Swim membership board member paid for unlicensed, hazardous building work

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Unlicensed building at an area swim membership is elevating security considerations, and data present the individual paid for the work was additionally a member of the membership’s board of administrators.

The SouthPark Swim and Tennis Club is owned and operated by its members and is a non-profit, like many group swim golf equipment.

“Don’t assume there’s proper governance and oversight in place. If you see something amiss, ask questions,” Stephanie Cristiano mentioned.

Former members Stephanie and John Cristiano are not welcome on the membership, in keeping with a letter from the membership’s lawyer.

They say the state of affairs started after they tried to level out unpermitted building on the pool {that a} licensing board investigator later decided was a fireplace hazard and life security hazard.

Where’s the allow?

John Cristiano is a licensed basic contractor so he says even a cursory look at among the building in query caught his eye. Emails and Facebook posts from the membership present that followers and retailers have been being put in on the pool deck in the summertime of 2024.

“You could tell they were not installed by a professional,” John Cristiano mentioned. “Safety was 100% the issue when it started,” John Cristiano mentioned.

John Cristiano mentioned he introduced his considerations to the board, however for months nothing was performed.

“There were multiple swim meets, hundreds of people packed onto this pool deck during that time,” Stephanie Cristiano mentioned.

John Cristiano mentioned that after he raised these points, he discovered that Mecklenburg County had already issued a discover of violation to the membership for unpermitted work. He mentioned the warning, which got here a few months earlier than he bought concerned, ought to have raised a purple flag about different questions of safety.

“There were members of the board that knew that the same person that did the faulty electrical work on the pool deck, they all seemingly knew that he did electrical work in other areas of the property,” John Cristiano mentioned.

Board member did the work

The one that did the development work on the pool, and different odd jobs throughout the membership, is Daniel Pasola. State data present he isn’t a licensed contractor, electrician or plumber. On numerous web sites Pasola advertises himself as an area handyman for his firm Pasola Construction.

Tax filings from the swim membership present that in the identical time he was paid greater than $24,000 to do work for the non-profit membership, he was additionally a member of its board of administrators.

John Cristiano mentioned the truth that Pasola was getting paid for building work whereas he was on the board raised considerations a couple of battle of curiosity.

“They were just feeding themselves their own projects,” John Cristiano mentioned. He mentioned certainly one of his largest considerations was that the work was by no means inspected as a result of no permits have been pulled.

John Cristiano filed complaints with the state board of examiners {of electrical} contractors and the board of examiners for plumbing. An investigator for {the electrical} board mentioned images of the membership “indicate significant Fire Hazard and Life Safety issues.”

Both boards obtained injunctions in opposition to Pasola to stop him from doing additional unlicensed work. According to letters Pasola wrote to each boards, the work he did for the membership included changing a sewer line, repairing water traces and repairing subpanels within the membership’s kitchen.

Pasola didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Seeking accountability

Both Cristiano’s say they began to get extra concerned within the membership after stating among the issues. But they mentioned their efforts to restore issues on the pool and on the board have been undermined from the beginning.

John mentioned along with stating different life questions of safety, equivalent to an absence of smoke detectors within the membership room, he joined the board in late 2024 and helped oversee among the repairs and determine different issues.

“One of the things that I told people that I was going to do after joining the board was to have a property inspection done, similar to a home inspection, and the inspector found that the water was only heating to 80 degrees,” John Cristiano mentioned.

Stephanie Cristiano mentioned her makes an attempt to get to the basis of the monetary issues and introduce stronger insurance policies have been impeded.

“The board dissolved the finance committee before that was completed,” Stephanie Cristiano mentioned.

She mentioned the board ought to have sought reimbursements for the defective building work performed by their very own board member.

“If you hired someone to work in your house and they came in and perform the work, and then months later you were repairing it because it was not done correctly. Would you just wave your hands and say, ‘oh, it’s okay, I got this?’ You would probably want some compensation from the first guy who did it incorrectly, but that has not happened,” Stephanie Cristiano mentioned.

The Cristianos finally left the membership, and the board’s lawyer knowledgeable them through a letter they have been banned from coming again, at the same time as guests.

“It is astonishing that when you point out that the work was dangerous, that they would still stand by that position and would continue to attack the person that tried to blow the whistle,” John Cristiano mentioned.

Permits filed after complaints

County data present that after the Cristianos bought concerned, permits have been filed to repair the problems. Some of the retrofits stay energetic with licensed contractors on the helm.

Records reviewed from the membership and from the licensing boards present one of many foremost motivations for Pasola doing the work was that he might do it at a reduction. Minutes from membership conferences confirmed that board members defended Pasola’s work as a result of it allowed for extra flexibility within the finances to work towards different initiatives.

Permit data now present the membership is spending tens of hundreds of {dollars} for brand new work, along with the cash that that was already paid to Pasola.

Board conferences for golf equipment and householders’ associations are open to members, who can attend conferences or run for the board.

“If you’re a member of any organization, try to stay involved and try to stay informed,” John Cristiano mentioned. “And if you see something that looks amiss, ask questions.”

In response to questions from WBTV, the membership’s board of administrators despatched an announcement: “SouthPark Swim & Tennis Club holds member safety as its highest priority. Our club has and will continue to partner with Mecklenburg County and other authorities to ensure our facilities comply with all applicable regulations and are as safe as possible for the enjoyment of our club members.”