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June 2007 |
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6/30/2007 I am puzzled by the demands of a member a day or so ago on the website. A lot of his ideas in the posting are thoughtful and even though they have been proposed before, show that this contributor is trying to brainstorm to benefit Lake Forest. He or she (but it must be a he, way too much testrostrone) should understand that one has to play by the rules of the website. The contributor said things like," post your name and we might make progress, speak up and identify yourself and turn the place around." Posting a name and a correlation with progress is inconsistent and unsubstantiated. The opposite is true. In fact, when consultants come in to revamp and improve operations in companies, the employees are specifically asked to list suggestions for improvement on blank pieces of paper without signing names. One person will read the the suggestions aloud. This way no one will have any prejudice against or for an idea because of the person who suggested it. This is one of the most common problem solving techniques of the professional world. I think it was ill advised of the gentleman to threaten the readers (me) with the grade school statement, "don't let the Weblord act like your Daddy". I for one appreciate the Weblord trying to use to above technique to get the residents to recognize problems, brainstorm, make recommendation, get involved and take action WITHOUT taking shots at each other! This website provides a near perfect forum for this purpose. Cyberspace is safer for this venue than a roomful of faces. Attacks on lay members is last thing we need. Weblord please think twice or even three times before you ever post another name. It usually only causes ill will and problems. I do hope the contributor will read this in the positive spirit it was meant, reevaluate, and continue with his thoughtful contributions. Intelligent, flexible, and compromising people change their minds. These are the people who do make a difference! With mutual respect and acceptance, progress has a chance. Signed, Retired no name businessman
6/30/2007
I noticed something else, too. In almost every shopping center it seems that businesses are closing and there are many empty storefronts. Yet, across the interstate the new Bass Pro shop shopping center is in full construction. And, the place is huge!! I'm looking forward to seeing all the new businesses that must be coming in, but you have to wonder why the old ones are closing. Has someone over estimated the population base for business over here? Let's hope not, because it is really nice not to have to drive across the bay to shop. I have one more observation from today. People talk about some of the houses in Lake Forest not being properly cared for. Well, guess what. I drove down some of the streets off of Main including Captain O'neal Drive, where one of the realty websites has a house for sale for a piddling $3,900,000. All one needs to do is take a turn down some of the streets coming into that one and one will find plenty of rundown properties. This is more a case of age than anything else. At least in Lake Forest, we have a department working to enforce our covenants as was pointed out in a contribution last night. Some of the folks living on those other streets in Daphne must wish they had something like that too. 6/29/2007 6/29/2007
6/29/2007 From a director. . . First of all, if ye ol Weblord doesn't post my name, I'm not going to contribute to this site. Now back to business....everyone is scared about what might happen if the covenants expire. I doubt there would be worry if our amenities were in such good shape that they could run by themselves without the subsidy of membership dues. If they were attractive, in the right location, and had heavy use and enjoyment, we wouldn't need to worry about covenants expiring. Either they go private or people vote to keep them. But the reality is that we all know our amenities have no chance of surviving if they remain "as is". No one would want to take them private because you couldn't turn a profit. That leaves the City to take over and that bothers me. So what can we do? Well, we can't keep them "as is." We consolidate to a more financially viable system that could sustain a reduction in membership dues. Let's be honest, if we keep the golf course and keep the public out, we're a long way away from being able to run this place with no membership dues. So let's look for a reduction in dues, if anything. I've already told you that we could save approximately $50,000+ per year by operating one pool at the Clubhouse as opposed to three pools (which so far have 81 memberships out of 2,500 members). Not only would we save $50,000+ in operational costs per year and put $150,000+ in the bank from the sale of the existing swim/tennis properties, but we would generate tens of thousands of dollars from Food and Beverage by having a pool located next to the 19th Hole Grill. Heron Lakes makes about $25,000+ from their pool grill, per month, during the summer months. Next, we lease out the Yacht Club, incur no loss, and suddenly we have valuable waterfront property that not only doesn't need the support of membership dues, but along with the Marina actually turns a profit. Anyone who thinks we shouldn't strive to turn a profit is taking a defeatist attitude in my opinion. Rock Creek's Swim/Tennis/Fitness Center is privately owned and turns a profit. Could they do it if they had three remote pools and tennis courts all at different locations? No way. Theirs is a social gathering place as much as anything else. And unless we consolidate to make it easier to hold events and have one location that everybody becomes accustomed to visiting, we'll always lack that social unity that keeps other Clubs afloat. Keep posting your names and we might actually make some progress. Don't let Mr. Weblord act like your daddy. Speak up, identify yourself, and let's turn this place around.
Just a note: The cost of membership in that Rock Creek facility is not cheap by any means and does not include the golf course and Yacht Club. It has two less pools than we. I don't believe they provide lifeguards to protect the children who visit that pool. It would be nice, though, for a board to build a facility as nice as that one, but that is not likely. Does anyone think that we will build eight new tennis courts like those at Rock Creek? We already have six that are perfectly suitable to most of our players. Do you suppose this contributor has any idea how much a facility like that would cost? Those tennis courts alone are about $30,000 a piece. Is he suggesting that we bulldoze almost $200,000 worth of existing tennis courts? The pool would probably be in the six figures. After all, there has been no demand for such by our membership. Also, how would our contributor know whether the Rock Creek club is making a profit or not? Doesn't Heron Lakes have a minimum food charge for every member whether they use it or not? The covenant issue is an important one. Hopefully, we can come up with some better ideas than these. 6/28/2007
6/28/2007 Just a note to Brian DeGrego on his numbers. 1. You can get a full financial statement at the office. Although as with the May financial, you may not get it until 2 or 3 hours before the start time of the stated meeting. 2. The financial information you received at the meeting didn't show the YTD loss at the Yacht Club food and beverage of $31,391.72. Meaning the property that you valued at $5 million has lost about ($14,000) YTD. Finally 3. Golf is at about a ($42,500) loss YTD. I see a lot of talk about going "public", aren't there limitations concerning our "tax exempt" status, particularly advertising to the public? Ray Drake
We have talked about that "tax exempt" status being affected by serving the public before. We have had opinions on all sides. I believe it is a red herring. As long as the owners of the association, the Lake Forest property owners, are having to subsidize its operation to the tune of a million and a quarter dollars a year, it would seem unlikely that our status as a non-profit entity is at great risk. If any amenity should magically start making a profit, I would hope that the money would be spent on upgrades or the members dues decreased. That's just another opinion. 6/28/2007 I don't always agree with Mr. Martin, or always with anyone else for that matter, but he has hit it on the head regarding the Yacht Club. It is nothing more than a "White Elephant". Sure the property is very valuable if you want to build condo's on it, but otherwise it is nothing more than a financial drain as a bar/karaoke site. (White Elephants are considered sacred in India, so if you give one as a gift its not necessarily appreciated since all you can do is take care of it and feed it. Sound familiar?)
