The Winter edition of our news letter should be in your mailbox today or tomorrow.
It is great that the members are well informed. It says nothing about the real current state of affairs, but the main page does carry an "Address" by Board President Gary Williams, titled...
Year End State of Surfside Address.
If the budget allows, Mr. Williams should be sent to a class in writing composition. Good luck making any sense about what he or someone else wrote. It is an embarrassment of style and content.
It appears that there will be no expansion of the RV lot as stated, because it is in a wet lands.
There is also reference to a new well which was tested and proved to be another failure.
Many members will disagree with the "improving aesthetic quality of Surfside's water"
The Treasurer states that "The association continues to be debt free!" Wrong! We still owe the Capitol Reserve Fund for money borrowed for the Carbon Treatment Plant. We are required by law to repay that money. It is thousands of dollars of debt.
This is all just my opinion and observations, but what do I know, I am just an old guy out of touch.
Below is the front page, Check your mail for the full copy and fact filled pages that follow.
61 comments:
Along with the complete absence of anything said about the Asbestos debacle now surely common knowledge for at least half of membership, Williams states that "we will continue to ensure our good standing with regulatory agencies, continue to streamline processes and work with members to optimize the quality of the Surfside experience for all members."
It's not enough to act as if there's no big problems festering in Surfside, he had to LIE about it !! The Chinook Observer printed their article on the Surfside mess mid December, and George had broken the story almost a month before. Do the trustees think a lie is a good substitute for the truth here ? Apparently so. They are complicit in the lie by allowing it to be published.
The "Surf-In-Sider" does not mention that the Water Dept. determined the carbon replacement was due the first of November. Here they make no mention that the replacement has been delayed by months already, and they still offer no date when they plan to replace the carbon in ONE filter column, which is their "plan". Member's safety and water quality is considered secondary to the new lawsuit they have filed in Superior Court against a member over tree heights.
Obviously, both columns need replacement at the same time, as they both function 24/7. Only dishonesty is an explanation for HOA unwillingness to come forward with the truth, the details of our plight due to our HOA's management failure. This is our community, and we will have to bear the brunt of County, State, and Federal fines and fury. To pretend we cannot be told what's going on is also a LIE !!
Good luck with that unpermited settling pond for carbon material. It is in a wetland.
Mr. Williams has committed an act that in a court of law would be labeled as perjury. His unwillingness to address the many significant problems that the organization currently faces the entire membership deems his unworthiness of his position on the BOT, if not even as just a member of the BOT. What is this man thinking? Evidently he thinks if a problem is ignored, don't talk about it, put your head in the sand and it will go away. In this case however, it is only getting worse. He needs to be removed from office and replaced with someone who actually knows how to run this group, as they are also clueless as to cure the ills that have befallen Surfside.
Surfside has already been fined for failing to have the appropriate permitting for the pond AND the plant (which has no surrounding building due to a "stop-work-order").
As we all know, any machinery left out in the coastal climate will quickly corrode, rust, and cease to be functional. How about a half-million dollar water plant ?
By respectfully seeking proper permits, and making the required "Wetlands Study" always required in such areas, the State often offers to allow revisions of wetlands in exchange for other areas being designated as such. Since much of the unplotted property owned "in-common" by the membership is wetlands, they may have waived the change. Thumbing our collective nose at such regulations never ends well folks, and we all know that.
As far as we all know, there has been no progress in permitting the pond or plant, and the building is incomplete. This is our massive investment, poorly planned, with no real oversight by the HOA or N. Beach, overdue for maintenance costing about $60,000, put on "hold" so that the BOT can pursue a lawsuit in Superior Court, against a member over tree heights.
How much more screwed-up can our priorities get ? Leave the same people minding the store, that's how. We got it goin' on folks. It's getting uglier by the day. The next Board Meeting should be Jan. 19th. We will see if the Board has the backbone to meet and face the music. I doubt it.
Please someone provide the pond fine document.
Deb, have you started up your website for concerned members of a corrupt HOA? Keep us posted on George’s website please.
What fools. The ones who continually promote and violate the law for their own selfish agenda, are the very ones who are destroying Surfside. When Surfside is abolished, their covenants and power control will also be gone. They will move on and the rest of us will be left with the mess to live with and clean up as best we can. It will take years for the damaged environment to recover. Our tax bills may include an extra assessment for Surfside only, to pay fines and money for clean up and funds to a fund for asbestos health issues.
