Barony Place I/Barony Place II

 At the November 18, 2025 Board Meeting, the Safety Committee gave this report: "Safety Committee Report  "A Safety Committee representative reported that the new camera system at the intersections and parks is nearly complete, with a full demonstration expected the next day. Once active, the CAT officer will be able to monitor the cameras via a mobile app, allowing quicker awareness of activity throughout the community. Only the town , the management office, and the CAT officer will have access to the new camera system; former board members and CAMS do not have access.  Who gave the report? William Hill was the chairperson of the Committee at that time. Why didn't the Minutes indicate the name of the person giving the report? When was the demonstration and to whom was it given? What is the "town" mentioned in the report? Do current board members have access to the system? Who and why? The CAT deputy is not the HOA's police officer. She is a RCSD deputy and...

There must be a reason that the HOA has not posted the 2026 Approved Budget. Anyone care to venture a guess? The Minutes of the November 18, 2025 Board Meeting include a report of the Finance Committee. The report states that the Board announced that the 2026 budget was available at the check-in tables. When was it discussed at a Regular (open) Board Meeting?  When was the 2026 Budget approved?  Was the 2026 Budget ever approved? Not at the October 7, 2025 Board Meeting. There is no mention of the budget in the Minutes of that meeting. On November 18, 2025, prior to the Board meeting, the Voting Members elected Jeff Lummel and Angelo Moore to the Board. They also re-elected Brenda Bryant and Linda Potter to the Board.  If there had been a Motion to approve the 2026 Budget on November 18, would it have been fair to expect Lummel and Moore to vote on a budget they had never seen? Yet, at the November 18th meeting, the 2026 Budget was handed out. It must have been approved ...

What will the Board of Directors do about the unauthorized expenditure of funds in 2024-2025 on a matter of which the Board never approved? How much did the HOA spend, in total? $25,-$30,000? Will the Board authorize an in-depth investigation into the violation of the CC&Rs and the total cost of litigation against resident Gus Philpott? The expenses started when Danny Trapp, then-Board President, consulted with the new law firm, Turner Padget, during the summer of 2024 and told them to send Gus Philpott a Cease-and-Desist Letter. That letter was sent on August 28, 2024. Whose idea was it for the lawyer to tell Gus that he would not communicate with Gus, because Gus is not a member of the Association? That decision, right there, guaranteed they would proceed with a lawsuit. How much were the total fees in 2024 that resulted in the filing of the lawsuit on December 30, 2024? How much were the lawyers' fees in 2024? How much did the HOA pay in 2025? The lawsuit was dismissed on Ja...

Association Audit (L. Douglas Johnson CPA): $7,039 – Approved Will the Board of Directors explain why this bid was chosen for the 2024 Annual Audit? The approval of this bid was revealed in the Minutes (Page 3) of the October 7, 2025 Board Meeting, but apparently no special attention was called to it. On October 7, 2025 the Board approved Mr. Johnson's bid of $7,039 for the 2024 Annual Audit. A Google search shows a L. Douglas Johnson, CPA in Greensboro, N.C.  Greensboro is 176 miles from the Summit HOA's office, presumably making it inconvenient (and expensive (travel time and cost)) to inspect the HOA's physical books and records.  How many accountants received the RFP? Did someone recommend Mr. Johnson?  How did that CPA know to bid?  How many bids were submitted? What were the bids? Who opened the bids? Was Johnson's bid the best? the lowest? How did it compare to the cost of the 2023 Annual Audit ($3,700), paid in October 2024? Why didn't the 2024 Annual Audit ...

Before I went to the February 3rd Board Meeting, I promised myself I would keep my mouth shut during the meeting. It was the first meeting after the lawsuit against me was dismissed. It was hard, but I kept that promise. Even when one of the Board officers walked around the room and identified me by name as the person who had been sued by the Association. That was a huge procedural and confidential error. I don't mind that he revealed my identity. I have done so at every opportunity. I wasn't "proud" at being sued by the Association, but I didn't feel embarrassed. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. The accusations in the lawsuit were false. I had not made untrue accusations about the HOA. Everything I have ever said or written has been true. I had not harassed board members or the office staff. Every contact and communication had been polite and business-like. How many times did I say, "If you would just comply with the CC&Rs and the By-Laws, you wo...