Boating, golf, tennis, food service, and swimming are all cost centers, not profit centers. None of them have ever been set up to make a profit. Quite the contrary, they all should be considered services that are provided to our members. We don't make money on covenant enforcement. It is among the services that we provide to our residents for a single monthly fee of $37.50. We have members who appreciate the service. Maintaining and operating a golf course is a service we provide to our members for a single monthly fee of $37.50 plus additional user fees. We have members who appreciate the service. A Yacht Club is a service we provide our members for a single monthly fee of $37.50. We have members who appreciate the service. We have eight tennis courts that we provide for a single monthly fee of $37.50 plus additional user fees. We have members who appreciate the service. And after all these services are provided and paid for, we still have money, assets and a beautiful community. What could be better than that? None of these services would be possible without that single $37.50 monthly maintenance fee paid by every property owner in Lake Forest. 6/28/2007 The covenants issue is interesting and should be discussed in detail. Recalling a court order I recently read where the "opt outs" were told they had to get back in the association when they sold or modified their mortgage situation, the court reasoned that the good of the neighborhood outweighed the covenant amendment that allowed the opt outs in the first place. The judge said that the association, and ability to maintain the amenities, is so important that he made null and void specific amendments to the covenants. The judge declared a portion of the covenants null and void. That seems like good news to me, as long as the struck amendments were legally implemented. The board should seriously consider a similar plea to the court about the term of the covenants. The board should consider asking the court to extend the covenants for the good of the neighborhood. It only makes sense for this action to occur. I guess in that case, we would be taking action against our members, in a sense, to protect the neighborhood and keep the covenants in place. Why keep them in place? Simple. Without covenants, the neighborhood surely becomes very susceptible to urban blight, rezonings to commercial along highway 90 and other areas, homes in general disrepair, nuisances galore and no architectural guidelines. This just from the covenant side. Then you get into amenity maintenance and you really get an ugly picture of what we could become. Our common areas would have to be given away, would fall into disrepair, and there is no telling what would become of the country club, golf courses, Yacht Club, etc. In one person's opinion, this legal action should likely start soon. The cost is irrelevant when considering the consequence of no action. The date of termination is in 2021, only 14 years away. It seems like yesterday when I moved here twenty years ago. It will be upon us sooner than we want it, so why not deal with it and get it out of the way. One last note. All of, or rather most of us have mortgages that have a term on them, some 15 years, some twenty, some thirty years. The association has notes also. I wonder what effect the covenant expiration has on lenders? It would seem that without covenants, properties would lose value. Without amenity ownership, properties would lose value. Will it become more difficult to borrow as expiration approaches? How about the association? Could they ever borrow beyond the term of the covenants? These are some of the issues we, as an association must consider when taking action. I hope that this issue can be resolved sooner rather than later.
6/27/2007 I attended the meeting last night. It reminded me why I have not attended in some time. Those of us present for the meeting were not given copies of information the Board was working off, however, we did get an Agenda and Departmental Revenues and Expenses sheet dated 05.31.07. President Henry Lawson not only asks for motions, he advises how they should be worded. The previous posting on the Boards’ action last night was right on. I was amazed at the following topics discussed: Whether tank tops could be worn on the tennis court and shirts with collars must be worn on Golf course. All the while the Board accepts massive losses: $63,188 YTD in Food and Beverage; $23,596 YTD Pools; $26,829 Architectural YTD. I cannot calculate how much is lost on the Golf Course; a YTD profit of $17,399 on a 5 million dollar plus asset-the Yacht Club. None of these issues were addressed. They seem to be accepted. Perhaps these issues are discussed in executive session? In my view, the most distressing discussion was on initialing every page of the so-called Proxy. Definition of a Proxy: 1. The agency or function of a deputy. 2. The authority to act for another. 3. A document empowering a person to act for another, as in voting at a stock holders meeting. No where does it say anything about a ballot in my dictionary. We mail out BALLOTS, which we call Proxies. We then allow members running for office to go around, with more Proxy/Ballots and ask for them to be signed for their election and others in their gang. Never is this notarized, nor is the signature validated. It is just accepted. This is despicable and has allowed, along with running of slates/gangs, our home owners association to be dominated by a few. This proxy practice and slates/gangs should stop. Accept ballots on election day at the Club House and the general meeting, and require identification as is now done at the General meeting. Support Fair and Honest Elections ! Brian J. De Grego | ||||
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6/27/2007 From a director . . . Option 3 for the Yacht Club is to lease it out and let someone else run the place. We all know it could potentially be as popular as BlueGill, Ed's, or Original Oyster House IF an outside restaurant owner such as the one's mentioned above ran the operation. We still own the land, and we still own the Marina. We get better quality and lose ZERO dollars. I can only imagine that anyone eating at the new establishment would wonder who owns the Marina next door. What better publicity for Lake Forest than to have thousands of people each week eating on our property, staring a t our Marina. Public opinion about Lake Forest would change. Instead of people laughing because we've found a way to lose $100,000/year on the most valuable piece of waterfront in Daphne, they would respect (and envy) that a POA owned such a place. I've searched long and hard for any negatives, and I can't find any. I was hoping the Weblord or the guy who gives such glowing and unbiased Board meeting reports could help me out with this one! - Clint Martin
6/27/2007 As a member, I want to talk about the extension of the covenants. It is a practical impossibility to gain 85% of members votes for approving an extension. The last several elections have netted many less voters than that. This member would like to see the association continue operations and the covenants exist in our neighborhood without ceasing. How does that happen? In my opinion, it will likely mean litigation of some type. Even with the common property and Friday voting, the effort to secure the 85% number seems impossible. The board had better be looking ahead at this situation so the amenities can be enjoyed for years to come. If we keep putting it off, the expiration date will be upon us and it will be too late to act. So, why not study all avenues to garner a successful extension vote?
