Neighborhood Updates

Announcements

Current HOA notices, upcoming dates, and resident reminders for Summers Ridge.

Latest News

Current announcements

Good evening,

Attached are the minutes from our recent budget meeting. We would also like to share updates on several items discussed during our recent Board meeting as we continue working toward improving our community.

A committee of community volunteers has recently been formed to help identify fair and practical ways to address safety concerns within the HOA, particularly those involving children and pedestrians. This group, which will operate as the Safety Enforcement Committee, will initially focus on reviewing and clarifying how the HOA addresses street parking concerns. Specifically, the committee has been tasked with developing a more explicit and consistent process for enforcing the bylaw stating that "Cars are not permitted to be parked on streets, yards, or lawns on a regular basis."

The goal of this effort is to improve safety and accessibility within the neighborhood, not to unnecessarily police neighbors. As part of this process, the committee will also explore reasonable accommodations for temporary situations such as guests, gatherings, or short-term parking needs, while encouraging communication and cooperation within the community. Once the committee has had an opportunity to evaluate options and develop recommendations, additional information and guidance will be shared with the community.

Additional concerns were also raised regarding speed limit signs and street signage throughout the community. Before pursuing pricing or installation quotes, the Board has asked the committee to contact the county to determine whether any grants, funding opportunities, or public programs may exist to assist with these improvements, particularly since clear signage can directly impact emergency response and address identification. While the HOA is prepared to fund these future improvements if necessary, we believe it is important to explore any available external funding opportunities that could help offset costs to the community.

We have also opened a Money Market account, which currently carries a 2.42% interest rate, and have transferred $50,000 of reserve funds into the account to help generate interest as we continue building our reserves to a more comfortable level.

To help establish an appropriate long-term reserve target, we are working with local paving companies to obtain quotes for future road repaving projects. These estimates will help guide our reserve planning, with a target reserve amount based on projected paving costs plus an additional 10% to help account for inflation and unforeseen expenses. The Board will continue evaluating long-term funding needs to ensure reserves keep pace with inflation and future maintenance costs.

While a final resolution for the current condition of the roads is still being developed, we continue to work with state and local representatives, as well as legal counsel, to identify the most cost-effective path forward. At this time, our goal remains to have a long-term solution identified and completed by Spring 2027.

As discussed during the Budget Meeting, due to limitations resulting from the prior Declarant management and administration of the HOA, the HOA, now under unit owner control, is not currently in a position to enforce the collection of certain past dues balances. Because of this, we would again like to offer community members the voluntary opportunity to submit due payments for prior years in which payments may not have been made. We are appreciative that many members of the community have already chosen to participate, resulting in the collection of additional funds in the five-figure range.

All additional funds collected will go directly toward strengthening the HOA's long-term financial stability and helping create a smoother path toward future infrastructure improvements. These efforts will also help reduce future financial pressure on the community as reserve goals are met and our roads are restored to a condition we can all be proud of. If you send in a check for these payments, please make it addressed to Summers Ridge HOA, mail it to 201 Chloe Ln, Morgantown, WV 26508, and put in the memo line the years the payment is for.

Summers Ridge Leadership Team

Dear Homeowners,

I am pleased to share that we have made significant progress since our last meeting. By obtaining an EIN from the IRS and updating the Association's information with the Secretary of State, we have officially established the HOA bank account. This is an important step forward and allows us to begin operating more formally as an association. Current reserves from previous dues are also being transferred from accounts managed by Rick into this account.

With this account in place, we can now begin collecting any previously unpaid dues and schedule a budget meeting. If you have any outstanding dues, you may send payment to 101 Sadie Ln, Morgantown, WV 26508 (myself) or 201 Chloe Ln, Morgantown, WV 26508 (Doreen Keene, Treasurer). Checks should be made payable to Summers Ridge Homeowners Association. At this time, please DO NOT send payment for 2026 dues. Those will be collected after the budget has been ratified.

With the budget meeting approaching, I also want to keep everyone informed about how this annual process works and introduce some of the terminology used in our HOA documents. I will be referencing West Virginia Code Chapter 36B-3-103 and §36B-3-108 (Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act), which serve as the legal framework for our HOA and much of the language in our Declaration.

As we prepare for the budget meeting, we welcome homeowner input. While not required as part of our Declaration, this is our first budget independent of the declarant, and we want to ensure transparency and gather feedback in advance. The vote at the meeting is an all-or-nothing decision, so this is the best opportunity to share input ahead of time.

Please share to this email any items you would like considered for this year's budget. Our initial priority will be on essential services already provided such as snow removal, maintaining common areas, insurance, legal fees, administrative expenses, and growing reserves for future maintenance. We hope this narrow focus will allow us to continue operating at a similar annual cost. If successful, this will be a significant accomplishment, as dues have not increased since the HOA was established.

Once the budget is "approved" by the Board, I will call a meeting, and the Board will distribute a summary of the budget to all unit owners. For convenience, we will send this notice via email to those we have on file. If you prefer to receive a paper copy, or if we do not have your email address, the notice will be hand-delivered or mailed. Please let us know if you prefer a physical copy instead of email.

The sole purpose of this meeting is to vote yes or no on "ratifying" the budget. The following budget ratification process is quoted directly from our Declaration: "Unless at that meeting of Unit/Lot Owners a majority of all Unit/Lot Owners reject the budget, the budget is ratified." It is also important to note that §V.G.5 of our Declaration states: "Only Members in good standing shall be entitled to vote. A Member shall lose good standing status if any Association assessments or fines remain delinquent for a period of ninety (90) days."

Thank you all for your patience and continued involvement as we work through this transition. Your input is important, and we look forward to building a strong and well-managed community together. Please also encourage any unit owners who have not yet shared their email address with us to do so, so we can ensure everyone receives important updates and information.

Cody Hood
HOA President