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Grapevine Archive
December 2006
12/30/2006
Around my house, when I find that I am running out of money, I quit spending it for awhile. I can't go to all the members of my family and say, "Well, I guess I will have to assess you, because I haven't managed the household account very well." If the board wants to assess us, they should be able to tell us what they want to do with it. Mismanagement is not a legitimate reason.
12/30/2006
The biosolids used are from Daphne Utilities, a fertilizer company gets most but what they do not get we do. The product is granular, if it fell in clumps it is due to the person putting it out. The MSDS sheets on the product are available at the DU office. There are at least 5 courses within 25 miles of here that use this product, from them. The link to the Milorganite was an example, Milorganite is from the city of Milwaukee, I guess we could call this Daphorganite. So how many of you use cow manure for your flower beds, check the potting soil label, being a human biosolid the cleanliness of the product is held to a higher standard than animal.
Thank you for that
information. It certainly sounds like a good option for Lake
Forest. That's assuming, of course, that the product they are
giving you meets those EPA standards.
12/29/2006 More Comments About Manure
Your question " Is this the product being used on the golf course?" has gone unanswered. From the description sent, it would appear the product is a dry granular form. That's not what was spread on the course, it several areas it is more like "cow patties". You also asked, if the product described was being sold, "how are we getting it free". After this past political season I've decided that anyone telling "half truths" is telling WHOLE LIES.
So? Where is
it coming from? The contribution reporting that this fertilizer is
not unusual did not actually SAY that the brand that was mentioned was
what was being used. It did, however, give that impression.
You seem to be suggesting that the material being used is substandard.
Perhaps someone will be willing to tell us specifically what is being
used and if it meets those EPA standards that the ad we were referred to
claims for that product.
12/29/2006 Board of Directors Borrows Money to Pay Operating Expenses
Well, the stated
meeting last night was interesting. The budget for 2007 was
passed. The board agreed to split the assessment into two parts.
That was a nice gesture but it will not do much good since the members
already have the $50 bill and know nothing about the two payment option.
In fact, this writer has already queued his payment in Quicken.
There was some discussion during some of the committee reports, but nothing terribly earthshaking. There was a little increased blood pressure when the Lake Chairman was talking about the lake issue. It seems to be a matter of feeling a little helpless, hoping that government will step up to the plate. This writer is not optimistic that they will. However, there is some logic to the continued efforts to get those agencies involved. We dug a great deal of silt out in 1999 only to have the lake refill within just a few years. In order for any action on the association's part to do any good, there must be some controls in place upstream. Once those controls are in place, then the association should be expected to start restoring the lake.
The budget estimates we will have over a hundred thousand dollars of excess revenue in 2007. During the discussion of the budget, Clint Martin asked what would they do if they find that an area is going over budget. Although the Finance Chairman, Joe Mosely did not seem to answer his question, he did suggest that they were "decentralizing" responsibility, so that the various committee chairmen would have more authority over their areas. Clint took exception to this. He said that the directors were volunteers who knew little about the association's kind of operation and, therefore, were not qualified to have that responsibility. Joe did a little backpedaling, saying that the directors were not expected to intrude in day to day operations. On a couple of occasions during this discussion, the Finance Chairman and the President said that in the past, boards did not provide enough oversight over operations. Clint was absolutely right! Our PAID general manager is responsible for balancing that budget, not the volunteer Board of Directors. The problems we have had this year had less to do with unexpected expenses than they did with poor management. Clint does seem to have a very negative view of the state of Lake Forest, suggesting that the board needs to "level" with the membership. The state of Lake Forest is not as bad as he thinks.
During the member participation portion of the meeting, Nadine Andrews stood up and asked about the $2.50 increase in the tax escrow fee and the assessment. Some of her facts were a little off, but several of her points were well taken. The Finance Chairman, Joe Mosely, seemed to suggest that the increase would be removed once the tax penalty we received this year was paid. I could be mistaken about that perception. A couple of points are in order here. First, they need to quit using the term assessment when referring to that fee. It is a tax escrow FEE, not an ASSESSMENT. Our bylaws are very specific about how much members can be assessed. $50 is the limit. If that tax escrow is an assessment, then they cannot add the $50. Perhaps this is just an exercise in semantics, but they need to be careful with the terms. Another point is that the tax bill at this point is less than $13,000. $2.50 a month will bring in just under $90,000. Why did they need to charge us that much? Also, they are already taking in that same amount of money with the present $2.50 tax escrow fee. How much are those property taxes that the current fee is meant to pay? There may already be enough excess with the present escrow to cover this new bill.
Then, Bob Underwood stood up. Bob asked a couple of polite questions about the F&B budget. Then, he dropped a bombshell. He asked if they had used the association's line of credit. Joe Mosely, the Finance Chairman, said YES! He said that they had borrowed $65,000 at the end of November to pay some bills! TO PAY SOME BILLS!!! He didn't say they borrowed $65,000 to build a new facility, renovate a green, or build FOUR docks! NO! He said they borrowed it to pay some bills! He said that they would pay it off when the annual fees start coming in! Let me see if I can explain this one! The 2007 annual fees are supposed to be used for 2007 expenses! If they pay the loan that they took out to cover some 2006 operation expenses, that will leave $65,000 plus interest less money for 2007! Do you remember when Joe's board complained that their predecessors had not left them with much money? They didn't leave them with a $65,000 bill for 2005 operations! In fact, while answering Nadine's question about the assessment, he said that they needed it in part because of the repairs on the Yacht Club after Hurricane Katrina. His board did not do those repairs. The previous board did them and they were paid in 2005! Those repairs had nothing to do with the management's pitiful performance in 2006! Lake Forest, you had better be paying attention.
After the meeting Bob came up to me in the parking lot and said, "Well, Mitch, our board may not have provided enough oversight, but for four years we did not charge an assessment or borrow any money." He was right. But, our board had a very capable general manager running the place for us.
12/28/2006 Stated Board Meeting Tonight
7:00 @ 19th Hole
12/27/2006 Director Takes Exception to Webmaster Contribution. . .
Your statement regarding the GM are false. The operations did stay within the revenue stream for the association. There will be excess revenues above expenses on the year end financials. Please, you need to be clear about what is going on. What was budgeted to net the association over 200K in excess revenues above expenses has turned out to be only around $100K. This has hurt the association in recovering capital outlays and keeping our fund balances. The bulk of the expense overruns are non-variable costs. In other words, the GM could not control them. The primary example of this is property insurance premiums. The insurance increased by over $60K. This was unbudgeted expense. There are other examples if you review the financial reports. In any case, to say that operations exceeded our revenue stream is inaccurate and should be corrected.
And, apparently
management never saw any of this coming in order to adjust operations
for it. Why else would you need an assessment in December?
No assessment has been needed for several years. But this year it
is. In the prior years when they were required, assessments were
scheduled at the beginning of the year in order to be used as part of
PLANNED operations. This year it is more of a "Oops, we ran out of
money" explanation. Maybe management is not at fault. Maybe
the Board of Directors demanded expenditures that our cash flow could not
cover. If that is the case, then there certainly
must be some references in the minutes where the General Manager warned
the board that such was about to happen. No? Then,
management did not do its job and the board can continue to cover it up
until the association is in trouble. You say that revenue is
greater than expenses. Then, why do you need the extra $150,000?
