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Readers, the Wedgefield puzzle we are about to solve has a lot of critical pieces. We'll start at the beginning with the September 2017 board meeting.
CLUE # 1: Board member McMillin brings a proposal to the table to reconfigure the parking lot outside of the office. It should be noted that when the office was built, he was in charge of the bidding, design, etc, and at least twice since brought proposals to the board to change it. He states that he has two bids. The lowest bid is $2,300, and he'll need an additional $200 to paint in lines etc., for a total of $2,500. Garrison at points, asks him if anyone else wants it, and later he asks him if he actually has real bids, and McMillin pats a pile of papers. Your board, with not one resident complaint about the parking lot in the correspondence file, votes to approve the expense, except for Ebert, who votes "NO". I write a big thank you article thanking Ebert for voting no. Here is what another resident wrote about what took place. "During Tuesday nights board meeting residents got to witness Larry McMillian on the verge of a temper tantrum should his parking lot modifications proposal be voted down by his fellow members. He proposed putting in a one-way turnaround and repainting the parking lanes at an angle. The total cost $2500.00. Mr. McMillian has been proposing modifications to the HOA office parking lot for years because his truck is big and backing out is a hardship for him. (Boo Hoo!) He also cites that vehicles driving at a fast pace past the office on Wragg's Ferry makes backing out dangerous. (Darn Scoundrels!) When Bob Garrison asked Larry who else besides himself complained about this (minor at best) inconvenience, his fellow board members came to his defense. The real answer, no one besides Larry is making this an issue. Larry wants what Larry wants and darn... darn... darn if he isn't going to get it. So then 5 other board members thought it would be a good idea to modify the parking lot because after all, Keith Johnson has a monster truck that's hard to back up in the lot and heck... what if all the board members show up at the office at once trying to park and then back out. (Pandemonium!!) So with no resident complaints to back up this proposal, Christmas came early for Larry.... he got the parking lot modification he's been whining about for years."
CLUE # 1: Board member McMillin brings a proposal to the table to reconfigure the parking lot outside of the office. It should be noted that when the office was built, he was in charge of the bidding, design, etc, and at least twice since brought proposals to the board to change it. He states that he has two bids. The lowest bid is $2,300, and he'll need an additional $200 to paint in lines etc., for a total of $2,500. Garrison at points, asks him if anyone else wants it, and later he asks him if he actually has real bids, and McMillin pats a pile of papers. Your board, with not one resident complaint about the parking lot in the correspondence file, votes to approve the expense, except for Ebert, who votes "NO". I write a big thank you article thanking Ebert for voting no. Here is what another resident wrote about what took place. "During Tuesday nights board meeting residents got to witness Larry McMillian on the verge of a temper tantrum should his parking lot modifications proposal be voted down by his fellow members. He proposed putting in a one-way turnaround and repainting the parking lanes at an angle. The total cost $2500.00. Mr. McMillian has been proposing modifications to the HOA office parking lot for years because his truck is big and backing out is a hardship for him. (Boo Hoo!) He also cites that vehicles driving at a fast pace past the office on Wragg's Ferry makes backing out dangerous. (Darn Scoundrels!) When Bob Garrison asked Larry who else besides himself complained about this (minor at best) inconvenience, his fellow board members came to his defense. The real answer, no one besides Larry is making this an issue. Larry wants what Larry wants and darn... darn... darn if he isn't going to get it. So then 5 other board members thought it would be a good idea to modify the parking lot because after all, Keith Johnson has a monster truck that's hard to back up in the lot and heck... what if all the board members show up at the office at once trying to park and then back out. (Pandemonium!!) So with no resident complaints to back up this proposal, Christmas came early for Larry.... he got the parking lot modification he's been whining about for years."
CLUE # 2: - comes again from the September board meeting. Board member Cline reports that there is a problem with the residents' directory. The company that has printed it for years, at no expense to the association because it sold ads that covered the expense, has been unable to secure enough ad sales to provide the directory. That company will print it for a cost of $1,500, and will print no less than 1,000 books, which is way more than we need. Later, Garrison says that he's having first reading to remove the board's requirement to provide the directories from the policy manual.
CLUE # 3: Keep this in mind throughout the puzzle. There is a by-law that has been voted in by the residents that states, "to adopt and add to Section 2 of Article IX of the by-laws the following sentence thereto: A motion to change the policy manual must be presented at an open meeting, posted on the Wedgefield Plantation Association website for resident comments, and NOT voted on until the following Board Meeting. We will head to the October board meeting for more clues, but I checked the WPA website between the September and October board meetings and your board never posted the first reading on the website. The bigger clue is that they have not posted most, if not all of their numerous changes on the website. This is a clue you need to keep in mind today, and on all the issues because more often than not, they don't care - even when you voted to add, or change a by-law.
