Welcome to a new Article Series that will include very brief “Snippets”, and slightly longer “Shorts”, of News / Information of things going on in the community. These are not the detailed reports we have been giving – but just little alerts of things that have happened in Meetings, Minutes of Meetings, Financial Developments, Project Updates, etc. Anyone can anonymously submit updates. Board Members, Committee Members, Property Owners, or Employees that may have “something of interest” that they don’t feel the community is being properly made aware of – but may fear reprisal, and don’t want their names attached – are all welcome to submit information to themtnsvoice@aol.com
SNIPPETS
Snippet-0001: It appears that Big Canoe POA/Board is moving forward with the golf cart replacement plan and has no plan to run this by the POA membership for review/approval. Sourced from a property owner’s recent communications coming directly from the POA, with copies provided to this paper for verification.
Snippet-0002: “USDA coming out to round up geese on the golf courses and humanely removing to South Georgia.” Source: Golf & Greens Committee Meeting Minutes – May 17th, 2019 – Pg. One, Projects
Snippet-0003: High Gap and the Roundabout are the only two parcels purchased from the POA in 2016 . . . the only two properties available for sale. Source: Smoke Signals – March 19th, 2019 – Jim Farinholt
Snippet-0004: High Gap property reclassified by accountants as “not for sale”. Source: Board Work Session – June 16th, 2019 – Greg Morgan, Mauldin & Jenkins starts speaking at 18:50 in meeting video
Snippet-0005: The percent of delinquent mortgages in Marble Hill is 20.0%, which is higher than the national value of 1.1%. This area includes a portion of the northeast section of Big Canoe. Data shows that Big Canoe currently only has 2 foreclosed properties (both are lots); Source: https://www.zillow.com/marble-hill-ga/home-values/
Snippet-0006: June Year-Over-Year Homes Under Construction in Big Canoe shows a 55.8% drop in Home Building Activity. 34 Homes under Construction in 2018; 15 Homes Under Construction in 2019. Source: Review of Big Canoe Admin Reports (June 2018 & June 2019)
Snippet-0007: June Year-Over-Year Property Sales shows a 52.6% drop in Real Estate Sales Activity. 38 Properties sold June 2018; 18 Properties Sold June 2019. Source: Review of Big Canoe Admin Reports (July 2018) and 2019 Data compiled from various Realtor sources, including Realtor.com, Zillow, QPublic, Georgia Clerks Authority.
July 6, 2019 Correction / Edit: In Snippet-0007, we originally reported that only 14 properties had been sold in June 2019, representing a 63.2% drop. 4 Properties had a lag in showing up in the public data we access. The figures have been updated to reflect the current data. (18 Sold / 52.6% drop)
Publisher’s Note: Regarding these property sales numbers – the POA, or Realtors, are welcome to submit “alternative numbers” to us for correction, but they must include the Property Addresses so that the sales can be verified. This is simple public records stuff, and sales are legally required to be recorded in PT-61’s, so these are non-confidential records that no one should have a problem releasing if in fact there are these multitudes of “hidden sales” that some are claiming. Recent POA property sales data provided by the GM’s office has been provably falsified, and the underlying sales data unverifiable. If anyone feels these numbers provided by our paper are incorrect, then please contact us at themtnsvoice@aol.com with corrected, and verifiable, numbers.
SHORTS
Short-0001:
Installation and configuration of the new “Cartegraph OMS” system has begun. Cartegraph Operations Management System is a new cloud-based software system that GM Jill Philmon has just committed us to. No pre-mention of this in Minutes or Meetings. No indication to property owners on how much this costs, what the integration costs are, what ongoing fixed-cost support may be, or more importantly – what new layer of complexity and costly training requirements will this add to our Employee base? Here is a quote we do have from the June 2019 Admin Report,
“Preliminary work to get the new cloud system setup and configured. Scheduling meetings with Jason Brownell and select other managers in public works departments to kick off the project.”
Property owner questions include (1) “Where was this in the Budget?” (2) “Why all of a sudden do we need all of these new expensive and technologically complex systems?” (3) “Where is the oversight, accountability and transparency for all of this?” (4) “How Much Is This Costing?” (5) “Will costs be offset by eliminating employee positions as the new system replaces some workload? If so which positions will be eliminated and what are the cost savings?”
Short-0002:
Chairperson of the Big Canoe Hospitality Committee and member of the Election Committee, Mark Newton, recently verbally and physically threatened the publisher of this paper in a wild public rant at the Fitness Center. Security was called, and subsequently a formal complaint against Mr Newton was filed with the Board for violations of the new Rules of Conduct. Public safety informed me that they attempted to obtain and retain footage as requested in the complaint, but were told that the Fitness Center video was not operational, and was under the control of the fitness center. They DID retain the dashcam video from the patrol car that showed Mr Newton going after Mr Hopkins in the parking lot. Weeks have passed and the Board has refused to address or acknowledge the situation, nor have they reached out to Public Safety to acquire Video tape. ALSO, I should note that just a week prior to the Mark Newton incident, another incident at the Fitness Center occurred, that time involving John Fitzgerald. It has been 4 weeks since I filed a formal complaint against John Fitzgerald, and was subsequently told that my “email has been received and will be handled according to POA procedures.” No word yet.