Why are you taking away privileges from the general membership by adding
a charge for the pools? This is especially troubling when
the charge will actually result in so little revenue, but do so much
damage in a public relations sense. Is it a matter of the board having other plans for the coming year
and wanting to pull in some extra cash in 2006 to help fund them?
Is there something going on in those executive sessions that might cause
additional costs next year that the membership knows nothing about?
Does anyone really think that there won't be another assessment in 2007?
I doubt it. If my statement is false and the general manager is
really doing a bang up job, then I am happy about it. There are
occasions when one really hopes to be wrong. Unfortunately,
this doesn't appear to be one of them.
12/27/2006
Yes, I did read the explanation, but I guess what I'm asking is why did they do this when they made all those so-called promises. I really hope that all the people that put them in office will see exactly what they've done. Perhaps they will look way back to how they wanted all the old board members and the old president ousted and will see the errors of their judgment. If there's a way to fight this assessment, please let us know.
There is no way to
fight the assessment and not paying will only cause a member grief.
You can only express your displeasure by doing so at a stated meeting
and through your efforts and votes at the annual meeting next October.
12/27/2006 Golf Course Budget Contribution is Corrected and Fertilizer Issue is Explained
Here is a link to stores in our area that sells biosolids, this is just one manufacturer, note everyone's good friend Cecil is one of them, http://www.milorganite.com/storefinder/index.cfm?zip=36526&s=+Go+
Here is a product Lowes sells: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=101245-13495-RTF25. We have all heard of organic foods, well that is what they use to fertilize, bio-solids, are organic fertilizer. The golf course is not 60,000 over, check the budget out, I believe it was high at one point but last month they were 12,000 under budget. I think there were several expenses related to the weather and out dated equipment, plus a project or two assigned by the board that spent a considerable amount.
Thanks
for the correction. I believe the reference to Cecil was to Cecil
Christenberry, a Fairhope City Councilman and the owner of Olde Tyme
Feed and Garden in Fairhope. Cecil is a good man.
Is this the product being used on the Lake Forest golf course?
12/27/2006 Contribution About Human Waste Used as Fertilizer is Explained and Budget Statement Corrected.
Human waste is put on every golf course in America, so there goes that idea. You can buy the material at the home depot, most of you probably do. I like what Derek is doing, the fertilizer is free, so how much does free cost us? Maintenance department is not over by 60,000 either.
This
writer will admit to knowing little about fertilizer, so if
you say so, he won't argue. It still sounds disgusting, though.
Since we have been told that Lowes and Home Depot sell it, how is the
fertilizer free? Where is it coming from?
12/26/2006
I guess I'm out of the loop....can you tell me what that special assessment fee for 2006 is on the statement?
There should have
been an explanation from management regarding the assessment that came
with your bill. Simply put, our inexperienced general manager was
unable to operate this year within the limits of the association's
revenue stream. The assessment will probably once again become a
regular annual event.
12/26/2006
Merry Christmas from your Board of Directors. Just received my $90 billing. Obviously the "slate" didn't mean all their promises "no assessment, free pools, every dollar accounted for, etc.". Not only didn't they mean what they promised, it's no coincidence that the assessment came this month, as it indicates there will be another for 2007 and Happy New Year from your LFPOA Board of Directors. 3 of them were probably just naive and misled by the "slate" organizers, that doesn't dismiss them from their responsibility for what they said in unison. 2 of them should have known better having been on the board the previous year, and 1 of them was the treasurer last year. I hope the community wants to "discuss" their decision at the next stated meeting on Thursday the 28th. By the way, the cash problem is due to the GM not holding the line on spending, particularly when the golf course maintenance overspent by $60,000. Speaking of course maintenance, when is someone going to question the wisdom of putting human waste on the course for fertilizer. Even though it is supposed to be sterilized it still stinks and is objectionable to say the least.
Please tell us that
is not true! Human waste as a fertilizer cannot be considered
acceptable. As for your comments regarding the assessment, your
points are well taken.
12/22/2006 Mobile Register Reports Major Street Work in Lake Forest
City of Daphne has
placed
Lake Forest streets on the front burner.
12/22/2006
The posting to this
website will be erratic during the holidays because of family travel.
Things are actually pretty quiet right now, but keep submitting news or
information that you hear, so that everyone will be aware. Someone
please attend the stated meeting on the 28th and report. The board
is supposed to be passing the budget for the year and possibly
discussing other innovations that they have in mind.
12/22/2006 America's Boating Course
Lake Forest makes up a large percentage of the residents of Baldwin County and the Eastern Shore. The Lake Forest website and newspaper is a valuable source of information to many of these residents. I would greatly appreciate your help to promote our up-coming class of "America's Boating Course" (information attached). News release.
I am the Lake Forest Marina and Yacht Club's representative of the USCGA.
I have placed your
notice on this site and forwarded your message to the administrative
office for referring to the association newsletter
12/21/2006 News from the Lake Chairman
The D'Olive work has been completed. The City of Daphne did not do any sediment removal because of the issues surrounding the Yancey's Branch work. They removed a little vegetation that had fallen across the creek. Their work was hardly noticable
Thanks for the
information and all your efforts.
12/20/2006 City of Daphne Agrees to Restore Wetlands
See Mobile Register story One statement in particular should
be considered when planning D'Olive Creek work as it would impact the LF
lake..
"Dan Everson, a stream restoration specialist with the Fish & Wildlife Service, said the extra large channel created by the work will increase the velocity of water moving through the stream and is likely to lead to erosion problems. "
12/20/2006 From a director . . .
One other note on income received in January. Perhaps the thing to do is set up a Capital Account. This account will take the budgeted excess revenues over expenses and put them in savings account. It will be funded from the annual dues received in January. The account can only be used for board approved capital projects. That way, the money is set aside and used for capital improvement projects that are needed. Of course, these projects would be voted on by the board and presented, or offered, to the board from the GM and staff. You know, we could actually plan this budget for several out-years. Seems that would make sense.
This may be a good
idea. A couple of years ago, the board asked the management to set
up a savings account for contingencies. This was right after they
had cancelled the flood insurance at the Yacht Club because of the cost
and our historical lack of need. Of course, Katrina threw a new
wrinkle into that idea. In any case, the board was thinking of
something in the neighborhood of $10,000 a month. Unfortunately,
politics got a little ugly about that time and the action was never
taken. Putting away something for a rainy day or capital
improvements is always a good idea.
12/19/2006 Director Reports Bonus Decision
Christmas bonuses were issued to full and part-time employees. The amounts were generous, considering the cash situation. They were approved at the previous board meeting. My recollection is $150 for part-time and $300 for full-time employees. They were structured to receive these amounts, after taxes. That should be in the November meeting minutes.
Thank you for the
information.
12/19/2006
The budget will likely be presented to the board at the December stated meeting. I think it is scheduled for December 28th. The budget will be based on this year's expenses and include the increases in insurance, gasoline and fertilizer costs. There is very little room for error, and hardly no room for capital improvements. There is one area of concern. Seems the last two years we have struggled in November and December with cash flow. I believe it is due to deferred income showing on the income statements. What this is basically is income received in January and spread out over the whole year in the accounting of it. The annual dues are done this way. If someone pays their annual dues in January, we only show receiving 1/12th of that in January. Then, as the year progresses, the income is received monthly, but the money is already in the bank. What happens in later months, although we are showing the income coming in, cash-wise it has already been received and likely spent. We defer all annual fees this way. In my opinion, the cash being placed in the operating account, gives the staff an impression that it is available for spending. I will discuss with the treasurer the possibility of placing deferred income in a different account, unavailable for use in operations. That way, in later months, it will be there, in full, for use when it is actually accounted for. This past year, it seemed as though if the cash was in hand, it was spent. Granted, it could be argued that all expenditures were necessary. It just seems logical that cash in the operating account will be spent in operations. So, I think we just move it out of there and keep it for later. Just some ramblings to ponder.
