An independent source of news and commentary concerning Lake Holiday POA in Cross Junction, VA
November 2005 – Issue 11/29
thesummitadvisor.com ... Links & Archive

Turning Point

A decision at Monday's 11/28 Board meeting may be a turning point in the appearance of Lake Holiday. For several months the Architectural Committee has been denying one builder permission to build six houses in a row from the same house plan. Eaglecrest has built eight copies of the "Winchester" plan throughout the community and seeks to build six variations at 122-132 Lake Holiday road. The house falls short of the square footage requirements for section 1A, but two (#122 & 128) permits were granted assuming a penciled in rear extension. The extensions are absent from the recently poured foundations.

Eaglecrest is one of the "favored" LHLLC builders and will no doubt be constructing more similar homes in sections 7 and 10. They have persisted by repeatedly submitting the same plan, and are now appealing the Architectural Committee's denial to the Board of Directors. The Architectural Committe is trying to avoid the appearance of low cost tract housing.

Update 11/28/2005: Eaglecrest has withdrawn their appeal and announced they would pick other houseplans.

Clubhouse Task Force Formed

The newly formed Clubhouse Task Force met Saturday Nov 12, beginning with a tour of the clubhouse interior. General observations were that the building is in better shape than previously thought, and no reported mold or major structural problems were apparent. A total of eighteen attended the meeting which followed. During an open forum, the least cost proposal was recommended and discussed (see article below). Officers were elected, goals discussed and a plan to have the building inspected for mold and structural problems by experts announced. The intent is to resolve these alleged problems one way or the other. A target of summer 2006 was arbitrarily set. Interface with the Board RFP team and the member group was discussed, including how many (if any) will be officially on the task force. Resolution is expected by the full Board.

Following official business, group discussion resumed on a variety of topics involving the clubhouse. New wish list items included a coffee shop and a daycare center. Composition of the $1M renovation estimate was questioned. Attendees were asked about their preference as to the renovation or new building, funding aside. Most felt the existing building could not be adequately replaced by a new one. Consensus seemed to be toward a incremental renovation plan that would expedite opening the building, and provide for other improvements as funding permits. Attendees left with a renewed sense of optimism.

Regarding Homes Under Construction

One of the contractors reported that someone had entered his home under construction and left both doors open overnight. The heat had been left on to cure the drywall, and fortunately the outside temperature stayed above freezing and the only damage was the waste of energy. Residents are reminded that houses under construction are private property and are not to be visited without owner permission. Further, unseen dangers may exist in the form of loose flooring, missing railings or stairways.

And the Winner is...

The ballots are counted, the winners announced and the new board meets for the first time on Tuesday Oct 25. Seven candidates were selected from a field of 24 candidates, seven of which were nominated from the floor. We congratulate not only the winners, but all the candidates who volunteered to serve on the board. There are no losers among volunteers.

This years election was in sharp contrast to last years where only three candidates ran for six seats. It demonstrates a renewed concern for the community and its direction. Turnout this year was admirable with 533 ballots cast for a total of 3570 votes. LHLLC cast 28 ballots. LHCC did not vote any lots. The outcome was largely due to the popular vote.

The spread from first to seventh was 239 to 167 votes. The next three tied at 158, followed by a block of seven floor nominations at 151 and 152. The remaining candidates ranged from 133 to 31. A small vote swing could have placed almost any candidate on the board.

As we indicated in past articles, resumes play the largest part in the selection process, with "meet the candidates" as secondary. The community seemed to favor candidates who were positive in their outlook, and non-critical of the Developer. We hope this will not preclude common sense business-like negotiations which benefit the community. There is a myriad of pending issues to be addressed which will require the new board to come up to speed quickly, and with insight.

For those not selected, there is plenty of committee and task force opportunities. Many of us are already serving on one or more, and there are likely to be vacancies as new board members focus on their primary roles. We look forward to a exciting year with new challenges and opportunities. - Bill Adams

The Least Cost Solution

As many are aware, the "old" Board is writing RFP's for both a clubhouse renovation, and a replacement. As reported at the annual meeting, either path is expected to come in at around $1M+. The renovation is a stripped down plan from the "grand" plan developed about a year ago, which was estimated at $1.3M. It still involves extensive reorganization of space, and that contributes greatly to the projected cost. With $450K in reserves, either plan requires procurement of additional funding, which inevitably means the sale of more lots to LHLLC.

