Brief History of GPOA
In 1987, Weyerhaeuser began to develop one of their forested areas to become Greenbrier, an upscale housing community close to amenities in New Bern, NC. Every property deed was bound by covenants, a list of do’s and don’ts that would govern any exterior changes to the homes in order to ensure that the neighborhood maintained a high standard of quality. These covenants ‘run with the property’ so future owners would also have to follow them. In addition to overseeing that homeowners abided by the covenants, Weyerhaeuser also maintained the landscaping at the entrances and along the two entrance roads so that potential buyers would be suitably impressed as soon as they drove in.
In 1993, when it became apparent that the neighborhood was close to completion and Weyerhaeuser would be leaving to begin another project, some Greenbrier homeowners became concerned: Who would oversee that the covenants were followed; who would landscape the entrance; what would happen to the park on Pine Valley Drive? Enter “The Greenbrier Associates” who labored for a year to ensure that the transition would happen smoothly, and this lovely neighborhood would continue to shine. This ultimately led to the formation of the Greenbrier Property Owners Association (GPOA).
On December 21, 1994, GPOA was incorporated and the first general membership meeting was held on February 7, 1995.
As Greenbrier developed, 55% of the acreage was for individual homes, 37% of the acreage for the golf course, and 8% of the acreage for seven Homeowners Associations (HOA) sub-divisions within Greenbrier. These include Carmel, Emerald Point, Evergreen on the 6th, Fairways West, Fairwoods, Innisbrook Court, and Pinehurst Place. Although each of these seven HOAs has its own governing body and covenants, the GPOA has encouraged their membership in GPOA to foster a sense of inclusion for common goals, such as maintenance of entrances to the subdivision and the park, social events, and protection of property values.
Who can join the GPOA?
If you are a homeowner living in Greenbrier you are eligible to join. That includes homeowners in the seven HOAs. Annual membership dues are collected at the beginning of the calendar year or when a new owner moves in.
How do I join the GPOA?
Complete this application.
Other Questions? Contact Membership Chair
Responsibilities and Obligations of the GPOA
- Preserve planned character, quality of life, natural setting and forested appearance of community
- Promote harmony, safety and wellbeing of residents and property owners
- Manage and oversee all common areas (maintain, repair and/or replace as needed)
- Assure covenant compliance in the areas outside the seven HOAs through monitoring, mediation, and correcting violations
Note: Each HOA is responsible for compliance to each of their individual covenants
- Protect property values through application of present standards of home ownership to subsequent building, and through safeguarding buffers
- Administer guidelines, policies and practices in effect
- Represent membership before local and state governments
- Coordinate sponsored social activities, beautification, and special projects/events
- Encourage member participation in the affairs of the Association
- Cooperate with the HOAs in Greenbrier
Benefits of GPOA Membership
- Nicely landscaped common areas including Bear Park, both entrances and near the pond on Greenbrier Parkway maintained with mowing, weeding, tree pruning, and updated seasonal plantings
- Annually updated Greenbrier Directory
- Routine Greenbrier updates via GPOAmail
- A Welcome Committee, garage sale signs, social events and bi-annual all-member meetings
- Assurance that your Greenbrier property investment competes well in the real estate market when the time comes to sell
I live in an HOA. Why would I need to join GPOA?
Your HOA dues only covers maintenance within the physical boundaries of your HOA. You still need to enter and leave the community using the areas maintained by the GPOA. The Directory, with its phone numbers for everyone living in Greenbrier as well as other useful informaton is likely to be useful to you, too. We would like you to join your friends at Burger Nights, Fourth of July Celebration, Pig Pickin’, and the Christmas Concert.
GPOA Standing Committees
This is a list of standing committees that support the work of the GPOA. Each standing committee has its own chairman and a liaison Board member is assigned to ensure that the committee and GPOA Board are working in unison. New committee members are always welcome. To join any committee, complete the GPOA Volunteer Form or contact a Board Member.
Architectural and Covenant Committee
Members are appointed for a one-year position. The Committee meets once a month, usually one week prior to the GPOA Board meeting. Members are assigned specific sections of Greenbrier.