So, what's going to happen? Well, the requirement to be a member of the LFPOA as defined in those covenants will cease, so the association will see an immediate reduction in income of over a million dollars a year. And, you thought it was hard to balance the budget now. Do you really think that most people will continue to voluntarily be members? If you do, then I know of some great membership lots on Tiawasee Creek that you might be interested in buying. (That's something of an inside joke for the board old timers.) OK, then what? I suppose everything will have to go public. Public golf, public tennis, public restaurants, etc. Will they survive? Don't know. There will no longer be any authority by any organized entity, other than the city, to keep the homes up to a certain standard. We know the city's standards are minimal. Is there anything we can do to stop it? I doubt it. It's all kind of depressing, isn't it. 6/27/2007 From a director . . . The member report failed to mention the very detailed Lake Report that was given. I attached it for your use: LAKE REPORT Tiawasee Project Presented: The Lake Chairman has made a presentation to the Project Implementation Committee (PIC) of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP). The presentation was for a proposed project on the Tiawasee Creek area in Lake Forest. The project as proposed will consist of three elements. First, the project will restore, or dredge, five to seven acres of the lake that has been filled in over the years. This area will be dredged to six to eight feet. This area is located at the terminus of Tiawasee Creek into the Lake. Second, the project will provide a streambed restoration for approximately 2600 linear feet of stream that runs along side the golf course. This area is from the terminus to the Number One Fairway on the lake Course. The restoration will consist of meanders, pools, ripples, and wetland plantings. This area will be set aside in a conservation easement. Third, the project will establish an open water area just upstream of the restored stream. This area will provide for sediment entrapment and removal on a long term basis. It may also be used for irrigation purposes. This should provide a more manageable water hole on the Lake No. 1. You all received the email from Mr. Yeager from MBNEP telling us the presentation was well received. He has agreed to get funding for preliminary design to further define the project and get estimates of construction costs. We are currently seeking a consultant to help with this project design. We cannot say when this may be fully funded, we are hopeful it will come in on Fiscal Year 2008. This would allow for this effort to be realized before summer of 2008. That may be optimistic in that we have to secure local matching funds from political bodies or fund that portion ourselves. More information will be given to the board as the project develops. Sediment Piece Airs: On Thursday of last week, a news piece on sediment was aired on WKRG TV5’s five o’clock news. The piece was put together by Jene’ Young, whose parents still live in Lake Forest. The news clip featured Mr. Yeager from the MBNEP and John Peterson, the lake chairman. These two were interviewed with a backdrop of the Bayview side of the lake. The piece focused on the problems of sediment contained in the runoff of development. From “critics” such as my family and friends, the piece was well done. I have yet to see it myself. It may be available on their website for review. Weed Abatement: Derrick has been spraying for weeds as time and weather allow. State Freshwater Fisheries Meeting: I met Friday afternoon with Mr. Ben Ricks, a biologist with the Alabama Freshwater Fisheries Division. He met at the lake to perform seines and get a general feeling of lake health. He said that the bass population may be too strong and we need to have some taken out. I would encourage the removal of bass when caught. This would allow the bream to grow larger. Otherwise, the fish are healthy and have spawned this year. We also discussed weed control. He stated that the spraying for weed along the banks would reduce the amount of sediment that settles there. He encourages us to spray all areas on the perimeter and on the sediment “islands” as well. 6/27/2007 Are we having a BAD Dream? 1. Tell me its not so, is Friday Construction wanting us to be responsible for his company's responsibility to help protect our creeks, streams and Lake? To maintain his company's retention ponds, is that a joke? please. Is it not possible that his company is responsible for a majority of the silting we have in the bottom of our Lake from his property and construction now ? or is he just cashing in on a few favors on voting issues ? 2. Why would our Board want to increase their voting power? would it have anything to do with the fact that we have a very small number of people whom vote in our elections to start with? What does that mean? So they select their candidates, and increased voting power that's going to make it real fair isn't it ? So if Friday Construction company is in the Boards back pocket how do the independent candidates stand? what about all the other issues we vote on? how do we stand?( I wish it was a bad dream but its not.) 6/26/2007 Member reports on board meeting . . . Only 5 board members present for the meeting. Don't recall that few in attendance. Peterson, Mosley, Weller absent. Nothing on the agenda about filling the vacant position. Committee reports
And as usual, they adjourned to an Executive Session for "Legal Matters".
I think Pat had better go back through some of our own legal history. I may be mistaken, but I believe that idea about the board being able to vote that common property has already been invalidated in court. To say that it would be ethically improper would be an understatement to say the least. The directors have one vote each on the matters mentioned, just like every other member of this association. Do I need to point out that the common property is not subject to the covenants? We have one very large retention pond. It's called the Lake Forest lake. Anyway, what does it matter to Friday Construction? Is Mike wanting the association to pay for new pools as he develops his property? Seems a little unreasonable; doesn't it. Food cost is high because we just received a large order? You must be kidding! 6/26/2007 From a director . . . As of this date close to 250 surveys have been returned.
6/26/2007 Hello Mitch, good job keep it up! I have a real problem with hiring a manager who has no authority and only is allowed to spend $25 without consulting with Henry. If Henry wants the managerial position, he could arrange it! Give Toni some room, let her try to manage, we pay her good money, maybe she could do the job, Henry obviously is making mistakes too! Let the Woman work! On your Garden Club site, remove Barbara Pron's name, she is no longer president. The President for the 2nd year is Anne Talton.
6/25/2007
6/24/2007
The story demonstrates one of the problems we have with trying to build the business at the Yacht Club. We can go one of two ways. We can make the decision that we are going to commit to building that business. We will hire enough staff to serve a large crowd. We will stock plenty of food and create a product that will make people talk about how good the food is at Lake Forest. We will then be patient as we lose money waiting for the business to grow. There will be losses on labor. Food will have to be tossed away as it goes bad. And, we will hope that our Yacht Club business eventually becomes the success that we thought it would. Then, there is approach number two. We can not hire that large staff. We can just bring in our current people for some overtime and maybe hire a few temps. We can limit the amount of food that we buy. We can serve that institutional product that they sell at Sam's or get from Sysco and stick a Yacht Club price on it. We can hope that the patrons don't notice that this is not chef quality product. Then we can promote a few big events like a joint Fairhope/Lake Forest thing. If it is really successful, our staff may not be able to keep up. When the food comes, the patron can look at his wife and say, "Isn't this that same Chicken Cordon Bleu you got from Sam's last week?" And, the people will start telling everyone that the service at Lake Forest is slow and the food is so so and then soon no one will come. We will have nights where we have a couple of staff serving drinks to one or two customers. And, we can wonder why our business is so bad. Does any of this sound familiar? You see, your writer is doing the same thing that everyone does. He's pointing out the problems, but not offering any solutions. Well, actually, he did offer a solution. It was option number one. The question is, "Do we really want it that bad?" 6/24/2007 Feels like some Board members appear to be quite defensive when dealing with criticism. Brian De Grego (This is the correct spelling of my name.) or the McMahon Group? That wasn’t even the question! The question was, the expenditure of OUR Dollars when not, in my view, warranted! This year, our cash flow was in such crisis, an assessment was needed to pay operational bills. I present our past President’s view posted in 2005 to this same web site under finances, to wit: “Meaning, just as I am hypothesizing why there is so little use of the