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Trash Can Craziness Crosses State Lines

guest blog by Nila Ridings

Bent Creek HOA in Nolensville, Tennessee is keeping a close watch on the outcome of the Turnberry Reserve trash can saga in Orlando. Remember that story? Where the board president may soon be sleeping and running the HOA business from a jail cell? Plus paying a hefty fine for ordering the theft of homeowners’ trash containers?

Up to this point, Bent Creek board members have chosen to use the legal system to fight their battle, but their covenants do not address the storage issue.  Andrea Barnes says, “Bent Creek residents are anxiously awaiting the decision by the Orange-Osceola State attorney’s office.” 

I have hoped these blogs would provide not only a resource for “who” “when” and “where” but also insight on “what” destroys an HOA.  It seems Bent Creek may have learned something here and taken a “wait and see” position.
 
The HOA where I live has this same trash container issue.  One day out of nowhere our driveways looked like the trash container stork made a massive green and yellow delivery: One for trash and one for recycling.  Combined, they take half the square footage of a compact car! Garages were not built to accommodate vehicles and trash containers at the same time.  It’s obvious this is one of those “not-so-well” thought out plans.  
 
There are many reasons these containers have become nightmares…and for the HOAs an eyesore.  And in my case, our city codes do not allow trash cans to be visible from the street.
 
Somebody, please do something to stop this insanity over trash cans before people start throwing their bags of trash in the ditches to avoid all this hassle! 
 
How do we solve this nationwide problem?  Perhaps somebody could start a “trash can home addition” that can be constructed on a Saturday afternoon and installed next to the garage? Be sure to paint it the basic HOA beige or make it look like an overgrown rose bush. Sounds like a “biz op” for some creative carpenters, doesn’t it?  Maybe they could generate some marketing by promoting it on “Shark Tank.”  
 
A special thank you to Mike Holfeld, the investigative reporter at Local 6 in Orlando for keeping us updated!
 
 
BTW, in accordance with our recent policy about re-posting public figure contact info, here’s a a list of all this HOA’s email and phone info which they’ve already published on the web:
 
Bent Creek Homeowners Association 
Board of Directors 
 
President: Bill Kottas 
Cates-Kottas Development, LLC 
 
Homeowner Representative: 
Jimmy W. Reaves 
E-Mail: JimmyReaves@Comcast.net 
 
Homeowner Representative: 
Steve Cody 
E-Mail: stevecody81@gmail.com 
 
Developer Representative: 
Cynthia Smith 
Email: cynthia_smith@rocketmail.com 
 
Elecia Lewis, CMCA 
Community 
Association Manager: 
elecia.lewis@ghertner.com 
 
Homeowner Service Center: 
615-277-0358 
 
Bent Creek Website: www.BentCreekHOA.org