ROUND MOUNTAIN PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Annual Meeting October 11, 2025

Call To Order 

The meeting on October 11, 2025 was called to order by a motion of RMPOA President Joe Bartusis at 10:10 am. The motion was seconded and approved. There was not a quorum of members present either in person (15) or by signed proxy (16) as 47 (50% + 1) was the number needed. The meeting was adjourned by motion, second and approved. 

The meeting on October 11, 2025 was called to order a second time by a motion of RMPOA President Joe Bartusis at 10:20 am. The motion was seconded and approved. There was not a quorum of members present either in person (15) or by signed proxy (16) as 32 (33% + 1) was the number needed. The meeting was adjourned by motion, second and approved. At this point the meeting was unofficial. 

Verification of Quorum and Proxies 

President Joe Bartusis acting on behalf of Secretary Jay Williams verified the number of proxies received and a recount of the number of voting member units was conducted. The reduced quorum requirement was not met, so the meeting continued, as allowed under North Carolina law, for the purpose of approving the minutes of last year’s Annual Meeting, electing new directors and adopting the proposed budget. Other purely informational matters were also discussed. 

Approval of the 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes 

The 2024 Annual Meeting minutes were read to the members in attendance by Joe Bartusis and approved. 

Election of New Directors 

The election of new board members was discussed with the final agreement of proxies and those present that the new members would be Marsh Stopa, Janet Hatstat and Dax Dunn. Those present felt this group of new board members gave the overall board a mix of longer term home owners, a newer home owner and a property only owner.  

Presentation and Approval of the 2026 Budget 

The proposed budget for 2026 discussed and approved by those present and submitted proxies was the budget as presented which set the 2026 Association dues at $425.00. It was mentioned that interest year to date from the savings CD purchase as recommended at last year’s meeting was around $575. There are still funds to be used this year for a culvert project, planned flailing of roadsides and adding gravel where needed as well as a full road scraping. A supplemental scraping had been done at the beginning of October. 

Road Report 

The Road Supervisor’s (Jenn Harper) report was read and is included here: 

Final Road Report 

This is my final road report. I submitted my resignation in September and it takes effect on December 31, 2025. 

There is not a lot to report this year. We were unable to move forward with the few culvert projects that are necessary on Round Mountain Road due to the McCalls commitment to assisting The Wilds and others in their ongoing effort to cleanup from Helene. 

Hopefully, since these projects have been long budgeted, they will be put on the calendar early next year. 

This year is the beginning of an effort I’ve arranged with the McCalls, that will hopefully negate the need for Haywood to douse our community with herbicides every few years to prevent  tree/shrub growth from becoming entangled in our wires. Greg is putting our community on a flailing cycle that will be more complete in consideration to growth under wires and more tightly scheduled than it has been previously. I hope the new road supervisor and community recognize the value of this endeavor and it will be continued. 

We have one more community wide scraping with additional gravel to be added scheduled for early winter once all the leaves are down for the year and the ditches can be cleaned of leaf debris. It is during this visit from the McCalls that I hope to perform my final action as road supervisor. In an effort to cancel any further debate or conflict regarding the speed bumps, I will meet with David and Greg and using a metal post, will accurately mark the proper height the speed bump should be based on the diagram of dimensions that the board has agreed to. Once these markers are in place next to each speed bump, it will be clear when the speed bumps are below the height they should be and The McCalls can maintain them when they come in to scrape if necessary. 

I have some information I’ve accumulated over the last few years that the next road supervisor may find helpful. I encourage them to reach out to me for a meeting. 

Jenn Harper 

It was discussed that Trish Kluge is willing to take on the position of Road Supervisor beginning in the new year when Jenn Harper steps down. 

Fire Prevention

Fire Prevention Update by Marsha Stopa 


A cleanup crew met on a Saturday morning this summer and turned some of the fallen tree debris along Round Mountain and Franks Cove roads into piles for later pickup. Thank you Jason Phillips, Joe Bartusis, Jay Williams, Julie Rotholz, David Rotholz and Marsha Stopa.


Marsha reported that she had an email exchange with Jason Oneal, the NC Forest Service ranger for Transylvania County, during the previous week. No date has been scheduled yet for the fuel removal pickup but we are “first on his list.” Pickup could occur this winter or early spring. In  the meantime continue to build piles of tree debris (less than 6” in diameter) near the roads. Piles should be 4’ X 4’ X 8’. 


