Important Information Regarding the Pool and Slide

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UPDATE: View the document shared at the March 25th meeting here.

Dear Homeowners,

The Board and pool committee will provide important information and updates about our community waterslide in our upcoming open meeting on Monday, March 25th at 7:00 p.m.  The waterslide is a beloved Brookhaven amenity enjoyed by many.  The Board and community have difficult decisions about the future of this amenity due to the age of the slide and insurance companies increasing costs or refusing coverage for water slides on a regular basis. The Board understands this is not an ideal situation we are facing and invites the community to constructively help the Board problem solve around next steps.

Water Slide Background:

  • Our slide is approximately 20 years old and is near its expected life.
  • We have been informed that our slide is in relatively good shape but does require work to extend the life.  The vendor did state, it was worth the investment to maintain versus purchase a new slide, if that is the route we wish to take.
  • For the 2024 pool season, the slide requires repairs to operate safely. Additionally, the slide will require a total refurbishment in the next 1-2 years, which will have significant financial implications.
  • Our previous insurance vendor refused to provide coverage for the slide, requiring the board to find a new provider within a 2-week period. The presence of the slide requires that the slide, in some fashion, is covered by insurance, whether it is in use or not.  The biggest concern is the future of that coverage. The trend is that more and more insurance companies are refusing to insure a resort-style amenity such as our slide. While the new company agreed to insure us for this year, there is no guarantee they will do so going forward.

With this in mind, we must make some difficult decisions about the future of the slide. Below are questions we must consider:

  • Is it worth significant capital investment to refurbish the slide if it becomes uninsurable in the future?
  • How would we manage the potential issue of maintaining the slide but not being able to find insurance companies to cover the slide in future years at a somewhat reasonable cost?

As a community we want to ensure to you that the board and pool committee are taking these decisions seriously.  To date, an incredible amount of work has been done behind the scenes and will continue to be done to research and explore plans for the future of our slide.

We encourage you to join the upcoming meeting on March 25th to learn more and work with us to explore the best use of that space.  As mentioned, our amenities are over 20 years old. With all equipment and structures, break down, maintenance and the need to replace items are to be expected.  The good news is the community has been planning for these costs and placing funds in a reserve account.  Unfortunately, unexpected and unforeseen challenges like the insurance issues with the slide can occur.

Thanks for your understanding of this matter and we look forward to working with you to determine our next steps. If you do have concerns, we strongly encourage you to attend the meeting next week for additional details.

 

Thank you,

Brookhaven Board of Directors