The duties involve protecting the quality of living standards, appearance, and character of Greenbrier. The Committee seeks to ensure that the covenants property owners agreed to abide by when they accepted the property deed are followed. These duties include, but are not limited to:
- review building plans and setbacks prior to construction;
- monitor construction and lot condition;
- ensure all exterior changes to existing property comply with established covenants, policies, and guidelines;
- protect and/or correct common interest problems such as drainage;
- oversee tree removal.
Applications for change are brought to the committee. After review, the ACC committee recommendations are forwarded to the GPOA Board for final action.
Welcome Committee
Your HOA dues only covers maintenance within the physical boundaries of your HOA. You still need to enter and leave the community using the areas maintained by the GPOA. The Directory, with its phone numbers for everyone living in Greenbrier as well as other useful informaton is likely to be useful to you, too. We would like you to join your friends at Burger Nights, Fourth of July Celebration, Pig Pickin’, and the Christmas Concert.
Members volunteer for an unspecified term. The purpose of this Committee is to make new residents in Greenbrier feel welcome and inform them of community norms, social events, and answer questions about details, such as ‘when is trash collected?’
- Approximately twice a month, the Registry of Deeds is checked for a list of property exchanges.
- A letter is sent to the new residents welcoming them and encouraging them to contact the committee to arrange a visit.
- After the new resident calls and asks for a welcome visit, a member of the committee visits them with a “Welcome Packet,” which includes a Directory, lots of useful information about Greenbrier, coupons to The Emerald, a copy of the Gazette, and forms to fill out for the directory and joining the GPOA.
- Once a year, the Welcome Committee hosts a Welcome Reception for all residents who have moved into Greenbrier over the last year.
Pony Express
This group of people assists in getting information into the newspaper boxes of individual homeowners. This includes dues notices, GPOA membership decals, Directories, special announcements about petitions and/or upcoming events. Each “ride” of the Pony Express involves about a ½-hour time commitment and saves the GPOA a ton of money on postage costs.
GPOA One-time Committees
One-time committees form each year and membership on the committee doesn’t necessarily carry over year to year. To join any committee, complete the GPOA Volunteer Form or contact a Board Member.
Easter Egg Hunt
On the Saturday before Easter, the Easter Bunny visits Greenbrier and leaves candy eggs for children eight years and younger.
This involves a small committee (2-3 people) to put out the signs, advertise the event, purchase plastic eggs and candy, stuff the eggs with candy, find someone to play Easter Bunny and someone to emcee, and set up and tear down on the Saturday morning event.
Nominating
Elections for the GPOA Board are held at the Summer Membership Meeting. The GPOA Bylaws require a committee of three to help identify the slate of candidates. The committee works under the direction of the GPOA Vice President. Full details may be found in the Bylaws, Article V. [link to Bylaws] To join, contact the GPOA Vice President.
Arts and Crafts Exhibit
Greenbrier is awash with talented artists and crafters. A small committee of 3-4 people coordinate the annual event inviting artists (maximum 20), collecting bios, printing program, arranging tables. The two- hour event includes cash bar and light appetizers, as well as background music.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
The following volunteer positions pay heaps of warm fuzzies and the pay is doubled after a year! How can you go wrong? If interested, complete the GPOA Volunteer Form or contact a Board Member.
PROOFREADER FOR DIRECTORY: Barring hurricanes and other unforeseen events, the Directory is published in September, so the Proofreader needs to be available in August-September time frame.
PHOTOGRAPHER FOR DIRECTORY: We would like more pics from Greenbrier. Can you help?
SELLING ADS FOR DIRECTORY: Do you have the gift for sales? The ads are becoming a significant source of income for the GPOA. We have a high retention of ads from past years and Greenbrier is a market that local businesses want to reach so the ads are easy to sell.
GRAPHIC ART: If you have and can use a graphic art computer program and can assist with flyers and brochures, your talent will be most appreciated.
OTHER: Do you see a need for something to be done? Step forward and get it done! Contact the GPOA with your idea and, if feasible, they will help you get started. That’s how the Arts and Crafts Exhibit and Karaoke Night were born.