Marsha also reported that the Forest Service plan to create firebreaks in and around Round Mountain is being reviewed by the two new Transylvania rangers. The rangers have been in contact with The Wilds, who are interested in participating and initially agreed to allow the firebreak to be constructed on their property, which would eliminate the need for several RMPOA property owners to grant permission. The work would be free and paid for by a NC grant. Marsha anticipates the plan to resurface next year, since the Forest Service is still focused on Helene cleanup and now the current fire season. 

A suggestion to organize a community cleanup day to help less-able property owners will be coordinated. Joe Bartusis pointed out that Ranger Oneal said when he visited the July informational meeting that the fire hazard from all the trees downed by Hurricane Helene will increase over the next 5-10 years, so continued diligence is required to reduce the hazard in our community.  

Marsha suggested a new community-wide project to make all our street addresses reflective, after the rangers noted that her addresses were not reflective in a fire hazard assessment. One option is to purchase clear reflective paint (inexpensive) and begin painting all address signs. 

Property owners have the option to replace. Worth noting: Address signs along the road should have the numbers visible from both sides of the sign.  

Marsha said the community would be notified as soon as she knows a pile pickup date. 

Pavilion Repair 

Needed work on the Community Pavilion was discussed. The retaining wall around two sides is showing deterioration and two options to repair it were presented. The first was a concrete retaining wall and pouring a concrete floor over the existing gravel. This option was estimated at $11,800.00. The second option was to just replace the existing retaining wall. This second option was estimated at $4,000.00. The second option was the one agreed upon by those present based on the amount the pavilion is used and the good condition of the current gravel 

floor. 

Security Camera Upgrade for Mailbox Area 

A quote from a local security camera specialist company was presented. This system would be current state of the art to make getting information from the system quick and easy. It was decided by those present that the fairest way to fund the system would be by a majority of the cost being raised by member donation. Trish Kluge volunteered to take on the task of getting member donation pledges for the project.  

Delivered Package Storage at Mailboxes 

The final item was a discussion of increasing the area for package deliveries at the mailbox structure. It was decided that the most economical solution would be to add a shelf under the current mailboxes as it would utilize the assets already in place including the roof and structural posts. An estimate will be prepared for this option. 

The informal meeting was adjourned around 12 noon. 

ROUND MOUNTAIN PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Annual Meeting October 19, 2024

Call to Order

The Annual Meeting of the Round Mountain Property Owners Association was called to order by President Joe Bartusis at 10:34 a.m. He announced that the requirement for a quorum (50 plus 1) had not been met. The meeting was adjourned. As allowed in the Bylaws, the meeting was reconvened at 10:41 a.m., and a motion to reduce the quorum requirement (33 plus 1) was made, seconded, and approved. 

Verification of Quorum and Proxies

Secretary Jay Williams verified the number of proxies received and a re-count of the number of voting member units was conducted. The reduced quorum requirement was not met, so the meeting continued, as allowed under North Carolina law, for the purpose of approving the minutes of last year’s Annual Meeting, electing new directors and adopting the proposed budget. Other purely informational matters were also discussed. 

Approval of 2023 Annual Meeting Minutes

A motion to approve the minutes of the 2023 Annual Meeting was made, seconded, and approved unanimously.

Presidency and Election of New Directors 

 Roy Hill explained to the membership that he had resigned from the RMPOA board, effective August 2, 2024, for personal reasons. He said that he intended to continue work on a policy and procedures manual for the benefit of future board members. As provided in the bylaws, the RMPOA board appointed a member to serve out Roy’s term—Joe Bartusis. Subsequently, The board elected Joe as President in view of his previous service in that office. The board thanked Roy for his faithful service and also expressed gratitude to Joe for agreeing to serve.

The members nominated for second terms on the board (Jen Berse and Jay Williams) were elected by acclamation. There were no nominations from the floor and none written on the proxies submitted.

Presentation and Approval of the 2025 Budget

The Association’s projected budget for 2025 was presented by Joe Bartusis (with no changes from what was previously sent to members); and bookkeeper Mike Poole discussed the latest Profit & Loss and Balance Sheets. Mike explained that the budget, based on 92 property owners to be billed $428 each, includes seven anticipated delinquencies. Mike further explained that the balance carried in the Association’s savings account is, essentially, a reserve fund for emergencies that might occur. Funds recovered from prior liens are also carried in the budget as a reserve fund. Joe is looking into depositing the savings account funds into a higher yielding CD. Planned road maintenance for the current year was supposed to include 3 major gradings, but there have been only 2 and the major culvert replacement below the pond. The budget still must accommodate one more grading and ditch cleanup. M & M Grading removed hurricane debris for only around $5,000—about half the amount they originally estimated. Being an emergency expense, this amount was not in the original 2024 budget. A motion to approve the budget as presented was made, seconded, and carried unanimously.