Do you think a
separate account will actually do any good? Given a need, wouldn't
management simply pull the money out of the second account and use it?
The physical bank account that holds the money would not be particularly
relevant, if the accounting department and management simply treated the
deferred income account differently from the cash on hand account in the
accounting system and transferred the money between the two accounts on
a monthly schedule. Nevertheless, if it takes multiple bank
accounts to help management resist the temptation of spending all the
annual dues before the end of the year, then management should set it
up.
12/18/2006
Has anyone heard
anything about Christmas bonuses this year for employees?
12/18/2006
Webmaster....I have a question? At what age do you graduate into old coots demographics ;)?
It varies from time to time with my state of mind, but I don't
think I'm there yet, wise guy.
12/17/2006 DMS Puts on Great Show
It's
so nice to live in a community that has school activities such as the
Daphne Middle Schools Concert Choirs. The Daphne Middle School put on a
Dinner Theater show, Friday night 12-15-06 for the parents and
community. This presentation from the children was outstanding and
enjoyed by all that were in attendance. The dinner that was served was
really good. They had Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans,
those awesome rolls we all remember from when we were in school, ice tea
and desert. It was so nice to see our neighborhood children, teachers,
and our school staff all having such an enjoyable evening. It was also
nice to see all of our friends and neighbors from Lake Forest in
attendance. You can't help but have neighborhood pride and pride in
your own children when you see them do so well. But there was a big
crowd and we were only able to take just a few pictures. This event was
well worth attending.
12/17/2006 Great Night at the Yacht Club
Karaoke Night At the Yacht Club: Karaoke night on 12-15-06 at the Yacht Club was one of the best nights we have ever seen. The Yacht Club was full to capacity and the crowd was mostly young family people estimated to be in their 20's to early 30's with their young children. We thought that was a pleasant surprise. All of the parents and children seemed to have a wonderful time and so did we. As for the staff they were on top of everything. Meaning the service was great as usual. We found that alot of the younger family people that would get up to sing done an excellant job and alot of their children were up there singing and dancing with them. I was totally impressed by the quality of people and the quality of music they sang. I think that everyone at the Yacht Club friday night had a great time. Our family and other families are now using the Yacht Club more and more and that is a GOOD THING. We were very proud that the membership of the younger people were there in full force with their families. Now this kind of membership participation makes you feel proud to live in Lake Forest.
12/16/2006 Director Offers Clear Opinion of Members' Desire
I would be willing to bet that if I took a survey of 100 people under the age of 40, at least 95 of them would like to see a centralized facility including swim, tennis, golf, grill, and fitness room. If anyone wants to challenge me on this, call me at 458-8999. You can walk alongside with me as we talk to the residents of Lake Forest. Folks, we are fighting an uphill battle to make Lake Forest flourish. I don't want to see us just survive, I want to see us flourish!! I think we need to give a lot of credit for those who have kept this place up and running over the years, because they were set up to fail. They were set up to fail by the developer. Developers of this type of neighborhood are not looking long term. They are looking short term, to sell lots, and get out. We have perhaps the most dysfunctional, inefficient set-up in all of America, yet we have somehow survived. Probably out of pure stubbornness, from what I have gathered so far being on the Board for two months. LOL We have the talent within Lake Forest to rise above the controversy and produce a product everyone can be proud of. The younger demographic wants to see the day where a family can go up to the clubhouse, swim, play tennis with their kids, hit a few balls on the driving range or putting green, eat at the 19th Hole, and finish the day back at the pool. What will that lead to? Neighbors meeting neighbors, planning to do it again the next weekend ($$$$ for Lake Forest) and a place we're proud to call Home. THAT'S WHAT THE YOUNGER DEMOGRAPHIC WANTS!!! If anyone wants to take me up on the challenge, you've got my number. Clint Martin, 458-8999.
This writer has
lived in Lake Forest for about 30 years and served on the Board of
Directors for two or three terms. I've lost count. I have
talked with many members over the years and I don't think I would have
the nerve to tell you that I know what the older demographic wants. ;)
However, I have my doubts about the director's opinion. In fact, I
have taken that walk quite a few times myself on behalf of the
association and as a political candidate. Would you like to
know what I think most of those young families want the association to
do? Nothing. They want nothing changed. The want
nothing added, nothing eliminated and they absolutely want nothing
charged. They like things just as they are. In fact, they
told us that with a vote just about two years ago. You will get
few, if any, requests for anything new. If you suggest something,
they will ask you, "How much will it cost?" This applies to the
younger demographic, the middle age demographic and the old coots
demographic. One other note, as one of the many who "have kept the
place up and running", thanks for the compliment. However, twern't
nothing. In fact, Lake Forest can operate just fine for many years
without increasing anything beyond inflation, if it is managed properly.
12/15/2006 Mobile Wins the NASCAR track!
The developers of
the new NASCAR racetrack announced today that they had selected the site
near Prichard and Saraland for their new facility. The will be
some in Baldwin County who are disappointed. Others may not be.
12/15/2006 Vandals are Getting Old
I have had my mailbox knocked down by vandals two weekends in a row (and over the past few years about 4 additional times). The police have been very helpful but they are unable to do anything about it. I am aware that there is no way of determining whether these "hooligans" are Lake Forest residents, but I would like to suggest placing something in the newsletter to remind people that tampering with mailboxes is considered criminal mischief and a federal offense and to encourage those who have been victimized to file a complaint on the off chance that the culprits will be caught.
12/15/2006 Member Offer Suggestion for new Service
We certainly agree with the suggestion that there needs to be something for the younger families to do. Here's one suggestion: I think we should have a Rock and Roll night at the Yacht club during the summer, on Saturday nights with dance music and classic Rock, you could alternate between live bands or a DJ. I know our family would enjoy going to the yacht club for that.
12/15/2006 Director Comments on Lake Forest Services . . .
I ran on the premise that I would represent the younger demographic, and I am working hard to produce some tangible results. When I refer to the younger demographic, I am referring to those young singles, young married couples, young families with children in their working years. The younger demographic covers a broad spectrum. Being in my late 20's, with two children, I can tell you that two of the primary reasons I would join a Country Club is for Recreational Activities and Social Networking. We have some of the Recreational aspects covered, but we are seriously lacking in events geared to allow Social Networking among the younger demographic. In February's Lake Forester, you probably will see an announcement that we will begin a Business After Hours social once a month. The concept will mimic that of the events held by The Chamber of Commerce. This will give business owners, salespeople, hobbyists, charity organizations, etc. a chance to meet others within Lake Forest who might benefit from their line of work. Or simply allow people to meet their neighbors who otherwise would not attend a Garden Club, Women's Club, Improvement Committee, Tennis, or MGA event. There has to be some type of Social advantage to being a member of a Country Club. Hopefully this will help to fill that void among the younger demographic, and I would appreciate everyone's support. A lot of people are excited already.
