New Garbage Service and Fees Announced

Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful announced today (Nov. 7) that WastePro Georgia has been awarded the contract to provide trash pickup and recycling services for the southern area of Gwinnett, which includes our HOA.

Cost of the service will be $20.45 a month starting January 2, 2009, reports Connie Wiggins, director of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. Yard-waste pickup will cost an additional $10 a month.

Gwinnett County awarded contracts to just two companies to serve the entire county, which was divided into section sections for trash pick-up. WastePro Georgia was selected as the contractor for the four regions in southern Gwinnett and Advanced Disposal Services Atlanta was awarded the contract for the northern section of the county.

The $20.45 fee goes down in June 2009 and is added to your tax bill. According to an article in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution, "In June, the fee for trash and recycling service will drop to $17.86 a month and will be billed on residential property tax notices. The fees will be locked in until the end of 2010, and the two contractors will have exclusive rights to their routes until the end of 2015."

Late last year, the HOA worked diligently to cut trash service fees for our neighborhood. In fact, Cove resident Joey Iiams and her committee negotiated a substantially lower monthly fee for trash service with Quality Waste Services for the entire Bay Creek HOA neighborhood. Unfortunately, that agreement was voided, before it could take effect, when the county commission announced that Gwinnett was consolidating garbage services and Quality Waste withdrew from our contract.

For more information on the announcement regarding our new garbage service, read the AJC article, Gwinnett to standardize trash pickup

HOA Meeting and New Board

Kevin Avery, a Cove resident, was elected to a two year term as one of three HOA elected Directors at the Bay Creek HOA annual meeting, October 29, at Grayson High School.

Also selected to serve on the HOA board were Kathy Heintz and Daryl Diamond, both residents of Landings II, and Susan Wrhel, a Cove resident.

Special guest at the meeting was Connie Wiggins of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, who outlined the county-wide garbage collection procedures that will go into effect in January 2009. Ms. Wiggins took questions from the audience and handed out fact sheets that explained the benefits of the garbage and recycling program. (For more details, go to Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful's web site.)

During the meeting, the HOA's patrol officer presented a report on security actions within the neighborhood and the HOA board reviewed the 2008 budget and plans for the 2009 budget.

The board reported that to date almost 30% of HOA residents have not paid their dues for 2008, which both affects budgeting and greatly curtails expenditures. The board announced that names of homeowners whose dues and fines are past due are being turned over to a collection agency.

"There are a lot of projects the association wants to due, but when your budget falls short by almost 30%, you can see how that impacts everything we do," explained Lamar Bates, HOA Director.

Homeowners also questioned the board on numerous issues and were surveyed regarding future projects.

A Spooktacular Food Drive

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful generosity in this year's Spooky to be Hungry Food Drive.

"We collected donations from 41 houses this year. It was a little down from last year, but donations were lower everywhere," according to Kevin Avery, who spearheaded the food drive.

"Even so, from our neighborhood and all of the participating neighborhoods throughout Grayson and Loganville, 1150 grocery bags of food were donated," Kevin said.

That breaks down into 430 boxes of macaroni and cheese, 260 cans of tuna, 350 cans of canned meat, and 220 cans of green beans, just to name a few of the items. All in all, approximately $10,000 worth of food was donated.

HOA Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 29

The annual Bay Creek Homeowners Association meeting and election of officers is set for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Grayson High School Theatre.

Special guest at the meeting will be Connie Wiggins of the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Board who will discuss the new garbage collection service that goes into effect Jan. 1 for Gwinnett County.

The HOA officers and Liberty Management will present their yearly report and review the current budget and budget for 2009.

Also at the meeting, residents will have the opportunity to elect a member to the HOA Board of Directors. The HOA Board of Directors, based on the HOA convenants, consists of three members: one serving a three year term - Pat Tewalt; one serving a two year term - Lamar Bates; and one serving a one year term - Lachelle Neurdorfer. All three members were voted in to their positions in 2007, when the homeowners took over the association from the developer, Roddy Sturdevant Enterprises.