Road Report

Road Supervisor Jenn Harper spoke briefly about the history of Round Mountain’s roads and concluded that they have never been better. She observed that the main purpose of Association assessments is to provide safe passage from the end of member driveways to the pavement. She also noted that issues involving private property, especially driveways are not her responsibility. She recommends contacting M & M Grading (Greg McCall) to address those issues. Jenn explained that all successful scrapings (smoothing of the roads) are contingent on weather. M & M Grading cannot work on the roads when they are dry and the gravel is loose. 

She went on to explain that some problematic roads, such as Gaston’s Bee Gum, involve issues that cannot be addressed with our limited budget. Supplemental scrapings are budgeted and are thoughtfully and sparingly used between our regular scrapings to address our most troublesome spots in the community. To minimize damage to the roads, Jenn also strongly recommended that members and guests have vehicles with all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive. She also asked that drivers be courteous to their neighbors and not drive fast where houses are close to the roads, minimizing dust clouds in dry weather.

Most importantly, she emphasized that no member (other than an authorized board member or Road Supervisor) is authorized to hire outside contractors to work on our common roads. 

She gave special thanks and recognition to M&M Grading for their prompt and generous help with clean up following Helene.

Regarding future planning: Jenn anticipates one additional culvert project (near the mailboxes) to be scheduled during 2025. She plans to meet with Greg McCall to drive around the community to determine the history of the existing culverts; and locate potential trouble spots on our roads. With that information she plans to work with the board to devise a 5-year plan. She also plans to draw up a schedule for roadside flailing to be done by the McCalls that will negate the need for Haywood to spray herbicides in our community to keep the trees from growing under our power lines.

Jenn requested that members email her with any concerns about the roads (mail to: jadedragon2626@gmail.com). Photo images are helpful. For more urgent situations, such as a tree down in the road, members may send texts. However, she requests that members not include her in non-emergency group texts. 

Fire Prevention

Marsha Stopa referred to her extensive Fire Prevention Committee Report given at the July
informational meeting. She explained that because of staffing reassignments at the local and
state level, the rangers whom we had met earlier will not be working with us in the future.
However, the removal of brush piles  to reduce the spread of a wildfire will go on as projected,
probably during the winter or early spring. 

She recommended that members begin building brush piles during the late fall and winter months for future pick up, after McCalls have blown fallen leaves out of the ditches. 

Marsha briefly summarized the information previously distributed to RMPOA members,
including the acceptable dimensions for brush plies (4 feet high, 4 feet wide, and 8 feet long, next to the roads but not on the roads).

She commented that recent storm damage cleanup that the Forest Service is involved with 
will delay the implementation of the proposed firebreak project in Round Mountain until hopefully late winter or early spring. The project would be funded by a state grant and $0 cost to property owners. Marsha noted that state rangers feel that the most likely source of a wildfire would be campsites in Gorges and power lines. 

Five-Year Plan and Storm Follow-Up

Joe Bartusis announced that a meeting would be called in the near future to discuss the development of an emergency plan. He suggested that members contribute their ideas about storm preparation in light of their recent experiences. No date for the proposed meeting was announced.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting ended without a formal adjournment.  

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ROUND MOUNTAIN PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION

Annual Meeting,  October 14, 2023

Call to Order 

The Annual Meeting of the Round Mountain Property Owners Association was called to order by President Roy Hill, at 10:15 am. The Secretary, Jay Williams, announced that the requirement for a quorum, counting those present and proxies, had not been met. The meeting was adjourned. As allowed in the bylaws, the meeting was reconvened at 10:22 am, and a motion was made, seconded, and approved to reduce the quorum requirement as allowed in the bylaws. 

Verification of Quorum and Proxies 

Secretary Jay Williams announced that the reduced quorum requirement had been met, since 36 of 95 members were represented in person and through proxies, exceeding the requirement of one-third of the members plus one. The RMPOA Board held 15 proxies, including two proxies that had been given to members not in attendance. President Roy Hill held six additional proxies; Jay and/or Penny Williams four proxies, and Richard Fehn one proxy.  

Welcome to New Members:

Roy Hill welcomed the property owners present, noting those who have become owners in Round Mountain more recently, such as Ross and Rebecca Garifo, and Joshua and Brenda Thomas.   

