thesummitadvisor.com - November 2003 – Issue 1.6
MISSION - FORUM - ARCHIVE
In This Issue: Eclipse a Washout…Weekend Weather… Reporters Wanted…Free Speech?…The Frugal Advisor…Illegal Dumping…Mercruiser Reminder…Chip Seal Road Treatment…The Summit Advisor Welcomes New Board Members…Is LHEUC Solvent?…A New Mission…The Actual Truth About Cats and Dogs…How to Trash a Survey
Clouds moved in around 7:00 PM and became so dense at around 8:06 PM that the maximum eclipse was largely obscured. The righthand photo was taken around 7:45 PM through a brief opening in the clouds. Another brief opening occurred near totality but the camera was pointed wrong.
A low of 23 is expected this weekend of 11/08 – remember to bring in the plants, drain the hose and the inboard motor. Clear skies are expected for the lunar eclipse which should peak at 8:06 PM Saturday night and be visible rising over the lake.
Here’s your chance to become a real journalist! We need articles on meetings and activity and (unlike other publications) we will publish your submission, and generally within a day or two! We missed the 11/07 board meeting but sure would like to know what went on…So would many others. Highlighting agenda items, discussion and resolutions is all it takes –or- simply comment on your pet issue. “Front page” articles appear on the bulletin boards.
E-mail submissions to thesummitadvisor@adelphia.net - include a title and try to use a straight .txt or .doc format. We also print your e-mails in our Forum page if you simply want to comment on any issue, or on our articles. Submissions may be anonymous if desired, or use a pen name.
You may have to search for The Summit Advisor on the bulletin boards or visit the web. A prior issue was covered up by a board meeting announcement within two hours and the last issue was torn down completely. One posting lasted less than 15 minutes. Chapter 26 (Property Owners' Association Act) of the Virginia Code title 55.510.2 “Distribution of Information by members” states:
The board of directors shall establish a reasonable, effective, and free method, appropriate to the size and nature of the association, for lot owners to communicate among themselves and with the board of directors regarding any matter concerning the association
As lot owners, The Summit Advisor reserves the right to display facts and opinion (yours and ours) on public bulletin boards in The Summit. We expect to do so without interference, but some persistent vandals continue to remove our postings and whatever else doesn’t suit them. It is unfortunate that there are those here who mock the law and free speech and deny others a point of view. If you see someone removing material, ask them if it belongs to them… then report them.
Update: This has improved – Thanks for observing our rights and those of others to free information.
Over the past year there has been an exchange of rhetoric between the owner of thesummitadvisor website and several board members and support groups. Unfortunately the dialog had gotten way off the original point due to miscommunication of the problem, and distracting challenges from opponents. The root problem potentially remains, clouded by detail and spin, and can be summarized in two words;
This is meant in the wasteful sense and it refers to decisions which cost the community significant money. Examples given by the “Advisor” were intended to avert future mistakes. They included a lavish GM salary and contract, lack of hiring qualifications and the necessity for a second Utility Manager, costly lack of experience and foresight in a snow emergency, a 45% increase in the gate guard budget, purchase of an undersized tractor, resumption of unproductive roving patrols, an expensive and unnecessary newsletter format and a number of other decisions. While undoubtedly disputed, the financial impact of these stated decisions is estimated at well over $100,000/year, enough to pave a side road or start fixing up the clubhouse.
The new board is stuck with many preexisting decisions, but it can still make a difference. Reversal of reversible costly decisions, requiring cost/benefits analysis of all major proposals, insisting on multiple legitimate bids on projects and purchases, consulting knowledgeable people when unsure and simply thinking ahead can avert future mistakes. If a decision doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t – defer it and find out more or simply vote “no”. The key is to always put the community before any advocate group or individual. We ask each member to use your head, state your opinion and don’t be bullied into being just one of the crowd. Sometimes the most unpopular idea turns out to be the right one…
There is a plan to move the two million dollar fee collections in-house and into the hands of one who has yet to demonstrate accountability. Even with the tightest of controls, many think this could be disastrous. How will you vote?
It really frosts my buns to take a walk on one our pristine back roads, only to come upon a busted up discarded television set. I wonder about the character of someone who can justify such an act. Is this the same inconsiderate individual who littered up the dumpster sites and ruined it for everyone? Who is supposed to clean up this mess? To top it off (literally) a second simpleton came along and added his yard debris to the pile - when a community site is available for that purpose! Assuming you can read, how about you guys doing the right thing and hauling your stuff to the dump before a third copycat comes along?
Remember to drain your I/O motor of lake water coolant prior to storage. Freezing can crack your heads and cause expensive damage. Check your owner’s manual if in doubt.