The one-year position held by Lachelle is up for election.

While the HOA Board of Directors consists of only three elected members, those elected members appoint officers to serve on the Board. Those appointments are made from people who state they were interested in serving as an HOA officer.

If you are interested in running for the HOA Board of Directors' opening or vounteering for any other capacity or committee, please email your qualifications to www@libertycm.com or mail to:

Libery Community Management

Attention: Wendy Sanders

P.O. Box 2082

Loganville, GA 30052

Halloween Celebrations at Bay Creek

It's Halloween Party time! Three of our four neighborhoods (Landings 1, The Cove and Plantation at Bay Creek) are hosting Halloween parties Friday night, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with Trick or Treating officially kicking off at 7 p.m. (for details on parties for your neighborhoods, go to http://baycreekclassifieds.googlepages.com/baycreekhalloweenparties .)

Residents of each of the three neighborhoods volunteered to host and organize the parties. Unfortunately, at this time, no one from Landings 2 has volunteered to host or organize a party for that neighborhood. (The HOA allocated $300 per neighborhood for party food and favors on the condition that someone in each neighborhood would host/plan a party.)

Hot dogs will be served at each event along with costume contests for kids of all ages. Residents are also asked to bring a dish to share with others.

Volunteers are still needed to help set up, coordinate, and clean up at the parties. Here are the details on each party and contact names for the organizers

The Landings 1 - Party at 664 Landing Way
Betty Kocsis, 770-466-1500, and Heather Alvarez [heather@enchantedjourneys.info]
Party for residents on Shane Hill or the streets leading off Shane Hill.


The Cove -Party at the Wrhels, 818 Shannon Road
Susan Wrhel, 678.639.0212
Party for residents living in the Cove, which starts at the Cove signs on Bay Grove Rd., includes Shannon Road, Rose Bay Rd., all the cul-de-sacs off Bay Grove from the Cove signs to Shannon Road and the cul-de-sac off Rose Bay.

Plantation at Bay Creek - Party at 1st cul-de-sac off Bay Grove Rd.
Carolyn Voltz, 770-466-4169 or Lisa McKee, 678-596-7655
Party for residents living along Bay Grove Road from the main entrance sign to the Cove entrance signs and includes all the cul-de-sacs in that area.

To ensure that we all do have a safe, secure and truly Happy Halloween, our area will be patrolled Friday night by an off duty Gwinnett police officer who works for the HOA.

Update on Halloween parties

We still need volunteers to coordinate and plan Halloween parties for two of our four neighborhoods - Landings I and Landings II. Don't let this Halloween go by without a festive celebration in your neighborhood!

The HOA gives each Bay Creek neighborhood $300 to fund a party. However, we need volunteers to plan the parties, distribute invitation, and handle party details.

The Wrhels at 818 Shannon Road are hosting the Halloween party for Cove residents. The Cove party is set for 6 to 7 p.m.

The Halloween party for the Plantation will take place 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Bay Forest Court cul-de-sac with the Voltz and McKee families hosting.

If you would like to volunteer to help with a party or coordinate the event in the Landings I or Landings II, please contact Pat Tewalt, 770.554.3466, ptewalt@aol.com or Diane Bates, 770.554.3466, dbates@webbizcorp.com.

Not sure what neighborhood you live in? If you live on Shane Hill or any of the streets leading off Shane Hill, you live in Landings I. If you enter your home through the Village, then you live in Landings II.

The Cove, the largest of the four neighborhoods, starts at the Cove signs on Bay Grove Rd., includes Shannon Road, Rose Bay Rd., all the cul-de-sacs off Bay Grove from the Cove signs to Shannon Road and the cul-de-sac off Rose Bay.

The Plantation runs down Bay Grove Road from the main entrance sign to the Cove entrance signs and includes all the cul-de-sacs in that area.

Annual HOA Meeting - October 29

Mark your calendars for the annual Bay Creek Homeowners Association meeting, 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Grayson High School Theatre.

