The Board Has Something for You to Chew on
The Board of Directors will conduct an evening work session Tuesday (September 19) because there’s a lot for residents to chew on – including things to actually chew on. Chef Klein will be providing hors d'oeuvres during the work session and a cash bar upstairs as well.
General Manager Jim Pryor will present the results of a community survey conducted earlier this year which will provide insights into how our community as a whole uses our various amenities and services. The findings will play an important role in development of a long-term vision for Bent Tree.
The meeting also will include a presentation from the Wildcat Community, an organization that strives to prepare Pickens and Dawson counties to prevent and respond to forest fires. The program has access to several million dollars that might be available to Bent Tree related to forest fire prevention. This could include creating clear zones around homes, removing flammable debris from lots and from underneath power lines and clearing felled trees. The possibility of burying power lines under portions of Little Pine Mountain Road and Tamarack Drive has also been discussed.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Recreation Room of Club Tamarack.
Sluice Gate Opens!
The years-long effort to get the Lake Tamarack sluice gate to operate came to a successful conclusion earlier this week. Bent Tree crews were able to open the gate enough to create a flow through the underground pipe, thus satisfying a requirement of state dam regulations. It’s believed the gate hadn’t been exercised for a couple of decades, with state officials seemingly unconcerned. The dam has been inspected on a routine basis during that time. A few years ago dam officials made gate testing a higher priority, spurring Bent Tree into action. The gate is considered important because it can be used to lower the lake level should the dam itself become endangered.
Bent Tree Inaugurating Electronic Voting
Voting on community issues via computer will be possible for Bent Tree residents beginning with the upcoming vote on a proposal to establish a $2,500 capital contribution fee for new homebuyers.
Bent Tree has arranged for the Votegrity company to oversee voting on community issues, which gives property owners the option of casting votes on paper ballots or use their computers with a PIN number each owner will be assigned. Next week, residents will begin receiving ballots in the mail for the capital contribution fee proposal, along with an explanation of the two options for voting.
One change in the paper voting option is that the ballots must be returned to Votegrity via U.S. mail, and will not be accepted at the Administration Building. Bent Tree staff is working closely with the company to ensure ballot security and accuracy. The system will track which residents vote, but it will not be possible to determine how any individual household voted.
The Board of Directors plans to hold educational sessions demonstrating the computer voting option, possibly including allowing residents to privately cast their ballots at those sessions.
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