2017 VIHA Homeowner Survey Summary Update and Next Steps  

​Thank you to those that participated in the recent 2017 VIHA Homeowner Survey which closed on April 29, 2017.  The survey summary results are as follows: 
 
Total Survey Responses Received: 195
 
Top Priorities Identified by VI Homeowners (in order):

  1. Beautification
  2. Deed Restriction Improvement
  3. Architectural Review Improvement
  4. Traffic Calming
  5. Requiring Membership (tied with Traffic Calming)
  6. Creating a Deed Restriction for Short Term Rentals
  7. Increasing Neighborhood Socials
 
Below is the supporting data from the survey (the lowest weighted average represents the highest priority):  
​Additional Feedback Received in Survey: 
 
There were some very good questions, suggestions and comments made.  There were many that were similar.  The Board is going through those comments and categorizing them for an organized response. 
 
Communications: 
 
The homeowners prioritized how they wanted to receive communications from the Board, as follows (in order or priority):

  1. Email
  2. VI Website
  3. Mailed Letter
  4. Next Door
  5. Facebook
 
Supporting survey data as follows (the lowest weighted average represents the highest priority):  
​New Volunteers for Committee Work:
 
Approximately 15 or so homeowners (not already serving VIHA in any capacity) expressed interest in participating in committee work. 
 
Breakdown of Survey Responses (VIHA Member vs Non-VIHA Member):
 
VIHA Member Responses: 166 (85% of overall responses)
Non-VIHA Member Responses:  29 (15% of overall responses)
 
Supporting data: 
Next Steps:  

The VIHA Board convened and discussed the survey results at the most recent Board Meeting on Monday May 8th, 2017.  It is now the Board’s intent to recognize the homeowners' priorities that were identified in survey results and begin to take action to make improvements where possible in the near term.  The next steps the Board will take include the following:  

  1. New Volunteer Follow Up: Over the next week or so, VIHA Board members will be reaching out and contacting the 15 or so people that expressed interest in committee work.  The goal is to welcome these individuals to the committee(s) in which they may have the highest interest in participating.  With the work that we need to now do, we need these volunteers and their fresh perspectives.  We would also like the new committee members to be a part of the collaborative process for the improvements we want to make in the near term based on survey results.  If you expressed interest in community work and don’t hear from a Board member by Saturday May 20th, 2017, please contact us directly right through our website here:  http://www.ourvi.org/email-list-feedback-and-inquiries.html (select the category: Committee Volunteering) or email us at [email protected]  

  2. Improvements to Be Performed in Committees:  Largely the priorities identified in the survey correspond to the functions of the VIHA that are done in committee.  Each committee now has their corresponding survey priorities and will begin analyzing their processes and taking action on the possible ways to make improvements.  Most of the Board members are also committee members and will be directly involved in this work along with others from each committee.  While these survey priorities are very important to the Board and each committee and work will begin on them right away, it likely will take time before specific and noticeable improvements can take root.  Also, the Board will be on summer break during the months of July and August 2017.  As such, we expect it may take 3-6 months for any improvement changes to be implemented and for the associated benefits to be realized in the community by the homeowners. 

  3. New 'Frequently Asked Questions' (FAQ) Sheet Being Created:  As mentioned above, there were many good contextual comments, questions and ideas provided by the homeowners in the survey.    The Board has decided to organize those comments into categories and will respond to them in an ‘FAQ’ style approach.  When it is ready, that FAQ will be announced via email and will also be posted to the website on a new page for quick homeowner reference. 

  4. Communications:  Based on the survey results, the clear preference for communication to homeowners is via email and that will continue as the primary channel along with the use of the website as the secondary preference.  We will still use letters as needed and social media (NextDoor and Facebook) to a lesser extent and only where it makes sense. The use of our 'sandwich boards' at VI entrances was also favored in quite a few comments and we will continue to use them as well for important and short messages to the homeowners.  In addition, a 'text messaging' communications channel was also suggested by several homeowners and we will explore the feasibility of that as well in the near term.  
 
In summary, as forward progress is made in the areas outlined above over the short term and for the remainder of the year (and beyond), we will continue to make announcements via our email distribution list and we will also post new information to this website in a visible location.  We welcome your feedback along the way as well.  
 
Thank you for your participation in this process to move our community forward in the directions that are most important to the homeowners.  Please contact [email protected] directly with any questions, comments or feedback.  

Sincerely,  

Rich Scanlon, Chris Ewing, Lisa Schwartz, Linda Testa, John Bodimer, Mark Brenman, Tom Testa, Bob Johnson, Glenn Gomer, Chuck Miller and Randy Havey

The VIHA Board of Directors