12/15/2006 Another Director Comments on Lake Forest Services . . .
Regarding the younger families issue. According to Jim Moss, Improvement Committee Chair, the welcome packages being delivered to new members have been mostly going to people below fifty years old. Our demographics are changing in Lake Forest. To service these families properly, we need to gain insight into their desires and needs. Hopefully, research can begin on how best to galvanize our younger members with neighborhood pride and from that get participation and utilization increases. What will it take? A central location to enjoy amenities? An events director? Better looking and "feeling" buildings? Changes will have to be considered. The evidence is in, and is apparent. Our members will not utilize our facilities adequately as they are, and as we are. We, being the LFPOA. So, what changes should or will be considered? Some board members say that the "product" we have is poor in quality and uninviting. I guess it has something to do with 30-year old buildings and scaled down services. I mean look at the pool facilities. You have a fence around each that is about as scary looking as anything. It has to be there, but a chain link with barbed wire? How eye pleasing is that? The pavilions and playground areas are nice, if the grass and weeds were kept cut better. Some of the buildings look and "feel" their age. Do you ever walk down to the bathrooms at the Swim and Racquet Club? That area has the feel of a "dungeon". I haven't been to Montclair or Ridgewood pools in years. Are they any better? The reality is that these amenities, being remote, receive less care than needed. There is usually a big push from March to May to get them working. Otherwise, they are "out of sight and out of mind". The pools today are likely filled with pine straw and leaves. Can we not afford to even have someone clean them once a week? How far do we let them go each year? That cycle takes its toll on the equipment and the manpower. We spent over 100K providing free pools this year. Look, I am not advocating closing all the remote pools, by any means. But I think that taking one or two out of use and building a modern pool facility at the clubhouse makes sense. Imagine the swim team coming to the country club area for meets. With swimmers and parents brought there, maybe they would be encouraged to come up more often. Just having swim team practices there during the summer could lead to additional sales at the 19th Hole grill. It only makes sense. perhaps I am wrong on that issue. It would seem reasonable to ask experts about this and see if it makes sense. Maybe we can one day.
Please allow me to
offer another point of view on those pools. We've heard
suggestions for several years that we need a pool at the Country Club.
Those suggestions just haven't come from the membership. Yes, the
main Swim & Racquet Club pools is old technology. But, it does
have fairly new plumbing. The other pools have brand new plumbing,
thanks to the last board. So, the pools are not as sad as some would
make them out to be. Would a swim team like to have a new pool?
Yep. There are a couple of thousand kids in Lake Forest. Only a
handful are on the swim team. In fact, rumor has it that most of
the swim team are not even Lake Forest residents. So, when it
comes to swim teams, tennis teams, and golf teams, allowing them to use
our facilities is good. Altering our facilities for them, however,
is not appropriate. Also, the use of the term "remote" when
talking about the Ridgewood and Montclair pools is not exactly accurate.
For someone who lives on Lakeview Loop or Country Club Drive, the
Montclair Pool may be remote. But, it is convenient for kids who
live on Dunbar Loop, Cherryhill and Lawson Road. For them, the
Country Club is remote. For kids who live between Wildoak and
Worchester, the Ridgewood Pool is convenient and the Country Club is
remote. They can ride their bikes or walk to the Ridgewood Pool.
We have no sidewalks, so for a 12 or 13 year old child to walk from
Melanie Loop to the Country Club would be a major trek. Ridgewood
Drive is a six mile trip around Lake Forest. Those community pools
do have their advantages. If they are not being cared for because
they are "remote", then the board needs to have a serious talk with
management. By the way, I believe the Montclair Pool has a wrought
iron fence.
12/15/2006 Webmaster Comments on Facility Usage
Actually, our
members do use the facilities. Many of them may not use them every
day or even every week, but they do use them. And, there may be
some who rarely, if ever, use them. However, this writer believes
that most families in Lake Forest use some facility during the year.
Do we consider a child in the pool as a member using the facility?
If they come out on the 4th of July, does that count? Our problem
is that our perception is one that suggests that we should have crowds
lining up at our clubs. The question is "Why should they?"
If one is not a golfer or tennis player, what do we do that would make
them show up? I don't know. We've only had a couple of adult
program that did. The Friday night Karaoke is a winner. But,
that is no place for the kids. However, it is a money maker and we
can use some more functions like it. The member who said
that we don't offer anything for the younger demographic is right.
Aside from that 4th of July event, I can't think of much.
Do we think that the lack of business in the restaurants means that our amenities are inadequate? That's silly. Our problem is that outside of sports, we can't think of anything to offer but food. If that is all we can come up with, then we don't have a prayer. Have you counted the restaurants within ONE MILE of Lake Forest? You don't have enough digits on your hands AND feet! The Sam's food that we serve just can't compete! So, what we need is some creative thinking that will come up with something else that the whole family can enjoy and bring in some revenue. Yes, I agreed with the idea that we don't provide enough for the younger demographic. But, that doesn't mean we haven't tried. We just have to keep on trying.
12/14/2006 Lake Forest Needs to Offer More for the Younger Families
A member mentioned
the other day that in his opinion one of the problems in Lake Forest is
that nothing is directed toward members of the younger demographic. He
said that all events seem to be provided for the seniors. That has
been a problem, but over the years the association has tried to produce
services for the younger families. The annual 4th of July
celebration has always certainly been a family affair. Our board
used to provide games, booths, petting zoos and pony rides for the kids
at those events. We also built everything you see in the
playgrounds around Lake Forest. Several attempts have been made to
use the old Swim & Racquet Club building as a youth center. I
still remember as if it were just the other day, one of our staff
decorating that building for a Halloween party for kids.
Unfortunately, only a few came. Wouldn't that make a great
"Haunted Country Club"? However, I agree with the member, that more
needs to be offered to the younger families in Lake Forest. On
another note, it was very nice this month to read Henry's piece in the
newsletter and not read about a dilapidated clubhouse and the need to
build a new one. Hopefully, we have heard the end of that one.
12/13/2006 Member questions computerized accounting system
I just read the grapevine this morning and have a comment about the Tennis portion in regards to how much Tennis takes care of itself. I don’t know how the board can come up with any figures here, since they are not keeping accurate information. I have a friend whom recently (last month) received a bill for tennis play but his bill indicated the money was incurred at the Bayview Lounge. When my friend called Lake Forest office, he was informed that our terrific new computer did not keep track of money spent at the Tennis Ctr. It is loaded against the Bayview lounge. I am concerned as to WHY this cannot be explained better since we just spent so much on a NEW computer system?
There is not
technical reason why the transactions cannot be posted to the proper
accounts. Let me give you another tidbit. Although, this one
doesn't involve the computer, it does involve tennis charges. Use
of the
hard surface tennis courts without additional charge and $5 golf on the
Lake Nine were made available to all members in good standing.
That was the intent of the board at the time. However, it is a
fact that people from outside of Lake Forest, including Daphne, Spanish
Fort and even Timbercreek, play on our hard courts for free and enjoy
the $5 golf. How is that possible? It is possible because no
one asks. That was not what the board had in mind. If
non-members are going to play, at least charge them some fee greater
than a member would have to pay. We could certainly use the
money. For everyone's information, this is not hearsay.
12/13/2006
My wife informed me
that my response to the member disagrees with the webmaster
contribution was not very clear. She was referring to the part
about the percentages vs money. Let me try again. In the
last newsletter, the financial report said that golf had revenue of
$528K and expenses of $649K. Tennis revenue was $8K and expenses
were $38K. Pool revenue was $4K and expenses were $103K.
