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Wednesday, April 20, 2016

THE WEDGEFIELD EXAMINER PROVIDES PICTURES, AND THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF YOUR NEIGHBOR COMPLAINS ABOUT YOUR VACANT LOT, AND THE BOARD CONTACTS YOU

During the April WPA Board Meeting, the board Community Liaison reported that the board had received a complaint about the lack of mowing on a vacant lot on Daniel Morrall.  Our Community Liaison did not report what action the board took.  

It is no secret that I've been concerned for a long time, about the inconsistency in this board applying the maintenance standards for our association, consistently, no matter who the resident is, or who in this case, is providing the mowing services.  Last year, the lot next to me was mowed once!  One resident reported that a lot near them, maintained by the association at the expense of the member through a contract with the board, reached FIVE FEET. 

Just to remind you, each year vacant lot owners receive an offer from our Grounds Chair, to go to a lawn mowing contract, for a defined amount, and the association's grounds contractor, will maintain their lots.  At times, the Grounds Chair hasn't charged enough, and all of us have subsidized private mowing, because your board used our assessment funds to pay the difference.  When that has occurred, we have seen great theatrics from the board table when certain board members claimed it could never, and would never happen again.  It did!  Last year our Grounds Chair, in an effort to appease those theatrical board members, charged the appropriate fee to vacant lot members for the mowing, but in an effort to save members (lot owners) money, built in a meager 4 mowings for the full growing season.  When I complained, the Grounds Chair said they had already used 2 mowings, and only had two left, so they'd have to wait to mow (Really, no matter how tall the grass got! One resident reported five feet!).

This morning, in an effort to get a realistic feeling for the complaint, I drove to Daniel Morrall, and took pictures of two vacant lots, each located on the two ends of the street.  Here are the pictures.



I took my trusty camera, and drove to a lot on John Green that the board maintains under contract, and took a picture.  The picture is provided here.


Looks to me, that the lot owners on Daniel Morrall are maintaining their lots, to the board contracted standard!

My advise to the Daniel Morrell lot owners is, if the board contacts you, and wants you to take action, or be fined, print out these pictures, or take your own, and advise the board that when they govern with consistency, and require the same of all members, that you'll comply, but for right now, you are meeting their contract for services standards.

As for me, the lot next to me, usually maintained under contract with the board, is as bad as these.  I resort to running a line of weed killer down the lot line, in an attempt to keep the weeds out of my flower beds.