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June 2006 Grapevine |
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6/30/2006 From a director . . . In a recent contribution to the Grapevine that was identified as “From a Director”, Mr. Ed Kirby was severely criticized for not providing information to the Board of Directors as directed by a motion made at the March stated meeting. The minutes of that meeting report the motion by John Peterson in the following manner. Revitalization Plan: John Peterson presented his position that it was necessary to study the country club facility for revitalization. The revitalization should look at the building, adding amenities like a swimming pool and other improvements at the country club. He wanted to start the process of studying the facility and what is needed. Peterson made a motion to direct the Building and Grounds Committee to begin studying the process of funding and planning a revitalization of the country club. The study will include building renovations and adding swimming pool and tennis courts at the central facility. The study will also look at funding provisions for any renovation plan. Mosley seconded the motion. Discussion covered the outlying pools and whether to keep or not keep them. Cocke stated that you couldn’t close any amenity. Peterson stated that the motion did not include studying the closure of any amenity. Robison asked that general members be allowed to serve on the committee. Discussion was closed. Motion carried. Cocke was opposed. That director’s Grapevine submission was very harsh in its indictment of Mr. Kirby stating that he has “done nothing, produced nothing, and discussed nothing.” Several issues should be pointed out about this matter. First, the motion did not originate from the Building & Grounds Committee. No instructions of any kind were provided to the committee about the scope of the proposed revitalization and/or replacement. Furthermore, as reported on the Grapevine, the president has since offered up ideas about abandoning amenities without discussion with the committee, which would have made any efforts to satisfy the motion fruitless. No budget for what would appear to be a very complex and expensive study was offered. And, since the director’s submission was dated June 24th, it has only been three months since the motion was made. During that period neither Mr. Peterson nor anyone else on the board including the president has offered any suggestions as to what their vision is for such a project. And, finally except for publishing the criticism on the Grapevine, Mr. Peterson has made no attempt to discuss the matter at all with Mr. Kirby. Since we are in the “indicting directors for not reporting results on motions made by the board” mode, let us take a look at a couple of other examples. In the minutes of the January meeting of a couple of months earlier, the following motion is reported. “Mosley made a motion to establish an Ad Hoc Committee to study underground utilities within the subdivision. The committee would be Joe Mosley and John Peterson. Second by Gerald Barrow. Cocke wanted to include that the LFPOA would bear no cost to move the utilities to underground. No further discussion. Motion carried” As of this date Mr. Peterson has “done nothing, produced nothing, and discussed nothing” on the motion as directed by the Board of Directors. That same month according to the minutes “Ed Kirby handed out a drawing for a new bathroom facility at the Swim and Racquet Club and discussed the removal of portions of the existing buildings. Cocke suggested getting quotes and prices. Peterson suggested that the board establish a vision for each amenity before committing funds to any improvements there. Moss stated that the situation at the Swim and Racquet Club had problems with access to the rest rooms and needed a look. Kirby stated that he wanted to study the idea and come back with real numbers. Lawson agreed that the underground restrooms are a problem of concern. Motion was to study the new rest room building at the Swim and Racquet Club and determine costs associated with it. Motion was approved.” After that motion was passed, the decision was made not to pursue the matter because the Board did not want to remodel those restrooms if they were going to be moving the pool to the Country Club soon. However, at this point there has been no study completed to determine the cost or financing options of such a project. Mr. Kirby was severely criticized for not completing a study of a vision that the board seems unable or unwilling to define. 6/30/2006 I think Henry is not able to say the words "destroy,tear down"; he says "abandon" to avoid the facts, a terribly immature thing to do. He truly means "destroy" and having a hard time saying that word....destroying the CC without a plan to rebuild something smaller and adequate is ridiculous. You must have a plan and work the plan, Henry! Every successful person in this world would agree with that...and we do rent out those rooms for lots of parties, of course the YC is rented the most! Let's see that calendar for 2005. How much revenue did we take in and how many expenses did we pay out to repair the damages? Some of those parties get pretty rough, ask the staff. If we build let's not plan to rent anything but the YC. I love the cedar building which was 'state of the art' at the time of its construction, needs some work? you bet....caterers consider the kitchen obsolete and filthy....they often bring the meals completed to avoid cooking anything there,,,,they do use the ovens however! That kitchen needs replacing and that would be expensive! Trailers would be a big expense insurancewise, not reliable in high winds, and boy, are we promised high winds continuing in the future or what? 6/30/2006 From a director . . AN OTHER PERSPECTIVE To whoever, I spend more money in Lake Forest playing golf and going to the Bay View and eating at the Yacht Club than you have ever spent or will ever spend. If you cannot identify yourself then I am of the opinion that you hold a minority position. Why do you not ask the people that actually use the facilities what they want. I also do not see most of the Board Members at any of our facilities. Maybe all of them are non smokers as you. They have all ready outlawed smoking outdoors at the pools and the tennis facilities, when there was not even a complaint. And One board Member told me if he had his way he would outlaw smoking on all our property except the golf course, even