CHP HOA Meeting Minutes – 810/29/2018
CHP HOA Meeting Minutes – 10//29/2018
Meeting start: 6:32pm
Board Members in Attendance: J.J. Gentry, Jeremy Catoe, Jan Talkish, O’Neil Gilliam
Board Members Absent: Larry Newton
Attendees: 12 Residents, 2 members CCPD
CHP Committees: Our community needs you! A number of committees in CHP are looking for resident volunteers. Interested in improving the pool area? We are in the process of starting a Pool Committee. Do you like to plan events, such as Movie Night and Holiday Parties? Then the Social Committee is your place! Interested in writing blogs for the website, taking notes for special meetings, and getting the word out about important CHP news? You may want to join the Communications Committee. Would you like to help upkeep our beautiful trails and river site, or work to beautify and improve our playground? Then the Trails Committee or Playground Committee may be your calling. Additional committees will be announced and formed as needed. Committees are open to all residents who are interested. Come help us continue to make CHP a wonderful place to live!
Visit from CCPD: At the Board’s request, we were visited by Officers Phelps and Jason of the Columbia Police Department’s Northwest Division, to discuss the recent car break-ins within the community. There have been approximately 8 vehicle break-ins within the last month, which the officers say is not unheard of in large communities such as ours. Most of the break-ins did NOT involve forced entry – which means the cars were left unlocked and thieves simply opened the doors. Thieves are looking for money, electronic devices (GPS, call phones, computers, etc.), and personal items of value (such as jewelry). CCPD recommends that you do not leave any valuables, purses, electronics, evidence of electronics (such as suction cup marks on windshields or charging cables) visible, and that you LOCK all car doors when you are not using your car, especially at night. The majority of crimes within the neighborhood are caused by people passing through or people from other neighborhoods. If you see somebody or something suspicious, contact the police. If that person is in the act of committing a crime, immediately call 911. If the person is just acting suspicious, call the non-emergency number (803-252-2911). Calls can be made anonymously. More times than not, in the case of a suspicious person, they leave the area when the police do a drive through.
The officers would like to remind residents that – with the holiday season coming up – package theft and other property related crimes will become a larger problem, so be aware. If you have been thinking about getting a home security system or cameras, now is the time – cameras and systems are widely available from most electronic and big box stores. If you are not sure exactly what you need to protect your home, the Columbia Police Department has a Security Assessment Team, available FREE of charge to Columbia home owners, that can advise you of the best security system for your property. Contact the Crime Prevention Office at 803-545-3555 for more information.
Home security cameras are a big help when it comes to reporting crimes to one’s property, car, and house. Cameras are also a good deterrent to criminal activity, as crime seems to be less active in areas where cameras are announced or noticed. Having a home security sign on your lawn or house also helps. Alarm systems for your car and home will also not only alert home owners to a problem, but deter criminals from continuing with their actions. The officers would like to let residents know that they should not fret about ‘false alarms’…..the police would rather come out and make sure all is well, than have you worry you are wasting their time.
Our unofficial Facebook page continues to be a good source of community communication when it comes to alerting residents to crimes in the neighborhood, so keep sharing that info! Chances are, if you have been the victim of a crime, somebody else has as well, and the more info the police can gather, the better.
With Halloween occurring this week, the officers also want to let residents know that they will be patrolling the Community to make sure all is well.
Halloween: As mentioned, Halloween is this week, and JJ would like to remind residents of the holiday guidelines in the neighborhood:
– Trick or treating is from 6pm to 9pm
-Lights on if you are participating, lights off is you are not.
– Make sure you kids are visible to cars within the Community
– Leave hazard lights on while parked or pulled over
– with the ongoing road work, please avoid parking on Lost Creek Drive
Street Lights: If you have a streetlight out near your home (or see one out in the Community) please alert the proper entity below:
– Black poles: SCE&G – call their main number, and give them the pole ID number (on a plate on the pole) and street location. Most repairs are made within a day or two.
– White poles: CHP Community fixtures – contact the Board at www.chpsc.org
Roadwork Updates: The City of Columbia has a Facebook page which is updated every Friday evening (and more often, if necessary) with info about the Lost Creek paving project. The page name is: City of Columbia, SC Public Work. The page is open to the public, and residents are encouraged to join to keep informed as work continues.
