I received an email from Jim Selden.. Jen and I had asked if he could attend a Q&A meeting if we set one up, but he has prior commitmets. So Jen and I decided to scrap our meeting, because we figured there was no point. The blog seems to be serving its purpose of communication, so we didn't think it was necessary to get everyone together to just go over the same stuff we've all talked about on here. Anyway, back to Jim's email.. this is what he said regarding a possible HOA takeover:
"I am not the developer of the site and as such cannot provide any consent to the HOA being transferred to the homeowners. Although the CC&R's dictate the procedure for this transfer, I don't believe it is to occur until July, 2015. That is because the developer is often required to make decisions to which the covenants provide authority to act immediately rather than having to send notice and schedule a meeting with all owners. This can be important in providing answers to builders during their construction process. Since new homes will begin construction in Division 3 within the next 60-75 days, plus there are remaining lots in Division 2, it is unlikely that the Declarant would want to permit the transfer until his responsibilities have been completed."
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13 comments:
We also received an email from Jim. I'll get a copy to you so you can post his response. As I see it, he is avoiding any resposibility for anything & everything! I think we should compose a letter to the editor of The News Tribune. By putting our concerns out there for the public to view, maybe we could get some action from someone. Perhaps the builders would not like the negative press results.
What does this mean in context to the notice I received on my door about the HOA meeting at the fire station?
(Paige received this email from Jim Selden. Jim's replies are in bold. Thanks for forwarding this, Paige!)
Hi! My name is Paige Cox. I live on Lot #90 & am trying to get some answers to some questions. Some of the home owners feel Jim Seldon is not responding to their needs. I thought I'd give it a shot.
Issues are:
- Gate in empty area is broken open & has been for quite awhile. I know this because I do my walks back there. JIM: The computer mechanism for the south gate has been vandalized twice and was recently outright stolen. The Developer has ordered and received the replacement components but is awaiting installation so that it coincides with the commencement of construction of the new homes in that Division 3 area which should be in the next 60-75 days;
- Empty lots in same area have lots of garbage thrown on them. JIM: I have reported this to the landscape crew.
- Empty lots in Phase I have trash & work vehicles parked on them. Who do they belong to? They need to be moved immediately. JIM: We did an inventory of lots and vehicles recently and requested the builders who have any vacant lots to have the trash and work vehicles removed. Unfortunately, we are in a process of denial by either builders or homeowners who claim they don't own these vehicles nor have they placed any materials or trash on these lots.
- Flies!!! The season is coming. What's being done to protect us from the unhealthy, unsanitary conditions from them. JIM: Contact and voice your concern to the Pierce County Health Department. I did this myself personally and received a letter that they could find no violation. Apparently they did not find the source. I indicated that I thought it must be located on the property next door but they found nothing. I agree that this is very frustrating. I also sent a letter to the owner of the adjacent property advising him of this problem and requesting that he inspect his property for any indication of the source of this problem. He replied that he would check into.
- If the realtor hours here are 12-6, why then is the gate open way before & way after those hours? JIM: The realtor hours do not dictate the gate hours. The gates are opened during what is believed to be the high traffic periods of the day and closed in the evening. The cost of repair and replacement of the gate mechanisms is very expensive and would likely constitute a special assessment to each homeowner. My experience is that owners initially would like the gates closed all of the time . . . until they discover the costs to repair and replace key components. By not having the gates closed, only to be opened repeated as each owner or visitor goes in or out of the community, the gate mechanisms will function properly for an extended period of time and will minimize the operating costs saving the owners in Grand Firs money.
There are many more questions & problems out there, but I thought I'd start with only a few to see where I can get.
Thanks for your time in these matters.
We never received notice at our door of a HOA meeting at the fire station. Did only select homeowners receive this or are there others out there? Everyone (homeowners) needs to be included in something like this.
