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HERE IS THE BOARD'S FIRST RESPONSE:
Do you have information, or an opinion - agree, or not, you can email The Wedgefield Examiner at wedgefieldexaminerthe@yahoo.com. We'll remove your name to protect the innocent, and publish it. P.S. If you would like your name published, please note that on your email, otherwise we leave your name out.
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Ms. Claveloux,
I will forward your questions to John Walton as he is the water amenities committee chairman.
Adam Anderson
Community Liaison
COMMENTS:
First, I'm happy to receive a quick response that indicates that my email was received, and Anderson had answered me as to where this is going, and who I could expect an answer from. Quite frankly, I was surprised that it had been sent to John Walton to answer, because I thought I had recalled that when this contract had been approved the whole board had voted "yes" on it. Why doesn't every, and any board member have an answer to my very simple questions? So, before I posted the answer I received from the board and commented, I thought I'd go to the board website, and review the minutes to see if I had recalled the vote accurately. Today, August 29th, when I went to the website, it looked different. So as not to cast untruthful aspersions, I hit every tab available, and there was NO avenue to minutes! Why? I know the board took away the tapes of meetings, without discussion or vote, and NOW the minutes? What could be going on?
Don't know how come, except it might be business as usual for this board - tell them what you want, when you want, and how you'll let them know it. Decide for yourself, but every board member, especially "legal" should have been so informed on the subject before they voted as independent board members sworn to use the governing documents, that anyone could have answered, because remember, they already voted. I reviewed the current board site twice, and again found no access to minutes. Would one of you review the site, and let me know if you can find minutes.
So you don't have to search to see what I'm waiting for, I've reprinted my letter to the board.
HERE IT IS:
I reviewed the file for the expenditure of $7,950 to remove fallen trees left from last falls hurricane, on private canal lots. The board had indicated from the board table, “that lot owners had been notified.” Review of the file indicated that there was only one bid related to the scope of work despite the fact that the board had reported two bids from the board table. The second bid, by scope of work alone, appeared related only to work on the landing, with no mention of canals. There wasn’t a signed contract in the file. I had asked to review related invoices, and payments, and there was only one invoice in the file, that of the vendor. We were informed from the board table that funds had been transferred to the depleted emergency fund to cover the expense of this tree removal. There weren’t any invoice/assessments to the private lot owners where the trees were cut, nor did the board indicate from the board table, that the expense related to private lots, would be billed to the lot owners.
All of these observations of file, and fact, are very concerning, compounded further by the fact that I also reviewed the correspondence file, and there were at least two letters from canal lot owners stating that they had paid to remove the fallen trees from their lots, and asking the board to notify their neighbors to get their trees removed. Additionally, all members were told immediately after the storm, to get their storm related debris to the roadside if they wanted them picked up by the contractor who had been hired, at the association’s expense (emergency fund). Additionally, at one point during the legitimate removal from the road side, with the emergency funds running down, the board chastised residents for putting things at the road side, and running up costs, with debris unrelated to the storm. All this leaves some residents wondering how months later, that our board expenses the emergency fund to remove trees on private canal lots.
COMMENTS:
First, I'm happy to receive a quick response that indicates that my email was received, and Anderson had answered me as to where this is going, and who I could expect an answer from. Quite frankly, I was surprised that it had been sent to John Walton to answer, because I thought I had recalled that when this contract had been approved the whole board had voted "yes" on it. Why doesn't every, and any board member have an answer to my very simple questions? So, before I posted the answer I received from the board and commented, I thought I'd go to the board website, and review the minutes to see if I had recalled the vote accurately. Today, August 29th, when I went to the website, it looked different. So as not to cast untruthful aspersions, I hit every tab available, and there was NO avenue to minutes! Why? I know the board took away the tapes of meetings, without discussion or vote, and NOW the minutes? What could be going on?
Don't know how come, except it might be business as usual for this board - tell them what you want, when you want, and how you'll let them know it. Decide for yourself, but every board member, especially "legal" should have been so informed on the subject before they voted as independent board members sworn to use the governing documents, that anyone could have answered, because remember, they already voted. I reviewed the current board site twice, and again found no access to minutes. Would one of you review the site, and let me know if you can find minutes.
So you don't have to search to see what I'm waiting for, I've reprinted my letter to the board.
HERE IT IS:
August 26, 2017
TO: WPA BOARD
FROM: Madeline Y. Claveloux
RE: TWO QUESTIONS REGARDING EXPENDITURE OF WPA
FUNDS - $7,950 FOR REMOVAL OF TREES FROM
PRIVATE LOTS ON THE CANALS
CC: THE WEDGEFIELD EXAMINER
I reviewed the file for the expenditure of $7,950 to remove fallen trees left from last falls hurricane, on private canal lots. The board had indicated from the board table, “that lot owners had been notified.” Review of the file indicated that there was only one bid related to the scope of work despite the fact that the board had reported two bids from the board table. The second bid, by scope of work alone, appeared related only to work on the landing, with no mention of canals. There wasn’t a signed contract in the file. I had asked to review related invoices, and payments, and there was only one invoice in the file, that of the vendor. We were informed from the board table that funds had been transferred to the depleted emergency fund to cover the expense of this tree removal. There weren’t any invoice/assessments to the private lot owners where the trees were cut, nor did the board indicate from the board table, that the expense related to private lots, would be billed to the lot owners.
All of these observations of file, and fact, are very concerning, compounded further by the fact that I also reviewed the correspondence file, and there were at least two letters from canal lot owners stating that they had paid to remove the fallen trees from their lots, and asking the board to notify their neighbors to get their trees removed. Additionally, all members were told immediately after the storm, to get their storm related debris to the roadside if they wanted them picked up by the contractor who had been hired, at the association’s expense (emergency fund). Additionally, at one point during the legitimate removal from the road side, with the emergency funds running down, the board chastised residents for putting things at the road side, and running up costs, with debris unrelated to the storm. All this leaves some residents wondering how months later, that our board expenses the emergency fund to remove trees on private canal lots.
After my review, I’m left with two questions for the board for clarification.
1) Did the board assess the private canal lot owners for their share of the expense for tree removal on their lots? If so, why weren’t we told, and how did you assign their share, when the scope of work details canals, but not lots?
2) If the board has not assessed the private canal lot owners, please reference the section, and specific language in the governing documents that allowed the board to use WPA funds, for the tree removal on private lots.
Thank you for your time and attention to my questions. I look forward to your response.
