History of the GCA

The Glenmore Community Association, Inc. was incorporated in January, 1992, but did not hold its first organizational meeting until July 1993. This took place at the Glenmore Manor House - the Clubhouse was not constructed at that time. At that time three representatives of the developer, Glenmore Associates, were elected to serve as directors - Steve Runkle (initially President), Frank Kessler, and Mike Comer. Ten lot owners were present at the meeting. Times have surely changed since then!

In the early years of Glenmore's development, much of the GCA's activity was associated with completion of buildings, roads, and the sale of lots. This gradually evolved into the GCA taking full responsibility for maintenance of the roads, common areas, and gatehouse operations.

Frank Kessler, the founder of Glenmore Associates, as well as Mike Comer, continued to act as the developer's representatives on the board during the 10 years from 1993 to 2002. During that time they exerted significant influence on the activities and decisions of the GCA, and even subsidized the GCA to cover losses that would have otherwise been incurred. Mike Comer filled the roles of both the treasurer and secretary during those years, and provided book-keeping and administrative services at no cost to the GCA.

From 2003 onwards, Mr. Comer was the sole representative of the developer, though his role as treasurer and secretary continued. As now, the developer had the right to veto any changes to our governing documents, and had greater voting rights for elections of directors, but other than that was essentially a single vote on the board of directors. The Architectural Review Board (ARB) remained under the sole control of the developer, though enforcement responsibility for many of the regulations was passed over to the GCA.

In 1996 the Covenants and Restrictions were amended to appoint two of the seven directors. One represented the Bremerton Cottages Association (BCA), and the other the owner of the Glenmore Country Club. This essentially maintained the continued representation of the developer by Mike Comer, as well as providing an interface between the GCA and the BCA.

In mid-2009 an audit discovered that Mike Comer had been providing unauthorized loans from the GCA accounts to Glenmore Associates, some of which had been repaid, but still left the Association with $666,000 less funds than was reflected in the accounting statements. Mr. Comer was immediately removed from his roles within both the GCA and Glenmore Associates, and ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of embezzlement and money laundering, resulting in a state and federak prison sentences. The principals of Glenmore Associates volunteered to make good any missing funds, and subsequently agreed a repayment plan with the GCA by which all funds would be restored by August 2010. Glenmore Associates made good on this promise, and all funds were reimbursed by May 2010. A 5-year $100,000 note from the Glenmore Country Club was included as a component of the repayments.

Major changes were then introduced to put GCA back on a stable financial footing. All financial and administrative dealings were put entirely in the hands of residents. Strict policies and procedures were introduced to protect our funds, together with annual external audits. Paid resident volunteers were introduced to provide support for book-keeping, maintenance, and administrative activities. The governing documents were been amended to provide 2-year terms for directors, and eliminate the special director position for the BCA. The owner of the Country Club (no longer the developer) is still entitled to one seat on the board.

In July of 2010, the Common Areas were deeded from the developer to the GCA. Those common areas within the Scottish Homes and Bremerton Cottages areas were deeded jointly to the GCA and the local association, and a binding agreement was signed between the associations as to maintenance responsibilities. Sections S and Q2 are still retained by the developer because of the need for future modifications relating to Leake and Livengood developments. Glenmore's roads were also deeded to the GCA in September 2010. Various sections of 'residue' area throughout the community remain in the hands of Glenmore Associates, most of which are expected to be deeded to the GCA in due course.

Approval of new home designs is still under the control of the developer through the Architectural Review Board, but responsibility for approval of all modifications was formally transferred to the GCA and its new Architectural Review Committee in October 2010. Responsibility for enforcement of covenants was transferred at the same time. Apart from the three areas of Glenmore with approved development plans (Livengood, Leake, and Glen Oaks), the community as a whole is fully developed, so the role of the GCA has now become not only to maintain the quality of our common areas and roads, but also to make improvements to them which would further benefit the community.

In April 2010, the planned sale of the Glenmore Country club to a private company owned by Glenmore residents was announced, bringing an end to the developer's representation on the board of directors. The Association is now truly an association of homeowners, and the future of Glenmore is in our hands.

Two amendements to our Covenants and Restrictions were approved in 2011: A Construction Impact Fee was introduced, requiring new home purchasers within the Leake and Livengood areas to make a one-off payment to our road reserves to compensate for the disproportional wear and tear on our road system caused by construction activity; also Glenmore Country Club's contribution to the GCA for gatehouse security and Piper Way road maintenance was reduced from 50% to 25%, more in line with actual usage.

As the above events have unfolded, the GCA has now truly become an association of homeowners, and the future of Glenmore is in our hands.