Please note that all questions are answered to the best of our knowledge. As that knowledge expands, answers will be updated when necessary. Fun fact: All members of the Board Directors and the Executive Board, henceforth herein collectively referred to as “the Board,” are unpaid and own property in the community; they personally must follow the Covenants and By-Laws too. Your board members make a commitment to uphold those in a well-organized and well-run manner. We welcome FAQs suggestions and corrections, including new questions. Please email the Secretary. (Updated May 2025)
According to the Articles of Incorporation, in 1977 a group of owners determined that the Glenwood Forest area, starting from 200 Nancy Jack Road including all roads in the development would be under a Homeowners Association. Homes on the roads of Lack Memorial Blvd. (except for the one on the corner of Nancy Jack and Lack Memorial), Huckleberry Dr., Myrtle Dr., and Persimmon Ln. are not included in the GFOA area. Membership starts when you purchase a home or lot in the Glenwood Forest Owners Association area by signing a legally binding document. West Virginia courts consider you a member until you sell your property. Period. According to the By-Laws “Section 3.01 MEMBERSHIP IN THE ASSOCIATION: Membership in GFOA shall be automatic with the signing of a deed to property within the community and shall be transferred with that deed. A member in good standing is defined as a lot owner who is not in arrears in his/her assessments. Membership is irrevocable and mandatory for all owners.”
Yes. You signed a property deed. In doing so, you agreed to the terms of the covenants and by-laws. If you rent, you should factor your homeowner association fees into the amount you plan to rent. If you have an empty lot, you are considered a member and have voting privileges. Each lot owner is responsible for their GFOA fees regardless of whether they have a building on the property or not.
Yes. Each lot is recognized as a separate property whether a building is present or not. Just as you pay taxes for two properties, you must pay fees on each individual lot you own.
No. The By Laws state in Section 9.01 that only members in good standing may vote and are entitled to one vote per lot owned. Section 9.02 defines that “in good standing” is a member that is not past due or in arrears. Section 9.03 states that proxy votes may only be given to a member in good standing as well. West Virginia Code §31E-7-721 states “(a) Unless the articles of incorporation provide otherwise, each member, regardless of class, is entitled to one vote on each matter voted on at a meeting of members. Voting rights of members of any class may be increased, limited or denied by the articles of incorporation.” GFOA Article of Incorporation defers to the GFOA By Laws. Therefore, if you have not paid your fees, you may not vote.
According to the By-Laws Section 3.03, “Fees are considered past due on July 1st” i.e. Assessments mailed out May 1, 1991 for the 1991/1992 year were due June 30, 1991 and were considered past due on July 1, 1991. You can email the Treasurer if you have any questions regarding your account.
Once you signed your deed, a legally binding contract, you entered an agreement with the GFOA. Period. You are part of the community. You may not see any benefits, but you do receive benefits. The Board does their best to keep the Glenwood Forest neighborhood in good condition. The better condition the neighborhood, the better the property value. Banks are more likely to loan to buyers purchasing property that belongs to an HOA.
One of several things can happen. Among them:
- If you decide to sell, your relator and legal team will reach out to the GFOA to find out how much money is owed. The amount will be taken from your profits and paid to the GFOA.
- Not paying your annual fees can result in having a lien placed on your property. The lien will remain in effect until the fees become current. If a property is foreclosed on, the amount from any profits will be given to any lienholders depending on seniority and the date the lien was filed. While it has never been used and it is not a course that anyone wants to take, the GFOA can take actions up to foreclosing on properties with outstanding debts. The Sheriff’s Office has come out in the past to assess anything of value on your property worth selling to pay off the lien. You would not be able to take equity out of your home and it’s also probable that it will affect your credit score and ability to get other loans as well.
The bottom line is: The GFOA will be collecting your fees one way or the other. How much you pay is up to you. You can pay just your annual fees or you can pay your annual fees, late fees, interest fees, lien filing fees, other court fees and costs accrued due to nonpayment. You’ve got to ask yourself, “Is not paying my fees and ignoring the Covenants and By-Laws worth it?”
