Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
It is the Walden Park Homeowner Association’s mission to provide a clear line of communication to all Walden Park residents. Below, we have provided several frequently asked questions (FAQs) with detailed answers on topics including what a homeowner association is, when we have board meetings, how to obtain your Walden Park Clubhouse decal, and more.
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General Questions
Here is the contact information for our current Walden Park Homeowner Association Community Manager, Chandra Whiteside
Community Management Associates, Inc.
1465 Northside Drive, Suite 128
Atlanta, Georgia 30318
Phone: 770-306-7523
Email: Cwhiteside@cmacommunities.com
Visit the CMA Communities website
There should be a response from the management company within a 48-hour business timeframe acknowledging receipt of the phone call, mail, or email. Further action may need to be done to get the accurate information or service for the homeowner/resident.
After the Walden Park Homeowner Association has received a copy of the closing settlement from the homeowner’s closing attorney or the homeowner, the management company will create a Walden Park HOA homeowner account associated with the homeowner and his/her specific lot number.
The new homeowner should receive from the previous homeowner the current yearly sticker and clubhouse scan card. If none of those items are passed on, the new owner should contact the property manager to receive two complimentary scan cards with current year amenity stickers.
Lost and/or stolen bands and access cards replacements are the responsibility of the homeowner. If a tag and/or card is lost or stolen, the homeowner will have to pay to replace the missing item. The cost for replacements are below.
- $25 per Access Scan Card
General Assessments
General assessments are used by the Walden Park Homeowner Association to pay the costs of ongoing maintenance and repairs to the Walden Park community common areas, equipment, and shared amenities (see examples below).
Payments, which are determined by the Board each year, are due January 1stof each year. Sometimes the Board may establish an incentive payment plan for current homeowners. Individualized payment plans may be agreed upon with delinquent homeowners and the Association when requested by the homeowner. However, depending where the collection process is, additional fees may be incurred such as legal collection fees, court cost, interest, etc.
Some services include:
- Lawn care and landscaping maintenance for common areas
- Maintenance of shared amenities, such as clubhouse amenity area, etc.
- Cleaning, painting, and upkeep of exteriors and common areas.
- Pest control (indoor and outdoor)
- Repairs of roofs, interior roads, pipes, elevators, etc. due to age, weather conditions or other damage
- Irrigation system maintenance
- Clubhouse observation system and gates
- Green space entrances and neighborhood stone columns
- Website maintenance
- Holiday decorations and storage
- Master insurance policy to protect the community’s building structures and community property against damage as required.
- Utility payments for all common areas, such as electricity, lighting, water, heating, and air conditioning.
- Contribution of monies for long-term reserve account to cover planned and budgeted renovations or repairs, and to cover unforeseen community expenses and emergencies.
- Professional management company salaries and benefits to manage operations, maintenance, and enforce the Board’s rules and decision.
Walden Park HOA general assessments can go up or down. By the end of October, the board of directors will create a budget for the next fiscal year and distribute to the association members by December 1, 30 days prior to when the budget becomes effective. Per the Covenants, within those thirty days, if a number of homeowners disagree with the budget, they can create a petition to request the board to hold a special homeowners meeting to discuss possible changes to the budget.
After assessing the association’s operating financial status and forecasting any projects, in October, the board will create the annual budget in the fall and distribute the proposed budget to homeowners’ review thirty (30) days prior to the next fiscal year.
Board Meetings
Board meetings are decided among the directors themselves. These board meetings are open to all residents. A resident can set in on the meeting however are not allowed to speak freely during the meeting unless the president gives permission for them to speak. This rule is to encourage the board to use their meeting time wisely on director discussions, operational issues, reports, and decisions. Sometimes there are executive board meetings called when the directors discuss and make decisions related to personnel, legal matters, or individual homeowner concerns. Currently, board meetings are on the 4thThursday of the month in the clubhouse. Exceptions are in the months of November and December due to the holidays.
Residents can speak during a regular board meeting when there are Resident Forum times. This time is when residents want to give general feedback or discuss a topic with the board during a 2-minute period of time. A resident must communicate to the community manager no later than 1 week before the next board meeting their request to speak with the board. The request must include the general topic or reason and acknowledgment that he/she has 2-minutes to share. This process allows the community manager and the board to ensure the person is placed on the agenda.
When the resident wants to speak with the board about specific information or questions or association matters impacting them primarily then he/she will be scheduled to meet with the board in an executive session. Often this procedure is used to maintain confidentiality and respect for the resident issues, and to allot more than a 2-minute period of time but no longer than 10 minutes.
Sometimes the board will host town hall meetings. They are informational or educational to residents in nature. Someone or a panel of presenters may cover a specific topic or several issues that will be covered in an orderly, dialogue format, i.e., public safety, political candidates.
