My intent
is to report as accurately as I can on what happens and what is said in the
monthly meetings. I have put my opinions in parentheses and in bold text so you
can separate opinion from fact.
Click No Comments or Comments at the end of the blog to add your comment.
Guest Time
Request
for Information: A
guest asked for the meaning of the pink and blue flags around the entrances.
The answer from Kim was the pink mark the corner of the property and the blue
marks water lines.
Request
for Information and Update: A guest asked about replacing the playground gate. He expressed his
concern previously that the missing gate is a safety hazard for children who
can run into the street but no action has been taken. Kim said the gate was
moved to the swimming pool area and discussion began among board members on the
appropriate action. Russ said that it’s not a DIY type of project because it’s
a custom size so the cost would be significantly more than buying one “off the
shelf.” It was suggested that the original gate be put back in place in the
playground and a section of fencing be added where it is now in the pool area
fence.
(I can’t remember if it was a guest or a board member who
said that there is a sign that states that children must be supervised so it’s
the child’s guardian at the moment who should be responsible for safety. My
concern is that those of us who are in our no-so-mobile years do not have quick
enough resources to catch a fleeing toddler. To be denied equal right and
privilege to take a child to the playground should not be the policy of the
HOA.)
Guest
Complaint: A guest who lives near an entrance and
adjacent to a beautification area requested an explanation of how her complaint
submitted on January 20th is being handled. She sent a letter to
Gwen Miller, Town and Country property manager, a portion of which states:
“I am writing to formally request the immediate removal of a
dead tree and multiple dead bushes located in the beautification zone of our
community. These dead plants not only detract from the overall appearance of
the neighborhood but also pose potential safety hazards, such as falling
branches and increased pest activity.
The presence of these dead plants contradicts the HOA’s
commitment to maintaining a well-kept and aesthetically pleasing environment,
as outlined in our community’s bylaws and landscaping guidelines. The lack of
maintenance in this area negatively impacts property values and the overall
appeal of our neighborhood.
I respectfully request that the HOA take prompt action to
remove the dead tree and bushes and replace them with appropriate landscaping.
If a timeline for this work has already been established, please provide
residents with an update. Otherwise, I urge the board to address this issue at
the next HOA meeting and expedite the necessary landscaping work.
Please provide a written response outlining the HOA’s plan to
resolve this matter within 10 days. If no action is taken within this period, I
may be compelled to escalate this issue in accordance with HOA regulations and
local ordinances.”
The response
from Gwen Miller to the homeowner was that she would “pass it on to the board.”
(I don’t
take issue with this response since she has no decision-making authority.)
When the
guest asked if all board members had seen the letter Kim, the HOA board president,
said that she “didn’t forward to the board” and that “they are conducting
business only at monthly meetings and not via email” Kim said further
discussion would be allowed at the time when beautification zones would be
discussed.
(Needless
to say, the usual pushback from the board members began. It appeared that none
of the board except the president had seen the letter. This is one of the major
concerns in our lawsuit against the board, that is, the full board is not
always informed of actions, complaints, and other issues which they are
responsible for.)
Russ
clarified the meaning of the markers at the entrances that a guest homeowner
has brought up earlier. Blue flags mark the easement, orange and pink designate
property corners according to the surveyor.
Agenda
Items:
Committee
Updates: Reports were presented for the ACC,
Adult Social, Kid’s Social, and Welcome Committees.
(Nothing exciting here except the committees not reported on
were Landscape (do we even have one?), Pool, Yard of the Month, and Covenant.
What’s up with these, especially Landscape. Landscaping is our biggest budget
area. I would think a well-informed committee would be necessary.)
Duties of
Harrison Landscape: A
list of the tasks for the landscape company was reviewed. A homeowner presented
a complaint that Harrison is spraying poison on weeds/plants in a mulched area
close to her property and requested that he stop. Chris said that the
landscaper does not spray poison behind her house or in the mulch.
(I
complained about poison being sprayed on weeds in the streets and along the
curbs. I was told that the growth in the cracks brought the neighborhood down. Poison
is poison and it all gets into our water table. It’s not made for human
consumption!)
Board
Assignments: what
each board member is responsible for was reviewed, e.g., who is responsible for
each common property and amenity, security cameras, garbage bins, etc.
Railings
at the Batesville/Roper Mountain entrance: The railings were removed in the past by a vendor who
did not place them back properly. Maintenance has been challenging since.
