𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙, 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙!!" 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺:
- David B Dorey
- Jun 17, 2020
- 4 min read
I have finally had the opportunity to review the recording a fellow Member supplied of the May 2020 GFA 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 Meeting. The absolutely kindest way I can put it is this: There are inconsistencies between the recording and the official minutes. I am taking counsel regarding what to do about this. In the meantime, there are some glaring items which need to be specifically mentioned. The first of which is the board's approval of "up to" a $25,000 expenditure for our new-ish spillway. NOT a typo, we are all now on the hook for another $25,000 for our multi-million dollar spillway. Trust me, it only gets MUCH worse from here....
According to the minutes, the engineer for the spillway, CT Male, has confirmed what several Members told the board literally years ago - that the South spill gate is misaligned. This has caused half of the spillway which we spent millions of dollars on to never yet work correctly. Again according to the minutes:
"The contractor will effect repairs at no cost to the Association. We will purchase metal stop-logs and accessories to allow repairs. We will need those stop-logs in the future for repairs and maintenance."
Of course, as luck would have it, there was a technical glitch just as mr fibiger was giving their wholly unsubstantiated 'report' regarding this expenditure, so I cannot attest to every syllable which they attempted to say. But from what I can piece together from the recording of the meeting (and NOT the minutes), it seems like the company we are buying these stop logs from is called "Rodney Hunt", and apparently it was Rodney Hunt which we paid for the weir gates on the spillway originally. It seems that Rodney Hunt is now also supplying us with the "expert" to oversee the installation of these stop logs and the mechanism which will apparently be used to raise and lower them. Here's a link to what I think is the correct website:
These stop logs will cost us $20,000, according to the minutes. There is no indication that the purchase of these stop logs was put out to bid. There is no documentation regarding the appropriateness of the price we are now stuck with paying for these stop logs. There is nothing about any other possible options. There is not even an explanation given as to 𝒘𝒉𝒚 this 'necessity' is alleged - we are just expected to take mr fibiger's word for it. And this is after mr fibiger has (IMHO, ofc!!) engaged in blatantly illegal activity (defamation is still illegal), repeatedly boldly lied, repeatedly arrogantly ignored the polite requests for information from GFA Voting Members in Good Standing, and demonstrated they could not negotiate their way out a wet paper sack, even if equipped with a samurai sword and a chainsaw.
If these items are such a desperate "need", why were they not included in the original construction cost of the spillway? Why are they NOW, years later, such a desperate "need"? Why should any of us just accept the unsubstantiated assertions of a proven (IMHO, ofc!!!) law breaking, lying, wholly unprofessional incompetent? Why was there no competitive bidding process for an expenditure of this size? And why are we paying ANYONE ANYTHING to supervise the correction of a construction flaw which the board was informed of years ago? How wonderfully "coincidental" is it that apparently the supplier of these $20,000 stainless steel stop logs is also getting another $5,000 of OUR money to somehow oversee the installation of them now? (more on this to follow below) If this whole deal does not smell to high Heaven to you, you seriously need to see an ENT specialist pronto (IMHO, ofc!!!).
There are fellow Members on our Flow right now who are having to sell their places as part of the economic fallout of COVID-19. Heartbreaking stuff. And here we have the board just tossing around OUR $20,000+ without even one speck of substantiation for doing so. This is simply wrong. It is also wrong (IMHO, ofc!!!) for the board to approve such an outlandish, wholly unsubstantiated, and apparently not even competitively bid-for expenditure in the face of the current economic reality brought on by the pandemic without even first bothering to ask the Members what we think. The board obviously does not care - after all, it is OUR money they are spending so willy-nilly.
As alluded to above, the other half of this planned expenditure is even MORE outrageous (IMHO, ofc!!!), though. Our illustrious board has actually put us on the hook for ANOTHER $5,000 to pay some individual (apparently from the company which sold us the weir gates in the first place, and which is apparently now selling us these $20,000 stop logs) to supervise this correction of the spillway which we literally paid millions of dollars for. Why do WE have to pay one dime to ANYONE to correct a flaw which was pointed out to the board years ago? Why weren't these now suddenly "needed" stop logs a part of the original construction? How do we know that next week or next month there won't be something more which will suddenly be deemed "needed" and will again cost us tens of thousands of dollars which will be spent without even asking us first, and for which absolutely no substantiation will be provided and no competitive bidding process will be undertaken?
By my reading of our current GFA bylaws, there is nothing limiting the board's authority to spend OUR money in any amount they wish to. I believe organizational history around the globe demonstrates that this unbridled "authority" often leads to gross over-expenditures. I believe the bylaws should be amended, capping the board's non-emergency spending of OUR money, and I fully intend to propose just such an amendment at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, we are all on the hook for another $25,000 without one shred of substantiation of the necessity of this HUGE expenditure being provided. Who knows what will next be "needed"...? 🤷♂️
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