The members have paid their assessments and dues in good faith, thinking that money has been used in legal and appropriate ways. Nothing is further from the truth. That truth has been kept from the members. Lie after Lie and a cover up always become exposed by the truth. It is to late for an apology and shame. The damage has been done. Our association has become a place of embarrassment instead of a special place that we could be proud of.
Pond issues are part of ongoing EPA criminal investigation.
It would not be practical to dissolve the HOA. The community needs some ability to maintain some basic standards of care to prevent blight and abandonment of properties, assure easy access to a well-maintained garbage disposal site, and provide maintenance of Lakes, Canals, and all property held in common by the membership.
Members have paid out a lot of money over the last 50 years for community upkeep, not to mention the half-million dollars invested by members to build the CTP water plant, and another $250,000 or so for the large equipment storage built 2 years ago. All of these amenities are needed to preserve a good quality of life in Surfside.
The HOA is broken, management has failed miserably, but fixing what's broken is far easier than throwing it all away. Idle talk of dissolution doesn't begin to account for the elaborate challenges that would be created by making that choice. That is a naïve notion not based in reality.
Even the money we pay the County to provide police protection that many members bitch about, assures that we have SOME right to such County resources, when government at every level strains to afford basic services.
I certainly agree with what you say 3:34.
I hope there is a will to fix it, because that is what it is going to take. If the members don't know it is broken, it may be to late for a fix. Even a few, such as yourself, can make a difference if willing to spend the time and effort to do so. Thanks for you good sense comment.
Do you find wanting the following naive?
Eliminate Proxy Voting,
Electronic Voting
Mail Voting
Requiring a simple majority membership vote for any covenant change or addition,
Eliminate Tree Heighth Limitations
Eliminate The Structure Overhang Limitation,
Safety Committee
Technology Committee
Minimum living structure size of 400 Square Feet
And structures can be manufactured. New manufactured are better quality than 20+ year stick built.
To 7:02
I am for all you listed. Can it be done?
Yes 7:02. Some of your ideas are naïve and ill informed. Amend is better than eliminate. Forming committees has not proven to solve any problems in Surfside. A competent General Manager with the authority to manage is needed. Throwing up ultra small and flimsy structures does not a community make.
I believe we can.
Let's flood the office with Member Request forms for all these realities.
"Believe you can and you're halfway there" Theodore Roosevelt
Just because you disagree with me, does not make me naive.
Obviously we can't negotiate the details of an agreement on a blog.
Obviously we can't negotiate because as a member I have no say in anything.
The only thing I'm allowed to vote on is board members and the budget. These aren't even legitimate votes.
You are thinking about committees all wrong. Forming committees with the ideology of preventing problems will yield stability and new opportunities.
Step #1
Throw out Flood, Williams and Neal.
Make life so miserable for them they will run and hide. Let them be a warning for others that we have had enough of their lies and a new Surfside has dawned. Power to the members.
Re: January 12, 2019 at 11:46 PM
I would think considering all that they over saw. That they are not feeling comfortable about their future
Their future on the board or anything else, should end now. Not in the future. Get rid of them now and let the remaining deal with the problems. As long as those three clowns remain, it will only get worse. All they care about is covering up the criminal things they have done and try to include the rest of the board. Safety in numbers should not work for them. Wake up board, and due your duty to clean up this mess made by the three.
3:34 sez...The changes you list are, overall, reasonable changes, and having the desire to see change take place that makes things work better is not naïve, but ambitious. You are very optimistic, and that is a great thing, if focused on practical action. But Surfside has unique challenges due to about 2/3 of the members being part-timers.
There are prescribed procedures for change in our covenants, and we are bound to follow those restrictive procedures, which designate the BOT as the only agent of change, though the membership is assured an advisory role. The only way to remove the Board is by a majority vote in a special meeting, which is exactly what Deb Blagg attempted to do at last July's meeting. It was a very unsuccessful vote, though there is no reason to think it was at all representative of the majority's wishes.
I believe that a plan is afoot to send an independently funded letter to ALL owners, outlining the free spending on trivial legal contests, failure to properly permit the Water Plant, failure to build the enclosing building for the Plant, failure to properly maintain the Plant, and massive failure over the course of years to properly manage and oversee procedures at the Waterworks.
The intention is to wait until the results of the EPA investigation unfold, as this will be the big reveal. Change will have to move slowly but surely, and requires organization, and committed fair-minded folks to take seats on the Board.
What are Member Request Forms?
Fed Up...
I posted a copy of the Member Request Form on the page on the left under "Misc. Other"
You can also find it on the association web page (surfsideonline.org) It is on the top bar under forms. You can print a copy off of there. If your request pertains to a committee, it will go to them. If you address it to the Board, it will go to them. I have used it in the past for requests of work to be done on common property.