in the parking lots. Did I miss quote you John. .Brice Cocke Board Member 6/30/0006 From a director . . . There was a time when you could have considered me a "swim parent", but no longer. In fact, my son holds three Swimmer of the Year titles from the GMSDL while he swam for the Lake Forest Swim Team. He doesn't do that now as other interests, baseball particularly, have taken his time. Now, I want you and your readers to hear this. It is time for our community to plan itself for the future. There are many factors that will determine the future of the LFPOA. Can we sustain the current facilities indefinitely on our current dues? Remember we just took a $60,000 increase in insurance this year. What will happen in years to come? The utilities for the country club are nearing $70,000 per year. Do we think this will stay at that level? The yacht club is not far from that figure. Sooner or later, the lack of real revenues will begin to show up. It is time to plan for ways to earn additional revenue or reduce expenses. There are ways and avenues available. We need to find them. A couple ideas that might work are to : provide boat, camper and trailer storage at a property for our members. This is a recurring revenue stream. I have mentioned using the area around the swim and racquet for this. We could earn 20 to 30K a year with a little capital investment. Granted there are zoning and other considerations, but it would be a worthwhile study. to increase the waterfront dry storage fees. These are currently really low for this convenience. to sell more food and beverage. Get more people to enjoy the facilities, maybe by combining amenities close to the operation area. Maybe by upgrading the atmosphere and menus at the Yacht Club. Promote membership in the community for non voting memberships. These members would up the usage, it is thought. Do better at collections. we currently have 200K or more in owed dues. And for reducing expenses, here are a couple: Do away with lifeguards at the pools. This is a pretty good expense each year. Is it necessary? If you go around to other communities, very few, if any, provide them. look for ways to reduce energy consumption. Load management systems, alternative sources or similar programs. Our power consumption is 12 to 13% of our dues revenue. reducing the workforce??? Seems we are at bare bones already there. Probably not a doable option. Anyway, those are a few thoughts that come to mind. We all need to recognize that the current dues structure will not perpetually maintain our facilities. Also, the debt limit will severely hamper any major renovation or reconstruction. The last two years we have had to address uninsured losses at the Yacht Club. Those could continue with climate changes we see. There are some very serious issues that will begin to show up. The patching and plugging will eventually give way to renovation requirements. Where will that money come from? As we use more and more of our dues to simply maintain everything, what reserves can you build? What real capital can you accumulate. The gap in revenue and expenses will continue to close if we maintain our system as it is. Considerable studying needs to begin NOW! That is my opinion on this.
Regarding some of the issues raised by the director, these are matters worth considering. Perhaps some of his ideas are not a good fit for Lake Forest. Perhaps some of them are, but the issue of rising costs and fixed revenues has been one that boards have wrestled with for decades. As always, the association is not on the brink of anything, but the problems will not go away. 6/30/2006 This slate of five, are power mongrels. They have totally abdicated their responsibility to the members by giving the GM position to one of their own. Charges should be brought upon those who voted for her. A better choice than her would have been one of the women in the office who have been helping to manage the club. Let's just see if they don't have to train her. A part time bookkeeper, office assistant, and telephone receptionist does not a manager of a club make. As far as someone writing about her having better relations with the staff, isn't she the one I read about who demanded to go into the kitchen at the yacht club when she was just a board member? I think they told her it was against health rules and they were very busy. That one incident alone would be enough for her never to be considered, even if she did have any experience as the manager of a country club of the proportions of ours! Now the click are complaining about independent board members as if they are trying to replace them. It's scary. Didn't they get rid of the lawyer also and replace him with one of theirs, true or false? 6/29/2006 I happened to notice quite a bit of activity at the racquet club pool--swim meet today??? I was wondering how much revenue the association makes from this event. I would also like to know what the cost is to the parents of the children that do not live in our community?? After all, pool maintenance is not cheap and the residents do pay every month to use these facilities and those that do not live here should pay for the privilege too !! 6/29/2006 From a director . . . Since you have claimed that the aquatics center being at the new facility is my bone, I feel it necessary to offer my thoughts. To place a pool facility at the country club is something that I would like to see. However, the program will have to be more detailed than it is today. Do we actually need to maintain 20+ thousand square feet of space for the few meetings or events held there? I notice you failed to show the pictures that offer the view of the employees there each day. I did not see the stained ceiling tiles, holes in the floor, or vacant space that is being heated and cooled each day. Digging further you might want to show the termite damage or accessibility limitations. Changes absolutely need to be made. Whether the abandonment philosophy is right or not is up to discussion. My thoughts are to consider consolidating operations into the area from the glass hallway toward the 19th hole. Building needed offices where the pro shop is and reducing the area of the pro shop. The cart area is beneath this and would not be affected. As for events, they could be held at the Yacht Club until meeting rooms and offices are reconstructed. The 19th hole becomes the bar/grill service area. Doing something along those lines would be a consideration as well. Let's all begin to consider many options available.