At the February 3rd Board Meeting, one homeowner offered his opinion that I had run up the HOA's legal fees during its case against me. Last year another homeowner had told me that "my case" was costing the HOA a lot of money. First of all, it wasn't "my" case. It was the HOA that sued me, not the other way around. And, technically, it wasn't even the HOA that had sued me. Danny Trapp had the case filed in the name of the HOA , even though it was prohibited by the CC&Rs; the Board had never approved it; the Board never authorized Danny to file it; the Voting Members were never asked to approve it; and the Voting Members never did approve it. The HOA paid the bills from the lawyers. And no one on the Board ever complained about those illegal disbursements. They were illegal disbursements, because the Board had never approved the litigation! I suspect that Danny and the lawyers never expected me to defend myself to the extent that I did. When a lawyer ...

If you were at the February 3rd Board Meeting, you witnessed the chaos that started in the Public Participation portion of the meeting? Would the Members like a chaos-free meeting on March 3rd? Will the Board be able to come up with a plan to eliminate what happened on February 3rd and at many prior meetings? I could present a plan to the Board that will work. Will they ask me for it?

The HOA has new leadership on the Board. What should it be doing? 1. Comply with the CC&Rs, the By-Laws, and the PRM and other Guidelines. 2. Be transparent in all operations. The Board must observe what committee chairpersons are doing and guide them in doing it correctly. The Board has appointed new chairpersons; yet Board Meeting Minutes, the website, and the Scoop do not inform the Members who they are. At the February 3, 2026 Board Meeting, the (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee was described as a committee of the Voting Members. According to the By-Laws, it is not. Voting Members do not have a committee. They are a separate body with specific rules, requirements, obligations, and duties. A homeowner who is a Voting Member can certainly be a member of the (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee.  The purpose of the (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee is to assist every Neighborhood (28 of them) to have a legitimate, bonafide, duly-elected (local) Neighborhood Committee, which serve...

There is an easy way to know if a Neighborhood has a legitimate Voting Member. Each of the 28 Neighborhoods should have a form like this on file with the office and with the (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee. It should look something like this: _______ ( Name of ) ________ Neighborhood This form certifies that a Neighborhood Meeting was held on ___/___/20___.  There are _____ properties in our neighborhood. At least one owner of _____ properties was present in-person or by proxy. A quorum (at least one-third of the property owners) was present. An election of a three-member Neighborhood Committee was conducted. The Members of the Neighborhood Committee are 1. _______________________________  2. _______________________________  3. _______________________________  The term of the Neighborhood Committee members is 12 months . The Neighborhood Committee elected a chairman, who serves as Voting Member. The Committee elected _________________ as chairman/Voting Memb...

On Page 3 of the Minutes of the October 7, 2025 Board Meeting, in the Finance Committee report it reads, in part,  "Association Audit (L. Douglas Johnson CPA) $7,039 - Approved" A. Does that mean the Audit was completed and Johnson's bill was $7,039? or B. Does it mean that the Board approved Johnson to do the Audit for a fee of $7,039? When I first read it, I thought it meant A. At the February 3, 2026 Board Meeting I began to wonder if it means B. There is a huge difference. Which is it?

There was a very strong turn-out of homeowners and residents at last night's Board Meeting.  The meeting started off well with an explanation from Board President Brenda Bryant of how the meeting would be conducted.  Committee reports were presented to the Board. Not all of them contained correct information, but the board did not correct errors. Chaos erupted when the meeting moved to Public Participation. Use of the microphone was abandoned, making it hard to hear and understand what was being said. Some speakers had soft voices; at least one wore a COVID mask.  Hopefully, the Board will conduct an after-meeting evaluation and determine what corrections should be made before the March 3rd BOD Meeting. Several homeowners had very good comments and good questions. The Barony Place Voting Member asked about the 2024 Annual Audit. It sounded to me like the Board President said it hadn't been completed yet. Last October 7th the Board approved $7,039 to L. Douglas Johnson CPA...

Years ago somebody in Colorado called me a "nosy parker." I had to look up the term. I found it to be accurate. Why do I continue to stick my nose in the affairs of The Summit's HOA? It goes back to the response I was given, when we (where I live) received a parking violation notice. A relative's car had been parked on the street in front of the house for three hours one afternoon. After two years of digging, I determined that the HOA has no authority whatsoever over parking on the streets, which are Richland County property. The Governing Documents apply to Common Property. The streets are public property. I started attending Board meetings. I saw a lot that was wrong. And I have continued to see a lot that is wrong. The "new" Board (as of November 18, 2025) inherited a slew of problems. They have solved one important one - the illegal lawsuit filed by Danny Trapp in the name of the Association  but without the approval or authority of the Board and in viol...

