George Thurman

I want to personally thank each of the 240 members who attended the Annual HOA meeting July 12 in the Chapel. This was the largest attendance I can remember since Arlene and I purchased property here in 1992. This record attendance occurred despite a golf tournament going on the same morning. I am sure that everyone came to hear all about the HOA and our past achievements and future objectives and not for the Varsity grease fix.

I must say I was disappointed though when there were so few questions to the board. Yes, I had carefully reviewed every detail of the budget with our esteemed Treasurer Ben Collins and past President Helen Buckelew until I knew every detail and was loaded for bear, hunting for squirrels! We had covered every line item on the budget......and I was ready for the question: "If we are in such good financial shape, why did you increase dues?" But, it never came.

I had spent hours poring over the budget, each major expenditure; I knew it forwards and backwards and what I didn't know, Ben was ready for....the silence was deafening.....and then....finally the question;  "Is the HOA ever going to stand up for the single family home owner?" Before I address my response, for those who weren't there, let me say I took exception to that statement, because there have been three times in the history of the HOA that the HOA took up the gauntlet and stood the task. 

Bob Garstin had just finished a very interesting report on the 2008 Big Canoe Census (1.28 MB) the HOA contracted him to do that showed the average tenureship of a property owner to be 7.5 years so I guess I should be patient with those who either have a short memory or don't know the history of the HOA.

HOA responds to "Christmas Eve Massacre"

Three times since Big Canoe began in 1972, the HOA has risen to defend the home owners. The first was Dec. 24, 1985 (thereafter known as the "Christmas Eve Massacre") when a special POA Board meeting was called by the then totally controlled developer (company) board with just a token two property owner representatives.  The purpose of the special meeting was to vote on conveying all the then existing "common properties" (including amenities) in Big Canoe to the Association. In addition to the sale (conveyance), the Company also presented a resolution for the Company to be retained by the POA to manage the POA's about-to-be- acquired assets. 

The two property owner directors objected to the total dollar amount of $850,000 demanded by the company and to the Company's plan to charge the POA for managing the property on an ongoing basis.  But, it was us against them and they had more directors so the vote carried. 

At this point, the BC HOA stepped into the breech. The HOA had been formed as a civic-type organization to serve the "residents" of Big Canoe.  Although the HOA had no governing authority, the HOA Board, led by its President, Mike Canton, quickly adopted the role of advocacy and hired an Atlanta law firm and ultimately the "issue" was resolved in the favor of the property owners.

Thus, the lawsuit of 1986 and the subsequent Settlement Agreement of 1987 represented the first significant occasion when the HOA publicly opposed both the POA Board and the Company.  Ten years later, in 1996, came the second and third such occasions. 

A major water service disruption occurred Jan. 1, 1996.  Distribution system equipment failed during extremely cold weather affecting a large portion of the western part of Big Canoe.  The HOA began an investigation and quickly determined that the equipment had been poorly maintained and was in bad operating condition.  The HOA stepped in and reviewed the settlement of the 1986 lawsuit where one of the stipulations was maintenance of the water system.  A Maintenance process (and Manual) prepared by a civil engineering firm was part of that settlement - and the process had not been followed.  The short version was that thanks to the efforts of the HOA, the water system was soon fixed. So at this time it was some of us against some of them.

The third occasion of HOA advocacy arose in October 1996 over the Amenity Reserve Fund where the developer directors wanted to remove one of the major restrictions on the Company when accessing the Amenity Reserve Fund.  They wanted the POA to secure loans and cover interest for projects until they were completed and turned over to the POA.  It was all of them (the company and the elected directors by property owners) against us. The property owner-elected directors "encouraged" by the HOA finally saw the light and reversed their support for the removal of the restriction.

I would like to point out that the Byrne Corporation did not acquire the developer portion of Big Canoe until after the settlement of 1987 and the Corporation therefore did not build, but acquired, the failing infrastructure, including the water distribution system in existence at that time.  The Byrne Corporation stepped into a mess but slowly over 20 years now, after pouring millions into our community, Big Canoe today is one of the premiere places to live in the Southeast.

We've turned against ourselves

So, please don't suggest the HOA has never stood up for the single family home owner.  Now we have a group of dissidents who want the HOA to take action against the POA, that is majority controlled by the home owners that elected them, because they (the dissidents) don't like the decisions the board has made.....so now we have us against us!

I have been approached by several property owners requesting the HOA to lead the charge to reverse the decisions of the POA board when those decisions were perfectly within the charge of the POA board to make. 

I didn't say the HOA agreed with all the decisions, I said we elected them to make the decisions they did and they were made with the intent of the best interest of the property owners.  The HOA will again step forward when there is a majority of the members wanting to address an issue, but that is not 300 people out of 3,000 who feel we need to challenge everything the POA board does.

So let's get on with it. We have a great clubhouse, and I just smile when I call at the last minute to see if I can get a seat for dinner and they say, "sorry, no more room." If so many people are dissatisfied why are there no seats available?  I remember too well walking in the old Sconti and being able to pick any table I wanted because I was the only customer; not anymore;  and then I smile as I remind myself to make earlier reservations.

We all came to Big Canoe for its character and for the great friends and lifestyle we enjoy.  There are over 300 volunteers contributing their time just within Big Canoe. Be part of it. Join a committee, run for the POA, HOA, but don't sit on your derriere and be like so many who want to tell everyone what they should do and how they should do it - without "doing it" themselves.

The story behind the dues increase

Oh yes, why the dues increase? Since you didn't ask, I will tell you anyway. Within the past five years we have had three postal increases; the cost for web-based services has doubled; and the requirement for printed reports to inform members has tripled. 

Another example of our increased expenses - for those of you who enjoyed the Varsity, the cost to the HOA was $14 per person, but members only paid $5, non members $10.  Last year the HOA purchased an outdoor stage and storage trailer for the multiple concerts we produce and for other events.  We provided radios for BCERT and half the cost of a thermal imaging camera that has been used to find hidden fires within walls of homes.  Had the cameras not been available, fires would not have been detected until after major damage was done. 

Last year our legal fees tripled due to bringing our bylaws current.  This year we are aggressively pursuing more efficient ways to operate the HOA and we must build up the legal reserve fund that has been unaddressed for some time, in case we need to again answer the need for the members.