Barony Place I/Barony Place II

Rumor has it that there may now be 7-8 neighborhoods with legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members. Why hasn't the HOA announced this? Which neighborhoods now have legitimate, three-member Neighborhood Committees and a legitimate Voting Member? That homeowner (Member) would have been  elected as a Voting Member in the past 12 months by a three-member Neighborhood Committee at a properly-convened Neighborhood Meeting with a quorum present in-person or by proxy. Here's the list as I know it: 1.  Barony Place 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 

On May 23rd I sent this email to the Voting Members (the one legitimate VM and the other "recognized" VMs): Does it seem strange to you that the Board of Directors is finally waking up to what I have been claiming for years? They know what you don't - that The Summit's HOA is in a very precarious financial state. Reserves are insufficient to meet future needs. The Indigo Dam repairs could result in a large Special Assessment. The Board cannot seek a large Assessment because there is only one legitimate, duly-elected Voting Member; she represents 3% (78/2480) of the HOA. If you were not elected as a Voting Member in the past 12 months by a three-member Neighborhood Committee at a properly-convened Neighborhood Meeting with a quorum present in-person or by proxy, then you are not a legitimate, duly-elected Voting Member. Sorry. No matter how good a job you are doing as a "recognized" Voting Member. There is only one way to become a Voting Member. It's rig...

The HOA office announced this morning that the Myrtle Pool is closed, due to finding "human feces" in it. The pool is being cleaned and treated with chemicals, and it will re-open tomorrow at 10:00AM. OK, how do they know it was "human feces"?  Will it be tested? Whose DNA will be found? Will RCSD investigate? Will the person responsible be identified and prosecuted? What do the pool cameras show? Is the recording good enough to identify the culprit? Once again, no one from the office "signed" the email. 

When a South Carolina non-profit corporation stops publishing its monthly Financial Operating Results, could there be a dark reason for its decision? The last time that The Summit's HOA published its monthly Financial Operating Results online was for the month of August 2025. Danny Trapp was Board President then. William Hill was Board Treasurer then. The HOA elected four directors on November 18, 2025, and that resulted in a power shift on the Board. On December 1st the HOA elected a new leadership team of officers. Brenda Bryant was elected Board President. Linda Potter was elected Board Treasurer. The HOA has not published Financial Operating Results online for September 2025 October 2025 November 2025 December  2025 January 2026 February 2026 March 2026 April 2026 May 2026 Apparently, I am the only community member who is complaining about the HOA's failure to do so. Town & Country Management Company took over HOA books on October 1, 2025. It is responsible for publish...

The Board of Directors has never explained the HOA's purchase of an annuity in 2024. The annuity was purchased as an "investment", using $126,352 of Reserve funds. No Board action was ever disclosed in Minutes of a Regular Board Meeting. Did the Board ever authorize the termination of a CD at South Carolina Federal Credit Union? Who cashed it in? Was there ever a Resolution by the Board to do so? What does "Unreconciled" mean in the Financial Operating Results for Line 1088? Did the Board ever discuss and approve (by vote) the subsequent purchase of the annuity? What company funds the annuity? Who is the Annuitant? According to the 2024 Annual Audit (dated February 4, 2026), the Annuitant is a current board member. That means the Annuitant is Brenda Bryant, Tanisha Holmes, or Linda Potter. Which board member is the Annuitant? See Page 8 of the Audit. The HOA is likely to need those funds to pay costs associated with repairs to the Indigo Lake dam. What is the Ne...

Why won't The Summit's HOA Office answer a simple question? " Will you please inform me what section of the Governing Documents applies to parking on the Streets in The Summit, which are public streets, owned and maintained by Richland County? " I emailed this question to Julie Brickley, Property Manager, on May 7, 2026, and requested a reply by May 14th. Julie had mentioned "street parking" at least three times at the May 5th Board Meeting. No acknowledgement; no reply. I've been asking this question for about seven years. Justin Martin, former Board President, refused to answer it, even after I presented a copy of the Deed transferring Barony Place Circle (in Barony Place II) to Richland County. William Hill emailed me on November 12, 2024, that "We are not allowed to park in the streets." He did not reply to two follow-up emails from me when I asked why not. He was the Safety Committee Chairman then and now sits on the Board of Directors. On...

