Complaints about Dogwood Valley Roads

No money to fix the roads? I wonder if maybe there may be some money missing !!

Years ago in another life I lived there for a few
years too many. But while I was there I put my best
foot forward and helped out the Home Owners Assoc.
as best I could. What I did learn was somewhat
surprising and not very well known to the average
homeowner. Dogwood Valley Citizens Assoc., as stated
in the by laws, is limited to X amount of income
per lot per year. That amount ranges from 15.00 to
35.00 depending on size and location. The subdivision contains 12.8 miles of roads total, There is no earthly way to maintain that much
length of road with the pittance the Assoc. receives each year in dues. Whats the kicker is
those dues can not be raised by the board or anyone else short of a majority vote by the homeowners, that would take an act of God.

Dogwood Valley Citizens Assoc is NOT a Home Owners Assoc

Private subdivision roads should be against the law...people buy lots when the private roads are new and the lots are cheaper than in subdivisions with state maintained roads but then there is never money for maintenance...it should be considered fraud to sell lots in a subdivision with private roads...

The legacy of poor or no regulation of past development in Greene. Subdivision guidelines have subsequently improved since then but that didn't help DV.
Its the developer of Dogwood valley subdivision who is at fault. Stand up and let us know who you are. Aren't you proud of what you've (not) done. These roads are so bad that they can't be taken into the state highway system for maintenance without probably million$ in upgrades. School buses are not supposed to travel on such roads/trails for obvious safety reasons.
A similar (non-state compliant) situation exists in Greene's Twin Lakes subdivision. Realtors should be informing potential home buyers of the road system issues relative to both Dogwood Valley and Twin Lakes - or any other property.

It's like that on Estes Ridge (Albemarle), too! We have to negotiate this giant mud-hole, and it's all because ONE NEIGHBOR won't put a pipe under his driveway or allow us to cut ditches down the side of the road. So the road continually gets washed out during heavy rains. And the rest of the neighbors (who don't have to negotiate the hole) are too chicken-hearted to stand up to him so we can fix the road decently! UPS can't make it out to our house after it rains, and the day an emergency vehicle needs to get through there and can't is the day he gets his butt sued but GOOD! Creep!

ceebee wrote:

Dogwood Valley Citizens Assoc is NOT a Home Owners Assoc

And your point is?

Can anyone explain what would prompt Matthew Brown, treasurer of the Dogwood Valley Citizens Association, to spend $159,000 of his "own money" to bankroll this incredible drama, this on top of the unknown amounts spent by the DVCA to defend the indefensible? When we can understand that, then we will know the truth of the matter, because very few of the improved properties are worth that much. I mean, what is it he stands to gain for his "investment"?

The Mayor of Stanardsville is also the mayor of Dogwood Valley :-)

The Mafia of Dogwood Valley

Instead of complaining about the roads, why don't we all get together and at least fix the roads so at least emergency vehicles can get to people. Let Mat Brown take us to court, at least we will know maybe a life has been saved

thinking free wrote:

<quoted text>And your point is?

The point is, why continue to send money to an organization that legally cannot operate as a home owners association to fix your roads when they use the funds illegally for attorney fees. The annual road fees should not be used legal fees. The organization is not operating legally - they do not have annual meetings open to the homeowners, they have never had their books independently audited and they continue to collect money as a homeowners association when they court has ruled they cannot operate as one as it is currently organized.

Here is the link to the appeals court ruling that upholds the lower court ruling that DVCA is not a homeowners association. As such, they do not have the authority to assess additional fees. If they are not a homeowners association, how can they operate with officers or directors that do not have public meetings, obtain votes for action by the homeowners without holding public meetings or continue to collect road fees under the auspices of the DVCA?

http://www.courts.state.va.us/opinions/opnscv...

Interested person wrote:

<quoted text>
The point is, why continue to send money to an organization that legally cannot operate as a home owners association to fix your roads when they use the funds illegally for attorney fees. The annual road fees should not be used legal fees. The organization is not operating legally - they do not have annual meetings open to the homeowners, they have never had their books independently audited and they continue to collect money as a homeowners association when they court has ruled they cannot operate as one as it is currently organized.

It appears that things have changed a great deal since I
lived there. We always had annual meetings, one even taking place at the courthouse, the books were always sent to CPA for inspection and recommendations, as were they always available
to any property owner. When the subdivision was
originally developed,don't ask me when, and the lots sold, the then lot owners complained about
road conditions at that time also. The residents
then decided to take over maintaining the roads.
The developer said, its all yours, probably laughing all the way home. I remember thinking
that when I first heard this account 29 years ago. The situation sucks I know but but what the answer is I don't know. I can tell you what we
did back then but it wasn't easy.I think this reminds me of the phrase "buyer beware".

How about this, theres a 80+ year old single lady in Dogwood Valley that received a letter from the gas company that they will not deliver propane anymore because of the roads. That should make the officers of DVCA feel real good !!

Heres an interesting site to go to:http://www.gopetition.us/on line/26977.html

The correct link is http://www.gopetition.us/online/26977.html (online is one "word"), which has as much chance of getting ANY traction as writing a letter to Santa Claus...

Why is it that the landowners cannot fix (work on) the roads?

DeDe wrote:

Why is it that the landowners cannot fix (work on) the roads?

Thats what we did years ago, we had a an old farm tractor with
a blade on the back we used for ditching and crowning the roads. All that work was volunteer. The only thing we had to buy was the crush & run (gravel). We were able to keep the roads in decent
condition at that time. But it did take a lot of
volunteer work from the property owners. The tractor I refer to was owned by the Assoc., After I
moved away it was sold, I don't know why, to one of the property owners there.

Is there anyway we could get lot owners together and have a meeting to see if we might be able to get a few questions answered?