Barony Place I/Barony Place II

On May 30, 2024 the HOA office emailed homeowners (and at least one resident) the following message: The Safety Committee chair volunteer position is currently open and needs to be filled as soon as possible. If you or you know of someone that is interested, please contact the Summit Association office at 803-865-0609 or email  trigon@camsmgt.com  or  keyonaw@camsmgt.com  .  I responded that I would be interested, if residents will be considered. After I sent it, I realized I didn't need to ask the qualifying question. The board allows a CAMS employee to chair the Newsletter Committee, and surely a resident is a step above that. Then I read the Mission of the Safety Committee again. Here it is, from the HOA website: Mission: (The Safety Committee) Is responsible for identifying unsafe conditions that exist in the amenity areas and reporting these findings to the Association Board of Directors along with recommendations for rectifying the problems. For years the ...

Watch this interview with Sheriff Lott, when he talks about the shooting earlier this week at the pool at the Villages of Lakeshore. Two arrests have already been made. Sheriff Lott stresses the importance of the partnership between the community, parents, schools, churches, etc. In the first video shown in the press conference, you can hear automatic fire; yes, true automatic fire.  The sheriff showed a "Glock switch", an illegally-manufactured replacement part for a Glock pistol that allows the pistol to be fired on "automatic"; i.e., one trigger pull fires many bullets until the trigger is released or the magazine is empty. Treshawn Keller, 17, has already been arrested and is being charged as an Adult. Deputies caught him after he ran from the area. They caught him with a stolen pistol. More arrests are expected. Why did the Villages of Lakeshore allow large numbers of non-residents to gather at its pool? We here at The Summit must be on the alert for gathering...

The Summit's HOA has only one (1) legitimate Voting Member. It is supposed to have 28. On May 4, 2024 the Barony Place Neighborhood held a Neighborhood Meeting, elected three homeowners to the Neighborhood Committee, which chose Tracy Manderino as the Voting Member for the next 12 months. The HOA cannot conduct an Annual Meeting of Voting Members in November 2024 to elect directors, unless a quorum (15) of the 28 Neighborhoods has a legitimate Voting Member to attend and vote. The count right now is: 1 legitimate Voting Member 14 more Neighborhoods need to hold annual meetings, elect Neighborhood Committees, and select their Voting Members. Every Neighborhood should have a Voting Member. Not only is it required in the By-Laws, a Neighborhood has NO representation before the Board of Directors, if it doesn't have a Voting Member. Even 15 legitimate Voting Members might not be enough to approve any amendments to the CC&Rs or By-Laws, because 75% (1860/2480) of the Members hav...

Do not allow this sign at Summit HOA amenities and office. On Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at about 8:00PM, shots were fired at a community pool about five miles west of the Summit, according to WISTV.com https://www.wistv.com/2024/05/29/4-people-shot-1-teen-arrested-columbia-neighborhood/ An 18-year-old was arrested, and four were injured. WIS-TV reported about 20 shots were fired. At a recent Summit HOA board meeting, board member and then-chair of the Safety Committee Dennis Rybicki introduced signing of all amenities in the HOA (and the office) as gun-free zones. I wrote to him then and again today that I oppose designating Common Properties as gun-free zones. Residents must have the right to defend themselves (and others), should the need arise. Be at the June 11th board meeting to express your opinion, in case that idea hits the light of day again. NOTE: this is a date-change from normal first-Tuesday board meetings. I don't want pools, tennis courts and walking trails to become wa...

From the HOA office on 5/28/2024 at 10:51AM: "The office phones and internet are currently not working. The service provider has been contacted and will be out today between 2:00 and 3:00pm.   "We apologize for this inconvenience and hope to have the issue resolved as soon as possible." Q. 1 If the internet is out, how did the office send this message out to the HOA distribution list (about 1800 of the 2480 homes)? Q. 2 What happened? The last time the phones were out, the bill hadn't been paid. Remember that fiasco? At the May board meeting there was a discussion about late fees on some bills. Some bills were being mailed to a CAMS address in North Carolina, not to the HOA office at 305 Ridge Trail Drive.  What rocket scientist ever allowed that??? The previous CAMS property manager? The previous HOA Treasurer? CAMS is paying the late fees, but it is paying them directly to the biller, rather than merely reimbursing the HOA. Opinions on that method, anyone?

