Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Plans will benefit from state help

Re "HOA debate intensifies," Oct. 15 article:

The panel at the forum stated several times that most of the covenants in place for many communities are outdated. To be of benefit to all residents, the best course of action is to amend covenants and bring them current to today's laws. While some board members in our community have been working to research the laws and county codes while attempting to retain the value of our homes, there is still much to be done to be able to move forward. This is an example of how important it is to have regulation changes from the state, but not as the current proposal is written. Perhaps the state should make sure that any new planned development has covenants in place to avoid subjecting residents to the struggle and expense to prove certain covenants are no longer applicable in today's society. It is time for the state of South Carolina to step forward and recognize that homeowners associations can make or break a community, and to assist communities, the right choices need to be made in this proposed legislation.

The statements made by Robin Donelson are misleading and untrue. What Donelson failed to disclose is that she is a member of the board of directors in the community in which she lives. As a board member, she agreed to allow the covenants committee to offer suggestions to facilitate the rewriting of the covenants. The amended covenants would then be presented to the community for approval and adoption.

Donelson also stated that she is facing thousands of dollars in legal fees related to the HOA. This is an exaggeration as she and several other residents have joined together and chosen to enlist the services of an attorney against the HOA concerning nonenforcement of the covenants. To date, this action has resulted in a single letter being generated by the hired attorney. As of this writing, only one true covenant violation has occurred, and the board of directors is in the process of rectifying the violation to conform to the terms of the existing adopted covenants.

These comments were a deliberate attempt to manipulate the community into thinking that their current board is not working for the benefit of all the residents. Our community is young and has a long road ahead in the amendment and adoption of final covenants. I can assure the members of my community that as a board member, I have the best intentions for all residents of the community and not just a chosen few.

I was very disappointed that Donelson chose to grossly misrepresent the facts surrounding the HOA in the community in which she lives. As the president of that HOA, I feel that we would be much better served by joining together for the betterment of the community. This would be much more helpful than the turmoil that is caused by a small faction that chooses to cause problems within the community without offering up any real solutions.

The writer lives in Myrtle Beach.