Will Gus be a friend or foe? Before the HOA's lawsuit against me was dismissed, I said, "If they are fair with me, I'll be fair with them." The HOA's lawyer had mailed me a three-page Settlement Agreement and Release. It started with, "For $5.00 and other good and valuable consideration," followed by conditions, restrictions, and a lot of whereas's, if's, and's, and but's. I rejected it. Then I re-considered. I wrote the lawyer that I would accept it ... IF they raised the $5.00 by $99,995.00. Just make it an even $100,000. Shortly thereafter, we agreed by Stipulation (no conditions), and it was over. I could have held out for a lengthy, expensive (for the HOA) negotiation of a settlement. I could have held out for a trial that was going to be scheduled for this week, Feb. 2-6. I didn't demand anything. The HOA didn't offer anything. We just agreed to end it. I was fair with the HOA. It didn't have to spend $20,-$30,000 on leg...

On  May 7, 2024 the Board of Directors considered a Motion for a forensic external audit for 2023. The Motion was tabled. ("Forensic" means, generally, very detailed.") On June 18, 2024 the Board approved ordering a forensic external audit for 2023. The Board also approved a forensic internal audit for 2023. When were they done? Were they done? When were they completed? When, if ever, did the Board receive them? Why haven't they been mentioned or posted on the HOA's website? I subscribe to a newsletter that is reporting on the HOA for a large condo in downtown Chicago, in what had been called the John Hancock Building. A CPA and forensic auditor was hired to examine their books. His email to the HOA Owners in Chicago starts off with, " Owners at  175 East Delaware Place  have been told for years that the building’s finances are sound, professionally audited, and responsibly managed. " After reviewing more than a decade of the Association’s own records,...

The February meeting of The Summit's HOA Board of Directors will be held Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at the North Springs Park Community Center, 1320 Clemson Road. The meeting will start at 6:30PM. Arrive early to sign in (if you wish to) and to look through the hand-outs on the back table. Multiple sign-in sheets and pens may facilitate faster entry to the meeting. You may notice and appreciate a change to how the meeting is conducted, so that it is smoother, faster, shorter, friendlier, more civil, and more polite and respectful to all. If you have suggestions for board meeting content or conduct, please email them to the office at  summithelpdesk@tcgrd.com   Your email should be distributed to all seven board members.

When the Board of Directors of The Summit's HOA holds a Special Board Meeting and conducts business of the HOA, should it follow all the rules? Should it give Notice of that Special Meeting by email blast to all Members (property owners)? Should it publish an Agenda for that Meeting, stating what so important that it can't wait for the next Regular Board Meeting? Should the Special Meeting be open to Members, just as Regular Board Meetings are? Should Minutes be prepared and published on the HOA's website, just as Minutes of Regular Meetings are? Do Members have the right to know what the Board is doing in those Special-Called Meetings? The answer to each and every one of those questions is "Yes".

The Summit HOA has invested considerable funds in security cameras. From the fancy equipment in the office, you'd think the HOA is running a high-tech security firm. Does anyone even know where all the cameras are and what their functions are? The latest expenditure may be the cameras for Summit Parkway and Summit Ridge Drive. What is their purpose? (That could be explained on a page of the HOA's website, but it's not.) The Summit's HOA has no authority over the public roadways. So why were cameras bought for those roadways? The sheriff's department operates cameras that can read license plates. Their functions may be much wider, reminding us of the question, "How much is Big Brother watching?" The CAT officer (RCSD deputy assigned to the C ommunity A ction T eam) is not the HOA's personal hired cop.  She is a deputy of the county sheriff's department, and she gets her marching orders from RCSD. Why does she have virtual access to the security reco...

The October 2025 monthly expenses of the HOA (titled "Budget Comparison Detail -Board") was included in the hand-out at the November 18, 2025 Board Meeting. It had a category that does not appear in previous monthly reports. The new category was Transportation Expenses . The category lists expenses for "Auto - Repairs" and "Auto - Taxes & Licenses". What "Auto" does the HOA own?

W ill the Board Treasurer report at the February 3rd Board Meeting on the following reports that are late being made available to the membership on the HOA's website? the 2024 Annual Audit* the 2023 forensic internal audit** the 2023 forensic external audit** the Financial Operating Results for  September 2025 the Financial Operating Results for  October 2025 the Financial Operating Results for Novem ber 2025 the Financial Operating Results for Dec ember 2025 The 2024 Annual Audit should be published with past years' audits on the HOA's website. When did the HOA receive it and why hasn't it been published? The 2023 forensic internal and external audits should be published there, too. When were they received? The Minutes of the October 7, 2025 Board Meeting were distributed at the November 18, 2025 Board Meeting. One entry reads, "Association Audit (L. Douglas Johnson CPA) $7,039 - Approved" Was that for the 2024 Annual Audit? Where did Mr. Johnson come from?...

