Barony Place I/Barony Place II

  What's the first thing you notice about this brick wall? This is the wall at the entrance to Pepper Knoll that was damaged when it ran off the curb into the path of a car. It took quite a while for repairs to be completed. What's wrong? What's wrong is the brick doesn't match. The HOA was apparently told that red brick is no longer made. Would you believe something like that? Would you check around to see if that's true? So I made some phone calls. Brick: 7¾" x 3 3/8" x 2¼" Lowe's $0.95 ea.   Home Depot $0.87/ea.   B&L Distributing 803.735.0666 - $345/1000. Available. The cost doesn't matter. An errant driver is financially responsible for the cost to restore the wall to the same condition it was in at the moment before impact. If brick IS available, should the contractor be told to do it over with the correct brick? And at his own expense? Did CAMS accept the contractor's statement that red brick was not available? Didn't they...

A homeowner reports that about  six shots were fired last night (August 26th) between 12:09AM and 12:16AM today. This happened on on Finch Wood Drive, which is just southwest of the Brookland Baptist Church Northeast. Deputies arrived quickly - about 12:23AM. https://www.google.com/maps/place/1203+Summit+Pkwy,+Columbia,+SC+29229/@34.1557035,-80.908031,17.5z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x88f8a9f1327bcff7:0xbce374120eac5dca!8m2!3d34.1563089!4d-80.9043977 There may have been a black truck with big tires, which was driven down the street while the shots were fired. When you see anything suspicious, dial 911 and report it without delay. 

Not about The Summit HOA, but funny. Check out his article titled These Ridiculous HOA Rules Will Have Any Homeowner Rolling Their Eyes. Have a few laughs, and send me your suggestions for some laughs around The Summit.

If you are interested in running for the HOA's board of directors, print the application that can be found online at www.summithomeowners.com Three Directors are to be elected in November 2022. Directors are not elected by the homeowners. Directors are elected by the Voting Members. Go into the homeowners' section of the website (you'll need to be registered and have the password). Then click on RESIDENTS (there's that ugly word).  Then click on Documents, and then on Procedures Reference Manual. Scroll down to Page 32 and print that one page.  Be sure to turn it in at the office by October 7, 2022. Watch here for what to do next.

The Minutes for the July 2022 meeting of the HOA Board of Directors include this report from the chairman of the Neighborhood Committee. Jesse McClinton reported that in "the three neighborhoods, Pine Brook, Glen Meadows, and Summer Chase, that the new voting members are obtaining signatures." Does anyone see what's wrong with that report? Those neighborhoods do not have Voting Members, so the people collecting signatures are not "the new voting members". No one on the board questioned that report. The August Minutes are more correct. Jesse reported that four neighborhoods (the fourth being Whitney Falls) do not have Voting Members. Does anyone on the board even read the Minutes before Justin announces that they are approved? Has a correction o the Minutes ever been requested? Has the board ever voted to approve the Minutes (even though the Minutes state that the Board has approved them)? Why does the recording secretary (CAMS employee) write that the board appr...

Where is The Summit Scoop? It used to be delivered to your newspaper box, if you had a box.  If you didn't have a box, it was tossed on your lawn or in the driveway, where it quickly littered the neighborhood. For a long time, The Scoop was published on the HOA's website in the password-protected Member portion. If you knew it was there and had a registered account, you could find it by going to the homepage , clicking on RESIDENTS (there's that nasty word), and then clicking on "The Summit Scoop". Now it's no longer there. So, even if you have a registered account, do you know where to find it? Probably not. Hint: on the homepage, scroll down to Neighborhood News; scroll down to The Summit Scoop and click on it for the current month's issue. But where are all the past copies of The Scoop? Continuing my search, I scrolled further down on the homepage to "Recent News" and clicked on that. And that's where past copies of The Scoop are. From Jul...

When was that ice-storm? Remember it? Anyone remember the date? Trees and shrubs on this island in Barony Place II were damaged. This is what the island between 32-34 Barony Place Circle looks like on August 21, 2022. How many months later? The HOA has over $1,000,000 in reserves and collects $24,000/YEAR from homeowners in Barony Place II.  Why do HOA management and the Board of Directors allow this condition to exist? Perhaps the newly re-constituted Barony Place Neighborhood Committee (Voting Member and two Alternates) will be able to put some pressure on the Board to direct CAMS to correct this without further delay. And if they can't, perhaps they will organize the efforts of all the homeowners to show up at one board meeting and demand action! The other two islands and the entrance to Barony Place II are in a similar, sad condition.  The Neighborhood Committee is invited to submit articles, letters, and information to this blog for circulation to all homeowners and resi...