You can give your vote to a member you know and trust to vote the way you want. This is called a proxy vote and requires you to fill out the form in the newsletter a week in advance of the meeting to allow time for snail mail. Your proxy must be a member in good standing. Or send an email to the GFOA Secretary no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting. When giving proxy for voting, please include lot number(s) and street address(es).
Unless the home’s deed is in your name, you are not a member with voting privileges. However, as a resident you are encouraged to attend any open general membership meeting or event. You may also serve on one of the general committees but will not have voting rights.
Budgets are voted upon annually. You are encouraged to attend both the Fall and Spring general membership meetings, as voting on items can occur at either meeting. There are several items that require payment (overhead, electric, county fees, etc.). Road repair and maintenance is a top priority for most homeowners; this has been reflected in the budgets that have been approved. All members of the Board are volunteers and not paid.
Theoretically, a good roads budget should allow for $5,000 to $10,000 per mile. We are within that limit. Both our paved roads and dirt roads have recurring potholes. With our current contract, we haven’t had as many complaints. Since they have been renewed for another three years, there is more optimism about being able to better maintain our roads. The past three years have allowed them to not only see where our major issues are but allowed them to gain a better understanding of how to make repairs in a way that should last longer. There are also culverts that go under roads, and this is included under the road costs. Storm drainage is important not just for those who live on the road but for all who own properties downhill. Maintaining our roads is a priority. Not just to those who use them regularly, but also to emergency services. If our roads are impassable, they can refuse service to our area. This would impact our liability insurance as well.
The annual fees have been a steady rate for a long time. Unfortunately, the cost of living has not remained at that rate. Neighbors have been mentioning their electric bills have increased, insurance has increased, grocery prices have increased. There are very few things left that have remained steady. It’s necessary to increase fees to keep up with inflation. The Board was charged with raising rates by the WV Court in 2015. Without the immediate need, the Board worked within the budget and didn’t increase those rates. GFOA has had some surplus due to lack of snow removal and that surplus has been used to pay bills and keep a reserve for emergencies. We are now looking at a decrease in that reserve. The Board is always looking for corners to cut. Several have made personal donations of computer use, printer use, etc. We agree that our budget needs to fit our income. If we find we cannot make cuts to the budget, that means the income needs to be greater. This affects all our wallets. But it is what we all agreed to when we purchased our properties.
GFOA is charged every time the plow hits our roads. This means that if we request plowing every few inches, we will get charged every time he makes a pass. If a storm is predicting three to five inches, how much are you willing to pay? Once when it starts and again every few inches or once it starts to slow down? Having by law a fiduciary responsibility to the membership as the legal managers of the GFOA funds and property, the Board tries to make the best judgement call on how your money is spent. Again, when it’s a small amount, how many times do you want pay for plow service? Once when it starts, once when it stops, or each time a few inches accumulate? If the safety of the community is at risk, the Board will make the call regardless. If you can remain off the roads until the plow passes, please do so. Compacted snow is not easily removed.
Copies of proposed budgets are sent in the Spring Newsletter and can be requested from the Treasurer. We do not put copies of our budget online. In the past, contractors who had a chance to see the budget tend to nickel and dime items to collect the full amount budgeted. Budget and financial reports are available for viewing to any member requesting the information. No member’s personal account information will be available to the membership.
A budget is not an exact set amount but a plan to spend available monies. Snow removal is a good example here. A mild winter doesn’t require a lot of snow removal. When the planned money is not spent, it gets rolled over into the next year’s funds. The goal is always to come in under budget.
There are obvious answers, like become a board member or volunteer to chair or serve on a committee. The answers that might not be as obvious, take care of your properties. Culverts are on your property and as such are to be maintained by you. Improperly installed or maintained culverts can cause thousands of dollars in damage to roads annually. There is an easement from pole to pole. This means that GFOA can request that you repair the culvert on your property. If you fail to do so, GFOA can have the repair done for you and, like a public utility, can charge you. We have an email for our roads (see Contact Us). You are encouraged to reach out if you need help maintaining your culvert or are able bodied and willing to help those who aren’t able to maintain theirs.
