CHP HOA Meeting Minutes – 3/25/2019

Meeting start: 6:30pm

Board Members in Attendance: J.J. Gentry, Jeremy Catoe, Jan Talkish, O’Neill Gilliam

Board Members Absent: 0

Attendees: 8 Residents and David Peterson, CEO of CAMS Services

Placards: The Board would like to remind neighbors to always use their parking placards when parking throughout the common areas, such as at the boat ramp at the lake, the clubhouse complex, and when parking at the Broad River boat ramp. Each household is allowed two parking placards, however if you have teenaged or additional drivers, additional placards may be requested from CAMS. The question was raised about guests visiting residents, and if there were guest placards – the Board recommends that if you have an extra placard, it can be used on your guest’s car, simply so that the Board is aware that the car belongs to a person visiting within the neighborhood. With that in mind, the Board is discussing a better system of identifying both resident and visitor cars. Cars found parked in HOA common areas without placards (on nights that events are NOT in progress) will be assumed to be from outside the neighborhood, and may be subject to towing. CAMS can be reached at: (803) 732-9644

Parking: JJ would like to remind residents that there is no parking allowed on the Clubhouse Drive. People wishing to fish the ponds around the clubhouse must park in the clubhouse parking lot. Parking on Clubhouse Drive makes it difficult for drivers, as having to drive around parked vehicles, increases the likelihood for an accident. JJ would also like to remind residents not to pull onto the grass on the Clubhouse Drive, as this causes ruts and dead spots, which are expensive to fix.

O’Neill would like to remind residents who want to fish at the Grove Hall Pond that they must access the pond using the newly finished trail that was built off of Lost Creek Drive, behind the Grove Hall neighborhood sign. Parking is located across the street near the gate that goes to the neighborhood lake. Like all trails in the neighborhood, the new path is built only for hiking and pedal bicycles only – posts have been placed at the trailhead to prevent golf carts and other motorized vehicles from accessing the path.

As always, parking on the grass is not allowed in any of the common areas, or on residential property. All cars parked at residential properties must be in either the driveway, the garage, or on concrete or pavers. Residents found to be in violation of this rule will be fined.

Golf Carts: With the arrival of warmer weather, the Board would like to remind residents who own golf carts that they must abide by all the road rules of the City of Columbia. Also, golf carts cannot be used on the trails, and should not be driven across any of the public green spaces within the community. When parking your golf cart, please use car parking spaces only. Also, if you have a CHP placard, please remember to use it on your golf cart when parked at any of the common areas or boat ramps.

Pool Maintenance/Safety: Prior to tonight’s HOA meeting, the Board met with the newly formed Pool Committee to discuss current pool repairs and staffing for the upcoming pool season. As you know from earlier meetings, our previous pool staffing options were simply not working, and change was called for. The Board had been looking at the option of maintaining lifeguards who not only guard the water, but also do minor maintenance versus having just an attendant at the pool with residents swimming at their own risk. Within our area, there are only two companies that handle pool management.

After speaking with both companies, and asking about options, our prior contracting company – Carolina Pools – opted not to submit a contract bid for the upcoming summer. The Board will therefore be working with the second pool management company, which offers many options regarding lifeguards and pool attendants. The Board anticipates that it will be finalizing a contract within the next couple of weeks.

With this new company, lifeguards have one duty only – guarding the water and keeping swimmers safe. Unlike Carolina Pool Company, lifeguards have no other responsibilities (no cleaning, restocking, minor pool maintenance, etc.). A Pool Technician visits the pool every morning to do a “deep clean” of the pool, bathrooms, and pool deck area. A pool attendant maintains the area throughout the day and also monitors the pool in regards to security and rules enforcement. The attendant also does regular water testing.

The Board’s Initial proposal was to have a lifeguard on duty every day and an attendant on weekends as back up-this would have cost approximately $50,000 per year, but would leave the pool without weekday maintenance or rule enforcement during what could be very busy days. After discussing with the new pool management company, the Board zeroed down on two options:

Option one: have one attendant Monday through Friday, and two attendants on the weekend

Option two: have an attendant Monday through Friday, and a lifeguard and attendant on the weekend.

After weighing all the particulars, the Board and the Pool Committee have agreed to OPTION TWO, which will provide an attendant Monday through Friday and a lifeguard and attendant on the weekends. This seemed to be the best option, as the pool would be continually maintained, and lifeguards would be available during the busiest times at the pool. The Difference in price between the two options was approximately $2000.

Cost structures between lifeguards and attendants are different, with lifeguards costing roughly $25 per hour (to the contractor -lifeguards are paid less), and attendants, roughly $18 per hour (to the contractor).The nice thing about the new pool contract is that it is somewhat flexible and allows for adjustment if necessary, which gives us the option of having extra staff over busy weekends or holidays. David Peterson says that CAMS is able to track pool attendance via the front gate fob data, which will help the Board determine when additional staff may be needed.

The Board recognizes that not everyone will be happy with this decision; however, change was necessary, as the prior system simply was not working. The Board would like to point out that up until 10 or 12 years ago, the pool was staffed by an attendant only, and there previously existed a ‘swim at your own risk’ policy.

Pool Renovations: The demolition work is done at the pool, and the old concrete from the pool deck has been relocated into the pond (this was purposely planned as the concrete pieces will provide underwater shelter for the fish). The new concrete deck will be poured this week, and after a two-week curing period, it will be covered with the new cool surfacing.