Last October (2021) the HOA Board appointed Jesse McClinton, a homeowner in the Amaryllis Woods Neighborhood, as chairman of the board's Neighborhood Committee. Attempts were made earlier this year to hold meetings of Voting Members, but less than a quorum showed up and neither meeting could be held. Recently in several neighborhoods homeowners are being asked to sign "Neighborhood Signature Sheets". This scheme (procedure, method) was created several years ago as a replacement for Neighborhood Meetings. Nowhere in the By-Laws is this scheme described or approved. A homeowner's signature on the Sheet purports to verify certain permissions that are not granted in the By-Laws. Did the HOA's attorney prepare that Sheet? I seriously doubt it. Board members should demand an examination of the By-Laws regarding Neighborhood Meetings, Neighborhood Elections, duties and responsibilities of Voting Members, and other documentation that the board should preserve regarding th...

How does a Neighborhood get a Voting Member and Alternates? First, what is a "Neighborhood"? The Summit HOA is divided into 28 Neighborhoods; i.e., areas or "districts" for voting purposes. Each of 2,480 homes in The Summit has a homeowner. Each homeowner has a vote, but he doesn't vote for Directors of the HOA. His vote is for a member (another local homeowner) for his Neighborhood's "Neighborhood Committee". Every year the homeowners are supposed to elect three homeowners to that Committee. One of the three becomes the Voting Member; the other two are Alternates. They serve for one year. The Committee is not perpetual. The Summit probably has NO valid Voting Members or Alternates. Why? Because no Neighborhoods that I know of have held Neighborhood Meetings or Neighborhood Elections. If there are no valid Voting Members, then there is no one to vote legitimately for Directors in the November election of new Board members. Probably none of the curr...

The 78 homes in the Neighborhood of Barony Place (Barony Place I and Barony Place II) now have two Alternate Voting Members, in addition to long-time Voting Member Billie Jones. The names of Gail Luckey and Mary Evans now appear in the listing of Voting Members on the HOA's website at www.summithomeowners.com   Both Gail and Mary live in Barony Place II, and Billie lives in Barony Place I. Both circulated forms and collected signatures to become Alternates.  The next board meeting is scheduled for September 6, 2022, 6:30PM, at the Brookland Baptist Church Northeast. Will the Barony Place Neighborhood be represented at the meeting? Will information from the meeting filter out to homeowners and residents, as a result of their attendance? Billie, Gail and Mary now compose the Barony Place Neighborhood Committee. Hopefully, one from the Committee will attend each board meeting and inform homeowners and residents of news they need to know. For example, do you know that new rules fo...

Would anyone like a free garage door opener remote or outdoor keypad? We replaced our opener with a newer model. These are yours for the asking. If interested, call 847.971.7083. Gus

Today, August 11, the HOA office sent an email to many Summit homeowners, announcing the November election of Directors. Here is that message:   "Elections for new members for the Board of Directors will take place in November. If you want to get more involved in the life of The Summit, please consider running for the board.   Applications are available at the Association office or on our website. Applications should be submitted to the Association office no later than 5:00pm on October 7th.  "You may contact the office with questions or for any further information at 803-865-0609.  Thank you!" Three Directors will be elected in November. The terms of Auby Dellinger and Vernell Butler end in November 2022.  When George Reynolds died in April 2021, his term became vacant. However, the board never announced the vacancy and never filled his seat by appointment. Reynolds' seat as a Director has remained empty since April 2021. George's term expires in Nove...

At the August 2, 2022 regular board meeting, attention should have been given to the Nominating Committee. It wasn't.  Some might like this is too soon. It's not. Voting Members are to meet 30-60 days before the end of the fiscal (calendar) year to elect three* Directors for the 2022-2024 term-of-office. Before they meet, the Nominating Committee is to select a slate of candidates for election. And before that, the Nominating Committee must be appointed. According to the By-Laws (Art. III, Section 5):  "The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors not less than thirty (30) days prior to each annual meeting of the Voting Members to serve a term of one (1) year or until their successors are appointed." Notice that the Nominating Committee, according to the By-Laws, is not a Standing Committee (although this and recent boards have considered it to be). And before that, every one of the 28 Neighborhoods should have a legitimate Voting Member in pl...