The state maintains Nancy Jack Road due to its historical significance (it is believed that George Washington surveyed this road). However, decades ago, the option of whether the county was to take over the other roads of the forest was put to vote. The community voted as a whole and the majority of the entire community voted NOT to have the county take control of our roads. The community also voted to keep the portion of Nancy Jack from 45 up to Glenwood Lane, however, this was never an option as the county was never going to relinquish a historical road.
The properties on Nancy Jack which are part of the GFOA have been included since incorporation. Nancy Jack residents are permitted to leave the GFOA by a 2/3 membership vote. This is highly unlikely as no longer collecting dues from those properties, upon their removal, will cause the dues of the remaining members to increase. The ordinary way to lose membership is to sell your property. We encourage all future Nancy Jack residents to make sure they read the By-Laws and Covenants before signing any deed
While the state maintains the road, they do not maintain the ditches or culverts on your property. This is the property owner’s responsibility. If you feel your neighbor is not maintaining their culverts and it is affecting drainage on your property, it would be a matter for you and your neighbor to resolve. Hopefully a compromise can be found. If not, the property owner can ask the GFOA to mediate.
Yes. According to the Covenants, “12) No “For Sale” or “For Rent” or other signs shall be erected on the tract or tracts without approval of the GARANTOR.” It is your responsibility to request approval from the Board. It is also your responsibility to assure accurate, up to date contact information with the GFOA. While property tax records are an available resource, keeping your contact information updated relieves some of the burden of the GFOA using resources including personal in time tracking down current ownership. It also takes you out of the loop and will stop bills coming to you after you’ve moved on.
When voicing concerns, please keep in mind a few things. All those who serve your community are volunteers and several also have full-time jobs. The best way to solve a problem is to become part of the solution. While you can voice your concerns to any of the Board members, coming in with possible solutions is greatly appreciated. Volunteering is even better. Elections are held every Spring. Three new board directors are voted in every year.
While we all have hardships every now and then, they don’t excuse us from our responsibilities. The Association is more than happy to work with you on creating a plan that fits your budget and adheres to the approved provisions of the Board.
If you’d like to become a board member, reach out to someone already on the Board. Figure out a position you might want to hold and talk to the current person in that position. Or check out the requirements for each position in the By-Laws. We ask that you contact us by January 15, if you plan on running. This way, we can ensure that you are in good standing, and therefore eligible to run. It will also allow for enough time to put your introduction and intention in the Spring newsletter.
While the board of directors are set up to rotate with three new directors every three years, sometimes a member may not be able to fulfill their term. They may have experienced an event that prevents them from finishing or sometimes they move. Therefore, their term needs to be completed by someone. A member can be appointed to fulfill a term until the next general meeting where a vote will confirm their position for the remaining term. Executive Board members are voted in every odd year. When there is a vacancy, a number is usually put after the position they are running for. This number represents how many years they will be in the position. i.e., (1) – 1 year, (2) – 2 years.
Two post offices serve the Glenwood Forest area. The Inwood USPS delivers the mail. Items requiring signatures and any parcels that are too big for the lockboxes are delivered to the Gerrardstown USPS for pickup. Gerrardstown USPS does not deliver any mail to Glenwood Forest. If you believe a package has been misdelivered, the Inwood USPS asks that you let them know. Often, they can resolve the matter within 24 hours. They have said that they appreciate being informed. The more they are made aware of issues, the more likely they can fix them. Many times, the postman is looking at house numbers and not street names. While it’s a great way to meet a neighbor, it’s one of those side effects of living in such a beautiful, secluded area. Several have exchanged numbers with other residents who share similar house numbers and have exchanged their mail in that way. This is also a good reminder that you should have your house number posted and visible from the street.
While there are currently no clubs set up, there have been requests. Social clubs would revolve around common interests or hobbies, such as gardening, book clubs, board games, or other crafts. If you are interested in being a part of a club, please contact the Secretary and include what type of club you are interested in. If there is enough interest, we’d be willing to set something up.