Are you still wondering what happened at the May meeting of the HOA's board of directors? As of today (5/25/2024) the Minutes of the May 7th board meeting still have not been posted on the HOA's website. The Minutes could have been transcribed and prepared on May 8th and sent around to Board members for corrections, then published for all the Members on May 15th. If this new board really cared about transparency, they might start operating more on behalf of 2,480 Members of the HOA. The office also has not updated the list of Voting Members to reflect the new Neighborhood Committee for Barony Place and its Voting Member. Do you think the HOA should re-name the Newsletter Committee as the Communications Committee and appoint a homeowner to chair it, rather than a CAMS office employee? If you do, drop a comment below AND email HOA@summithomeowners.com

Rumor has it that another director of the Summit's HOA is about to quit. This one hasn't been a director very long. Why would a director quit? Is it the chaos on the board? Is it worry about personal liability of being on a board that is not duly-elected? Is it the lack of progress by the board is solving crucial problems of the HOA related to finances, board integrity, and accountability? Is it the failure of the board to comply with its own By-Laws? Two directors quit in November, after the 2023 election. One had just been re-elected to a 2023-2025 term-of-office, and the other was in the middle of his 2022-2024 term. Two appointed directors are serving those terms. A director quit in February 2023, after having been elected to the board in November 2022 to a 2022-2024 term.  A person is a Director until s/he submits a written resignation letter. Is it effective immediately or after acceptance by the board? Then the Board appoints a successor to serve the remainder of the une...

From the HOA office at 11:12AM today: " The Magnolia Pool is currently closed due to issues with the fob system and will open today at 1:00pm . I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The Myrtle Pool is currently open and we hope to have the issue at Magnolia Pool resolved as soon as possible.   "Thank you for your understanding. " The on-site property manager should provide more information to the Members about the problem with the fob system.  Is there a fault with the installation or with the operational system? Is this a continuation of last week's problem? Is it a manufacturer's problem? Were the fobs programmed incorrectly when handed out? The HOA spent $42,000+ on the system.  The pitch was to improve security and save money by eliminating the pool monitors. Did Justin and the others who voted for the fob system just pull the wool over the eyes of the Members? Aren't monitors still needed because somebody figured out that kids (and others) wi...

At the May 7th monthly board meeting a report was distributed about Violation Letters send to HOA homeowners. On May 11th I emailed all members of the board. Not one board member replied or even acknowledged my message. Are all residents and homeowners being treated this way? A reply from a board member is requested.  Please reply within seven days. Did you look carefully at the Violation Report for 4/1-30/2024 that was distributed at the May 7, 2024 board meeting?  Was that activity an income-generator for CAMS? How much did it cost the HOA for Teresa to handle 395 complaints (including 73 parking violations), take pictures, send letters, record responses? How many hours were spent on complaints? Does the HOA pay a per-letter cost for CAMS to mail out Violation Letters? A while back I was told the per-letter cost was $15.00. At the  April  board meeting Teresa acknowledged that she sends parking violation letters to homeowners, in front of whose houses a vehicle is ...

When will the HOA update the website at www.summithomeowners.com ? The photo in the banner on the homepage has been there for years ! The Neighborhood News section is stale and contains some erroneous information. The Surveys section is dead in the water. The RCSD Crime Report in the Public Service Announcements is more than two years old (March 2022) and is incomplete. It was a nine-page report, but the five odd-numbered pages are missing. I reported those pages missing at the time. There are no Upcoming Events. The Sponsors section is blank. The Upcoming Events button contains no information. Message Boards are unused. Recent News contains the current issue and past issues of The Summer Scoops. The Ask A Question button previously linked to a webform for sending a question to the HOA office. That's been broken for months. And that's just what's wrong on the Homepage! Communications with Members and residents is not a priority for the Board of Directors!