The issues here really seem to be ones of “want” versus “need”. The director is well known as a swim team parent and has made it clear that he wants a new pool. We have three. It does not appear that we need four. Henry obviously wants to build a new Country Club. He has been setting it up all year with his sad reports on the existing facility; reports that should be viewed with a suspicious eye. We have a handful of members who would like to have a new club. Let us be clear. It is a handful of members. There is no groundswell of enthusiasm from the Lake Forest membership. In fact, over the years, this writer has often heard remarks from members and visitors alike about how beautiful the existing club is. And, if truth be known, he also thinks it is a very architecturally pleasing building. Check the Country Club Photo Album yourself. The problems mentioned in the above contribution are trivial. Termites attack buildings. This one has been attacked over the years. The association has had the facilities inspected frequently and the damage has been repaired. There is nothing particularly special about that. The handicap access issue can be resolved with one of those new fangled devices called an elevator. And, it can be done much cheaper than building a new Country Club. As to the “few meetings or events held there”, it might be interesting to see the calendar of the Country Club for 2005. Readers might be surprised at just how many meetings, parties, rehearsals, wedding receptions and so on take place there during the course of a year. Our members enjoy the Country Club. This building is not some cheap stick-built thing. Its underlying structure is substantial steel. In fact, it would cost a fortune just to tear it down. If it really needs anything, it would be some remodeling; something that can also be done much cheaper that replacing the building. Just yesterday a member remarked that “all they need to do is update the fixtures and furnishings. It is still a pretty building.” Don’t take our word for it. Go by the club and see what you think it would take to spruce the place up. You will probably say “peanuts”, especially if you consider what the cost of replacement would be. Lake Forest administration and boards over the last several years have been working to control the debt of the association. We have a balloon in 2007 of around $250,000, which is the last of our long term debt. That can easily be paid off out of cash flow in just a couple of years. In other words, your association is in a wonderful financial position in terms of the debt/asset ratio. Our income/expense ratio could be improved although, if we do not make necessary repairs to the facility, even that will look better in 2006. The Country Club is not going to fall down today. It will still be going strong five, ten or twenty years from now and longer if it is cared for. Why rush? Why not pay off that debt and then start accumulating a fund for future grand plans? How about actually doing some real planning? Why not create services that excite our members and make them want to patronize the place. We have time. This board successfully orchestrated a coup last year and took over. Do they really want to now be known as the bunch that sent Lake Forest down the tubes? Maybe they should talk to some of those involved in the infamous dredging operation at the Yacht Club years ago. How tired do you think they get of hearing how they totally screwed that up and added a million dollars worth of debt to the association? What does it appear that the current Board of Directors is doing? We have heard repeated complaints here on the Grapevine of cedar shingles and ceiling tiles not being replaced. We have heard the president and the above director suggest in so many words that facilities have not been repaired because they may be replaced. It looks like they are programming the facilities for failure. It would seem that the board is failing in its responsibility to maintain our facilities. If your Country Club and Yacht Club are not properly maintained, they will fail. But, don’t let anyone tell you that it has to happen. It does not. 6/29/2006 Henry Lawson, self proclaimed visionary, has finally lost it. Tear down the country club and replace it with trailers?? Without membership approval. Without approved funding. Without a plan of the replacement facility? What's the vision then? There is no vision, there's just destruction. How irresponsible! The idea of renovating the country club is not necessarily a bad one. People have talked about it for years. Although it has been regularly maintained over the past 3 decades, it could use some updating. How about hardwood floors throughout, new design and furnishings in the Bay View Lounge, replace the drop tile ceiling in the 19th Hole...you get the picture. But tear down the whole building? Would you tear down your house because it needs new wallpaper? It's crazy. Not visionary. CRAZY. Isn't this enough Lake Forest? It's time to put Henry out of our misery. Get rid of him at the next Annual Meeting. Let's elect some directors with education and experience befitting the position.
6/28/2006 Reality is setting in
6/28/2006
6/28/2006
6/28/2006 Director responds to confusion yesterday over GM candidate resumes' I beg to differ, Mitch. I was handed a stack of resumes that were received. I reviewed each one myself. Whether they were the same ones you guys looked at, I do not know. But of the ones I saw from a regional search advertisement, only three or four were qualified. I was a part of the search committee at the time. Granted, the original search could have received more and better resumes that I wasn't provided. But a selection from those was never made and it had been quite some time since their receipt. Your board could have made a selection at that time if you were so enamored with the resumes. What kept you guys from moving ahead?
