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Date:   7/1/08         RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Heather

"I am a homeowner and Street Rep. and I appreciate the ban on the fireworks! I have a 3 year old who loves fireworks but within such close range of house and where fireworks have to be shot off it is too dangerous to take my child outside to see the displays. Even after the ban within the last month there still continue to be fireworks taking place here on my street (BlackWolf) and I do not think that is very wise of the people doing it. Go to Broadway at the Beach and watch the fireworks, don't put the rest of us in danger, especially the children!"

Date:   6/25/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Anonymous

"My facetious rant pertaining to fireworks. First of all, I think that the homeowners association in all it's infallible wisdom and power should ban lightning strikes in Avalon. After all, anyone who took the time to do the statistical research would know that lightning strikes are FAR more likely to cause a forest fire or serious damage to homes than the 4th of July is. So, lets get our priorities straight here peeps.

Second, what a ridiculous notion it is that we should somehow look up to or emulate the City Government of Myrtle Beach! You know, the one that just used their citizens discontent for biker rallies as an excuse to raise property taxes by 3 mills! Look, if you are not a native to Horry County you aught to think back to why it is you moved here in the first place. Would you like it to stay that way? Then start thinking "small, limited government."

Date:   6/22/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Debbie Hill

"Due to the dry weather conditions, seriousness of fires that have been in the community, closeness of houses, and the fact that fireworks land on other's roofs and property, it is a wise and responsible move to ban fireworks."

"I think it would be appropriate and helpful to make the voting records of all board members and street reps public information. (forgive me if it is already!) What issues each of them voted on and how they voted. This way, homeowners can make an informed decision when board elections come around, and street reps can either be asked to step down or shown support by their constituents.  This might help people feel like the HOA is being run in a more democratic fashion (I am not saying that it is not) but it seems people feel that way. In today's society perception often becomes the reality, factual or not, fair or not. So transparency is key."

Date:   6/18/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Pete & Shari Billitteri

"I agree with the board on the issue of fireworks. I don't have a problem with them being banned in Avalon. What happen in Walker Woods was enough for me to make my decision. The woods are too dry to risk putting everyone's homes in danger. Also last year there was a little boy that lives here in Avalon, he was injured from someone else's fireworks, he was an innocent bystander and got struck in the shoulder, while in his own backyard. For as pretty as they may be, the danger they impose is too great to risk with all the houses here to close together, and the woods being so close."

Date:   6/18/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Mary Anna Meek

"I was one of the homeowners on the advisory board who voted to ban the fireworks. I have personally witnessed a neighbor almost blow up his house by being stupid. The guy that lives down the street from me constantly leaves his mess in the road and in my backyard. While I was walking my dogs one evening, I was almost shot by one. Forgive me if I want to live in a safe and clean neighborhood. Yes, these people are the exception and I am sure that you all clean up after yourselves but the bad outweighs the good in this situation.

The bottom line is that the homes in Avalon are too close together for fireworks to be safe. People are not cleaning up after themselves. Homes and cars are constantly damaged. That's enough reason to have them banned. If you have a problem with the way that Avalon is run, get on the advisory board and change it. Ed Stapleton let the board decide this and in no way was this his decision. Ed does his best to unite Avalon and he has done a lot for us. I firmly believe there is more to worry about in this world than whether or not you can set off fireworks."

Date:   6/17/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Ed Stapleton

"I want to sincerely thank Ms. Yancey for her letter and suggestions. I am not perfect and certainly don't claim to know everything. I (and the board) are always open to new ideas, that is how improvements are made. I agree with your suggestion 100% in theory, but the logistics of it would be difficult at best. The reason that we have 1 annual meeting is because we have to rent a room large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. Letters are sent out inviting homeowners to attend and proxies are returned and counted. It is not a simple process and the room is fairly expensive to rent. It would be a lot of work to arrange even one meeting every 90 days. It would be different if we had an actual "clubhouse" where we could hold meetings, but we don't. Also, the cost of postage alone to send a letter to 738 homeowners is $309.96 (plus envelope and paper). I also agree with you that the annual meeting is a joke, but not for the same reasons that you do. We send out 738 invitations and so few people show up that there is never enough homeowners for a quorum. We then have to waste postage on a second letter telling the homeowners there wasn't enough people for a quorum and what the results of the meeting were.

