WELLINGTON, COLORADO — Davin Armstrong is facing his own version of the Grinch this year: a homeowners association that wants to snuff out his Christmas decorations.
Armstrong, 35, and his wife, Amber Hersh, 34, have won the town of Wellington’s Christmas lights display two years in a row, but in June, his Buffalo Creek subdivision HOA passed a rule limiting the amount of permissible lawn ornaments to three, he said.
The HOA is now threatening to fine the family $25 every two weeks until they take the lights down, he said. His display, which has become a neighborhood favorite, exceeds the rule by more than 20.
Read the rest of the story in The Coloradoan.
Note the civic-minded nature of the Armstrong's display -- their home is a drop-off site for the Big Country 97.9 Quarter Million Can Crusade and Lights for Life, an initiative that recycles old and broken holiday string lights to benefit children with cancer.
In his poem "Mending Wall," Robert Frost says that "Good fences make good neighbors." Frost's narrator displays contempt for walls erected between people, but sadly accepts the expression's truth. As a San Antonio lawyer who handles lawsuits involving homeowners associations (HOA) and disputes among neighbors, Trey Wilson has also found unfortunate wisdom in the maxim. This blog is a chronicle of one Texas attorney's observations about HOAs.
Representing Texas Homeowners Associations & those aggrieved by them
Attorney Trey Wilson handles lawsuits and pre-litigation disputes involving enforcement of restrictive covenants/deed restrictions, Homeowner Association member voting/ballot/proxy issues, HOA Board elections, collection of assessments/dues, placement and removal of liens, CCR/Declaration disputes, developer HOA control/turnover, ACC approval, HOA Board governance, Abuses by Homeowners Associations and drafting/amendment of HOA documents including By-laws.