amenities by the members, so have many past and present Boards done the same. Albeit, I have done some research to support my opinions, and would suggest that the current Board invest some time and minimum expense to see what the members actually do outside of Lake Forest to see if there are things we could implement cost effectively that would improve participation by the members. Preferably new ideas as opposed to ideas that have proven not to work in the past, and have been very expense failures. A good anonymous survey in a monthly billing with a separate unidentifiable envelop for returning would be a good way to collect information that would allow Lake Forest to better serve it's membership. Questions such as: How many in your household, ages, etc.? What type of entertainment do you enjoy? How often do you eat out a month? What types of eating establishments do you frequent. Do you belong to the YMCA, Daphne Physical Fitness Center in the Civic Center ($12 per month), or any other fitness type establishment? How often do you frequent the 19th hole, yacht club, Bayview Lounge, etc? “Not the Garden Club“? Whose to say they wouldn’t have been able to do just as good a job? Maybe our board doesn’t appreciate the views of those who live here, especially our Garden Club members. Notice many of the same questions asked and also notice the survey going in the monthly billing. Seems more likely to get to property owner and not renters as was the case sending to the property address! This is just a quick example to what I was referring! Obviously the McMahon group can think outside of the box. They get paid to do so. We elect a Board of Directors with the hope they can bring vision and that same thinking. Failure is, in my view, incompetence. Calling names doesn’t change that fact: it just proves the point! Thank you web master for the defense and the political plug. I am not looking for votes. I am giving my opinion as a member and property owner of Lake Forest. I ran twice for this Board and witnessed the raw politics involved. I am disappointed in our election process and system. I am not a politician. However, I am quite good at building consensus and successfully operating for Profit and Non-Profit organizations. Brian De Grego
6/24/2007 On 6/23/07, Mr. Clint Martin's contribution said this, "It's almost scary how right we were to hire The McMahon Group". Now here is the truth, ( It's almost scary how WRONG we were to elect 2 slates of five. ) 6/23/2007 Thinking outside the box doesn't mean letting the Garden Club (God love 'em) and a few of your next door neighbors create a survey. Outside the box means that for once, decisions in Lake Forest will be influenced by someone who actually knows what the heck they are talking about, i.e. Bill McMahon and The Mcmahon Group. Visit http://www.mcmahongroup.com/ and see for yourselves who we hired to provide an outside opinion. Hmmmm......let me get advice from Brian DeGreco, or The McMahon Group. Hmmmmmm......let me see. Brian DeGreco or The McMahon Group. It's almost scary ho w right we were to hire The McMahon Group. -Clint Martin
6/22/2007 From a director . . . This is a clip run on Thursday's 5 o'clock news. See Story 6/22/2007
6/22/2007 Filled out OUR survey. Sorry our Board could not develop our own survey. I'm sure we have the talent and experience in our membership. Failure of our Board to accomplish this feat in-house is poor use of our dollars. It is time to force, at least break even, from our profit centers. IE: Food and Beverage, Golf, Marina, Stables, etc! I am tired of the same old lame excuses! We need Vision and out of the box thinking for the good of the Community, not the personal agendas and pettiness I experience from this and past Boards. This is evident in: Executive Sessions and failure to provide timely minutes and income statements to members. We face many issues and have the opportunity for big answers. Be part of the solution not the problem. See all at the Hope Dr. Block party this weekend. Brian J. De Grego 6/22/2007 And I thought all this time I was supposed to be hitting the ball on the green so I would have an unimpeded next shot to the hole. By the way, during play that day a playing partner had to take "relief" from his lie on the 13th green because his ball came to rest in an area similar to the picture of the 18th green. He's only a single digit handicap, so guess he needs to practice more so he can hit the ball in the correct spot on the green. 6/21/2007 I don't think our 18 holes are that bad. Those bare spots only hurt you when you fail to hit the ball correctly. Think of it as a challenge, and not a problem. Golf is not an easy game. Making grass grow is sometimes even harder. I'm sure you can find a bare spot or two in your yard with your camera. Let's see it! 6/21/2007
6/21/2007 From a director. . . As far as the Petition on the pools. For us to listen to signatures, yet unverified as being voting members, or voting members in good standing, would not be prudent. That petition is being reviewed for signatures of voting members in good standing. Would we want anyone else to have an influence on the board? Suspended members? Renters? Non-voting members? Non-residents? Just who was on that petition?
6/21/2007 From a director. . . To the Head Golf Pro, we are a POA (LFPOA), dba a Country Club (Lake Forest Y&CC). In other words, we are a POA running a Country Club operation. Any other explanation you get is just someone's inaccurate opinion (see Weblord's response a few days ago). To the person who sent in the picture of the 18th green and commented on the Board's lack of response in light of the petition, let's grab some lunch at the 19th Hole. Call me anytime, I'll buy. -Clint Martin 6/18/2007 Webmaster in the 6/17 contribution you said, (Do you think they will actually fill out 700+ or just send one?) Well, they will complete one, and send the rest out to their choice of copy making companies like Kinkos or Staples to make 700+ copies. It seems you may be underestimating your predecessors.
6/18/2007
By the way, it is dis-ingenuous for the director to suggest that this board will listen to the members, when a very well spoken and sincere member brought over 400 signatures to this board requesting they not charge for the pools and they totally disregarded these members, as well as insulting them by insinuating that the signatures could be bogus. 6/18/2007 You are right on the money regarding how many surveys will be returned. As the Head Golf Professional at a local club of 1200+ members I see the same lack of response each year from our member survey. While a door to door survey would increase response would it be worth the cost? Frankly I think this long overdue survey could and should have been done in house without the expense of this outside agency. What a waste of funds. I will however, commend the "powers that be" for their perceived effort in understanding what is it that this community wants to be when we "grow up". If we are paying dues to belong to a property owners association we are paying too much. If we are paying dues to belong to a Country Club we are paying too little. What are we?
6/17/2007
6/17/2007 I've done the research. I've listened to the members. We can run a pool the size of Heron Lakes for under $60,000 per year. It costs us $120,000 per year to run our three pools. Now which would you rather have? An Olympic size pool with additional features at the Clubhouse for $60,000 per year. Or three 20 year old pools with chain link fences around them, spread out over God's green earth for $120,000 per year. Not to mention we could increase Food and Beverage revenue by tens of thousands of dollars by having one centralized pool at the Clubhouse. Imagine spending a day at the Clubhouse where you could swim, eat, socialize, hit a few balls on the range, and enjoy yourself. It would be a much more family friendly atmosphere than it is now. Anyway, take it for what it's worth. I would like to save the Association $60,000 per year and put out a better product, but around here that's just crazy talk. -Clint Martin P.S. Peterson for President!! What a politician!! 6/16/2007 Mitch I can assure you we are watering to the maximum extent of the pumps. They will only pump 1500 gpm that is what we run from sun down to sun up. I can provide the irrigation logs for anyone to see. We do not draw water from the creek that is also a misconception. All water comes from the well at 18 tee. The entire system is run by a computer and from that I can tell you exactly which heads are running at say 10:47 pm and how many gpm that is.
6/16/2007 From a director. . . Mitch, Admit that the ONLY reason you made swimming free was due to the flack you caught for raising member's dues to 35.00 per month. Don't pretend it was noble or anything. It was guilt driven. You raised dues income about 300K per year which covered the cost of the pools and the regular annual assessments. That is why they were both eliminated, wasn't it, really? So when you talk about giving something to the members. You have given nothing. You raised the money by increasing dues to offset the costs. So, then how is that giving them something? Now, if you had made them free under the previous dues amounts, that would equate to giving them something back. You just insured that everyone paid more for the ability to use the amenities, whether they used them or not.