Recognition of Members Deceased since last Annual Meeting:

Carl Scheuplein (d. Dec 21, 2022) Carl was one of the group of NASA staff and aerospace contractors who bought lots in Round Mountain between the late 1960s and the 1980s. He built the house currently occupied by Marsha Stopa in 1972. 

Alan Seraphine (d. July 26, 2023) worked at Kennedy Space Center for the majority of his career. Like Carl Scheuplein, he purchased a lot on Arrowhead Ridge Road, but never built there. 

Scott R. Reedy (d. June 21, 2023), son of aerospace pioneer Raymond Reedy, owned the house on Round Mountain Road that his father built. Scott Reedy also worked in the aerospace industry. 

Betty Grumm (d. March 8, 2023) was the wife of aerospace computer engineer John Grumm. John still owns the house that he and Betty built overlooking Indian Ford Falls in 1999. 

Approval of Minutes of the 2022 Annual Meeting 

A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the 2022 Annual Meeting. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote.

Treasurer’s Report (President as Acting Treasurer)

President Roy Hill announced that RMPOA was currently in sound financial condition, with approximately 75% of the projected 2023 budget actually spent at this point. He noted that the budget would allow one more complete grading of the roads, ditch clearing, and replacement of the culvert below the pond. (See additional information below on this project.) The premium for liability insurance will be paid in the fourth quarter. He noted that the net proceeds of the sale of a lot on Arrowhead Ridge Road were $7,300. He said that he would advise members of the exact amount of the expenses and commission paid. The proceeds were deposited into the Association’s saving account. Roy also said that Association would determine whether Federal tax would have to be paid on this income. He also commented on past due accounts (described in the Aging Summary) and the importance of updating these liens periodically, so that they would remain in force. 

Presentation and Approval of 2024 Budget (previously distributed to all members)

The Association’s projected budget for 2024 (totaling $39,160.27) was presented by Roy Hill, with discussion on the following items: security camera condition and possible expense to replace some or all of the outdated equipment; projected expense for recording the uniform covenants on the those lots whose owners voted to approve the Amended Declaration of Restrictions and Covenants. (As a part of this discussion the report on security cameras that was given, instead of being part of New Business.) A motion to approve the 2024 budget was made, seconded, and passed with only one “no” vote by proxy. 

Committee and Other Reports

Road Report

Board member Jen Berse read Road Supervisor Jenn Harper’s Road Report, as follows:

“On October 8th, I (Jenn Harper) drove all of the roads in the community and did not see anything aside from the usual maintenance concerns that needed to be addressed. Due to the dry weather, all of the hills in the community are in rough shape. I spoke to Greg McCall on October 11th and requested that as soon as we received an adequate amount of rain, would he please put us down on his schedule to have the hills scraped. He agreed. [Secretary’s note: M & M Grading put down gravel and scraped trouble spots after Round Mountain received rain prior to the Annual Meeting.] 

We are due a final community wide scraping this year. It will happen once the leaves are off the trees and the ditches are ready to be blown out. This should occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

“Regarding the culvert near the pond: This culvert is in bad condition, it really needs to be replaced before it fails. If it fails before it can be replaced, it will be handled as an emergency since it is essential to our passage in and out of the community. It is in our best interests as a community to prepare for this work event in any way possible so the next time we can get on the McCalls schedule, we can get this job completed.

Greg McCall is going to try to schedule us again within a week or two [after the Annual Meeting]. Due to factors such as Greg's wider schedule and the weather, we are only going to get 5 or 6 days’ notice for this closure. He said if he can give us 7 days’ notice he will. 

The road will be open until NINE A.M. This allows more than adequate time for anyone to leave the community for any essential appointments later in the day. If you find you have too much time on your hands either before or after your appointment I really can't recommend spending time in our local library highly enough.

If you have an Airbnb that ends up having a check-out on the day of this work, this is what I recommend as I have one myself. Like hotels, if someone requests a late check out,  I always charge an additional $50 an hour, for each additional hour, after my check out time of 10am. So, if I need people to check out ahead of 9am, I'm going to offer them $50 for their inconvenience. Seriously,  it's a whole hour out of their stay, not the end of the world.

The road should be open by 3pm that afternoon. Regular mail delivery will be held on the day of the work and resumed the following day.

Since the McCalls are professionals, they have already considered the handling of any possible emergencies within the community during the 9:00 -3:00 window, and have a plan in mind should one occur.

