DOES OUR BOARD HAVE A PLAN FOR STORM CLEAN UP BEYOND A HOMEMADE SIGN THAT SAYS GET YOUR DEBRIS TO THE CURB A.S.A.P? IF THEY DO, WHEN DID THEY MEET, HOW DID THEY SELECT A CONTRACTOR, AND HOW MUCH IS IT GOING TO COST?

Hurricane Matthew has caused some level of destruction to every property owner in Wedgefield.   As you drive through the association you see debris piled.  This is a named hurricane with advanced notice.  Our governing documents allow for clean up expenditure in a named storm.  The requirements for expenditure remain the same, particularly because it will be a large expense.  In the past, the board held an open meeting, had evaluated the volume of debris, sought bids, and awarded a contract.  Has any of this happened? Why don't we have a posting on the board website advising us how to proceed?  It appears the board must know something -get your debris to the curb - A.S.A.P.

I'm not suggesting that we should expect equipment picking up today.  Contractors are very busy.  It will take time to "get in line", but are "we in line" anywhere?  If so, how did we get there?  Was the process legal, and ethical?  Why isn't our board talking to us? 

STORM MATTHEW HAS LEFT ME WITH A BIG "WHAT IF" QUESTION ABOUT THE PROPOSED ILLEGAL CANAL DREDGING

In previous articles regarding the canal dredging, not knowing when we would have a hurricane, I stated that we were one storm away, with no plan B, from being right back where we are today.  It didn't take long and Hurricane Matthew arrived in our community.  Had we dredged under this illegal, one more dredge plan - no look to the future, we'd be all done.  Board member Anderson ridiculed my questions, and his documented answers show how illegal the actions of this board are.  Let's recap a few key points - all in Anderson's words - DIRECT QUOTES FROM HIS WRITINGS:

1) "The permit expires in 2018 and then it's over. Done! It will never be dredged again if we fail."
2) "If this plan fails, there is no plan B. It’s over, and your water access behind your home will be no more." "Our plan gets this done in 18 months and give us 10-15 years of usable enjoyment out of the canals. "
3) "And yes, there has been no vote to spend that money, just money placed in reserve." *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.”

4) "There have been NO meetings with residents opposed to it last time. My comment was derived from the fact that as Community Liaison I have not seen ONE negative letter about the idea of dredging or our plan. What was the public outcry like in 2009 when you were on the board?"
"We have been openly discussing canal dredging for about 6 months now and haven't really heard any negative feedback from the residents most staunchly opposed to it last time."

Members, I'm not going to dump any more documentation in this article. The Wedgefield Examiner has provided that over the last two months. This whole concept dredge is illegal. The $135,000 has been committed without a vote - 31 canal lot residents have paid their $400 based on the promise of the $135,000 - it is committed, and published as such in the committee's own documents. There have not been open discussions about the dredging, I've provided you the minutes. As to board member Anderson's role as community liaison, and no letters opposing, that is nothing more than back door politics. I've served as community liaison during the last dredging. Those opposed, as those who supported it, organized letter writing campaigns to the board. Garrison finally has this whole association just where this group wants us, and they won't be writing, because he has brought us to this point. It isn't good for Wedgefield, and this crooked board has brought us to this point, and it is killing Wedgefield.

If you are a canal lot owner, and you haven't paid your $400 - don't. If you have paid your $400, ask for it back in writing. This whole scheme is illegal, your committee, and board are not only talking out of both sides of their mouths - it is just plain illegal, and if the canals had been dredged under this illegal plan two weeks ago, it would have all been done for naught - no 10-15 years of enjoyment, and no plan "B". Write and tell the committee, and board that you want the permit extended, and a real plan for Wedgefield. The bigger problem here, is that this is the way our board is handling all of our business!

SUPPORTING CORRUPT GOVERNANCE ON ANY LEVEL IS.......

A MEMBER HAS A QUESTION ABOUT THE WPA ELECTION COMMITTEE

Recently, a WPA member contacted The Wedgefield Examiner, and asked if it was legal to have a husband, and wife serve on the Election Committee, when they only owned one lot.  I know that it has been done before, but is it legal?  Why not just contact the board?  Time is of the essence, as the annual meeting is next month, and if you are a concerned member, and ask questions, and have fallen on the board's black ball list, you risk ridicule, could have to wait months for an answer, and then it might not coincide with those "outdated" governing documents.  Let's use those corner stones of our governance, and try and answer the question.  I don't believe it is legal to have a husband and wife who own one lot serve on the committee.