In 2002 or 2003 a motion was made at the annual meeting to increase the dues. That was three or four years after the privileges were returned to the members. I assume the director knows that an increase in dues requires a vote of the membership. The motion was made by director Bob Underwood and seconded by director John Deloney. The motion had the support of the entire Board of Directors including the president and it passed because it also had the support of the original developer who voted in favor. Imagine that! A board that could actually agree on something! As a result of that vote, the dues were increased for the first time in twenty years. Also, because of that vote we were able to eliminate assessments and loans. There was not another assessment or loan until the current board took office. Let's hope the director knows enough about the operations to know that making those hard surface tennis courts free did not reduce income to the association by one red cent. Making all the pools free reduced the income to the association by approximately a whopping $18,000. This is out of $2,500,000 of total revenue of which $1,250,000 comes from member dues. Watch the financials at the end of August to see how much revenue the pools bring in this year. Placing those fees back on will bring in only a small amount of money, but is doing a grand job of ticking off a great many of our members and creating a hardship for some. I don't know how to figure the cost affect of the $5 golf. My guess is that it actually increased revenue because it brought in people who wouldn't be playing at all. Contrary to the director's peculiar ideas, the men and women who were a part of those efforts feel nothing but pride in what they accomplished. Now, if the current directors feel guilty about something, that is their problem. 6/16/2007 From a director Clint wants change some things alright. Some things he wants are good, some are not. He has said that one centralized pool is where we need to go. Is it? He has said that only 18 golf holes are needed. Is that right? As you can tell there is real debate on what to do. That is why most board members are reserving statements such as these for after the members speak. The survey will be getting mailed to our members very soon. Please, take the time to answer all questions honestly. Then you will see what action the board takes, that go along with the survey results. I, for one, do not want to presume that I know the answers. We may find that the members would pay extra money to have three nice pools instead of one. The proper board response is to hear from the members, and work in the direction they want us to go. It seems that this would result in a unified effort, driven by the member's wishes. I guess changes that reduce services and amenities would get us more in the black, though. -John Peterson 6/16/2007 Sorry Mitch but I submitted your logic regarding free pools to my logic book and it said "not only an improper analogy, but an improper proportionality". Really sounded a little more like a left handed compliment to the old board. (who by the way, I think did a very good job.) ; :)
6/16/2007 A comparison of the condition of the Lake Forest golf course with other courses in the area show how poorly it has been maintained over the last 6 months. The private courses in the area, Heron Lakes, Steelwood, etc., are in better condition than Lake Forest. Likewise, the semi-private courses in the area, Timbercreek and Rock Creek, are in better condition than the Lake Forest golf course. However, all of these courses cost substantially more to play than Lake Forest. The public courses in the area, Quail Creek, Springhill and Azalea City Golf Course, all have fees comparable to or less than Lake Forest. Even these courses have been in better shape than Lake Forest over the last 6 months. I can't name a single course in this area that has been in as bad of condition as Lake Forest over the last 6 months. 6/15/2007 I'm on the list of the (Sheriff's office) to notify me of any sex offenders living within a mile of my home, now do have one, I was just notified, on Plaza Circle, that's right at the Ridgewood pool isn't it?,,,,his violation itself was "Child Pornography". Worried, you bet, parents that leave their kids at the pool and the lifeguards, any security at the pools should be notified too! He is a white male, 6ft. tall. This notification will assist families from avoiding situations that may make you feel vulnerable. Don't harass him, or put him in a stressful state, they are known to relapse. The purpose behind community notification is to reduce the chance of future victimization by better informing the public. Nearly 80% of all sex crimes are committed by someone known to the victim. Just thought that management should know this and their website is still down! 6/15/2007
Roger and Martha Davidson 6/15/2007 From a director . . . Mitch is right. If you don't want things to change, don't vote for me next time. If you don't want to run a more efficient operation, don't vote for me. If you want to continue to have low utilization of our amenities, don't vote for me. If you want the 18 hole course to remain in the same condition, don't vote for me. I see too much potential in Lake Forest to keep things the same. Call me to discuss anytime. -Clint Martin. 6/15/2007 NEWS BULLETIN: Golf is not free at Lake Forest! I pay my $37.50/month plus an additional $330.00 a month towards an annual membership for my wife and me to play on our golf course. Furthermore, this is not just in the months which I would like to play - it's every month, even those 100 degree boys. Please explain the logic that the swimming pools or any other amenity should be free or totally covered by the $37.50.
6/15/2007 The story I heard is that a decision was made to not pay to run the pump due to the extra electrical costs involved. Plenty of water could be pulled from the well to water the course but it would cost more money. If this is true, the condition of the course is not due to the drought but due to the decision to not spend money. It would be interesting to learn if the above story is correct.
6/14/2007 I am a previous owner of a home on Montclair and a soon to be owner of another home on Lynnwood Dr. If the truth be known, although I love to live in Lake Forest, it pained me every month to pay that $37.50. My only reprieve when I complained about it to people who would inquire about our monthly fees, was..... "Well, I love that I can at least walk down the street to a pool during the summer" After speaking to a fellow neighbor, I hear that the board has plans to take that money for a new clubhouse and take away the neighborhood pools. That discourages me from wanting to close on this new house. Are you people mad? I know what the majority of people of Lake Forest want! They want the board to maintain the few amenities we enjoy and do not raise the dues. DUH! Not everybody plays golf! Please keep things the way they are! Make some improvements to what we have. There is no need to do any study. Drive by the pools and ask those people on any given weekend what amenities they enjoy.
6/14/2007 From a director. . . The golf course I played on Sunday was in condition expected due to drought. You cannot expect great conditions without water enough to keep grass green. The course is playable and the fairways and greens are mostly good. There are a few issues that remain, but overall, I would say the course is in OK condition considering the weather pattern. I recall when I came to Lake Forest, around 20 years ago. The course was in far worse shape than it is today. Let's hope for rain regularly to return the course to a better condition.
