MADELINE CLAVELOUX - PRESENTATION DURING THE WPA SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING

Here is the presentation by myself, Madeline Claveloux, at tonight's WPA Board Meeting.  Every member has a right to write the board, and request one of the two 5 minute speaker slots, available at every monthly board meeting.  It is a timed presentation, and you are cut off at 5 minutes.  I've done this before, and the presentation has been included in the minutes for that particular board meeting, and noted as a resident's presentation.  I seriously don't know whether this board will provide the presentation in the minutes, or not - they appear to do what they want, when they want to, and if you aren't one of their favorites - they don't follow the same procedures they do for those in their favor.  It is a test.  Let's see what they do.

I did the best I could with 5 minutes.  I've supported - documented everything I said, in previous articles.  HERE IS THE PRESENTATION:

Madeline Claveloux, 168 William Screven. My presentation is:  “Wedgefield Crisis – Canal & Golf Course Properties, General Maintenance, and Concerns Regarding Actions of The Board, Particularly – Legal, ARC, Water Amenities and Compliance”. I’m hearing dissatisfaction from every type of lot owner, and the statement, “This isn’t what we were told when we were buying our home, on the canals, golf course, or in the condo area.”  Wedgefield is in a crisis when even the real estate listings have added the new term “buyer must verify”.  Take a ride from the front entrance to every corner of Wedgefield. Would you expect anyone to pay top dollar for your property?

At the same time, our board makes broad statements, on key issues, without discussion, or vote.  There is nothing in the minutes!

*From the Wedgefield Wragg: “There is currently no consideration for the WPA to take over control, operation, or purchase of either the golf course or the pool.”  When did they discuss it at a meeting?  You have asked for a meeting for residents to discuss the golf course situation.  Your board has ignored you. Yet, there was a closed meeting held on September 12 with a prospective golf course buyer. Why the secrecy?

*From the printed handout provided at the August Canal Lot Owners Meeting:  “We did this on May 12^th 2016. We met with the president and vice president of the WPA to gather their ideas and support for the project.”  Later:

 “The WPA currently has $115,000 earmarked for dredging and by next year that number will be in the $135,000 range.  Once we have our funding in place the WPA will contribute their funding earmarked for dredging and then enter into a contract to dredge the canals.” YOUR BOARD, IN A PRIVATE, UNNOTICED MEETING, ON MAY 12^TH COMMITTED UP TO $135,000 OF OUR WPA FUNDS – UNRESTRICTED FUNDS, WITHOUT DISCUSSING IT AT AN OPEN BOARD MEETING, AND VOTING, FOR EACH AND EVERY MEMBER TO OBSERVE IT! Please remember this unauthorized promise to pay, as we will address it later.

·      The board’s management according to our governing documents – the promise of Wedgefield, as it relates to Grounds, ARC, Compliance, and Legal – all of which impact our property values, has been appalling! Lots with weeds 5 feet tall, vehicles parked in vacant lots –the tractor, sheds placed on lots inappropriately and ARC, and Compliance ignoring complaints for over 10 months, etc.  Yet, your board sits silently by, while we re-up the grounds contractor’s contract, with an increase, and your board votes to approve, while it is reported that the contractor, now knows who the boss is!

·       

We’ll focus on the most egregious, the promise of the $135,000 to the canal lot owners. 

Almost everyone sitting on that canal committee, and those of you willing to write checks voluntarily, forget that we’d done that before.  We collected over $162,000 to secure the permit to dredge, and when we got to within 30-60 days of securing it, that board threw the canal committee off the board – shut down the process.  The only ruling by a judge ever directed at permit, or dredging came then.  The judge basically said that the board had promised, the canal lot owners had complied with the board’s conditions, and they needed to be allowed to continue securing the permit. 

Why would you trust this board?  Why would you impact the future of all of the lot owners in Wedgefield by letting them tell you that there is no other way?  I’ve checked the Legal, and Water Amenities Reports from 2013 through today, and there is no vote on the $135,000, no mention of any dredging.  Every time there has been a dredging, there has been a lawsuit.  Most sitting at the board table today, has either contributed to one side or the other in the last dredging lawsuits, or been deposed.  During the last lawsuit depositions, the opposing side carried in a big notebook that contained minutes from meetings where there were votes, information provided at information meetings to all residents, WPA written legal opinions, copies of checks written to WPA attorneys, etc.  Today, if the WPA was sued regarding the $135,000, the notebook would be empty, and you would be back to square one. This time the people who are urging you to do the wrong thing for Wedgefield aren’t looking out for anyone, at a time when all of Wedgefield is in trouble, and your board doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on.  If you have any questions, or comments, you can email me: Wedgefieldexaminerthe@yahoo.com, and I’ll be happy to answer them.