Why hasn't the June Summit Scoop been published? Today is June 10th. Why haven't the Minutes of the March 2026, April 2026, and May 2026 Board of Directors Meetings been published on the website? Why haven't the Financial Operating Results been published for September 2025? October 2025? November 2025? December 2025? January 2026? February 2026? March 2026? April 2026? May 2026? Why hasn't the 2026 Proposed Budget been approved and the 2026 Approved Budget been published on the website? When will the HOA announce which neighborhoods now have legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members, following recent bonafide Neighborhood Meetings and elections? How will the Board of Directors correct the 2025 election of directors, which did not comply with the By-Laws of the HOA?  Directors were elected by people ("recognized" Voting Members) who were not entitled to vote. This was admitted in the January 2026 Board Minutes, where the final paragraph reads, New Business  A Boa...

Yesterday at 11:11AM the HOA's office sent out an email with the Subject "Activities Announcement". Someone in the office quickly realized she had neglected to fill in any information about the Announcement or attach the notice. Perhaps someone called the office. At 11:23AM the office sent a second email with this message and an attachment: " Please disregard the previous message and see the attached flyer regarding tonight's meeting. Our system sent the previous message out prematurely." Was this true? " Our system sent the previous message out prematurely." The office (nobody takes responsibility for office emails by "signing" them) attempted to blame "Our system". I think it's much more likely that an employee in the office hit Send on the first email without attaching the notice from the Activities Committee or including any message in the mail. Do they think readers of the emails from the HOA are stupid? Why not just ad...

Is The Summit's HOA operating without an approved Budget? If you look at "Annual Budgets" on the HOA's website (under Documents), you'll find one listed for 2026. BUT it is the Proposed Budget 2026! The November 18, 2025 BOD Minutes state that the 2026 Budget was available at the check-in table and would be mailed to homeowners. When was it approved?  Not at the October 7, 2025 BOD Meeting. Not at the September 2, 2025 BOD Meeting. Was it ever approved by the Board of Directors? If not, The Summit's HOA is operating without an approved Budget for 2026.  Is this proper for a South Carolina Non-Profit Corporation? Danny Trapp was the Board President until November 18, 2025. Until December 1, 2025 William Hill was the Board Treasurer. Tanisha Holmes was the Board Vice-President. Noel Weatherbee was the Board Secretary. Ask them when the 2026 Proposed Budget was actually approved by Board vote. 

Is anyone in Barony Place II missing a recycle bin? This bin wss left at #38 last Friday. It's not the homeowner's. His is in his garage.  Please come and get it, before the HOA sends a nastygram to the homeowner.

The Summit's HOA has 28 neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is to have a three-member Neighborhood Committee. The Committee is to elect one of its three members as Voting Member. They serve for one year. The 28 neighborhoods follow. The date of its most-recent Neighborhood Meeting is shown. This list will be updated as the names of the newly-elected Voting Members become available. If you know who the new Voting Member is, use the Contact Form (upper left) to let me know. Thanks. Updated  6/8/2026 ABINGTON AMARYLLIS WOODS AUTUMN GLEN AUTUMN HILL AUTUMN RUN BARONY PLACE - 5/2/2026 CHAPELWOOD COURTYARDS AT FOUNDERS RIDGE FAWN RIDGE FOUNDERS RIDGE GLEN MEADOW HUNTERS POND INDIGO SPRINGS LAUREL SPRINGS LAKES AT BARONY PLACE MAYWOOD OLEANDER MILL PEPPER KNOLL PINE BROOK PINECLAVE RIDGE CREST STONE CHAPEL SUMMIT HILLS III SUMMIT HILLS IV SUMMIT HILLS V SUMMER CHASE WAVERLY PLACE WHITNEY FALLS