6/28/2006 Ah, Yes. Toni Fassbender. The Slate of Five fails again. She has no experience whatsoever for this position and it is so obvious that the Slate of Five can see nothing outside of their own group. Look out Lake Forest. 6/27/2006 In response to the writer declaring that "Hiring Toni Fassbender to be the GM is nothing short of negligence by the Board. The resumes of qualified country club managers flooded in nationwide when the search was posted. Were any candidates ever even interviewed? I don't think so." There are two or three factual points that need to be brought out. First, the resumes received in response to the nationwide search were thoroughly reviewed at least twice. To think that we were "flooded" with "qualified country club managers" is just wrong. Of the many resumes received, I know of four that actually had similar management experience, one being Mrs. Fassbender. The board held multiple interviews and actually offered the position to someone else, who refused it. To continue without a GM, particularly with Steve resigning from being the interim GM, would have been negligent. Mrs. Fassbender's experience is significant. With the support and help from Steve and the other hard working employees, I expect improvement in morale and service. I also expect to see the golf shop begin returning to its previously well-managed state. (Not that it is bad now) While Steve was busy being interim GM, he could not devote adequate time to the golf shop. Though Steve put in enormous hours and effort, two jobs was just too much. One or both areas suffered at times. We should all be thankful for Steve's efforts in holding the place together in this period. I know that I am.
6/26/2006 Hiring Toni Fassbender to be the GM is nothing short of negligence by the Board. The resumes of qualified country club managers flooded in nationwide when the search was posted. Were any candidates ever even interviewed? I don't think so. There's no denying that she is not qualified for the job. Her resume proves that point. I think this Board has made a gigantic error in judgment. It would be a joke if they weren't playing with everyone else's money. This has got to be the worst move made by a Board in I don't know how long. Isn't it bad enough that being on the Board requires no professional or educational qualifications ? Do we really want the same of our General Manager? 6/25/2006 Some of the comments recently about the new general manager may have merit, but it was the ethical issue that bothered me the most. 6/25/2006 Boy weren't the comments made by the director on 6/24 a perfect presentation of bad character, ranging from comical ravings to belittling of a fellow board member. My suggestion to this board of director is if he takes any exception to what he reads on the grapevine, maybe he shouldn't visit the site or read it.
6/24/2006
6/24/2006 From a director . . . Listening to the ravings about tearing something down is quite comical. One needs to understand that there has been no presentation to this board about tearing a building down. There has been no planned renovation of any building. There has been no study of how such a thing could be accomplished. If your contributors would care to look at the minutes of the previous meetings, they would find that the board voted to begin studying the revitalization of the country club. This was left in Ed Kirby's hands as Building and Grounds Chairman. To date, Ed Kirby has done nothing, produced nothing, and discussed nothing about revitalization. I wondered when we left it in his hands whether he would do what the board had asked. He has not. It is time for us to study a revitalization and what it would take. The motion was clear that the study would include a renovation or replacement analysis, bringing amenities to the country club, and funding mechanisms available. That motion was made by me to stop the kind of issues I am seeing here. A proper study of whether the renovation or replacement of the clubhouse is a viable option has to be done. It appears that Mr. Kirby is unwittingly creating this to be an issue of people trying to "force an option" on our members. The board has clearly asked for guidance from the Building and Grounds Chair. He has failed to perform what was asked. The board is now asking questions that he should be studying and knowing the answers to. If a study is done that says that replacement is not a feasible option..which board member would vote to go ahead? If a study is done that says a major renovation is not a feasible option..which board member would forge ahead? The fact is that Mr. Kirby could have ended this discussion by actually doing his job as Building and Grounds Chairman. So, let's put the blame where it lies, my friends. The facts show that Mr. Kirby has failed to deliver on this issue. Is it time to replace him? Maybe your readers should be contacting him on his study. When that was approved, he talked of getting members to assist. Why don't they offer? Do the study yourselves. I, personally, have asked the President about this study many times. I have requested he direct it to be started and a report given. Maybe the board needs a consultant to do this? I can assure you this. No renovation or replacement will begin without an open meeting of the members, perhaps a special meeting of the membership to gain insight into their feelings. The board should present a plan to the membership for a "referendum" on the issue. That has been my feeling all along. Let the community decide, not the proponents or opponents, but all of us.
