Violation Walk Thru 3/18/2025

Hello!

I’m Joy Watson, your Volunteer HOA President, and the person currently “self-managing” Wafco Mills community here to spill the beans on my latest Wafco walk through. I have owned unit 622 B since 2015. I lived therre until 2019 when I moved to Wendover Ave, and currently rent it to wonderful tenants who have been living at Wafco for almost a year.

On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, I teamed up with two of our much appreciated Wafco Mills owners, Karen and Jose, for a violation walk-through at our 66-unit condo community in Greensboro, NC. We had a two-hour walk through Wafco Mills, trash bags in hand, ready to help clean up our little corner of the world. Let me tell you, we found some stuff that made us laugh, some that made us cringe, and a whole lot that reminded us why we love Wafco Mills. Following I will share what we saw, what needs work, and how we can keep Wafco Mills the kind of spot that makes you smile every time you pull into the driveway.

The Walk-Through Lowdown

Karen, Jose, and I kicked off our walk-through with a mission: keep Wafco Mills looking good for the majority of people. We ended up filling one huge trash bag with random stuff that’s blown in from the construction on the Greenway, some stuff that’s fallen out of people’s cars, and stuff that’s just degraded beyond recognition. We also spotted some violations that need attention: porches stacked with non-outdoor specifc furniture, patios with big propane tanks closer than 25ft, balconies and decks used as storage units. It wasn’t all chaos! We found some absolute gems too—like the front porch at 102 H. Beautiful! To everyone who’s making their space a little slice of heaven, you’re much appreciated! For the rest of us, let’s get our spots up to par or communicate with your tenants and let them know: if they are the source of a violation fee, you as the owner plan to pass it along to them (owner’s accounts will be assed $100) after first violation warning.

The Wafco Mills Rulebook

I know rules are what keep Wafco Mills a place we’re all proud to call home. Here’s the quick rundown of some key stuff from our Rules and Regulations (revised June 2021), with a little Wafco Mills flair:

• Parking Smarts: Each unit at Wafco Mills is assigned one primary parking space and one additional unassigned space, both located either in front of your unit, or in the white-painted parking spots marked with your unit number and letter or "RESERVED" in white paint. The yellow-painted spaces are reserved exclusively for Historic Wafco Mills parking, please don’t park there. Historic Wafco Mills HOA President, Bryan Crean, will notify me and after one warning your unit will be fined $100. Your vehicle may be towed, by Historic Wafco Mills at your expense. Additionally, please do not dispose of trash in the Historic Wafco Mills dumpsters across Cedar St, as this prompts complaints, photos and videos or our residents or their unit identifying trash, from Bryan as well. We want to be good neighbors to our Historic Wafco Mills Neighbors. Your car needs to be in a designated spot with a current year Wafco Mills parking sticker. No sticker, no parking—otherwise, you might find your car towed (Rules and Regulations, Parking section). We’ve got big work on Walker already beginning and Fulton starting April 2, 2025, so let’s keep those spaces clear for the work crews we are paying to do work for us. We also need anyone with expired tags to know that we do not have room to store your car. Update your tags before you get towed. Bobby’s has authorization to tow from every space on the wafco Property that is without a current year (2024-2025) parking cling sticker in the window that faces out to to the street or sidewalk and cars with expired tags. There is no “guest parking.”

• Trash Duty: All garbage goes in the cans at the end of the 104 / 626 building. This is a temporary location that will move once we have complted the trash enclosure. Please flatten all boxes and place them inside the recycling cans. If the closest bin is full, located an empty bin and use it. DO not leave bags outside the can for any reason. We live in a very urban setting and rodents are FOR REAL SO PLEASE DO NOT FEED THEM. Put your trash in a can please and help your neighbors. (Rules and Regulations, General section). Currently there is no bulk item collection at Wafco Mills. Please take bulk items to the White Street Landfill until we have completed the trash enclosure.

• Porch Vibes Only: Your porch, deck, or patio should look like a spot you’d want to chill at, not a storage locker. Bikes, full size propane tanks from grills, or that random pile of Christmas lights? They’re detracting from someone else’s enjoyment of this high density housing community and it’s also a violation of the agreement you signed when you choose to live at Wafco Mills. (Rules and Regulations, Exterior Maintenance section).

• Winter Prep for Empty Units: If your unit’s empty this winter, keep the heat at 60 degrees and turn off the water. Frozen pipes are a nightmare noone needs (Rules and Regulations, Empty Units section).

• Tenants Communication: Owners, you are responsible for all tenant communication and management of your individual tenants, unit, unit’s utilities and for ensuring that your tenants follow the rules. If you are currently disconnected from your investment property at Wafco, chances are, your neighbors know and have been subsudizing your investment by helping your tenant know and understand how to live in a condominium community. Please don’t be that owner-investor. (Rules and Regulations, Renters and Tenants section).