Member Request forms are a way by members to make change now. It is on the website.
So 9:40 wants to avoid the work and defer our work to the EPA. By the way. Trump shut down the EPA. True emergencies require immediate action. Why refuse to do anything now?
I've already heard that previous attempts to get the state involved have failed. They failed because the state demanded the members to act themselves.
"Be the change you want in this world"
We members must change the rules. We don't have to accept the rules. Rules are not set in stone for eternity. SHOA should not be a dictatorship. We are not docile sheep.
9:40 sez...The letter to the membership should wait until the investigation is fairly complete, as the EPA has not levied their fines or completed their work on this. A funding effort is raising money to pay for printing and mailing of a comprehensive report to Surfside owners put together by some concerned members. You misunderstood what I was saying 12:56.
Waiting for the EPA to finish their investigation and giving the results before taking any action would be the sensible thing. However the majority that post here have already made their decision. It will be interesting to see what the results end up being and the reaction to them.
Sorry, Blagg tried to sidestep the majority of the membership with her actions at the annual meeting. Thankfully there were enough of the general membership attending to thwart it.
Please tell me how is this site any different? The host continually deletes comments from those that come on here with different views. Look at the discussion below concerning the outflows. A couple people came on with their observations and since it went against his he deletes them yet keeps Blagg's because she agree's with him. I'm willing to lay major odds she has never even been to the outflow at 350th. Many people I know may still read this blog but no longer make comments due to this fact. It is no different than the so called bullying from the Board.
This site is different in that it promotes free speech and dialogue, something you don't care for.
George allows opposing opinions daily, and only deletes the one that are personal, or way too stupid. Which one was yours?
As to bullying, the BOT has done it for years. You've been doing it with Deb for years. Now you whine when someone comes at you for it. Priceless.
Right on! 10:40
10:16...That effort failed because it was not widely publicized, not a focused effort, and all voters knew was that the BOT opposed the electronic voting issue. The HOA attorney claimed that the recall could not move forward.
There was nothing inappropriate in Blagg's actions, and the Annual Meeting IS the appropriate venue for a recall vote. The deck was stacked against an honest open discussion and vote on a recall, which had everyone known about the Asbestos mess, may have been voted on differently, even with the conservative-heavy crowd, present.
Back to the Blagg bashing huh ? Different views are not a problem, but they often have no real substance, and nearly always are crude and disrespectful. One way or another, I think the membership will insist on substantial corrective moves to the Board, Water Dept, Comm., and oversight procedures of legal spending AND Surfside operations in general.
I don't understand why a differing opinion means that someone is part of the status quo. Ever heard of independent and researched thinking? We have way too many members who chose black or white thinking with no concept of grays or nuances.
Independent and researched thinking would reveal we are being cheated and controlled illegally. Thats what its done for me.
I want to demand accountability for the WA L&I fines at the January 19 Meeting. Gary Williams must resign or get fired. Will others help?
I never heard anything about a vote people speak of. That is corruption and secrecy. How could members thwart something when they didn't have a vote?
Wish i was there for Jan 19 meeting. I agree: resignation of Williams is our first step to correcting this mess in our HOA. Resign now Williams!
5:29 PM - A board member can only be " fired " at the Annual Meeting. And for those who love to use words like corruption I would urge you to consider a term like incompetence instead. As volunteers and fellow members I see little or no gain for themselves for anything they may do.
2:03...Because so few members vote or participate in HOA matters, no one knows what most member's views are on anything. The point in establishing electronic voting is to try to increase participation, and with it, establish a site that would negotiate a minimal number of transmissions/messages annually, such as important announcements, and a couple or a few brief surveys, asking owners about their preferences and views on Surfside matters. It would probably be in a multiple choice format.
It would not be a blog, source of advertising, or conversation site. The objective would be to enable uninvolved owners to participate in voting, and gathering some basic information about who we are as a community.
The BOT opposes this because the current system has enabled a small group of organized owners to elect Trustees who support the status-quo, and oppose changes that are inclusive of more owners, such as getting rid of the Tree Policy. With only about 300 people voting, this has been an easy thing for a small group to accomplish. Lack of independent thinking, Trustee questions, and oversight, have led to our current mess.
Forming a group with opposing opinions merely moves us toward more disruption and discontent. I support a much wider dissemination of factual information without the narrow minded opinions that get posted on this blog. Accurate information is necessary so that the true majority of the association is represented in any changes being made.