Those numbers do show that golf paid 81% of its operating cost from user
fees. Tennis paid 22% of its operating costs from user fees and
swim revenue paid only 4% of its operating cost. That does make
golf operations sound pretty good comparatively speaking. On the
other hand, another way to look the numbers is that member dues subsidized golf to
the tune of $121,000. Members subsidized $29,000 of tennis operations
from dues and members subsidized $99,000 of swim operations.
Paying 81% of the cost of the amenity sounds pretty good. Having
$121K of the amenity operating cost subsidized by dues doesn't sound so
hot. It really doesn't matter. Nowhere is it said that user
fees should cover all operating costs. The idea is to make access
to amenities reasonably priced for all members. One golfer hit the
nail on the head a few weeks ago, when he said that the idea behind Lake
Forest is for the costs of maintaining expensive amenities to be shared
among a large body of members so that no one has to pay too much.
That doesn't mean just those who have plenty of time and money and can
afford to pay annual memberships to the Racquet club or the Country
Club. It also means those middle income folks who worked hard all
week and would like go down to the Lake Nine for a round of golf on the
weekend or have the kids enjoy a community pool in the hot summertime.
That is what we have successfully done in Lake Forest.
By the way, those numbers are out of $1,995,942 in total revenue through September. Why don't we look at that number from a percentage approach. Out of almost two million dollars in revenue, only 12% went to amenity operations. Furthermore, for that money the members and their families could use any of three pools and two hard surface tennis courts without additional fee. They could play up to 18 holes of golf for $5. Or, if they wanted, they could enjoy full access to all tennis courts and a very nice 27 hole golf course for very reasonable cost. Clearly, Lake Forest is a wonderful deal for every member regardless of the family's personal financial state. Let's hope that management will perform in a manner to keep it that way.
12/13/2006 Director comments on maintenance effort . . .
One thing should be noted concerning the deterioration and maintenance issues at our facilities. Our staff has done a tremendous job coping with the many problems facing our facilities. They have been asked to maintain multiple buildings, multiple pools, and multiple shelters on the golf course and to do so with very little real money. The job is definitely more than one man can do. It should be said that for what we are spending on maintenance, we are getting that and more in results. That being said, the staff continues to work to improve and maintain the facilities. In this director's opinion, the load is just too much and the money too little.
I agree with every
word!
12/11/2006 Member disagrees with the webmaster
MOST OF THE TIME I AM IN AGREEMENT WITH YOU AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR LAKE FOREST. HOWEVER, THE MEMBER ALERT BLOG CONFUSES ME IN THAT I HAVE TO ASK IF THAT IS YOUR THINKING. MY CONCERN CENTERS AROUND THE AUTHORS STATEMENTS THAT THE GOLF FEES SHOULD HAVE BEEN RAISED AND THE POOLS REMAIN FREE, ETC. ACCORDING TO THE THIRD QUARTER FIGURES JUST PUBLISHED, GOLF PAID FOR 81% OF ITS EXPENSE WHILE THE POOLS PROVIDED 4% AND TENNIS 22% OF THEIRS. GOLF ONLY REQUIRED A CONTRIBUTION OF $4 TO $5 PER MONTH FROM YOUR MONTHLY FEE. I THINK THAT IS LITTLE TO ASK OF AN AMENITY THAT IS A MAIN STAY IN SECURING OUR PROPERTY VALUES WHETHER YOU USE THE COURSE OR NOT.
Yep, that was my
thinking. We, the users of the amenities, need the good will and
support of the very many others who help support our association with
their maintenance fees. Those benefits that our association has
provided are financially insignificant when you look at the total cost
picture of running this recreational community. Try changing those
percentages in your contribution to dollars and change the view how much
the amenity paid to how much the amenity cost and the whole perspective
changes. I do agree with you that the amenities have secured our
property values and in that way they are a benefit to everyone.
However, I don't think I said that golf fees should be raised and
everything else remain the same. At least I meant to say that if
everything else is raised, how can annual fees for golf and tennis
remain the same. And, I stand by my belief that all of our members
and their children and grandchildren should be able to enjoy the pools
as part of their basic membership. That includes those who pay for
tennis and golf and those who don't.
12/11/2006 From a director. . .
The tennis fees are not going to change this year. The chairman of the Recreation Committee will be working with Mike, the tennis pro, and the Tennis Association to build value and increase participation at our tennis facility.
12/11/2006
Do we need a lawyer to represent the total Lake Forest membership? (Our board has not.)
Oh, please, no....
Lawyers and lawsuits have caused Lake Forest enough headaches over the
years.
12/11/2006 Director challenges webmaster . . .
When I read your statement "Whether it is a good thing or not, the question still remains "What is the association going to do about the accumulated silt?" Considering the substance of the other submissions today, the answer is probably nothing.", I have to ask myself just who has let the accumulated silt reach this level? Just what efforts did you do in the many years you were President of the association? How much accumulated silt was removed by your boards? We all know the answer is very little. We also know that your group had managed to alienate every political body capable of helping with removal. Let's see, you were at odds with the city council, the county, the state and many other agencies. We have just now restored relations with many of these groups and now have these groups actually working to find answers for us. Just last week, there was a major presentation about the Lake Forest Lake's problems made to many in a stormwater symposium. It must have been quite informative and impacting, because I heard from several who attended that they never knew it was so bad. Before you begin to denigrate the work regarding the lake, you may want to check your own record on it. Have you looked at the spoil site from the Tom's Cove dredging? How much of that material went right back into the lake? That is the most pathetic excuse for a spoil site I have ever seen. You can see the spoil being washed back into Tiawassee Creek. Not only that, but the LFPOA accepted all responsibility for that site and had to recently pay someone to fix it yet again. Quite simply, your record on the lake is far more dismal than any board I have seen. You will also notice that this board pushed to correct the spillway's condition and improve maintenance and safety at the spillway. That structure was allowed to deteriorate under your watch. And for what? So you could say "we are in the black". As a matter of fact, if you look at each of our properties, you will notice at least three years of little to no real maintenance. The clubhouse has holes in the kitchen floor. The Yacht Club kitchen floor needed new tiles. The pools needed new pumps and filters. The exterior shingles are falling off left and right. The roof is leaking at the 19th hole. The railing around the pro shop porch was falling down. Pieces of the Swim and Racquet building fell off. The tennis fences are leaning over. The docks at the Yacht Club are gone. There is no depth in the Yacht Club Basin. The cart paths on the lake had to be closed due to disrepair. I suppose all these deficiencies just happened in one year of you not being here? Get off your high horse and accept the fact that we have been underfunded for the last three years (at least) and have used every penny to maintain operations at a minimal level, while "giving" our members a poor product. Major changes are needed for this association to make it. They will soon begin.
There is so much to
respond to, it is hard to know where to start. The statement
referred to is from the webmaster's contribution below. The
"probably nothing" line was in response to all the other contributions
that day regarding the financial condition of the association. It
was not meant to indicate a lack of desire to take action, but the
ability. Nevertheless, the webmaster, this writer, really does not
have much confidence that the board, and that means board as a body,
will actually do anything about the problem in the lake. This has
been pretty obvious from the number of times I have asked the question,
"What are we going to do about the accumulated silt?" I do
recognize that there are some on the board who would like to find a
solution. That would include the contributor above. Rather than
fill up the Grapevine with a response, I have
continued the discussion on one of the Lake Discussion pages.
