Charles LaMar has taken over as the Neighborhood Property Owner’s Association president, with plans to both modernize the Fountain Hills organization while simultaneously holding true to its founding principles.

Formed as a nonprofit corporation back in 1992, the local NPOA was put together by residents “dedicated to preserving the beauty of local neighborhoods by upholding the development guidelines initiated by McCulloch Properties, the master developer of Fountain Hills” according to the organization’s description at npoafh.org.

As for LaMar, he spent the past “30-something years” in commercial development and commercial real estate.

LaMar said he was introduced to the NPOA when he decided to remodel his Fountain Hills home. While working on various projects, getting permits and approvals along the way, he became acquainted with more of the NPOA’s members and business.

“I was asked to volunteer and joined the Committee of Architecture,” LaMar said. “From there, spending about a year with that committee, I was told there were going to be some board vacancies and was asked to consider being a board member.”

A bit further down the line, LaMar was voted into the NPOA presidency and, since then, he said he has spent a “lot of time in the file cabinets” becoming more familiar with the organization’s history.

“I went all the way back to 1972, when MCO started developing, and studied the history of the community, how we evolved, how we developed and how the NPOA came into existence,” LaMar said. “I looked at what Jerry Miles did when he created the NPOA, read his minutes and comments. I read about the different presidents, the different boards, what went wrong and what went right along the way.”

LaMar said that, from there, his goal became to make the NPOA’s mission the same as Miles’ original mission.

“We are the Neighborhood Property Owner’s Association with an emphasis on ‘neighbor,’” LaMar said. “We are not a Home Owners Association, and I don’t want us to be. We are a neighborhood community that protects the value of each other’s property through a reasonable, member-driven approach.”

But along with that, LaMar said that the NPOA has a duty to give to its community, too.

“We’re a 501c4 charity, which means we have the ability and the opportunity, and I believe the mission, to be more of a charitable organization,” LaMar continued. “Why aren’t we more involved with the community?”

LaMar said that strides in that direction have already begun, with the NPOA recently pitching in to help construct the Music Park being added to the Fountain Park play area later this year.

“I want more of that,” LaMar continued.

LaMar said that, while nothing is set in stone, he hopes to present additional ideas to the NPOA board for charitable activities including things like scholarships for local students, support of athletic teams and struggling Fountain Hills organizations that enrich the community, as well as a possible “help your neighbor fund” to assist residents experiencing rough times.

“Economically, as a community, we’re maybe better off than some, but that doesn’t mean that life can’t turn against someone,” LaMar said. “I don’t want someone to hurt while we as neighbors don’t feel for that and have an opportunity to help out.”

LaMar said another distinction he wants to get across is that the NPOA is not the enforcer, but the helper.

“I don’t want to add to a problem, I want to help find a solution,” he continued. “Is there a way we can subsidize a project when something comes up? Can we notify a volunteer team to help someone in need? I want to protect the value of peoples’ homes, but I want to be more than that.

“That’s my vision and, from what I’ve read, I believe that’s what Jerry Miles meant for us to be. We’re not just here to make sure your paint is the right color. We’re here to make sure you’re safe and your life is as good as it can possibly be in our community.”