6/14/2007
6/13/2007 Clint Martin indicated in his post that we should not expect the golf course to improve until decisions are made to reduce funding for other facilities. The problem with this "solution" is that golf members are being lost. At least 1 member has recently dropped his annual golf membership due to the poor condition of the golf course. Several other members are looking at alternative courses beginning next January if improvements are not made soon. Once an annual golf member leaves, it is difficult to get them to come back. Often, they have paid an initiation fee to join another course. Over time, new golfing partners are found. Before the member left, the golf course only needed to be good enough to get them to stay. Due to the financial and emotional commitments made to the new golf course, to get the member to return to Lake Forest now requires that the Lake Forest golf course be as good as or better than the new golf course they joined. This is definitely more expensive than maintaining the golf course in good enough shape. If improvements are not made in the conditioning of the golf course, Lake Forest may be faced with significant revenue reductions next year due to the loss of annual golf memberships. This will also adversely impact the food and beverage sales at the clubhouse. 6/13/2007 From a director . . . My very uneducated guess on the scum at the lake is dust from the Bass Pro Shop operations. Heavy construction and dry weather usually result in high particulate counts moving off site. This is called "Fugitive Dust". Someone should call into ADEM and complain about the dust from Cypress Equities construction site. You can see it hanging over us like a cloud. Just a suggestion. 6/13/2007 From a director. . . Alright, I apologize for my terse comments. Can frustration be seen? I will continue to drive home the issues of the lake and try to get help. Opportunities are slowly coming around. We all need to exercise patience with the process and with each other. Believe me, we are doing all we can do to get help. -John Peterson 6/12/2007 In regards to the Golf Course, I have to agree with the "brilliant analytical thinker" in this case. But don't expect the golf course to improve until we decide we want to focus our time and money on making it better. As it stands, we lose too much money on other amenities to give the golf course the attention it deserves. Personally, I would rather see a limited Food and Beverage operation at the Yacht Club, a consolidation of swimming pools from 3 to 1 (located at the Clubhouse), and a good 18 hole course as opposed to a shotty 27 hole course. The money saved from those three moves alone could pump needed dollars into making our 18 hole course competitive with others in the area. Just to give you an idea of how highly people think of our golf course, I witnessed a player teeing off of #14 on Saturday with NO SHIRT!!! He got in his cart and continued to play with NO SHIRT!!! Despite how classless a person may be, you've got to be playing a pretty bad course to have the audacity to play with your shirt off. My point is this: Either we focus on making the course better by saving money in other areas of operation, or we continue to maintain inefficient and underutilized amenities and remain the same. The members have a say in the upcoming survey. Thanks, and I love the new website. That's huge! - Clint Martin
6/12/2007
However, one of the items in the report was that the golf professional had been relieved of his supervisory responsibilities. I was stunned, because the golf pro has always done a commendable job, especially over the last couple of years in a difficult situation. I put out a request for corroboration to several of our contributors, who are usually in a position to hear about these things. The rumor was confirmed from other sources, however, the situation is not as bad as it first appeared. Our golf professional served as the interim general manager before Toni was handed the job. After she took over, he continued to serve either officially or unofficially as an assistant general manager. He has spent the last year and a half propping up our paid GM, having to explain the financials and operations and advise. *For everyone's information, that piece of information never came from the golf professional himself, but from many others associated with the organization. Steve has never suggested anything like that to this writer. Recently it has been reported that even some of the directors have begun suggesting that the general manager needs to start managing. So, it appears that the action that was reported was more one of the general manager relieving the golf pro of an extra burden, than it was a statement of disapproval of his performance. In fact, one contributor suggested that it was more of the GM trying to save face. Lake Forest's golf professional is among the most respected in the area. The other issues in the contribution cannot be resolved until the current or future management gets its act together. 6/12/2007 A copy of a message sent to staff Hi Toni and Derrick, If either of you caught the comments on the "un-official" (but very frequently visited and enjoyed) LFPOA.com web site...you'll see that one of the LFPOA Directors (Governors?) stirred up the lake front home owners with a comment that we should have done something about the weeds while the lake level was down. His actual comment was that we did nothing. I still maintain (and will continue to do so) that the lake is an amenity for all of Lake Forest just as the golf courses, pools, tennis courts etc. Anyone who has ever tried venturing into the lake to do any type of work knows that it is like quick sand. I have seen 4-wheelers up to their axels stuck in the muck when they ride out there when the lake level is down. Maybe the golf-course-front homeowners should be tasked with mowing the golf courses....that proposition is equally silly. As I have mentioned to you, I have been asked by (and as a board member of) the Lake View Townhome Owners Assoc. to keep after the status of the lake...and it's been weeks since the chemicals were bought and we still have seen no improvement. I would also like to know (as the one Director asked of us)...why didn't our maintenance dept do something such as get in there with their tractors/mowers and cut it down while the level was low? I also wonder how many (if any) of the Directors/Governors...or either of you have ever even been down to the lake except for at the dam or the Bayview Bridge? I look forward to a reply...with some actual information.
6/12/2007
6/11/2007 Through all the "talk" of the lake being neglected, there has been several firsts for Lake Forest in regard to the lake in the last year. I will go through them for those who just sit and wait for something positive to be done that only effects their own view or lake front. First, the City of Daphne has hired not just one, but two people to enforce erosion laws. This is having a positive effect on the runoff we are receiving from outside our subdivision. Second, For the first time in a long time, the State of Alabama, through ADECA has funded the Alabama Geological Survey for a full year of studies on the entire watershed of the lake. The study will help pinpoint sources of pollution in the form of sediment, biochemical, and other various types. Third, Each month or so, a watershed group meets to discuss issues relating to the D'Olive Creek (read lake Forest Lake) watershed. This group has met regularly for a year and a half and is what is driving the studies and other activities. This is by far, the longest a group such as this has stayed focused on our lake problem. This group includes the following entities: ADEM, ADECA, ADCNR, NCRS, MBNEP, LFPOA, Baldwin County, City of Daphne, City of Spanish Fort, USCOE, State Rep Randy Davis, and US Rep Jo Bonner's office rep. All of these people want to see it fixed and have the ability to get it done. Fourth, The LFPOA has recently added funds in their annual budget for the lake. There will be money spent maintaining the lake each year for weed control and other activities. There has NEVER been a budgeted expense on the lake before. With all this, there are still problems and concerns. There is not enough progress, only of you judge progress by removal of sediment. Every other activity is going stronger than ever. So, if you want to take it over, have at it. See what you can do. It would likely be abck to old ways...scream anmd never get cooperation. Just tell me to leave it alone, and I will be happy to spend my energies in another area. Good day- John Peterson.
