to 863 853-8023, or phone (863) 858-1557. Please include your e-mail and mailing address. Because of the volume of mail and phone calls, he can't respond personally to every query. Bonifield is a manufactured-home resident and a past HOA president and former officer of the FMO District 1 board of directors.

[Last modified February 4, 2005, 11:09:15]