Georgia Ethics: Summit Chase-Snellville, GA Investigation Part 1

March 18, 2013 - PRLog -- By Kenneth Stepp

Gwinnett Ethics has been digging through all kinds of records trying to get to the bottom of the Summit Chase lake problem. The deeper we dig, the more evidence we find that points to the Summit Chase Homes Association (SCHA) as the creator of the problem. That problem is formally known as Lower Johnson Lake and dam and the lake has been a mud pit for over a year. The SCHA owns the lake and dam and has made it clear that residents of the Timberline who must cross the dam to enter and leave their subdivision are not welcome to use the lake, voice their opinions or even help to get the lake restored.

The lake became a mud pit when it was drained so repairs could be made to the standpipe and drain pipe that are part of the system that controls water level. The question that people have asked Gwinnett Ethics to investigate is why it has taken so long for repairs to be made. Why Gwinnett Ethics? Because it appears that the actions and lack of actions of the SCHA are shall we say questionable.

In July, 2010 the city attorney sent a letter to the SCHA with recommendations from the engineering company Clark Patterson Lee. Recommendations are to have a professional engineer inspect the dam and drain the lake so a robotic camera can record the condition of the entire outlet control structure.
*Why did it take 16 months (until November, 2011) before the SCHA finally contacted McEachern Dredging to begin repair work?

In January, 2012 the city sent a letter to Pat Port, president of SCHA stating “Earlier this week, working without the necessary City permit, the contractor you hired to replace the standpipe called the City to report that the lake was up and eroding the pipe and drain. (It is our belief that the contractor’s work caused the damage to the standpipe leading to the failure of the pipe.) This caused uncontrolled discharges through the pipe under Timberline Drive seriously jeopardizing the integrity of the street.”
It is now March, 2013 and work has still not started on repairs.
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*Why did the contractor begin work without the necessary permits?
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*Why did the SCHA not take any action to hold the contractor accountable for the damage he caused?
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*Why did it take the SCHA over a year (from January, 2012- February, 2013 to get serious about fixing the standpipe?
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*Why did the SCHA prevent neighbors from Timberline subdivision from attending any meetings?
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*Why didn’t the SCHA submit loan applications to other banks after they were turned down by one bank? (for a loan to finance repairs)
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There may be valid answers to all these questions, but it seems that the SCHA isn’t being open and transparent. We intend to find out why.

info@gwinnettethics.org