HPP Biz

[mermaid53]

Arbitration has been requested. Let's see if they even do this in an ethical manner. It's in the board's hands and they keep saying they have the ultimate authority, last say on EVERYTHING. For all we know, they'll hire an atty to ask if they can overturn the request for arbitration. I'm not kidding.

A lawsuit costs money! A handful of lot owners can't manage the legal fees and it isn't right to expect a few to pay the bill. Who out there is willing to participate and how do you plan to organize yourselves to collect the money? I've heard some of you say on PT that you'll participate but that's as far as it goes. The only place we collectively go are the membership mtgs and not even 10% of the lot owners attend. There's a membership mtg next month (Feb).

More voices (civil voices) at board and membership mtgs equal a bigger impact. The majority board think the membership doesn't care since they don't come to meetings and speak up, therefore, they can do whatever they want. Hence the former Pres's rant over a measly Group of 10. There is no Group of 10.

So Reni, to be fair, your suggestion isn't helpful either. Back to square 1.

[Katarina]

Thanks for the specific HRS C.F.That reminded me of the audit. I appreciated having the exact law and wordage. I called the office and requested a copy of the audit be ready for me to pick up on my way home from work. The gal told me I could not have a copy, that it contains private information. I told them that I have always been given a copy and I was told she did not have any knowledge of that. I can only view my own personal file and have to pay for any copies plus wait 5 days after I fill out a written request. Has any body received their copy of the audit? Everything is under lock and key now like a fortress. So much for being transparent. It is a dictatorship now. I didn't even bother after what I was told. If anyone has more info, I'd surely appreciate it.

[mermaid53]

You can bet some board reps will try to find out who's spearheading this collection for an atty. If you're going to go to battle you have to be prepared and thick skinned. Retaliation's against the board's code of ethical conduct, with enforcement of reprimand spelled out, yet they blatantly have gotten away with it by advocating for each other, not the membership. 2 reprimands w/in a one year term equals justification for the board to ask the offender to resign. Had action been taken, this behavior would've stopped some time ago.

In all fairness, when anyone speaks of "the board" being culpable, you are literally saying the whole board. Not everyone on the board has a voice as 1-2 are outnumbered by the same majority group on the board as we have witnessed at board mtgs. It must be frustrating to get outnumbered by a group of board reps w/an agenda hot on their heels, while trying to follow the bylaws and advocate for the membership. I am appreciative of their efforts to advocate for us and I'm not alone as others have noticed as well. The majority board is culpable when they participate in bylaw breaking, esp the officers who continue to make a lot of decisions outside of board mtgs.

Ratifying rogue members' actions has become biz as usual on this board, and that's illegal per RR's 11th edition p. 125...
"An assembly can ratify only such actions of it's officers, committees, delegates, or subordinate bodies as it would have had the right to authorize in advance. It cannot make valid a voice-vote election when the bylaws require elections to be by ballot; nor can it ratify anything done in violation of procedural rules prescribed by national, state, or local law, or violation of it's own bylaws, except that provision for a quorum in the bylaws does not prevent it from ratifying action taken at a meeting when no quorum was present. A motion to ratify can be amended by substituting a motion of censure, and vice versa, when the action involved has been taken by an officer or other representative of the assembly."

[Katarina]

You are correct Mermaid. The ones who are courageous enough to take a stand will be run through the wringer and then some, the ones who hide and do nothing but bitch are as big of a problem as the lawless. The bigger the crowd of fighters the more power and I hope those that always do nothing will at least join. They can help financially and do behind the scene things. I know it is not the nature for some to do what is "right" but time to put on their "big girl or boy pants".

