Saw us mentioned on r/Arkansas again... Community Club talk

Somebody on one of those r/Arkansas vacation threads was praising Fairfield Bay, and then another fella came along and said the Community Club is full of petty people and drama. Made me chuckle... and also sigh a little.

I've been up here a long time and I've sold and bought a few lots in my day, so I get the dues question from newcomers all the time. What does the Club cover and what does the city cover? From what I understand the city does the streets, police and fire, and the Club runs the amenities, the pools, tennis, the lake and marina side of things and so on. Correct me if I've got any of that wrong...

The annual meeting is the part folks seem to get heated about. Some say it's the one chance to speak up, others say the decisions are already made by then. I've been to a few. Honestly it's about like any other small town board... some good, some not.

For those who've been to the meeting lately, how did it feel to you? And does the dues money seem worth it?

Your split is mostly right, Cedric. The city handles streets, police, fire and water/sewer, and the Club handles the amenity side. I'd double check the marina part before telling a newcomer though. I thought that was its own operation and not something the dues pay for, so I wouldn't promise that one.

The thing I wish people understood is that dues and city taxes are two different pots, and half the complaints I hear get aimed at the wrong one. Every spring somebody posts that the Club needs to fix the potholes on their street. The Club doesn't touch the streets. That's the city, and it's a budget and council question, not a Club one. I will absolutely die on this hill, because I watch road work in this town like it's a sport and the confusion never ends.

On the annual meeting, I think both camps are partly right. It's the one place where members actually get a vote and a microphone. But if you show up cold with a grievance, you'll feel steamrolled. People who read the agenda ahead of time, send their questions in writing and know which items are up for a vote seem to get further. Showing up mad about something that was decided in a committee three months earlier is how you end up as one of those "petty people" in the Reddit comments.

Is it worth the dues? Depends on whether you use the pools and tennis. If you're a lake person who never goes near them, it's a harder sell. And the drama is the same as any volunteer board anywhere. Some people just like having something to be mad about.

Fair point on the marina... I'll check on that before I tell the next fella who asks me. I think I lumped it in with the amenities because that's how the lot buyers always seem to ask it, "what do my dues get me at the lake?" Better to say I don't know than get it wrong.

The two pots thing is the truth. I've had people call me about a pothole like I work for somebody... I tell them it's the city, and they look at me like I'm dodging.

Your point about reading the agenda ahead is a good one. The ones I remember getting somewhere over the years weren't the loudest, they were the ones who'd done their homework and kept it short. Funny how that works...

I'll say the pools and tennis are what sell most folks on the dues. The lake people are the harder sell, like you said.

Cedric, your point about the ones who did their homework getting somewhere is the same thing I see at school board meetings. The people who send a short email ahead of time and know the agenda get listened to. The ones who come in hot with three minutes of venting get polite nods and nothing changes.

I'm more of a lake person than a pool person, so I get why the dues are a harder sell for some folks. I'd take those Reddit comments with a grain of salt either way. One person has a rough time with a committee and the whole Bay is petty, the next one has a nice week on Greers Ferry and it's paradise. It's probably somewhere in the middle, like most small towns.

Agree on the grain of salt. Anybody can type a gripe into Reddit at 11 at night and it sounds like the whole town. Nobody posts "had a nice afternoon and nobody bothered me" lol.

I'm up in Mountain Ranch and I'm not really a pool OR a lake person, I'm a tomatoes and deer fence person. Honestly I've gotten more out of the neighbors over the fence than from any committee. Every volunteer group I've ever been in, church, quilting circle, you name it, had one or two folks who made it harder than it had to be. Doesn't mean the whole thing is rotten.

I haven't made it to an annual meeting yet, but Tracy's tip about reading the agenda first is going in my notes. Short and prepared, got it.

Ha, "had a nice afternoon and nobody bothered me" would be the quietest thread on the internet... but it's probably the truest one about this place.

Deer fence is smart. I quit fighting the deer on my hostas years ago and just planted what they leave alone. Cheaper than fence... though not by much.

You ought to try an annual meeting once, Donna, even if you only sit in the back. You'll learn more in an hour than from a year of reading Reddit. And if you hear about any good yard sales up your way in Mountain Ranch this spring, pass it along...

Ha, you're right, cheaper than fence but not by much. The deer here treat my hostas like a salad bar. What do you plant that they leave alone? I've had luck with daffodils and the herbs, rosemary and lavender they won't touch, but the tomatoes need the fence no matter what.

I'll think about the annual meeting, maybe the back row with my sewing bag lol. And I haven't seen any yard sale signs up our way yet, but it's early. Soon as I do I'll post it here. Mountain Ranch folks love a Saturday sale once it warms up.