At the meeting, residents will have the opportunity to elect a member to the HOA Board of Directors. The HOA Board of Directors, based on the HOA convenants, consists of three members: one serving a three year term - Pat Tewalt; one serving a two year term - Lamar Bates; and one serving a one year term - Lachelle Neurdorfer. All three members were voted in to their positions in 2007, when the homeowners took over the association from the developer, Roddy Sturdevant Enterprises.

The one-year position held by Lachelle is up for election.

While the HOA Board of Directors consists of only three elected members, those elected members appoint officers to serve on the Board. Those appointments are made from people who state they were interested in serving as an HOA officer.

If you are interested in running for the HOA Board of Directors' opening or vounteering for any other capacity or committee, please email your qualifications to www@libertycm.com or mail to:

Libery Community Management

Attention: Wendy Sanders

P.O. Box 2082

Loganville, GA 30052

Hotel Rezoning Tabled

Loganville Planning Commission, at their meeting Thursday night, tabled the request to annex and rezone the property at Brand and Oak Roads.

A developer, Diversified Development Co., had petitioned the commission to annex the 3+ acre track into the city limits of Loganville and rezone the property from residential to CH for a hotel.

At the meeting, attended by a number of Bay Creek homeowners, the developer asked the planning commission to table his rezoning request for 30 days. He gave no explanation for his reason to table his request.

The planning commission will meet at at 7:30 p.m., October 23, to listen to Diversified's petition.

Hotel Rezoning Meeting TONIGHT

The Loganville Planning Commission meets tonight (Thursday, September 25) to discuss the annexation and possible rezoning of the property at Brand and Oak Road for a hotel.

The hearing is set for 7:30 p.m. at the City Council building, Pecan Street, Loganville.

The date we posted earlier on the blog regarding the rezoning was for the Loganville City Council to hear the zoning request. Tonight's meeting will be for the zoning board to hear arguments for and against annexing the property into Loganville and then rezoning the property for a hotel. Based on those arguments and recommendation from the planning department, the zoning board will vote on the resolution.

Last year, when the hotel rezoning question came up, the Planning Department recommended building a hotel on the property. The developer withdrew his petition for rezoning for the hotel based on the strong opposition from area residents.

Please try to attend the meeting and let the commissioners know how you feel about the possibility of a hotel so near our neighborhood.

Several readers have posted opinions on this blog supporting the hotel. If you are one of those and feel strongly about your opinion, you need to attend the meeting too. The beauty of living in our nation is that we can have differing opinions!

Homeowners May Lose Homestead Exemption

Based on a new ruling by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, homeowners may lose their homestead exemptions.

A Bay Creek resident contacted us this week, telling us about a property tax bill she received with the following, VERY IMPORTANT if you are a homeowner, notice that read:

"Important- Homestead Tax Relief Grant may be in jeopardy. If you received Homestead exemption on your tax bill, your bill has been reduced by the Homestead Tax Relief Grant enacted by the Governor & the General Assembly. Money to fund the grant is part of the state of Georgia's 2009 budget. Funding for the HTRG may be eliminated by the state legislature. If eliminated, the tax commissioner may be required to send an additional tax bill for this amount. Please take notice & plan accordingly."

If you missed news reports, the governor has proposed eliminating homestead tax exemption relief that the state previously approved. If you would like to voice your opinion on this action do as the Newnan Times-Herald urges homeowners to do:

"Contact Perdue's office. Let the governor know how you feel about his proposal. Granted, Perdue has to make some tough decisions because of our faltering economy, but increasing the property tax burden on local homeowners in the middle of the budget year doesn't fly."

"You can sound off to Perdue's office by calling 678-436-7442 or 1-800-436-7442. Or you can contact the governor's office online by going to Georgia.gov. On that Web site click "contact us." On the contact us page, scroll to the bottom and click "contact Governor Perdue." A form will appear and you can e-mail a message to Perdue."

"Perdue needs to get an earful of taxpayers' comments. We hope he will listen -- even though he won't be up for election again as governor."