ONE BOARD MEMBER'S THOUGHTS ON THE 475 MILAN ISSUE

[jerry]

I want to add a few of my thoughts to the discussion regarding this issue.

As a Board member and resident of Villagio, I try to serve the interests of the individual home owner and the interest of the Villagio community at large. The 475 Milan issue is a good example of the complexity Board members face in what may appear to many to be a simple issue.

From the very start of this situation at 475 Milan, the individual board members and Peachtree Management have been actively engaged in trying to resolve this issue in the best interest of the home owner and the community at large. The fact that the issue was not resolved as quickly as many members of the community would have liked, is not an indication of a lack of activity by the Board and Peachtree Manangement.

The owner of the 475 Milan unit has a legitimate issue. Water is leaking into the garage and she would like for the Board and Peachtree Management to fix it asap. This makes good sense not only for the owner's convenience, but also to prevent further damage that might cost the HOA money for repairs. In order to determine the source of the leak, the Board and Peachtree Management hired construction experts to find the source and conduct the appropriate repairs. Unfortunately, finding the source of water leaks is not always an exact science and the process has taken more time than anyone would have liked. I am happy to report that my understanding is that the source has been identified as an outside leak and the HOA is moving forward expeditiously to fix and pay for the repairs. Although the results are not happening as quickly as anyone would like, the Board and Peachtree Management have been actively engaged in assessing the issue and resolving it since the very first day.

Like most other residents, I was very disturbed when I saw the owner's personal property piled outside in the common area of the courtyard. Obviously, the situation could have adverse implications for our home values and the reputation of Villagio as a desirable community. All of the Board members and Peachtree Management were similarly disturbed and began immediate efforts to resolve this issue in order to address our responsibility to the community at large. In order to be fair to both the resident owner and the community at large, the Board and Peachtree Management sought legal advice to make sure our actions were in compliance with our association documents and the law. Again, this process took time. The Board and Peachtree Management moved forward with advice of our attorney, and provided the owner with notice to remove the personal property. As of the moment, it looks as if the owner is in partial compliance with our request. The Board and Peachtree Management are actively monitoring the compliance to make sure it is complete. The progress is not happening as quickly as we would like, but it looks like we are moving in the right direction.

Each of the Board members are dedicated to provide the individual residents and the community at large with professional, competent and transparent service that is fair to all parties involved. Most of the time the process take longer than we would like, but we are not aware of a better alternative, given the nature of our responsibility. We perform this service in addition to our full time jobs and family responsibilities, without compensation of any kind.

My final thought is that the Villagio community is best served through the cooperation of the residents and the voluntary compliance with our community rules. As the issue at 475 Milan has demonstrated, official actions by the Board and Peachtree Management take longer to resolve than anyone would like. Hopefully, through cooperation and our collective wisdom, we can keep official disputes to a minimum.

Best regards, Jerry

[trebor]

Thank you Jerry for your perspective as a Board member. Yes, it was slow going, especially for the residents who live
in building 475 who were "disturbed" every day for a week to have to deal with the issue. For me the real disturbing fact is that the owner infringed on the rights of her neighbors and violated HOA policies. I gave considerable thought to the situation and did my very best to be understanding and thought what would I do and how would I react if I had to deal with the water intrusion. I did my best to post my opinions and reactions in a reasonable manner even though I found this situation frustrating. I don't believe there is question in anybody's mind that the owner was in violation of several restrictions of the CC&Rs.

Hopefully, there is a lesson learned here and action can be swifter in the future. Unfortunately, while the Board was working behind the scenes it certainly was not apparent to anyone. The only real communication to the Board is through this forum. From my experience Peachtree response has been dismal at times in acknowledging and responding to issues. I believe it would behoove the Board to be even more transparent and have better lines of communication with the owners. Right now this forum is the best that we have.

I know it can be very easy for many of us to be backseat drivers or armchair quarterbacks but I want to believe situations like what we just experienced can hopefully be handled better in the future by Peachtree and by the Board.

[mickyni]

Thank you !

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