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Showing posts from May, 2023

Vacant Seat on Board - Open Letter to HOA Board of Directors

 The following email has been sent to the Summit HOA's Board of Directors. Good afternoon, Board Members, In November 2022, when Dennis ran for and was elected to the Board, his board seat as Paul Hill's successor had to be vacated.  The Board has seven seats. Due to the improper election of five directors (instead of four) in November 2021 (at a time when the late George Reynolds' seat was vacant), the board now has eight (8) directors, not the seven designated in the Governing Documents. Paul Hill was re-elected in November 2021 and died in April 2022. Dennis was appointed in May 2022 to succeed Paul. Dennis' appointment should have been to fill the remainder of Paul's unexpired term (to November 2023). Instead, Dennis was told he would serve just six months and would have to run in the November 2022 election. That action is not supported in the By-Laws. When Dennis was elected in November 2022,  he must have vacated Paul's seat. Nothing in the Minutes reflect

Barony Place Dinner Meeting

Many residents of the Barony Place Neighborhood gathered late Sunday afternoon, May 21st, for an informal dinner at Lizard's Thicket.  "Barony Place" consists of Barony Place I and Barony Place II. Announcements had been placed in newspaper boxes. It was great that some showed up after not making reservations.  One of the first questions asked was about street parking. Some homeowners have more cars than will fit in the garage and driveway, so those "extra" cars are parked on the street (Barony Place Circle). I explained that the HOA's CC&Rs have no jurisdiction over the street in Barony Place II, which is owned and maintained by Richland County. Vehicles are subject only to parking ordinances of the County and to State laws.  I asked how many thought the Board of Directors ought to be complying with the By-Laws, and several hands were raised. That resulted in the one contentious moment, when Voting Member Billie Jones went into the attack mode, includin

Modifications Committee - May 2023 Minutes

The Minutes of the May 2, 2023 board meeting state that, on behalf of the Modifications Committee, Justin Martin, committee chair and board president, reported: "The committee approved 15 201 forms year to date and inspected 0 completed projects. Justin Martin reminded everyone that all exterior modifications need to be preapproved."  What Justin did not report is how many of the 15 had been completed and were awaiting inspection. It took Justin three months (after notice of completion was given) to drive by one residence in Barony Place II and see that a new roof had been put on. April 2023 Minutes: "The committee approved  19  201 forms year to date and inspected  one  completed projects.  March 2023 Minutes: "The committee approved 9  201 forms year to date and inspected  0  completed projects.  February 2023 Minutes: "The committee approved  five  201 forms year to date and inspected  0  completed projects.  January 2023: No meeting. No report. Note: The

HOA money earned $621.19 last year

How did the Summit HOA do with your money last year? On the 12/31/2022 year-end statement for 12 months, the HOA reports earning interest of $621.19. That's for the year . Your HOA is sitting on approximately $2,000,000 in Operating Funds and Reserves. All cash. You can see the breakdown in the Financial Statements published on the Summit HOA's website. Go to www.summithomeowners.com > Residents > Documents > Financial Operating Results > December 2022 The HOA received interest of 0.00031 (or 0.03%) on its money. NOTE: That is not 3%. It is 3/100 of 1%. Little Johnny at Rice Creek Elementary could have done better than that!

HOA Cash (Mis)Management

Attention: HOA Homeowners Who is responsible for this? The Summit HOA Board of Directors or CAMS? Financial Results (Cal. Yr. ending 12/31/21) Operating Cash     $   637,066.62 Reserve Accounts $1,202,780.72 Total $                   $1,839,847.34 Interest earned in 2021: $591.74 (vs. Budget of $6,000) Financial Results  ( Cal. Yr. ending  12/31/22) Operating Cash     $   628,154.74 Reserve Accounts $1,176,632.72 Total                      $1,804,787.46 Interest earned in 2022: $ 621.19 (vs. Budget of $3,000) Suppose the HOA had been on-the-ball and invested $1,000,000 at 4%. How much interest would have been earned by the HOA? $40,000 !!!

Modifications Committee disregards Guidelines

Have you ever turned in a Form 201 for a modification or improvement to your property? If you did, you probably received a Conditional Approval. Then you got the work done, and you probably informed the office of the Committee that the work had been completed. What happened then? Was the work inspected? Did you receive a Final Approval? The Guidelines, published on the HOA's website, include Section 1.2, which reads, 1.2 Modification Committee Mission Statement 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 new projects. The committee reviews all 201 modification forms submitted for consideration and approval for workmanship, design, and its compatibility with existing community structures, locations, topography, and finished grade elevation. The committee conditionally approves or rejects all requests prior to work beginning a

Summit Parkway Speeders

The following was sent to RCSD Region 7, RCSD Traffic Team, and S.C. Highway Patrol Troup 1. Speeders were out-of-control today, Monday (5/8/2023), at 3:30PM westbound on Summit Parkway in and from the 25MPH school speed-limit zone (and crossing guard) at Summit Middle School (29229). In just the stretch between the school and Summit Ridge Drive I witnessed speeds up to an estimated 50MPH and many cars weaving to make sudden lane changes. It's going to take "creative enforcement", perhaps with a "spotter with radar" and two (or more) deputies to stop and cite drivers. Writing one ticket-at-a-time occasionally is not making a dent in the speeding problem. Please - tickets; no warnings. If you could work out a team-effort with the S.C. Highway Patrol and show an intensive presence, it might help a little. Perhaps "Zero Tolerance" signs mounted under the regulatory speed limit signs could help, if you can get the County's cooperation and help from the