Readers, you'll have to stay with me, because this is complicated. It took me awhile to verify what I had heard. I, and other resident writers to the blog have complained about the board's apparent refusal to follow the governing documents in several areas, particularly the covenants and restrictions that should keep Wedgefield properties groomed, and truly looking like the promise we felt we had when we bought our properties. In fact, during the June board meeting McMillin said, "I don't go out and patrol and look for issues." I've made claims that our legal chair/vice president, often gives a board statement on an issue like the canals, or golf course, and yet there has NOT been discussion at the board table. I've also stated that they don't answer all the correspondence that comes in from residents, and often don't report what they are doing about a complaint during the meetings. If you attend meetings and they report that they have had a number of complaints, and you go to verify them in the correspondence file, you find that there wasn't one written complaint. That sets the stage for what I am about to tell you.
Several weeks ago, someone told me that a resident on the canals was very upset because they were being contacted by ARC chair/Johnson and vice president/legal/compliance chair/multiple board committee member/ Garrison, about certain aspects of their water front property. The resident they appeared to be attacking was very concerned about that long standing feature of their property. I made no report on the blog because I couldn't substantiate it. Today, on a record review at the office, I happened upon this secret mess.
I'm going to provide two communications to the board, name - addresses removed to protect the resident. Any comments that I have to make will be noted as such and printed in RED.
LETTER # 1 DATED APRIL 27, ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT:
"Wedge field used to be a wonderful place to live. What happened? Keith Johnson, acting as a representative of the HOA notified me by email that he had received "many" complaints about my wife's and my dock house. He stated that these among (missed a word) people complained about the encroachment of our dock house in the canal. I replied that, in fact, our dock house had less encroachment than any dock in this canal. I said he should come over to see, and that I wanted to put this issue to bed. He replied back and doubled down, saying that our dock house was obstructing the views of others. After I rejected his theory of vertical encroachment, he refused to back off his complaints of our property, by ending with a third email stating that we were possibly in violation of the 50 per cent rule, and with that he said that was his last word and he was too busy for further discussion.
I request that the HOA conduct a mediation between me and Keith at the earliest convenience. This would be the most appropriate method of resolving this situation and should take no more than half an hour. Let me know if you can arrange this for the best interest of the whole community. If not, then place me on the agenda to speak at the May board meeting where I will ask for his resignation or termination for this and other causes."
COMMENTS:
Residents, I'll keep my comments to fact at this point. Today, I reviewed the correspondence file from Sept. 2016 to current date for a number of reasons. There was not one complaint about a dock in the file. The file did not include any written correspondence to this resident - no Keith Johnson emails. I checked the published WPA official minutes from January 1 through May, under Legal, ARC, Community Liaison, and Compliance reports, and there was no mention that your board had reported their actions, or this resident's correspondence.
LETTER # 2, MAY 11, WRITTEN TO OUR PRESIDENT:
"Subject - ARC Meeting on May 9
Thank you for attending the ARC meeting Tuesday. I will give them credit for being very embarrassed (as shown by their facial expressions, and downward glances) for the obviously false statements that Keith made about my dock. I wish that you would provide the following for me.
1) A copy of the work permit in question
2) A statement from the HOA that my property is (and has always been) in full compliance of our HOA's conditions, covenants, and restrictions, signed by the chairperson of the ARC, who is elected to be accountable for all actions of the ARC. This letter needs to be mailed to every waterfront home owner on (removed street name) and (removed street name) to prevent any misunderstanding from spreading.
The second one is necessary in order to protect my investment in my home from any potentially deliberate attack by someone willing to make totally unsubstantiated statements about it. After looking at the ARC last night I understand why Wedgefield is in such poor condition. They think that falsifying intimidation, favoritism, bullying, and conflicts of interests, are only "politics". I do not think our leadership positions require a college degree and a hands on tradesman, skilled worker, or entrepreneur, may even serve better but honesty and integrity should be a given. Trying to discuss things such as "adverse possession", with someone that has difficulty communicating by email is one thing. At the meeting instead of speaking for ARC the other members would not allow Keith to speak for himself, by blurting out answers to every question I directed to him. They not only reject mediation as a method of resolving disputes, but they also reject using reasonable fence protocol, using the excuse " That is not in our covenants", as fallback position. They insist on sticking to the letter of the law when it favors them and rejecting the spirit of the law when it favors the home owners. I found it amazing that before I could finish my opening question to Keith, they stopped me, saying they wanted to talk about the fence, yet they did not think to respond to the very first question I had more than one month ago. Did he have a permit? They continue to provide as proof their word that a permit was issued, not the document itself."
COMMENTS:
Again, no answer to the writer in the file. No note of this apparent ARC meeting to the membership. No mention of his second letter, and board actions in the official minutes under the report categories mentioned above.
EARTH - WEDGEFIELD WE HAVE A PROBLEM!