This headline is on WISTV.com Homeowners upset at HOA for spending more than $167K in legal fees No, it's not about the Summit's HOA. The story is about a HOA in Gilbert, Ariz. Click on the headline to read the story. But it has points that should concern homeowners in The Summit.  The Summit's HOA should be more forthcoming about legal fees for its attempts to collect unpaid dues and also about its hope to change law firms. The current Board of Directors does not have authority to make any decisions, because the directors were not duly-elected. I believe it cannot terminate the current law firm OR retain the services of a different law firm. The HOA needs legal advice how to come into compliance with the By-Laws. For many years voter fraud occurred in the November elections of directors. That's because there were no (or too few) eligible Voting Members to cast votes for directors. Nobody cared. The officers of the HOA didn't care. The Nominating Committee didn'...

At the May 7, 2024 monthly board meeting there was discussion of the board's intention to replace the current law firm with the Columbia law firm of Turner Padget. Can the HOA's directors or officers do this? If they are officially in office, they can. The problem is that no director on the board was legitimately elected. And the two who were appointed, were appointed by directors who were not legitimately elected. Past elections by Voting Members have been fraudulent elections. There was not a quorum of legitimate Voting Members present. Most, if not all, at the November 2023 Annual Meeting of Voting Members were not eligible to attend or vote! Upon information and belief, none of the 28 Neighborhoods in the HOA have been holding Annual Neighborhood Meetings, elections of Neighborhood Committees, or selecting their Voting Member from that Committee. Hence, no one was eligible to vote for directors. The November 2023 meeting should have been continued from November 7 until a qu...

Should the HOA restore the Neighborhood Committee?  This Committee is a committee of the HOA and is distinct from the Neighborhood Committee of each of the 28 Neighborhoods in the HOA. The Neighborhood Committee  (of the HOA)   was abolished shortly after the November 2023 election. The Neighborhood Committee is a vital Committee of the HOA. According to the Procedures Reference Manual (Art. II, Section B. 8)), it is a standing committee. Because of this designation in the PRM, the President of the HOA probably cannot unilaterally abolish it. "This Committee is responsible for helping each Community in the Summit to locate  and elect  a local neighborhood committee that will represent their community at SCA Board meetings and there by [ sic ] allow their Voting member ( elected by  the local neighborhood committee) to vote on vital issues that affect the Summit and their local neighborhood. The Neighborhood Committee will assist and advise local neighborhoo...

This message was emailed to homeowners today from the HOA office. " The Magnolia Pool unfortunately will be closed today and tomorrow, May 15th and May 16th. There are issues with the key fobs not working and a technician will be out tomorrow at some point to make the necessary repair.  "Keep in mind that Myrtle Pool is open and located at 305 Ridge Trail Drive.   "Thank you for your patience and understanding.  " The HOA spent over $40,000 on a gate-lock system, and they thought they'd be able to avoid hiring pool monitors for $40,000/year. Turns out that pool monitors will still be needed. Why wasn't this problem identified before the pool season began???

The Board of Directors of the HOA consists of seven (7) Directors. They serve two-year terms. In November 2023 four directors were elected. Linda Potter and Danny Trapp were elected, and Brenda Bryant and Greg Thomas were re-elected. They joined the three directors who were elected in November 2022: Vernell Butler, Tanisha Holmes, and Dennis Rybicki. Soon after, Greg Thomas resigned from the board, and Vernell Butler resigned after he was not re-elected as Treasurer. The board appointed Patricia Pollin to succeed Greg Thomas and Tommy Williams to succeed Vernell Butler. Current board members and their terms of office are: Term-of-office, 2022-2024: Tanisha Holmes Dennis Rybicki Tommy Williams Term-of-office, 2023-2025: Brenda Bryant Patricia Pollin Linda Potter Danny Trapp Current officers are: President, Danny Trapp Vice-President, Brenda Bryant Secretary, Tanisha Holmes Treasurer, Linda Potter Officers are elected by the Directors and serve one-year terms. Officers are elect...