After months of writing about how William Hill and Noel Weatherbee were improperly appointed as directors on July 1, 2025, I learned today that they actually had been appointed in a Special Board Meeting prior to the July 1, 2025 Regular Board Meeting. What had caused me to believe that they had been improperly appointed? The Minutes of the July 1, 2025 Regular Board Meeting read, in part, " The new Board members were introduced: William Hill, Treasurer and Noel Weatherbee, Secretary. " ( Emphasis in the original. ) I had been told that Danny had referred to an "executive session" being held before the Regular Board Meeting. Appointments cannot be made and elections (of officers) cannot be conducted in "executive sessions". Plus, the "executive session" before the Regular Board Meeting on July 1, 2025 had not qualified as an Executive Session. The Special Board Meeting had never been announced to the membership of the Association. No Notice was g...

On January 10, 2026 I published a photo of the brick-wall damage on Summit Parkway west of the Middle School. The article and the photo are here . Driving by yesterday, I noticed that no repair work has started. This section is in the Procedures Reference Manual: Art. II, §5  Repair Common Area Damage Immediately : "To insure that Common Areas are kept in good condition, the Board of Directors adopted an operating policy to initiate repairs to damaged Common Areas immediately, documenting said repairs with itemized costs for submission for repayment or required repairs/replacement (approved 8/3/2004)   Section 5 is a Resolution passed 21½ years ago. Does anyone on the Board or the management company know about this? The first question should be, "Is that wall Common Property or the property of the homeowner on Ricemill Ferry Drive?" Second question - if it's on Common Property: "What is the HOA's understanding of immediately "? Regardless of ownership a...

Back on October 10, 2025 I wrote about a rumor circulating that William Hill had submitted his letter of resignation from the Board of Directors. You can read that blogpost here . The Board didn't meet on November 12, but it did on November 18th, right after the Annual Meeting of Voting Members. The Voting Members did not re-elect Danny Trapp, so any plan to replace Hill with Vernell Butler collapsed. Butler was a candidate for the Board, and he was not elected. The Board did not address Hill's letter of resignation on November 18, December 2, or January 6.  The easiest way for the Board to address Hill's sitting at the front of the room in a Director's seat is to vote on a Motion to accept his letter of resignation on February 3. If it doesn't, then the Board should remove him by Motion and vote, because he has never been a legitimate member of the Board. He was improperly appointed on July 1st. I've written extensively about that previously. If you want to see...

When you have a question, an issue, or a complaint involving the CC&Rs, "who you gonna call?" No, not ghostbusters. Call your Voting Member. But does your Voting Member expect this type of call and know what to do? Are you familiar with the Section in the Procedures Reference Manual (PRM) about this?  First you might ask, "What's the PRM?" If you don't know, ask me or ask your Voting Member or the office. Here's the answer from Art. III, §P Residential Complaints , ¶1 General  (Page 32) in the PRM. a. When a resident has a concern or sees what he believes is a CC&R violation, the resident should discuss the concern with the neighborhood chair (voting member/representative). b. The neighborhood representative may address the concern with the violator or transmit the concern to the board of directors. c. The board of directors may designate the property manager and its onsite management staff to receive and address the CC&R complaints and conce...

Would it help the leadership team of the Board of Directors (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) to have an Executive Assistant? That person could serve as a "traffic cop" for the four officers and the other three directors by assisting them in carrying out their duties. Such assistance would reduce the workload on the officers of the HOA. All directors have their personal lives; many are employed. They should be directors , not managers or doers for Association business. They are the decision-makers (or should be). The Property Manager "could" be that person but likely does not have the time necessary, because the HOA's office is a two-person office.  Let's say a Member (homeowner) of the HOA has a question for the Board. The question could be emailed. Email is better than phoning. Less time is required to receive and handle the request. The Executive Assistant would screen the email and either answer it for the officer, sending a copy of the r...

Apparently, the January 6th Board of Directors meeting was a little "uncivil". I wasn't there, because the HOA's lawsuit against me hadn't yet been dismissed. It was dismissed on January 13. The last meeting I attended was on February 4, 2025 at the Church. I'll be at the February 3rd meeting at the North Springs Park Community Center. I hope you will be there, too. There is a new Board majority. They are good people who care about the HOA. They are the best majority in the eight years I've lived in The Summit. The Voting Members did a good job in November of electing four good people and not electing several others. I've been hearing that the other three directors on the Board aren't very happy. The truth is that they are now the minority of the seven-member Board. It could be that many votes by the Board will be 4-3. It shouldn't be split that way, because ALL Board Members should be working for the betterment of the HOA. Two of the three in ...

