June 28, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

We’ve learned that residents of the Avonlea Townhome Association in Lakeville are now suing or planning to sue the HOA over the decision to re-roof the property due to damage from a hailstorm in the area. We’ve been blogging about it here and here.

There was a brief story on KSTP-TV Channel 5 this morning, with the anchor stating that the station has “reached out to the president of the association, but so far have not heard back.”  According to their brief report, the residents are suing partly to stop any more re-roofing from occurring on buildings “that are not in need of new roofs.”

A June 18 report from the station did quote the president of the association — and also included a quote from me.

Association Board President Utilis Vinson defended the actions of the roof replacement, saying there were several meetings and notices given before the project began. “I feel it’s the homeowners’ responsibility to ensure they have insurance and participate in the association,” he said. Several residents have previously told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the board had not shared photos or documentation of damage, or information about the bidding process for repair crews.

“That’s possible, because that’s handled by the board,” Vinson told us. “What the board has done is based on information we’ve received from our public adjuster, GAVNAT, as well as First Service. First Service is the management company for the Avonlea Townhome Association.

I didn’t make the actual news clip, but I was able to make the point that education is key for board members, and so is communication.

“Our premise really is we need more education for HOA leaders, and less legislation,” says Mark Foster, the vice president of the HOA Leadership Network, made up of HOA board members. “You need to have informational meetings. You need to ensure that they understand why you’re doing it. You need to show proof.”

You can read the text of their most recent report here.