HOA LIBERTY SQUARE MINUTES 

Minutes of the May 4^th  Meeting of the Liberty Square Homeowners Association

 Meeting Time:  7:00 pm

Attendees:

Liberty Square Board of Directors: Bill Jury and Vicky Loy

Property Manager: Chardon Wyatt

Homeowners: Dave Gamble, Benny Hamby, Mike Loy, Dan Regelski, Cyrilla Smith, E.Rojas, Ginger & Ernie Olivito, Harold Kellogg, Niki Carrey, Peyman Khan, Bridget  Courtney, Pete Douglas, Merry Impey

Minutes: 

The meeting was called to order at 19:07

HOA Board updates:

Financial:

• Operating account currently – approximately $34,000
• Reserve account currently –  approximately  $27,000
• Delinquent Dues currently- approximately  $12,000

**reminder that all HOA dues must be current before pool keys can be given out**

Neighborhood Update

A neighborhood update was given on the current status of the neighborhood and recent activities on behalf of the residents of Liberty Square:

• Landscaping has been completed for all 4 corners of the commons area.
• Dog signs regarding pick up your dog poop and keep your dog on a leash at all times have been installed all over the neighborhood. REMINDER : No Exceptions- All dogs in the PARK must be on a leash at all times. Residents are complaining they cannot take their kids to the park to play due to several homeowners that are still allowing their dogs to come off their leashes. Repairs have been made to the tennis court.
• Pool repairs will be completed before pool opening which is scheduled for Saturday May 13^th. There are 2 more dates for the distribution of pool keys : May 10^th– 7:00-8:30 and May 13^th, 10:00-11:30. Please note all HOA dues must be current before keys will be given out to any resident.
• All 4 detention ponds are in need of cleaning to include debree, saplings,and underbrush. Two of them will be scheduled for the Fall, the remaining two will be 1^st of next year. Total cost for these will be around $12,000 but must be done as it is the responsibility of the subdivision to keep these cleaned and functional.
• New pool gate and lock has been installed. New keys were made to fit the gate instead of alternating keys as we have in the past. Hopefully the higher gate will deter intruders from climbing over the gate.

Open Discussion The floor was opened for discussion regarding any neighborhood topics;

• Benny Hamby brought up concerns about 2 trees by his home that are close to the detention pond next to his property. His concern being they are getting so tall that if they were to come down due to wind or storms they are close enough to do some damage to his property. Chardon made a note to follow up.

• Board reinstated having residents sign a document that has the pool rules listed before they will be given a key to the pool. Residents found to be non-compliant with these rules shall be subject to the following actions:

1. 1^st offense: Written notification of violation
2. 2^nd offense: Fine of between $25 -$100 dependent upon violation
3. 3^rd offense: Revoked amenity access

If  anyone observes non residents using the pool they should call 911  since they will be charged with trespassing.

• Dog poop and dogs off of leashes signs have been added. Warning letters will be sent to offenders. If rules are not followed the county will have to get involved and animal control. Residents feeling unsafe should contact animal control or Acworth PD to make a complaint, as the HOA has no enforcement authority over off-leash pets any more than we can issue traffic tickets for speeding.
• Arrows were added to at the flagpole, however there is some confusion about why this happened. The City Manager and police officer that came out to assist us with this dangerous spot stated they would be adding 3 way stop signs. They were adamant that this area was not a Roundabout. Dan Regelski will follow up with his contacts for an update.
• There is a garbage can that has been moved from the pool area. This is considered a theft so if anyone “borrowed” it for some reason, it should be returned immediately or further action will be taken..

• A resident voiced concern about the corner area of one of the commons area that continues to have sand and dirt washed to the sidewalk which creates a very slippery situation. HOA  board will look into our options as this was created as a result of  some large trees being removed and the ground is eroding.
• Pete Douglas requested that Chardon ask our landscapers if they would give us quotes for aerating lots. Since some of the yards are in dire need of attention and the landscapers costs that we pay is basically to mow and blow.
• A lengthy discussion took place regarding the ARC committee, the covenants, bi-laws and the guidelines. As it was determined that this meeting was not the forum to continue this discussion it was ended with further follow ups to happen with the ARC and HOA.

Meeting adjourned at 8:05 – at which time keys were distributed to those that came prepared with their keys to swap out, read the pool rules, and their dues were current.