On May 4, 2024 the Barony Place Neighborhood elected its Neighborhood Committee, and a Voting Member was identified. On May 5th I let the board of directors and the HOA office know of the election and provided them with the names of the Voting Member and the two Alternates. Presumably, the Neighborhood Committee submitted documentation to the HOA's office. So far, the online directory of Voting Members has not been updated. That update should require less than five minutes of secretarial time. Barony Place may be the only Neighborhood with a legitimate Voting Member and Alternates.  Will the other 27 Neighborhoods in the Association follow suit and hold Neighborhood Meetings? Will at least 14 other Neighborhoods do so and establish bonafide Voting Members, so that a legitimate election of Directors can take place in November 2024? A quorum (15 of 28 Neighborhoods) is necessary for the Annual Meeting of Voting Members to be held for the purpose of electing directors. In even-numbe...

If you were at the May 7, 2024 Board of Directors meeting, you may have picked up a copy of the first-time-ever Violation Report. It was for April 1-30, 2024. I say "first-time-ever" because, in almost six years of attending BOD meetings, I had never seen such a report. My attention was quickly drawn to the number of Parking Violations - 73, out of the Total of 395. That's 18.5%. I recalled the objection of one homeowner at the April BOD meeting who complained about getting a parking violation notice for a car parked in front of his house on the public roadway. Teresa said she had seen it as she drove by doing neighborhood inspections. She didn't know whose car it was or how long it had been there. The HOA CC&Rs aren't even enforceable on the County-owned and County-maintained streets in The Summit. How much time did it take the on-site property manager to handle 395 complaints? It seems to me that time would be better spent trying to collect the $498,657 in A...

These deadlines are important. Friday, May 10, 2024  Last day to register in person to vote in the June 11th Primary. Sunday, May 12, 2024  Last day to register online to vote in the June 11th Primary. Go to www.scvotes.org

Note the date-change for the June Board of Directors meeting. Monthly board meetings are usually on the first Tuesday of the month. After the meeting last night, I heard that the date for the June meeting had been changed. The May Summit Scoop (published May 3rd) shows the date as June 11th, the second Tuesday of the month.  No special mention is made in the Scoop, and the date-change was not mentioned at last night's meeting.

The HOA's board has finally arranged for the sound system to be at board meetings. So why don't they use it? The microphone, for the most part, rests unused on the table right in front of the board members. They seem unaware that their voices cannot be heard throughout the room, especially when the band or the choir fires up in the next room at the church. Board members should learn how to hold the microphone, so that their voices are transmitted. And speakers from the audience should come to the front of the room to ask their questions and use the microphone. Or the President should repeat their question or comment before responding to it. It would also help if the audience didn't hold side conversations and if the board members listened to all the discussions and discontinued their own side conversations. Board members should use the microphone when speaking, especially when speaking to one another.  In a public body, which the HOA board is not, all board members and the ...

Who sends email to the Board of Directors? Who receives a reply? I have the email addresses for the seven directors, I often write one message and send it to all seven, if they all need to know. And other times I'll write to the President, with a cc: to the other six. Occasionally, I'll write to just one. I feel like I've been blackballed by most of the directors. Especially by the President. I do not recall one reply from him since he was elected in November 2023.  So I'm wondering ... If you write to a Director or Officer of the HOA, do you expect a reply? Do you get it? Do you persist until you get a reply? Will tonight's board meeting be different? In the May Summit Scoop, HOA President Danny Trapp wrote, in part, "We have a monumental hurdle to overcome financially" and "I will not allow any one community or person to manipulate funds or your finances."  Q. What's the "hurdle"? Q. Which community and/or what person is manipulat...

What would it be like if the Summit's HOA had a real HOA management company? What would a real HOA management company do? - It would advise the Board of Directors (BOD) when the BOD was acting out of compliance with the Governing Documents (CC&Rs, By-Laws, Procedure Reference Manual (PRM), other Online Guides). - It would provide financial reports to the BOD with which the BOD could actually make decisions. - It could serve as recipient for communications from Members (homeowners) and residents and take a large burden off the members of the BOD for answering a large volume of email from Members and residents. - It could provide useful information to the Members and residents through the Summer Scoop, the HOA's website, and informative emails to Members and residents. For example, twenty years ago the BOD at that time resolved that damage to Common Properties would be promptly repaired. Why did it take almost six months for the corner of Summit Parkway and Summit Ridge Driv...