12/10/2006
There was an editorial in the Mobile Register and a letter to the editor in the Baldwin Register on Sunday about the streambed restoration in Daphne. Is this really yellow journalism? The Mobile Register has a pretty good reputation, so this writer is having a difficult time believing that it is. The director recently said that the planned work in Lake Forest is a good thing. Whether it is a good thing or not, the question still remains "What is the association going to do about the accumulated silt?" Considering the substance of the other submissions today, the answer is probably nothing.
12/10/2006 Member Sounds the Alert!
Here is what happened at the special meeting the other night. First, they were late because they were having one of their many executive sessions. Then, they came out and Henry named the Finance Committee members. Guess who is on it! Bob Underwood! They began discussing the budget. They agreed to a $2.50 increase on the tax fee. This will double it. A $50.00 assessment for 2006. Clint Martin made the remark that their group had campaigned on having no assessment. He seemed uncomfortable with it. The tennis professional wants to start charging for use of the hard courts. None of them seemed to know what is being charged for tennis, but they do know that they want to go up! Your children will still get to swim for free. ON SUNDAYS!!! That's right. Free pools on Sundays only. Otherwise, families will have to pay a $75 swim fee to be able to swim the rest of the week! $2.00 per day for non annual membership and $4.00 per guest. The big news was about golf. Oh, and of course, the squeaky wheel special interest group, the golfers, will have NO increase in their annual fees. Willie Robison made a big deal about that one. He seemed really proud of himself. They are going up on the daily fees for golf and the Lake Nine is going from $5 to $7. A discussion was also held on the idea of a special membership to the Yacht club and 19th hole. Non property owners would be charged $10.00 per month to use these two amenities. It seems to me that we have just taken several steps in the wrong direction. Why is there never a mention about the new construction going on in Lake Forest. Each new home is more money in dues to the association. If we are in such dire financial woes, where was the millions supposed to come from for the tearing down and rebuilding of the country club? Congratulations Lake Forest! This is what they meant by continuing the progress!
My heart is in my stomach. All the years of work and careful planning and reducing debt and making improvements seem to have gone right down the tubes. We have almost a three million dollar budget! Almost half of that comes from the three thousand members in the form of monthly maintenance fees. THEY DESERVE A FEW BASIC BENEFITS! Those hard courts cost very little to keep up. Taking the privilege of use away from our members will not raise one nickel for Lake Forest . The tennis players who pay the annual fee do not want to play on hard courts. That's why they pay the fee. This writer, a tennis player, will not be affected one bit by jerking that privilege from the families. This bunch cannot even allow our children to use the pools in the summer without an extra charge! That swim fee may bring in a whopping fifteen thousand dollars total, but that is all! It is a drop in the bucket for the association, but a slap in the face of so many of our members and their children!
All those tennis players and golfers who have plenty of disposable income and time should not forget that their recreation is subsidized by many, many members who have little of either! There is no doubt in my mind that if our board had not returned those privileges to the membership, our golfers would be playing on a narrow, public, 18-hole golf course today and the tennis courts and pools would belong to Faulkner State Community College! The members came forward and saved those amenities for all of us! They did it because they had something to lose and it was something that they valued. Everyone should make note that the above report stated that Bob, who was the creator of the restructuring proposal, is on the Finance Committee. We've always known that he was Henry's mentor. Maybe we haven't seen the end of the restructuring proposal. These actions are a good way to have it succeed next time. I have many friends who are annual members of the Racquet Club and the Golf Course. I understand that they want to keep their annual fees as low as possible. But, we all need to understand that if we have to support these amenities just on user fees alone, we will not be able to do it. Rather than slap the other members in the face by nickel and diming them to death, we should thank them.
Many of the present occupants of the Board of Directors including, and in particular, the president, hinted for a long time that there was something suspicious about the finances under the previous manager. If that is so and he managed to operate the association in the black, what does that say about the current management? Under the previous board and management every member could swim, play tennis and enjoy a low cost round of golf. The serious tennis players and golfers still had the exclusiveness and more attractive facilities. Everyone benefited for living in Lake Forest. Now, under the new leadership that claimed to be taking our community forward and toward progress, they are losing it all! And for anyone's information, this writer believes they are losing it due to mismanagement! Perhaps if Henry and Toni had not spent so much time in trying to uncover historical shenanigans and had taken care of business, none of this would have been necessary. We should also note that the most recent addition of the slate campaigned on their having had no assessment and having opened all the pools to members for free! What is really galling is that they had nothing to do with either of those measures. It was a previous board that eliminated the assessment and it was a previous board that made pools accessible to members for free! The only thing that last bunch did was eliminate the fee on the third pool! Now after only two months in office, most of the new slate and all of the first slate voted to reverse them both!
Now then, what does this writer recommend? To start with the Board needs to get tough. When they had the meeting last month on the budget for 2007, the annual golfers showed up in mass. They made their case and some of it was pretty good. It is obvious, though, that the board completely caved. Increases in everything in Lake Forest BUT the annual golf fees!! Come on!! What are they thinking? How can we anger everyone in Lake Forest? Let us count the ways. Well, that is one. Have some guts people! Next, Mrs. Fassbender needs to resign. This has nothing to do with her character, honesty or anything else. It has to do with the fact that she does not have the knowledge, experience or skill for the job. As long as the current manager is in place, we cannot expect the operation to work any better. If this assessment does show up as a 2006 action, we can probably count on paying another one in 2007. And, finally, get Henry out of the administrative offices! He doesn't do anything but confuse and interfere with their work. It is time for the Lake Forest Board of Directors to quit making excuses and blaming others for their failures. Every single board that has existed in Lake Forest has had to deal with a tight budget. Many of them just did it better than this one.
12/10/2006
The basis of the assessment passed by the board are many. The real issue is that the total revenue of 2006 was equal or less than total revenue from 2002. We all know that costs have gone up on everything. It is true that the actual expenses were over budget significantly this year. Let's take a look at the items that went over. First gasoline costs were up. Yep, that's right. The budget for gas was based on the previous year's expense and costs went up for two reasons. The price and the usage. Second major item was insurance. It is well known that the premium for Property and casualty insurance went up over $ 60,000. Nothing to do about that but pay it. Also, we spent a considerable amount of money continuing to remove dead trees from the golf course. This was an unbudgeted expenditure. The last item I will discuss is chemical and fertilizer costs. These rose due to oil price escalation. We also had to use more to protect the course from weather related damage. In total, these items added up to nearly the total operating overspend. So, you can say that we were mismanaged if you want. The reality is that inflation pressures have impacted our financial condition. The other areas of operations met or remained below budgeted numbers. The items listed as contributing to the assessment include damage to the Yacht Club. In December of 2005, the association paid near $60,000 in bills from Hurricane Katrina impacts to the Yacht Club. A new air conditioning system and other repairs were included. That payment will not show up on the previous boards budget as it was a capital expense. The excess revenues would still be there, but the cash is spent. This board purposely limited capital expenses this past year and still suffered from operational increases. Suffice it to say, the association is cash strapped at this time. All year we heard of the board NOT spending money on maintenance. Now, we hear we spent too much. That whole line is comical. Read the financials and you will see where the money went. There are no secrets there.
