When a news story leads to change for one community, local journalism is working.

Sara Rubin here, thinking about today’s and tomorrow’s deadlines for the upcoming March 28 issue of the Weekly, but also taking a rare moment to look back a month. On Feb. 22, we published a cover story by staff writer David Schmalz about members of the East Garrison community facing arbitrary and authoritarian decisions from their homeowners association, negatively impacting their quality of life. Immediately after it ran, it generated a lot of reader interest, reflected in our letters to the editor section. 

And now, it’s also generated a response from the HOA itself, which is good news for residents. 

A March 21 letter to residents from the Board of Directors for the East Garrison Community Association announces itself as an opportunity to address issues raised in Schmalz’s story. For three pages, it goes on to list efforts underway to address concerns. 

Those include a series of new committees and vendors to reexamine and potentially change existing policies. “The board understands that the current CC&Rs signed by members when moving into the community were originally developed in 2005,” the board wrote. “These CC&Rs have become dated in certain respects and could benefit from revisions to address a built-out community of over 1,400 homes. 

“To that end, the board has created a CC&R Amendment Committee.” Any proposed amendments would go to members for a vote in order to be approved, and an update on potential amendments by the end of the current fiscal year. 

The letter notes several specific issues—landscaping in front yards, a pesticide opt-out policy for spraying, a car registration policy and garage inspections among them—to revisit. 

The board has also created a Finance Committee and is looking for a third-party firm to hire to conduct an audit, addressing concerns about fiscal management.

It’s a detailed acknowledgment from the board that they’ve got work to do, and they are trying to do it. It’s the kind of response to a story that is rare but wonderful to see. 

Our mission at the Weekly is “to inspire independent thinking and conscious action, etc.” Sometimes, that action comes from a board that wields decision-making authority over a group of residents who had started to feel helpless. 

It’s times like these that I am reminded of the power of the press—the local, independent press specifically. In this case, people tried to be heard. When they weren’t, they started talking to a reporter in hopes that sunlight would help remedy the situation. A story about a powerful HOA in a 1,400-home community is exactly the kind of opportunity Schmalz and all of us here at the Weekly are here to unfurl. When we get to see a cause-and-effect response like this, it’s incredibly gratifying. 

I invite all of you to contact us any time with story ideas. We rely on members of the community to provide tips on what to look at and where to be. And for members of the East Garrison community, the board also wants to remind you of the consistency of their social committee’s efforts—from 10am-noon this Saturday, March 30, an Easter egg hunt takes place at Lincoln Park. 

I think of the board’s letter as its own sort of early Easter egg.

-Sara Rubin, editor, sara@mcweekly.com

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