Want the full deets? You can find all our governing docs—like the Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws, and Rules and Regulations—in the Documents tab at WafcoMills.com/Documents. It’s your go-to for everything Wafco Mills.

Why Our Website’s Got Two Sides (And Why Tenants Don’t Get the VIP Pass)

You’ve probably noticed WafcoMills.com has a public side and an owner-only side. The public side is like our community’s welcome mat—great for showing off to your real estate agent, tenant, potential buyers or nosy neighbors. The owner-only side is where the real stuff lives: financials, meeting minutes, and all our governing docs. We keep it locked down to protect the sensitive stuff (like how much we paid Historic Wafco Mills for parking lot clean up and trash service) Information in the owner section is just for owners. Owners are free to share it with who they choose.

Tenants don’t get access to the owner-only section because they’re not Association members—only unit owners are (Articles of Incorporation, Article VI, Section 1). Owners, it’s your job to make sure your tenants know the rules (Rules and Regulations, Renters and Tenants section). The Board isn’t here to babysit tenants. We do not volunteer our time to provide free property management service to any one owner. We volunteer our time for ALL OWNERS collectively.

You can save WafcoMills.com as a favorite with a bookmark to help you access info more easily. I will update this with a link to a how to later.

I’m Your Volunteer President Here to Keep Things Rolling (Not to Fix Your Life!)

I’m Joy Watson, your Volunteer HOA President, and I’m volunteering time to keep Wafco Mills running smoothly on my own unpaid time, because I’m invested in Wafco Mills with 65 other owners and this is how I can give my community my time and talent while contributing to my own personal investment at Wafco Mills. The By-Laws, Article IV, Section 1 say my job is to handle common areas and enforce rules, not to deal with individual unit drama or tenant issues. This walk-through, plus the big maintenance project on Fulton (structural fixes, brick repairs, and tree-trimming starting April 2, 2025), is all part of my volunteer job I agreed to do to keep our community thriving without costing us more money than we have to spend.

If we hired full-service HOA management, like we talked about at the November 9, 2024 Annual Meeting, Even with the assessment, our dues are pretty low compared to other communities our size, thanks to volunteer efforts. Please keep in mind that your volunteer board is helping us avoid extra costs, Let’s keep that money in your pocket and our community looking toward the soon approaching completion of the final leg of the downtown urban trail right here at Wafco Mills.

For the long-timers, I know things feel different now than they did 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Real estate laws keep changing, just like everything else. Insurance and Real Estate Laws evolve to provide profit to corporations that pretend to protect us from catastrophic events and unexpected experiences. The cost of materials has far outpaced even the maximum increases we are able to collect in dues. We’re 66 owners in this together, so let’s roll with the changes and help make Wafco Mills the jem on the Downtown Greenway that is has been intended to be!

Tying It All Together: The Reserve Study and Upcoming Work

This walk-through isn’t just about picking up trash—it’s part of our bigger plan to keep Wafco Mills in top shape, as laid out in the 2021 Reserve Study by Giles Flythe Engineers (you can find it in the Documents tab). The study covers common areas like asphalt, brick walls, and building exteriors (roofs, siding, decks—you name it). The tree-trimming and removal on Fulton starting April 2, 2025, is straight out of the study’s playbook to stop things like tree roots messing with our structures—Unit 405H’s brick wall has some stair-step cracking that might be from those sneaky roots (Reserve Study, Page 10). The structural and brick repairs are also tackling the study’s notes on wear and tear, so we don’t end up with bigger bills later. These are the exact repairs we are conducting along Fulton.

Let’s Get Your Space in Shape: Step-by-Step

I know some of you have violations to tackle. Let’s be specific about what we need to be Wafco Mills-worthy:

Step 1: Clear the Clutter
Grab a box or bag and round up anything that doesn’t belong—like bikes (put them on the bike rack or bring them inside, grills, or that pile of holiday decorations. If you don’t have a storage spot, check out Red Collection for donating some extra stuff and making a little cash.

Step 2: Sweep and Clean
Get a broom and give your space a good sweep. If there’s dirt or grime, a quick scrub with some soapy water and a sponge will do wonders. Bonus points pick up trash and put it in a trash can.

Step 3: Add Some Charm
Throw in something beautiful such as a potted plant, an outdoor chair, no fruit or vegetable plants and no indoor decor or furniture.

Step 4: Check Your Work
Step back and take a look. Can your neighbor or anyone passing by see your propane tank? Does your area look like a storage bin? Do you have indoor items, furnishings, wood stored where wood is touching brick, dead plants, leaves and deteriorating items visible?

Owners, if you’ve got tenants, make sure they’re getting the information they need —it’s your job to keep them in the loop.

Let’s Keep the Wafco Mills Magic Going

To everyone who’s already making Wafco Mills a stunner, you’re the best—keep it up! For those with some work to do, thank you for your effort towards improvement.

Thank you,
Joy Watson

   
Volunteer HOA President, Wafco Mills Board of Directorsse help out by picking it up and put it in the trash.