The handful of Poudre Overlook Homeowners who log into the Frontsteps HOA website were presented with a big banner across the dashboard, finally making an announcement about the Annual “Homeowners” Meeting – just barely 2 days in advance. And, there’s an odd reference to a Zoom link for the PID meeting, which immediately follows.
When you go to the calendar and click on the meeting link, the page has an announcement that presents a conspiracy/mystery: Director Ballweber claims it is the second announcement, and she has no idea what happened to the first notice she posted. This isn’t her first misfire while being Administrator of the website – and evidence, again, of being unqualified and/or refusing to seek or receive assistance from those who do.
It is ironic that the root of many of our HOA problems is vague and unclear language. Whether in our governing documents, our notices, or in our general communications. Misunderstandings and disputes arise, and we deserve to have a Board that does even a cursory review prior to publishing . . . anything.
There are two ways this notice may be read:
- The PID Meeting is being held via Zoom, and only via Zoom.
- The PID Meeting will be held physically in the same room as the POHOA Annual “Homeowner’s” Meeting, and will be broadcast via Zoom to those who are not attending in person.
If it is the first, then the issue is a complete breakdown in communications, and an illogical and arguably impossible scheduling situation. Those at the Aztlan Center will be unable to drive back to Poudre Overlook (at least 20-25 minutes, including walking to a car, driving, and then getting into a house and opening a computer) to attend unless they leave the first meeting early. If this is the case, that is surprising and arguably suspicious after scheduling the last meeting on a Friday at 5pm on August 5 – with only notice via the Sandwich Board.
The second is that the PID is willing to provide Zoom access when the POHOA Board is not just unwilling, but is literally physically hostile to anyone else providing that access. At the 10/20/22 meeting, Director Ballweber physically ripped the power cord from the A/V equipment. Watch Director Ballweber as she explains the reason for doing so – because there is a vote, there cannot be remote access.
The problem with Director Ballweber’s rationale and actions is that in 2020 and 2021, we had Annual Meetings via Zoom, and we DID vote. Members were given a week or more to turn their ballots in by mail, or by dropping them off in a box on a homeowner’s front porch. It delayed the results significantly, but the mechanism exists, and there is no evidence of nefarious actions in either of those elections or voting actions (including approving budgets).
Given the significant wave of respiratory pathogens across Colorado and the United States, having yet another indoor in-person gathering with homeowners that comprise some of the highest risk groups appears to be callous or indifferent to the consequences – particularly when the sister PID organization is clearly able to adapt with a Zoom meeting.
I spoke with Katie Bilby shortly before writing this article, and she suggested that the homeowners have a vote to address the problem of having inadequate and/or confusing PID notices passed through the POHOA Board, and instead have direct notices to the homeowners about its meetings – particularly those that do not “follow” POHOA meetings, either physically or virtually. I agreed that in order to do so, the POHOA Board may need to share the names, addresses, and email addresses of the membership. We agreed the Annual Meeting was a perfect time to have such a vote to address these concerns.
The question is whether Director Ballweber will allow it into the agenda, and more importantly, whether Mr. Flanary, who is the de-facto POHOA General Counsel as of late, will erect some barrier based upon is assertion that he and only he knows HOA law.