This issue was delivered to homes the week of November 25, 2024. View the printed version.
In This Issue
Yard of the Month
Holiday Edition
What a treat it was to see our Briarwood community out and about on Halloween! Thank you to our neighbors who got into the spirit of the holiday to create a fun experience for our children (and their parents).
This month, we’re excited to award a special Yard of the Month to our neighbors at 118 Dunmow! Congratulations, your decorations were spectacular.
December is right around the corner. It’s about time to put away the pumpkins and bring out your Christmas lights! Some of you have gotten a head start and are already bringing the holiday cheer. Make sure to have your decorations up by December 15 to be considered for our December Holiday Edition of Yard of the Month. The winner will receive a $50 gift card.
May your holidays be merry and bright!
A Message from the President
Dear neighbors,
My name is Clay Rogers, and I am honored to address you today as the new President of the Briarwood Civic Association (BCA). Two years ago,
I was sworn in as Vice President of the BCA, and during that time, I have diligently fulfilled the duties outlined for the position.
Effective October 5, 2024, due to the sudden and unforeseen resignation of Mr. Bob Weiss, our previous President, I have been entrusted with the responsibilities of President of the Briarwood Civic Association. On behalf of our community, I would like to thank you, Mr. Bob and Mrs. Maryann Weiss, for the time they volunteered to serve the needs of the Briarwood Civic Association members.
On October 8, 2024, Mr. Ken Asaro resigned from his role managing our community website. Thank you, Mr. Asaro, for all the time you provided our community serving as Previous President of our Association and with managing our community website.
I want to assure you that since October 5, 2024, Mrs. Angela Woodruff, BCA Secretary, and I, as your Executive Board, have taken the necessary steps to ensure that all legal requirements for our volunteer positions are fulfilled. We appreciate your patience as we work through this transition, and we are committed to keeping our community business running smoothly. I want to thank each of you who have stopped me in the streets to ask questions, give support, express needs, or those who have welcomed me into your home. I want each of you to know “I hear you!” My involvement in this “community” role is for YOU!
While a few people at the meeting two years ago heard my story when I was voted into the role of VP, I recognize that our community is made up of 326 homes, and there are many of you I haven’t met yet. But, I look forward to getting to know each of you. It is truly an honor to serve such a wonderful neighborhood.
Please allow me to share a bit about myself. I have deep family roots here in the Lowcountry. My wife, Molly Rogers, is a teacher in Dorchester County, and I am the owner of Rogers Hauling and Tree Services, LLC. Molly and I are proud parents to three beautiful golden retrievers: Bailey, Finn-Finn, and Ruby. We absolutely love living in Briarwood.
I wish to thank our own Briarwood Civic Association member Mrs. Jessie Bradley Ma for volunteering her time to provide our community a great new look to our website and future “webmaster” services. You may notice a temporary “under construction” status as she updates the site with current information in accordance with the BCA By-Laws.
Thank you for your continued support and patience as we navigate these changes. We are committed to working together to ensure the future success of Briarwood. I hope each of you enjoys the Thanksgiving holiday. December is quickly upon us. We will see everyone at the December 17 meeting.
Sincerely,
Clay Rogers
President, Briarwood Civic Association
2025 BCA Board Elections
Our community will be voting for new board members at our December meeting. This is the last call to have your name added to the ballot for any board position. Please email bcaboardsec.2024@gmail.com no later than November 30, 2024, to submit a nomination.
Current Nominees*:
President - Clay Rogers
Vice President - Anna Linder
Secretary - Angela Woodruff
Official ballots will be delivered to each resident’s porch no later than Tuesday, December 3**.
*Nominations may be made from the floor by any association member at the meeting.
**All proxies/absentee ballots must be submitted in writing, in a sealed envelope, to the secretary (in person or by mail) no later than 15 minutes before the meeting commences.
Covenants & Restrictions
Update from the BCA Board
The Board has received inquiries about the Covenants and Restrictions, particularly the items currently under review. The entire document is being reviewed by legal counsel.
Following the review, the Covenants Committee of Residence will host a Town Hall to allow everyone to hear from and speak directly with the members of the committee to understand how they arrived at the proposed changes.
