VIII. Board Discredits Committee Member Solutions

• Siloed, cut-off neighborhoods

• Chains and gates blocking road access

• Road signs warning "Private. Keep Out" to neighbors

• Fewer open roads for walking dogs, jogging and bicycles

• Roads spiraling into decay

• Paying to repave your road

• Our property is devalued

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT FOR DOVER BAY? They are consequences of the DBPOA board's road maintenance proposal that will affect everyone. Please read on.

We wish there was better news to report. Though the DBPOA Roads Committee met on May 10, 2025 with 6 committee members, 3 property owners and most board members, the committee's efforts were met with opposition at every turn by the board president who chaired the committee.

Judging from the president's committee report at the board meeting the following Monday, he did not deliver the Roads Committee's unanimous recommendation without personally discrediting it.

The Problem

A key part of the Roads Committee discussion on May 10 was alternatives to the board's proposal of adding the responsibility of maintenance costs--above and beyond current dues--to property owners that live on what the board now calls "private streets," streets where lot lines extend into their roads in neighborhoods without a sub-association (namely Olson, Shannon, Opal, Eskridge, Spangle, Slaveck and Bergstrom.)

The DBPOA has been maintaining those roads for 19 years collecting a significant amount of dues. This Board would be fundamentally changing these roads from easements on Common Area property, (as established in the PUD plats) to roads controlled by each property owner, whose property lot line extends into the road. This would remove these roads from DBPOA control and care and turn the cost and care of the roads over to the property owners.

The board president and chair of the Roads Committee now erroneously claims that maintenance has been wrong, even making the ridiculous assertion that the practices of the last 19 years were "in direct violation of our governing documents."

Committee Members Came Prepared with Solutions & Warnings

Members of the committee came to the meeting prepared, even submitting detailed plans that would fairly implement a universal care of all roads, prior to the committee meeting.

Committee members understand that these so-called private roads are shared by all--the public, Dover Bay members, and commercial traffic. The CC&Rs were referenced specifically at the meeting citing the articles that address these roads as Common Area, and the requirement of the DBPOA to maintain them.

The discussion was extended to similar roads in Dover Meadows and Cabin in the Woods that have sub-associations and have been paying for their own road maintenance.

There was much discussion also about the terrible effects of the board potentially "privatizing" roads. The committee members discussed the detrimental impact of neighborhoods operating independently. One committee member commented that the community will “spiral” into decay without uniform care. Other committee members warned that the board's effort would silo these so-called "private" neighborhoods with gates or chains restricting vehicle and pedestrian traffic to avoid the wear and tear from public use.

All members could not imagine this beautiful resort area with seven or more segregated so-called "private" neighborhoods divided up by gates and road signs that say "Private. Keep Out!" to their Dover Bay neighbors!

Developer Weighs In

References at the meeting to an email from Dover Bay's developer Ralph Sletager to the board helped clearly defined roads as Common Areas in the CC&Rs, thus making them the responsibility of the DBPOA (the exception would be the roads owned inside the condominium areas.)

Ralph Sletager wrote: (View whole letter here)

"Based on those differing conditions and others, I as the Declarant of the DB PUD and pursuant to the DB PUD CC&Rs 4.1, 5.4.1, 3.8.1 and 4.2. designated the roads in the DB PUD as common area, with the exception of the Condo areas 4A & 4B, 6A and 10.

Given the description of these roads as common areas, and the fact that property owners have been charged DBPOA fees and reserves for maintenance, the owners have upheld their end of the contract. Therefore any attempt to dedicate or transfer these common areas must adhere to the stipulation outlined in section 4.2(c), which requires an agreement signed by members representing at least 67% of the voting rights of the association."

Though the central concern of the developer's letter was the city of Dover's failure to keep their commitment to help fund road maintenance, Mr. Sletager's ending comment in his letter agrees with the Committee's recommendation:

"I believe that the best solution is for the DBPOA to maintain all the roads in Dover Bay."

Despite resistance from the board president, the committee meeting on Saturday accomplished its recommendation to the board for universal road maintenance, the second time the recommendation has been made to the board. It included all the so-called "private" roads, as well as roads in Dover Meadows and Cabin in the Woods.

Board President Discredits Recommendation. AGAIN

Most alarmingly, despite support of the recommendation from some board members, the board president who chairs the Roads committee failed to report objectively on the committee meeting at the May 12 monthly board meeting.

He discredited the committee's unanimous recommendation calling it only a "popular choice" using a questionable interpretation of the CC&Rs to support his position. He is adamant that the roads are private and property owners must take care of them at additional cost, above and beyond their dues. (In one of those neighborhoods, the cost of repaving its already damaged roads is in excess of $90,000.)

This has been a tough, long fight for the 6B neighborhood. We feel disrespected by the board president and committee chair and those board members who refuse to hear any other side but that of the board president. He has twice rejected the committee's recommendations. The board and members should stand up to him.

We highly recommend that no one in Dover Bay sit back and watch. Please reread I. Board decisions in 6B will impact you. We may not all live on a so-called "private" road but this insanity will affect all of us.

6-B Neighbors would like your helpful comments and insights. Please email us at:

DoverBayNeighbor@gmail.com

Please feel free to forward this on to your neighbors. We do not have everyone's email addresses.