TIMBERWOOD PARK SEPTEMBER 2016 Vol. 18 Issue 9
Timberwood Park Owners Association, Inc.
A Neighborhood News ™ Publication
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Hello again neighbors. Lots to talk about this month. The August Board meeting was very well attended with over 160 residents packing the clubhouse making for standing room only. Typically, between 30-50 residents attend the meetings. Many residents could not make it inside for the meeting. So why all the sudden interest? I believe it was because the Board has begun preliminary planning on a clubhouse project. Many residents were attending because of information that had been posted on social media sites including Nextdoor and Facebook. While I agree that it is important for all residents to be informed, some of this information on these sites was and is incorrect. I want to share my personal experience with the Nextdoor site. I was informed by several residents that there were some posts that included misinformation about the clubhouse project and HOA related topics. After reading the posts, I decided to respond to the misinformation with my own post. The point of my post was to caution readers that much of the information in the posts was incorrect and some of the information was based on the OPINION of the author. My post was flagged and removed from the site two days later. My post did not contain any inflammatory or inappropriate language but it did have contradictory viewpoints to some of the other posts. I contacted the site administrators and asked why my post was removed but received no response. I’m aware of four other residents who also had their posts removed without explanation or justification from the site’s administrators. I normally don’t have much spare time on my hands so I don’t visit the social media websites often. But after having my post and other posts flagged for removal and not receiving an explanation as to why, it is clear to me that the administrators of the site have their own agenda, one that includes posts that are not accurate, and on occasion, inflammatory. So why am I sharing this information? Why is it important? The social media websites can be dangerous to individuals who take all information and assume it is correct and accurate. Do you personally
know the writer? If not, you may want to meet these individuals before you buy in to what they have to say. I’m not saying that every post is incorrect and there is some information that is accurate. What I’m recommending is that all readers consider the source. If you want to know the true information and discussions that occur at the board meetings, then you should come to them and hear the info for yourself. Don’t rely on the opinions of others to form your decisions. That in itself is a dangerous practice. This is a very important issue and based on the potential size and cost of the project, there is of course considerable debate on the subject, as there should be. But it has been disappointing to see and hear of numerous instances of heated arguments between individuals via social media and other means that have resorted to name calling, accusations, and borderline harassment. So please, regardless of what side of the debate you are on, I urge you to remain civil. We are one community, and not only are such confrontations not constructive, they are not neighborly. The board's role in this effort is to gather information on this project, present it to the community, take input, and move in the direction that we believe is in the best interest of the community as a whole. As I have said from the very Continued inside
2016 Board Meeting Dates All Meetings are held at 7:00PM at the Clubhouse at the Park. MEET THE CANDIDATES OCTOBER 4 ANNUAL MEETING DECEMBER 6