6/11/2007
Bid Award: Lake Forest Road Improvements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . /Resolution 2007-42 MOTION BY Ms. Landry to waive the reading of Resolutions 2007-38, 2007-39, 2007-40, 2007-41, 2007-42 and 2007-43. Seconded by Mr. Scott. AYE ALL IN FAVOR - NAY NONE OPPOSED - MOTION CARRIED MOTION BY Ms. Landry to adopt Resolutions 2007-40, 2007-41 and 2007-42. Seconded by Mr. Yelding. AYE ALL IN FAVOR - NAY NONE OPPOSED - MOTION CARRIED 6/11/2007
The Chairman opened the floor to public participation. Mr. Lawson: My name is Henry Lawson and I am a resident of Lake Forest Subdivision. I am on the board and the architectural committee. I would like to share with you about the experience that we have in Lake Forest with people that come in. One of the things I see about this project is that it is for families which are relocating and construction workers. We know right away that those people have more than one automobile and on their plan they only have one parking space per unit. I would like to tell you about our experience which we have taken to Code Enforcement and Law Enforcement bodies requesting an ordinance to limit the type of residence that can be used to house multiple families because of this type of thing. It was deemed to be unenforceable even though other communities within our area are seriously considering this very option. Mr. Lawson: This type of ordinance does exist in the State of Alabama. This is an issue which plagues Lake Forest and we are trying to deal with it. Even with covenants it is a very difficult issue. We have people that are moving out of Lake Forest simply because of the people that are renting houses and moving in there. We have four, five, six, seven or eight men living in one house for one week, two weeks, or maybe a month and moving out too only be replaced by another group. Mr. Lawson: I would ask you to look beyond what this is. I do appreciate all the work that you do, but I also think this could be a crown jewel. Are we going to wipe this area with a substandard housing unit or are we going to demand a quality product? I thank you for your time, and I also thank you very much for the effort. 6/10/2007 Please remember that the name of this great development is "Lake" Forest, not "Golf" Forest, not any other Forest. The sad condition of the lake decreases the value of ALL homeowners in Lake Forest. I bought a home on a lake, as advertised, with recreational attributes, with no danger of flooding my property. The conditions of run-off from construction have decreased the depth of the lake-bed causing water to rise swiftly when we have storms. What once took a two-day soaker to affect the water's encroachment on my property now happens in a brief two hours. You have seen photos posted of the lake which, by the way, was in the same condition last year for a period of three months. What would the Board call the land that abuts my property, a weed pit, a marsh? Our "LAKE" is being threatened not just by outside development, but by its too often lack of "lakeness". I am tired of fighting for the presence of a lake, any lake. Maybe we need a professional to come in a make our point to the Board, not just "we" on the lake, but all home owners who do not wish to see the value of their investment diminish because of negligence. 6/9/2007 The 6/7 "Director's" (or is it Governor's) comment here chaps my A**...that those of us who live on the lake should have done something with the weeds etc while the lake level was down. I am a board member of the Lake View Home Owner's Association (yes we are part of Lake Forest) and I am going to stay on the LFPOA board and GM until they treat the lake as the amenity that it is. What should we do?...rent bush-hogs to cut down the mess?...or hire a landscaper to get in there and cut it down? Why didn't our (Lake Forest) maintenance department get in there with their tractors and cut it down? I have been in touch with Toni (our great GM) regarding spraying to kill the weeds (after they killed the grass carp idea). If we cut the grass/weeds down and the lake level returns, there would be no exposed weeds to spray and they would grow back. Of course, they could have sprayed the weeds/grass while the lake level was down....but didn't! His (or her) attitude is that we, who live on the lake, should take care of the lake...should golf course view home owners mow the golf course? And the earlier comment that someone put the actuator on the dam gate without the board's knowledge is also crap...the "Lake Forester's" board meeting minutes even discussed authorizing prior board member BT for the $500 to get the actuator made and installed. I really hope that come the next elections that everyone in Lake Forest will realize what a crock the current board members sold us to get elected. 6/9/2007 I do appreciate that the dam gate was closed as quickly as possible after it's mysterious & unexplained opening, but I cannot comprehend why someone would naively & incorrectly state that no lakefront owners took advantage of the situation to improve their lakefront. The only way anyone could know that would be to call or visit every home on the lake to determine whether they did or did not. That obviously did not happen. To make such a generalization was false & unfounded I certainly did remove weeds encroaching my pier while the water was down, but have no idea if others did or did not, & cannot understand why someone would assume that "no one did," except to excuse themselves from the responsibility that that dam gate needs to be replaced ASAP, so that this does not happen again. Replacing the gate is the one concrete measure that can be done to control the lake. Even now it is leaking substantially to further retard the lake's refilling.
Yes, the board is to blame for the weed condition of the lake, because it has not fixed the gate. The new protective decking & rails are an improvement, but does nothing to control the flow of water. Previous board members & residents made a valiant effort on a shoestring budget to improve the situation, but decades of wear & tear make it practically impossible to correct without a total replacement & that is what needs to be done now. Imagine your fairways shrinking down to 1/10th their current size & having to wade through weeds, briars, & snakes to get there. Imagine inviting family & friends over an afternoon of golf, only to find out the course has been closed & will be unusable for 3 months while the greens become thickets. Imagine showing your home to a prospective buyer & showing them a huge mud hole in the backyard & acknowledging that you have no control over it. This is the reality of what lakefront owners are going through & it needs to be addressed now. It is depressing, yet somewhat understandable that a complete dredging & restoration of the lake is years away & beyond Lake Forest's capability. But the replacement of the gate is not & if this board is to exhibit any degree of respect for the rights of lakefront owners to enjoy & utilize the lake without fear of losing it tomorrow, the gate needs to be replaced now. Don't blame lakefront owners for not clearing weeds, just because the lake leaked. Fix the leak. Replace the gate. Now! 6/8/2007 If you think these greens are in good shape, you haven't played outside of LF in many a day or you don't know a good green when you see it. How much money does it take to lay a skid of sod (#9 rough) and why address the rough on a par three when the playing areas go begging. Where's the water? Cart path repair? Driving range leveling? This "old sour puss" knows what he is talking about. Ask the ladies golf assoc. how many outsiders come to LF vs other courses during home and homes, etc. VERY FEW - they don't want to pay to play a DUMP. 6/8/2007 Because of the situation at Spanish Fort High School, the firing of the Athletic Director/Coach and attitude of the Principal, I have had two different people tell me that they are thinking about moving to Daphne so their kids can go to Daphne High School. So maybe some of those rental houses will be snapped up soon. 6/7/2007 From a director . . . The lake is recovering water. I figured that all the lake front owners had an opportunity to improve their area. Guess what? None of them did. I guess we are to blame for their lake front areas looking like a mess as well. Actually, as the lake fills, we should all be pleased with the response from Kenneth and his helper. They took care of the problem as soon as it was brought to their attention. A little rain and we could be full a lot quicker. Another note is that the only debris in the spillway box was stuff that came in the water. No shopping carts or other trash is being thrown in there since the new grate was put on. A nice job by the board. 6/7/2007 To The Board/President: We purchased a second house on Broadmoor in December of 2006 with plans to upgrade and resell. We now have a buyer and have been told by our insurance company that they are not writing policies for homes older than 1995 and South of I-10. Realtors have also indicated that the insurance issue has been and is becoming a greater problem in Lake Forest. Is this the reason why I see more rental signs? How will this issue affect our property values? Who will write a policy under these conditions? The majority of the homes in Lake Forest were built in the 70's/80's. Any thoughts?
6/7/2007
The last comment could not be further from the
truth* (
I'm not sure Timber Creek has all that much more money. You may be right, but I understand that the golf course is semi-public and is not owned by the property owners. Please correct me, if I am mistaken. They also don't have as many property owners contributing to the operation and their fee is only $50/month, while ours is $37.50 and we own much, much more. Of course, the children in Timber Creek can swim for free. By the way, let me apologize to the board for not pointing out to our readers that this month they removed that additional $2.50 from your bill for the taxes. They did just as they said they would. 6/7/2007 I agree with the "old sour puss" except that I do think that it's the superintendent's lack of ability, because he just got several thou$and$ for a new piece of equipment and trailer. I've also heard he's going to spend $6,000 re-working the sand traps on the course. Maybe you'll have the "nicest" bunkers in the area anyway!
