Monday, April 27, 2009
Dues count as of today
There are 40 of you that have helped to support the community this year so far but that is only half of the usual support we have had in the past. It's unrealistic to open the pool with that kind of commitment. I will make one more attempt to email those of you that have not responded to my plea for an update about whether you plan to support the community this year to see if I can increase participation, otherwise you leave the board with no other recourse than to keep the pool closed this year. It's been said before that if we close the pool one year it makes it almost impossible to revive the interest in opening it up in the future. I feel sorry for the future residents of this subdivision if this happens, but the board cannot be irresponsible with the money we do have and we don't want to use the money found from overpaying the taxes for the pool. We need a reserve, however small, in case we have an unexpected expense. I would feel good about trying to keep the pool open at least one more year and see if we could get outside memberships but with the economy the way it is and the internal support lacking, its not a good bet that we will be successful with either task.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Dues payment this year
If you have not already paid your dues and intend to please let me know about it so I can figure that into the equation ASAP. Even if the poll suggests most of you want the pool to stay open ( as it does now) if we don't have enough of a financial commitment from enough residents we can't keep it open. Unfortunately the few that do pay are controlled by the mass that don't. We need at least 80 members to pay $200 to make our budget...right now we are sitting at 40. Its not realistic to expect 1/4 of the subdivision to pay the expenses for the other 3/4. Would you accept that in your family or work situation....
Monday, April 20, 2009
Another longtime resident's veiw
The Oliver's has left a new comment on your post "Spring News":
All, I want to be sure everyone is making an informed decision about whether or not to keep the pool open. The fact is that the pool needs major and extensive repairs made to it to keep it open past this year. If we choose to keep the pool open we will basically deplete the funds that we have (including the windfall we received from overpaid taxes) and still have no guarantee that the pool will remain open. Unless we receive 75% participation from the neighborhood for the next 3-5 years the pool will need to be closed regardless of what we do this year. Let me tell you we have not had that type of participation for the last 5 years and I don't see that there will be a drastic change in the years to come. The fact is the board has had to beg the homeowners for the past 5 years just to get by with 40% participation and the other 60% just don't care and haven’t and will not care in the future. Sooo...do we deplete our funds now to keep the pool open and then have to close it in the future?...or do we stop the bleeding and put the money we have towards fixing up the amenities that can be more easily maintained. We could fix up the clubhouse so that it would be available to members for parties and gatherings, possibly sponsored by the homeowners assoc. Repair the tennis courts to ALTA standards so that we could again have tennis teams play out of Mountain Cove. Provide nice landscaping to the front entrance to make our neighborhood more attractive. Have piece of mind that we have money to pay to maintain the common areas, keep the lights on and pay the taxes. All these repairs are non-seasonal meaning that there is no timeframe in which they would need to be completed which means we could perform them as we receive the necessary funds keeping the required money in the account to pay the mandatory fees. Yes it will be a sad day when we fill in the pool (its not a matter of if its a matter of when) but we need to be realistic here. You also need to ask yourself is it right to keep asking the board to beg the neighborhood to pay their dues? Are you willing to do the begging? I know I'm not and that is why I am voting to close the pool so that we can again begin to enjoy the neighborhood without the financial burden of the pool.
All, I want to be sure everyone is making an informed decision about whether or not to keep the pool open. The fact is that the pool needs major and extensive repairs made to it to keep it open past this year. If we choose to keep the pool open we will basically deplete the funds that we have (including the windfall we received from overpaid taxes) and still have no guarantee that the pool will remain open. Unless we receive 75% participation from the neighborhood for the next 3-5 years the pool will need to be closed regardless of what we do this year. Let me tell you we have not had that type of participation for the last 5 years and I don't see that there will be a drastic change in the years to come. The fact is the board has had to beg the homeowners for the past 5 years just to get by with 40% participation and the other 60% just don't care and haven’t and will not care in the future. Sooo...do we deplete our funds now to keep the pool open and then have to close it in the future?...or do we stop the bleeding and put the money we have towards fixing up the amenities that can be more easily maintained. We could fix up the clubhouse so that it would be available to members for parties and gatherings, possibly sponsored by the homeowners assoc. Repair the tennis courts to ALTA standards so that we could again have tennis teams play out of Mountain Cove. Provide nice landscaping to the front entrance to make our neighborhood more attractive. Have piece of mind that we have money to pay to maintain the common areas, keep the lights on and pay the taxes. All these repairs are non-seasonal meaning that there is no timeframe in which they would need to be completed which means we could perform them as we receive the necessary funds keeping the required money in the account to pay the mandatory fees. Yes it will be a sad day when we fill in the pool (its not a matter of if its a matter of when) but we need to be realistic here. You also need to ask yourself is it right to keep asking the board to beg the neighborhood to pay their dues? Are you willing to do the begging? I know I'm not and that is why I am voting to close the pool so that we can again begin to enjoy the neighborhood without the financial burden of the pool.