I have to add, that the whole board IS liable for it's actions. They are a body. They are suppose to represent us. If one or two do not agree, not voting and not speaking up is as bad as going along to get along. They need it documented that they disagree and why and speak against what is going on at all meetings and public forums as well as get the word out to their districts. This sitting around and doing nothing is just laziness or is it fear? The lawless have possibly made them silent as one can discern by reading the rewritten minutes. BUT, they can resign and state they will not be a part of the board due to the illegal activities. Many great people who know the by-laws and are level headed will not be on the board because the two remaining make them liable legally. Also, the board CAN NOT ratify any action that was illegal. As I said before, they whole board being corrupt and or stupid is unbelievable.Any legal action will take thousands and thousands of dollars and they know that they can use our funds and we are stuck trying to scrounge up cash. It is like double taxation. We pay the association then we have to pay again for service.

[Katarina]

I hope those that always do nothing will at least join. They can help financially and do behind the scene things. I know it is not the nature for some to do what is "right" but time to put on their "big girl or boy pants".
I changed my mind. Forget the behind the scenes..... time to grow up and stand for something.

[mermaid53]

Please go to this website which discusses a town in Minnesota who have chip sealed their gravel roads. It shows all the phases they used, photos, specs for each step and the after effects. As you will find if you go to the link, it is a very complex project which involved experts in all phases from A-Z of the project. They consulted w/someone from the Minnesota DOT.

Most sites I looked at spoke of chip seal being a material laid over asphalt ONLY. Conclusion: There's a lot of variable opinions and advice out there and each board member should be researching, instead of following a couple of board members who are vehemently pushing to lay chip seal down on ALL our roads. The ones pushing don't want any membership input. The decision to spend over $300,000 changing the whole of HPP's roads justifies their researching and educating themselves first.

They have chosen to forge ahead w/chip seal despite the membership vote at the last membership meeting to present us with chip seal info. We don't know the process they plan to use to lay it; what contractors have put in bids; and if they're still pursuing to do the work in house w/all the proper permits and contractor's license required. What's the harm to allow the membership to vote on such an important matter that will affect our daily lives for years to come? I'm baffled at their resistance and combativeness w/membership input.

Are they prepared to allow a test road on a busy road, not a dead end, to sit for one full year to get an accurate conclusion? Obviously a test road for only a few months won't give an accurate conclusion, therefore won't justify spending that kind of money laying this product down all over HPP.

How will chip seal perform on humpey roads that pool water? We have many of those. As well as a lot of cross streets that aren't flat. We have many rutty roads and roads w/historical pot hole issues that may need expertise assessment (engineer) to fix these issues before chip sealing. What happens to the integrity of the chip seal where it meets dirt driveways or asphalt driveways? Do we have experts that will be behind the project like the Silver Creek Township had? Will we have the equipment and expertise of running that equipment?

What if this product fails due to hasty decisions and poor application? Is the full board prepared to take full responsibility if this product fails?

This link is for the Silver Creek Township Chip Seal Project. Sorry, you can't click on it, you'll have to copy and paste then insert into your search bar. Then click on "Final Result Silver Creek" w/in the search results for Silver Creek. (If anyone knows how to do this and can put it here on this thread, that'd be great!)

www.mnltap.umn.edu/.../annual/2013/projects/documents/silvercreek.pdf

By past observations at board mtgs and the non transparency surrounding the chip seal project along w/other HPP biz, some of us aren't confident with their decision and the requirements needed for successful results. Each one of our cross roads has their own individual issues or not, and I would assume an engineer should be involved for the entire project. I don't believe there will be an engineer. Just our GM and the road crew perhaps...I don't know bc they're not talking. I will add more info on chip seal in a separate post.

[lavalava]

just sign your private roads over to the county and sue when they fail to maintain them

[leilanidude]

mermaid, you are over analyzing and blowing it out of proportion.
I lived on a gravel farm road in the midwest for years and the county came around and did the chip/seal thing right over the existing gravel. They simply graded it and then applied it. Worked just fine holding up to freezing/thawing cycles and massive farm machinery driving over it.

[kalakoa]

just sign your private roads over to the county and sue when they fail to maintain them

State did that; County refused to accept, creating the infamous "roads in limbo".

I have never seen so many different kinds of "not really a road" as we have here.

[leilanidude]

Thinking a little more.. $300k to do all of the roads in HPP vs one "dust lawsuit"? Go for it, immediately.