Big Canoe Octoberfest

Painting by Ann Young



October 8th found Big Canoe packed with events, friendly people and loads of chances to purchase healthy food, locally produced crafts and fine art! The day started off with The Big Canoe Farmer's Market where vendors come from all around Big Canoe to sell their produce, chocolate and ever changing assortments of food stuffs!

Big Canoe's Fine Art Show was still in full swing, featuring our own Ann Young's art as well as that of many others. This art show was produced by Big Canoe LLC , situated in one of their newly constructed cottage homes in the Twin Creek section of Big Canoe. The homes are charming, the art gorgeous and the refreshments enjoyable!

The crown jewel of the 8th was the Octoberfest held on the playing fields of Wildcat by the north gate of Big Canoe. German music accompanied the multitude of craft booths and eating pavilions; bratwursts and beer were abundant! The shuttle buses were busy moving people from the central parking area to the fields but the good natured participants seemed to take it all in stride.

I did hear from a number of residents that wondered why the event was being held at Wildcat and not at the more centrally located playing field where the parking would not have required busing. I also heard some complaints about the food selections and why outside vendors were not present at the event.  Some missed their favorite local restaurant’s presences adding another layer of choice for a very hungry mass of people. I am glad to see such good food, served hot and relatively quickly from our POA. The lines were long from 12 to 1 but evened out after that.  I actually applaud Big Canoe for showcasing our community owned and operated Sconti Clubhouse at this event. We have got to support our clubhouse both during Big Canoe functions as well as when we need everyday dining. Our friends outside the gate have ample opportunities to showcase their fares at Pickens and Dawson County events, and do not need Big Canoe functions to further their appeal.

More Questions for the Candidiate (me!)

 

1.       What is your take on how the POA handled "The Roof"? 

       The Board originally ruled that a fine would be levied because the wrong color roofing material was used at a residence.  They realized that mistakes are made and the fine was sufficient enough to cause other homeowners to not follow this procedure.  The public outcry was deafening.  Big Canoe residents felt that rules are made to be followed and if one is allowed to break them, then many will follow.  The Board heeded the wishes of many  residents and rescinded their vote and made the homeowner remove the roof and replace it with the approved material.  The Board responded to the wishes of the community.  I think that is what they are elected to do, not subjectively decided issues based on their own points of view, turning a blind eye to one group and enforcing stringent regulations with another. Hard choice in which nobody wins.  (As an aside…the exact same thing happened to me in Peachtree City with a  house.  We put the wrong color roof on, one that looked terrific, an upgrade to the previous one and a color already represented in the neighborhood. That POA made us replace it…  we sure were unhappy with the decision, cost, waste.... My point is that Big Canoe is not the only place that rules are taken very seriously to the determent of mistake prone residents.) 

2.       What is your take on how the POA handled "The Deer Incident"? 

       More than rules there are laws that say that you cannot fire weapons in neighborhoods. I think that a bit of hysteria followed this incident…with the Board reacting to the community again. I am a REALTOR®, a landlord and a property manager and I understand the relationship that must be between a landlord and tenant. The (Georgia’s)GAR lease clearly states that tenants must follow the rules of the community in which they live. If not, it is grounds for eviction.  Again, there are State, Local  and National laws that were in play with this incident and if the homeowner used a GAR lease there would have been very definite actions that the landlord could have taken to protect his investment.  I do not know if a GAR lease was in place, I just hope there was.  The heavy handedness that was bantered about was a result of misinformation and fear.  I am certain that after the dust settled, a more reasonable remedy would have been arrived at and certainly IF I AM ELECTED I would have gone down the reasonable trail!  As is was, a gap in our rules caused the Board to not be able to do anything, end of story. That gap is being filled, by the way, through our Governance renovation that is underway today.  As a Board member, I plan to be thoughtful, explore all pertinent information and come to reasonable conclusions.  I think that it is imperative that the community is listened to and their opinions taken very much to heart, but facts must be made available to the citizenry so that they are not reacting to rumor, innuendo or misinformation.  Very intelligent, fair and kind people live in Big Canoe that make very good decisions and I hope to represent them in the near future.

3.       What is your take on a resident being fined for changing his yard without a landscape plan? 

       Again, we do have our rules! If you look at them, objectively, you can see the wisdom of the rules. One of the big reasons that people purchased, move to and love living in Big Canoe is that we emphasis that we are living in a natural environment.  We all want to remove a tree here and there and for the most part it is ok to do so.  Then there is the neighbor that wants to strip all the trees off the front of his property and plant cactus….he hates leaves getting into his gutters and causing water damage to his home.  He has a legitimate complaint, but not a Big Canoe remedy! The ARC trys to maintain our forest so that it remains  today as it was many years ago.  A hard undertaking considering the population that has descended upon it and more are coming! Talk to Treena and get the real scoop about the does and don’ts of Big Canoe.   Once you do you will REALLY walk away with a better feeling about the true rules and understand the thought process that went into their implementation.