At the August 2, 2022 Regular monthly Board Meeting,  Neighborhood Committee (of the Board) chairman Jesse McClinton reported that 24 of the 28 Neighborhoods have Voting Members. Four Neighborhoods do not have representation. Jesse was appointed in October 2021. This is August 2022. Why isn't the Board paying closer attention??? The Minutes state, in part, "...perspective [ sic ] homeowners are obtaining the necessary signatures to become the voting member." Did Jesse say "perspective" or did the recording secretary for the meeting insert the wrong word. The correct word is "prospective". But the IMPORTANT part in his report is that "obtaining the necessary signatures" is not the way a Voting Member is selected!  Nothing  in the By-Laws allows that method. I have pointed out to the board for months (more than a year) that that scheme of getting signatures does not produce legitimate Voting Members.  Every Neighborhood is supposed to have one...

The August Board of Directors meeting was held on August 2, 2022, and the Minutes were posted today, August 10. The Treasurer, Vernell Butler, was absent. (His absence was not noted in the Attendance report at the top of the Minutes.) No financial report was given. No explanation was given for the delay in the 2021 Audit's being presented to the Board and the homeowner-Members. (The 2020 Audit was dated May 26, 2021 and presented to the Board at the July 2021 meeting.) There are several members on the Finance Committee. In addition to the Treasurer, the members (according to the August 2022 Scoop) are Mike Bryant, Auby Dellinger, Mary Ann Game, Billie Jones, and Jeff Lummel. Why didn't Butler arrange for one of the other members to present a detailed financial report? Something other than "finances are in good shape" (July 2022 Treasurer's report). Will the Treasurer inform the board and the members at the September meeting what effect the 8% national rate of inf...

A very important committee is listed on the HOA's website. It is the Summit Assets Committee. Have you ever heard it mentioned? Summit Assets Mission: This Sub-committee, is responsible for establishing a balanced annual budget, and presenting it to The Summit Community Association, Inc. Board of Directors for approval. The budgeting process considers input from all levels and includes members from the general community. OPEN, Chair The Summit HOA has approximately $2,000,000 in cash and reserves, and it has considerable value in Common Property, structures, and utilities. Is there a more important committee? Notice that this sub-committee has no members, and it does not even have a Chair. Why not? Certainly, board members ought to be asking about it at every board meeting. If they don't, Voting Members should be asking. And if they don't, Members (homeowners) ought to be asking.  On March 1, 2022, when Treasurer Vernell Butler moved for acceptance of the 2022 Budget and Ma...

Has the Summit Community Association, Inc. (SCA) filed the required tax returns over the past years? The SCA is apparently not a tax-exempt organization (501(c)(4)), according to the IRS. It is not listed as such on www.irs.gov and no record exists on the IRS website for Forms 990 (or any version). The HOA may be a §528 Homeowners organization with preferential tax treatment, but the HOA Treasurer and CAMS are unwilling to answer questions from me. I am just a lowly resident, not a homeowner. Where are the homeowners who are willing to ask important questions? I find nothing in board Minutes about authorizing the preparation of tax or financial documents. If the HOA does file tax documents to claim and retain preferred tax-free treatment, shouldn't it discuss it at board meetings and authorize certain officers to prepare and file those documents? That is often done by Resolution, duly noted in Minutes and preserved for future reference. Shouldn't CAMS be guiding the volunteer o...

Why hasn't the Summit HOA's board of directors produced the audit for 2021 yet? The next board meeting will be September 6 (the day after Labor Day), unless Justin changes it. Treasurer Vernell Butler missed last night's board meeting, but that should not have prevented presentation of the Audit. Last year (2021), the 2020 Audit was dated May 26, 2021, and it should have been presented at the June 1st, 2021 board meeting. It wasn't.  On July 13, 2021 then-Auditor Wayne Rabon attended the board meeting and presented the audit. There were apparently no questions from the board, no comments, and no discussion. The Minutes contain no comments on the audit.  The Finance Committee's report was "The Summit is operating normally." That should have instilled great confidence in 2,480 Members of the HOA. Rabon's audit is attached to the July 13, 2021 Minutes.  There is a new auditor for the HOA. However, the board never took any official action to select her, ap...