6/24/2006 For your readers "additional" information: Kenneth Eggers was a one man maintenance staff until just recently. The cook has been hired to help him and now a young man part time. Kenneth is required to do everyday maintenance as well as all projects of the entire facility inclusive of all the facilities along with fountains and parking lots and everything else that no one thinks or knows about. He also has to do the runs to get liquor, paint walls, unstop toilets, and anything else someone else can’t or doesn’t to do. He has been called almost daily since the new alarm system has gone in because the bugs haven’t been worked out. He has gone to the clubs to set the alarms after 11:00 PM and returned to check the alarms at 2:00 AM.! He paints the lines on the parking lots. He lights the parking lots. He maintains the fountains and fights the algae and the pranksters in the hot summer months. He pulls golf carts out of ponds. He paints the pools. He checks air conditioners at all hours of the day and night (and mostly finds out the problem is that someone keeps moving the thermostat and freezing up the brand new units). He keeps housekeeping running, in addition to remodeling bathrooms and other areas of the buildings. He builds piers and docks. He carries tables back and forth to the country club and yacht club. He sets up for meetings and tears down after meetings. He does most electrical and plumbing and carpentry and roofing and welding and other work and only contracts it out if he absolutely has to. He saves the members money and works hard to maintain their facility. He doesn't eat lunch most days and is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He is called, radioed, and approached anywhere he is from church to ballgames and anywhere in between to discuss work issues and has spent too many “off” days working. He takes no vacation and rarely calls in sick. When he fell through a roof, which he was repairing and cracked his ribs, he took one and a half days off work. There is only so much one man (or now even three) can do or be expected to do. The "director" speaks of his lack of doing what he/she wants done. What that same director doesn't say is that Kenneth has to do all the other things that all the other directors, general manager, staff members, and/or members wants him to do. If the pools are getting too much attention, please note that Kenneth didn’t wake up one morning and decide he would take care of them and do nothing else. He is an employee and does what he is told. In my humble opinion (and everyone has one and apparently gets to have them known) the director who submitted this obviously chose to make public an issue that he/she wants to get attention instead of addressing the issue with the other board members and seeking a solution. The adage, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” comes to mind. As you might imagine……… this WAS NOT submitted by a director. FYI, Kenneth Eggers did not have anything to do with or even know about this submission. 6/23/2006 From a Director . . Our understanding is that Mrs. Fassbender will be beginning on July 10th. I agree that we should all let her work speak for itself. It will be a trying transition and we should help out in any way possible. 6/23/2006 It is all well and good to say that everyone should give the lady a chance. But the breach of ethics is a little hard to ignore. She uses her position on the board to give herself a job that apparently she was not qualified to hold less than a year ago. Also, apparently the group on the board, who seems to run as a team, has given the position to one of their own. Nothing about this is right! The board members were elected to represent the members, be impartial and select the best candidate for the general manager position, NEVER to take the one high paying and all controlling job for one of their own! This kind of unethical conduct would never be tolerated in any public job. Lake Forest may be a private organization, but it does operate like of a public one. To use one’s position on the board to take the big buck job in Lake Forest for oneself is totally unethical!!! Now she will be a puppet for this slate of five to do whatever they want. Next, look for more articles about the country club falling down in order for them to build a case to squander our money on a big golf facility with a pool or pools. Who would knock down their house because it is not state of the art or brand new? Yet, they are willing to do this with our money. Now there won’t be an experienced general manager in place to advise them. This group must be stopped. 6/23/2006 Fassbender's acceptance is truly a planned move. Is Ms. Fassbender merely a puppet for the slate of 4 or more? Will Henry and crew get all their wishes without any form of democratic process within the board? Does Ms. Fassbender realize that the slate now has a fall guy or lady in this case? We all have seen the tendency to pass the buck when things aren't just right, so now, how will the staff be effected by Ms. Fassbender being hired? I think we will have more turn over than McDonalds. Now that this piece of their sick puzzle is in place, rumor has it that the slate of 4 or more is working on new board members, that's right, the upcoming new board members are being discussed. Please understand I have nothing against Ms. Fassbender, but we all know that Lake Forest needs someone more qualified. I wonder what choices of board members we are going to have in the future? 6/23/2006 Was Toni Fassbender associated with Bob Underwood and his underlings in any way during Bob's infamous years? I worry that Bob will be an influence in her managerial job. You better believe he can tell her how to run Lake Forest. I understand she is a spender, then we are in for some broke years! People's opinion of her is that she has delusions of grandeur....watch the treasury and hang onto your property, something's gonna come up sold/leased/moved and/or newly built! 6/23/2006 Did Mrs. Fassbender cast a vote for herself????
6/22/2006 I just got the inside scoop on Fassbender. She has accepted the G.M. job offered by the slate of 5(4?). Toni should be making quite a bit more than her secretary job at the car dealership taking phone calls for the boss. I guess she must resign her board seat?? This is silly! We need a professional G.M., that has a track record with an association similar to ours. What are they thinking????? Can we see her credentials? It's our money she is playing with!!
