Railroad Conversation

Thank you to Mr. Yates for taking the initiative on contacting our Commissioner and trying to reduce the annoyance of the late night railroad whistles.  Here is the backstory and update on that issue:

> On Feb 9, 2017, at 5:51 PM, Michael Yates <m.floyd.yates@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Ms. Clemons,
>
> I hope you are well and congratulations for your new position in District II. I spoke with you a while back regarding the establishment of a quiet zone (Train Xing) here in Hampton. I understand that you are having a townhall meeting tonight but we (Jasper Heights HOA) are having our annual meeting also so I will unfortunately miss your townhall as I attend our HOA to discuss this issue I shared with you. I will send the guide to establishing such quiet zones (Produced by the Federal Railroad Administration) for your review, again. The FRA requires that this process be initiated by our local government representative/entity (You/BOC) so please help us with this situation expeditiously. If you would like me to produce a petition or take any other action I will be happy to do so. This is your chance for an easy victory that will make many of your constituents very happy.
>
> Thank you in Advance for your Efforts and Dedication,
>
> Mike Yates




Mr. Yates I'm looking into this right away. I will be in touch.

Dee Clemmons
District 2 Commissioner
Henry County Georgia




Feb 11
Ms. Clemons advised that she has prepared a resolution for the Board of Commissioners to address our train issue and she request that we attend the April BOC meeting to support this effort.
Mike Yates




Feb 13
  Ms. Clemmons seems to be on top of this issue now and is working hard to help resolve this concern. I will update all as things develop. IF we need to attend the BOC meeting I will advise date and time. Thanks all!
Mike Yates

Annual Meeting Recap

We had a great annual meeting at the Fears Mill Clubhouse.  The turnout was around 30 folks.  We enjoyed CFA nuggets and other yummy treats for about 30 minutes before the meeting began.  It was a nice to time to get to know others in the community.

Rather than recap the meeting point by point, I will be uploading an audio recording of the meeting here in the next day or so...technology issues!  If anyone has specific questions about the meeting, they can always write or call me.

UPDATE:  here is the audio file -
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_2-fYTPxyhVZURFVjdmcHlUd2M

I would like to recap a few highlights however...

1)  It was noted that the light bulbs in the lantern that hangs on the rock pillars at the entry to River View Ct were burned out.  I have replaced those.

2)  It was noted that the bushes around the spotlight that illuminates the Jasper Heights sign, which is affixed to the rock pillars, are too grown up and hide the effect of the lighting.  I looked at them in the daytime and did not see excessive growth.  I plan to revisit that spot at night to observe again.

3)  There was no objection to the Board's desire to get 3 bids on 2017 landscaping and pine straw, in an effort to get the best service for the best price.  I am in the process of soliciting those bids now.  I will write a blog entry when I receive the quotes back.

4)  It was requested that part of that landscaping bid be a section on cutting the bushes at the 4 "fence beds" that sit at the entry to the access roads off Old Highway 3.  Will do.

5)  The issue of the train blowing it's whistle late at night came up.  Mr. Yates (1235) was gracious enough to have already spoken to D2 Commissioner Dee Clemmons on the matter.  He is working with her to petition the BOC to ask the FRA to halt that activity.  A separate post on this is coming soon.

6)  A motion to hold a fall block party passed - cost NTE $700

7)  A motion to buy a new removable letters entry sign passed - cost NTE $200

8)  The issue of the last pothole on the access road came up again.  There was some confusion on Lee Mason's opinion last year regarding whose responsibility it was to repair the pothole.  Lee had informed us that it was the homeowner according to the Covenants and the Plat Map.  Several residents questioned that in the meeting.  I consulted with another real estate attorney on the matter (the boss of one of our residents) and he confirmed that it is the owner, not the HOAs responsibility to fix the pothole.

9)  That said, a motion did pass to:

a)  Request that the homeowner repair the pothole

b)  If they do not respond and repair within 30 days...pay up to $2500 from HOA funds to repair the pothole

c)  Take legal action to get reimbursement from the homeowner

I am preparing the letter to the homeowner and I will be getting bids on repairs.  Look for updates on this, the most talked about, of all HOA topics.

Lastly, I will be performing a drive through next week to look for covenant violations!  The holidays have passed and the grace period is over...time to pressure wash that moldy siding and get the house looking good for spring!

2017 Annual Meeting

PO Box 833

 Quick update, I went to the Hampton post office today to see if our old PO Box was still active after the past couple of years working with CAM.  I found out it had expired but was open again for repurchase. I spent $68 from the HOA account to purchase the PO Box for 12 months.

 If you need to mail anything to us physically, please use PO Box 833 Hampton GA 30228

Update 8.15.2016

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share an update.  It took some pretty intense scheduling magic but...we finally got CAM owner, Lee Mason, to the bank so that he could be removed from our account and I could be added.

This will not allow me to deposit 2 checks ($15 and $75) that recently came in.  It will also allow me to pay the landscaper for June and July ($400 combined).

Wanda was able to help me pay the electric bill recently, it was $30.53.

I don't have online banking access yet and I have not received a statement yet but those deposits and payments should bring the accounts to $5538.52 in Checking and $1709.69 in Savings.

I am going to drive around today and note covenant violations.  I will mail out those letters on Wednesday.  I plan to include some "good job" letters for those who go above and beyond to make the neighborhood look great in that mailing.

I still plan to have the front entrance and the first 3 feet off Old Highway 3 sprayed for weeds.  No quote yet but that is coming.