The 2024 Annual Audit is way overdue! And the 2023 forensic internal and external audits are also way over-due. Did the Board ever receive them? Why haven't they been published? How bad are they? Is the 2024 Annual Audit "qualified"? In other words, did the Auditor find some serious things wrong? The 2024 Annual Audit was due by May 1, 2025, according to the CC&Rs By-Laws (Art. III, §19(g)). This Section refers to an annual report that is to be prepared on an audited or reviewed basis by an independent public accountant. The 2023 forensic aud its were ordered on June 18, 2024.  Becca Brendle, CPA was to conduct a forensic external audit at the price of $3,500. Lettitia Craps (not CPA) was to conduct a forensic internal audit for $4,800.  The October 1, 2024 Minutes state in the Finance/Projects Report: "Becca Brendle has completed the external (forensic) audit." Who was to do the 2024 Annual Audit? I believe I read something about $7,000 being paid for t...

What should the Board of Directors of the HOA do about William Hill and Noel Weatherbee? Hill and Weatherbee are not legitimate directors and should not be on the Board. They should not be participating in decisions of the Board. Why not? On July 1, 2025 they were not appointed by vote of the Board in an open, Regular Board Meeting. The Minutes of the July 1, 2025 (Regular) Board Meeting state only: "The new board members were introduced: William Hill, Treasurer and Noel Weatherbee, Secretary." The Minutes do not state how they became board members or how they became officers. They were illegitimately appointed board members in a closed, private, pre-board meeting that Danny Trapp incorrected identified as an "executive session". Apparently, they were appointed or elected to officer positions in that closed meeting. There are requirements for an Executive Session that were not met. No vote in a Regular Board Meeting was taken to appoint them. No vote in a Regular Bo...

I was a student at Cornell College (Mt. Vernon, Iowa), when Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke there on October 15, 1962. You can read his speech  here .  Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929. He died on April 4, 1968, 5½ years after this speech.  Every few years I re-read this speech. I was sitting in the front row in King Chapel*, on the left side facing the stage. The podium had been placed on the left side of the stage, as the audience faced it. I was seated about 25 feet from where he was speaking. In April 1968 I was living in a near-west suburb of Chicago, and my office was downtown in the Loop. The riots in Chicago were serious, and I was nearly caught in one after I left my office on a Monday evening. What has improved in race relations since then? Not much. Maybe nothing. Riots in Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and throughout the country solve nothing. Now they are instigated on social media and well-funded organizations. * King Chapel was completed in 188...

I found this article about late Annual Audits of interest. The article refers to the 2024 Audit of a condo in the Chicago area. What does it have to do with The Summit's HOA? The Summit's HOA has never reported receipt of the 2024 Annual Audit, and it has never been published on the HOA's website. Where should it be? The HOA's website contains a spot for it. Hover over RESIDENTS; click on DOCUMENTS. Then click on Annual Audits, and select 2024. The problem? 2024 is not there. The article led off with " The fundamental importance of an audit rests on two pillars: that it is (1)  timely  and (2)  accurate ." In its second paragraph it referred to a "120-day window." The Summit's HOA documents contain that same 120-day window. The By-Laws (Art. III, §19(g)) read, in part:  " an annual report consisting of at least the following shall be distributed to all Members within one hundred twenty (120) days after the close of the fiscal year :  (1) ...

Now that new leadership (Pres., VP, Sec'y., Treas.) is in place for The Summit's HOA, who are the new committee chairpersons and who are the members of the committees? The Committees listing on the HOA's website (hover over RESIDENTS; click on DOCUMENTS) has not been updated yet. However, from Minutes of recent Board Meetings and the Summit Scoop, some changes have already been made. Activities Committee Chairperson: Sherri Lauver Members:  Contracts Committee Chairperson:  Members:  Covenants Committee Chairperson: Jamie Burke Members:  Finance Committee Chairperson:  Members:  Landscape Committee Chairperson:  Members:  Modifications Committee Chairperson:  Members:  Neighborhood Committee Chairperson:  Members:  Neighborhood Welcome  Committee * Chairperson:  Members:  Newsletter Committee Chairperson:  Members: Tim Kudlock Nominating Committee Chairperson:  Members:...