Barony Place I/Barony Place II

Is anyone interested in having a Neighborhood Watch (NW) program in Barony Place? The HOA's Safety Committee will host a general meeting about Neighborhood Watch programs this Thursday, January 18, 2024, 6:30PM at the Brookland Baptist Church Northeast, 1203 Summit Parkway. RCSD has been invited. To learn more about Neighborhood Watch, visit  http://www.nnw.org My understanding of Neighborhood Watch programs, from living in a different state, is that they are self-help programs. They require neighborhood participation. No one is going to run it for you/us. A Block Captain is recommended for every 10-15 houses. In Barony Place II, that would mean three Block Captains. It could be that one NW could be formed for the Barony Place Neighborhood (78 homes in Barony Place I and Barony Place II). 

If you tried to use Summit Parkway through Summit Ridge Drive today, your patience was sorely tested. That's because there was one lane in each direction, and the flagger was more interested in what he was reading on his phone than in paying attention to traffic. At the time I was driving east (about 12:45PM) there was a ten-minute delay between Timber Crest Drive and Summit Ridge Drive. I suspect the problem was that the first eastbound car wanted to turn left and the flagger didn't stop the flow of westbound traffic to let that driver turn. Eastbound traffic was backed up to west of Timber Crest. I called the RCSD dispatcher line to request a deputy to come and clear the traffic. The dispatcher refused. I knew that the sheriff didn't control the dispatcher service, so I called the main RCSD number to ask them for help. They couldn't help, either, and told me call the Columbia PD, which managed the dispatcher services for the County. That will change in July. I'm e...

For a short time The Summit Scoop was coming out at the first of the month. That was after many months that saw the Scoop published at the middle, or even at the end, of a month. So now it's January 4th, and the January Scoop is nowhere in sight. Why? For many months I have urged the Board of Directors to appoint a board member or homeowner as Chair of the Newsletter Committee. The chair of that committee should not be a CAMS employee. CAMS employees are there to do the work. When they don't do the work, are they going to discipline themselves? Not hardly! When employees get lots of days off and the work doesn't get done, somebody on the Board should be in charge of noticing the problem and fixing it.  I accepted that the "old" Board wasn't going to do anything I suggested. But the "old" Board is gone. Sure, the "new" board needs a little time to figure out Who's on First and What's on Second. By now they should have their fix-it li...

Did you react to today's email from CAMS about the errors in the original dues notification? CAMS shouldn't be apologizing for "inconvenience and confusion". It should be apologizing for the errors it made that resulted in inconvenience and confusion! Their email is like saying, "I'm sorry if you were offended by what I said." That's no apology at all.  Since November, HOA emails have been coming from hoa@summithomeowners.com  They've been short and sweet, as professional business email should be. Today's email was from Angela, the Regional Manager for CAMS in Columbia. But is she even directly connected with the Summit HOA's office any longer? The HOA hasn't yet announced the changes in the office. Are homeowners being kept in the dark? Notice how Angela's emails state the HOA's name as " Summit Community Association, Inc. (The) " . And not just once, but four (4) times. The only phone number needed is the one for t...

On or about October 20th the pergola was damaged - again. Read my first article about it here . What's the status today (January 1, 2024)? The destroyed pergola has been removed. The broken bricks have been removed. And that's it. This is not CAMS first rodeo with brick damage. Isn't it the Property Manager's job to manage the property? I guess it must be a strange and narrow-minded person who would think so. As I drove by today, I thought, "It's a one-day job to repair that damage." The brick guy could chip out all the broken bricks. Then make a diagram (on graph paper would work) and measure the length and height to restore the wall. Lay new bricks on a platform and mortar them together. Transport the replacement wall to the corner, stand it up, and cement it in.  You'd think this is someone's career project.  What has the board decided about the pergola itself? Isn't it really just an eyesore? Has the board decided not to rebuild it? Hire so...

Did you receive your notice for your HOA dues?  Before you mail your check, be sure to learn the correct P.O. Box number. Did you read the information carefully? Look at the 2024 Budget? Below is my email to the President of CAMS, Dave Orr. He'll know my name from previous emails. I sent copies to one of his executives (Ronda Bossert), Angela Adleman, five of the HOA board members (I don't yet have email addresses for Tommy Williams and Patricia Pollin (who were appointed in December to replace Greg Thomas and Vernell Butler), and the members of the Finance Committee (except Brent Mikula, CPA, whose email address I don't have yet). Mr. Orr, The homeowner with whom I reside in The Summit, Columbia, S.C. received her 2024 dues notice this week. On your website you announce that CAMS is  "... an industry leader in community association management. CAMS is an AAMC, Accredited Association Management Company, which ensures your HOA that our team has the  experience, knowledg...

Anyone go to the board meeting last night?  The "new" board is in place, and the new officers were at the front of the room. Two new Members (homeowners) have joined the board; they are Tommy Williams and Patricia Pollin. The appointments (by the board) of the two new directors followed the resignations about November 14 of Greg Thomas and Vernell Butler.  It was a good meeting. A little long, because homeowner complaints were lengthy. One involved a parking problem about a car parked in a front yard and on the parkway between the street and the sidewalk. The homeowner brought a large poster to show the board. He approached the board for help after trying to get the problem resolved through the office. A balanced budget for 2024 still has not been completed. The initial deficit was $75,000, and that has been whittled down to a $28,000 deficit. It's time to sharpen the red pencil and get the deficit down to Zero! Treasurer Linda Patton announced that a forensic audit will ...