An independent source of news and commentary concerning Lake Holiday POA in Cross Junction, VA
December 2005 – Issue 12/27
thesummitadvisor.com ... Links & Archive
An independent source of news and commentary
concerning Lake Holiday POA in Cross Junction, VA
December 2005 – Issue 12/27
thesummitadvisor.com
... Links
& Archive
As a public service we are now hosting a bulletin board. This is intended for Lake Holiday resident's use and initially has forums for "Announcements" and "Comments". The advantage of a bulletin board is that your post appears immediately and you don't have to wait for us to paste your e-mail below and upload it. The disadvantage is that posts are unedited, and we cannot control the initial content. We trust posters will refrain from obscenities and character assassinations.
The board is accessible (click-here) and may be viewed by anyone. Posting requires registration of a "nick-name", your e-mail address, and a password selection. This is a requirement of the phpBB software used. The same standards of decency apply as with out e-mail forum (no profanity, etc). If the board becomes misused we may be forced to delete entries, ban users or discontinue the board entirely. For now, we encourage you to visit the board and feel free to register and comment. The e-mail Resident's Forum below remains available for those who prefer it.
Club House Progress
An ambitious schedule has been developed to target the opening of the club house for the October 2006 annual meeting. Included are task force definition, architect design and bids phases at two months each, and a construction phase of five months which cuts it pretty close. The schedule itemizes a dozen or so definition tasks, including a resident survey of preferred applications. Notably, much is a repeat of five years ago, but the population has changed, as have direction and funding. The overall strategy is to designate room uses for the existing structure, extend those uses to a new structure and define which will be implemented in the initial phase of both the renovation and new building options.
A small number of commercial applications are on the list which will be evaluated on a business case basis. Most applications fall into a shared "general purpose" room design. Others which require fixed equipment of some sort will be evaluated on popularity and cost, and available space designated accordingly. Much of the above will likely be discussed at the December 8th Task Force meeting starting at 7:00PM at the community center. The public is invited as observers - a public forum precedes the actual meeting similar to Board meetings for residents to express concerns and comments.
Lake Committee Issues
At the Monday, November 28, 2005 Board Meeting, a number of Lake Committee members who were party to a recent position letter were brought up for removal from the committee. We are reporting this based on e-mails received and/or forwarded, one of which contains a Memo to the Board (and permission to print) which explains the situation most accurately. As with .doc files, you may have to click Start...favorites...etc. to get "back".
Residents e-mails for the Month are printed below to simplify your navigation and our maintenance. Be a star reporter or commentator and sent your e-mail to forum@thesummitadvisor.com <--note new address!
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: Thursday, December 1, 2005 5:44
PM
Subject: Memo to the Board
Thanks for publishing Ms. Mc Culla's memorandum.
I read and agreed with the original letter from the Lake
Committee and I believe that the Board withdrew the new "docs"
from being voted on because they didn't think that the property
owners would pass them. This current action, of removing Ms. Mc
Culla from the Lake Committee, is cowardly to say the least.
You gotta watch these guys all the time. Their fiduciary
responsibility is to protect our rights, not the interests of the
LLC and its builders. Seems as if they have forgotten that.
Your web site is performing a necessary service. Keep up the good
work.
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2005 9:24
AM
Subject: Website
Thank you for your efforts to keep the Lake Holiday
community informed of the current board's actions. I have found
many of the articles & commentary here at thesummitadvisor.com
to be very helpful in understanding the lack of transparency with
the governing board. Please keep up the good work and know that
this site provides a valuable service of keeping the community
informed. It is appreciated more than you may know.
Date: Sunday, December 4, 2005 9:59 PM
Subject: about the community building
They're at it again. Another Committee Program about
the Community Building. Very blatant bunch of people here. Sorry
to have to say this, but it is true. Very pick-iun'..Such a waste
of time and effort to try to accomplish anything around here. ugh!
Thanks for letting me express my opinion.