Comment from Marc McQuary an original MC homeowner
Marc McQuary said...
As many of you can see from reading the Spring update, the possibility of this being the last year we have a pool is a grim reality. For many years the Board of Directors for the Home Owner’s Association has struggled to find ways to keep our swimming pool open and operational while meeting the safety requirements of Gwinnett County. From my perspective we are now in a crucial situation that will likely necessitate we close the pool permanently after this year and eventually fill it in, doing away with it permanently. THIS HAS COME ABOUT COMPLETELY AS A RESULT OF LIMITED FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE WAY OF RESIDENTS CONSISTENTLY PAYING THEIR DUES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS IN ORDER TO BE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. Put simply, we will not have the money to pay our taxes, maintain and operate the pool, keep the clubhouse in good repair, be attentive to continuing beautification of the front entrance and doing proper upkeep on the commons areas in the neighborhood if we continue on the path we have been on for the past several years. As is the case with any “business endeavor”, when income is exceeded by overhead, some sort of eliminations have to occur. With the pool being one of the largest liabilities we have, it is at the top of the list for many reasons to be the asset we do away with. Having been one of the initial 40 or so families that got the developers to build the pool, tennis courts and clubhouse, I can say this reality saddens me greatly. While I do not want to anger anyone I do have to state that it is my opinion that that serious apathy on the part of the majority of homeowners in Mountain Cove has created the situation we now face. There are consistently only a very small percentage of residents that can always be counted on to put forth effort, money, sweat and toil to keep things running in this neighborhood. As one member of this small percentage of people that seem to do all the work and show deep concern I feel it necessary to say that I find it unfair that so few are willing to put forth the commitment so others can enjoy the pool, clubhouse and have a nice looking neighborhood. I am certain I speak for the others that are always shoulder to shoulder with me in paying dues and carrying out the work that is required to keep things going. For those of you that were at one time in this group but have now given up, you deserve all the thanks that can be given for the commitment you gave and I have to say it is understandable why you have “thrown in the towel”. As a community we ALL should feel obligated to take pride in where we live and do whatever we can to make it as nice a community as it can be. Yes we are in tough economic times and many of us are out of work or have been hurt financially one way or the other. However, the very small annual dues of $200.00 for what we could have with our swim and tennis facility if 75% to 90% of the residents would commit is an incredibly small price to pay. In fact if you do the math it works out to an annual commitment of less than 70 CENTS A DAY! I know that I most likely am offending some; if that is the case I apologize. It’s just that my sense of pride in where I live requires that I be open and straightforward, being direct and honest in stating what I see as our problem as well as the solution. We all have to commit to the community; both as much as we can financially and also in terms of the personal time that we give to it in order for it to thrive. No one is going to bail us out! If collectively we don’t care then know that the value of our largest investments, our homes, will suffer as we see our pool close, the clubhouse fall into a state of disrepair and the overall appearance of our neighborhood deteriorate. I urge anyone that wants to see Mountain Cove continue to be all it can be and protect the investment you have made in your home, please take my words to heart and step up and become an active member of your community. We need EVERYONE’S support to make it happen!
April 15, 2009 5:46 PM
As many of you can see from reading the Spring update, the possibility of this being the last year we have a pool is a grim reality. For many years the Board of Directors for the Home Owner’s Association has struggled to find ways to keep our swimming pool open and operational while meeting the safety requirements of Gwinnett County. From my perspective we are now in a crucial situation that will likely necessitate we close the pool permanently after this year and eventually fill it in, doing away with it permanently. THIS HAS COME ABOUT COMPLETELY AS A RESULT OF LIMITED FINANCIAL SUPPORT IN THE WAY OF RESIDENTS CONSISTENTLY PAYING THEIR DUES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS IN ORDER TO BE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. Put simply, we will not have the money to pay our taxes, maintain and operate the pool, keep the clubhouse in good repair, be attentive to continuing beautification of the front entrance and doing proper upkeep on the commons areas in the neighborhood if we continue on the path we have been on for the past several years. As is the case with any “business endeavor”, when income is exceeded by overhead, some sort of eliminations have to occur. With the pool being one of the largest liabilities we have, it is at the top of the list for many reasons to be the asset we do away with. Having been one of the initial 40 or so families that got the developers to build the pool, tennis courts and clubhouse, I can say this reality saddens me greatly. While I do not want to anger anyone I do have to state that it is my opinion that that serious apathy on the part of the majority of homeowners in Mountain Cove has created the situation we now face. There are consistently only a very small percentage of residents that can always be counted on to put forth effort, money, sweat and toil to keep things running in this neighborhood. As one member of this small percentage of people that seem to do all the