PoolI read in the Sunday, June 6, 2010 (D-Day) edition of The Signal, Tim Myer’s incredulous opinion column, “If I get old and grumpy, take me to the Soylent Green factory”, and I promptly noted numerous inaccuracies and assumptions.  Old grumpy brother Tim must have had very little material this week.  In the future Tim, try reaching out for truth before hammering your keys.  I sought a meeting with you last week, but alas you just did not take the time.  Was it easier to assume a good one sided story, was it pure laziness, or is there another agenda? 

Since you used my name, you could have at least given me the respect of hearing the other side of the story; apparently that is not your agenda, hence you have deemed yourself ready for the Soylent Green Factory.  Tim Myers would have you believe that this argument resides between loving families who want nothing but the best for their kids and a band of crotchety old grumpy people who hate kids having fun, when in fact it’s sensible adults who placed their energy, resources and reputations on the line making responsible decisions for the benefit of our entire Summit community.  As a good friend of mine stated, this entire issue is a microcosm of our national political arena.

If Tim Myers had been present at our Summit HOA board meeting in January 2009 he would have heard my comments regarding the Summit Seal’s annual contract.  My concerns were simply that our governing documents (CC&R’s and Pool Use Rules) prohibited much of the swim team activity, plus I felt it was inappropriate for the swim team to have a free clubhouse use whereas all other homeowners must pay rental fees. 

It should be noted that board members assume a great deal of fiduciary responsibility; therefore I simply could not rubber stamp the board president’s decision.  That particular board meeting was my second board meeting that I had ever attended as a board member and so I carefully studied our documents in preparation. 

Until that time, I rarely attended board meetings.  I recall that Cam Noltemeyer was firmly concerned about safety and liability.  Shortly thereafter, pro swim team board members and pro swim team sympathizers ousted Cam from our board claiming she was an “obstructionist”.  It’s a fact that when Summit homeowners voice their concerns about swim team activity, they are immediately demonized, lied about, and personally attacked even going so far as making false accusations to employers and law enforcement.  Tim Myers, a useful special interest pawn, created a “one sided” column attacking my reputation and character right in line with those tactics that have existed here for years.

During that January Board meeting, I asked that the board take more time to match swim team activities to our governing documents; after all, their activities would not begin until May.  I was stunned at the blow back from two of our board members; you would have thought I had assaulted Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy.  Swim team sympathizers who had crowded into our clubhouse that evening screamed and yelled at both Cam and myself; there we were as volunteer board members and we were denigrated and shouted down for voicing our concerns.  At one board meeting, a pro swim team mother stood up and yelled, you old people should move to retirement homes.  One man yelled at me claiming I had no honor; as a combat Veteran and Purple Heart recipient that was hard to take.  But I kept my mouth shut.  In the end, a vote was forced and the Board approved the swim team contract three to two which resulted in children diving into the shallow end of our pool for yet another season.

This year, after much haggling, it appears that the swim team is well on its way again with free use of the clubhouse and most of its usual activities.  However, if you read the blogs it appears that the swim team has agreed to cease allowing children to dive into the shallow end of our pool, they’ve stopped various dubious events and they have possibly corrected their historically inadequate insurance coverage. 

If these changes are indeed true, then much credit goes to the Stratford HOA because if they had not stepped up, it would be business as usual, meaning our HOA would endure yet another year with unnecessary and excessively high liability with children diving into the shallow end of our pool. 

Based on my observations, the behavior of pro swim team board members and many pro swim team activists forced the Stratford board to pursue a legal course to resolve these critical matters.  That special interest swim team group, including certain board members, adopted an entitlement mentality some years ago and they have not concerned themselves with conducting any level of rational conversation towards resolution, which is why I finally resigned from the board in protest. 

In fact, following a signed agreement by the Summit board that stated swim team activities would not proceed while the two boards’ negotiated resolution, the Summit board immediately violated that agreement and approved a new swim team contract. 

Additionally, the Summit pro swim team board members recently changed our clubhouse rental policy and our “No Diving” policy strictly favoring the swim team.  They have shown that there are no bounds to their limits of providing entitlements for the swim team to the encumbrance of our community at large.  Entitlements beget dissension.

In closing, I strongly believe that the Stratford HOA was forced to take action and for that I thank them for reducing our HOA’s liability and greatly reducing the risk of injury to swim team children.  Furthermore, it’s now abundantly clear that Cam Noltemeyer’s concerns have been vindicated.

William L. Reynolds- Guest Commentary

William L. Reynolds is a community volunteer who has served on the Summit HOA board. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.