6/21/2006
6/21/2006
6/21/2006 From a director . . . The new photos in the lake photo journal are something that was reported to Steve Jernudd and the maintenance staff a couple of weeks ago. The purpose of the contact was to encourage the maintenance manager to go ahead and get prices on the structure top and railing that was designed and planned months ago. The board has waited this time for staff to get prices from vendors to install a new spillway cover. Unfortunately, Kenneth Eggers has been steadily working on pools and other items. We do anticipate the pricing to be ready for the next board meeting in July. With board approval, a repaired spillway will pr event the carts and things from being thrown into the structure. The lake chairman has also encouraged Kenneth and his staff to clean debris monthly from the trash screens. This repair and maintenance work is long overdue. I cannot understand the lack of concern and maintenance that has gotten it to this point. The goals are pretty simple for us, now. Repair the spillway to prevent accidents and vandalism. Provide regular cleaning of the screens. Be available to lower the lake level at the request of Daphne's Emergency Management Director. Those are the goals for the spillway side of the lake. For the inflow sides, D'Olive Creek and Tiawassee Creek are being studied for water quality including the sediment loads. When quantified, the sediment traps and removal requirements can be planned and implemented. At that point, the LFPOA will have to budget funds for sediment removal each year to have a "No net loss" policy on the lake. We will need to remove the same amount that comes in. Unfortunately, this program is dependant on studies by the government. In time, we should have a clear picture of what it takes to keep the lake from losing additional ground to silting in. Again, an approach that is long overdue. What is hoped for in the future is funding of actual silt removal. When that occurs is anyone's guess. Until then, do your part to help keep the lake clean. We are thinking of organizing a "Clean the Lake" day. Ideally, we would drop the lake level and groups would patrol the lake for trash and garbage. The shores would get cleaned and all sorts of debris removed. I wonder if we could get the "Coastal Cleanup" group to include us. I am pretty sure there would be volunteers to help out as always. 6/21/2006 Just heard that Toni Fassbender has been appointed GM. Hummm. GM and a member of the Board of Directors. How about that for nepotism. Looks like she just voted herself a nice salary - would like to know how her credentials make her better than the other candidates. Exactly what kind of experience has she had at managing this type of facility? Surely there were others with better credentials. Sounds like hard times are ahead for Lake Forest - I just hope she doesn't cost the Association too much money by her lack of experience. Looks like the Slate of Five cannot see anything outside of their own circle
6/21/2006 Suggest the name "Sounds of the Grapevine" be renamed to" Sounds of Sour Grapes" .
6/17/2006
6/17/2006
6/17/2006
First..... It seems that our president is suggesting to tear down the country club. While walking out of the meeting as we were walking to the car and the president suggested that the solution for the country club would be to tear it down and build a new one. Our acting GM also said that they did not consider repairing any of the tennis courts, since they will probably be moved and it would not be a good investment. It was suggested why move the courts, just build a new country club at the tennis courts. The answer was not enough land. I didn't think we were going to build a castle and the swimming pool would not have to be built. Second..... The pools are an ongoing maintenance project that requires attention yearly. The tennis courts need to be taken care of way beyond applying more rubico and the hard courts need to be resurfaced. The C.C. building needs to have repairs to the outside and stain applied. The water leaks are repaired. Why can't new ceiling tiles replace the stained ones or unsafe railings fixed? Lawson says, "tear it down"! Mr. Green, Mr. Prosch & Mr. Cocke have done the work at the spillway for free! Mr. Davidson started and worked on the medians without board help! WORK????
The following link is one person's (the Webmaster) opinion, so some of you should be prepared to grit your teeth. 6/17/2006
I get so angry at the folks who think that
nothing gets done in Lake Forest. The board may or may not be doing all
it can or should….but I know that the staff is working their best to
keep the place running. I
6/17/2006
6/17/2006 We planted some tomato plants this year and while out gathering the fruits of our labor yesterday, I found this most unusual tomato which I have included pictures of. Thought this might be something interesting for the Lake Forest Newsletter. 6/16/2006
6/16/2006 Well, Well, Well, The new thing is Toni Fasbender for GM. Henry and Jim are pushing this hard. Can you say conflict of interest. First, she sat in on all interviews, secondly she is one of the directors. I would equate this to nepotism. Hypothetically, she gets the job, resigns from the board and my money says DuBose takes her place, and to think they thought it was unethical that the past president's son was an employee of the club as a life guard. How things change when one comes into power. What does Toni know about, golf, food and beverage, catering, etc? Rumor has it Steve has to do her committee reports as it is. She has also been known to say that she does all the work at the car lot now because she can not trust anyone. A good manager should be able to find people to trust to do the work and then oversee it. The slate has been in power for 8 months and the best G.M. candidate they currently have is one of their own. By the way will she get to ask herself questions at the interview, and will she get a vote? The ship is starting to sink, and before long the rats will start jumping.