4.      What is your take on the increase in Traffic Fines? 

       I think that first and foremost, we ought to remember that we are a small-ish community of neighbors and Big Brother ought not to be watching us at every turn. That being said, people speed, go over the center line and breeze through stop signs.  The shoe has got to fit on both sides of the fence…  we need to follow the law for our safety and those around us, and Public Safety needs to now and then give us a break!

5.       What is your take on Big Canoe being overly HARSH?

       Big Canoe CAN seem overly harsh, but really it is for the betterment of the entire, diverse community. Once you understand the rules, understand WHY the rule is in place, it is a very easy community to navigate through. I have lived here 5 years and have had a rental for the same period. I have had one note from Treena about a tree that I SWEAR beavers attacked in the night and absolutely no incidents from my renters…so far all has been peaceful! I also had my daughter’s wedding here and had 140 out of town guests and they had a terrific time and no run-ins with the law!  It really isn’t that hard to live with the RULES! (Though the band had to stop at precisely 10pm!! )

Questions for the Candidiate (Me)

Question #1.  If you are for transparancy, what are the salaries and benefits of Big Canoe Emplyees??I have stated that I am in favor of the present Board’s decision to hold open meetings and I am for transparency. Today Big Canoe is one of the most open communities in this area;  holding Coffees for the Community, Open Board meetings once a month, inviting interested parties to participate on Advisory Committees. Georgia is not a Sunshine State, so any transparency that the Big Canoe POA Board of Directors enact , they do with the residents in Big Canoe’s best interest in mind, not because it is state mandated.

That being said, Big Canoe’s POA Board passed an open work session policy to begin in November to further the transparency of the organization. Those sessions will be posted and all may attend and even participate at appropriate time. I encourage you to come because I find them very interesting and informative.

Salaries and benefits of Big Canoe employees will never be available to the public, regardless of who is actually paying the bill.  This is part of the confidentiality clause in everyone’s contract and work agreements.  I have no knowledge of pay for Big Canoe employees, and after questioning active Board Member, they have no knowledge either. You can see the cumulative cost of entitlements as a line item on the annual budget and the month financial reports.  Those can be found on the website. These pay ranges are compared by the auditor every year to see if we are in line with other like communities.  So far the auditors have felt that they are.

So…. no candidate can promise you disclosure of salaries as a campaign promise, me included.

Question #2.  What are the benefits awarded to Big Canoe POA Officers, etc?

Board members are given a Medallion Membership for amenities for the three years that they serve and then an additional 1 year after.  I am not sure who else gets this benefit.

Catching Up or is this the Big Canoe POA Board Meeting???

Big Canoe Club House at Lake Sconti
Home of POA Board of Director's Meetings

Wednesday, September 21st found most candidates riveted to the goings on at the Big Canoe Club House.  The September POA Board Meeting was the attraction, with all POA Board  and Senior Staff members in attendance. About 10 residents also attended, some because they had presentations to make, some because they just care! Times are good in Big Canoe if not many people come to these meetings...I think that this reflects the great job that all governing members are doing today.
Fred Omundson spoke to the need to police the invading non native plant species in Big Canoe.  He would like to have areas that residents monitor and subsequently report any appearance of  invasion so that they might be eradicated before becoming pervasive. Only open areas will be monitored, Fred did NOT have in mind a SWAT patrol charging into residents private property and stamp out the family's mums!  This is another example of Big Canoe's tremendous reservoir of dedicated, informed, passionate residents and volunteers!  I think that it is crucial that we are vigilant stewards of this precious environment that we call home.  As we place more pressure on our green space and open areas we must guard them to the best of our abilities. I would guess that most of us moved to Big Canoe because of the beautiful terraine, follige and  pleniful wildlife that was found here yesterday and is still here today and I feel that a major priorities should be to safe guard it. I would like to thank Fred for his unflagging support of our environment and would like to volunteer to be one of his monitors.
Another important item on the agenda was the formation of a joint committee between the HOA and POA for the purpose of advocacy for Big Canoe in the local communities.  This committee would be called the External Affairs Committee.   Big Canoe composes of a large number of residents and, therefore; a large amount of revenue is paid into in two Georgia counties, Dawson and Pickens. Because of this, we feel that we need to be better informed of issues facing both these counties as well as on the state level. As residents, we also feel that opinions about issues germaine to our lifestyle should be lobbied to our elected officials, and doing so as a community instead of merely individually is often more relevant and persuasive.  The HOA has been sussessfully doing this advocacy for the past several years, because the POA was not allowed to become so involved due to its ByLaws. Those ByLaws have very recently been changed, and now the POA DOES have the ability to advocate for Big Canoe and is the rightful organization to do so. The POA respesent all of Big Canoe, where the HOA only represents a portion of Big Canoe's population, albeit an involved, educated, dedicated portion! The formation of the joint committee was narrowly voted down by a 3-4 margin by the Board of Directors.  Not because they do not see the value of the joint committee.  Indeed it is the very opposite of that.  The Board was not happy with the design of the committee.
IF ELECTED!!!
I support the joint committee on advocacy between the POA and HOA. I feel that rotating leadership should govern the committee.  I would initially like to see  equal membership in the committee from the HOA and POA, but after the first year, those affliations should be ignored.  We are all residents of Big Canoe, and our allegence should be for the entire community, not specific organizations. The committee should always report to both organizations and be aware of each group's thought, opinions and information.  The POA would be responsible for the committee since it is the governing body of this community.
On another subect addressed during the Board meeting:
Open Meetings Logistics:
I am in favor of Open Meetings. This was approved last month by the Board. What does this mean?  The Board meeting have always been open to residents and interested parties. Now the work sesssions are also opened and will be held on the same day as the regular Board meetings. Executive sessions are not open. Since becoming a candidate, I have been allowed to attend the work sessions of the Board since July. I have found them to be informative, persausive and well worth my time. I would encourage Big Canoe residents to attend work session whenever they can. A lot of  background work goes into desisions made by Board members before the  formal POA Board Meetings and I feel that we are well served by our management staff, advisory committees and Board Members during these work sessions.

