There doesn’t seem to be a lot of consensus lately with the Big Canoe POA Board of Directors. While consistently voting 7-0 on virtually every piece of business put before them, the six elected directors are now at legal odds with the developer over the interpretation of certain non-published governing documents as they pertain to the Waterford development.
So much so, that the POA President stated at the April 30th open meeting of the board that the Association will be filing a petition for “declaratory judgment” against yet to be clarified defendants in order to get an official interpretation of those documents. (1a) www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ774hQm8Ms beginning at 54:45. Pledging to keep the community informed, interesting days and dissension among members of the board appear to be forthcoming.
Over, under and through . . .
As noted by the developer director during the Q&A session, Big Canoe Company has access rights over, under and through “every piece of property the POA owns”. (1b) www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ774hQm8Ms at 1:14:25 Immediately following the April board meeting, survey stakes along Wilderness Parkway across from McDaniel Meadows were replaced with an emerging outline of a roadway that apparently winds back into the Waterford parcel.
Note: Considering that these easement rights are found in recorded documents not currently posted to the POA website, perhaps leadership might consider updating the site to include these documents along with the Waterford Tri-Party agreement.
Turning now to the first quarter financials . . .
With all of the emphasis by the General Manager placed on exceeding an arguably padded budget, it’s easy to miss the fact that the financial trends do not compare favorably to the previous year (2025). In fact, although the first quarter property owner assessments increased $151k over 2025, net income actually decreased $249k. (2a) This decrease can be largely attributed to increased administrative operating expenses totaling $114k; (2b) increased interest expense estimated at $100k on the $15 million Wells Fargo term loan; and increased depreciation expense (non-cash) at $136k.
It is also noteworthy to mention that absent $676k in capital assessments and master plan fund fees that are restricted to capital projects, the Association recorded a $33k net operating loss for the first quarter of 2026.
However, it is appropriate to acknowledge that the Association is currently maintaining a positive cash flow although the Association’s cash position may be rapidly depleted upon the inevitable construction of the new Lake Petit dam spillway at a now escalating cost of over $8 million.
Note: With the major focus on variance to budget as outlined in the Smoke Signals recap of the meeting, (3) none of the historical comparisons were discussed in any detail during the April 30th open board meeting.
It’s all about the presentation . . .
Given management’s glowing analysis of the Association’s first quarter performance versus this writer’s comparisons to the previous year, it is apparent that perceptions can be easily shifted when financial presentations are allowed to become nothing more than a celebration of management’s ability to exceed budget.
Further, in an astounding display of condescension, the newly installed POA Treasurer initiated a discussion at the April 13th closed door board meeting asking “How do we make the financials easier to understand by property owners” and simplify the reporting provided during regular Board meetings. (4)
Seriously.
The dog and pony show . . .
Sadly, it appears that the monthly board meetings have evolved into nothing more than a rehearsed production by leadership aimed at impressing the property owners rather than a meeting to truly analyze performance and/or conduct Association business. Instead, those critical functions of the board have been delegated to the closed door meetings far away and removed from the property owners.
Other closed door discussions and quests for more legal opinions . . .
After months of statewide reporting as well as references by this writer in two previous posts, (5) (6) leadership finally initiated a discussion of Georgia Senate Bill 406 during the April 13th closed door meeting. The bill will provide property owners protections and relief along with a mechanism for airing complaints outside the filing of a lawsuit. (5) The board is now requesting a formal written legal opinion from the Association’s corporate counsel in order “to better understand the implications of the bill”. (4)
As the bill affords the Secretary of State with the authority to bar or remove an officer, director or executive personnel employee in specific situations, it might be prudent to also share counsel’s legal opinion with potential board candidates.
Note: As the Governor did not veto the bill prior to the May 12th midnight deadline, the bill will automatically become law effective January 1st, 2027. (7) https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/about
Private, secret legal opinions aside . . .
Titled as “The Georgia Property Owners’ Bill of Rights Act”, an “owners association” must register with the Secretary of State and comply with the “Act” in order to assess or collect fines. For those interested, the full text of the bill can be found by clicking here:
https://legiscan.com/GA/text/SB406/2025
BigCanoeResort.com . . .
And finally, during the April 30th Q&A session, a property owner asked the developer director to explain the meaning of Big Canoe Resort. Declining to answer, the developer instead invited the property owner to visit his office for an explanation.
However, with for sale signage recently displayed on property outside the gates and well down Hubbard Road containing the Big Canoe name and logo along with the BigCanoeResort.com URL, perhaps this is a question that would be better directed to the elected members of the Board. As evidenced by the Association’s $578k (cost + attorney fees) purchase of the trademarks last Spring and recent Ask the POA responses, (8) leadership is now charged with defending the Big Canoe name and logo.
Note: Even though the signage has now been removed, the Big Canoe logo continues to be shown on https://lecrawatl.com/ with a Big Canoe Company business address. The actual listing of the property appears to include access to Big Canoe recreation and golf. (9) https://lecrawatl.com/properties/0-hubbard-road-dawsonville-ga-30143-404a266eb4e3789e77bd581eef1800fd
Given the Hubbard Road signage and listing, one must certainly wonder if leadership has granted the developer unsanctioned concessions in that confidential and private license agreement executed in late 2025.
And yet, as noted in a previous post on this site, (10) https://bcmatters.org/unbeknownst/ there can be no confidential agreements between the elected board of directors and Big Canoe Company as the rights and powers of the developer are clearly outlined in the governing documents.
No more and no less.
Therefore, as noted in that previous post, it is imperative that leadership provide property owners access to the secret trademark license agreement initiated with the developer post haste.
Only then might property owners understand the true meaning of BigCanoeResort.com.
. . . . .
Should you believe the information found in this post is important, please continue to share with your friends and neighbors wherever possible. As for those who wish to see additional articles posted in the future, please subscribe for an email notification or check back frequently. And as always, feel free to contact me directly at thepcrosses@gmail.com for questions or further discussion. Meanwhile, take care and thank you for your readership.
Patricia Cross
10438 Big Canoe
References:
1) Big Canoe POA Board Meeting, April 30th, 2026, video on Youtube at a) 54:45; b) 1:14:25 www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ774hQm8Ms
2) March 2026 Financial Package, a) Summary of Operations, Pg. 1; b) Financial Summary of Income from Operations, Pg. 6 (POAwebsite>login>POA>financials>2026>March)
3) Smoke Signals April 2026 POA Board Meeting Summary, https://smokesignalsnews.com/news/april-2026-poa-board-meeting/article_e66ca63d-960c-4fe5-8173-0d790875a6c7.html
4) Special Board Meeting Minutes, April 13th, 2026 (POAwebsite>login>meetings>Minutes>2026>April 13th)
5) “Whitewashed: Part two”, March 14th, 2026, bcmatters.org, https://bcmatters.org/whitewashed-part-two/
6) “Denial”, April 8th, 2026, bcmatters.org, https://bcmatters.org/denial/
7) https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/about
9) https://lecrawatl.com/properties/0-hubbard-road-dawsonville-ga-30143-404a266eb4e3789e77bd581eef1800fd
10) “Unbeknownst”, January 1st, 2026, bcmatters.org, https://bcmatters.org/unbeknownst/