Some folks have commented that the recent chip seal road treatment made things worse. Chip seal is intended as a temporary preservation measure, like driveway sealer. It keeps water from entering cracks where it may freeze, expand and break up the pavement. Water also softens the earth under the pavement causing it to crack under load. The gravel coating keeps the sprayed asphalt off your tires and vehicle, and it is usually applied liberally. Chip seal improves traction in winter months and extends the life of badly alligatored areas. The short term side effect is dust and loose gravel. The excess gravel eventually finds its way to the sides where it is collected or simply becomes part of the shoulder. Chip seal is a low cost alternative to repaving. The Road Committee deserves a round of applause for getting maximum “mileage” from a very limited budget.
Congratulations to all on your election! The voters wisely chose “experience” this year. We trust that each of you will commit to full attendance and attention to a wide range of community interests and issues. We are at a critical stage of our development, where the decisions you make can effect large sums of hard-earned community dues and assets. Please do your homework, think ahead and vote wisely on issues involving spending and commitments. The future of The Summit is in your hands….
I have been hammering at this for over a year now, and all it’s gotten me is unpopularity. It’s time for the rest of the community to pick up the ball and ask where their utility fees are going. What scared me most, is the report at the general meeting that we have a $200,000. surplus, immediately followed by the comment “but it’s spent…”. Hey, what about the court mandated expansion to meet housing growth – is anybody saving up for that?…WMasters
The Summit Advisor is on a new mission to deliver relevant news and opinion to the community. We want this to be your forum and a place you trust for community information. We believe that such a forum keeps our leadership on track and honest, and provides an outlet for articles not possible in a board managed publication. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often!
We invite your opinion, and will publish your e-mails in our new community forum section. Please keep it less than 200 words, with no attachments, pictures or profanity. E-mails to thesummitadvisor@adelphia.net- indicate “For Advisor Forum” in the text. We also invite committee news, and reports of meeting activity. Anonymous mail and articles published at our discretion.
The Summer 2003 edition of the Summit News ran an short article which suggests that cats and dogs are subject to the same restraints. This is misinformation. County law requires dogs to be restrained but says nothing about cats. The reason is simple; Some dogs attack people but cats don’t!
There is nothing worse that a casual walk in our beautiful community only to be greeted by a charging 80-pound animal with unknown intentions. This is usually followed by a distant reprimand from the owner and a friendly “Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite…”. You cheerfully wave back as you wipe the saliva off your jacket and try to get your heart rate under control…
I can’t remember the last time I was attacked by a cat in this manner. I do know however that cats are impossible to keep on a leash, and most will not even wear a collar. In fact, collars are dangerous for cats, because they can become entangled in underbrush where cats roam, and may cause the animal to die of asphyxiation or starvation.
Cats are part of the natural food chain, and yes, they kill birds and small fluffy animals that you like. They will also kill rats, mice, moles and snakes that you don’t like. Your opinion may quickly change on fluffy little animals if they decide to nest in your attic.
Cats can also multiply at an alarming rate. Please neuter all of your animals and don’t release your unwanted animals where they will multiply into hundreds of unwanted animals.
If you have problems with any domestic animal, the best solution is to work something out with the owner. Too many people run off half cocked these days demanding new rules to fix their specific problem. The sum of many special interests rules diminishes everyone’s freedom in the end…WLAdams
Surveys are a science these days. It’s difficult sometimes to get them to prove your point. Even the media puts disclaimers on their web polls because they are so skewed toward a desired result. Well, a few new polling tricks were observed in the recent trash poll, right here in the Summit!
Trick one is that if the polling is going bad replace it with another survey. That way those who already voted (against your position) will assume it’s the same survey, and not vote again. Neat, Eh? Trick two is to advertise the poll only to those who favor your position. A good place for a trash poll would be at the dump site, right? That would eliminate votes from all who don’t use the facility. But if someone caught on, and told their friends you could use trick three, which is to declare the poll invalid due to abuse, thereby discrediting the opposition at the same time. Wow, touché!
The original newsletter poll results were finally published in the October Summit News. The interpretation is interesting. The results were; Cease collection – 9, Keep compactor – 16, Use county site – 5 and Fee based compactor – 3. The conclusion was “Most of the website responses support the current system of trash collection”…hmm, read on…
It’s unclear whether this statement refers to the prior numbers or the invalidated web poll. The web poll had over a 100 people “for” the compactor and about seven “against” when it was shut down. It’s unknown how it was advertised, if at all, and I only learned about after it was closed. Make that eight against!
There are a number of alternative conclusions overlooked by the administrators. For the web poll, one could say that only 100 of 500 active households voted, and that 400 of them don’t care and take their trash elsewhere. OK, it’s a stretch, but it does say only 20% of the population is known to truly favors the current dump site.
If the conclusion refers to the newsletter poll, it is inaccurate. Although the larger number (16) voted to keep the current compactor arrangement, the majority (9+5+3=17) voted against it. Again, the total respondents are a small fraction (6%) of the population, and the remaining majority may be rich and do not care about tossing $100/year dues into the trash. Me, I can think of better things to do with the money…WLAdams