HPP Biz

[Chas]

Again, thanks to all of you who are trying to make HPPOA better, despite the challenges. It IS appreciated.

[mermaid53]

Thanks Chas and Janet...

Actually the thread started w/the June 2015 Membership mtg.

Past practice has been to put up banners ahead of time to remind the membership that we're having a meeting. Not done. It says a lot of how little our mgmt cares in getting our participation.

If the road crew is working on chip seal, naturally they won't be doing their main job which is very time consuming as it is. As many have seen, there are no easements, no shoulders, no bail out areas on many roads. No road maintenance...potholes, little road material on our roads, hard to see the center line at night...

I had to write the GM in the recent past to ask him to make a bail out area on Beach Rd. The school bus had dropped kids off who were walking on Beach when suddenly 2 lane traffic occurred. The kids had no where to go to get off the road as the tall grass was overtaking the asphalt. The GM did take care of that swiftly and I thanked him for it. He had the guys cut back 2'. (5' is ideal on cross roads) I asked him to consider making main feeder roads as much a priority as the main drags.

If the chip seal fails bc of poor mgmt judgment due to lack of proper research and poor installation...How this is of no concern to some members is beyond comprehension. Those of us who work hard to gather that money together to make our yearly road fee payments at least should be concerned.

The association doesn't have loads of money to waste. We are tied to paying our bond off; over a million $$$ yearly for many years to come. The contractor they were planning to use (w/out the board soliciting for 3 bids per our corporate policy) is being sued by another subdivision. So our mgmt made a decision to do it in house voting and discussing behind closed doors. If they're following our bylaws and policies, there's nothing to hide, no members after you to comply.

A recent development in this contractor's suit is he can't rent his equipment or sell any of his chip seal product. If this contractor weren't being sued, our mgmt would've hired this guy. Again w/out soliciting other bids first. This is ok?

We can't even get the mgmt to follow through after Apr 2015 board approval to install an AC in the library to serve all the volunteers who have meetings in there. Yet some board members are antsy to spend $300,000-$500,000 on chip seal. This is ok?

Please try to attend tomorrow's mtg @ 3PM. Come vote and voice your concerns. It is not a waste of time. Persistence is key.
(edited to correct spell error)

[kalakoa]

Those of us who work hard to gather that money together to make our yearly road fee payments at least should be concerned.

At the risk of attempting to make a constructive suggestion...

Residents who are concerned that their dues payments will be "misapplied" by "questionable management practices" should get together and create an escrow account to hold the dues until the inevitable legal challenge.

The posture then becomes "you can have the money when you've met your obligation", not "we're not paying our dues". Makes a difference in court.

[janet]

Good idea, Kalakoa, except that the Bylaws clearly state that, for an Association member to participate in any meeting, s/he must be in "good standing", i.e. his/her road fees must be paid in full to the Association.

Any fees paid into an escrow account which the Association cannot access would not qualify the member as in "good standing" and would prohibit him/her from participation. Three years of such non-payment and the Association can place a lien on the property.

A legal process might be able to create a sanctioned escrow account, much the same way as such a process could place the Association in receivership, but that would probably require - at a minimum - a lawsuit instituted (and paid for) by members.

[kalakoa]

for an Association member to participate in any meeting, s/he must be in "good standing" ... Three years of such non-payment and the Association can place a lien on the property.

It only takes a little organization to ensure that a handful of members remain in "good standing" while the vast majority de-fund the Association -- and even with lawsuits, the whole thing should be resolved within three years.

Unfortunately I keep coming back to this: if the largest/fastest-growing subdivision in Puna can't get it right, it's foolish to expect better from County, State, or another Association.

[shockwave rider]

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

for an Association member to participate in any meeting, s/he must be in "good standing" ... Three years of such non-payment and the Association can place a lien on the property.

It only takes a little organization to ensure that a handful of members remain in "good standing" while the vast majority de-fund the Association -- and even with lawsuits, the whole thing should be resolved within three years.

Unfortunately I keep coming back to this: if the largest/fastest-growing subdivision in Puna can't get it right, it's foolish to expect better from County, State, or another Association.

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I think the size and rapid growth of HPP are exactly what make it hard to organize in a real way.

Brand new residents don't pay much attention until they get settled in and start to understand how the HPPOA and roads maintenance work or don't, depending on perspective. With so many residents, no community gathering places like a post office or coffee shop, and no meaningful political structures available for organizing, HPP is just a large population scattered across a large area, not a community. Our kids don't even go to the same schools, half go to Pahoa and half to Keaau schools, so people living on one side of the subdivision don't really cross paths with people living on the other, unless they go to the same church.

I think it will take a smaller, well healed subdivision full of educated retirees with time on their hands like Vacationland to lead the charge to take on the county, not HPP. Although I think a lot of HPP residents would donate to the legal fees and push for joining a class action law suit, but they aren't the ones who will organize the action.

[Obie]

quote:

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Originally posted by shockwave rider

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

for an Association member to participate in any meeting, s/he must be in "good standing" ... Three years of such non-payment and the Association can place a lien on the property.

It only takes a little organization to ensure that a handful of members remain in "good standing" while the vast majority de-fund the Association -- and even with lawsuits, the whole thing should be resolved within three years.

Unfortunately I keep coming back to this: if the largest/fastest-growing subdivision in Puna can't get it right, it's foolish to expect better from County, State, or another Association.

---

I think the size and rapid growth of HPP are exactly what make it hard to organize in a real way.

Brand new residents don't pay much attention until they get settled in and start to understand how the HPPOA and roads maintenance work or don't, depending on perspective. With so many residents, no community gathering places like a post office or coffee shop, and no meaningful political structures available for organizing, HPP is just a large population scattered across a large area, not a community. Our kids don't even go to the same schools, half go to Pahoa and half to Keaau schools, so people living on one side of the subdivision don't really cross paths with people living on the other, unless they go to the same church.

I think it will take a smaller, well healed subdivision full of educated retirees with time on their hands like Vacationland to lead the charge to take on the county, not HPP. Although I think a lot of HPP residents would donate to the legal fees and push for joining a class action law suit, but they aren't the ones who will organize the action.

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Why would Vacationland take on the county ?

[shockwave rider]

I said "like Vacationland" not "Vacationland", I was using it as an example.

[kalakoa]

so many residents, no community gathering places like a post office or coffee shop

Exactly: as noted elsewhere, a "bedroom community" the size of HPP should include some actual services. How convenient that County land-use regulations (and the NIMBY contingent) indirectly prevent any kind of "community" from forming...

[flyingsurfer]

Kalakoa:

There is property set aside for commercial use. With the rapid growth in HPP.I don't think it would be hard to find a developer to build.
HPP needs to come into the 21st century. It would also take a lot of traffic off of 130.I think HPP needs to bring in some professionals who know how to make this come about.