Barony Place I/Barony Place II

One week to go, until the secret of the year is revealed. Election Day is November 7. Who are the nominees for director selected by the Nominating Committee? Not only are the names a big secret, so is the process. How can a homeowner encourage his Voting Member to vote for a certain candidate, if the membership isn't told who the candidates are? You'd think the process would be described in an easy-to-find spot on the HOA's website or in a special edition of The Summit Scoop . Not so! Are the four incumbents running for re-election? Have any Members of the Summit been successful in breaking into the inner group?  What are the requirements? Here is the guideline for the Nominating Committee. Do you think they are measuring candidates, including incumbents, against this standard?  "Candidates will be of the highest caliber, selected for interpersonal skills, dedication to the betterment of our Association and community, and free of any personal agenda"   Source: Nom...

The Minutes of the October 3, 2023 Board of Directors (BOD) meeting have not yet been published. Normally, Minutes are published a few days after the meeting, so that Homeowners know what happened at the meeting. Several homeowners have complained that they did not receive an email from the CAMS-managed office with the link to the October Zoom meeting.  Perhaps the officers of the HOA are embarrassed about the original Minutes of the September meeting. When I read them, I thought, "Has e e cummings been resurrected?" They were quickly taken down and re-written. ALL meetings of the BOD are supposed to have Minutes. Do they? Where are the Minutes of - the August 22, 2023 special meeting to ban homeowners from monthly board meetings? - the October 3rd, 8:00PM special meeting to discuss the 2024 management contract, which was omitted from the regular board meeting? - other October 2023 meetings of the BOD (in-person? telephonic? Zoom?) to discuss further the management bids and ...

On November 7, 2023 twenty-eight Voting Members of the HOA are supposed to meet prior to the 6:30PM Board of Directors meeting. Their primary purpose is to elect four directors for 2023-2025. Why is the work of the Nominating Committee a big secret? Vernell Butler, treasurer of the HOA, is acting chair of the Nominating Committee, since Mary Ann Game is a candidate for re-election. Other members of the Nominating Committee are Mike Bryant*, Auby Dellinger, James Glenn, Jeff Lummel, and Kristie O'Brian. The closing date for applications was October 6. The office was to confirm that applicants are homeowners and not in debt to the HOA. Then the Committee applies its Mission to the applications. "Mission: Provides quality candidates to hold office on the Board. Candidates will be of the highest caliber, selected for interpersonal skills, dedication to the betterment of our Association and community, and free of any personal agenda" Based on those requirements, the Nominating...

An email was sent out to some Barony Place II homeowners this morning that reads, "The shrubs the [ sic ] surrounding the pillars at the entrance to the Circle are being removed for safety and esthetic reasons. " By the time that email was sent out, the shrubs HAD BEEN removed. So, a few questions. Who determined that the shrubs were a "safety and esthetic" condition? Was that decision made by the HOA? By a committee of the HOA? By one person? Where was the Barony Place Voting Member? Why wasn't she keeping an eye on the beauty of her Neighborhood? Was she informed in advance of the removal? Why weren't the homeowners in Barony Place II consulted? Why weren't they given an opportunity to comment, before the shrubs were removed?  Exactly what "safety" issue was there? The shrubs did encroach slightly on the street by the Stop sign, but it was not a big deal. There was plenty of room for a car to stop at the Stop sign and be nowhere near the midd...

If you have attended monthly HOA board meetings in the Summit, you know that speeding on Summit Parkway comes up every month. And you know that there is nothing that the HOA can do about it. But now YOU can do something about it. Become a founding member of the "35 Club". Just display this nifty, 2"x2" sticker on your back window. Two club members, driving side-by-side at the posted 35MPH speed limit from Hard Scrabble Road to Clemson (or from Clemson Road to Hard Scrabble Road), can restore safe and sane 35MPH speeds on the Parkway. Earn different membership levels, according to the names you are called by other drivers, unique hand gestures displayed toward you, and the different scrapes and bumps endured by your car or truck.  At the same time, you may want to increase your insurance limits, brush up on self-defense moves, and be sure all the door locks on your vehicles are in good working order. Dashcams recommended. Review one-handed recording of videos with yo...

Back in February 2023 the Summit HOA's board of directors approved a $42,373 contract with Johnson Controls for a fob entry systems for both pools.  The system was never installed, and the board has never explained why not.  Today I came across a mention in the CAMS Management Notes attached to the April 2023 Minutes that "Angela notified Johnson Controls that the board wants to hold on the install [sic] of the fob system."  Did you ever hear that discussed in a monthly, open board meeting? Why would the board approve a $42,373 and then decide (did they vote?) in private to delay it? How did the contract read? Did any money change hands? Did the HOA make any payment to Johnson Control? Who signed the contract? The signers for the HOA for contracts ought to be the President and the Secretary. There should have been a Resolution approved by the board that authorized the President to enter into a contract with Johnson Controls. But there does not seem to be any Resolution at...

CAMS must very thankful about the renewal of the Summit's HOA contract. They quickly announced the holiday hours for the Thanksgiving week-end. On October 23 the office sent out this message: " The Association office will close at 3:00pm on Wednesday, November 22 nd  and will be closed on Thursday, November 23 rd  and Friday, November 24 th  in observance of the holiday. " Are they so "P.C." now they cannot even mention Thanksgiving? Will somebody object to the mention of "Thanksgiving"? You know, the Pilgrims and the Indians and all those dead turkeys. While CAMS might want to give its own employees the Friday off after a holiday, why should the HOA agree and then do without coverage in the office? And why close at 3:00PM on Wednesday? The HOA office is already closed on Saturdays until summer 2024 so this means, if you have business with the HOA, you'd better get it done by early on Wednesday, November 22, or you'll wait until the following M...