Barony Place I/Barony Place II

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:...

Late this past week the Minutes for three recent Board Meetings were posted. Minutes for the Board Meetings on November 18, December 2, and January 6 were posted on The Summit HOA website. To find these, go to www.summithomeowners.com ; then hover over RESIDENTS and click on DOCUMENTS; click on Board of Director's Minutes; click on the month/year to review. I read the January 6th Minutes first. After reading them, I thought, "These are the best Minutes I've read in eight years!" A few questions came to mind, and I'll be seeking information for clarification. The Minutes reflect the intention of the Board to inform Members and residents of what is going on in The Summit. The November 18th Minutes were informative but failed to mention the election of four directors at the Annual Meeting of Voting Members, which had been held just before the Board Meeting. The Minutes also failed to state which Board Members were present and which were absent. There was no mention a...

Last Tuesday (Jan. 13, 2026) an attorney for The Summit's HOA filed in the Richland County Court of Common Pleas to dismiss the case against Gus Philpott (me). This was accomplished by a filing of a Joint Stipulation which, as I understand it, eliminates any need for a hearing before a judge. Homeowners (Members of the Association) should appreciate this prompt action by the new majority of the Board of Directors: Brenda Bryant, President, Jeff Lummel, Vice President; Angelo Moore, Secretary; and Linda Potter, Treasurer. They have stopped a lawsuit that never should have been started and which cost the HOA a substantial sum in legal fees. The case was filed on December 30, 2024, at the direction of former Board President, Danny Trapp. It was filed in the name of The Summit Community Association, Inc., even though the Board of Directors had never voted to approve it. The Board actually could not have approved it, because of the CC&Rs (Art. XIII, Section 10 Litigation). The Assoc...

The Summit's HOA has a new Chairperson of the Activities Committee. The office sent out this message about tonight's meeting: Summit Activities Committee Meeting 📅 When: 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM 👉 Next meeting: Today – January 13, 2026 📍 Where: Summit Office, 305 Ridge Trail Drive 👥 Who: All Summit residents welcome! Have ideas? Love planning? Want to meet your neighbors? Join us for a fun and collaborative evening of discussion and planning for the 2026 Summit community activities! We’re hoping for a great mix of ages, interests, and backgrounds, because the best communities are built when everyone has a voice. Whether you’re bursting with ideas or just curious about getting more involved, we’d love to have you there. ✨ Share ideas ✨ Help plan events ✨ Connect with fellow neighbors Come be part of what makes the Summit such a great place to live—we can’t wait to see you! 😊 Need more information please reach out to the newly appointed Chairperson for the Activ...

  What is it about the brick walls of The Summit that hypnotizes a driver to the extent that they run off Summit Parkway and destroy a wall. This wall is west of Summit Parkway Middle School and is behind (approximately) 26 Ricemill Ferry Drive. Wouldn't it be nice if The Summit Scoop were more of a neighborhood newspaper and informed the 2,840 property owners and residents of "news" in the 28 neighborhoods? Do anyone know when this damage happened?

In the January 2026 Summit Scoop, just published today, an item on Page 2 attempts to explain street parking in The Summit. "Did You Know?  "Did you know that street parking is intended to be limited and temporary to help ensure clear access for emergency vehicles and neighborhood safety? The Association periodically conducts compliance reviews to address ongoing or recurring issues, while allowing reasonable flexibility for special occasions and holidays.  "This is according to the CCR's [ sic ], Article VII, Section 7.03." I have been asking for more than five years what section in the Governing Documents pertains to parking on the streets, and I immediately went to the CC&Rs. In the CC&Rs, Article VII  Condemnation has no Sections and does not pertain to parking. Article VII has three un-numbered paragraphs and no Section 7.03. Next stop was the By-Laws. There is no Article VII in the By-Laws. One more stop: the Procedures Reference Manual. There is ...

The Waverly Place neighborhood of The Summit was the location of two major fires last week. The house at 302 Glen Knoll Drive was destroyed, and the houses at 300 and 304 Glen Knoll suffered major damage. WLTX-TV, News19 , reported a fire in the 300 block of Glen Knoll Drive but did not give the address of the second fire. 302 Glen Knoll Drive The reporters weren't clear on the dates, because they reported in the newscast that the first fire was on "Tuesday" (Dec. 30) night on Glen Knoll Drive (300-302-304), but later in the newscast referred to New Year's Eve (Dec. 31).  These boxes were sitting on the curb in front of 302 Glen Knoll Drive this morning. The cause of the fire has not been announced. WLTX reported a second fire, on New Years Day, after 11:00PM. I don't know the address for that fire, but there is a photo of the house early in the newscast.

The January Board of Directors meeting will be held Tuesday, January 6, 2026, starting at 6:30PM at the North Springs Park Community Center, 1320 Clemson Road. I believe you can expect a completely different (and better) atmosphere at monthly board meetings, following the election last November 18 of four directors who are now the officers of the Board. These officers are Brenda Bryant, President; Jeff Lummel, Vice-President; Angelo Moore, Secretary; and Linda Potter, Treasurer. The Board and three other directors have their work cut out for them in 2026. I believe you'll see improved transparency, new committee chairpersons, and more opportunities for participation and contribution to the smoother operations and success of the HOA. Remember: The Summit's HOA is your HOA. I suspect the Board will provide guidance in the best way for you to communicate questions and problems.  There should no longer be a "Bermuda Triangle" into which questions disappear. If you ask a q...

Do you ever get confused about the pick-up day for recycling and trash, when there is a holiday during the week? Richland County has a good notification system, and it's free. You can receive an email and/or text message the day before by signing up for the notifications. Sign up for notifications and the app by clicking here . Enter your home address on that page. Follow the prompts to create a free reminder.  When you use the app, you can inspect the calendar for the upcoming pick-up dates. Pick-up is delayed one day, if a holiday (New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day) occurs on a weekday.

Yesterday the HOA's office sent out an email about street lighting on Summit Parkway. The message read, in part, "We want to inform you that there is currently an electrical emergency affecting the street lighting along Summit Parkway, resulting in the street lights being out until further notice. Crews have been notified, and repairs will take place as soon as possible. "We understand that this is occurring during the New Year holiday, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please use extra caution when traveling through the area, especially during evening and nighttime hours, and remain alert while driving or walking near the outage zone." Anyone who has driven at night on Summit Parkway in the past few weeks (and months) has noticed a high number of street lights that are out. The lights are owned and maintained by The Summit's HOA. An online dictionary defines "emergency" as " a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasi...