When we found our fixer-upper in Spirit Lake, it was a bigger project than I originally planned to take on. But it was worth it.

What was unexpected, however, was getting involved in our rural HOA.

We’ve always poured into our communities and looked out after our neighbors. But, we wanted nothing to do with the homeowners association where we lived before.

Here in Spirit Lake it’s different.

Without our volunteer Board + Committees the community would cease to exist.

So, serving as Chairman in two key positions (first as Architecture Chair for 15 months and now as Road Chair for the last six), my focus has been on establishing + streamlining processes to more easily pass the torch.

If you want to attract volunteers, you have to make it easier.

As Architecture Chair, my general contractor skills were used to manage all new construction (reviewing plans, guiding residents through the application process + approving builds). I also answered questions about county regulations + SLE guidelines.

This has kept my construction management skills sharp, and has been a welcome challenge. It also acclimated me to building here in North Idaho beyond my own home renovation in Spirit Lake.

Then came the Kootenai Electric and Intermax (fiber Internet) projects. Increasingly, my work as ARC Chair crossed into collaborating with the Road Crew given the impact of the construction on our roads.

Ultimately, the Board asked me to oversee + lead approvals on the final phases of the Intermax implementation. This included meetings with their project manager and subs, walking the job sites, and negotiating additional repairs, to see the work to a successful (and timely) conclusion.

The Intermax project led to a transition to Road Chair, which has put my superintendent + project management skills to work on a whole new level.

The SLE Road Chair leads the management of 60 lane miles of unpaved roads from all strategy, planning, hiring, staffing, budget proposals, materials purchases and equipment maintenance and repairs to coordinating trucking, plowing, sanding, grading, spring cleanup and our big picture project: rebuilding the crown in our roads.

My leadership skills have also been tested in heading-up (with a great deal of diplomacy) communication with 300 property owners.

Maintaining majority approval among 100’s of stakeholders is the ultimate client challenge!

Now, along with spring cleanup of our roads, I’m also collaborating with IDT in concert with our Road Crew and Board of Directors to lead the most anticipated project yet: bringing our two main entrances up to code after 50 years of use and finally tying them into our existing roads the right way with higher elevation, improved drainage, etc., so they can be properly maintained by IDT moving forward.

The roads, as you’d imagine, are the most important issue for our community members here in SLE, right above building. So, getting to serve as ARC Chair and Road Chair has been a gratifying use of my free time while looking for the right fit in construction.

When you step into leadership, and meet the moment with action, opportunities follow!

While our Facebook + NextDoor groups are closed to the public, you can catch up (and get a glimpse at the breadth of the volunteer projects completed while working a full-time job) on our blog HERE.