March 18, 2025 BCA Community Meeting Agenda & Minutes
- Mar 17
- 11 min read
Updated: Apr 10
Updated April 10
Meeting Minutes
Posted on April 10, 2025
7:00 PM - Meeting was called to order by President Clay Rogers.
Roll Call
President, Clay Rogers
Vice President, Anna Linder
Treasurer, Chris Haltiwanger
Secretary, Angela Woodruff (on Zoom)
Webmaster/Zoom, Jessie Bradley Ma
The meeting agenda was adjusted slightly to accommodate the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office & Crime Watch Team.
Dorchester County Presentation
Dorchester County Crime Watch & Dorchester County Neighborhood Services are present to speak to our community regarding Services.
Dorchester County Neighborhood Services
Dorchester County Neighborhood Services (DCNS) has merged three entities into one. Neighborhood Services, Code Enforcement, and Animal Control.
Tracie Sible (843)832-0015 – tsible@dorchestercountysc.gov
Community Services Officer Dorchester
County Neighborhood Services (843)832-0015
If you do not want to call to make a complaint you can send an email with detailed information.
Code Enforcement provided a flier for community services, common violations, and contact information. Officer Sible spoke regarding examples of common violations such as failing to dispose of one’s trash, abandoned vehicles (no plates, vehicles with expired tags, vehicles sitting on jacks pose a hazard), uncut grass (there is no height regulation, but it shall not look like a jungle for us to walk to your door.)
Fliers left for association members.
Dorchester County Animal Ordinance Overview
Dorchester County Community Services Common Code Violations
Rabies in South Carolina
Animal Issues
Free roaming cats. We do not pick up feral cats. Once someone starts feeding a feral cat, they are required to have a rabies vaccine, and they belong to you. If you feed them, they belong to you. Dorchester Paws does a TNR program for feral cats, they will fix them and put a notch in their ear. We only pick them up if they are injured. If animals are not injured, you call DNR (Department of Natural Resources).
Keeper of the Wild is the only place to call for squirrels.
Injured Animals. If it is an injured cat, possum, or deer, we will meet DNR at the location and we will be present to pick up the injured animal.
A community member commented that DNR will not take possums. Alpha Wild Life will come pick up opossums.
Call Dorchester County Neighborhood Services at (843) 832-0015, if you are unsure who to call. They will advise you where to call for the specific animal you are calling about.
Dog waste in your yard. We get calls from people saying someone’s dog is out and constantly pooping in my yard. These people want us to come issue a ticket for the animal's owner. We will not do that. We do not just issue tickets because you say so. A log needs to be created for the violations. Please call us to report it and send us pictures to prove the violation is happening, every time. This is the only way we log the address for the violation.
Barking & free-roaming dogs. Continuous barking is different and requires a more detailed log (bark log 14 days consecutive longer than 15 minutes in duration). If a neighbor’s dog is out of their yard repeatedly, take a picture of it every time and send it to us right away. This creates the log of the violation. If you experience this, call DCNS.
They cannot do anything about a dog barking inside a residence. Violations only occur for a dog outside. DCNS will complete a thorough investigation before issuing citations. They will contact the homeowner and if they observe the dog in the backyard barking the whole time while at the residence they then can issue a citation.
If you call DCNS about a stray dog in front of your house, they will come as soon as possible, but it will not be immediate (only 2 officers cover the entire county). If you can put the stray in your backyard or get the dog back to the owner, please do so. Document the dog's information, a picture of the dog, and the name of the owner(s), to record that the dog was out and returned back to the owner.
Rodents & Rats. If there is a rat infestation in your neighbor's backyard, do what you must do to defend your property. However, you may not treat anything in your neighbor's yard.
Don’t throw rat poison in a neighbor's yard. That may cause additional problems and will be investigated by an officer.
Trash. Trash must be visible from the street or through an open gate (in public view) for DCNS to take action. If you can see your neighbor's yard is full of trash from the second-story window in your home, but the neighbor has a privacy fence that doesn't allow a public view. DCNS can't issue a violation. However, call DCNS before it gets bad and produces rodents.
They will be given 10 days to fix a trash issue. DCNS will talk with the resident and stay in contact until the issue is corrected.
Keep a log if you have complaints about a potential trash violation.
Dorchester County Crime Watch
Lt. Carter, patrol sergeant will be taking over as the Crime Watch representative for BCA meetings.
Crime stats are not 100% accurate due to our systems.
If the deputy didn’t put Briarwood in the report or put a wrong neighborhood it will not come up on this report.
Four incident reports were completed this year. (larceny report, ems assist, harassment, neighbor dispute)
There have been car break-ins in nearby neighborhoods. There are reports of vehicle windows being smashed and property being taken.
DO NOT leave firearms in your vehicle locked or unlocked.
If your vehicle was broken into and nothing was taken please still contact us to report the crime. They will document and complete an investigation. A neighbor may have a camera that captured the crime and we will follow through.
Do not leave anything valuable in your vehicle.