We can assure all BCA members that you have not missed any step in the process, and everything is outlined on our website. We will continue to update the website as more information is available. Thank you for your patience as we navigate the process.
We recognize that any changes to the covenants affect the entire neighborhood - not just one individual or household. Our role as the BCA Board is to listen to you, our Briarwood neighbors, and to ensure that the process is conducted legally and thoroughly. No single person or board can make changes to the legal community covenants alone.
Notice Regarding Community Legal Filings
Re: BCA By-Laws
There have been no legal filings with the County Register of Deeds since 2017. This includes updates and changes previously voted on at HOA meetings between 2017 and today.
The BCA Board is currently being advised by legal counsel. Until we receive further guidance following any audits, we will continue to follow the By-Laws as they were last recorded with the County Register of Deeds.
At the December 17, 2024, HOA meeting, there will be a motion to vote to update the by-laws to reflect our current operations. Specifically:
the inclusion of Dorchester Real Estate Services managing all treasurer duties, as they have been since 2023.
a return to monthly HOA meetings, scheduled on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM.
Following the December meeting, any changes approved by the vote will be immediately filed with the Register of Deeds.
Neighborhood Safety
Watch for Uneven Sidewalks
The safety of our community is very important to us! Recently, one of our neighbors tripped on the uneven sidewalk at Harlesden and Summercourt. The fall caused her to require surgery. We’re wishing her a speedy recovery!
While sidewalks in some areas of the neighborhood were recently redone, there may still be areas that need improvement. Please report any location where sidewalks, curbs, or streets need to be repaired to bcasecretary.2024@gmail.com. So we can compile a list to present to the county.
Thank you, to our 2024 committee chairs!
Events: Thank you to Mrs. Treva Ruark, for organizing and planning events for our community this year! She brought fun and laughter to our neighbors of all ages. We had a great turnout for our final Adult Bingo, with 19 members playing for great prizes.
Newsletter: Thank you to Mrs. Dori Lovell, for running the Briarwood Beat. She helped ensure our neighbors were up to date with the latest news and information. And a big thank you to all our community members who volunteer their time to deliver each issue to your door.
Beautification: Thank you to Mrs. MaryAnn Weiss, for keeping our neighborhood beautiful and celebrating our Yard of the Month winners.
New Website, Community Group, eNewsletter, and more!
Visit our website, briarwoodsc.org, to sign up for our new eNewsletter!
We are excited to share some exciting changes coming to our communications. First, we’re updating our website to a new, more user-friendly format. The new site is expected to launch in early December. In the months ahead, we hope to:
expand our Resident Resources page to include information about our neighbor’s businesses, and crafts or goods for sale.
develop a forum for all Briarwood residents to connect and share news.
Notice About Facebook Groups
We know there are several Facebook groups for our community. These groups are not run by the BCA Board.
A Message from the Secretary
Greetings neighbors,
My name is Angela Woodruff. I have been happily married to my husband Austin for the last 10 years, and we are blessed with two talented, creative, fun-loving daughters 8 and 10 who are making wonderful memories in this community with other amazing children and families who surround us.
We relocated to Summerville South Carolina in December of 2017 from Long Beach, California. I am a medically retired law enforcement officer from the City of Los Angeles. Today, I hold the most important job I have had to date - leading our family’s homeschool academy.
While teaching my children about respect and following rules, we began to explore the BCA Covenants & Restrictions. Together, we created a petition to advocate for backyard chickens, but at the time there were no means to update our existing neighborhood restrictions.
So, in January 2024, I volunteered to fill the vacant BCA secretary and have helped lead the neighborhood covenants committee in an effort to help all members of our community be heard.
Through this process, my children are witnessing the hard work, long process, and community involvement it takes to create change.
I enjoy serving as a representative of this community and strive to bring a positive light and happy community vibe to this great neighborhood.
I look forward to seeing you all at the December meeting and hope to continue serving our community in the new year.
Respectfully,
Angela Woodruff
Secretary, Briarwood Civic Association
New Community Engagement Officer
Lt. Matthew S. Carter is our new neighborhood community engagement officer. He can be reached at 843-371-8588 or mcarter@dorchestercountysc.gov.
Congratulations to our former community engagement officer, Joli Tumbleston on her promotion to captain!