Posts by Deborah Quam
Social Media, Resident Speech and OVA Governance
A Response to the OVA President’s Message OVA President Steve Spanier’s recent President’s Message, “Social Media and Oakmont,” is ostensibly about Nextdoor. But it raises a more important question: how should OVA leadership respond when residents criticize its decisions? Spanier is certainly right that social media is imperfect. Nextdoor is not a scientific survey. Its…
Read MoreWildfire Risk, Insurance, and Oakmont’s Financial Future
As Oakmont members consider major financial decisions involving reserves, infrastructure investments, insurance costs, the proposed Berger Center project, and even the potential purchase of an aging OVA office building, there is another issue quietly influencing all of them: wildfire risk. Wildfire risk is often discussed as a homeowner insurance issue. In reality, it is also…
Read MoreBerger Center Is Only One Piece of a Much Larger Financial Puzzle
A Town Hall About More Than Berger The June 8 Berger Center Assessment Project Town Hall was presented as an update on proposed improvements to one of Oakmont’s most important community facilities. By the end of the afternoon, however, the discussion had expanded well beyond Berger Center itself. Residents heard updates not only about Berger…
Read MoreOakmont at a Crossroads: Financial Capacity and the Berger Center Expansion
A System-Wide Analysis of Capital Needs, Debt, and Long-Term Sustainability Introduction Oakmont is entering a period where long-term planning and financial decisions are becoming increasingly interconnected. The proposed Tier 3 expansion of the Berger Center is one of the most significant projects currently under consideration, but it cannot be evaluated in isolation. It comes at…
Read MoreGovernance, Factions, and Dialogue in Oakmont: Representing the Whole
It’s almost election time in Oakmont. In any homeowner’s association, prospective board members and sitting directors carry the same fundamental obligation: represent the interests of the entire membership, not a circle of supporters, not a social network, and not a single socio-economic segment of the community. In a 55+ active adult community like ours, that…
Read MoreFEATURE – Oakmont Central Area Complex Redevelopment Project: Years of Discussion and Planning
After more than a decade of community discussions, committee work, and planning, the Oakmont Village Association (OVA) continues to evaluate a major redesign of the Central Complex—an evolving vision that has most recently culminated in Concept 3: “A Walk in the Park.” The project remains in its concept cost modeling phase, with discussions focusing on…
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