What we do is have an Advisory Committee meeting every 90 days comprised of two homeowners off of every street. There is a room locally that we "borrow" that is free. The room will hold approximately 30 people (just enough for the board and Advisory Committee). The meeting is usually about two hours and we toss around ways to improve the community. The Advisory Committee Members (street reps) also bring up issues that their neighbors have concerns about. That is why we encourage homeowners to talk with their street reps. If you don't have time to meet them, call or send them an email. If you don't feel comfortable doing that then contact one of the board members. Most mailings that go out we try to attach an organizational chart so that every homeowner has access to contact information.

I would like to share the challenge with you. If you want regular meetings with participation from all Avalon homeowners...find a place close by that we can meet regularly (preferably for free) that can accommodate a couple hundred people. You would also need to figure out a way to notify all homeowners of the meeting without spending $500 on a mailing. Posting it on the website would let a few homeowners know, but not everyone has internet and not everyone looks at the Avalon website. Please email me directly with any ideas at stapey@sccoast.net . I am really looking forward to hearing from you and thank you again! "

Date:   6/17/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Stephanie Yancey

"While the recent fireworks ban has really upset some people, I think there is a bigger problem here: the Board of Directors has several meetings to which (as far as I understand) the general homeowners of Avalon are not invited. Here, major decisions are made by a small group of people, and the rest of the community gets no say, which results in outrage by the general public on some issues.

I have been told that my voice is heard through the street representatives, but I suggest that this is not a valid way to ensure that the voice of the whole is understood, especially when we are not notified of the possibility of change before it is instituted. More effort should be made to ascertain the opinion of the whole, and this could easily be done with open forums on major issues.

There is one meeting a year for homeowners to attend, and really, it's a joke, because it becomes a bunch of people complaining, or throwing out issues, but there is not enough time to discuss or find a solution for anything. Interested homeowners should be allowed and encouraged to attend Board Meetings, major issues should be discussed, and these changes should be voted on, and on a regular basis (perhaps quarterly). Let me be clear: the POA generally does a good job and I think that often they should be commended. I simply believe that the rest of us should be included in major decisions through a forum or, at minimum, a proxy vote.

Mr. Stapleton, I challenge you to make the Avalon Property Owners Association just that: an association of the homeowners, not 30 people who make decisions for the rest of us. This will lesson the shock of new rules and regulations, and leave no room for people to complain when they have been given the chance to make their voices heard. I know it may not be easy, but I believe that this will result in greater ownership by the homeowners in the decisions that are made for the betterment of the community."

Date:   6/17/08       RE: Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Jeff & Pat Farmer

"Ok I do owe an apology for the name calling but I am a man that speaks his mind when I see a little more of my freedom is taken away with out my vote, Forgive me.  In regards to all of our homes, we don't know about all of the 768 homeowners here in Avalon but we have lived in a neighborhood here in Horry County where it is legal to shoot off fireworks for 25 years now. We and all our neighbors "until we moved here" had fireworks with no damage to anyone's property and we always clean up our mess afterwards. Now do accidents happen? Sure they do. I'm sorry but that's life I believe. We see no different of other places that we have lived. We will be careful as possible when we shoot off the fireworks!"

"This is the first I'm hearing of this new firework ban, when and where was this posted?!? Well I am with Pat too, I will also be having a 4th of July party, WITH fireworks...so might as well, send the fines now! If this is true, then this is truly ridiculous!!!"

"I wanted to respond to Mr. Farmer’s and Joe’s letters. However, I will take the high ground and not stoop to name-calling. Of the 5 Avalon Board members and the 28 Avalon Advisory Committee members, I don’t think any of us are “stupid” or “commies”. I am sure some are liberal and some are conservative, however that is irrelevant. I also don’t believe the 28,597 citizens in the City of Myrtle Beach are stupid either because fireworks are banned everywhere throughout the town. They have enough sense to do a yearly fireworks display over the water. The fireworks issue has nothing to with being Un-American, it has to do with safety and having common sense. I have received dozens of emails and phone calls from homeowners that are thrilled about the ban on fireworks. The Avalon Board of Directors has been meeting with professors form Coastal Carolina University, Wild Life Action Inc, and The Army Corp Of Engineers about the woods around Avalon. All three of them said that the question is not “if” the woods are going to burn but “when”. They said that International Paper did not properly maintain the woods and it is now full of pine needles and brush. They said that it is a tinderbox ready to explode. We have also been meeting with them to decide whether to do a controlled burn or whether to bring in machines to clear the woods away from the houses.

