Pictures of Dilapidated Tennis Courts and Pool of HI …. for your viewing pleasure… or not.

In case you haven’t visited the pool and tennis courts in Hedgerow I lately, we thought it would be helpful and informative to share some pictures so you can see the poor condition. 

Cracks so deep and dangerous, causes a tripping hazard.

Cracks throughout the courts, looks like a road map from year after year of patching.

Pool decking that has chunks of concrete literally falling off in pool

Men's bathroom

Ladies bathroom

Ladies stall doors

Original outdated landscaping of hedges that are in poor shape, in common area.

Appetizing BBQ....

Tennis Chair for Hedgerow…

 There has been a recent change in the Tennis Chair in Hedgerow as Joe Reardon will be taking over for Christina Firth as of August 2011. A huge thanks to Christina for all your work with the board and with the tennis community.

You can still reach Joe Reardon at  hedgerowtennis@gmail.com. This year Hedgerow took 1st place in its division in Spring Alta 2011 and went to the playoffs- Congratulations to all team members and Coach Chris Hotujec, Frank Dekoskie and Tarpley Adams…..

We are gearing up for Fall Mens Alta 2011 (c-1 division) that starts in September so if you are not signed up please see Chris Hotujec our fearless leader/coach for Fall Men’s Tennis Christopher.Hotujec@Teradata.com. 

I will be sending out a poll soon on what you would like to see more of around the tennis community like having a dedicated Pro that can start working on clinics/lessons as I know we have had this prior, setting up fun weekend tournaments, taking a team to a clinic prior to a season starting and the obvious court conditions which there will be much more to come on this. I look forward to working with the neighborhood to promote more tennis play and get many more involved!

Thanks!

Joe Reardon- ncsu333@gmail.com

So What’s With All Those New Doors at the H1 Pool House

The new doors were installed just prior to the pool season start and we appreciate everyone’s interest and concern over their usage.  The HHOA Board decided to have the doors installed several reasons, Can you guess which one below is correct?

1. Two doors just aren’t enough, four is the optimal
2. We think people playing tennis should never have to mingle with pool goers
3. Twice the access, means twice the fun!
4. Depending on your business at hand, you can use Door #1 or Door #2
5. None of the Above

If you guessed, “None of the Above”, you are exactly correct.  The doors are for a very specific purpose and it has little to do with pool season.  In fact, during the pool season, those doors on the outside of the pool area will remain bolted.  They will only be utilized when the pool season has come to a close.  At that time, the pool gate will be bolted so that no one may enter the pool area unless they are specifically providing maintenance services or have official business with the pool.

Why go through all this trouble?

Well, kids being kids (and some adults being kids), there has been some behavior that occurs specifically in the off season that needed to be stopped.  One such event involved some brilliant hegies that decided running across the pool cover in the frozen winter months was an intelligent way to spend a few hours.  This was just one incident of many, including beer cans and late night fireworks displays, that brought the open access to the pool area to a close in the non-pool season.  Liability being what it is these days, it appeared time to block off the pool to all residents when the pool season is no longer in session.

Which brings me back to those stylish new doors!  When pool season is over, tennis season is still rolling on.  To facilitate access to the facilities, we had to install the new doors and they will be opened to use in the off season.  The doors that access the pool area will then be bolted shut for the duration of the non-pool season.

Thank you to everyone who brought these issues to our attention.

Hedgerow Mixed Doubles Team Finish a Great Showing

Congratulations to our Hedgerow Mixed Doubles Team! Despite injuries and weather complications, the Hedgerow Mixed Doubles team just missed the playoffs by a few points.  Many thanks to our captain, Catherine Matthews, and all of the players for another great season.

It appears that several of the men’s and women’s teams have folded from playing out of Hedgerow, which puts a dent in our tennis budget.  If you are playing on an outside team, please consider captaining or co-captaining your team so you can play out of Hedgerow!  The non-resident fee for your players is only $25, which is $5-$10 cheaper than playing out of public courts such as Harrison. Other advantage are having the seclusion of private courts and restrooms, close parking, shaded seating, and adult beverages!  We rely on non-resident dues to pay for maintenance of our courts, in addition to regular dues.  So think ahead – – captain your summer team and bring them to Hedgerow!

Submitted by Christina Firth, Tennis Chair, HHOA

Great Article: HOA Dues in Georgia

I stumbled upon the article below, as I have been fielding (and every HOA Board member usually does) comments and questions about paying or not paying HOA dues.  Specifically, residents tend to wonder whether their usage of facilities (pools, tennis courts, etc.) or not should impact their obligations to pay the HOA dues.  At Hedgerow, I am very pleased to say that we have a history of high percentage payment from our community member households.  This is a testament to the Homeowners and all of our desires to improve and maintain our little slice of Roswell.  The article explains why we should all strive to maintain that rate and improve it.

Understanding HOA Dues In Georgia

By: Michael Rome, J.D. The articles below are not a substitute for consultation with legal counsel.

If you live in a mandatory homeowner association you probably pay annual dues, also called annual assessments. In condominium associations the assessments are usually paid in monthly installments. These dues help pay for such things as; maintenance of the common facilities, and professional services (including accountants, attorneys, & management companies). It is also prudent for an association to establish a reserve account to be used for large future expenditures, such as resurfacing the pool.

The provisions for paying annual dues are contained in the Declaration of Covenants for your association. The Declaration of Covenants is filed on the deed records in your county’s Superior Court. You automatically agreed to the terms of these covenants by purchasing your home.

The amount of the annual dues or “assessment” is determined each year by the Board of the Association. To protect the interests of both the homeowners and their lenders, the covenants often establish a maximum assessment based on the anticipated costs for maintaining the community. Usually, this maximum cannot be exceeded without a vote from the membership, but some covenants allow the Board to increase this amount each year by a specific percentage, or in step with the Consumer Price Index.

If a homeowner does not pay the dues, most covenants state that the association may charge a late fee and interest. In addition, a lien can be filed on the property called an “Assessment Lien.” This lien may contain extra costs including recording fees, cancellation fees, and attorney fees. It is not necessary to institute suit in order to file the lien.

An assessment lien should be paid in full during a sale of the property, or in the case of refinancing. In extreme cases, involving large amounts of past dues, an association would also have the ability to foreclose its lien on the property. In addition, the covenants often give the association the right to contact a homeowner’s mortgage company to notify them of the unpaid assessments.

Besides the above penalties, a homeowner could also be suspended from their right to use the common property (such as the pool), and their right to vote in the association, if such provisions are contained within the covenants.

Some residents try to withhold payment on their annual dues because they don’t use the amenities, or have a complaint about the association. The Georgia courts have ruled that a homeowner’s duty to pay dues is independent of the association’s obligation to provide services. Therefore, a homeowner cannot withhold payment due to their non-use of the common areas or because of a complaint about the association.