Annual Meeting Minutes | Saturday, April 13th, 2024

Hello neighbor!

The 2024 Escavera Annual Neighborhood Meeting was held Saturday, April 13th at 3:30pm at the pool pavilion, with about 20 residents in attendance.

Below are the meeting minutes:

Annual Assessment

The 2024 annual assessment remained the same as last year at $532.00. That being said, an alarming number of homeowners have not paid their annual assessment on time, some for multiple years, currently totaling around $18,000 in losses. The Board is looking into how to take stronger actions against homeowners who are not paying, including the below options (which come with their own pros and cons):

• serving liens against the property (which, through Spartanburg County court, would be approximately $400 per property, and only collect on sell of the property), and/or
• sending the outstanding debt to collections (which would immediately hit the homeowner’s credit)

To pay online, or get more information about payment options, please visit https://www.cedarmanagementgroup.com/pay/. You can also pay online through Cedar Management Group’s homeowners portal, Vantaca <https://portal.mycmg.com/>.

We would strongly encourage review of your current balance, to assure no assessments or extraneous charges were missed.

Old business & projects

The Board has completed the below projects:

• purchased a parking lot basketball goal
• purchased pavilion cornhole boards
• purchased an HOA mailbox (for sending mail)
• installed pavilion security cameras
• improved pavilion motion sensor lights
• created the Board-sponsored https://escaveraduncansc.org/ community website
• created pavilion guest Wi-Fi (EscaveraPool-guest)
• still planning for the storage building (which will be located behind the pool)
• still planning an outside seating area/fire pit near the pavilion

New business & projects

• Management company
  • The Board has been experiencing numerous issues with the current Management Company, such as:
    • finding out from our current landscaper that they have not been paid by our Management Company for several months, dating back to late 2023
    • not receiving initiation fees & annual dues on close of a new house sale in the community (we have discussed this with Cedar several times, even requesting documentation on funds collected during the close of sold homes)
    • poor communication with the community manager, and the company as a whole, sometimes being left without a response within reasonable time periods
  • As such, The Board (and the homeowners present at the meeting) agreed to search for another management company, instead of renewing with our current Management Company. This will require giving our current Management Company a 90-day notice.
• Pool lift chair needs to be replaced (a requirement by ADA)
• Pool water fountain needs to be replaced (a requirement by SCDHEC)
• Pool umbrellas need to be replaced and stored properly for maintenance
• Announcements sign board in the pavilion was recommended to be installed by the homeowners
• Retention pond claim
  • Rogers Mill has made a claim that our retention pond has caused issues to their neighborhood, and that our neighborhood is financially responsible, to the tune of $11,000. The Board is working with the Management Company to sort through this situation.

Nominations of a new Board member

The Board is looking for a new Board member; nominations are welcome.

Common violations and fines for non-compliance

The Board wants to have an open discussion about common violations seen, as well as the penalties and fees for violations that are not corrected, and we are looking for homeowner feedback. The common violations are:

• Overgrown/unkept lawns/weeds
• Mold/mildew on the siding of homes
• Unpainted privacy fences
• Overnight street parking
  • Please note: The roads in our community are county roads; cars parked after midnight can be towed at the owner’s expense. Cars are allowed to park on the street during the day, but must not block an adjacent driveway.
• Garbage cans (“roller bins”) that are visible from the road for an extended amount of time

The current fine schedule is:

1. Letter sent to homeowner
2. If not corrected within 14 days, a 2nd letter
3. If not corrected within 30 days, a 3rd and final letter, along with a $25 assessment
4. Continued $25 fines until the violation is corrected

Pool season

The pool is scheduled to open May 1st. Any homeowners who have an outstanding balance, and have not set up a payment arrangement with our Management Company, will have their pool fobs deactivated.

Upcoming Event

The Board would like to host a “Step into Summer” community event, and request a food truck, with the entrée already paid for by the Board (“extras” not included). This would be a great way to connect with your neighbors. The date is currently to be determined. A few other social events will be planned in the future for children and adults.

Called Meeting

The Board is going to have a secondary, called meeting, to re-address 5 outstanding issues with the homeowners:

• Actions against unpaid annual assessments
• Retention pond claim
• Replacing the Management Company
• Fines associated with un-corrected violations
• Nomination of a board member

The date is to be determined.

If you have any questions, or perhaps would like to volunteer to help the community without serving on the Board, please feel free to reach out, or email us at escaverahoa@gmail.com.

Thank you, and have a blessed rest of your day,

The Escavera Board