BYLAWS:

Section 2: Membership: Every person or entity who is an owner of any lot or condominium apartment, which is subjected by these By-Laws to assessment, shall be a member of The Association. Membership shall commence at the time oflegal acquisition of the property. Membership shall be appurtenant to and may not be separated from ownership of any lot or condominium apartment, which is subject to assessment.

Section 3: Voting Rights:  In the event a lot or condominium apartment is owned by two or more persons or entities, then the vote attributable to such lot or condominium apartment shall be exercised as the owners mutually determine, but in no event shall more than one vote be cast with respect to any such lot or condominium apartment. The vote cast shal I represent the vote of all the owners of that lot or

condominium apartment. 

POLICY MANUAL :

0. ELECTION COMMITTEE
   The Election Committee is composed of a chairperson (the WPA Secretary) and eight or more WPA members with the following stipulations:
   
• .  The Committee should be representative of the entire WPA.
  
• .  Each Committee member must be a WPA member in good standing.
  
• .  Each Committee member must be appointed by the Committee Chairperson and approved by the Board at the August board meeting.
  
• .  No member of the Election Committee, nor any member of their family, may appear on the ballot.
  
• .  In the event, the Secretary is running for the Board, the other Board members must appoint an alternate Chairperson.
  
• .  Each member of the Election Committee should sign a Confidentiality Agreement and should agree to keep all information pertaining to the election confidential.
  The Election Committee is responsible for two functions associated with the Annual Election: 
  
1. The bylaws tell us that for all technical purposes, there is only one member per property.  There is only one vote per property.  If for instance, there was a petition to remove a board member, even if a husband, and wife, each signed it, only one signature could be counted to meet the standard.  A husband and wife, who own one property, couldn't have both running for board, only one could.  It would appear that in the case of the Election Committee, which has great responsibility, that a membership, could only be called into use by one of the parties.  That's my not so humble opinion based on the governing documents.  
2. 
   
3. Isn't it awful that residents no longer feel that they can write the board, and get a legal response?  

WPA BOARD HOLDS ANOTHER CLOSED MEETING OCTOBER 6. WHY? COULD WE HAVE A LITTLE JUSTICE HERE?

Your WPA do what we want, ignore what we want to, board has a sign out again announcing another closed meeting.  Again, I've checked the official WPA website, and there is no announcement of who called the meeting, or what the subject of the meeting is.  Last time, just a few weeks ago, same scenario - I published the requirements of our governing documents for such meetings, a board attorney of record letter to president Walton telling him not to hold such meetings, and a email from Garrison to board members reminding them of the legal opinion, and the posting requirements.  They just don't feel that they need to follow anything, and it is a good part of the reason that Wedgefield is deteriorating quickly.


HERE ARE SOME KEY POINTS FROM A RECENT LOCAL ARTICLE ABOUT HOA BOARDS WHO FAIL TO OPERATE IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE ASSOCIATION (Copyright 2016 WMBF News. All rights reserved.):

*"A homeowners association can be a make or break the issue between a good community and a community that has a high turnover in its population."

*"And what’s sad is hearing their stories about how they were so excited to be down in Myrtle Beach, that they’ve had to deal with the horror of their HOA, that they, personally, do not want to be in Myrtle Beach.”

*"On a rainy weekday afternoon, several homeowners huddled in the backseat of the minivan  of a disabled resident. They were outside in the rain because they were not allowed inside a homeowners association meeting.

“They said the meeting was closed. And it’s like, the meetings are open,” Harrington said. “And they said ‘No, these meetings are closed. You can only enter if you have received an invitation.’”

According to a bill introduced by Sen. Darrell Jackson on Jan. 11, 2011, “A meeting of the board of directors, including a subcommittee or other committee of, must be open to all members of record.”

*"Perhaps what is most frustrating for these members of the community, though, isn’t how they are being treated by their homeowners association; it’s that they don’t feel they have any course of action to take other than hiring an attorney."

*"All of these frustrations are not solitary. The Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors receives hundreds of complaints regarding HOAs. Some of them were about the same HOA, but many are different.

For Johnson, the problem is that there is no enforcement. "

WEDGEFIELD WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON A DOWNWARD SLIDE, WHEN THE BOARD CONTINUES TO IGNORE OUR GOVERNING DOCUMENTS, AND HIDE THE TRUTH FROM US

WHERE WILL WEDGEFIELD BE IF YOU CONTINUE TO LET THIS BOARD IGNORE ARC, COMPLIANCE, AND OPEN HONEST GOVERNANCE? PICTURES DON'T LIE. WE'LL BE RIGHT WHERE WE ARE TODAY. SOMETHING HAS TO CHANGE, AND IT HAS TO BE LEGAL, AND BENEFIT ALL OF WEDGEFIELD