By DAVE MAUK Charbonneau resident

The quality of life we enjoy in Charbonneau is not accidental. In fact, it’ s highly intentional. The key to making things work in Charbonneau is having continuity from a proven organizational structure. This involves residents, a board of directors they nominate and elect and a staff dedicated to providing services that enhance resident experiences. It’ s like a choreographed dance, with residents, the board, and staff as partners stepping and gliding across the dance floor in sync with the music.

Let’ s look behind the scene as the musicians warm up. The largest group of the ensemble are Charbonneau’ s residents themselves. They have many choices for participating in a variety of amenities and activities available in the community. One activity is voting for fellow residents to serve on the nine-member board of directors. Each election is certified at the annual meeting in May. The board is empowered by residents to manage the affairs of Charbonneau as fiduciaries, responsible for the stewardship of

Charbonneau Country Club’ s assets.

Country club staff conduct the dayto-day, week-in, week-out operations. It’ s the staff’ s role to coordinate steps with their dance partner, the board. Led by Jim Meierotto for the past six years, the staff performs as smoothly as a line dance in coordinating activities, communicating with residents, collecting revenue, paying bills, maintaining the campus, serving as a resource for residents, managing events and acting as a concierge for most of what happens in Charbonneau. Without staff there would be no dancing. No music. No party. Our fine staff is essential in keeping the good ship Charbonneau afloat.

Claudia Vidal handles finance, record keeping and database administration. Brooke Dickenson is the activities and communications coordinator. Kristine Bresnahan is at the reception desk, providing hospitality, resident and‘ concierge’ services. But there’ s more!

Rick Schram is Charbonneau’ s invaluable property manager of 22 years. Larry Sjogren is his assistant. Neil Kennedy serves as security, safety, emergency preparedness coordinator

and liaison with our security service. Tennis pro Donna Roisom is the manager of the sports center, a tennis and pickleball instructor and coordinates USTA tennis teams based in Charbonneau. These individuals are dedicated to making things work for the community and its residents. We are enormously fortunate and grateful for all they do to make Charbonneau work for us.

Here’ s what Anne Shevlin, Charbonneau board chair, and Jim Meierotto, Charbonneau’ s general manager, said when interviewed about how Charbonneau works.

Q: What’ s the secret sauce in how Charbonneau makes things work as well as it does?

Anne: A major ingredient of this is community volunteerism aimed at making Charbonneau thrive. The depth and blending of resident skills around a common goal is a big part of how Charbonneau works as well as it does.

Jim: There’ s a special vibe that comes from the continuity of Charbonneau’ s people over the years of coming and going. The energy that comes from

STAFF PHOTO: JAIME VALDEZ

this is contagious and leads to something magical.

Q: What’ s a good example of Charbonneau working at its best?

Anne: I look back five years ago, when Covid hit, when Charbonneau had many projects underway that could easily have gone sideways. People stepped up. Under stressful conditions, our resident volunteers, leaders, and staff, were flexible, productive and focused to get the job done.

Jim: Charbonneau has good bones that are a solid foundation. It enables people to come together to do complex things. Building the Activity Center is a good example. Covid made a challenging project even more so, yet planning and construction continued. Meetings were held remotely, then in person wearing masks in the basement. People went the extra mile to make the project successful.

Q: What have you learned when things didn’ t work at its best?

Anne: I’ d say the importance of listening to the community was learned

See OPERATIONS / A5