Hurricane Katrina
landed on August 29th. The bills were charged to 2005. That should
have nothing to do with this year's income/expense performance.
There has always been weather and our insurance has fluctuated severely
several times due to lawsuits and so on. Yet, all the while the
previous management was able to deal with it. This is not entirely
a Board of Directors problem. It is a management problem and
excuses don't help. By the way, how did the revenue for 2006
compare to 2003, 2004 and 2005?
12/10/2006 Clarification of financial reports
When one address's the spending by management it paints a broad picture of the different department heads being at fault. All and I mean all purchases are first approved by the GM. On several occasions one is over budget because they were told to do something. For instance the board and/or the GM might tell Ernie to buy new lawn furniture for the pools. Well, Ernie does not have the money in his budget. True, Ernie is now over, but it was a direct order. In the past the GM/Board has required things to be done, but have not given the said department the money. So let's make sure we point fingers in the right direction.
Am I interpreting
this one correctly? You are saying that the department managers
are not the problem, but higher ups?
12/10/2006 From a director regarding budget
There has been no consideration of future assessments being levied from the board. The board is studying ways to reduce the operating losses, regain some financial footing, and press forward with a new vision. Several operations will be studied for improvement.
12/10/2006
Boy aren't you impressed with the 2 slates of 5. We should send them a thank you note, for the membership losing privileges and paying more money on everything they could get away with,( and being assessed.)
12/9/2006 Golf Tournament rescheduled
The
golf tournament has been rescheduled for
the 13th.
12/9/2006 Regarding the assessment
'fraid of that, money just to keep up with the maintenance and bills, or what plans do they have for replacing some buildings, etc? just don't see where there is any big money for that,,,,we have that balloon note next year? can be refinanced but rates going up.....
Yes, there is a
balloon note coming up, but there is also a windfall coming too.
The association should be receiving between $80,000 - $90,000 next year
as a buyout settlement from the golf cart lease. This could help
offset the note. Also, assuming no more debt is added, the
association should be just a couple of years away from being debt free.
The cash flow can then be directed to operations. Of course, all
this is assuming that management can operate within the bounds of its
available revenue.
12/9/2006 Reader asks about Special Meeting
What happened at the Thursday night special meeting that was called! Did anyone go and why was it called? Let me guess, a special assessment was found to be eminent? Someone please write in.
There have been
several comments on this, so please allow this writer to just summarize
here. After this contribution came in the writer started making a
few inquiries. The first information was that the board had
authorized a $50 assessment for December, 2006 and an increase of the
tax escrow fee from $2.50 a month to $5.00. This source suggested
that there may be consideration in the works of then charging another
$50 assessment right after the turn of the year for 2007. Then a
discussion followed with one of the directors. He/she said that an
assessment for next year had been approved. He/she said that the
tax escrow fee had been increased to $5.00, but that he/she expected it
to removed once the tax had been paid. It seemed that the director
was not at all happy with the situation. Then a former director
joined in and was absolutely furious. He said that past boards had
worked so hard to put the association on a solid footing and in just
about a year, the new administration has so mismanaged the operation
that we are now in a financial squeeze. He said that if the
members allow this to go on without objection, they deserve what they
get. It is the opinion of this writer that the members will, in
fact, allow this action to go forward. Unfortunately, most of the
membership have shown little interest over the years in their
association, apparently expecting those in charge to take care of
things. This is indicated by the way they vote based on a few
marketing slogans on some signs without really investigating the
information. However, if the problems are really the result more
of mismanagement, than actual external conditions, this writer believes
that we can expect a serious backlash by the membership soon. And,
if the board starts taking actions to reverse the accomplishments of the
previous boards in returning privileges to those who have supported this
association year after year, we can expect that backlash to accelerate.
By that the writer is referring to the basic membership privileges of
free access to pools, tennis courts and discounted golf on the Lake
Nine. Let's hope that the Board of Directors is able to identify
the management problem, if there is one, and take corrective action
soon. At some point, the board will have to forego saving face and
do what is right for Lake Forest. The question now is "What should
we do as members?" We should get involved. We should talk to
our directors and encourage them to find out why, after over a decade of
prosperity, we are suddenly unable to balance a budget. We should
demand that they not just accept superficial explanations, but find out
the facts. We should let them know that they cannot count on the
membership to continue to accept assessments and other charges after
having given them a dues increase not too long ago that should be
covering this. We should attend the meetings and voice our
concerns.
12/9/2006 From a director regarding City of Daphne stream restoration project . . .
For your reader's information: The City of Daphne informed me that they will begin the Lakeview Loop work immediately. Yesterday, they had placed a trackhoe near the area of operations. My guess is that the work at Yancey's is far enough along to remove some equipment and that the other work, which was cited in yesterday's article, is not yet permitted. By the way, a fact that was not reported in the article is that it was Ken Eslava who stopped the contractor's work in the area outside of the city project. He then called the Corps and found out the status. The area is being considered for permit as part of an agreement with ADEM and the Corps and a private entity. What was the headline again? "Feds halt work on new Daphne dredging" That headline is clearly misrepresenting what happened out there. The headline indicates that the work was Daphne's, it was not. It also indicates that it was stopped by the feds, it was not. the work was stopped and the "feds" were notified of it occurring. Now, would you call those "hits" on Daphne? I do. Some even would call it "Yellow Journalism". The headline did more harm to Daphne than you know. It was slanted and defamatory. These are simply my opinions when I hear the facts surrounding the issues. Yours may differ.
This writer knows
nothing more than was reported by the Mobile Register and the above
director.
12/8/2006 Out of Control Water on the Eastern Shore Makes the News Again
There is another
story in today's Baldwin Register on the issue of water problems and
solutions resulting from the development of the Eastern Shore
12/8/2006 Director responds to erosion question . . .
Merely cleaning the streambed will not increase the sediment load. Initially, you will have some from the destabilization, then it will stabilize. Velocity is a function of slope and sectional area. If you increase the channel size or section, the velocity goes down. Therefore, increasing the size of the channel will not make water go faster. The cleaner banks will initially create a lesser roughness, another variable in the equation. The lesser roughness will speed water up. So there are several variables at work. Should I get too technical? I could give you all the formulas and calculate the exact velocity at various flows, if you like. But, to save me from instructing you in open channel flow dynamics, let's just say the streambed work is not a bad thing. If you read the articles, you will note that the argument has been the size of the channel that was made. Also, the vegetation that was removed was aged trees. Those concerns will not be there for the work in our subdivision, in my opinion. Read carefully the articles and you will see that the complaint this time was not even on the city's project. These appear to be "hit pieces" orchestrated by some extremist in the government perhaps. Very slanted and defamatory. Sad, too.
Hit pieces by
extremists? The article quoted two different sources about
the scope of the new work and received two different answers. The
work was ordered to be stopped. It certainly would seem that
something is out of line. It would also seem logical that
obstructions in the channel would slow down the movement of water and
that removing those obstructions would allow the water to move faster.
12/7/2006
Daphne's efforts at flood and erosion control made the Mobile Register
again today. Do you suppose this could delay needed work in
Lake Forest? After reading over the recent comments from the
director about the topic, the question posed previously has still not
been answered. If D'Olive Creek is cleared of debris and the
stream bed widened, the water will move faster and in greater volume
toward the lake carrying more silt with it. On encountering the
lake, that silt will be dropped right there in the lake. So, what
will the association be willing to do then? The work being done
upstream will require additional measures by the association.
