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Princeton Meadows HOA Locked in Pool Battle
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
05 September 2016
The final holiday weekend of summer means cooling off in the water for
many, but homeowners in the North Texas community of Princeton Meadows
don’t want to go near the neighborhood pool. In fact, they could not
get in if they wanted to.
A chain and padlock secure the gate and a bright red City of Princeton
violation notice is taped to the front. A glance beyond the gate tells
you why. The pool is a deep green algae color with a thick film
floating on he surface.
"I'm upset. I'm angry. I've got a daughter and we'd like to be able to swim in there," homeowner Zach Hightower said.
"There's a green film on the top now and with the mosquito issues we've
been having who knows what's capable of next," said another homeowner,
Jerry Williamson.
Both Hightower and Williamson have lived in this community for two
years. Williamson loves the neighborhood and plans to retire here but
says the pool is just the latest issue and the home owners organization
is to blame.
one board member is also the managing agent for the HOA
"That one board member is also the managing agent for the HOA, makes
all financial decisions, has all access to financials. It's just not
acceptable," said Williamson.
People who own here pay more than $500 a year in HOA fees. Many of the
nearly 220 other homeowners feel they are not getting their money's
worth because of issues with common areas and of course the current
pool situation.
"It frustrates me. I pay my dues which compared to other neighborhoods
are fairly expensive and the only thing we have to maintain is the pool
and we can't seem to do it," said Hightower.
Earlier this summer the community got together to remove the HOA
manager and demand financial records to see where their money is going.
they voted her out. She has refused to step down.
A YouTube video
showed the boisterous debate between 70 households and HOA manager
Barbara Palmer, as they voted her out. She has refused to step down.
"So we filed suit in JP court which is what the Texas Property code
says you have to do if you're filing suit for records. We were awarded
that judgment and still we have not seen any of the backup information
that we've requested," explained homeowner Lisa Caldwell.
NBC 5 spoke with HOA manager Barbara Palmer on the phone. She says
there isn't money to pay for the pool upkeep because some homeowners
have stopped paying assessments. Plus there have been lawyer and
accounting fees due to the lawsuit.
a $15,000 bill for duplicating the documents
She has agreed to hand over financial documents for the HOA, but before
doing so has presented the homeowners with a $15,000 bill for
duplicating the documents.
"We just want transparency is all we want," said Williamson. A request echoed by other homeowners who spoke on the issue.
So for now the battle is at a standstill which makes the pool a visual metaphor for a very stagnate situation.
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