Infrastructure

Has anyone in Pennsylvania, or any other state for that matter, ever heard of a grant to repair infrastructure such as roads and storm water management? We are a Pennsylvania HOA and don't have the financial resources to do some of the major repairs that are necessary. HELP!

I've read of a few, but unfortunately, I can't point them out to you specifically. Over the past few years, a few stories have crossed my news feed about associations receiving grants. In most of the cases, these were local beautification grants from local governments to upgrade some area of the association that bumped into general public areas. If I remember, one was for landscape improvements to a median on a road that ran throough the association often used by the public.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't try. My homeowner's association is trying to get the local municipality to pick up 1/2 the costs of road re-surfacing. Our board's argument: We're not going to do it, since the city let the developer build poor (not to code) roads, and if the roads aren't re-done, every one of us will be in the tax appeals court asking for a reduction in our local taxes due to reduced value. (Our homes in Michigan are dropping in value so fast that a little bit more isn't going to matter much). This will be a long, drawn-out process, but who knows, it may work.

There were stories in Massachusetts and Ohio about associations trying to get government help for water and drainage issues, but I haven't seen the results come through yet.

I guess what I'm saying is - put your best arguments together, get the owners behind you and go push the policticians a bit. Remind them that you've been paying taxes at the same rate as everyone else but not getting the same services - try a little guilt.

Here's one story that may or may not help:

http://www.chroniclet.com/2007/11/05/harborwalk-residents-have-sore-spots-on-the-shore

Joe

Well, just got back from an educational HOA seminar and discussed a touch of this - so I asked some questions about your post too. Apparently some cities are not allowing HOAs to dissolve and are taking them to court when they want to dissolve and make them stay together to take care of these issues. So, in some instances where no volunteers come forward, the City has issued immediate order to take care of the issues and if not taken care of, does the work and sues the HOA for costs (on top of the lawsuit for not maintaining the HOA - which ran about $15,000.) I never even thought of this.

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably try to establish a BOD and seek bids for the work, seek the dues, file liens as necessary, and do special assessment for the costs when it became absolutely necessary.) Now, this is just what I'd personally do to protect my own property - and in the meantime, I'd be doing everything I could to sell my house and move out.