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2005 9:06 AM
Subject: new bus stop
Wow have you noticed the new bus stop? We must have
spent a fortune on that. All that asphalt and those pretty lines
showing us were to park. We need some of those lines at the
Community Center. Have you ever seen how they park for the
functions held there? They better paint the lines in blaze orange
in that lot. In case you don't know were the new bus stop is
located. Its next to the offices of Allison, James &
Associates, bankruptcy and forclosure specialist lhcc.
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2005 7:22
AM
Subject: New bus stop
What happens when more than two busses show up at
the same time?
Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2005 11:37
AM
Subject: New Bus Stop
The new school bus stop and parking lot facility was
built to replace the existing gravel parking lot currently used
for the loading and unloading of school children because the
current facility has been sold and will eventually have houses
built in that area. The new lot which cost in the neighborhood of
$140,000 had to be constructed in accordance with Frederick
County and VDOT regulations which require asphalt paving, striped
lines (which by the way cannot be painted on gravel surfaces) and
curb and gutter at the entrances onto Route 701. The Board voted
to construct the new facility so that a safe area could be
maintained for the bus stop. An alternate to this plan was to do
nothing because it is not a mandated requirement to furnish such
a facility and then the bus would have to stop somewhere outside
of Lake Holiday along Route 701 to pick up the school children
which would have been a safety nightmare. One of the drawbacks to
the location of the new facility is that the children who walk to
and from the bus will have a longer walk along Colonial Drive and
Masters Drive. Apparently they have not been taught to walk on
the left side of the road facing oncoming traffic and will barely
get out of the way now to allow traffic to flow by them. It is
especially dangerous during the winter when it is still dark in
the mornings
. Therefore, I believe that the vision of the Board was good on
this issue and if nothing had been built to replace the existing
parking lot then scores of residents would be raising heck about
that.
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2005 4:06
PM
Subject: The Lake Committee
Since when is it against the law to express your
opinion? Last time I checked, we still had freedom of speech in
this country. This vendetta by the Board toward the members of
the Lake Committee smacks of censorship and worse.
The committee is trying to make the lake safer and more enjoyable for everyone. The concerns expressed in that letter to the people of Lake Holiday are shared by a lot of us.The right to put a boat on the lake and to convey that right with the sale of your house is important. Safety is also a big concern. We used to require a boater's safety course before you could use your boat on the lake. Why did the Board change this? Are they stupid? The way some people zoom around out there will sooner or later cause an accident. Let's hope that it isn't a fatal one.
Date: Friday, December 9, 2005 7:51 AM
Subject: December 12, 2005 Board Meeting
At the December 12, 2005 Board Meeting the Lake Committee has
asked the Board to approve a New Safe Boating Test as well as
changes to the Boating Rules. If you care about the lake, please
take the time to come and support the proposed changes.
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 20:45:56 -0500
Subject: Icy Roads
Icy roads. People in ditches. Leave your car and
walk home. Why? Trial and error is not what I am paying for. It
is reasonable that the road crews be ahead of the snow issue. If
those responsible are unable to address the issue then get a crew
that can. Snow removal is not an advanced science. It's being
prepared. Signed: long walk home.
Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 20:54:45 -0500
Subject: Speed bumps and reality
The ill effects of speed bumps are clear. The amount
of time it currently takes the fire and rescue to navigate our
already difficult roads with their cumbersome equipment is
already a reasonable concern. The fire companies servicing our
area have continually stated speed bumps will interfere with the
timeliness of their service. When time is a life and death issue,
do you want speed bumps to be a factor in the time of arrival?
Date: 12/19/2005 22:38:44 EST
Subject: Board Recall
I'm curious to know if other community members would
consider supporting the removal of the Board Members who voted to
remove some members of the Lake Committee merely because they
mailed out a personal opinion letter on boating rights? The Board
Member Recall Procedures in our current governing documents allow
for removal of select Board Members by the majority vote of
eligible voters at a special meeting called for that purpose.