Men's Forum; Wednesday September 14th

All four of the candidates were invited to appear before a Big Canoe Men's Forum to explain their platforms and be grilled by Big Canoe's best! One of the many unique attributes of Big Canoe is the opportunities for its residents to get together and share common interests. So many of my generation's men have been very busy with their careers that they had not developed the relationships and interests as we wive were able to do, that is until retirement!  Big Canoe men are making up for lost time!! I bet that there are more men playing bridge, tennis and of course golf than women on any given day!  The Forum is a group of about 15 men that periodically get together to discuss current events, both local and national. I would love to be a fly on the wall for some of their conversations; I bet most meetings are interesting, amusing and exceptionally intelligent!
I would like to thank The Men's Forum for the opportunity to appear before them and hope that I was able to answer their questions adequately. I have to admit that standing in front of all those Captain's of Industry and  Indian Chiefs was a bit intimidating but a great experience!
Thanks again!

Important Date to Remember in Big Canoe

Dates to Remember in Big Canoe

                Sept. 8^th  Women’s Guild @10 am Chapel

Sept 9^th BC Boys on the Veranda @6:30-9:30

Sept 10^th 8:30 Shotgun Fall Golf Mixer

Sept 10^th Community Coffee @9am Clubhouse

Sept 14^th  BCAR Picnic at Wildcat @5

Sept 14^th  Wines of Italy at Clubhouse

Sept 16 &17^th Fall Member/Member Golf

Sept 18^th  Musica Variata @5pm Chapel

Sept  10^th  Sanderlin’s Neighborhood Party @5pm

Sept  24^th  4:30 Shotgun Monthly Golf Mixer

Sept 28^th  Informed Voters @2pm Chapel

Sept 28^th  Mexican Beer Tasting @6pm Clubhouse

Oct 1^st   Wildcat’s Neighborhood Party

Oct 1&2 Marble Festival , Jasper

Oct 2 Concert on the Green @ 5:30

Oct 5 Rally for the Cure golf event @ 8:30

Oct 8^th  Octoberfest

Wildcat Pool will be opened weekends only thru Oct 2 11am-8pm

Off and Running for Big Canoe POA

Linda Carrig
candidiate of POA

The first question on everyone mind when you announce that you are running for an office is...
WHY???
Because everyone knows that it is extremely hard work and take an exorbitant amount of time...something we seem to have less of as we age.
Actually I was called by a Big Canoe Nominating Committee member and asked to run.  Why they called I do not know.  My first response was NO!!! I am not a captain of industry like so many of the past candidates were.  I have no real experience in leading a community. The committee member said that they felt differently and would I consider the opportunity? After carefull consideration, I decided that in fact I did have something to offer Big Canoe.
First: A woman's perspective. Being a woman is just a fluke of nature, but having been in this female skin for so many years, it has taught me to look at life differently than how I see the men I know look at life. I often find myself seeing the humanity in a problem that is not especially "bottom line" important, but none the less very important. I am not going to expound a great deal about the importance of my gender, but everyone know very important women who have had huge impacts on their lives and that should be enough said on the subject.
Second: I am a business person.  I have started a small business during very tough times and that business is still thriving, or at least has not gone under! Starting All Mountain Realty  in an area that is already saturated with nationally known companies has been a rewarding challenge. I have learned, grown and had a terrific time while helping people fill their dream of either coming to or leaving this beautiful place in the North Georgia mountains.
Third:  I am a part of an interesting, challenging family.  I have moved over 10 times in my life and have enjoyed every place that I have lived.  My parents had to overcome huge obstacles to acheive their prosperity and provide such a rich life to my siblings and me. I remember walking in on my dad, his head in his hands at 3 am, not being able to sleep wondering how he was going to pay for three girls in college.  This was during the time that girls did not readily go to college, but of course HIS girls were going to go!  Well, he found the way, albeit on a shoestring, but we all graduated from Ohio State University and went on to carreers not possible even a decade before. Financial planning, strict budgeting and big dollops of hope and love was what I was brought up on, and it didn't matter what part of the country we were living in...the family message was always the same. We made what we had go a little bit further and enjoyed life a little bit more doing so.

So I think that I am very capable of adding to Big Canoe's rich heritage of physical beauty, financial strenght and welcoming, active people.