There are sure to be inconveniences from a job of this scale. As a community, it is our responsibility to pull together and accept any challenges presented by this road closure and to be agreeable to getting this project completed as soon as possible.” [End of Jenn Harper’s report]

A motion was made, seconded and unanimously approved to accept the Road Report. 

A discussion ensued concerning the continuing problems of difficult slope, drainage, and increased traffic on Gaston’s Bee Gum. Several members expressed the view that drivers who had no experience with steep gravel roads were one source of road damage.

A motion was made to limit the number of gradings on Gaston’s Beed Gum to scheduled gradings only. [Note: RMPOA’s budget allows for seven full gradings every two years plus two hill scrapings.] In the future, additional gradings would have to be funded by the property owners who have houses on that road. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.

A discussion of the drainage and historical encroachment along White Whiskey way fronting the Myers property resulted in Roy Hill promising to meet with M&M grading and the property owners to work out a solution to the problems. 

Beautification 

Roy Hill commended the Beautification Committee’s plantings at the entrance and mailboxes.

Fire Prevention (Marsha Stopa)

 Committee Chair Marsha Stopa announced that the brush pickup, part of the Forest Service Fuels Reduction Program, is scheduled on October 17, 2023. Participation has been commendable, with approximately 30 brush piles to be chipped.

Marsha noted that Holly Nourigat has agreed to help create a map of Round Mountain showing the most hazardous areas for potential wildfires.

The Fire Prevention Committee has continued to investigate the building of a fire station in a nearby location. The Wilds has voiced support, while the Oak Laurel community has expressed reservations about the projected costs versus projected savings in insurance premiums. Whether a station is manned or unmanned makes a difference in assessing insurance premiums. Marsha observed that insurance cost saving is not the only justification for having a fire station nearby. The reduction in response time is also significant. 

Old Business                                                                                                                                                                   

Update on Voting to Amend the Restrictive Covenants

Jay Williams announced that lot owners under covenants 3, 4, 5, and 6 had voted to amend their existing restrictive covenants, achieving more than the 67% majority required by NC Chapter 47-F, the Planned Communities Act. The lot owners under covenants 1 and 2 did not vote in sufficient numbers to reach the required percentage. Members voted by signing ballots that were designed by the Association’s attorney, which they subsequently mailed, emailed, or submitted to RMPOA by midnight, October 7, 2023. The ballots were counted by the Secretary and verified separately by our bookkeeper Michael Poole and business consultant Marsha Stopa, who compared and certified their totals as follows:

Covenant No.             Yes            No          Possible Votes          % Yes

1                                   1               0                      2                        50%

2                                  38              2                      81                      46.9

3                                  19              0                      26                       73

4                                  13              1                       18                      72.2

5                                   21             2                       28                       75

6                                   2               0                        2                        100

Next steps in the process, as advised by RMPOA’s attorney

The Association’s attorney, Philip Roth, will revise the Amended Declaration to be sure that there are no internal inconsistencies, making sure that the document refers only to the covenant groups that voted to amend and restate their covenants. The Amended Declaration of Restrictions and Covenants will then be signed by RMPOA’s President and Secretary and recorded in the Transylvania Register of Deeds. The RMPOA Secretary will submit a list of the properties by owner name and lot number to Register of Deeds, so that the county’s staff can can cross-reference the lots under the Amended Declaration. 

New Business

Election of new Directors 

The nominees to the Board of Directors were Roy Hill, David Rotholz, and Jamie Wilson. A motion to elect the slate of directors was made, seconded and passed unanimously, with the exception of a write-in votes for Mike Poole (1) and Marsha Stopa (2).

Proposed By-Laws Amendment to conform RMPOA Bylaws to NC Nonprofit Corporation Act (G.S. Chap. 55-A)

A motion was made and seconded to amend the Association’s bylaws as proposed. Voting on the amendment was 33 “yes” votes by those in attendance and by proxy; 2 “no” votes; and 1 vote to abstain. The amended language will be added to the Association’s bylaws.

Road Closure Procedure during Culvert Work

As noted in the Road Report above, M&M Grading with give the Association 5-6 days’ notice with closure of Round Mountain Road between approximately 9 am and 3 pm.

Other

Richard Fehn noted that the land near the Breedlove home is being cleared to accommodate a mobile home. He also expressed concern that the seven acres between Running Bear Tracts and the present entrance (land formerly owned by Mrs. Stromire) have no restrictions. He proposed that the Round Mountain entrance sign be relocated past these tracts of land, possibly near the old mailbox location. No action was taken on this suggestion, but President Roy Hill offered to investigate the possibility.

Adjournment

There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at approximately 1:00 pm.