Central Park: The seven-member wonder

CENTRAL PARK — Central Park’s residents are taking control of their community’s future, one monthly meeting at a time.

Two women and five men are the faces of the community’s first resident-controlled homeowners association board.

Joel Kroon, Beth Crawford, Barry Belczyk, Harry Benas, R.C. Bartley, Ernie Corl and Susan Scott were elected May 12, and will hold their positions for six months, until the Nov. 3 election. Thereafter, board members will fulfill one-year terms. 

Board members will elect a chairperson and other positions as their first meeting, slated for later this month.

At that meeting, they want to start setting long- and short-term goals for themselves and their community, which is nearly 5 years old.

Ernie Corl

• Age: 68
• Home state: Illinois
• Years in Central Park: Two
• Resume: Corl was a software engineer for 30 years. He was also a consultant for pharmaceutical companies, such as CVS and Caremark. 
• Goals for HOA: Corl hopes to improve communication between the HOA board and homeowners to ensure residents understand how the board works. “Having a resident-controlled HOA board will make the group operate on a more personal scale,” he said. “I don’t think anyone knew who was on the former board or how to get in touch with them if they needed to.”

Harry Benas

• Age: 67
• Home state: Connecticut
• Years in Central Park: Two
• Resume: Benas was a software developer for IBM for more than 30 years. He was also a member of Central Park’s transition committee.
• Goals for HOA: Benas hopes to understand the expenses for which the HOA is responsible to create a sound financial base for future HOA boards. He also hopes the HOA will later take on new projects to improve the community’s common areas, such as adding a Bocce or basketball court. “We have Central Park designed for young kids,” Benas said. “But once we understand the cash flow and can control our expenses, then we’ll know where we can spend time, effort and money.”

Beth Crawford

• Age: 60
• Home state: Massachusetts
• Years in Central Park: One and a half 
• Resume: Crawford has worked for the U.S. Department of Transportation for 16 years as a transportation specialist. 
• Goals for HOA: Crawford hopes to improve communication between the HOA board, its management team and residents. Crawford also wants to review the website and make it more user friendly. “We are the first board members, which are critical roles to shaping the priorities of the HOA board,” Crawford said. “That’s easier to do now than later. We serve the residents, and we want them to feel we’re being proactive on their behalf.”

R.C. Bartley

• Age: 65
• Home state: Maryland
• Years in Central Park: Two
• Resume: Bartley was a forensic scientist for the Howard County Police Department for 40 years. For 20 years, he’s owned a company that performs fingerprinting for individuals who work with children. He has also been a member of Central Park’s four committees.
• Goals for HOA: Bartley wants to improve the park’s amenities, including adding more age-diverse activities to the children’s play area. “Our current park is slanted toward young children,” Bartley said. “I’d like to see improvements there. I’m just here to help with that and other issues any way I can.”

Barry Belczyk

• Age: 60 
• Home state: Pennsylvania
• Years in Central Park: Four
• Resume: Belczyk was an educator for 26 years. His career included positions as a biology teacher, high school principal and school board member. He also served on the hearing and transition committees. 
• Goals for HOA: Belczyk plans to ensure residents follow the guidelines of the community. Security issues, such as deciding whether to close the gates at the entrance, are also priorities.“We, as residents, pay for this community,” Belczyk. “We’re responsible for maintaining it; our money goes into it. We need to make sure everyone follows rules to maintain the value and integrity of Central Park.”

Joel Kroon

• Age: 58
• Home state: Michigan
• Years in Central Park: Three
• Resume: Kroon is a sales engineer for a software company and has worked in enterprise software since 2001. He also has served on three other HOA boards.
• Goals for HOA: Kroon hopes to establish operational procedures that future boards will continue. He is also passionate about keeping property values high, while keeping costs low for homeowners. “I want to make sure we’re setting up a good direction for future boards to perpetuate later,” Kroon said. “In terms of home values, I’m looking for high quality, while ensuring residents have low (fee) costs. That’s a balance I hope to find.”

Susan Scott

• Age: 44
• Home state: Kentucky
• Years in Central Park: Three
• Resume: A stay-at-home mother who volunteers for turtle patrol teams and rows with her Sarasota County Rowing Club team. She was a member of the community’s transition committee.
• Goals for HOA: Scott plans to ensure the new board is fair when it analyzes community situations. She also plans to evaluate budget expenses, such as replacing perennial plants on various medians throughout the community. “Sometimes when a group of people come into new positions, they want to use their roles as ways to get things done that they want,” Scott said. “But the HOA is about doing what’s best for the community.”

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].