I heard over the week-end that The Summit's HOA may now have as many as seven-eight legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members. Before that, it has one; only one. Barony Place Neighborhood had the only duly-elected Neighborhood Committee and Voting Member. There should be 28. The Board finally started a push to assist 27 neighborhoods in holding Neighborhood Meetings and electing Neighborhood Committees, which would then elect their Voting Member.  Will the same Board Member who challenged the legitimacy of Barony Place's proxies raise questions about the hurried efforts of the latest neighborhoods? Will that Board Member demand that every proxy be investigated and determined to be proper? When were these latest Neighborhood Meetings? Which neighborhoods now have legitimate, duly-elected Neighborhood Committees and Voting Members? Which neighborhoods still do not have a duly-elected Voting Member? ALL Members (homeowners) of the HOA are properly concerned when neighborhoods do no...

Six months ago I needed an oil change and tried the new Valvoline Oil Change Center on Hard Scrabble at Lee Road. I was satisfied with the service and price. (And you may know how hard it is to satisfy me.) I was back this morning (3,000 miles later) and received fast, friendly service. The staff there is fast and competent. When you are ready for the next oil change, I recommend this business . The address is 331 Generations Way. Turn off Hard Scrabble at the Lee Road light. Phone: 803.752.2018. No appointment needed.

Culver's is coming to Columbia. The first Columbia-area restaurant is being built at 2744 Clemson Road. That's the northwest corner of Clemson Road and Longtown Road, right in front of Lexington Medical Center. Culver's has been one of my favorites since 1996 in Woodstock, Ill. Watch for opening. Opening Day may be announced on www.culvers.com

Did the Board of Directors of The Summit's HOA meet last night?   The Board went to bi-monthly public meetings, but they are meeting many times between public meetings.  Where are the Minutes of those meetings? How do Members find out what the Board is doing to them? The By-Laws (Art. III, §14) read, "Section 14. Conduct of Meetings. The President shall preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors, and the S [ sic ] a keep a minute book of meetings of the Board of Directors, recording therein all resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors and all transactions and proceedings occurring at such meetings."  It's unfortunate that the online copy of the By-Laws contains this error. What the official copy of the By-Laws probably says is, "the Secretary shall  keep a minute book..." Further down in the By-Laws a section provides that the Minutes are to be available to Members upon request, but I have not found a section in the By-Laws that requires the H...

A Columbia jury decided that Rick Chow was NOT GUILTY.  It's about time. How will Solicitor Byron Gipson give Mr. Chow back the three years of his life that he lost while he sat in jail, waiting for trial? According to Fox News, Gipson said, in part, "As our community processes this outcome, we will continue to uplift the Carmack-Belton family in our thoughts and prayers. I ask that you honor both the family and Cyrus' memory by supporting them in a peaceful manner during this difficult time." What a load of horse manure! Who is the "we" in Gipson's statement? His office? The Columbia community? Cyrus' family?  Why isn't Gipson neutral, now that the trial is over? He respects the jury's decision? Who believes that? What about some sympathy for Mr. Chow, who was held without bail for three years? Chief Holbrook and Sheriff Lott had better be ready for riots, fires, destruction, violent protests. Chow no longer is involved with the convenience ...

Earlier this year the Board of Directors (BOD) announced that it would begin meeting bi-monthly, rather than monthly. The Board did not discuss that change in public or vote on it; the President just announced it. There was no April BOD meeting and there won't be a June BOD meeting tonight. The next scheduled BOD meeting will be July 7, 2026. If you look at the HOA's online Calendar , you will see that the June Calendar is blank, as was the calendar for May and for April. Why? Is this the "transparency" you expected from the "new" Board? This does not mean that the BOD is not meeting or is not making decisions that affect Members. The BOD is meeting and deciding; you just don't know about it. Every Regular Meeting, Special Meeting, workshop, and pre-board meeting should be on the HOA's online calendar. Every Committee meeting should be on the Calendar and indicate time and location. Minutes should be prepared and promptly published (within one week)...

