After all of the cost cutting and “adjustments” to the operation this is the best Jim Story and Roger Klask could do - just pathetic.

 The amenity “upgrade” was a fiasco - the Bob Crouch led Board got us into one fine mess and it just continues. 

They have cut 17 employee jobs (2 in security at the North Gate) but they are hiring another layer of management. Why are they adding a new position, a new full time Assistant Manager to oversee the pool managers, the Marina and to help out at the fitness Center?

I know that the Board does not like to be second-guessed, but why don’t they walk the talk?

The Developer has been selling multi-lots that are deeded as one lot, so that buyers can avoid having to pay more than “one” monthly lot assessment.

For example, in 2004 lots 3511, 3512 and 3513 were sold and deeded as one lot (Lot 3511) so that the buyer would only pay one monthly lot assessment for all three lots. The owner has now decided to sell all three lots and will divide the one lot back into three lots.

Again, doesn’t this violate our POA’s CC&Rs? Once multi-lots are sold and deeded as one lot, don’t our CC&Rs require that they remain as one lot?

For 5 years, the owner of Lots 3511, 3512 and 3512 has paid only one monthly lot assessment on his three lots. He has saved more than $12,000 in monthly lot assessments by having the three lots sheltered as one lot.

A few years ago, there was another case on Cox’s Mountain where the owner of two lots, which were deeded as one lot, wanted to divide the one lot back into the original two lots, so that he could sell them individually. The POA Board refused to approve his request.

As they have done to others, shouldn’t the POA Board refuse the request to divide Lot 3511 back into three lots? Ask your POA Board members to uphold and enforce our CC&Rs.

Note: The POA Board has found 12 other lots that fit the pattern above.

How much does the executive employees of the POA make?

Are these possible answers?

General Manager, Roger Klask – $100,000 PLUS

Director of the Amenities Directors, Jim Story - $100,000 PLUS (Why is this position even needed?)

CFO Sandy Filkowski - $100,000 Plus?

And the list goes on………….

We were told that the people hired by the Board were experienced.  Experienced at what??? We have been deceived.  It is well past the time to cut bait and be responsible with the property owners money.  IT IS OUR MONEY being lost month in and month out.

This Board and all involved in the management should be ashamed.  How can this be justified?  These kind of results demand change and change now!

I just read the accounts of Ron’s efforts to represent the single family homeowners of Big Canoe.  It is now confirmed that the HOA has no advocacy interest or role to play in the community.

Although Mr. James may feel dissappointment, I hope he understands he has achieved the great deed of entering into the record the HOA’s position.  Thank you sir…there are many that support your efforts.  Frankly I don’t blame you for resigning.

Memo to HOA Board - the POA is not in fine financial shape.  Borrowing money for working capital due to poor financial management is not a good sign.

On one hand there are those that would support anything as long as they didn’t pay for it.  It mirrors a large part of out current  American culture that loves to borrow and spend with repayment left to others.

On the other hand is a large and growing group that is the direct result of ‘corporate governance’.  The folks have no confidence in this and past Boards.  You reap what you sow.

It is a direct repudiation of the Board and those involved.  Smoke Signals and the HOA are just as responsible for idly sitting by.  When we needed advocacy they were silent and instead subscribed to the go along get along mentality.  Shameful.

One of our POA Board director candidates was quizzed after the 2008 Annual Meeting with the following question: “Why did the Board Directors lie to us today?” Their response was: “I don’t know.

The POA Board Directors are our neighbors and we elected them to the Board. They are good people and in many instances, our friends. So what would motivate them to lie to us?

I think the answer to that question is found in the POA Board’s golden rule: “First do no harm to property values.” As our Directors said at the 2008 POA Annual Meeting, our goal is to protect property values.

When new Directors join the Board, do they soon learn that they are required to spin-the-truth or to tell half-truths to keep (what is perceived to be) damaging information from the property owners and from becoming outside public knowledge? Do they learn that they must hide documents that may reflect poorly upon our community? In other words, are they indoctrinated to a mindset of doing and saying nothing that might remotely harm the community’s property values?

If true, the community’s property owners must decide whether they value truthful information from their Board Directors, or are willing to be lied to.

Permitting the POA Board Directors to disseminate lies to the community is a slippery downhill slope. If permitted, a POA Board can successfully hide financial and other problems from the community. The property owners will suffer by having to pay unexpected higher monthly assessments and/or special assessments.

How long can any POA Board successfully hide the truth? Even if the lies remain undiscovered, lies build upon themselves and not only lead to an unhappy community, but they lead to consequences that are even more damaging to the community’s property values by casting a shadow of doubt on the Board’s integrity as well as that of the people of the community.

After living in this gated community for ten years, I now fully understand why I never got the whole truth or any transparency from the many POA Boards in that time span – Simply put, the POA Board’s goal is to protect property values at the expense of truthfulness and transparency, and at the expense of the homeowners and future homebuyers.

Therefore, you must ask yourself, is POA Board lying, and their lack of transparency, acceptable? Should the community require by written decree that the Board be totally honest, and provide transparency, to each and every property owner and the community as a whole?

Last year was the first time in the history of this community that a few property owners were able to band together and to overcome the dictatorial control of the POA Board. Even though governance has not changed in Big Canoe, the POA Board has been made aware that some property owners will no longer accept business as usual.

To those of you who have worked to change this Board, thank you.