After reviewing some of the bullet points from the Board’s meeting, there seems to be some confusion on violations and the per day costs.  The fines from my understanding have always been $25 per day and would continue until the violation was taken care of.  Depending on the conversation and situation, the fines would be lowered if possible.

Also, in years past, the association could charge up to $250 per tree that was cut down without permission [fines were excepted and paid].  As you know, you can remove trees under certain circumstances without permission (read the fine print in our covenants). However, we continue to have people in our neighborhood (including the current Board) that do not believe the rules apply to them and cut down trees willy nilly.  I guess some people can’t even read the fine print but make others follow them [we hope and are counting on them to protect our covenants].

Well, after reviewing the latest newsletter it appears we either have found the pot of gold or our new Board is spending like there is no tomorrow.

- $7,500 to repair our entry signs?  Are they made of gold?

- Replacement of the pool key card system that was just replaced two years ago; one that was more than capable of servicing our neighborhood for years  to come and offered the support for unlimited card keys.

- A very expensive water meter which will take several, several years to recoup the cost through savings.

- Spending unnecessry funds to have our lawyers send letters where a simple visit would result in the same outcome.

I think we all have been wondering how the new group was going to spend the money the neighborhood has saved over the years and it appears we now know.  Just like our government…on things we don’t need.

A new newsletter is out; dated April – June 2012.

Did you get one? I understand the Whitehawk side hadn’t gotten theirs yet.

Mine was delivered by some of our neighborhood kids dressed in beach clothes. Pretty cool!

Plenty to blog about in there. My word!

Stay tuned.

Whitehawk is such a lovely neighborhood! It’s in a great part of Lawrenceville with great schools and great amenities populated with great, growing families. You’ll get comfort in the feeling of community, both awareness and aura. (Plug for volunteering? Next blog) And around this time of year, when you drive through either side, you are greeted with beautiful mature blossoming trees and azaleas supported by well kept lawns and houses. The result of hard work, time and effort invested by our homeowners.

Whitehawk is a covenant neighborhood. Meaning, it has mandatory covenants (and dues) that every new homeowner must agree to (provided that the HOA ensures every real estate agent with a house for sale in Whitehawk understands and markets as such. As double protection, the HOA can’t forget about notifying the closing attorneys). A major clause in our covenants is the “upkeep to community standard”. Thus lies the constant challenge because experience shows every neighborhood has its hand full of properties that just don’t get it or don’t care or ignore want they know is wrong. They are not worried about how their inaction effects all around them. These are the folks who need the constant poking and prodding by the HOA to make it right. (See “Door to Door Salesman”) .

The challenge and the responsibility the HOA assumes Continue reading →

What our neighborhood needs (and had gotten) over the years is (was) a fanatical, committed door-to-door salesman.  Someone who is (was) always selling the homeowner on the benefit of keeping everything (individual houses as well as neighborhood common areas) safe and at a higher level of “community standard”. This salesman is (was) devoted to selling everyone on the idea of ROI (return on investment); the return they get when every homeowner invests their time and effort. To make sure that each and every homeowner is doing the very best they can to improve their home’s aesthetics as well as working hard for the neighborhood (Selling the benefit of voluteering. Thats another blog).

But with looking around and driving through, where’s the salesman?  I understand infraction letters went out, but it’s not looking like much action was sold. It takes more than just solicitating, via bulk mailings. There must be a nieghbor-to-nieghbor, eyeball-to-eyeball, bellybutton-to-bellybutton sales call made to not only those that are not up to snuff, but the surrounding neighbors as well (most homeowners prefer this method). They must be sold on the idea that every neighbor is counting on them to do the right thing. This salesman must (was) be of the same demographic to which he’s selling; meaning he sells for the neighborhood and not the managment company.

Continue reading →

I have to admit that the neighborhood in general is not exactly looking very good these days.  Homes with tall weeds, trash cans in clear site everywhere and cars parked on side walks.  I know it is the winter time but with such great weather we have had people still need to take care of their property.  I guess the new Board doesn’t have time to drive through the neighborhood once in a while and hold homeowners accountable for their properties.  I can’t blame them, the Board feels the rules don’t apply to them anyways as we know they have cut down numerous trees on their own property without permission from the ARC…Sad.

According to WhiteHawk’s legal counsel, our board can have up to 5 members; 5 officers – 3 being directors. However, the current board has limited itself to only 3 members even though: 1) there were previous board members ready to continue to serve, 2) previous board members had time left in their term and 3) one of the new board members said recently “If we can have 5 board members, we should have 5 board members”.

In the past, it was a lack of folks willing to step up and volunteer to be on the board (even for committees for that matter). And low attendance at the annual meetings never created a quorum (including proxies).  For a change, at the Feb 2011 annual meeting, the neighborhood voiced its desire to augment the representation thus nominated Laurie to be an officer on the board; she agreed. (Others were nominated, but did not agree to come on.) The previous board always made a point to hear, listen and take action for the neighbors (including the ever present at every annual meeting) and brought Laurie in. She was fantastic!

But now that the 1 and 1/2 from the BlackHawk side (explained here) [ despite the altered proxies ] disrupted the previous board, upheveal ensued…… Continue reading →

Well, congratulations to the 1 and 1/2 person, yes that’s right, just 1 and 1/2 people, who voted in the current board. One person had 30 proxies, another had 13, (all these proxies were from the Blackhawk side; making up more than 90% of the new board’s votes). This 1 and 1/2 person voted out the previous board of 8 years to vote in all three new members (two of which were nominated that night at the annual meeting and reluctantly agreed to the nomination).

This 1 and 1/2 people made decisions for many neighbors who were completely unaware of who was actually going to represent them. In most cases, the people who gathered the proxies were not one of these two individuals. These two also made changes to many “directed” proxies; proxies that contained denoted votes when taken to the annual meeting. These two people scratched out the votes neighbors had already made (while being solicited for a vote by someone else) and replaced them with their vote altogether.

Also, looking at it from a “Whitehawk” side verses a “Blackhawk” side perspective, there is an overwhelming dichotomy between the two sides.  The “Whitehawk” side voted, hands down, for the previous board. On the “Blackhawk side, without the proxies, it would have amounted to a tie.

Read on for the overall results: Continue reading →

We got a question from WH homeowner asking: “How much did that newsletter cost the neighborhood?”. Well, if we made some educated guesses: $1.50 each for the paper and printing the thing. $60.00 for the management company to stuff and mail. .44 cents per mailing. For 238 houses…………………. We are thinking around $530.00.

That’s $530!, WOW!

A far cry from .35 cents apiece and hand delivered for the past 8 years, huh? (.35 cents X 238 = $83.30)

Welcome to WhiteHawk Subdivision Blog central. Rant and Raves coming soon. And, of course, as with any blog, you can comment on our comments. It’s important to hear what’s going on, right?

We all want to make sure the current board is a good steward with our money, makes prudent and wise decisions, maintains the “transparency” and communication much campaigned about. Well, this is the forum in which will allow for the neighbors to converse and discuss concerns, wishes, the future, etc.

To contact us directly, email webmaster@whitehawk-subdivision.com. Otherwise, post a comment for all to see. Bring the whole community in the fold.