Answers to January's "Ask the Board" Questions

 

Thank you for your questions to "Ask the Board." Some great questions are being asked. 

 

Why can’t we have open meetings? Do we have available facilities to accommodate the members?

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The board meetings are open and you may attend but you must make an appointment prior to the meeting. We do not have the facilities at this time or the technology needed to conduct a business meeting for the whole community. We have membership meetings for the Annual Budget in January and the Annual Meeting in June.  Board members are available by appointment as well.

 

​Do I have any HOA dues due? And when are my dues due? I can’t seem to access the payment portal. 

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Yes, all FH residents have Property Owners Association (POA) dues. Our Fiscal Year runs from March 1, 2023 – Feb 29th, 2024. For the first time, the POA will be going paperless for our annual dues billing in 2024. The Fiscal Year runs from March 1, 2024 – Feb 28th, 2025. Invoices for 2024 dues will be sent out via email on March 1st with a due date of May 1st. You can pre-pay your annual dues! If you can start now, you’d have time to make five payments before the May 1st due date, and you could easily space out the payments. To pay online, please see below for instructions to register on the Appfolio Payment Portal. Create a password and gain access to the easiest, fastest, and most secure way to pay dues. Pay your dues online, anywhere, on time! https://indigogolf.appfolio.com/users/sign_in

 

There is also a drop box in front of the office, so you can drop your payment off at any time. If you continue to have difficulty accessing the portal, please stop by the POA office.

 

​While the board has focused well on increasing the income stream and developing new projects, it has failed to take care of current needs. Why, for example, have marked dead trees behind our house not yet been taken down? Why has the Shoreline walking trail not been repaved completely? Why was a developer allowed to build a house not following the setback beside our house at 1225 Pelican so that we had to buy and plant trees to block it from view? We are not golfers or yachters, do not eat out at the Harbour Pointe, but we walk our dog on Shoreline. We have lived here since 2005 but see little improvement for our dues. Please pay attention to maintenance here! Thank you.

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Please see the list of all of the projects completed in the past 24 months. The link to the Beacon is www.fhbeacon.com/asktheboard.  under accomplishments.

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Please contact the POA office regarding the tree. We will make sure it is on the list for the next tree removal.  We had two microburst storms in 2023, and over 200 trees were addressed.  We exceeded the budget for tree removal and can look to the future budget to address your issue.

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The setback issue has been looked at by the PCC, and it is within the setback requirements from FH and Craven County.

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Fiber Questions:

Having been involved in networking infrastructure for 20+ years before retirement, there are some questions I hope have been addressed.

1. When (not if, worked too long in the industry to think otherwise) existing fiber or water lines are cut, is American Fiber Infrastructure going to make the repairs and do they have an ETR in place?  (Estimated Time to Repair, usually means how long or when)​​

2. Who will be monitoring the network for outages?  Will Hosted America just wait for phone calls? I had a $750,000 system and generally knew of outages before the carrier.  Again, do they have an ETR in place?

 

There will be a designated local number to call with issues. Our expectation is that the standards will be followed per the contract:

• “Trouble Reports involving a Minor Service Problem received by the Service Provider will be responded to by the next business day.  Service Provider will cure any Minor Service Problem within 48 hours after responding to the Trouble Report.”

• “Service Provider must respond to Trouble Reports involving an Outage within 4 hours of receiving a Trouble Report and any Major Service Problem within 8 hours of receiving a Trouble Report, regardless of the day of week or Holiday.  Service Provider will cure any Outage within 24 hours after responding to any Trouble Report of an Outage or Major Service Problem.”

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In answer to the second question, yes, the network is actively monitored with alerts if any issues arise, etc., i.e., we don’t just wait for someone to call (although if it’s a single issue that is probably what will happen but for an outage or something affecting multiple customers we will be getting alarms/alerts, etc.)

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• Hosted America “will pay us for residuals for access.”  Please clarify what “residuals for access” means.

• Who will do the billing for services....POA or another company? 