I am still thinking about that October block party.  What do you guys think?

Stay turned for more frequent blog posts and feel free to contact us at:
jasperheightshoa@gmail.com 

 - 8-16 Update
I bought $94 worth of stamps - 200 stamps - yesterday to mail out letters
That drops the checking balance to 

Big News - Self Managed Again

We have some big news...the Board has decided to discontinue services by CAM.  We are going to be self-managed again!

I went and made this turn over official last Friday.  I received 2 Bankers Boxes of documentation.

CAM was very useful in helping us get the neighborhood back on track but we could not afford to continue their services any longer.

As we make this transition, here are some things to keep in mind:

-  The Board will be sending out a formal letter to announce this change and provide updated contact info in the next few weeks.

-  We currently have $5879.05 in Checking and $1709.69 in Savings.  The Board will be collecting income, making deposits, paying vendors, etc in the future.  I will provide monthly updates on financing here on this blog.  Any resident is welcome to see financial records, to include ALL bank statements, at any time.  The Board seeks full transparency in all our efforts.

-  The Board will continue to do monthly drive thrus to note covenant violations.  We will inform homeowners and collect fees as necessary.

-  The Board will still collect dues each spring.  This year I am happy to say that 100% of homes paid in full  We will still have our annual meeting at he Fears Mill Clubhouse in late February or early March.

-  The Board is going to get 3 bids on landscaping to ensure that we are getting the best value.  We will do the same with the annual pinestraw refresh when it comes due.

-  The Board is planning to get 3 bids on weed control for the front entrance to River View Ct and the roadside strip in front of the Highway 3 homes.  We will keep you updated.

-  The Board is planning to brainstorm a way to do commendation or appreciation letters for homeowners who display a high level of commitment towards keeping their property looking great.  We are even exploring small tokens of appreciation for such efforts (gift cards and such).

-  The Board is considering a "get to know your neighbor" block party in early October.  We would probably hold it in the back cul-de-sac of River View.  Music, Burgers, a Jump House, etc.  We would love to hear your thoughts on that idea.

Stay turned for more frequent blog posts and feel free to contact us at:
jasperheightshoa@gmail.com

Pot Hole Email Exchange

Residents, Below is the email exchange that I had with CAM regarding pothole responsibility. You can read it from bottom to top for chronological order. Not good news. Leave us some comments on what you think?
 

 It is of our opinion that the HOA did not lose any money; the pothole repairs were to benefit the residents of Jasper Heights who pay annual fees for the upkeep of the HOA. We provided the recommendation based on the information we had Henry County DOT who informed us that they do not service that road as it is considered to be private; however, the ultimate authorization to proceed and spend the money comes from the Board.
Thanks, Rhonda Fleming

 From: J Allen Glover [mailto:theglovers5@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2016 12:52 PM To: Rhonda Fleming Cc: Nicole Mathews ; Vernice Pair ; Wanda Harris Subject: Re: FW: Eagle One Landscaping Invoice 
 Rhonda, Any thoughts from your or Lee on this matter? I have to report out to homeowners. This was their biggest question at the meeting. I want to get back with them soon. 
 Jason 

 On Wed, Mar 30, 2016 at 1:10 PM, J Allen Glover wrote: 
Rhonda I understand that you did not have access to that map that the homeowner provided at the meeting. I have no idea how he got access to that map himself. The Board was also unaware of it. That said, our HOA pays CAM to provide research and advice on matters like "pothole responsibility." We expect that the information that we receive from CAM is accurate. It is up to you guys to ensure that the information that you provide is correct. Your email from 2014 is written to us in an authoritative manner. It states that the potholes are the HOA's responsibility without any ambiguity. CAM did not say "we're not sure but we think" or "we can't determine the truth on who is responsible," CAM clearly stated that it was our HOAs responsibility. We trusted that. We lost a lot of money based on trusting that information. If you (CAM) were not 100% sure of who was responsible, I contend that you were responsible for informing us of that fact and then allowing us to make an informed choice. When the HOA was told that it WAS our responsibility, we were not really given a choice on making the repairs - we believed it was our absolute duty. I don't think it would be too much to ask for CAM to be willing to own up to this mistake and provide some form of reduced services to our HOA for this year. Currently we pay $400 a month for services. What could CAM agree to reduce that to as compensation for the several thousand dollars we paid from general HOA funds for something that was not our responsibility? 
 Thanks Jason 

 On Wed, Mar 30, 2016 at 9:36 AM, Rhonda Fleming wrote: 
Jason At the time we were not provided with all of the information such as the plat of the community; since then one of the owners has provided that and we can see that the alley way was installed by the developer and was not a county road. It appeared from the information that we had on hand that the HOA was responsible. I am going to find out from Lee if a special assessment can be assessed to the owners who are benefit from this road without a vote of the community. 
 Thanks, Rhonda Fleming 

 From: J Allen Glover [mailto:theglovers5@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 9:10 AM To: Rhonda Fleming Cc: Nicole Mathews ; Vernice Pair ; Wanda Harris Subject: Re: FW: Eagle One Landscaping Invoice 
 Rhonda, I vote yes we do need pine straw. Also, did you have any feedback on the issue with the pothole repair? The board agreed to pay for those 2 repairs based on CAM's guidance that it was our responsibility. It seems that was incorrect advice and we hemorrhaged a lot of money for it. Since the loss of those funds was not due to the Board's mess up, how can CAM help rectify that? 
 Thanks Jason