From the MPMA Board of Directors
This letter is to correct statements we made in response to the letter delivered to your porch a couple of weeks ago about The Villages of Garrison Creek signed by several homeowners. We affirm that the letter’s signer, Mr. Miller, has written numerous letters regarding association board matters and that he volunteered in work parties in 2014. Moreover, Mr. Brannon served on the MPMA Board in 2012. Though Mr. Coleman was not a signer of the letter, he would like you to know that he is very much in favor of the Reserve Fund and, in the past, has encouraged the fund to be increased. We apologize for our earlier inaccuracies.
In addition to these corrections, this letter is intended to address concerns raised in the letter.
Since the beginning of October Mr. Miller and Mr. Coleman, have sent a combined total of over 30 emails requesting information or making demands of the Board of Directors. They know that we are legally required to respond to requests. As we indicated in our response to the letter to all members earlier this month, their issues relate back to a lawsuit that was decided in favor of the Board. The Superior Court Judge ruled that the defendants’ (The VGC Board and Board Members) motion for Summary Judgement was approved with prejudice. Coleman et al lost in court. Yet, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Miller insist that they can reverse the court’s judgment and they can reverse the actions approved by a supermajority of the homeowners of the Villages of Garrison Creek in 2017 when the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of certain phase exits.
The Coleman group (savethevgc) is saying that the homes in the new development that are not yet built will only pay for their share of Garrison Village Way maintenance and not pay HOA dues. The truth is that the homes in the Phase Five Development LLC (PFD) property across from the west pond will have their own HOA and pay dues so that they can care for their private roads, parks, walking paths, and common areas. They will pay an additional sum to the MPMA to offset the amount we have to pay for the upkeep of the GVW Parkway which includes the road, trees, grass, and irrigation. Our Operating Budget will benefit by thousands of dollars of extra income when that area is fully built. We have this in a legal agreement that is signed and filed with the county. Our recent involvement in the application process between the PFD and the City of College Place was to reinforce the Agreement that was already in place and applicable to anyone who builds on that land.
To address the issue that keeps coming up, here is some additional information to clear up misinterpretations. When the Villages were first formed, what was known as Phase III, IV, and Myra Road Commercial were part of our development (the PUD) but they were never a part of HOA. The Regency facility and the Walla Walla Housing Authority’s cottages were built before most of the homes in the Villages and were never expected to be part of the HOA or pay dues. From day one (for more than 20 years, now) they have NEVER paid dues.
Acknowledgment of the dues-exempt status of Phases III and IV, and Myra Road Commercial from the MPMA was approved by a supermajority of homeowners at the 2017 Annual Meeting, paving the way for their official removal from the MPMA that took place with legal documents drafted and recorded in 2018. The validity of these actions approved by homeowner vote was reaffirmed by the courts after a lawsuit, alleging that the exits were not legal, was dismissed by Summary Judgement, with prejudice, by the Walla Walla County Superior Court in January 2022. These properties are NOT part of our HOA. They have never been and have never paid dues. They do NOT owe us dues now. Only Mr. Coleman, the lead plaintiff in the failed lawsuit, Sue Wright, the other individual plaintiff, who no longer is a member of the HOA, having sold her home and moved out of The Villages earlier this year, and a handful of their converts believe that these properties must remain in our HOA, pay back dues in full and pay dues to the association going forward. These entities were never expected to pay dues. They were officially separated from the HOA by a vote of the members of the Villages of Garrison Creek. They owe us NOTHING. They are good neighbors.
The autonomy of Walla Walla Housing is backed up by a letter from their attorney. While Coleman/Miller group asserts that there is no documentation that certain areas were excused from paying dues to the MPMA, there is also no documentation that the nursing home, the Walla Walla Housing Authority units, etc. were ever a part of the HOA and owed or paid dues. In fact, Mr. Coleman, as president of the MPMA, distributed a document to the membership at the 2012 Annual Membership Meeting stating that Phase III (Regency), Phase IV (WW Housing), and Myra Road Commercial were NOT part of the MPMA. He also stated that the gates in Phase 10 were the sole responsibility of Phase 10. By 2018, he claimed that none of this was true. You can find this 2012 Annual Meeting Handout here.
You will notice that the construction has begun on the clock tower storage annex. We expect that the structure will be complete in a few weeks and will blend in well with the surrounding area. This project was advertised, discussed, and approved by the membership for completion with the 2022 Budget and Reserve Fund. It will be great to have the machines and tools belonging to the Villages all housed in one place instead of scattered among several member garages. Anyone who says they were not informed of this project were not paying attention
Members of the Villages of Garrison Creek, please do not be swayed by Mr. Coleman and a few misguided members who want to change our history. The members in 2017 voted to make this an association of homeowners. A strong majority of the owners of the 240 HOMES in the Villages of Garrison Creek are united in their desire to maintain the appeal of the Villages and the value of their homes.
Please support your elected Board of Directors and those they endorse to succeed them. Don’t fall for outrageous claims of lower dues from houses that have yet to be built and that neighboring properties will just give us money because we now demand it. Don’t fall for claims that have been thoroughly examined and found by the court to be without merit. Contrary to the assertions of Mr. Miller in his letter suggesting otherwise, neither this board nor or any member of previous boards in prior years attempted to hide information from the membership or that they acted irresponsibly in a manner, not in the best interest of The Villages of Garrison Creek.
Since its inception, The Villages of Garrison Creek has been a premier development in the Walla Walla Valley and a highly desirable place to call home. Our HOA’s volunteer Board of Directors works hard to make sure it stays that way, applying the State of Washington’s legal codes that pertain to homeowners associations to the very best of its ability. The HOA’s financial transactions and documentation are audited annually, and the results of those audits are available to every member. When a member’s questions and concerns arise, they will be addressed factually and with respect. The members of your board are human beings. They transact the business of our association with integrity and sometimes make mistakes. When errors and misstatements occur, we will strive to correct them quickly and straightforwardly. When allegations of board impropriety are insinuated, those accusations will be thoroughly examined openly, in public forums so that that truth can prevail, and our excellent neighborhood’s positive future can be fully realized. This is our pledge to you. This letter is presented in the spirit of transparency and fairness as a frank response to what we believe are non-factual assertions and misleading allegations. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you have questions that remain or observations to share, please speak with any of our board members.
Respectfully,
The MPMA Board of Directors