Minutes of the February 22, 2017 Meeting of the Liberty Square Homeowners Association

 Meeting Time:  7:00 pm

Attendees:

Liberty Square Board of Directors:  Tony Weatherington ,Bill Jury, and Vicky Loy

Property Manager: Unable to attend

Homeowners:Dave Gamble, Mike Loy, Dan & Eileen Regelski, Flora Odom, Grace Tagoe, Gloria Dunaway, Cyrilla Smith, Angela Durham, Marlene Nikoukaru

Minutes: 

The meeting was called to order at 19:07

HOA Board updates:

Financial:

• Operating account currently – approximately $40,000
• Reserve account currently –  approximately  $27,000
• Delinquent Dues currently- approximately  $17,000( 2 at $1000 ^ )

**reminder that all HOA dues must be current before pool  keys can be given out**

Neighborhood Update

A neighborhood update was given on the current status of the neighborhood and recent activities on behalf of the residents of Liberty Square:

• Special thanks to Tony Weatherington & Bill Jury for hanging our new flags at the entrance way.
• Privacy fence beside the pool had a portion that was knocked to the ground by apparently someone backing into it. Fence has been repaired.
• Two of our residents Mike & Vicky Loy recently found a homeless camp being set up in the woods between Liberty Square and Ingles (if coming from Ingles on the left hand side (2^nd outlet) They went to Ingles & reported this to their assistant mgr who immediately phoned the police, who in turn arrived within minutes into Liberty Square. The next day there was no sign of the camp. Ingles said they would be happy to take care of this problem immediately but someone has to report it to them.
• All residents should be vigilant and advise Ingles immediately of your findings. We spoke to Mindy (assistant mgr) and she said she is always available to assist our neighborhood with anything that involves Ingles property.
• Two of our residents, Mike Loy & Dan Regelski attended a town meeting a few weeks ago where they approached the mayor and Acworth City Manager regarding the parking position demarcation lines that needed to be re-painted. Past requests to have this done had been unsuccessful. Special thanks to both of them for attending the meeting & going directly to the source. They attended the meeting on a Saturday, the stripes were painted on the following Tuesday. Both of them are also following up on having a police officer or City Mgr come into our neighborhood and review the roundabout as you enter the subdivision.  Concerns and complaints regarding how unsafe and confusing this area is has been voiced. Hopefully stop signs or arrows can be added. They will update the board as they get updates on this project. Again, thanks!
• Repair to tennis court cracks has been scheduled for April. It was suggested that pictures be taken of the tennis court prior to the repair to keep on file.
• Costs are being obtained for sail shades which will be a more permanent replacement for the pool umbrellas which continue to be destroyed each year.

Open Discussion The floor was opened for discussion regarding any neighborhood topics;

• Board will reinstate having residents sign a document that has the pool rules listed before they will be given a key to the pool. Still concerns about the gate not being secure enough to keep non-residents out.
• Letter was sent out to all residents covering several  items of concerns. Dog poop and dogs off of leashes is a continuous problem which was one of the items addressed in the letter. Hopefully signs will be posted soon to indicate that IT IS THE LAW –to pick up your dog’s poop,and that all dogs are required to be on leashes. Signage will include that fines can be imposed if residents do not follow these rules.
• Landscaping quotes have been rec’d /reviewed by the board for landscaping projects (budgeted for this year) which will include the front entry behind the flag and the corners of each commons area. This will be something that will be started and completed within the next 3 months.
• Liberty Square is responsible for the upkeep of the detention ponds which are for flood control. As you enter the subdivision (behind the iron fence) will be the first one that will be cleaned out as it has not been maintained for at least 7 years or longer.  Quotes rec’d so far are too high, board has asked for multiple quotes before we proceed with this project.
• A resident voiced concern about not having a firewall behind their homes. Board will look into who/what is necessary to address this concern.

Meeting adjourned at 19:45.

Meeting Time:  7:00 pm

Attendees:

Liberty Square Board of Directors:  Tony Weatherington, Bill Jury, and Vicky Loy

Property Manager:  Chardon Wyatt

Homeowners

Dave Gamble, Mike Loy, Dan & Eileen Regelski, Chad & Beth Whiteside, Amanda & Pete Douglas,Jack Sorrells,Flora Odom, Lena Grace Tagoe, Lester Dunaway, Deshawn Bullock, Benny Hamby,Peyman Khan, Cyrilla Smith, Joseph Pitts,Matt & Sarah Pitts

Minutes:

The meeting was called to order at 19:07. HOA Board update:

• Two board members; Carl Sulzer and Marty Marks have both sold their homes and will be moving out of Liberty Square. We wish them both luck with their new homes.The board appointed Bill Jury and Vicky Loy as replacements for these two positions.
• A quorum was confirmed based on attendees and proxy votes submitted.
• One resident was nominated and Tony volunteered to run for another term.
• Tony Weatherington won the election and will retain his position as HOA president.