Shawn & Crystal.. another homeowner (Jim Ehnborn) is organizing that meeting and isn't affiliated with Jen and I, or the blog. It's something he's doing on his own.
Many thanks to Jen and Mandy for taking the initiative to create and manage the blog. It is an excellent communication tool for expressing our concerns.
We should complete the petition. It clearly shows our consolidated concerns of wanting to actively participate in management of the daily operations of the HOA.
Do we want a formal structure to support this blog?
The purpose of the meeting on April 22nd at the Fire House is to discuss organizing a formal structure for managing the HOA.
Some of the pamphlets were not distributed until Tuesday. If you still do not have one, please contact me at 206-658-7887 – Jim Ehnborn – Lot 20
It would be great if Mandy and Jen would continue to be the spokesperson to discuss our concerns with Jim Seldon.
I would like to offer my expertise in the financial, legal and planning areas of running an HOA.
Jim Ehnborn – Lot 20
Hi Everyone,
I will post what others have said and not wanted to write. First off, lets not put the cart before the horse. Until we have any control of the HOA there is no reason to micromanage any potential HOA. Meeting about this is a great idea but with a total of 100 homes, we do not need to make this more complicated than it has to be. Lets start with just figuring out our options with either getting control of the HOA or getting Jim Seldon or whoever he says is controlling it to pull their heads out of their butts and do something.
I agree with Chris. I think we are all adult enough to do the right thing to help make this a nice place to live. There is no reason to have anyone being in control until we are ready to take over the HOA. At that time, we will have nominations for officers and then elections! We should be able to chat about a few things at the BBQ as opposed to taking 2 hours out of our already busy schedules for a meeting. I'm still feeling a letter to the local newspaper could do us some good. I'm sending Jim Seldon an email in the morning letting him know I'm composing a letter. I will also send a copy to our builder.
The meeting on the 22nd may not accomplish some of the lofting goals it stated in the flyer, but I do think it is a good chance for people to meet and discuss face to face their concerns. Some of us may not be available on Saturday and this will just be another forum for discussion.
Does anyone know who the guy with the clipboard was this morning? Someone was walking up and down the streets, writing stuff down. He stopped in front of my house and was looking at it.
How important is it to us to have the gates fixed?
How much money are we willing to spend to have the HOA spend to fix the gates?
Do we have sufficient money in either the operating or capital fund to pay for the project?
Have we collected the annual dues from each home owner for 2007, 2008, and 2009?
What is the cost of replacing the strobe light sensor on the North gate?
It is currently a minor fire code violation. The Fire Departments was not able to test manual by-pass switch because the gates were open.
What is the cost of installing a strobe light sensor on the South gate?
What is the cost of replacing the computer on the South gate?
Will the fire department emergency by-pass switch then work?
How expensive is it to reprogram the computers to change the hours that the gates are open?
What is the estimated life of the motors that open the gates?
How expensive is it to replace the motors?
What is the cost of installing a surveillance camera on the street light at each gate?
A surveillance camera is installed on a street light in front of one of the homes in Grand Firs.
Phase 3
What type of homes will be built?
Will the homes be built with vinyl siding? It is allowed in the current CCRs
Will the lots be smaller and thereby change the density per acre?
If there are more homes per acre, when was the plan approved by the Pierce County Planning Commission?
Will it cause an overcrowding of our schools?
Is the developer considering changing the zoning from single family to multi-family home to allow the building of town houses or apartments?
The place where these questions need to be answered is by talking to Jim Seldon. Until that happens, why are they on here? I think the purpose of any meeting needs to focus on what our options are in dealing with Jim Seldon. If it needs to come down to it, I will collect up all the trash in the back and dump it on his desk to see how he likes it. Maybe I will break his door or leave it wide open all the time and see how he likes that. I think some of us are starting to get angry with each other about trivial things when the real problem is the fact that what is in place is not working. I think the only focus at this time should be in getting Jim Seldon off his ass or taking control ourselves.
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