work and show deep concern I feel it necessary to say that I find it unfair that so few are willing to put forth the commitment so others can enjoy the pool, clubhouse and have a nice looking neighborhood. I am certain I speak for the others that are always shoulder to shoulder with me in paying dues and carrying out the work that is required to keep things going. For those of you that were at one time in this group but have now given up, you deserve all the thanks that can be given for the commitment you gave and I have to say it is understandable why you have “thrown in the towel”. As a community we ALL should feel obligated to take pride in where we live and do whatever we can to make it as nice a community as it can be. Yes we are in tough economic times and many of us are out of work or have been hurt financially one way or the other. However, the very small annual dues of $200.00 for what we could have with our swim and tennis facility if 75% to 90% of the residents would commit is an incredibly small price to pay. In fact if you do the math it works out to an annual commitment of less than 70 CENTS A DAY! I know that I most likely am offending some; if that is the case I apologize. It’s just that my sense of pride in where I live requires that I be open and straightforward, being direct and honest in stating what I see as our problem as well as the solution. We all have to commit to the community; both as much as we can financially and also in terms of the personal time that we give to it in order for it to thrive. No one is going to bail us out! If collectively we don’t care then know that the value of our largest investments, our homes, will suffer as we see our pool close, the clubhouse fall into a state of disrepair and the overall appearance of our neighborhood deteriorate. I urge anyone that wants to see Mountain Cove continue to be all it can be and protect the investment you have made in your home, please take my words to heart and step up and become an active member of your community. We need EVERYONE’S support to make it happen!
April 15, 2009 5:46 PM
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Spring News
Front Entrance
It’s spring and the board would like to bring you all up to date on our financial condition as well as other news we have. First the good news, as you might have noticed we have done some work on the front entrance. We finally got Georgia Transmission Corporation to replace the trees at the front entrance that they cut down 3 years ago. They agreed to remove the stumps from the previous trees at their cost and replace our trees with some Loripedlum which are shrubs that will grow 8ft high and 15ft wide. They will be the backdrop to the new landscaping and will be put in this weekend. We are placing them on a berm or raised area that will enclose and reshape the right side of our entrance so that it will look more finished. All of the plants that are being put in are deer resistant and drought tolerant and are perennial so they will return each year. Most of the new plants are also evergreen with spring and summer flowers.
Financial News
Our financial situation needs to improve if we are going to have a good year so I am asking, as I do every year, to please let me know by return email or phone that you are planning to pay your dues so the board can plan our expenses for the rest of the year. Last year we decided not to open the pool until we had enough money to pay our expenses that come due in the fall. I know some of you are out of work and others, me included, are hurting because of slow paying clients, so all we ask is a verbal commitment. The ending bank balance for this period was $8,575.99. Thanks to Mr. Kenneth Gilkes our bank balance includes $5,217.74 of which he was able to recover from the county for property taxes that were over billed in 2005, 2006 and 2007. These funds of course will assist greatly with our expenses as membership dues are coming in at a slow pace this year. So far, for this fiscal year we have collected $6,253.61 in membership’s dues and made disbursements totaling $ 5,022.63. We are requesting that if possible; please mail your dues by April 30, 2009 so that we may complete our budget for the 2009 fiscal year.
Pool Opening
At the recent meeting that was called to discuss the pool opening and associated costs it was decided to keep the pool open in 2009 and to vote at the end of the season whether to close it down for good. We need to see what the turnout will be this year as this could be our final year if we don’t get the financial commitment. The Moorings have closed their pool this year and are in the process of filling it in. I will put some images up on our website for you to see and think about the impact that would have on our community if we go that route. We will be draining the pool to make some needed repairs and do some cosmetic work so that it will look more inviting. We plan to offer pool memberships to the surrounding community so if you know of anyone that would like a pool membership direct them to the website so they can contact us for information. We will also have some flyers for you to give out to church groups and others that might like to have memberships. We could potentially pull in enough members to pay for the pool and wouldn’t have to use community money to fund it.
Spring Work Day
We have a work day scheduled for April 25, 9am-3pm and would like to complete the following jobs:
1. Gravel in drain by upper clubhouse parking lot.
2. Landscape timbers in place to level area by parking Lot and wood chips spread in it.
3. Trim shrubs (the ones in front of the clubhouse and those along the fence line dividing the pool and the parking lot).
4. Do whatever we can to repair the pool fence.
5. High Pressure Wash the wooden deck by the courts – we can stain it later on.
6. Weeding around pool, clubhouse and front entrance
Please contact Steve if you can volunteer for specific jobs on the work day, or any other day before then, on your own schedule.
hippobass@gmail.com
Community Yard Sale at the Club House
Be a part of the Community Yard Sale at the Club House!
