Review
This report provides an update on progress toward the potential resident purchase of Alonda Villa Park from Alonda Villa LLC. Notice of the sale was hand-delivered to residents on April 7, 2025. Following that notice, ROC — a nonprofit organization that facilitates resident-owned communities — initiated a feasibility study on converting the park into a resident-owned co-op. At the current asking price, ROC determined the purchase was not feasible, citing a required 68% increase in monthly costs for each of the 129 units. Since then, the committee has been organizing and building a business case to negotiate a lower price with Alonda Villa LLC.
After considerable research, the committee decided to commission a commercial appraisal. An appraiser with extensive experience in this type of property has been identified. Their fee will range from $4,000 to $6,000 depending on the amount of information we are able to provide, and they are booked through the end of August. In the meantime, we are continuing to organize and fundraise.
Update
We held our first evening meeting on July 16th. Thank you to the 23 units in attendance. It was a warm and informal gathering on a very hot evening, and it was great to see many new faces. We stayed until all questions were answered.
We have a new name and are now a registered nonprofit. Please see the name above.
In the process of accepting donations, we discovered that opening a business banking account requires a business license and EIN number. Registering for a charitable business license also required filing with the Secretary of State. A sincere thank-you goes to Karen Slyter and Harry Hansen for their considerable time and effort on this over the past four weeks.
We are now officially the Alonda Villa Acquisition Association (AVAA). We are currently waiting — more than ten days now — for the state to activate our license so we can open the bank account. The bank requires the license to be visible in the state’s online system before legally proceeding. Once activated, all collected checks will be deposited. In the meantime, all check donations are being held in a safe at a secure location, and all cash donations are being held in a personal bank account until the new account is operational.
Please note that AVAA is entirely independent of CommonWealth, the Residential Team, and any other park management operations. Do not leave donations anywhere at the clubhouse. Our mission is to investigate the feasibility of residents purchasing the park from Hammond LLC — not to manage or maintain the park.
We have a new website: alondavilla.com. Thank you to Jesse Gold and Derek Jordan for their outstanding work. If you have photos of Alonda Villa you would like to share, please send them to Carrie Enge at carrieenge@hotmail.com or Kathleen Craig at kl-craig@hotmail.com.
We have received 25 donations totaling $5,821.80 — very close to the $6,000 needed for the appraisal. Thank you to Larry Slyter for setting up a donation box at the end of his and Karen’s home at Unit 1310, and to Jim Yatman for decorating it so distinctively — you cannot miss it. If leaving a cash donation, please include a note with your name so a receipt can be issued. We are legally required to document the source of all cash donations.
The appraiser will not be available to begin until the end of August, and the process will take up to 40 days once started.
Cookbook Fundraiser: The Fundraising Committee is putting together a cookbook of residents’ favorite recipes, timed for Christmas gift-giving. Please submit your recipes to Carrie Enge at carrieenge@hotmail.com or Kathleen Craig at kl-craig@hotmail.com.
Maintenance Documentation: We continue to need your help documenting deferred maintenance issues throughout the park. Please take note of things such as crumbling driveways, water leaks, slow or failing septic systems, and road problems, and pass that information along to a committee member. This is needed for an accurate property valuation and will also help lay the groundwork for a long-range maintenance plan if the purchase moves forward. A thorough, well-considered plan will be essential to long-term success.
Our next meeting will be a daytime meeting on August 19th at 1:00 PM. We look forward to seeing one and all!
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”
Kathleen Poague, Unit 1302 Chairperson