Fliers left pamphlets for our association members.
Keeping your Personal Accounts Safe
Dorchester County Support Network business resource card
Questions:
Sgt. Barrington will deliver new crime watch signs to President Clay Rogers.
Request for officers to do extra patrol at our park as complaint have come in with what appears to be drug activity.
Road Rage – keep yourself safe. Get a tag pull over keep yourself safe. Call us and report it, however, keep yourself safe. Do not engage in following and making the matter worse or putting yourself in a more dangerous situation.
A community member asked about possibly getting a speed bump on a long straightaway. The County does not like speed bumps because they slow down emergency response and cause damage to vehicles. A stop sign could be discussed. Bryan Havir Assistant Administrator for Community Services may attend a future meeting to discuss stop signs within the community.
Lt. Carter will put our neighborhood on the list to have a speed buggy put on a straight away if you are ok with it being placed in front of your house we will gladly leave it for approximately a week.
A Community member asked about stop signs that are placed where they are not visible. Does a general "slow down" work, will that be ok? It was confirmed by law enforcement, NO, YOU NEED TO STOP. IF A STOP SIGN IS THERE YOU MUST STOP. If you choose to roll through the sign, it is 4 points and up to $200. Rolling through a stop sign or failing to stop is a violation.
How often do you patrol the area? The county is split into 5 zones. 3 to 4 deputies are assigned to each zone. Briarwood is in zone 4. Part of the deputies’ job and duty is to hit every neighborhood within their zones. This may or may not happen each shift depending on the calls happening and the amount of deputies on duty.
Approval of February Meeting Minutes
President Clay advised that the last meeting's minutes are available and posted on the website. We will not be reading them.
Presentation of Reports
Treasurer's Reports
Profit and loss statement
Re: Total Legal Fees: there was a reimbursement for an overpayment of $525. A member paid $600 and meant to pay only $75. The $525 under this section is for the reimbursement to the member.
You’ll see the last of the costs from the printing of the ballots.
Office supplies and postage are what Sheri needs for for warnings, fines, and violations for the year. This is not a monthly expense, it is what she needed to start the year.
Member asked why there is such a difference in Utilities fees, between the March and January statement. It was commented that the lights at the front had been running for a few months consistently. The problem had been fixed and the fluctuation of the rate was likely caused by that.
Committee Volunteers
Welcoming committee. We are working with Gail McCampbell on creating a pamphlet to be distributed to new members.
Social and Recreation. Dawnisha is ready to go for Bingo on Saturday. Easter we will need additional volunteers to help coordinate the event. If you are interested, please email contact@briarwoodsc.org
Old Business
Update on 112 Bramwell (burnt house)
Regarding the house that burned down. Clay has continued communications with Misty Hawkins at the county. It was said they had contact with the owners 8 weeks ago and they are aware of the violations against them. The owner said they would start demolition. Unfortunately, this was 8 weeks ago, and inspectors have been by to see there has been no progress made. The county will continue to reach out to the property owner. Nothing new to report.
Update on Pump Station on Glendale (screening)
Regarding the pump station screening. Clay mentioned he spoke to Paul Lemming regarding the screening for the pump station on Glendale. There is no law or standard on putting a fence around the underground system. There is no standard or code to have a shield or fence. Mr. Lemming proposed paying half of the fence, and the last quote was a 6-foot chain link fence with a neutral color quoted on 9/23/24 for a total of $7,300. March 12, 2025, was my last communication and they are only willing to split and it will cost $3350. Glover Fence is who the quote is done through. We would be put on a payment plan with no interest. This falls under maintenance. As a community do we want to spend the money?
Community member said I do not have to look at it however because we do not have the money in the budget it seems like a silly expense when we are not breaking even as an HOA. She suggested coming up what a financial plan to come up with the additional cost.
Clay mentioned there will be an additional 2 quotes. They will be here at our next meeting to discuss with our community what not to put down the toilet that they are pulling out of the pump station.
Community member suggested waiting to the end of the year.
Update on Park Gazebo (lights)
Gazebo lights at the park. Clay had a retired electrician put wires back together, a new breaker, two new locks, and still there is nothing. The meter is active and has power. Nothing new for now.
Update on Carlton Ct. (fence)
Summercourt Dr. and Carlton Ct. Community member at the corner has completed her fence and the other neighbor is in the process of doing his fence. Once that is done, we will see what we can do to tap into their fences with the most reasonable costs. We cannot do anything until the community member completes his fence. We will continue to follow up and get you an update as soon as we have more information.
New Business
ARC Reports
ARC forms this month. 1. Pergola, 2 roofs, 1 sunroom, 1 tree removal and 1 new fence.
AT&T Fiber Optic Box Replacement Covers/Boxes
Anna spoke to AT&T regarding the cracked or broken boxes. They will be replacing the broken boxes. Email the board at contact@briarwoodsc.org and let us know your address where any of the boxes need fixed. A list of 12 have been reported.