To help raise money for the Home Owner's Association, we would like to have a yard sale in the parking area by the club house. We will be renting 6 ft tables for $25 each (additional tables $10, if you have a lot of stuff). The fee will cover the cost of the table rental and help support the Mountain Cove HOA.
Make some extra cash by selling household items that you don't need anymore or sell your crafts or baked goods. It will be a great chance to meet your neighbors, too. Before we schedule a date, we need to see how many people would be interested in selling items at the sale. We need at least 10 sellers to make it happen. We expect that the sale will get a lot of attention from people in the neighborhood when they see that they can shop at several yard sales all in one place.
Please email Steve (hippobass@gmail.com) if you are interested.
In closing, we do appreciate the homeowners that lend their time and expertise and financial commitment to improving our subdivision we value your commitment and hope we can continue to provide you with the return on your investment you deserve!
Happy Spring!
It’s spring and the board would like to bring you all up to date on our financial condition as well as other news we have. First the good news, as you might have noticed we have done some work on the front entrance. We finally got Georgia Transmission Corporation to replace the trees at the front entrance that they cut down 3 years ago. They agreed to remove the stumps from the previous trees at their cost and replace our trees with some Loripedlum which are shrubs that will grow 8ft high and 15ft wide. They will be the backdrop to the new landscaping and will be put in this weekend. We are placing them on a berm or raised area that will enclose and reshape the right side of our entrance so that it will look more finished. All of the plants that are being put in are deer resistant and drought tolerant and are perennial so they will return each year. Most of the new plants are also evergreen with spring and summer flowers.
Financial News
Our financial situation needs to improve if we are going to have a good year so I am asking, as I do every year, to please let me know by return email or phone that you are planning to pay your dues so the board can plan our expenses for the rest of the year. Last year we decided not to open the pool until we had enough money to pay our expenses that come due in the fall. I know some of you are out of work and others, me included, are hurting because of slow paying clients, so all we ask is a verbal commitment. The ending bank balance for this period was $8,575.99. Thanks to Mr. Kenneth Gilkes our bank balance includes $5,217.74 of which he was able to recover from the county for property taxes that were over billed in 2005, 2006 and 2007. These funds of course will assist greatly with our expenses as membership dues are coming in at a slow pace this year. So far, for this fiscal year we have collected $6,253.61 in membership’s dues and made disbursements totaling $ 5,022.63. We are requesting that if possible; please mail your dues by April 30, 2009 so that we may complete our budget for the 2009 fiscal year.
Pool Opening
At the recent meeting that was called to discuss the pool opening and associated costs it was decided to keep the pool open in 2009 and to vote at the end of the season whether to close it down for good. We need to see what the turnout will be this year as this could be our final year if we don’t get the financial commitment. The Moorings have closed their pool this year and are in the process of filling it in. I will put some images up on our website for you to see and think about the impact that would have on our community if we go that route. We will be draining the pool to make some needed repairs and do some cosmetic work so that it will look more inviting. We plan to offer pool memberships to the surrounding community so if you know of anyone that would like a pool membership direct them to the website so they can contact us for information. We will also have some flyers for you to give out to church groups and others that might like to have memberships. We could potentially pull in enough members to pay for the pool and wouldn’t have to use community money to fund it.
Spring Work Day
We have a work day scheduled for April 25, 9am-3pm and would like to complete the following jobs:
1. Gravel in drain by upper clubhouse parking lot.
2. Landscape timbers in place to level area by parking Lot and wood chips spread in it.
3. Trim shrubs (the ones in front of the clubhouse and those along the fence line dividing the pool and the parking lot).
4. Do whatever we can to repair the pool fence.
5. High Pressure Wash the wooden deck by the courts – we can stain it later on.
6. Weeding around pool, clubhouse and front entrance
Please contact Steve if you can volunteer for specific jobs on the work day, or any other day before then, on your own schedule.
hippobass@gmail.com
Community Yard Sale at the Club House
Be a part of the Community Yard Sale at the Club House!
To help raise money for the Home Owner's Association, we would like to have a yard sale in the parking area by the club house. We will be renting 6 ft tables for $25 each (additional tables $10, if you have a lot of stuff). The fee will cover the cost of the table rental and help support the Mountain Cove HOA.
Make some extra cash by selling household items that you don't need anymore or sell your crafts or baked goods. It will be a great chance to meet your neighbors, too. Before we schedule a date, we need to see how many people would be interested in selling items at the sale. We need at least 10 sellers to make it happen. We expect that the sale will get a lot of attention from people in the neighborhood when they see that they can shop at several yard sales all in one place.
Please email Steve (hippobass@gmail.com) if you are interested.
In closing, we do appreciate the homeowners that lend their time and expertise and financial commitment to improving our subdivision we value your commitment and hope we can continue to provide you with the return on your investment you deserve!
Happy Spring!
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