Pool Time!

Memorial Day weekend means that pools everywhere are opening up for summertime fun!

If you are interested in obtaining a pool pass for the Fears Mill HOA community pool, please see below for the steps you should take:

1)  Residents should fill out the Amenity Agreement located at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_2-fYTPxyhVbFQtbWotYWNuMGs/edit?usp=sharing

2)  A signed copy of that agreement should be submitted to the Jasper Height HOA Board.  Email is best.  jasperheightshoa@gmail.com

3)  The Jasper Heights HOA Board will verify that the resident is current on their dues and then forward the agreement and the fee to Community Association Management  (Deanna Wallis with a cc' to Rhonda Fleming)

4)  Once CAM has received the agreement they will contact the resident to obtain the $200 amenity fee,.  After the fee is paid, CAM  will issue an amenity card to give the resident access to the pool, tennis courts, etc

Please note:
If the resident has used the facilities in the past their card would still be good. CAM would need to activate it. If they have lost their card CAM requires $25.00 to replace it. It they are new there is no charge for the card.

Swim safe and have fun!

By-Laws

 We have official by-laws now!  These detail the specifics on how the HOA will be run in accordance with the covenants.

See the by-laws at:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_2-fYTPxyhVYm5XN0FZRWJ6aVN2bFFnNGpkM1Jtc2had1hB/edit?usp=sharing

Violation Letters

Late last week or early this week, many of us (myself included) received friendly reminders about covenant violations that we need to correct.

They look something like this:

If you received a reminder, please address the violation promptly.  Remember, these violations are being brought up in order to help maintain strong property values for our neighborhood.  The better your neighbors houses look, the more your house is typically worth.

Also, please note that failure to correct these violations will result in a warning letter and future fines.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  Lets work together and help keep the community looking great!

Welcome Letter

You probably received a letter in your mailbox last week that reads like this:

Please let us introduce ourselves. Jasper Heights Homeowners' Association, Inc. ("Association"), as of May 1st, will be managed by Community Association Management, LLC ("CAM"). We look forward to the opportunity of serving and communicating with you in an effort to make your community a place you are proud to call home.

As your community association manager, we will manage the business operations of Jasper Heights Homeowners' Association, Inc. There are a number of responsibilities that go along with managing Jasper Heights Homeowners' Association, Inc. including, but not limited to, visiting the property seeking covenant violations, developing budgets and effective collection procedures, managing the association's assets, and supervising maintenance activities and contractors' performances. Although your Board of Directors is the ultimate governing body for your Community, having a professional Community Association Manager will ensure that your Community will run smoothly.

Your Association is a covenant protected community. Please keep in mind that before you can make a modification to any exterior part of your residence, you must first obtain approval from the Board. Attached is the modification form for you to use whenever you are planning on making a modification to your home. If you do not have a copy of the governing documents for your community, please contact my manager assistant, Rhonda Fleming, at 770-692-0152 or e-mail rfleming@camga.com and a copy will be e-mailed to you.

Association dues are $150 annually due by April 10th of each year. Your invoice for any prior outstanding dues on your account is enclosed. You can mail in your payment by check or you can pay online at www.camga.com by clicking on the "Pay Dues" icon at the top right of the home page and following the prompts from there. There is a processing fee that the third party vendor (E-Payment for Dues) charges for the convenience of paying on-line. If you need to set up a payment plan to repay any outstanding assessments, please contact my legal assistant, Michelle Mascara, at 770-692-0154 or e-mail mmascara@camga.com.

We look forward to a lasting relationship with you as we strive to protect and enhance the property values of Jasper Heights Homeowners' Association, Inc.

Sincerely,
Community Association Management, LLC/Law Offices of Lee Mason, LLC
Agent for Jasper Heights Homeowners' Association, Inc.
Lee Mason
Lee Mason, Esq., CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®

That is our welcome letter from CAM, the company now managing Jasper Heights HOA. We are looking forward to this partnership and the positive changes it will help bring. Let us know if you have any questions!

jasperheightshoa@gmail.com

Agreement with CAM

Please go to this link to see the signed agreement with Community Association Management.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_2-fYTPxyhVazNzU1pGczZoLWs/edit?usp=sharing

We are working with them to send out Welcome Letters and Notices for the Payment of Dues in the next 10 days.

Thanks for everyone's patience as we finalize the administrative actions necessary to enter into partnership with this management firm.

Let us know if you have any questions!
jasperheightshoa@gmail.com

Snake!

It is that time of the year when things warm up and critters emerge from their slumber.

I wanted everyone to be aware that we recently had a snake spotted at 208 River View.

We confirmed with the guys at Southeastern Reptile Rescue that it was a harmless snake - the Midland Brown Snake.

http://snakesareus.com/midland_brown_snake

Nevertheless, please keep you and your family/ pets safe by familiarizing yourself with local snakes, safety precautions, and first aid.

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/sites/default/files/uploads/wildlife/nongame/pdf/SnakesOfGeorgiaOCS09.pdf


Stay safe!

Going under Professional Management.

 
We had an excellent HOA meeting last night.  Despite the low turnout, we were able to get a great deal accomplished in a short amount of time.

Lee Mason gave an excellent presentation on the types of things that his company can do for us.  Essentially, they have the resources to manage the daily administration of the HOA in accordance with our covenants and at the direction of our Board.

That means that CAM will send out official correspondence on behalf of the HOA, manage the finances and records of the Association, and enforce the collection of dues and the violations of the covenants.

All of that will be done for $400 a month and covers all 68 homes in the HOA.  The only "additional" fees are $0.25 per page for photocopying and the fact that our HOA will have to pay upfront court costs for filing judgements against those who refuse to pay.  Those costs are about $100 per filing and will be reimbursed to the HOA once the monies are collected.

After Mr. Mason spoke and left the clubhouse, those folks who were present had a 30 minute discussion on his proposal and our thoughts on hiring him and his company to manage us.  There was overwhelming support for hiring Mr. Mason.  There was also overwhelming support for seeking the collection of past unpaid dues.  Mr. Mason had informed the HOA that he can collect up to 4 years of past dues.

The Board is currently reviewing Mr. Mason's draft agreement, which can be seen here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_2-fYTPxyhVazlWV1pjdXdxYVE/edit?usp=sharing

I fully expect that the Board will decide to enter into a contract with Mr. Mason that shall begin May 1st.  As such, Mr. Mason and CAM will be collecting dues this year.  Typically, dues are due on April 1st.  Due to our transition this year, we are not requiring that dues be paid on April 1st.  CMA will establish a new due date for this year alone and make contact with residents soon.

Please know that the purpose of this decision to hire Mr. Mason is not to "get people."  We are committed to building a community and maintaining/ improving property values.  As such, it is important that we have mechanisms in place to engage residents, so that they feel that they are a part of Jasper Heights and so that we will all take ownership over keeping the neighborhood a great place to live.

Financially, we will not have to increase dues to accommodate this move to hire CAM.  In fact, we can't.  The covenants are clear that dues cannot exceed $250.  In order to change that we would need a 2/3 vote by standing members with a 3 year implementation window.  Therefore, we had to look at some numbers to determine how we could keep dues low and hire CAM.

Here is our latest draft budget for 2014 and 2015, slightly revised after Mr. Mason's talk with us last night.  I anticipate higher income that projected in 2014 if we hire Mr. Mason and get him to work on collecting back dues.  The consensus last night was that it would be worth taking a financial hit in 2014 net income to see the process of professional management begin.

 We will post an update on the official decision by the board and we will keep everyone informed on the path forward.

Comments are welcome!