CLUE # 4: Again keep this in mind today, and on all future issues regarding the spending of our assessment dollars, by our whole board, and their blatant disregard for our governing documents. This is taken from the policy manual, and McMillin and the board just don't care. Remember, Garrison asked McMillin if he even has real bids? Why? Every board member should have had the proposal, and bids in their hands before they voted. From the policy manual: "Expenditures in excess of $2,500 but less than $5,000 can only be made after Board approval. These expenditures require a scope of work to be prepared prior to being submitted to the Board. The scope of work will specify: a) why the work is to be done; b) exactly what is to be accomplished by the expenditure; and c) the measurable results from the work. It is desirable to secure three or more bids for this work; however, if not practical, the Board may accept a single bid for the work. (Rev. 6/16/15)"
CLUE # 5: This clue comes humorously forward during the October board meeting. It's our assessment dollars, and your board's - as Garrison has stated "so what are you going to do about it?" - attitude of we don't have to follow the governing documents, which by the way - look at the revision date - they WROTE. McMillin becomes the chief comedian. He reports at the October meeting, that he made an error on the parking lot proposal. The actual bid from the cement contractor wasn't $2,300, it was $2,800, and of course you'd have to add the $200 more for painting the lines, etc. for a total of $3,000. He states that it is his problem of "bad eyes and a weak mind". Those dang glasses, should have had them! What were they missing every time he had touched that bid? If he had followed the governing documents, and provided a review of proposal etc., to everyone of the board members as required to review before a vote, maybe some of them would have had their glasses and noticed it. The rest of the board (only Anderson is absent), adds themselves to the comedy crew line up, as McMillin motions his selfish parking lot redesign to cost $3000. John Walton seconds the motion, and your whole board approves, including Ebert, who voted "NO" on the $2,500 at the September meeting. Let's use a recent Garrisonism "who got to you" Ebert? I got this part, it was your corrupt board!
CLUE 6: We are again at the October board meeting. Board member Cline reports that she has heard from residents that they find the resident directory helpful, and she has done some printing vendor research, gives pricing, and motions for the approval of $1,050 to print 500, at the Georgetown Times. All board members vote yes, except for Garrison's "NO". Garrison will become a clue again on this subject. Why when it is something that a large number of residents wanted would he vote no, when he voted "YES" on the parking lot for McMillin and give him $3,000, when he's stated himself that he knows the only one who wants it is McMillin? Wait, isn't Garrison Vice President? - LEGAL CHAIR? - COMPLIANCE CHAIR WHOSE COMMITTEE REVISED THE EXPENDITURE IN THE POLICY MANUAL, AND YOUR WHOLE BOARD VIOLATED IT? WHY? Let's have another Garrisonism, as stated to one of this year's candidates for board "you know who runs this board".
CLUE # 7: We are still at the October board meeting. Garrison motions, on second reading (never posted the first on website as by-laws require) to remove the language from the policy manual requiring the board to print a resident directory, and your board votes unanimously to approve it.
FOLLOW THE CLUES OF THE PUZZLE AND OUR WEDGEFIELD GOVERNANCE PUZZLE LOOKS LIKE THIS!
YOU CAN CHANGE THIS!
I DON'T CARE WHO YOU COUNT AS FRIENDS ON THE BOARD
VOTE, AND BE SURE AND VOTE
MC MILLIN OUT
ADD RESIDENTS TO THE BOARD WHO WILL STAND UP AND VOTE FOR US ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNING DOCUMENTS.
VOTE ONLY FOR TWO CANDIDATES
CONNIE DOWNS
&
BUTCH WILLIAMS
&
VOTE NO ON THE BOARD'S BY-LAW CHANGE!
NOTE: I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THE CANDIDATES OR SOUGHT THEIR APPROVAL FOR THIS ENDORSEMENT. THEY ARE RUNNING FOR PUBLIC POSITIONS IN WEDGEFIELD, AND I HAVE A RIGHT TO BRING THE FACTS TO YOU, BEFORE YOU VOTE. I'M AM TIRED OF "YOU KNOW WHO RUNS THIS BOARD", RUNNING SELFISH BOARD MEMBERS DOWN THIS ILLEGAL - AGAINST OUR GOVERNING DOCUMENTS -PATH, AND TAKING THINGS FROM OUR RESIDENTS TO SUIT THIS HIDDEN AGENDA. AS TO THAT QUESTION GARRISON SHOUTED AT ME FROM THE BOARD TABLE, "WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? JUST KEEP USING YOUR BOARD'S WORDS AND ACTIONS TO KEEP THIS BOARD FROM DESTROYING - OUR BIG BRIGHT APPLE - WEDGEFIELD.