Stamp prices are likely to increase from $0.78 to $0.82 in July. Pretty outrageous, eh? No doubt that First Class Mail volume drops a little, every time stamp prices go up. If you still buy stamps, now is a good time - before the increase. Visit www.usps.com and shop for pretty, contemporary stamps. There is a lot of garbage in stamp designs, too. Check out the history of stamp prices here . How much did a stamp cost in the year of your birth? How much was a stamp 100 years ago? $0.02!!!

The Board of Directors sent out Annual Meeting Instructions. They are for conducting Neighborhood Meetings that, hopefully, will comply with the By-Laws. The Instructions were faulty right from the top, where they led off with, "Requirements for electing Neighborhood Committees to appoint Voting Members and Alternates..." Neighborhood Committees do not "appoint" Voting Members and Alternates." They elect a chairman, who becomes the Voting Member. The other two members of the Neighborhood Committee are Alternates. For the first time in many years, the Board of Directors is using the word "must", as in "There must be an annual meeting..." Imagine that. Where did they get that idea? That's exactly what I have been harping on for years! The Board errs in a grievous manner by ordering, "notices must include names of homeowners interested in serving on the Neighborhood Committee..." This is an intrusion into the Neighborhood's au...

Today I made a decision to throw out a Banker's Box full of legal papers. These were the papers connected to Danny Trapp's illegal lawsuit against me. I decided not to sue Danny, who had caused a lawsuit to be filed against me in December 2024 in the name of the HOA , even though it was prohibited by the CC&Rs and was filed without the approval of the Board of Directors. That's what made it "illegal". I also decided not to sue the HOA. I could have. The grounds were strong.    No one on the Board stood tall and told Danny, "You can't do that." CAMS didn't. The lawyers didn't. The other six board members didn't. I had been thinking about writing a book about my experience. I represented myself in court, going pro se after getting a quote of a legal fee of $30,-$50,000. I believe the HOA wasted $25,-$30,000 of your money. The Board has never said how much Danny's lawsuit cost the Association. They even stopped publishing monthly Fi...

In the May 27, 2026 office email to the HOA community, the first error occurred in the second paragraph, where it read, " The Neighborhood Representative will be following the attached annual meeting instructions. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please contact management or submit your name directly to your Neighborhood Representative." A "Neighborhood Representative" is a person who was elected by his/her neighborhood. At this time there is only one legitimate, duly-elected Voting Member (or Neighborhood Representative), and that's in Barony Place. Other Neighborhoods are starting to organize Neighborhood Meetings, but there have been no reports so far of Meetings or neighborhood elections. The other "Voting Members" listed by the HOA are "recognized" by the Board, but they are not legitimate Voting Members or Neighborhood Representatives. It is the Neighborhood that will be following the suggested instructions from the Bo...

When Summit HOA resident Michele Rattray filed her legal action in Pontiac Court against Brenda Bryant, Jeff Lummel, Linda Potter, and Angelo Turley-Moore (which mirrored Vernell Butler's legal action against the same four), why didn't she file against the people who actually set up and ran the 2025 election of directors of the HOA? Those people were Danny Trapp and the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee was composed of then-Board Vice-President Tanisha Holmes (Rattray's neighbor in Whitney Falls), Carmen Cloud (Danny Trapp's neighbor), Maribeth Edwards, and Stan Haines). The Nominating Committee had shortly before the November 2025 election been purged of long-time members (Michael Bryant, Jeff Lummel, James Glenn, and Kristie O'Brian). I don't recall that the formation of the new Nominating Committee was voted on at a public Board Meeting, but it might have been. When the Nominating Committee reviewed applications for Board positions, it did not ap...

The litigation filed by Vernell Butler and Michele Rattray (separate actions) did have some merit. Had it been properly filed, it might have been successful, rather than being dismissed this morning in the Blythewood Magistrate Court. What was wrong with it? The Plaintiffs tried to save money by filing  pro se ; i.e., on their own without an attorney. Their claims were vague and insufficient. They filed in the wrong courts (Dentsville, Blythewood, and Pontiac Magistrate Courts), and the consolidated case was in the wrong Court. A Magistrate does not resolve the claims that were made. The case probably should have been in Richland County Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Common Pleas. When the HOA sued me, I continually brought up at hearings that there were no legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members (except Barony Place); no legitimate Board of Directors; no legitimate officers. Two Circuit Court judges tolerated my  comments, which an attorney probably would never have gotten ...