• Will there be a charge for the curb to house cable hook-up and who will do it? 

• Are services offered at least identical to Optimum’s bundled services...phone, internet, TV? 

• Optimum will still provide fiber optic trunking down BCR to the POA network center...correct? 

• Has Optimum agreed to continue serving the community after the new supplier is in full operation?

• If a service call is needed, where will the service personnel travel from? 

• What guarantees has the POA made to the service providers if revenues from FFH fall short?    

 

Residuals for access refers to the money that will be paid to the POA for easement rights.  You would enter into a contract directly with the fiber company and be billed by them. The basic service is bundled- cable, phone, and internet for $119.00/mo.  Please refer back to the Beacon article. www.fhbeacon.com/asktheboard Fairfield Harbour Network (FHN)

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I understand the property for the patio homes is zoned residential vacant. So the rest of the green space is zoned differently? What happened in 2023 something regarding this property changed.

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The zoning has never changed since the purchase of the 385 Acres happened on December 31, 2016.

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I live in a green area, and I know the policy on having a fence if you live in a green area. I own three dogs, those of which are crated. Is there any possible way we are able to get a fence to install a doggy door so they can relieve themselves while we are away at work? If this could possibly be granted to install a fence, we would appreciate it very much. Please let us know your thoughts. Thank you.

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Please refer to the FH Declaration of Restrictions (DORs) that apply to your section.  The community’s governing documents state that property lines are to be “free and open.” You can find the instructions at https://www.fhbeacon.com/post/what-are-the-dors-in-fairfield-harbour-and-how-to-find-mine

Perhaps an invisible fence would be a good option for you.

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​Are we able to take a small inflatable on the ponds on the old golf course? Definitely would never swim in them. Also, can you put a small remote-controlled toy boat in them? Just curious - thanks 

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No inflatables are allowed on the ponds.  Fishing is allowed, and the remote-controlled boats for family fun.  Be aware of the alligators that can frequent any pond.

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The DOR for sections 1-7 states that all enumerated lots can only be used for single-family residential homes. How can these two lots purchased by the POA be used as a private entrance for the 55+ development? The DORs also state that all residents must enter the community through a common entrance. Are the DORs being amended to accommodate these violations without a vote by the community?

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Closer to the start of the project, the lots will be converted to Common Property and will no longer be subject to the restrictions of the community as enumerated lots.

 

​Can you prove that there's enough income to maintain a new clubhouse, recognizing that the continuing maintenance costs for such a facility will come out of dues even though allegedly the construction costs will not?  Are the owners, those who comprise the Property Owners Association, in for a rude awakening a few years down the road when it is obvious that mismanagement has torpedoed the plan?

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Please refer to the budget and come to the budget meeting where you will see the growth year over year for revenues in golf and restaurant. The Annual Budget Meeting (live, in person) is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23rd, at 7:00 pm at the Community Center.

 

Why are we fixing Birdland and not the sea wall that’s falling in?

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The Birdland Marina is the first area to be addressed. At the Annual Meeting in June 2023, the project timeline was presented. The marina rebuild is to precede the Inner Harbour rebuild.  

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Is it possible to alternate board meetings monthly? One month during the day and the next month in the evening? Or can board meetings be taped and available for members to view? Thank you

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Because the meetings typically go 6-8 hours, it would not work for the volunteers to conduct business at night.  The minutes posted on www.fh-poa.com show what happened in the previous meetings.

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Does the new community center architect’s contract specify progress drawing deliverables at specific stages of completion … typically we should see them at Schematic (~30%), Design Development (~60%), and Contract Documents (draft final to them, 90% to us pre-review) … and when may we expect to see those? Thanks!

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The Harbour Club update will be released at the end of January. Please stay tuned.

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What is being built at the end of Broad Creek? It appears to be a billboard.

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It's a billboard advertising Harbour Pointe Golf Club and the Pointe Restaurant. See this Beacon article. https://www.fhbeacon.com/post/marketing-harbour-pointe-golf-club.