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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — Many people probably live or have lived in a neighborhood that has a Homeowners Association, or HOA. It usually has rules in place to make sure the residents keep their homes and property looking good.
Eagle Mountain resident Harriet Vallen thinks her HOA has gone a bit too far regarding her mailbox.
Vallen and her family have lived in the Ranches community for about eight years. There are hundreds of homes in the area. Five years ago, while her son was a soldier in Afghanistan, she decorated her mailbox with a magnetic decal.
“It was actually after he lost his best friend that I purchased this magnetic flag. I ordered it and stuck it on the mail box,” she said. She made sure the wrapped decal didn’t obscure her house number.
Last month, Vallen received the first of two letters from the HOA saying that her mailbox was not the proper color. The letters said that brown is the approved color for all the mailboxes in the neighborhood, and, if she didn’t remove the flag decal by April 25, she’d face a one-time fine of $25.
“I just feel like there's irony here, because it is a flag and it represents freedom, but I'm not allowed to have my little flag,” she said.
Vallen hasn’t spoken to the HOA about the mailbox issue, though she says she has dealt with them in the past on other matters. A spokeswoman for the HOA declined to be interviewed, but said the HOA is more than willing to meet with Vallen and discuss the matter.
Turns out, Vallen said her family is preparing to move in a few days, prior to the April 25 deadline.
“We're moving to another home within the Ranches, two blocks away.” And, while pointing to the flag decal on the mailbox, added “HOA, guess what? It's coming with me!”