6/6/2007 We are putting money in money market funds while our PRIME ASSET looks like something that belongs in Prichard. Other courses in the area are in beautiful shape, while we continue to just let ours go. I might add this is not the greens keepers fault; we won't spend the money. Problems start with the driving range, there is hardly a level spot to be found to practice - outsiders say it the worse they have ever seen and I agree. Cart paths are falling apart and we throw in a bag of asphalt from Home Depot (at best). Fairways are slightly covered with grass with hard pan underneath, they cry for water. We have our own pond, it must be the cost of running the pumps. The greens are deplorable - even the best golfers in the club can't putt them. (at least that a neutralizing condition for me). I have been here for over a quarter of a century waiting for us to have a course of which we could be proud - I GIVE!!
6/6/2007 Well, at least the birds & new weeds are enjoying the lake now. Snakes too! See new photos. 6/5/2007 Did that board member ever apologize for pushing that clipboard in the member's face? She certainly should.
6/5/2007 From a director . . . Mitch, You, as a past president of the association should know better. It is disingenuous for you to think that the "cash on hand" is readily spendable. You should know that the first couple of months are always creating excess cash. She is simply making sure that there will be money at the end of the year to operate. We certainly want to be able to pay our bills on time and not accrue late charges like previous managers allowed.
6/5/2007 In reference to the submitted contribution on 6/4 about the pool fees.....Isn't it ironic that members of this board would question Ms. Minter's signatures on her petition seeing how these board members got into office from the beginning. 6/5/2007
6/4/2007
6/4/2007 Hunter's Summer: Look at what one of our own Lake Forest teens is doing for her summer vacation. Hunter has decided to give some of her time to sing at the local assisted living facilities in our area. She enjoys singing and also enjoys giving back to her community. So, she wanted to do this during her summer vacation from school and as parents we had to say yes. We have four pictures of her singing at The Gardens Assisted Living Facility on Co. Rd. 64 on Saturday, June 2, 2007. She sang for a little over an hour and the people seemed to really have a good time and enjoy her singing. As parents of this 13 year old child, and as a community, I think we should all be proud. Roger and Martha Davidson 6/4/2007 At the stated board meeting Ms. Minter presented this board with petitions with over 400 signatures in support of dropping the fees for the pools. Which is nearly as many people who voted in the last election. She presented her case quite well. Martin motioned to lower the fee to $10 the vote was 4 to 4 causing it to fail. Voting against was Weller, Robison, Bidney, and Moss. For was Martin, Peterson, Mosley, and Lawsen. A couple of problems with this, 1st the validity of the petitions was questioned by one of the no voters, and second ALL of the no voters mislead the members when they campaigned on not charging f or pool use, along with no assessment. As of the end of April there was over $260,000 cash on hand. They've put $150,000 of the $260,000 in a money market account. Which means they didn't need an assessment in the first place. They then nit picked the items presented by the committee they set up for capital expenditures. Some of those items were within the mis-manager's authority. Moss told her to "start acting like a General Manager". But back to the pools, Ms. Minter concluded with a request that Weller publicly apologize for pushing a clipboard into the face of the person with Ms Minter, and that Weller should at minimum receive a letter from the mis-manager as prescribed in the Ground Rules. She reiterated her request at the end of the meeting with no response from the chairman.
I assume that some of the money that has been put away is from the golf cart lease buyout. Does the new lease have a similar buyout at the end? So, we have cash. How about rebuilding the fishing pier? How about spending the money on some of those other repairs that we know need to be made? OK, lake people, there is money. Do you think they should spend some of it on your problem? How about repairing that gate once and for all? We have enough for a survey, right? Sure, save some money for a rainy day. That is just prudent. But, don't stash a large bundle, when there is work to be done. Three of those No votes were expected, but Marie Bidney's vote was a little surprising. Does the association need cash? Why not charge Lake Forest Yacht Club, Inc. a fee for use of our facilities? I understand that most of their members are not even property owners. How do you suppose Commodore Bidney would vote on that idea? When the membership does not step forward to defend the Yacht Club the next time someone decides they want to sell it, do you think Marie will be surprised? Her No vote was a sorry way for her to show her appreciation for the support the membership has given the Yacht Club over the last few years. 6/2/2007 Hey Mitch, What happened to the other website? Have they hired someone to rebuild it? What? How long does that take? Frankly, it seems the board members read your website regularly..... Commenting on the pools,,,,when you get a pool ready for the season, like Jake said, "once you get one person in the pool, it might as well be 20 or more, because preparing it for the opening is the cost.....what is wrong with you people, that little money you receive at the gate is inconsequential to our budget. Let these kids enjoy themselves this summer, my 'grands were exhausted when classes we re out, let them have some fun while they are still children without burdening the parents with another expense. What to do with kids in the summer is enough of a problem. (o.k. to print my name)
6/2/2007 From a director Your article suggests that charging for fees has never been done. It says that "the new pool fees" are creating a publicity problem. It is true that there is a fee for pools this year. But it is far from being a new thing in Lake Forest. The pools were only recently made free. In previous years, I recall paying much more for swimming in our pools. What the board has done is reinstated pool fees. There is a big difference in starting to charge for something that has always been free and reinstating previous charges at a lower rate than they were in years previous. We need to rightly describe the action of the b oard. I chose not to support the fees, and lost that vote. It is time to get past the story and move on. -John Peterson
6/2/2007 I would like to know what the association is doing about the cat problem?? We are overrun with cats, they use the flower beds as litter boxes and kill the birds at my feeders. I was coming home last week and the first house as you come in the 90 entrance, there was 6 cats just roaming around. Get with it people and do something.
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© 2007 Michael Davis All Rights Reserved |
Wow!
Seems
everyone needs proof of what's actually going on, here is a picture of
the 18th green taken from the back of the green looking back down the
fairway. The "white' areas are on the green devoid of grass.
This is prevalent on most of the greens on the Forest course. As
usual the "director" is misleading all non-golfers saying that the
course is in acceptable condition. It is not acceptable to have
large patches of dead sanded areas on any green. 
As
you know, Hunter Beasley entered the Alabama Idol contest at the Blue
Gill Restaurant. On June 7th she did a great job singing and received
really excellent reviews from the News Center 5 anchor judges for her
performance. We want to thank the many Lake Forest members who attended
the first round competition. As you may have seen on the Blue
Gill Restaurant website, 
To
expect property owners to get out into the mud with snakes, leeches,
(not to mention gators) & quicksand-like mud, just because the lake was
accidentally drained is preposterous. My mid 50's neighbor had to be
rescued out of the mud by the fire department when she was trying to
pull weeds out of the lake when she got stuck thigh deep in the mud.
Anyone who has attempted clearing weeds from waterfront in Alabama knows
it is a nasty, ugly, & potentially dangerous task, particularly for
semi-retirees who cannot afford to hire someone to do it for them.