Did you read the May 27, 2026 email from the office about Neighborhood Meetings? Did you open all three attachments? They are worth printing and reading carefully. Unfortunately, parts of that communication are wrong, starting with the first sentence in the email. " Your Neighborhood Representative will be holding an annual meeting to conduct an election for the Neighborhood Representative and Alternate. " Why is this wrong? Because 27 Neighborhoods (out of 28) do not have legitimate, duly-elected  Neighborhood Representatives! There is no one to hold that meeting! It's the Neighborhood that holds the annual (neighborhood) meeting, not the Neighborhood Representative.  And the election is not for the "Neighborhood Representative and Alternate." The election is of the (local) Neighborhood Committee, which consists of three homeowners from that neighborhood. One neighborhood has already held its Annual Neighborhood Meeting. Barony Place held its Meeting on May 2,...

In separate hearings this morning in the Blythewood Magistrate  Court, Vernell Butler and Michele Rattray lost their legal actions against four residents in The Summit - residents who happen to be Directors of The Summit's HOA. Butler and Rattray were both pro se and filed against the four residents as individuals, not as Board Members or officers. The sentence, " a man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client" i s often, and possibly mistakenly,  attributed to A braham Lincoln. Butler lives in a Summit Hills neighborhood (the online map doesn't clearly indicate which one), and Rattray lives in Whitney Falls.  Several times I had to look closely at Butler to see if he ever took a breath between long, convoluted sentences connected with "so".  Butler complained about "rules" not being followed. Why didn't he raise his issues when he was a Board member for three years (Dec. 2020 - Nov. 2023). Rattray went on and on about there being no neig...

The monthly Financial Operating Results of the HOA have not been published on the HOA's website since August 2025.  Why not? The Financial Operating Results have not been published on the website for September 2025 October 2025 November 2025 December 2025 January 2026 February 2026 March 2026 The Results for April 2026 should be posted on the website early in June 2026 but won't be. There is no Board Meeting on June 2 (thanks to a bad decision by the Board to go into hiding every other month). If you have gone to monthly Board Meetings (at least, when they were monthly), you may have obtained a copy there - if you got there early enough, before they ran out. Why hasn't the Board Treasurer ever explained why they are not being published on the website? The August 2025 Results were published when CAMS was still the Property Manager. Doesn't Town & Country have personnel who know how to publish them on the HOA's website? Who is the roadblock on publication? The Pro...

The February 3, 2026 Minutes have finally been published online. A serious error exists in those Minutes. The Minutes include the following "report": Neighborhood Committee Report  The Neighborhood Committee met in January but did not have a quorum and therefore could not vote on a new chair. It was noted that the Neighborhood Committee consists of all voting members and serves as a forum for residents to raise concerns and discuss community matters.  The Board apparently does not understand how the Neighborhood Committee is to function. On the HOA's website the following Mission of the Neighborhood Committee has been published for years: Mission: 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 thereby allow their Voting member to vote on vital issues that affect the Summit and their local neighborhood. The Neighborhood Committee will assist and advise loc...

This should worry you. The HOA, through its Neighborhood Committee (of the HOA), should be assisting Neighborhoods to hold Neighborhood Meetings and to elect Neighborhood Committees, which then elect a chairman who is the Voting Member. The Neighborhood is in charge, not the HOA! That isn't what the lengthy email from the Board of Directors said (5/18/26 4:44PM). If you didn't get that email, contact me and I'll forward a copy. There are errors in the email. The biggest one is that no one signed it. It is from "The Summit Board of Directors." Did they meet and did the majority approve that email? Or did one (or more) Director(s) write it and send it out? A Neighborhood Committee isn't "up to three" members. The Neighborhood Committee, elected at an official, bonafide Neighborhood Meetings, is three members. To my knowledge, the HOA had no legitimate Voting Members before May 2024. After the Barony Place Neighborhood Meeting in May 2024, the HOA had ...