Exterior Changes & Lawncare
A homeowner must submit a Modification Request prior to making changes with specifications on what changes are being proposed to the outer parts of the house. The Modification Request form can be obtained from the community property manager or the official association’s website.
Once the form is filled out, it must be submitted to the community manager who will forward it to the Architecture Review Board (ARB) for their review and approval. The ARB has 60 days to review and communicate a decision of approval, disapproval, or with/without recommendations to modify the request. Once the final decision on the Modification Request has been communicated to the homeowner, he/she can then implement their changes with a review after the completion of the ARB modification/project.
Components of an approved Modification Request application will be determined by the community manager or the ARB. Some components are designs of before and after changes on their unit plat, color copies of the paint/material changes, roof or intended fence. Any questions need to go to the community manager prior to any work is performed.
Failure to submit and receive approval to make changes may result in a fee up to $ 350 per incident, denial of the request, required to change back the work to its original condition at the owner’s expense. Therefore,get approval prior to changing any of the exterior aspects of the house and yard parameters.
When the developer designed and got approval by Fulton County, owner lots were initially designed to have a lawn, mulch, flower bed, and trees. Therefore when the home is sold the maintenance responsibility of the lawn, mulch, flower bed and trees becomes the responsibility of the homeowner.
In order to remove a Street Tree from the yard, consideration to remove it must go through the Architecture Review Board. It will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To maintain a development and green space balance, Fulton County government takes it as a serious violation of removing trees as well as the Association. Replacing a tree is also a case-by-case basis, but rare. Unfortunately, some types of trees are not permitted in certain places because they have caused problems.
Our Covenants place responsibility for monitoring the preservation of the street trees to the Association. It has been observed and reported that many of us do not properly know how to prune a tree for its long-term healthy growth. Since there has been good fiscal management, the Association has decided (a) every other year to have the street trees pruned in order to maintain a uniformity and to manage the quality, beauty and collective life of the street trees, and (b) to provide the mulch – pine straw – for all street trees. These practices promote consistency of curb appeal and pride for our Community.
Pool & Common Areas
Typically the Walden Park Pool opens the weekend after the public schools are out for the summer break (generally the last week of May). The pool closes at the end of the Labor Day Monday, the 1st Monday in September.
Normal pool hours are:
Monday thru Friday 11 am to 7 pm
Saturday 10 am to 8 pm
Sunday 12 noon to 6 pm
These hours have been developed based on the number of people that use the pool during various times of the week. Each year the Association reviews the pool hours schedule.
Even though the Walden Park Pool cannot be reserved for exclusive use by a homeowner, homeowners can have up to (4) scan cards for access into the clubhouse amenity area which permits them access along with two (2) guest who must be present with the homeowner. Access to the pool is available for financially current homeowners. If a homeowner is delinquent on their account then the electronic access through the gate will be de-activated. And the monitor will turn away the children or adults. The community manager needs to be contacted in order for the account to be made current by an authorized homeowner.
The Walden Park Pool is NOT and is NEVER available for reservation. In the event a homeowner needs to bring more than the permitted two (2) guest per homeowner, a request to accomodate the maximum of ten (10) guest must be made to the property manager two (2) weeks prior to the date the homeowner would like to bring in 10 guests.
Examples of community common areas available for exclusive use by homeowners include the Walden Park Clubhouse, its back porch, the amphitheater, and the grand common area immediately behind the clubhouse.
Homeowners looking to reserve exclusive use of Walden Park community common areas such as the Walden Park Clubhouse and/or amphitheater must make a request for Reservation to Use Recreation Facility to the Community Manager.
A Reservation form can be obtained from the official Walden Park website or directly from the community manager. Examples of community common areas available for exclusive use include the Walden Park Clubhouse, its back porch, the amphitheater, and the grand common area immediately behind the clubhouse.
The Walden Park Pool is NOT available for reservation.
Homeowner 101
An HOA’s board of directors is comprised of homeowners who have volunteered to stand for election to serve in leadership roles. Board members serve the community by overseeing Association’s operations through making and enforcing the association’s rules and policies (see below), collecting dues and ensuring its facilities and common areas are well managed, maintained and attractive. Per our Walden Park covenants, the Board is comprised of officers, who typically include an elected president, treasurer, and secretary. Association officers are then selected among the elected board of directors themselves. There is no financial compensation, clubhouse or assessment discount for the board of directors. In fact, there will be additional stressors and responsibilities that each director carries so that all Association residents are considered.
A homeowners association (HOA) is a corporation that serves as the governing body of a residential community, such as a condominium, townhome or single-family development. HOAs are created to protect the community’s property values by developing and upholding its covenants and bylaws, which define the actions homeowners may take with their properties, as well as their behavior within the community.
Association ownership/membership and all related responsibility are transferred to homeowners when the lot is sold to them. Since most HOAs are incorporated, they are subject to statutes governing homeowners associations and not-for-profit corporations, as mandated by each individual state.