How did The Summit participate in National Night Out (NNO)? Oh, it was last night? Following is a complete description of all the events sponsored in and by The Summit. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ... 25. Maybe NNO in 2023 will be different. Maybe the website will be utilized? Maybe The Summit Scoop will be utilized? Maybe the Board of Directors will lead...? Maybe the Board will realize that non-homeowner residents might just be valuable members of The Summit community? There is always "maybe".

One of the standing committees of the HOA is the Modifications Committee. What is it supposed to do? According to the HOA website, " Mission: The Modification Committee is responsible for ensuring that all exterior modifications, alterations and additions meet the current Summit Community guidelines during inspections of all completed approved projects.  They review all 201 modification forms submitted for consideration and approval for workmanship, design, and its compatibility with existing community structures, locations, topography, and finish grade elevation.  The committee conditionally approves or rejects all requests prior to work beginning and gives final approval upon its completion. " The members of the Committee, according to the website on 8/2/2022, are  Justin Martin , Chair, Jesse McClinton, Kristie O'Brian, Danielle Scandrol, and James Glenn. This is the committee that reviews the Form 201, which is your request to make any changes on your property, s...

An important election will be coming up in November 2022, and I'm not talking about National and State elections. I mean, the Summit HOA election for directors. The first question that homeowners should ask is, why hasn't the board declared George Reynolds' seat vacant? George died in April 2021. He had been re-elected to the board in November 2020 for a two-year term ending in November 2022. The board never declared his seat vacant and has never appointed a successor to serve his unexpired term (to November 2022). His seat is still empty. Voting Members should be all over the board for not complying with the By-Laws. Homeowners should be climbing all over the 28 Voting Members and demanding to know why they are not holding the board of directors accountable for complying with the By-Laws. The board erred in November 2021 by announcing five (5) director positions open for election. Five directors were elected in November 2021: Martin, Game, Hill, Thomas, Thomas, Bryant. Pau...

In November 2020 Auby Dellinger, Vernell Butler, and George Reynolds were elected to two-year terms. George died in April 2021. The board never declared his seat vacant and never appointed a successor to serve out George's unexpired term-of-office. George's seat is still vacant. The By-Laws (Art. III, A, Section 5) state that the Nominating Committee is to be appointed annually. It is not a Standing Committee. Except that's not how this board operates. "The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors not less than thirty (30) days prior to each annual meeting of the Voting Members to serve a term of one (1) year or until their successors are appointed, and such appointment shall be announced at each such annual meeting." So when is the annual meeting of the Voting Members? The By-Laws were changed in about 1995 and now provide for the Annual Meeting of the Voting Members to "...  occur at least thirty (30) but not more than sixty (60) da...

The next election for Board Directors is right around the corner. November 2022. And the Board has created a huge problem for itself. How will it resolve it? In November 2020 three Directors were elected. George Reynolds, Auby Dellinger, and Vernell Butler. Each was elected to a two-year term, expiring in November 2022.  This means that, in November 2022, three directors are to be elected. The terms of Vernell and Auby expire. George died in April 2021, and his seat is still vacant. His successor has never been appointed by the board. What is the huge problem?  After George Reynolds died in April 2020, only five months after being re-elected, the board never declared the vacancy on the board and never appointed a successor to George. That successor was supposed to serve out the remainder of George's two-year term, to November 2022.  That Director position is still vacant. Four directors should have been elected in November 2021, but the Board, in its infinite wisdom, deci...

Now the HOA will not publish the Crime Report from the Richland County Sheriff's Department.  Back on about June 7th the HOA published an incomplete Crime Report on the HOA website. Although the Report was nine pages, the office published only four pages, omitting Pages 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. No one in the office or on the board seemed to be concerned about the missing five pages of the three-month report (March, April, May 2022). It took me until July 28th to get the full report from RCSD by use of FOIA. In the interim I got blasted several times by Treasurer Vernell Butler, who told me I wasn't entitled to the Report because it included "PII" (Personally Identifiable Information). He erroneously claimed the missing pages were redacted. No, they were missing because somebody, either at RCSD or at the HOA office, didn't realize that the report had been printed two-sided. The HOA had published the monthly RCSD Crime Report for years, but the December 2020 Report sat o...