Many of you know Meredith (AKA Diamond Ice of BCB), some of you don't. She's in a hell of a bind and could use some help. Anything you can do would be greatly appreciated. Step up folks and lend a hand! =)
It isn’t easy for me to ask for help, but I am asking for assistance for my community. Not quite four months ago, I was elected President of our Home Owners Association. Little did I know that we were greatly in debt. Only after the election did I find out that we owed approximately $32,000 to Dekalb County Water. January 2008, we were going to be cut off, so I took $2,400 of my own savings plus $2,000 from our HOA account to keep the water on for us (this does not include the plumbing and blacktop repairs).
Now, the bill is $36,623.55. Dekalb will no longer negotiate with us, since we are unable to pay for even our current usage, much less the whole amount.
The KCA, Inc. Board has tried for more than a year to collect the fees owed by approximately half the homeowners; liens, collections, personally trying to collect and notices have been the means in the past. These applications have not worked, and our funds have dwindled so that we can no longer pursue them.
There are funds that we could access, approximately $23,000 from the county. We are unable to access this money due to a lien that is on our property. This suit against us was paid in full on 19 January, 2005. The paperwork has not been filed to close this suit, therefore it still appears as though we owe them.
Our time is short. We will be tagged on the 15th of May to have our water cut off ten days later. This will later lead to the condemnation of our community due to unsanitary conditions and we will lose our homes.
Further complicating the situation is the fact that we are ALL on ONE water main. If we could pay off the water bill, we would be able to have separate meters put in. However, not all of us could afford the meter-plumbing costs.
I cannot let everyone suffer—it isn’t in me and it isn’t fair. We have many single mothers here, along with young children, elderly and handicapped residents. It is for those people and those who have diligently paid their HOA fees that I am fighting to keep our water on.
Currently, I am working on getting our story out to the media. My hope is that we can get legal and financial assistance. It would be a short-term fix to our situation, but we need the help and time to figure out a long-term plan. This would in no way cancel the debt of those who owe back fees and have made no attempt to pay. They will still be held accountable for what they owe.
If you can help please contact my friends who have graciously given their space and time, or via post at P.O. Box 628, Avondale Estates, Atlanta, GA 30002.
Thank You!
Meredith Greer
Kensingwood Condominium Association President
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