Thanks to Tracy Manderino, Mary Evans, and Gail Luckey for leading the Barony Place Neighborhood's efforts to hold a Neighborhood Meeting, elect a Neighborhood Committee, and select a Voting Member. And THANKS to all the homeowners in Barony Place to made it happen by attending in-person or by proxy.  One homeowner said yesterday that she has lived here for 22 years and yesterday's meeting was the first one she'd ever heard of.  Other homeowners have told me they've lived here 10-15 years and don't remember a Neighborhood Meeting. (According to the By-Laws, a Neighborhood Meeting is to be held every year.) Sure, there have been Card Nights and Neighborhood Luncheons, but those have not been called-Meetings for doing business. Will any of the other 27 Neighborhoods in the Summit's HOA follow the lead of Barony Place?

The Barony Place Neighborhood (Barony Place I and Barony Place II) held its Neighborhood Meeting today, and a quorum (at least 26 homes) was present in-person or by proxy. At least 21 homes were represented by proxy, and about 8-10 homes were represented in-person. Three homeowners were unanimously elected to the Neighborhood Committee. They are Tracy Manderino (Barony Place II), Della Glynn (Barony Place II), and Gwendolyn Hayes (Barony Place I). Tracy will be the Voting Member for the next 12 months. To learn more about the duties of the Voting Member, visit the HOA's website . On the homepage, click on Neighborhood News. Scroll down to " Voting Members/Alternates  Memo concerning Voting Member/Alternate Right [ sic ] & Responsibilities". Click on "HERE". Not everything listed is correct, but it's close. For example, in Section 3 (Page 2) Voting Members do not  vote to elect (or to remove) Neighborhood Committee members (Article V (By-Laws)).  With tod...

Every month the Summit Scoop announces that the monthly board meeting will be held at the Brookland Baptist Church, 1203 Summit Parkway. There is just a small problem. The Brookland Baptist Church is not located at 1203 Summit Parkway. It is located at 1066 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia. What is located at 1203 Summit Parkway is Brookland Baptist Church Northeast . It's just a tiny error and doesn't matter; right? Like the miniscule interest rates earned on large amounts of the HOA's cash for far too long. Like compliance with the By-Laws by previous boards of directors. Like the failure of past boards for years to see that the HOA had legitimate Voting Members from enough Neighborhoods (15) to meet the quorum requirement at the Annual Meetings of Voting Members in November, so that a legitimate board of directors could be elected. Like preparing the required Minutes every year of the Annual Meeting of Voting Members. All just small, pesky items that should be correct.

The Board of Directors (BOD) allocates $7,000 annually in the budget for betterment of neighborhoods. Each of the 28 Neighborhoods has $250/year to spend. The first question is, is it fairly allocated? The Neighborhoods are not equal in number of houses. Barony Place (I & II) has 78 homes. The Lakes at Barony Place has about 80 homes. The HOA has 2,480 homes. Divided by 28, the average number of homes in a Neighborhood is 88.6. But don't some neighborhoods have a much larger number of homes? Does the HOA even know how many homes there are in each of the Neighborhoods? Is there a Neighborhood with 300 homes? If there is and if that Neighborhood gets $250 (the same as a "small" neighborhood), is that fair? The $7,000 is Line 7074 in the 2024 Budget. How much did the Neighborhoods spend in 2023? $854.35 (12% of the budgeted amount). Did the rest revert to general expenses?

Recently an announcement of the first Neighborhood Meeting (April 27) was distributed, and a copy of the directory was distributed with the announcement to Barony Place II homes. Please check your own information in that directory and report any errors to the new Neighborhood Committee, after it is elected on May 7. Sometime back a general email address for Barony Place I & II was created but not put into use. The new Committee may choose to publicize it and receive questions and comments about the neighborhood or the HOA through it.