Hi 11:59.
Your post means absolutely nothing.
What are you talking about?
A group with no opposing opinions is groupthink.
Forming a group is what causes group think often with narrow and revenge motives. This no help to any association. Factual information, without prejudiced presentation, is what is needed to get this HOA to a better place. Fair negotiations moving toward the majority thinking are in order, not a self serving revolution.
Ok SHOA current BOT supporter.
What were the facts that led to the new structure overhang regulation?
When I questioned why regulate structure overhang in the meeting the BOT approved it, Gary Williams said that members with structure overhangs lean things like shovels against the wall under the structure overhang. Oh my God, how dare they. What jerks. Of course I'm being sarcastic. What a load of crap. Eliminate structure overhang limits now.
You are not following what was said 11:59. The objective is NOT to "form a group with opposing views". Most HOA communities require a member voting process to approve or disapprove covenant changes. Trustees are volunteers and are not chosen for their specific expertise. There is no rational reason why the Trustees alone should make such decisions, as our covenants currently read.
But the membership has not been successful in their attempts to motivate the BOT to approve giving this authority to the membership, as it is done in most HOAs. Our community suffers from a lack of participation from 86% of the membership as witnessed by the very poor voting rate annually. The HOA has no idea what these people want or need as residents of Surfside, and has shown no interest in finding out.
With the colossal failure of Surfside's management demonstrated by the State, County and EPA, the time has come to make some changes in the Board, in policies, in spending, and in our process of reviewing our own procedures at the Waterworks and in the Business Office.
Goals would be to reinstate the Tech Committee, establish a neutral site that can prompt owners with basic info such as dates for major meetings and elections, and take short surveys of opinions to help guide policy. It would be managed for neutrality, and not be used as a political voice, as the "Surf-In-Sider" tends to do.
The intention would be to assume that everyone has an idea of what is most important in Surfside, so what is it ? The HOA has no idea, yet makes rules and sets policy without that information. This would not be a blog, or associated with the "Chat" site, and would not be a conversational site. It would try to give information, and gather information, and would share that data w/the membership.
Well 11:28, I actually agree with something you said, but not in the way you will like.
I agree, the Blagg effort wasn't widely publicized, not to the general membership that is. It was pretty obvious to those that attended that it was publicized to Her minions, given their show in mass. That was the plan, to capitalize on the usual low turnout and try to get their plan of removing 3 board members removed. Thankfully there were enough people there to vote it down. The Blagg contingent were the ones who tried to stack the deck. By keeping on saying otherwise doesn't change that fact. Ask yourself, why did she resign right before the annual meeting instead of at the prior board meeting where she could have let all know of the plans for the coup? I've asked that question before and it has always been ignored. Will you now do the same?
The real stacked deck was the write in votes for Old's and the board members who were in collusion by writing his name on their illegal proxy ballots. They knew there was going to be an appointment opening when Johansen left. Some on the board knew that he was a hot head and didn't want his kind serving with them. That is why they decided to reduce the board members to eight. The J placers and their friends then put the pressure on for his appointment. These people will do anything to keep their view no matter who it hurts. They have a coalition of RV haters and G Place ocean front people. This is why the status quo remains. Cut and kill the trees, dozer down the dunes and run off the RV;ers. This corrupt organization needs to be abolished and the sooner the better.
God bless you 3:19.... by preventing William's ouster he was able to continue his wasteful legal spending, see that the shed overhang rule was put in place, and file another trivial lawsuit while the community is in a meltdown. There are no grounds to defend Surfside HOA's incompetence regarding permitting and proper handling of dangerous material.
You can look at this as silly if you like - while there is no reason what-so-ever that the huge fines we face as a community should be reduced. While workers were denied warnings about handling this material, and offered no protective gear, the Board talked openly about asbestos laced pipe in open meetings, pushed for a "mile per year" of waterline replacement, budgeted $150,000 annually, and never asked any questions about material disposal, exposure of employees, or the lack of commitment to following Federal guidelines, which have substantial penalties.
" Cut and kill the trees, dozer down the dunes and run off the RV;ers." I agree with tis, but the RVers can stay.
Hey 7:57. You summed up the SHOA BOT plan and attitude exactly.
That is why they are corrupt and unlawful.
What kind of thing do you have for Deb Blagg? Every day you bag on her, just because she tried to effect change.
You show your true self in these posts-not pretty.
