Funniest thing from the meeting was the new digital clock used to shut down guests’ 3 minutes time slot to present their questions and issues. A good leader has the skills to manage interactions with the homeowners, not shut them down, cut them off, and establish dominance over those to whom he or she should be accountable. Neighbors, we deserve better.
Parking
It has been clear for some time that the HOA cannot
control parking on the street except for not leaving a vehicle being repaired
in the street overnight. Greenville County owns the streets. The HOA can issue violations
for parking on lawns and blocking driveways or sidewalks. So instead of
expecting a total solution to the parking problem in Orchard Farms, let’s all
exercise respect and courtesy and think before we park, or maybe free up space
in our garages, or request approval of a driveway extension, or something
creative you can work out with your neighbors in a problem-solving, productive
conversation.
Guest Time
For quite some time a homeowner near the Roper Mountain
entrance has been bringing attention to the board the sloppy and “just bad”
landscaping practices of Harrison Landscaping. At this meeting, she requested
the board put a stop to Harrison spraying poison into homeowner property. For
whatever reason, grass was removed and replaced with mulch, LOTS OF MULCH. The
crew sprays at an angle that extends the poison into the homeowner’s yard (if
you want to see the photos evidencing this, just leave a comment). Whether the
poison goes into your property or not, it goes into our water table and
eventually into your body. The landscapers continue to blow trash into the homeowner’s
property, and this has been brought to the attention of the board for many
months. It seems appropriate to fire a vendor that does not stop bad practices.
It astounds many of us that this hasn’t happened. Maybe they are not getting proper
instructions. Whatever the case, it certainly increases my suspicion about the
relationship between the HOA and Harrison.
Finally on the Agenda - not limited to 3 minutes of discussion
Also, at this meeting and for the past three meetings, a
homeowner requested the HOA clear fallen trees on HOA property behind his house.
The first tree was downed by Helene and began to block water flow resulting
from heavy rains in a dry-creek type drain area. After the most recent storm, a
tree on HOA property fell against the homeowner’s fence and further blocked
water flow. Standing water is a primary cause of increased mosquito
infestation. Mosquitoes are a high risk to everyone’s health.
The homeowner also reported that a cable repair person found
it difficult to work because of the mosquitoes and that his grandchildren are
unable to play in the backyard. This homeowner has provided pictures as the
situation has worsened since Helene. The board stated that this is not an
emergency situation and they had decided to let fallen trees in a forest area
lie and rot but once again promised that they “will look at it” to determine if
it is a risk or can be left to rot in a “forest” area. The area behind the
homeowner’s property does not qualify as a forest area. It was being mowed by
Harrison Landscaping until the fallen tree blocked access. A valid question
that the HOA should answer is do these fallen trees pose a fire hazard? The
extreme weather is not going to get better in the future. What plans does the
HOA have in place to reduce the risks the climate crisis will present to our
community?
When did we homeowners get notified that if trees fall on an
HOA controlled areas they will be left to rot? I cringe every time the word
transparency is uttered by a board member.
And typical of the HOA’s “defensive” responses, when this
homeowner tried to clarify the situation, the homeowner was “scolded” by Jason
Lockaby for interrupting him. Whether a homeowner’s complaint is valid or not, he
or she should not be a target for a condescending loud verbal attack.
Covenant Changes…Really?
The committee established to recommend Covenant changes has
some interesting things going on, although they really don’t want us homeowners
to know about them because they don’t want our opinions or participation in
solving problems; they just want to make decisions and tell us about them after
the fact. We have a lot of smart, community-minded homeowners in Orchard Farms
but the HOA chooses to ignore all that problem-solving potential.
A couple of things under consideration are:
- Requiring buyers (not existing homeowners) to make a one-time payment to the capital reserve fund to increase that bucket.
- Requiring buyers to live in their house for one year before being allowed to rent it.
- And, the most “secret” item under consideration involves the control and ownership of beautification and buffer zones. Remember the survey, stakes with colored flags, etc. Dennis King skimmed over this item quickly saying the committee is working on it and it’s very complicated. I will add a post just on this issue later after review by my lawyer.
Next year’s budget is coming up soon. Please email or call
all board members and let them know how you feel about how much money being
spent on landscaping, whether the social budget should be cut to address more
serious issues (Octoberfest spending could help reduce some real risks to
homeowners), how to address the repair work that will be needed on the pool
which is our main amenity, etc.
Here’s a link to all the board members’ contact information.
Board
Members | Orchard Farms HOA
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