Here are some highlights on the meeting. Initially, David Jerue from Associa announced that new ballots were just distributed to homeowners (the previous ones were defective). So, homeowners will have to vote again for the three board seats. We know it’s an inconvenience that shouldn’t have happened but PLEASE VOTE.
Board member, Walt Tibbets, gave a short update on golf course activities. He basically echoed the contents of the letter the Board published to homeowners. There is no new information beyond that and the next move is up to Morgan Creek LLC.
An explanation was requested as to why the assessments were increased in January. David Jerue stated the primary causes were generally rising costs, especially for utilities, and rising legal fees regarding potential golf course litigation.
Here are highlights of Homeowners questions and comments:
- An article appeared in the Wall Street Journal Friday which discussed the plight of golf courses. Interesting reading in case you missed it. WSJ Article: Plight of Golf Courses
- Concerns were expressed over paying more in assessments without control or any assurances the course would remain open. Another question was what kind of vote would be required. The answer was, simple majority. One owner commented it would be difficult to develop sites for homes because of abundant wildlife, the creek, protected habitats, etc.
- PFE gate status: Morgan Creek LLC is still demanding it be removed. Their claim to own the land and rights to it are being contested. It was mentioned that in the worst case we might be able to move the gate. Results TBD.
- Discussion again of speeders. Speed bumps on the Pinehurst side were suggested. Another suggestion was to pursue neighbors who speed and remind them to slow down.
- The Vineyard-Crowder man-gate security was discussed. Apparently it is easy to break in after hours. The Board was urged to make it more secure. They are looking into it.
- A suggestion was made that since other groups in Dry Creek have been formed to limit unwanted development in certain other areas we should form an alliance with them (strength in numbers?).
Apologies if I missed any others.
Be heard: VOTE! VOTE! VOTE
I am sure if this opinion doesn’t match those that run this site, it will not be published…
As far as the gates are concerned. Clearly someone has dropped the ball. If the gates are on the golf course property why was there not a signed agreement iron clad signed? The HOA is spending how much of OUR MONEY fighting something a lawsuit that could have been completely avoided by having an attorney draw up an agreement with MCGC. Who was responsible for this gate-a board member or the HOA. Who is ultimately responsible for this decision? IF the HOA is responsible for this costly mistake, maybe they should be financially responsible for it! I am not voting to give MCGC more money! I am NOT signing off on that. It should not be open for discussion either!
The gates are a complete waste of money. When is the HOA going to resolve any of the issues: I watched 3 guests just follow a resident in? Why are the pedestrian gates not locked? So anyone can walk through at anytime!
As far as the speeding on pinehurst.. this is NOTHING new. Just put speed bumps in. The HOA has lied to me previously when I complained. the fire department nor the county is preventing this. With all the money the HOA is spending unnecessary legal fees of this gate, they probably could have put speed bumps in! This is just a complete mess!
Rhonda,
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A bit of clarification on two items:
Speed bumps. The HOA has not lied to you. About 8 years ago, when MC sought county permission to install entry gates, the fire department stated, in writing, that they would approve gates only if, among other conditions, we removed all existing speed bumps. We were able to negotiate a compromise, that we would remove only the sharp speed bumps adjacent to the greeter cottages and not install any more speed bumps in MC. The fire department accepted this compromise and approved allowing gates.
Pedestrian gates. The county revision to MC Conditions of Approval that grants permission to install entry gates specifically states that if pedestrian gates are installed, they must remain unlocked from dawn to dusk. This is to allow the county-required public pedestrian access to trails and open space along the Dry Creek Corridor. Our gates are solar powered to automatically lock at dusk and automatically unlock at dawn, compliant with clear county requirements.
John,
Just for clarification, I assume we can still address the commenters complaint about midnight mauraders by making the locking mechanism more secure during night hours. True?
my request for speed bumps was within the last 4 years and I CALLED the county separately. So yes the HOA lied. the Morgan Greens neighborhood also had speed bumps way before their gates. So you are incorrect.
We need to do something about speeds. Its the people in this community who are speeding. I see people fly down Westchester going 40-50 miles an hour. It’s not longer a safe community for children, pets or pedestrians.
I was not at the HOA meeting Tuesday, but the notes above say that the Board heard the concerns and is looking into security at the pedestrian gates. Beyond that, I have no further information.
Since timelines appear to matter in this discussion regarding speed bumps, consider the following. The gates were approved by the county with all the conditions for installation, including those pertaining to speed bumps, in 2013. The gates were not installed until 2017 when funding was identified.
So once the golf course is closed and the land is developed with more homes when should we expect to see our HOA fees slide back down into reality? They are already outrageous and given these legal fees with no end in sight sure seems like we are all expected to pay a premium/luxury HOA dues without the luxury neighborhood. This isnt Los Lagos folks. Just get rid of the gates already and end the wasted maintenance and legal expense. I dont hear anything about crime being any different in the surrounding neighborhoods that have unrestricted access for cars or pedestrians. All I do know is the gates have been a royal pain in the backside and have done nothing material other than raise HOA fees.
I don’t think our rate should go up if the HOA is responsible for this mess. They need to confirm with us that they had a legal agreement to put the gates on his property. If not, then this is their fault and we should not have to pay for their mistake!
Just a point of clarification – the BOD (“they”) is composed of elected homeowners that govern the HOA (“us”). In other words – the “they” and “us” are one and the same. I am not an attorney, but it appears to me that if there is general discontent with the current BOD, the community could vote to remove the current BOD members and replace them with a new set of members as their governing body. And let’s not forget there is an election currently in progress which provides an opportunity to elect new members of your choice. Unfortunately, the deadline has passed for anyone to submit their application to run for the BOD, other than those that have already exercised their interest in making our community a great place to live.