WHEN WILL YOU ASK YOUR BOARD TO STAND ON PRINCIPLE, GOOD SOUND GOVERNANCE, TO BENEFIT ALL OF WEDGEFIELD?
The report I am about to give defies the WPA governing documents, sound contracting and business practices, and should be insulting to any member who ever trusted ANYONE on this board to act in the best interests of ANYONE, let alone 577 property owners! In fact, the whole story didn't come out in a report, the true facts - as much as anyone can get from this board, came out through resident questioning, during the resident question and comment section of the WPA meeting. I'm providing the information to the best of my ability. I can't even send you to the WPA website to listen to the tape of the meeting, because your board, in it's secrecy appear to be afraid of their own words, because they quit publishing the meeting tapes almost a year ago! So, if you want to verify, ask someone else who attended.
This posting centers around the grounds contractor, and the Hurricane Matthew clean up contractor selection, and yet another sort of closed meeting. Garrison reports that there was a closed meeting due to the fact that the most recent paid staff secretary has left, and her new replacement had been hired - that's another story, later on. Garrison also reports that the grounds landscaper contractor (now down to one person), had quit, but, and I quote Garrison, "we were fixin to send him packing anyway." Later, regarding this subject, we're told that the replacement for the now one man contractor, Southern Lawns, has been replaced by Howard Lawn Care. We aren't told what process the board went through to select this contractor. It should be noted that during an ARC report the board begins to discuss removal of trees from the storm. Otherwise, to my observation, we don't get any real discussion about storm clean up, selection of the vendor, etc. WHY? This is pretty important to all of us.
Finally, during the resident question and comment section of the meeting, I ask some questions about the clean up, and contractor selections. Howard Lawn Care was someone that grounds chair McMillin found. We don't know through what process, or why the meeting on October 4, had to be closed to us, to handle this. Howard Lawn Care is an interim contractor who will work for the same monthly amount that Southern Lawns was working for, until it is time to contract again. Why? They must have signed a contract with Howard Lawn Care. Later, it is said that Howard Lawn Care is doing the storm clean up. When asked how, and what the terms were, Garrison stated that Howard Lawn Care called on the section of the grounds contract that said the contractor had first refusal for storm clean up, as stated in the contract. Yes, I know there is a clause in the contract, but under these interim circumstances with no public meeting, and the debris that was left in this association?
I state that I have seen the contractor picking up the storm debris, and that it appears that he has a fairly small truck, and utility trailer, and there are large piles of debris waiting in yards. Garrison says he has a wood chipper. I acknowledge that I've seen the wood chipper, and it doesn't appear that it would handle more than small to medium size limbs, and there has been some major tree damage, and some residents have large rounds, from cut up trees. Garrison says that he has a front loader, and can load those pieces unto a trailer, and the board may have to look at bringing someone like S & W in (contractor for ice storm clean up a few years ago). I'm going to continue with the story, because it only gets worse.
Another resident stands up and asks the board how long it takes the wood chip from that chipper to dissolve. She states she wants to know, because she has been back on the utility company property, and Howard Lawn Care is dumping the wood chipper debris, back behind the gate that McMillin had put in a few years ago (he claimed at the time that it would be a great place to store the bulk landscaping materials that he could get such a great deal on if he bought in bulk - compost, pine straw, etc). Another member privately tells me that he has seen the chipper debris, and trailer loaded with it, go back there several times, himself.
COMMENTS:
First, I'll remind you that this in general, is how your board conducts our business - no real information to residents - closed meetings to cover their disgraceful business, no real contracting or standard business practice whether it is the canals, general maintenance - what so ever, and not one of the current board of nine says "what in the "H" is going on here?" They sit quietly by, no question about governing documents, and no one represents us, or our Wedgefield properties.
We have to go back a little to make this particular mess clear. Southern Lawns, the most recent grounds contractor, came sneaking into conversations at the board table about two years ago. It was formed by a couple of men who broke away from Great Lawns, the grounds contractor at the time. McMillin spoke of Southern Lawns glowingly in a few meetings when he had had some small projects. Low, and behold, the Great Lawns contractor suddenly begins to get bad reviews from McMillin. It is time to put out a request for proposal for a new two year cycle of the grounds contract. The request for proposal appears to be legit, and Great Lawns loses the contract, and Southern Lawns - newly organized wins. Great Lawns still has a few months on the old contract to finish. Suddenly, we are told that they are gone, and Southern Lawns will have to start early, and great reports start to come from McMillin on their performance. Later there is an issue of contracting on another matter, and McMillin says from the board table, "let's do to them, what I did to Great Lawns", and president Walton says, "don't talk about that".
Earlier this year, Southern Lawns completed the first year of their two year contract, which is renewable for second year, with consent by both parties. During a WPA board meeting, McMillin, not only proposed renewal of the contract, but proposed a raise in the contract. McMillin went on to say that while there had been problems, "they finally know who the boss is." At that time, Southern lawns had been the grounds contractor in the condo area. I was told by a condo regime board member that the condo group was very upset with the poor performance of Southern Lawns, and they were working with Jacky Walton, who also serves on condo boards, to get rid of them. Residents, your board, more than a few knew when they voted to give this contractor a renewal, and a raise that there was a problem with this vendor. Why? You tell me . This is more of each and everyone of the current nine, just raising their hands, and voting yes for each other, regardless of whether it is good for Wedgefield, or not.
This is what is happening in every facet of this board's work - the secret meetings, the disregard for sound request for proposal, sound contracting, and honest oversight. This is what is being offered to you in the canal dredging proposal mess, ARC adherence, the golf course issues, etc. One speaks, and they all agree, and don't question, or vote for the good of Wedgefield.
P.S. There is no plan "B" for the storm clean up, and plan "A" is extremely questionable.
P.S. There is no plan "B" for the storm clean up, and plan "A" is extremely questionable.
