Upcoming Board of Directors Elections
The elections are currently open for voting each TLV Member (in current, good financial standing) to vote their 3 votes. Please have a look at what they wrote about themselves and select the 3 best candidates for the Board. There is one open position on the Board and two of the members are running for reelection.
Meet the Candidates
Dan Reid (Current Board President, running for reelection):
A Little bit about me and why I would like to continue to work on the board.
I live in work in Seattle and have a small clothing company that my brother and I started while in college called Casual Industrees. I love Washington state and think it is one of the best places to live in the world.
I have been a member of TLV since July of 2013 and call it my home away from home during the winter. I enjoy snowboarding at Stevens Pass and instantly fell in love with TLV when I first stumbled upon it. I think we are all very fortunate to be able to call TLV home, and I can't think of a better community to be part of in Skykomish.
I vacation rent my home when I am not using it, but it is a home first, I did not buy it with the sole purpose of renting it.
I have been on the board since 2014 and have forged great relationships with the rest of my fellow board members and a good part of the community. In addition to currently being president of the board, I am also on the Road Committee with Larry Mach and Steve Ahmann. The Road and Water committee's consume most of TLV's budget and time.
While on the road committee I was part of the decision making process to figure out the best course for TLV moving forward on snow removal. We determined that better equipment and someone on site would be ideal. With the generosity of Lane Roehl and his brother Rob, we have been able to achieve that and have heard far fewer complaints the last two winters!
During my time on the board and under the lead of Larry Mach, we refurbished the water tower after an exhaustive study of options. It was a lot of work, and in the end, I feel we made the best decision possible and it was the most efficient use of TLV funds we could come up with.
My vision for TLV moving forward is to get ahead of our current infrastructure issues in a proactive manner. First off coming up with a plan to assess the current health of our water distribution system in its entirety and followed up by an implementation plan and budget for areas that need replacement.
I would like to see the entrance to TLV paved, along with getting bids for the rest of the community, so we at least can make informed decisions moving forward in regard to that.
In addition I look forward to being involved in the Vacation Rental Committee.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and if you decide to re-elect me, I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow board members, new and old, and meeting more of you.
Thanks.
Dan Reid
Co-Founder
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Casual Industrees
3100 Airport Way South #25-710
Seattle, WA 98134
Steve Ahmann (Current Secretary/Treasurer of the Board, running for reelection):
Robin and I have been owners in TLV since 1999. As a family with adult “kids” who love to ski, hike, and bike in the Cascades, we really enjoy being part of Timberlane and the Skykomish community. My experience in business includes owning and operating our 6 family-owned, retail stores, plus 2 franchises, in the commercial and consumer battery business that my father and I started in 1985.
If re-elected, this will be my 4th, 2-year term serving on your Board of Directors. I have served as the Secretary/Treasurer for the past 3 terms. I work closely with Jeff Kirkman of PCA Management who does an excellent job for TLV. Jeff does 90% of the work of the Treasurer side of my responsibilities for which I am grateful. I have also worked well with each of the other members of the Board on projects like the refurbishing of the water tower, and serving with Larry Mach and Dan Reid on the Road and Water Committees. This past winter, I asked Chris Luscher to replace me on the Water Committee (which he accepted).
The Road Committee is always a work in progress because Dan, Larry and I are responsible for anything having to do with TLV’s roads, entrances, signs, potholes, snow plowing and underlying water lines. Oh, and we do the trails and parks too. We are responsible for fielding your requests for improvements, as well as making sure we adhere to safety and compliance with the many laws and rules regarding roads, utilities, employees, and contractors. We also need to stay within our planned budget each year. On bigger issues, such as spending money, we report to the Board directly for approval. Keeping this committee going with a minimum of 3 members is important.
For the longer view, I’d like to see continued improvements that make Timberlane function smoothly and really shine. We have repaired the water tank for perhaps 20-25 years, but we need a long term plan for replacing and improving the water distribution system, including the pump house. Our water system is key to the health of Timberlane’s future. For the “shine” part, I have been working with Belinda and Don Wicklund on improving Park & Trail and other signage within Timberlane. Soon, we will have new Main and West Entrance signs that modernize and consolidate our messages in a more positive manner to the community and our visitors. We plan to replace 10mph Speed Limit signs in strategic locations. We will be removing redundant or confusing signs that just add clutter.