Its unfortunate that we have had board members who have put their own special interests first. We treat rv, part time, vacant owners with little respect and expect them to pay unfairly for services that full timers and j placers get the most benefit. Its bad karma to screw some owners at the benefit of others and now with this asbestos liability all those perks who others have had to subsidize may go away. The board knew it was asbestos pipe the water manager knew it was asbestos pipe and they knowingly exposed our employees with no training or protective safety gear. The potential liability may be the end of the board and covenants. I do not think Pacific County will be willing to give free water and garbage to residents at the expense of others. We should fire anyone who had knowledge of the asbestos pipe. Elect a new board and start treating all members fairly. Meter water and pay for what you use. No more free garbage those who use it pay for it. Put the tree covenant to a vote of the membership. Oh and one other thing Mr Williams since the Johansen affair seems to be put to bed, do you not owe the membership a full accounting of what happened and what the cost was.
The service costs that some rv folks think are unfair is a ridiculous issue. Do you think that that the water will flow only when you happen to be in Surfside? Do you think that the garbage disposal service will only be open when you happen to be in Surfside? Do you want to come and go in Surfside without any schedule because you can rely on the services being available whenever you choose to use them? Can you folks get it through your thick heads that you are paying for the services to be there whenever you want use them? It is kind of like paying for cable TV that will be available whenever you decide to use it. You don't get a cut rate on cable TV because you only watch one hour of news once a week.
The tree covenant effects only some members of Surfside while it is meaningless to others. Any vote on this issue should be a vote by the members who are actually affected which would be those who think they are protecting a view and those who have to keep their trees trimmed. The rest of you should shut your cake holes. It is not an issue that affects you directly.
Cake Hole?
2:14
I could not have explained it better. You my friend are the type who have gotten all the perks in place for your own self interest and cry foul when you are in fear of losing benefit. Your analogy about the cable is laughable. Cable has nothing to do with infrastructure. Its installed by for profit companies, If I choose not to use it I pay nothing. I concede that water system should be supported by all lots. But the wear and tear on the system such as the filters should be born to those who use it. The state mandate to install meters was to conserve water. With the admission that we are looking at large fees to maintain the carbon filters maybe we should read meters and charge to get people to conserve. It would extend the life of the filters. But surely your one of the people who said we will never read the meters and lets keep everything the same the expensive carbon filters we can off set the cost by making the people who do not use any water pay. Another example with a similar analogy. So I should pay the cost of the packer and the surrounding grounds and upkeep just in case I may choose to use the facility. Great Explain to me about the tipping fees at the dump. I should have to pay for your dump fees? There may be more tree huggers than you think.
Now u guys argueing , just to argue. Focus on present probs first. Those are probems for a future bod.
3:42 is an idiot.
It still amazes me the amount of people that didn't understand how an HOA works before they bought here or did and still bought here anyways.
Since people are throwing out examples, I'm in Seattle paying for bike lanes while I don't bike. That's how things work.
2:14
I can't use the garbage anytime I want you jerk. It's not open 24/7 you liar. You make me so fuming angry.
All changes to be voted on by all members now. You dictator.
Don't tell any other member to "shut your cake hole" you egotistical, arrogant, dictator.
Dear 7:09 and 3:42 All members, full-time or part-time, are limited to the available hours of the disposal site and compactor you idiot. No doubt you are angry because you don't take the time or have the patience to fully understand how things work. I am guilty of not being bored to death or open to listening to fools. That is why I said to shut your cake hole. I am not egotistical or arrogant. I am not inclined to dictator characteristics.
I don't go to school or have any relatives or friends who attend schools in Pacific County. Yet, I pay my full share toward the schools in Pacific County.
I've never had a house fire or needed the services of the Fire Department. Yet, I pay my full share toward the Fire Dept. in Pacific County.
Contrary to what some of you think Surfside is not a Governmental agency. No city or town I have ever heard of provides water at a flat fee. They charge by use to maintain the system. Those who use it pay for it and you can disconnect at any time and pay nothing. It seams that some of you just have a problem paying your fair share. As far as all the name calling it does nothing to support your argument. I happen to like Surfside and disagree with some of the policies the board has put in place but by no means does it mean I hate and need to name call because we disagree. I can vote.
When you are charged for use of a water system with a monthly measured fee, you don't also pay an annual assessment to replace pipes and to fund all employees, systems and systems replacements. You lost your argument long ago and remain too dense to get it.
But, a for profit company can raise rates at any time to accommodate all those things
10:15, hows that voting thing working out. You'll soon see by falling values n big asssesment jump. Ive been interviewed by the EPA criminal investigator, have you?
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