Homes Sold/Bought
Chris mentioned a few houses were sold. He is trying to figure out the best sources to get the most accurate information.
Member Comments
Re: Increasing Dues
A community member asked about raising the dues. Clay responded that we will get with Sherri and Boyd and find a happy medium number to raise them too. This has been discussed by the board and we plan to do this mid-year.
Front Entrance
Community member commented that the front entrance is looking not very good. Her husband put ant killer on the ant piles at the front. Clay responded the front entrance is being addressed. Contact has already been made and it is scheduled for clean up. Also, the park we will get new letters for the sign.
Road Repairs
Community member stated he has had a cone in front of his house for 2 ½ years. They have been out 4 times and nothing gets done. They were just out 2 weeks ago and nothing has been done. Clay explained just like the drainage ditch by Angela’s house that was replaced. She was on a list for a long time and constantly called. We call, you call, not sure what else we can do. We will all keep calling. We know it is on a list, and it takes time.
Legal Fees
Community member said in 2023 legal fees were $2735. Legal fees in Jan 2024 were $3435. Why did we have so many legal fees in 2024? It was said that a lot of those fees are still in the categories together you can call Sheri and she will break it down for you. During that time, we went to the court and the member was trying to subdivide rooms. Member said according to our by-laws shouldn’t the homeowner have paid the legal fees? Also, under landscaping who approved the extra $4900. It was explained that in an emergency an approval is not needed. After storms it was for trees in the park and at the front. It was said that Sheri would be in possession of sign off with the pictures for the approval to be paid for the services during that time.
Enforcing Covenants & Restrictions
Community member asked what is Sheri and Boyd’s jobs that we paid them for. Effective January 1, 2025 they are supposed to be enforcing our C&R’s. Member mentioned his fence is in violation and so are many other neighbors fences that are in violation. Why do we not get warnings or fines. Why do they not enforce the fences or 3 foot bush rules. Clay mentioned that last year there was a time when the bushes came up and 150 warnings went out just as members azalea bushes were blooming. Members went out cutting down bushes that are meant to be larger than 3 feet. I am not going to ask for this to be done our neighborhood would look like crap if we did that. This is also why we had it on the ballots to be updated and unfortunately enough neighbors didn’t vote to have a chance for the change. So we are back to the same rules.
Community member asked If 75 homes are out of compliance what is the remedy to fix the problem. Anna responded with the answer is to vote on the changes.
Community member commented that there is a difference between unkept and ungroomed. There is a difference of preference one may like it 2 feet and one may like it 6 feet. I think we need to go by common sense. We should go by precedence and what goes by within the community during that time. Trashcan and bushes are two different things.
Neighborhood Safety
Community member commented that he lives at the end of Albony Rd and I have two front bedrooms there. Whatever new security lightings came up someone solved my problems after 46 years.
Chris commented regarding a house in the neighborhood who had a refrigerator in front it for months. Sherry said she wasn’t aware of it. Within a week of speaking to her the refrigerator was gone. It works. Reach out to Sheri.
Contracts & Contractual Obligations
Last question. What is your obligation with a signed contract. We have a contract with Sherri and Boyd signed in April of 2024. Can you sign a contract even though you get booted out. The answer falls under contract laws. If I sign a contract today and drop dead tomorrow the contract is still in existence.
Clarification of the contract with DRES. It was agreed on last year by Bob Weiss, Clay Rogers and Angela Woodruff as your board for 2024 to enter into the contract for 4 years with Dorchester Real Estate Services. This was not a decision made by 1 member this was a decision made by the three board members at that time.
Please follow all Covenant and Restrictions and By-Laws. Boyd is driving around twice a month. Please send all your complaints to Sheri with Dorchester Real Estate Services. 843-563-5005 or hoa2@dorchestersold.net
There are no more personal email addresses. Updated emails and contact information are on our website. Please use contact@briarwoodsc.org this email is monitored by all of your board of directors.
8:35 PM - Meeting Adjourned
Meeting Agenda
Call meeting to Order
Roll Call
Reading of last meetings minutes
Presentation of Reports.
Treasurer Reports (February Finances)
Committee Reports - Welcome new volunteers and still searching for others to volunteer where need be for committees.
Old Business
Update on 122 Bramwell (burnt house)
Update on Pump Station on Glendale (screening)
Update on Park Gazebo (lights)
Update on Carlton Ct. (fence)
New Business
Lieutenant Carter from the Dorchester Sheriffs office will be at the meeting to discuss crime watch in and around our neighborhood.
ARC Reports
AT&T Fiber Optic Box Replacement Covers/Boxes
Homes for sale/sold
Upcoming Events
Bingo, Saturday March 22, from 11:00AM-12:30PM (Summerville Church of Christ)
Easter in the Briarwood Park is Saturday April 12, 2025 at 1:00PM
Please remember to follow all BCA Covenants & Restrictions and ByLaws
Questions or Suggestions: Please feel free to email contact@briarwoodsc.org this email address is seen by all 4 current Board members.
Adjourn Meeting