Last year, when the search committee was going over candidate resumes, we took a vote on each one. When Toni's resume' came up, the vote was a unanimous no. This was not a personal statement about the lady. It was just that her experience and credentials did not stack up with the others. One correction, though, is that Henry abstained. Of course we know an abstention is a No vote. Actually, the former president's son worked at the tennis courts as one of the assistants to the tennis pro. He was the third child in the family to work at the courts going all the way back to Sarah, long before the former prez ever became involved with the board. It's the current director, Moseley, whose daughter works as a lifeguard at the pools. We understand that she is a very nice young lady and a very good lifeguard. Of course both of these board members needed a truck to bring home all the loot that their kids brought in from those high profile jobs. ;) 6/16/2006 For the contributor's information the budget for maintenance has been carried over from previous years. Also, the pools have received capital investment of over $30,000. They look as good as ever. I do not know what is not getting attention. Perhaps a specific complaint should be made. If someone knows of an area that needs attention, please let the board know at the official website. I know this, the lake has had maintenance attention that was sorely lacking; the pools have had new filters and pumps installed and paint on many decks; the deck at the yacht club has received work as well as the docks; the golf course maintenance barn is actually getting cleaned up from its junkyard appearance from years of neglect; the tennis courts are receiving treatment with rubico purchases and replacement; and the country club has had some remedial work done as well. All this was done this year, under this board. This does not even talk about the volunteer work done at the Swim and Racquet Club in planting shrubs and trees there. Nor have we discussed the median improvements done by volunteers. Are there areas that need further attention? Absolutely! With aging facultities and limited funds, the process of deciding priorities is difficult. Each board member has his/her own view. Some wanted a new bathhouse at the Swim and Racquet(Lawson, Kirby) that did not happen. Some want the docks repaired (Fassbender, Cocke) That did not happen. Others want the lake dredged (Peterson, Cocke, Mosley) that didn't happen. The fact is that maintenance is always ongoing. To suggest that it isn't happening comes from either an uninformed person, or one who is attempting to deceive others. I happen to believe that this one is uninformed. Perhaps they should ask about maintenance that is ongoing. You know, the board is not going to spout off about things that should be done as if they have accomplished anything. The accomplishments, when they are above and beyond what is expected, will be talked about. For now, what is required and expected is being done. What this board needs to do is get together on additional projects are special projects and move forward. My own thoughts are to get professional advice on a major renovation at the Yacht Club. I am talking about from exterior to interior, kitchen to deck, and even landscaping. We should capitalize on the property and renew it, restore it, and upgrade it in ways that will invite our members there to enjoy it. BY doing so, set a new standard of quality for our facilities. In my coming years, I am hopeful to see many amentities broght up to par with Rock Creek or other similar properties. Why not?
6/15/2006
From a member . . . I am very sorry to hear about the M.Dubose coup over R. Davidson at the "only positive spoken here" improvement (let's bash the old board) committee meeting. I would also like to comment on the board meetings. The attendees are very rude. Every time someone speaks, who is not an official "slate of 5 club member", they cackle and chuckle like a bunch of chickens !! It is very disrespectful, since we all own a piece of the pie in Lake Forest and deserve to have our views acknowledged too ! After all, it's our money they are spending in "secret meetings and deals" that we can't hear! Please, remember the annual meeting is approaching and some board seats are up for election. Don't allow this group to control our money and neglect the maintenance of our assoc. owned properties. They are NOT taking care of anything with hopes of building a new C.C. for the 15-20 that use the present C.C. (that they are neglecting on purpose to justify it's replacement). THEY'VE DONE WHAT ??????? From a Director . . . The evil slate of five has reared its ugly head again. This time they are called to the carpet for recognizing those who work to improve our neighborhood. Thanking people for their efforts is being misconstrued as taking credit for it. The idea that these volunteers deserve thanks and recognition for their efforts is a good one. The reception did not mention the slate of five as a group, but several were mentioned for having agreed to adopt a median. The contributor goes on to cite a lack of accomplishments for the slate of five and the current board. Let me say this. For a board with no GM on staff to assist, they have managed to get a few things done. There are still problems, sure, but where do you start? Look at the lake. The spillway was cleaned very well and the gate closed and secured. This was done with volunteers and our paid forces working together. It should also be noted that Brice Cocke, from the old board, and myself, a slate of five member, have worked closely to get things done on that end. His work is appreciated by me. More things are being done that will not be seen. Finances and business practices are improving and the board is continually watching these and making recommendations to Steve Jernudd on areas of improvements. A big issue at this time is lien releases. The practice has been that the general manager could decide the conditions of lien releases without any board action or approval. This area is under review. Should we allow the general manager to forgive debt on properties owed to the LFPOA at his whim? This debt is secured and, in general, is superior to a mortgage in terms of obligations. Why does the LFPOA practice granting releases without full payment? How much have we "settled on" over the years? Is this a good practice? We are currently looking at a strict policy on lien releases and absolutely no settlements for less than full payment without board action. I would like some comments on the past practice and the direction we head. I think it is important for membership to know the responsibilities of owning in Lake Forest. As I told the rest of the board..."I pay, you pay, everyone should pay". We do, however, recognize that there are instances when payments may not be made. Those instances should be fewer than we have. Do you realize that over the past three years we have released hundreds of liens? How many were for full payment? How many for less than full? What circumstances existed that would make the GM give up on a lien and allow the property to sell without payment or some partial payment? Why would a GM want that responsibility? Interesting, some say that is micro-managing. I think it is exercising responsibility to our members. That is what the slate of five was about. I recognize that duty and will carry it out.
