I am happy to report College View Estates Association is not only well but thriving. A couple of weeks ago CVEA had elections for board officers. In many neighborhood associations, there is very little turnover in the board and that certainly has been true for CVEA. This year, we found ourselves needing to fill four board positions: president, vice president, and two at-large members. 

Having never been faced with this situation, the board began to panic a bit wondering if anyone would step forward. A plea went out to the membership asking for volunteers and the results were amazing! Not only did we fill the four board positions, but many residents volunteered to do what they can to support the organization, including two people to replace those working with membership. 

I firmly believe if you have something worthwhile that people believe in, when push comes to shove, someone will step forward to assist. I think our election was a good lesson for the board and may be a source of ongoing discussions. Recruiting board members is one area the board needs to focus their attention on so future elections are less stress-filled.

The newly elected board members are: Prachant Bharadwaj, president; Vi Calvo, vice president; Patricia McGann and Dan Banister, at-large members. The board has the discretion to appoint one more board member. Our new Membership Committee is Terri Scott and Edward Aguado.

I think College View Estates should celebrate the wonderful residents who volunteer their time, talent and treasure to make this a place where neighbors care. New life has been injected into the board and we can look forward to new ideas for making College View Estates a neighborhood with broad appeal. 

I want to also recognize the members of the board who will be leaving. Joe Jones, a long-time member of the board, has helped to facilitate the planting of more than 150 trees in our neighborhood. In case you are unaware, trees add value to your property and are certainly important in terms of global warming. Once the undergrounding is completed in the area, the city will be offering to plant trees along the parkway. 

Another board member deserving recognition is Bryan Bear. He has been very involved in renewing the College View Estates Association website. To see the results of his efforts, visit collegeviewestates.org. 

I made a commitment to complete the remaining 1 1/2-year term of my predecessor as president. I have enjoyed my term. It gave me the opportunity to meet even more people in our community. They make College View Estates a “Community that Cares.” 

If you live in the neighborhood, I hope you have committed to being a member of CVEA. Your commitment supports your new board and our community. If you are looking for a wonderful community in which to raise your family or a place where you know your neighbors, come and visit us. See what a “Community that Cares” looks like.

 —Patrick Hanson is the now former president of the College View Estates Association.