Suggestions from board members were to repaint, replace them with a different
material, or remove them entirely.
(A guest suggested that a community volunteer group be
created to clean and paint them. Chris scoffed at this idea saying “that will
never work.” It may not have worked in the past but there are some new board
members whose attitude toward homeowners is more positive and who appear to be
eager to “work with” not “push away” volunteers. It is my hope that this new
attitude will triumph.”)
A termite
bond for the clubhouse was discussed: There has been no bond for some years. It was
decided to issue an RFP to get quotes for termite coverage for the clubhouse
and pool house.”
It was
decided to not create an official Facebook page for the HOA.
Due to the
fact that there is nothing in governing documents about how long holiday
decorations can be up, it was decided to not issue violations for not
removing holiday decorations but to encourage homeowners to take them down in a
timely manner.
The age
range for the toddler playgroup was set at infant to under-school age.
Clearance
for the drainage ditch at Cresthaven/Glohaven was discussed: Using the plat map of the
subdivision, access was identified and the board decided to ask Gwen Miller to
issue an RFP to get quotes to clean it out.
(The reaction to the homeowner’s complaint about this
drainage ditch, although completely legitimate, showed clearly that the HOA board
has “favorites.” The issue presented by the homeowner about plants installed on
her property without authorization was delayed again but the drainage ditch
issue was deemed to be an immediate concern and they agreed to attack it quickly,
get quotes and approve the fix via an email vote, which Kim declared earlier was
something they were not doing anymore in the name of transparency.)
Outside
pool membership: With
input from the swim team leadership, it was decided to leave the cost and
number of outside membership to the pool at $375 per year with a maximum of 80
members.
Beautification
Zone: Kim gave a brief timeline of the
survey, which was done in December, and suggested that a work group be created
to propose definition of and rules for these common property areas. A meeting
will be held on March 4th at 7:00 p.m. at the clubhouse to discuss
these areas. Homeowners whose properties touch or are near the entrances are
those who will be affected by the decisions. There was a lot of scrutiny over
the survey (a copy is on the HOA website and when I find it I’ll post a link)
and 15 foot distances, measured from where, where easements are measured from,
where fences and shrubs should be, etc.
The
homeowner who presented her complaint during guest time asked who made the
decision to plant on her property and asked why the board had not done its due
diligence prior to these plantings. She expressed concerns that she would be
fined for the piles of debris and for removing the plants if she chooses to do
that. She was told that was told by Kim that “fines would never be an issue and
will never be given for items that lack clarity.”
(Defensive reactions came from board members Chris whose
typical response is “that’s how we’ve done it for 30 years,” Carl who with
obvious anger said “don’t get over excited,” and Jason who said “it sounds like
you are placing blame … time to forget the past and move forward.” Russ
reassured the guest that “we’ll look into it.” My opinion is that if we had not
brought it up in the lawsuit this issue would have never gotten the attention
it needs to ensure the property of homeowners at and around the entrance areas
is protected from encroachment.”
A homeowner present at the meeting pointed out to me after
the meeting that “the survey shows the beautification zone at 15 inches not
15 feet. If the survey is wrong, the legitimacy of the surveyor should be
questioned to get clarify. It suggests that the HOA has the brick fence
plus 15 inches past it (putting it halfway of the bushes behind the
fence.) No idea why we didn't realize that--I was staring at it during
the meeting. Just shows how the 15 feet idea has been so widely accepted
and not questioned.”
Note that this issue is another point in our lawsuit, the
unclear boundaries and inconsistencies in HOA management of those zones.
This issue clearly requires stronger, more expert
leadership.)
Detention
Ponds: Clarity of where the ponds are and
who is responsible for maintenance was discussed with no actions taken. There
are technically 5 ponds, 2 are connected to others making 3 ponds for
landscapers to maintain-Cresthaven, S Orchard, and between Cresthaven and
Glohaven.
(Jim
Donahue said they do get bushwhacked once a year---that was new information
because Chris was adamant that they only do around the edges previously.
Kim said "they only do things above water." And Jim said "there
is no water--they are detention ponds, not retention ponds." Hearing
that they do bushwhack was a large departure from the previous message, and Jim
sits in every board meeting--why wasn't it clarified before? The
Landscaping document provided didn't mention it.)