Only 3 Board members are needed to call for such a special
meeting and I personally think that persuading a majority of
eligible members to vote for a recall of specific Board Members
who tried to destroy the Lake Committee would not be that
difficult. I would like to know what others think about having
such a meeting for the specific purpose of removing certain
vindictive Board Members starting with President Allison?
Date: 12/19/2005 22:58:54 EST
Subject: More Open Forums Needed
I really appreciate the efforts of the Summit
Advisor to bring some fresh air into the communications network
of the Lake Holiday community. I am very curious to know how
others feel about the current communication situation (or should
I say lack of)? To me, on the official communication front, the
information flow is very one sided. I have sent items to be
posted to the Lake Holiday community bulletin board and the
"administrator" has rejected the material because it
was "not suitable" for community bulletin board
purposes.
Do other members believe we should have some free and open speech in this community? What would be the problem with having a "letter to the editor" feature column in our community newsletter other than the usual self-serving statements provided by the Board chiefs? Since we all pay for the Lake Holiday Newsletter, shouldn't we all be able use it and benefit from it as a communications tool? Perhaps a small charge would be justified for taking up additional page space or perhaps a free reference could be made in the newsletter about posting a member's opinion to the Lake Holiday website on an important controversial issue. Why do the Board chiefs stifle free speech and view new ideas as criticism that must be crushed? What are these Board chiefs afraid of? Just my 2 cents!
Date: 12/19/2005 23:14:15 -0500
Subject: Snow Removal or Lack of it
After clearing out my drive on Sunset Circle I drove
around to see what had been done on Masters and Lake View at 1:30
PM. Plenty of slush and snow still on the roads that could have
been dressed up since it was very warm. This would have given
those coming home from work a better chance to avoid an accident.
As I rounded the old bus stop there is Norris and Buck plowing
the old bus stop parking lot. I'd have thought since there was NO
school and the main roads needed scraped the bus stop would be
the last place that needed to be cleaned off. I called the office
and as usual the Manager was out and in Winchester in a meeting
per the lady who answered the phone.She said she'd have to call
Norris to discuss. I wonder who's managing this place sometimes.
We waste more money than the government.
Date: 12/20/2005 18:25:13 EST
Subject: What the board appoved now
As We drive through the community and see more
village signs closer to the road that can be hint at any time is
a danger. Why so close to the roads? Because The Deeds Of
Dedications says the board cannot put them on private property.
So they are put up on the road way, Which is 20 feet each side of
the center of the road. As the first signs were put up in early
fall of 2004 some were damaged. and again sometime in late summer
of 2005 more signs were damaged, but no one is saying who is
paying for the damaged signs. Now we have more signs that can be
easier to be damage. Why have village signs? Can we not learn to
turn on streets with street signs? This is another cost up keep
that LLC will leave us when they sell all their lots off.
Date: 12/20/2005 18:44:47 EST
Subject: Mail Box Cluster
That new mail box cluster on Colonial Dr. looks more
like a garage. What a cost to the community. It would have been
better to do like what a lot of other communities do. Could have
built a bus shelter with mail boxes on the back wall and it would
have been a lot cheeper. The up keep of a mail box cluster like
this one is not something the community needs. The reason why the
Bus stop was also moved was because the buses were not insured to
drive on private roads, Is that not the same for mail trucks? If
it is not it could happen someday. Down at Shawneeland they have
all their mail boxes at their main entrance. It is not fancy like
our new mail box cluster. Is it the Board's thought to rebuilt
all the mail box clusters to look like the new one?
Date: 12/27/2005 09:07:06 -0500
Subject: Water and Sewer Costs All headers
Last years water and sewer cost were $68.13 per
month. The Current bill for January is $108.63. A $40.50 increase
per month in our water and sewer bill's. This increase is
unacceptable by any standards. Add that to the also increased
County Club dues and we are over the $2,500. mark per year. If
these costs are allowed to go un-checked we will be paying more
for dues then real estate taxes. Paying excesses for things like
the price we paid for the gate house, school bus lot along with
the under pricing of our assets that have been sold to the
declarent are real issues.
Awaiting your E-Mail...
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