Financial:

• The operating account currently has a balance of approximately $42,500 and the reserve account has a balance of $26,800.

A couple of notable projects are upcoming that will affect the budget (increased) has been updated accordingly under maintenance to include

1)pool repairs that will include leak detection as we continue to have some leaks. These are not unusual repairs and should be expected due to the age of the pool.  2) Team management is currently obtaining bids for the tennis court to repair the new cracks in the foundation. ** It was noted that the lifetime of resurfacing tennis courts is 5 year. **

Neighborhood Update

A neighborhood update was given on the current status of the neighborhood and recent activities being undertaken on behalf of the residents.

• Team management is currently obtaining bids for the corners as you enter the subdivision (commons areas) to beautify these corners due to loss of trees and bushes.
• Several projects completed recently 1) the playground has been recently painted and stained. 2) All bricks in the commons areas (park, playground, entrances) have been pressure washed. 3)Several diseased bushes around the playground /gazebo area had to be removed. Removal necessary to prevent any further contamination.
• The board is currently checking on an alternative for umbrellas for the pool for the upcoming summer as we continue to purchase umbrellas and because residents do not close them back up when they leave they always get destroyed which is a waste of the homeowners money. There is an alternative the board is looking into that will be a more permanent fix that will provide shade.
• Residents complained about non residents entering the pool. Several comments and suggestions were made which included: 1) check into purchasing a higher gate for entrance 2) pool rules need to be on the outside of the entrance gate 3) Bracelets or pins should be required if you are at the pool. For this to be effective residents will have to be involved to challenge anyone that does not have one of these. Concern noted that most residents are hesitant to speak up and get involved. Unfortunately we do not have the funds to have someone on sight at the pool to enforce our rules.
• Board will reinstate having residents sign a document that has the pool rules listed before they will be given a key to the pool.
• Past due HOA dues list was discussed in general regarding the current status. As of the meeting on the 18^th the past due amount was $11,924.54. Appropriate measures and follow ups have been taken by the board and Team Management. Resident requested that Team Management review the # of renters that are on this list and also asked about limiting the number of renters that we currently have. As for the covenants specifying a cap on the number of renters allowed there is not one. In order to change the covenants 75 % of residents will have to agree to do so. In addition there are huge legal fees involved when attempting to change any covenants Resident asked about the necessity of the pool phone which is $750 annually. Chardon noted that the pool will not pass inspection if we don’t have an emergency phone on the premises by the pool. Unfortunately this amount reflects a corporate rate and is the cheapest rate available.
• Resident stated that the landscapers are spraying weed killer instead of edging the weeds. Some of his plants around his home were killed. Chardon to get Gold Touch in touch with the resident and to correct this issue.

Open Discussion

The floor was opened for discussion regarding any topics

• Bill Jury is now a member of the board which means he cannot chair the architectural committee. Floor was opened for volunteers and asked attendees to spread the word that another board member is needed.
• Residents commented again about cars parking illegally outside of marked spaces on the street. The board has followed up with both the county and city and neither are claiming ownership of painting new markers for parking. As one last attempt a letter will be sent to our mayor asking him for his guidance.

• Residents brought up the number of cars that are parking on the streets. A reminder that the covenants are very clear and straight forward. If you own 2 cars they must be parked in your garage. If you own more than 2 cars those should be parked in your driveway. A letter of several concerns will be sent to all owners and this will be one of the issues.
• Owners continue to be irresponsible and not clean up after their dogs.

This problem will be included in the letter of concerns.

Neighborhood communications

• A resident set up a Facebook Group for the neighborhood.This will allow us all to communicate, share ideas and hopefully bring the neighborhood closer together.

Here’s the link – www.facebook.com/groups/libertysquareacw…

• nextdoor.com is another source of communication which includes not just our neighborhood but surrounding Acworth neighborhoods as well.
• https://www.libertysquareacworth.com/ you will find all sorts of information on this website that includes copies of HOA minutes, Architectural Control Requests, and Covenants and By- Laws.
• The bulletin board will have notices or reminders plus contact information.

Meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.

Minutes – Vicky Loy & Bill Jury