When you read the following in the May 2026 Summit Scoop, please recognize that it is wrong. Did you know?  "Please remember that recreational vehicles, trailers, and boats should not be stored in driveways or on the street unless otherwise permitted by the Association guidelines. Proper parking and storage help maintain the appearance of our neighborhood and keep roadways clear." Why? The CC&Rs state that you cannot park RVs, trailers, or boats in your driveways. There are no "guidelines" for such parking. The Board has no authority to permit a violation of the CC&Rs. On the street? The Board has no authority over parking of any vehicle or trailer or boat on the County-owned streets.  The Board cannot grant you permission to park RVs, boats or trailers on the streets. County ordinances and State laws apply. The CC&Rs and the By-Laws do not. One of these days the Board is finally going to wake up and admit it has no authority over parking on the County-o...

In the May 2026 Summit Scoop, as part of the President's Report, is a statement that "the upcoming referendum will include additional items that many homeowners have expressed interest in, including a proposed increase to the maximum allowable shed size..." Sheds trash up neighborhoods. Larger sheds will trash them up even more. A better idea is to tell homeowners to clean out their garages and get rid of all that junk they've been hanging onto. In most neighborhoods two cars are supposed to fit in the garage. The failure of the CAMS Property Manager to file the last Referendum on time was inexcusable. What was the reason? The necessary Amendments to the CC&Rs and the By-Laws cannot be addressed by the HOA at this time, because there are far too few legitimate, duly-elected Voting Members to approve them. The HOA should stop wasting its money until the (HOA's) Neighborhood Committee gets to work and assists neighborhoods to elect legitimate Voting Members!

... the remnants of "Team Danny" wrest control of the Board from those who were elected in November 2025? They have already been successful in removing Jeff Lummel from his position as Board Vice President. Jeff continues to be a Board Member. Jeff's voice and experience were an important part of the "leadership team" of the HOA. That "team" is the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Jeff's voice was a quiet voice of solid experience. Jeff is a long-time resident and very active volunteer. Jeff contributed major amounts of time over past years - time that the HOA should have paid hired workers to perform. The Board has never explained why or how his removal occurred. Why was responsible for that? A Special Board Meeting was held on April 6. The Board has never published the Minutes of that Special Meeting. The Minutes of the March 3, 2026 board meeting also have never been published on the HOA's website. Why haven't the Vot...

The Richland County Sheriff's Department Community Action Team (CAT) Officer is Master Deputy Tyonna Gillespie. Her contact information should be removed from The Summit Scoop. Deputy Gillespie is not the personal law-enforcement officer for The Summit (HOA). She is assigned to a large territory of Richland County. She does not work 24/7. And she doesn't get cats out of trees. If you call her directly, you interrupt her work. If she is not on duty, she will not respond to your message or return your call until she returns to duty, and then only if time permits. You might think help is on the way; it is not. If you need a deputy, call 9-1-1 (emergencies) or the non-emergency number published in The Summit Scoop. Incidentally, her last name is not spelled "Gillepsie", as shown in The Scoop. I notified the office back in January of the spelling error. But you know how busy they are in the office. They'll get around to it one of these days... Maybe.

In 2024 the HOA took money ($126,351.61) from a Reserve Account CD and purchased an Annuity. The Board has never disclosed this to Members and discussed it at a Regular Board Meeting. Who is the Annuitant? The name of this person (believed to be a current board member) has never been disclosed. Many annuities have purchase charges (commissions) and surrender charges. The value of the annuity is reported in the Financial Operating Results at its original purchase price. That is not the actual net cash value of the annuity. When the 2024 Annual Audit was finally released, the Auditor reported the value of the annuity on December 31, 2024 as $121, 440 (a loss of $4,912). The PRM (Art. III, §C, ¶9) reads, Investment and CD Procedures: The initiation of securing CDs must follow the procedure outlines below. a. The signature cards should contain 2 names from the Property Management firm (South Community Services) and 2 names from the Summit Community Association,  the President and the ...