PS… it must be noted that our Public Safety personnel, both during and after, behaved in their normal Excellent & Professional manner.
Short-0003:
Property Owner Kevin Worrilow, one of the three founders of Big Canoe Radio, stood up in the Q&A portion of the June Board Work Session and demanded an apology from Jill Philmon, including the request that the apology be put in writing to his Radio Station partners. He claimed GM Jill Philmon approached the other partners in the radio station, and stated that Mr Worrilow should be refused further involvement in the Station, due to the fact he had threatened legal action regarding the $250 Annual Rental Fee, which the Board DID RESCIND after Mr Worrilow’s Attorney’s pointed out that it was not enforceable. Details of the accusation have been confirmed by this paper from multiple sources. There are two sub-notes worth mentioning in regards to the above:
- (1) In the following week’s Board Q&A session, Board of Director’s Candidate Fran Farias, got up and made a complete fool of herself, by emotionally and dramatically extending to Jill on behalf of ALL property owners, her apologies for Mr Worrilow’s previous “attack” on Jill. I have heard from multiple people who witnessed Ms Farias’ “speech” that it was completely innapropriate. I for one can state that Ms Farias definitely does not speak for me. I believe that it is Mr Worrilow that deserves the apology he has requested, as a GM has no business conducting themselves in this manner.
- (2) This behavior is a pattern with our General Manager and her staff. I experienced a similar situation as the founder of the Big Canoe Young Family Project. In February 2019 as I was negotiating for an Indoor Activity Center with the GM, on the behalf of many young families (on direction of Board president Jay Goldman), when Events Coordinator Teri Sawyer told me I was being removed from all further involvement in regards to Youth Advisory Issues in the Community, and that anyone who supported me or my causes would be refused participation on all Committees, and if they were already on a Committee they would be taken off. This was directly and specifically stated to be in response to my threats of legal action regarding the 2016 Land Deal, and was coming from Jay Goldman and GM Jill Philmon. For the record, Jay Goldman in an email exchange dated March 20, 2019 – categorically denied Teri Sawyer’s claim as coming from him. This is not the first time Jay and I have exchanged emails regarding bad behavior and seeming pathological lying by Jill Philmon, and this is the 2nd time he has denied being the source of allegations made by Jill and her staff. I tend to believe Jay in this. It is my belief that this was 100% a Jill Philmon / Teri Sawyer action – so when I heard of Mr Worrilow’s accusations, I immediately saw the similarities. I fully believe Mr Worrilow is telling the truth. This sort of intimidation tactic being used against Mr Worrilow, myself, and others I have heard from should concern every property owner.
Short-0004:
The entirety of Board Meetings (and Work Sessions) are not being fully released in the Videos. POA Board Work Sessions and Monthly Meetings are comprised of two (2) sessions… (A) the Formal Part where Property Owners are NOT allowed to address issues unless it is in the Agenda. (B) the open-format Q&A afterwards – which is NOT being shared publically via the Video Releases. Lately Q&A Sessions have put the Board in some uncomfortable positions, as property owners are increasingly asking tough questions. In the June 2019 Board meeting, Jay Goldman threatened to shut down future Q&A completely. This is the only time property owners have to face our board and ask direct questions, or voice concerns. These sessions are revealing information that I believe most property owners would want to know about, but the video is being intentionally withheld.
Short-0005:
Initial Title Search regarding Sconti Point in the 2016 Land Deal has been completed. In regards to the 1987 Amended Deed, in which the POA took title to the Clubhouse land, the Creek Golf Course, Sconti Lake – and most likely Sconti Point as well – the Title Searcher concluded,
“(NO PLAT BOOK AND PAGE REFERENCED). UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT TRACTS A, B, C, & D ARE.”
So an awful lot of time and money has gone into establishing what we already knew, but now we have an expert confirming that there is insufficient legal description in the deed. The only way to determine what the POA received in 1987 – is to obtain the Plat. Next step involves the attorney writing formal letters to the Surveyor, POA, and Developer asking for the Plat. Accessing that Plat will clear up to everyone whether or not we paid $2.3 Million Dollars for a property, Sconti Point, which we may have already owned. As a side note – the title searcher called the Original Surveyors (Cranston, Robertson, Whitehurst), and told them she was having a hard time identifying the land in the 1987 deed. They REFUSED to provide the plat. The Developer and POA have refused to provide the Plat. If that Plat shows Sconti Point as Tract A, B, C, or D – then the Big Canoe Property Owners are going to have a big Pay-Day as the Developer is forced to return $Millions to us. Why wouldn’t the POA Board support that? Why wouldn’t they want to clear this up?
This concludes this edition of Snippets & Shorts. If you would like to submit a Snippet or Short for publication, then you can do so with promise of complete anonymity by emailing me tips or info at themtnsvoice@aol.com, or by postal mail at: Focus On Big Canoe; Box 10887; Big Canoe GA 30143
IF ANYONE WANTS TO GET EARLY RELEASES OF OUR ARTICLES, or some held-back additional details and comments that we lay out in discussions, join our Facebook Group, and join the discussion….
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Good luck. Peace,
– david / publisher
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