I, for one, believe the clubhouse can be opened at a fraction of the stated cost, and without assistance from, and obligations to the Developer. This can be accomplished by selectively following up on the original design, with minimal changes to comply with current codes. I too have submitted a draft RFP to the office, which I would have promoted if I was elected. My hopes are that the new Board, and the community will consider it's benefits.

The plan is essentially years three and four of the original five year plan, which opens the main hall, East room, coat room and restrooms on the upper level. This space is urgently needed to replace the community center. A small kitchen area is incorporated which could reuse appliances from the community center. Other rooms are left unfinished for a future clubhouse committee to define and complete. The plan gets essential plumbing, heating and electrical work done which would have interfered with finished rooms on the lower level, had year two of the original plan been implemented. Choice and placement of equipment and fixtures uses existing openings and minimizes expensive cutting into the slab floor and block walls.

I would hate to see another grandiose plan fail due to funding issues. This project has been a carrot just out of reach for too many years. Hopefully with pressure to replace the community center, the board will gravitate to a sensible low cost plan such as this one. The draft RFP may be accessed here. (As with .doc files, you may have to click Start...Favorites... to get "Back".)

If you agree that the least cost solution makes sense, please encourage your local Board member to support it. - Bill Adams

Residents Forum Section

Starting July 2005 we are printing residents e-mails for the Month right here on the front page! This simplifies your navigation and our maintenance. Be a star reporter or commentator and sent your e-mail to thesummitadvisor@adelphia.net !

Your e-mails are listed below in chronological order. Entries may be archived or removed every Month and/or at our discretion. Entry text is limited to 500 words (about 25 lines in this format) and may be edited to conform to standards of heading format, font and length. By sending to e-mail thesummitadvisor, you indicate your permission to publish here, unless you state otherwise. Retractions from same e-mail IDs will be honored - please indicate subject and date. Date and Subject will be included from the heading. If you wish your name or pseudonym known please include it in the text. Please do not send attachments - text only!

Date: Saturday, November 5, 2005 8:40 AM
Subject: "Task Forces"
Once upon a time, we had committees and sub committees formed by the Board to perform certain tasks. Then, Mr. Heisey was elected President and he changed them to "Task Forces". (Sounds more macho, I guess.) Mr. Heisey declared that Task Forces were to be chaired only by members of the Board.

Well, Mr. Heisey, he maketh the rules and I suppose that allows him to breaketh them, too. I recently heard that, even though he is no longer on the Board, Mr. Heisey is chairing the Dam Task Force. Now, one has to wonder what qualifies him to do this. Is he an engineer? No. He's a respitory therapist with an overlay of business management. Are there any engineers on the Board? Well, yes, there are. So, since he's not an engineer and no longer on the Board, why is Mr. Heisey running this Task Force?

Now, there's a new "Task Force" forming. This one is supposed to deal with the rebuilding/refurbishing of the clubhouse. The Chairman, a first time Board member, solicited "input" from a lot of people. However, he decided that the initial meeting was not going to be open to the membership and he apparently plans on restricting membership on this "Task Force" to other members of the Board.

Just because the election is over, doesn't mean that we can relax. Gotta keep your eyes on these guys all the time.

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2005 10:40 AM
Subject: Thanks
Bill: I have personally appreciated the great job you do on your Summit Advisor and the community spirit your website embraces. It's a real shame that no LHCC Board to date has really got the message that the community members want transparency and fairness in the governing process. Let's hope the new Board will get the message but I have my doubts because the President has remained the same. Oh well, keep up the good sleuthing!! Duran

Date: Friday, November 25, 2005 9:50 AM
Subject: Increase in roads asssessment
The 2006 dues coupon reflects an increase in the roads assessment. Is this to pay for the damage being done to our roads by the construction company's trucks? I'm very uncomfortable with the fact that we property owners were not told that this assessment was being increased nor were we told why the board thinks that this increase is necessary. This is an example of the "communication" we get from this bunch.

Date: Friday, November 25, 2005 10:04 AM
Subject: Clubhouse
I seem to recall that at the annual meeting in October we were shown a Power Point slide show of what President Alison claimed were recent pictures of the interior of the clubhouse. It was disgusting! Mold all over the place. Yet when the new "Task Force" toured the clubhouse there was no sign of that mold. I, for one, would like to know where it went. Where were those pictures actually taken?

There's a lot of community interest in this project but it looks like this "Task Force" will be Board Members Only. Same old story...the good ol' boys (and girls) club will probably mismanage this, too.

Awaiting your E-Mail...

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