Finally, I would like to thank Suzanne Brydges for serving 2 terms on the Board. We welcome more folks to become involved by serving on a committee on the Board. Thanks to Mary Ann Edwards for her help with our fledgling website: www.tlvskykomish.com. More improvements are coming. Shannon Lampe will be heading up the Short Term Rental Committee with renewed vigor and we welcome those volunteers who have signed up. There is plenty to do to keep making improvements to preserve our good community. Please vote for me so I can continue to volunteer my time for our community.
With best regards,
Steve Ahmann
Karen Stubrud
I have been an owner in Timberlane for the past 24 years and for the past 4 years have lived here full time. I have seen TLV change from a second home community to a few more full time residences, seasonal and now more short term Airbnb type rentals that seem to be on the increase. One of the issues facing our community is increased use of our roads that have caused greater wear and tear on our roads and causes the “season of the pot holes” like I have never seen before so we need to plan for this every year instead of just reacting to it so that they are filled in a timely manner (is there something more durable they could be filled with?). Without well maintained roads our community looks shabby and not to mention riding my bike on them is like playing dodge the pot holes!
And we really need to address the short-term rental impact on our community. They are causing way more wear and tear on our community. The renters are coming to vacation and while most follow the rules some don’t- they are here to party and they don’t care about the community. Only takes one fire in the hot season to devastate our homes and forest that we are so blessed to live in up here.
We need to plan proactively and not react after something happens. Those are a few of the reasons I have put my name in for the board.
Karen Stubrud
Jennifer Ambrose
Hi Neighbors,
My name is Jennifer Ambrose. My husband Jon and I have had a cabin in TLV for almost 20 years now, (near the East end cul-de-sac) and have had the privilege of watching our 2 children grow up on the banks of our lovely river
I work as an Acute-Care Registered Nurse at Swedish hospital in Seattle, and in the winter I work up at Stevens Pass in the Grooming department. I am an avid snowboarder and planner of projects. I like to call Nursing my “real” job, but the truth is I started working at Stevens Pass during the pandemic because it is so peaceful there. Spending more time at our cabin and at the pass over the past 2 years has helped me find some much needed balance in my life, and I am so grateful for that. My 12 year old son is a member of Skykomish Ski Team and we have enjoyed becoming more involved in the Skykomish community in that way over the past few years.
I am interested in serving on our Board of Directors because I care deeply about our mountain community here in TLV. Our ski team friends, (many of whom have cabins in index, or other places down-valley) call TLV "Timber-Loaf”, because we are able to “loaf” around a little later on powder mornings being so close to the pass Of course our super close proximity to Stevens is just one of the things that makes TLV so special. We are also very lucky to be situated on the banks of the gorgeous South Fork of the Skykomish River, nearby the town of Skykomish, and to have many involved community members who are dedicated to the health and longevity of our properties here. There is a good mix of weekenders, full-timers and renters here, and everyone looks out for one another, which seems increasingly rare these days.
Now that my children are getting older and I have significantly decreased my work hours at the hospital, I finally have time to commit to helping make our community the best it can be for all of us. I would love the opportunity to help support this place, that has brought so much happiness to me and to my family over the years. I am organized and open-minded and look forward to hearing what visions all of you may have for our community as we look toward the future. I would love to get to know all of you better, and I hope to resume the in-person meetings and annual picnic again- as that is often the only time I’m able to meet our newer community members.
My personal wish for TLV is that we build more connections here. Jon and I hope to retire here and would love to continue to build a strong sense of community. I am also especially interested in trying to help tackle plans for our aging water system and whatever else is important to all of you!
Thanks for taking the time to read about me.
All the Best,
Jenn
Christine Hickox
Hello, my name is Christine Hickox. I have been coming to Timberlane Village since I was an infant. My Grandpa built a family cabin back in the 70s that has now been passed to my parents to enjoy with my sister and I and our fourth generation. We enjoy coming up to relax by the river or hike in the summer and fall and ski as a family during the winter and spring months.
With the addition of my sister and I having families of our own, we have outgrown the current cabin. My husband Tim and I have acquired our own property in Timberlane Village this past year and are looking forward to building our own cabin within TLV and continuing to come up and spend time with our families here. We are looking forward to becoming more involved here in Timberlane Village now that we are property owners and I feel becoming a part of the board would be a fantastic way to do just that as well as an opportunity to get to know our community. I have experience with being on a board through my involvement as co-secretary of the PTA at my children’s school.
My involvement here at Timberlane Village so far was being a part of the work party that planted along the creek bed after the bridge was installed on 122nd. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with the board here in TLV to help keep it an enjoyable place for families.
Thank you for your consideration!
Christine Hickox, Lot 64