Annual Budget Meeting: It is almost time for the annual budget meeting, which will take place on Monday, December 10, at the clubhouse. All residents are welcome to attend. The Board is currently in the process compiling a list of financial necessities for the coming year. We already know that the needed repairs on the pool – which must be completed this spring in order for the pool to open on schedule – will cost anywhere from $30,000 – $50,000. Also, many amenities – built during the initial construction period – are nearing 20-25 years old, and will need some repairs or updating. It is the goal of the Board NOT to raise dues for the upcoming year, while still maintaining the Community for the comfort and enjoyment of its residents. CHP has only seen a raise in HOA dues once, and the board is working hard to keep dues at the current rate. The Board is also making a ‘wish list’ of items they would like to see purchased for the community with leftover funds (not including the Reserve Fund, which must be maintained for emergencies). Dues will never be raised to obtain ‘wish list’ items. If residents have suggestions for improvements to the Community, please share them with the Board prior to the meeting. The Board may be reached via the website email at www.chpsc.org.
Copies of the CHP financial statement will be handed out to all attending the meeting, and the Board will discuss the finances with attendees, as well as answer any questions residents may have.
Vendor Updates: As discussed at prior HOA meetings, the Board has not been pleased with the quality of services offered by the various management companies that we have hired (CAMS, Carolina Pool, and US Landscaping), and thus, they are actively looking into possible replacements. The Board is looking into other landscaping companies, has already scheduled a meeting with another pool management company, and will be meeting with CAMS this coming Monday, following a community meeting (please see below). Vendor contracts run from January through December of each year, so the Board is working as quickly as possible to address these continued issues.
Community Meeting with CAMS: This coming Monday, November 5, from 5:30pm until 7:30pm, David Peterson, the owner of CAMS Management Company, will be holding a meeting at the Clubhouse to talk with residents, answer their questions, and hear their comments, suggestions, and complaints. The meeting agenda is as follows:
5:30pm – 6:30pm: One-on-one discussions with David and CAMS associates, on a first come, first serve basis. Residents who need to discuss a personal issue are asked to please bring a copy of their ID, proof of residency in CHP (such utility bill), and any letters, emails, records of phone calls, paperwork received from CAMS, etc.
6:30pm – 7:30pm: David will address all attendees in an open forum discussion with a question and answer period.
Reminders and information about this meeting will be continually advertised on the unofficial Facebook page, the CHP website, and on flyers posted throughout the community. Following this public meeting, the Board will be holding a private meeting with David and his associates.
Clubhouse Updates: There will be a meeting on Monday, November 26 to set up a date for decorating the clubhouse for the Holidays. All residents interested in volunteering to help decorate are welcome to attend. The CHP Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, December 8 – more details to come.
Also – the parking lot at the Clubhouse is slated for repairs as well – no date given on when that may occur, but it is in the works.
Inspections: Starting after the first of the New Year, the Architectural Review Committee will begin regular monthly inspections within the Community. Residents found to be in violation of the HOA bylaws, rules, and covenants will receive a written notice. If the repairs/changes are not made within the allotted amount of time, fines will be imposed. Inspections will be made by an associate of CAMS, driving a marked vehicle. The associate will NOT physically walk on to your property to find violations – inspections will be made from the vehicle, on the road. Board members will NOT be accompanying the associate during these inspections. If the associate finds a violation, they may take a picture of your property (again, from their vehicle) as proof of the violation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the board via the website: www.chpsc.org.
Section Signs: The large signs marking each section of the Community will be repainted and repaired (if needed) during the next few months. Lights that are out or broken will also be repaired.
Landscaping: O’Neil and Jeremy recently met with the three residents of Grove Hall Lane whose properties abut the small pond behind their homes. A recent survey of the property lines showed that there is no easement or public access near their properties for the pond. In order to allow public access to the pond, the board has authorized the creation of a trail, extending from Lost Creek Drive, behind the sign and pump station, up the hill to the back side of the pond (opposite side away from private residential properties). This will be a natural trail – no gravel or paving – with appropriate signage. The trail will take about a week to complete, so during that time, residents of Grove Hall Lane, Chestnut Woods, and some of the patio homes on Lost Creek, will be subject to additional noise. A work date has not yet been established, but notification will be made via the unofficial Facebook page.
Recently, O’Neil and the pesticide application contractor walked the community to check on the state of the common area grass. There are multiple areas on the priority that have up to 95% loss of grass due to the harsh 2017-2018 winter season we experienced in our area. It was decided by O’Neil and the contractor that the best mode of repair is to aerate and seed sections of the neighborhood. It is hoped that this will help restore the common area grass before summer 2019.
Social Committee: The Social Committee is pleased to announce that the summer BBQ was a big success! It was the first pay event held by the Committee, and the money raised not only covered the associated costs, but the surplus helped to offset expenses for the recent movie night. The committee thanks everyone who came out to have fun and support the events!
New Business: There was no new business raised, and all questions asked by attendees were answered during subject discussions.
Meeting End: 8:13pm
APPROVED
Jeremy Catoe, Board Member
11-4-2018
Renee Cabaup/Comm. Comm.
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