Correct me if I am wrong. A barrier,
berm, must be constructed to create
another larger body of water before the main body of water in the lake.
When the fast moving water hits this first body, it will slow down and
the silt will tend to drop to the bottom at that point. That will
help prevent the silt from reaching the lake. In order for any of
this to work, a continuing maintenance program will have to be
implemented to periodically remove the collected silt from that first
basin. The question is this. Is the board willing to commit
to such measures, if the various other entities actually do clear that
stream bed? If it is not, then all this work will do is compound
our problem of the erosion-filled lake.
12/6/2006
I definitely concur on the proxy wording; i.e. it should be clear that the person is voting for how they want the designated member to cast their vote. The yes or no at the top of the proxy is ambiguous as to just what it is you are allowing.
12/6/2006
Seems there's another "retreat" being plotted date being this Saturday the 9th, offsite. Guess the "slate" has already forgotten their "open and honest" communication "promises" of the past 2 elections?
12/6/2006
The important thing about the association elections is to get the members to participate. Whether a ballot is copied or not should not be relevant as long as the signature and validations are proper. It is clear from the way copied ballots were voted in the last election, that every candidate was on the ballot and received votes. How about that! The slate candidates bringing in votes for their opposition. That is true fairness, isn't it? If you want elections similar to public elections, why send proxies at all? Why not only allow votes at the meeting to count, or absentees that they get from the office? That way the voter could be IDed at the voting place. We can save thousands in mailing costs. Is this silly or what?
12/5/2006 From a director . . .
The proposed EWP job the City of Daphne is providing east of the Bayview bridge has a much smaller stream channel proposed. The work will be far less intense and have lesser impacts. This stream area, once part of the Lake Forest Lake, was largely impacted by storms. It has also received sediment for many, many years. The work will not begin to touch the sediments that have accumulated over the years. It will, however, provide a channel in an area that has received sediment and is currently full of vegetation and debris from recent storm events. The LFPOA has given the city permission to do this on its land. Once again, all permits required for this work are in hand (according to the city) and Fish and Wildlife is aware of the project and its scope. This area is quite different from the Yancey's Branch project in nature and in scope. One other note, the Lake Chairman has been in the D'Olive Watershed Task Group meetings since this past February. These projects were discussed by these groups and all in attendance agreed they were needed. This group includes representatives of ADEM, NRCS, ADECA, MB-NEP, the City of Daphne, the City of Spanish Fort, Baldwin County, and the LFPOA. In each discussion, these groups were each aware of and voiced no opposition to these projects occurring. In its last meeting, this group, aware of F&W's concerns, will be asking for their attendance to all future meetings to avoid this type of negative publicity on future projects in the watershed.
12/4/2006
You have an
opportunity to see a wonderful
performance presented by Alabama Contemporary Dance. The
director of the program lives in Lake Forest. My wife and I
attended their last performance and it was excellent. This is a
large PDF file, so if you have a slow connection, it may take a while to
load.
12/4/2006
Did you see the
article in Saturday's paper about the
disaster regarding the streambed restoration project at the Village
Point Park? Daphne's public works personnel and engineering
contractors certainly do not come off looking very well. For one
thing it would appear that Katrina money was used for something that had
nothing to do with the hurricane. What the story does show is that
Lake Forest needs to take responsibility for its own lake and not rely
on the judgment and actions of anyone else. It is OK to make a
cooperative effort with others, but the community needs to retain
control over the final actions impacting the lake. The story that
we have heard is that they want to clear the streambed of D'Olive Creek
in the same way they have done with the one in the story. Here is
the way it works. If this is not correct, any of our Lake
committee may feel free to respond. If they clear the streambed,
the water from upstream will move faster. The silt that it brings
will continue to flow with the fast moving water. When the fast
moving water hits a wider body of water, the lake, it will slow down
suddenly. When it slows down, the silt drops to the bottom.
Where is the silt going to drop? It is going to drop in the lake.
How is our lake problem solved by this?
12/2/2006
If it is an honest attempt to contact them, why not get a proxy from the CH and take them? I receive proxy's on a regular basis for stocks etc and they state copies of the proxy are not allowed. I think it would not hold in court with the copied proxies. However without the copied proxies this year none of the results would have changed.
12/1/2006
A special board
meeting has been called for Thursday December 7th. There is not
explanation of why as yet, but according to the rules there should be an
agenda available in the office by Tuesday.
12/1/2006 From a director . . .
There was a discussion after the meeting with a few members. The ideas espoused in the submission below were discussed at length. The idea that only the proxies distributed by the association could be counted is nothing more than an avenue to lessen member input. This would disenfranchise any member who is personally contacted for participation. The attempt to take away the ability to build consensus of our members and remove the opportunity for grass roots support of candidates or ideas is just plain wrong. If someone has the heart and desire to reach members who would otherwise not participate, and have them vote on copied ballots, what is wrong with that. I would agree that verification by initial of attached pages is a good thing. I also believe that all submissions for by-law changes or covenant amendments should be screened or provide a sufficient member support petition to be allowed on the proxy. Our mailing this year cost at least two thousand dollars more because of the eleven or so changes placed on the ballot. Many had no chance for passing and NONE were submitted or approved by the board. Yet, there was no indication they were not presented by the board. That is the real issue. Election reform need not be complicated. Let us allow for a verification of multi-page ballots by the member and screen amendments or provide for a minimum petition of members for a submission to be considered. These can be done fairly easily and will not prevent so inclined members from canvassing for support. The whole notion that proxies must be mailed or singularly hand delivered is an effort to prevent votes from being garnered by candidates that will work to get elected.
For the most part
this submission makes some reasonable points. I disagree, though,
that the previous contributor wanted to "disenfranchise" anyone.
The individual apparently is either aware of unethical behavior in
previous elections or has reason to be very suspicious. This writer
agrees with the first contributor on this issue. If a member has
the desire to vote, he or she will always be able to do so. If the
campaign worker canvassing for support genuinely creates the desire in
the member to give that support, it is easily done. On the other
hand, it would be more difficult for the campaign worker to pressure
anyone into doing something they were not genuinely committed to do. As
we know, there are some who will sign anything to get you to go away.
Requiring the member use one of the methods suggested in the previous
submission for delivering the proxy, provides him or her with the
perfect out in the face of the overzealous campaigner. A
reasonable person knows this is true. Otherwise, such would be
allowed in other political campaigns. It is not.
As for the issue of qualifying amendments before putting them on the ballot, the director is absolutely right. The members should not have to be subjected to every crank idea that comes down the pike. The Board of Directors has the responsibility to make sure that the members know all sides of any issue. It is within the bounds of the board's authority to create measures to validate amendments to the by-laws like the one suggested by the director. In the view of this writer though, it should not be necessary to provide a support petition. If the idea is a good one, the Board of Directors can put it on the proxy. If the members do not agree, they can vote against it. If the board were to prevent a legitimate issue from coming before the membership, there are other legal mechanisms in place to correct the matter. As for how the mystery and pointless issues made it to the proxy, the director only needs to look at his president. Many of those were reruns from his efforts of the previous year. Much of the junk that passed that proxy this year was totally pointless. A casual glance at the covenants would have shown any intelligent person that the last page of that proxy was wasted. Our by-laws are now more cluttered than ever and the members benefit not at all from most of those changes.