Tony Gaines

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About Tony

Fellow homeowners/lot owners of Highland Shores, My name is Tony Gaines. My beautiful, smart, and charming wife is Dawn Gaines. We have two awesome daughters (one 27 and married. One 20 and in college). We have one grandson and one in the oven due in October. I am a dude's dude…. But raising two girls has changed me over 25+ years into a Girl Dad, and I am a much better and balanced person because of it. Also, I can't tell you how awesome it is having a 3yr old grandson that calls me TPop and absolutely loves getting on the boat/water. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. We are from Olive Branch, MS (which is just south of Memphis, TN). Our family has been coming to Smith Lake every chance we get for 30+ years and are excited and blessed to be building something we can transition to as my wife and I enter the next phase of life (empty nesters with the kids off the payroll – YES!). We are building on lot 6 which is an off-water lot on the corner at the end of the neighborhood closest to the boat ramp. For my main gig, I have been an IT Consultant for 30+ years… the last 7 years for the Department of War (Go Navy!). I have two side hustles… I am in a small but growing partnership focused on IT Managed Services and AI Consulting. For my other side hustle, my son – in- law and I have a small construction company focused on residential hardscapes (swimming pools, retaining walls, concrete driveways/patios, drainage work, dirt work, tree removal, outdoor kitchens, etc). Basically, I am a computer nerd that loves to play in the dirt and build things. I will probably die with a hammer in one hand and a laptop in the other... but I hope I am floating peacefully on Smith Lake when it happens. I served on the board of our HOA here in Olive Branch for 11 years and resigned a few months ago to focus on working in Highland Shores. For the exception of a couple of houses, Highland Shores has sat dormant since the 2008 market crash. When I bought my lot in 2022, Highland Shores looked like the Land that Time Forgot. The real-estate market crash destroyed property values and the overly restrictive and unreasonable ARC Guidelines certainly didn't help matters. I joined the ARC Committee, and as Jenny mentioned, we re-worked and relaxed the ARC Guidelines to find a balance between upholding standards and allowing lot owners/builders enough flexibility to actually develop their property. I think the outcome has been positive for the whole community. My top three priorities for the HOA board to work on, listed in order of importance, are: 1. Common Area a. Rip Rap on the shoreline next to the boat ramp and widen the turn radius of the driveway approaching the ramp. Erosion is taking over the shoreline and using the ramp to launch is a less-than-optimal experience in several respects. b. Install a new dock after the rip rap is complete or sufficiently complete. We need a nice, safe dock for boarding and deboarding elderly passengers, small children/babies, and residents in general. c. Landscape and maintenance plan to keep the area looking nice and inviting. 2. Entrance a. The entrance is the welcome mat to the neighborhood. It needs to be reflective of the quality of the homes/properties inside the neighborhood. We need to step up our game at some point on the entrance after the Common Area is addressed. 3. Roads a. The ChipSeal/ CheapSeal that was installed a couple of years ago is already disintegrating in several areas and potholes are forming. Fortunately (and thanks to the efforts of Erika and Bobby), the county now owns the roads and is responsible for them. As more people build, the heavy truck traffic will increase. Things will probably get worse before better, but maybe the HOA can do something to provide some measure of relief in the interim. If you would like to talk about any of these priorities (or anything else for that matter) stop by and visit with me at lot 6. Or feel free to call me… I put my phone number at the bottom of every email. I look forward to executing on plans/projects that are in our common interests and for the betterment of our community.