The expansion at the back of the pool deck is in progress, and the lights in that area have been moved back as well.

The installation of the second security gate is also in progress. This gate will prevent access to the pool deck when the pool is closed, thus allowing residents using the playground and tennis courts to access bathrooms (using their fobs at the first gate) at the pool center. The second gate will always be open during swim hours.

The Board is also in the process of getting an estimate to fix the septic tank pump at the pool complex. The tank and pump have been occasionally problematic, and the Board is hoping that this repair will solve the issues.

An additional shed is needed at the pool complex to hold equipment, chemicals, etc. This second shed would be located on the other side of the pool near the new expansion. The board is not sure if it will be in the budget for this year or next – that question will be decided once pool repairs and the expansion are finished.

Clubhouse: Jan met this week with the HVAC contractor, and the entire clubhouse heating and cooling system was checked over to make sure that it is working correctly. After dealing with a few instances of air-conditioning failure over the summer, we now have a brand-new contract for maintenance every six months which should help us avoid problems.

Please be advised that there is now a security camera located within the clubhouse that runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The camera system not only has audio, but also has night vision.

Contractors from Home Depot will be installing new blinds in the clubhouse office this week. These blinds will provide more privacy for people using the clubhouse, and will also help with the Wi-Fi signal as they are made of wood and not metal.

The speakers for the sound system have now been hardwired, and are permanently placed in their spots among the rafters. Please do not attempt to move them. The Board also asked that you please do not change any settings on the stereo system – people have been playing with the tenor and the base, and the Board feels that they have the system adjusted for the best sound within the building.

Landscaping: Landscaping crews will begin mowing the common areas on April 1. Crews will be applying fire ant pesticide, mulching flowerbeds, and doing weed control. New mulch will also be laid down at the playground as well as at the common space on Gauley Drive. We are also on track for seeding on the Parkway. Dirt that was recently dug up from the pool area expansion has been repurposed to fill in a giant hole on the clubhouse playing field.

Residents in attendance mentioned that the garbage bags at the dog supply stations are being faithfully replaced, however, the doggie mess bags have not been refilled with regularity. O’Neill will remind landscapers to keep the bag dispenser filled, as these bags are a part of our landscaping contract.

If you have any problems or questions with landscaping, please contact CAMS and they will contact O’Neill.

A reminder: if you see a street light that is out, please call the proper company to repair them:

— Black poles – owned by SCE&G – please call them and provide the lamp post number found on the pole.

— White poles – owned by the HOA – please call CAMS and provide them with the lamp post number found on the pole. CAMS’s office number is (803) 732-9644

Please do not assume that somebody else will or may have called – both companies would prefer getting multiple calls than no calls, and the streets remaining dark.

Beaver Population Control: Beaver trapping has been going well over the past few weeks. Jeremy reports that the big lake is still showing significant beaver population and activity, so trapping will continue there. Trapping around the clubhouse has been successful and has lessened the population. Jeremy anticipates maybe one more month of trapping and then we should be done.

Jeremy would like neighborhood residents to know the following information about the trapping and the traps:

— Traps are being placed on the back side of most ponds, off the beaten path, and are marked by yellow caution tape. Jeremy has been placing pictures on the unofficial Facebook page, with markings that show the location of active traps.

— Residents are asked to please keep themselves and pets out of the marked areas. Also, please keep dogs out of the ponds where traps are set. These traps are very dangerous to humans and pets.

— It is illegal to tamper with these traps. **Per the state issued permit, the only allowed to touch the traps are Jeremy and one other neighbor who is assisting and also named on the permit, and he checks them every 24 hours.** Individuals found to be tampering with the traps will be fined.

— Traps are built to provide a quick and humane death to beavers that enter them – Jeremy would like concerned residents to know that any trapped beavers do not suffer.

Lost Creek Drive: Jeremy has been in touch with the city regarding the Lost Creek Drive repaving project. The binder, which needed to sit and settle for at least 30 days (in order to find any dips, holes, or depressions), has held up well. Crews have come out to check the binder and have been marking problem areas for repair. Jeremy has been told that crews will be back on April 1st to begin putting down the final topcoat.

Rainy weather over the past couple of months has occasionally held up the progress of the road work, but we are in the final stretch. The Board thanks you for your patience.

Beautification Projects: Lighting repairs are taking place throughout the neighborhood where needed, and once all the road work is finished, new lampposts are scheduled to be placed on Lost Creek Drive, on the hill between Gauley Drive and Grove Hall. The parking lot at the clubhouse complex is slated to be repainted, and all neighborhood signs are scheduled to be repainted after the paving on Lost Creek Drive is completed.

New Lending Library: The new neighborhood lending library is finished! The little library is located at the gazebo on the lake, and contains a number of different books for all of our resident readers. Please feel free to borrow and add books, however, please do not leave books in bags on the dock, and please do not cram books inside the unit as it may not close correctly.

Our BIG THANKS to residents Avery and Ashton, who built the lending library as their beta club service project!

Meeting End: 7:19pm

Minutes reviewed and authorized by: Jeremy Catoe, HOA Board Member

Renée Cabaup/Comm. Comm.

March 2019 Meeting Minutes

CHP HOA Meeting Minutes – 3/25/2019

Contact Us