Our community association is governed by its own unique rules and policies. These were created by the Developer and itemized in the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs) and Bylaws, which clearly define the behavior and actions homeowners can and cannot take regarding their homes and communities. These rules and policies are designed to protect property values by keeping the community clean, safe and beautiful, and ensuring a harmonious living environment for all residents. The CC&Rs are enforced by the HOA’s Board of Directors, or by a property management company hired by the association to uphold the Board’s decisions. Homeowners are required to follow all of the community’s rules, even if they do not agree with them, and non-compliance can result in fines or legal action. A copy of our Covenants can be obtained by the official website or the community manager can forward an electronic copy to homeowners.
Qualifications for a homeowner to be considered for a director is (a) the household is financially current with the association, (b) the interested person will be expected to share how they are experienced and/or qualified to serve in this role during the annual meeting.
Candidates for a board of director are presented at the annual meeting. Homeowners may vote for Board members in two ways – by casting their votes online by the specified voting deadline OR by mailing their votes before the election is held.
In addition, all association members are required to share the costs of operating and maintaining your community’s common areas, systems equipment, and amenities. Since all community homeowners are mandatory members of the HOA, they must follow the community’s guidelines to ensure a harmonious environment and lifestyle; failure to comply can result in fines or other penalties.
All member are encouraged to volunteer to serve in the Association. All volunteers must be financially current with the Association and approved by the Board of Directors before service. There is no financial compensation, clubhouse or assessment discount for volunteers, committee, and board of directors.
There are a number of ways HOA members can contribute to the association: run and be elected as a board of director, serve on a particular committee, offer your time and presence as a volunteer. Let the Association know either via email, call and communicate to the community manager of your interest to serve.
Your association’s rules and regulations are created to protect your community’s property values, enhance its lifestyle and promote a friendly, agreeable and fair environment for residents. While the rules may keep you from taking certain liberties pertaining to your home or community, they also prevent your neighbors from performing nuisance or disruptive actions or behavior as well. As a homeowner, and member of your association, you are obligated to obey its rules, so be sure you fully understand them.
The Walden Park Homeowner Association’s rules and policies are clearly spelled out in the Governing Documents (Articles of Incorporation, Declaration, Bylaws, etc.), which provide comprehensive information about the association’s operations, as well as the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs), which detail its policies and procedures on architectural guidelines, pets, parking, noise, amenity usage, rentals, fee schedules, non-compliance fines and much more.
As long as the household remains financially current throughout the year, they are eligible to participate in all social activities, amenities or facilities hosted and managed by the Association. Limited use of some of the amenities can be determined by the board of directors such as the use of the pool, clubhouse, clubhouse area for special occasions. The Association may hosts some events that are accessible by all members and other activities are for all financially current residents.
All members are encouraged to volunteer to serve in the Walden Park Homeowner Association. All volunteers’ household must be financially current with the Association and approved by the Board of Directors before service. There is no financial compensation, clubhouse or assessment discount for volunteers and committee members.
There are a number of ways HOA members can contribute to the association: run and be elected as a board of director, serve on a particular committee, offer your time and presence as a volunteer. Let the Association know by either email, call or communicate to the community manager of your interest to serve.
No. Per the Covenants and State law, all homeowners and their households are automatically apart of the homeowners association, especially in common interest developments.
A member of the board of directors’ is responsible for enforcing the rules and policies in the Association Covenants (CC&Rs). They communicate that security and the provision of security is the sole responsibility of each homeowner especially in reference to the homeowner’s person, guest, and property. If the Association expands its role into this scope of responsibility then it increases the liability of the association and can foster a false sense of security for homeowners.
However, the Association does believe that it can and must do things to address our residents’ and Community safety
- Look at our landscaping. Are our grounds maintained well, with trimmed shrubs and open areas that make it hard for the unwanted element to find places to hide
- Pull the landscaping away from the structure so there aren’t any dark spots.
- Open up dark areas with good lighting. Maintaining good lighting in and around common areas is one step to discouraging thieves and trespassers from congregating around our property
- Use of cameras for a tool to observe people and behavior in common areas. We must be cautious about capturing video footage in non-common areas and setting us up for increased liability.
- Working with police to identify crime problems and finding solutions for those problems. We have had increased patrols both obvious and undercover rounds.
- We strongly encourage neighborhood watch activism among residents. It utilizes a pool of residents and can greatly enhance the overall awareness of action. One hundred neighbors keeping trained eyes out for unusual or suspicious activity in their area creates a greater blanket of scrutiny.
- Continue to increase awareness and educate the residents about their surroundings and movement related to it
“A policy about keeping the landscape trimmed is not just about aesthetics—it’s about safety. And it’s not just about policy, but about the action and the enforcement of it.”