Liberty is defined as the “right of individuals to act without restraint as long as their actions do not interfere with the equivalent rights of others”. You lighting off fireworks is putting every Avalon homeowner in danger. When you are lighting fireworks off you are showing how little you care for your neighbors or this community. Three weeks ago on Silvercrest directly behind Mr. Farmer’s house, a bottle rocket hit a homeowner’s car and did $2000 worth of paint damage. A bottle rocket also hit his patio table and shattered the glass. Please folks, show your neighbors that you care about their safety and go see the yearly display in Myrtle Beach over the water rather than put all of us at risk. Have you forgotten about the Walker's Woods fire last year that was started by a single bottle rocket? Do you want to be the one who has to apologize to your neighbors for burning their house down?"

"I want to thank you for making Avalon a safer place and for banning fireworks. While we all love to see fireworks, you're completely right that our homes are too close together and the woods are too near (and often DRY) for us to risk it. My yellow Labrador Retriever thanks you, too! She's petrified of the noise!"

"You (The Board) may be getting some heat from some folks about the fireworks ban but I wanted to write and tell you I agree with the advisory board about the ban. Homes are to close together and dry woods make for a bad situation. I cringe every year when bottle rockets, etc. are going off around my house. I love fireworks as much as the next person but the Avalon neighborhood is not the place to be setting them off. Vietnam Veteran"

"I agree with Jeff. I believe this new Board and "advisory committee" is taking away too many personal rights we have. I have been here for 7 years and can't believe how new rules seem to "find their way" into our Rules & Restrictions and Covenants without any REAL NEIGHBOR input. Between the no parking on the streets, zero tolerance for any offence (yes zero!) and now this I really am beginning to dislike living at Avalon. So will Avalon be hosting a firework display in the amenities area? Isn't that the least you can do?"

Date:   6/10/08              Topic:      Fireworks                               Author:   Jeff & Pat Farmer

"WHAT is this that I read that now we can not shoot off fireworks! What Commie thought this up?  For over 40 years Americans have been able to celebrate our freedom by lighting up the sky with fireworks. Who is it in this neighborhood that says I cant? Don't you stupid liberals know that every time you vote in a new law to take way a little more of my freedom you are taking away your own rights?  I will tell you right up front. We are having another Independence Day Party with fireworks just like we have for all of our lives. This will be the 6th here in Avalon. If there are fines to be paid just add them to the others and take a hike you liberals."

"Today I received my Red Passes with a letter about the green passes not being accepted due to the people who do not pay their HOA Fees, then I was wondering how would they control the biggest problem which is the pool. I see people at the pool as early as 8:30 am.  I think that there are enough of us, Retired People, who live here, that we could all volunteer a few hours a week ,just a small amount of our time, to become POOL MONITORS..... I believe this could help bring this community together and make our pool a lot safer... We first need to get the volunteers together to see if there are enough people who would do this. Second we need someone who could keep control of the scheduling of hours.  I will volunteer my time, no problem... "

"I will more than likely be purchasing a home in the Avalon very soon. I am relocating from NY. I have one child who will be attending Carolina Forest HS. Is there any one who could tell me how the school buses run. Do they pick up at the entrance to the Avalon or do they come into the subdivision and make various stops? If any one could answer this for me it would very helpful. Thanks for any of your responses and I look forward to meeting some new neighbors. You can email me at Clara36@aol.com "

"On May 29 at 6:30 P.M. there will be a public forum at the Carolina Forest Community Church. The forum is sponsored by the Carolina Forest Chronicle newspaper and the purpose of the forum is to discuss the road situation in Carolina Forest. Our local political representatives have been invited to attend. This is an opportunity to make your voice heard. The more of us who attend the greater impression we will make on the politicians."

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