6/14/2006 Concerning the Adopt A median recognition event, I was invited and chose not to attend. The reason being I adopted medians because they needed to be cleaned, not for the recognition. As for Jim Moss saying that Henry Lawson started this program, that is just another lie. When the improvement committee started, Henry was over it. He explained that this was to be run by members and not the board. A motion was made from the floor to elect Roger Davidson as head of it. Henry vetoed it by saying we didn't need anyone in that position. Now we have Jim Moss doing it. That was the first slap in the face to Roger. Now we have Mike Dubose taking over the medians. Another slap in the face to Roger. For those of you who may not know, Roger came up with the idea and implemented it. He has spent many hours on the phone getting people to adopt a mediun. He used his own truck, trailer, gas and muscle to get this accomplished. I would like to extend a big thank you to Roger for all he has done. I want him to know that some of us appreciate all of his hard work. Shame on this board for once again taking credit for something they had nothing to do with. It seems to me that if you are not on the "slate of five" or one of the few who screamed the loudest to get them elected, your ideas will either be ignored or stolen. Also, I believe that if this "slate of five" could get past their preconceived notions / problems about the previous board, maybe they could make better use of their time spent on the board by coming up with some of their own ideas of how to make improvements here in Lake Forest. Rather than repeatedly taking credit from others. This does not mean "building a new country club" which would likely have no affect on gaining more usage. 6/14/2006
6/13/2006
6/12/2006 The Adopt A Median recognition program today was interesting. Apparently, the board has decided that Dubose would be running it. What happened to Roger Davidson? Moss, who seemed to be having a real good time, said that Henry had started that program. I thought that was Davidson, too.
6/11/2006
6/10/2006
How about this item to chew on? The by-laws the Lake Forest Property Owners Association state that those very by-laws may be changed by a vote of the membership at the annual meeting. However, they do not say that the membership must be notified about such a change in advance. Therefore, a small group is presently able to make a motion from the floor of the meeting and cause the by-laws to be changed, even when the majority of the membership is not even aware of it. Granted, an outrageous action at the annual meeting would be challenged in court and the wording of the by-laws is a little ambiguous when it comes to this. Therefore, it would probably be possible for the property owners to overturn such an action. Still there is a risk, since the reaction would require a pretty organized effort. What would you think of an amendment to the by-laws that modifies that section by stating that the by-laws may only be changed at the annual meeting, if the change has been submitted to the entire membership at least 30 days before the meeting? In other words, all changes must be included on the proxy along with the list of candidates for the Board of Directors. If such an amendment were considered, it should be presented to the membership on the proxy for the annual meeting. Would such an amendment prevent a small group from forcing their will on the entire membership? Not necessarily, since the developer holds over thirteen hundred votes. All that group would need to do is convince the developer to vote their way. A case in point is the dues increase of several years ago. The Board of Directors suggested to the developer that the maintenance fees that had not changed in two decades needed to be adjusted. We were able to gain the developers support and implement a very small increase that allowed us to stop the annual assessment that had been charged every year. In actual out of pocket expense, the members were affected very little, since the increase was not much more than the assessment had been. However, even in a case like that the property owners have more votes. Unfortunately, there is so much apathy in Lake Forest that we have rarely, if ever, been able to get that many members to vote. A few years ago, the original developer gave up their right to vote for members of the board in return for some changes to their contract that allowed them to sell their holdings much more easily. The supporters of that deal made much of the limit on the developer's right to vote. However, it really did little for the property owners since the real power is in the right of the developer to vote on the by-laws. The developer made it a point to retain that privilege and with very good reason. So far, the new developer has chosen not to become involved in any controversial issues. Furthermore, one would assume that a developer concerned with preserving the value of its investment would not do something stupid. Still, let us all hope that the Friday Construction is very successful in Lake Forest. We don't want this giant to become stirred up. 6/9/2006
6/9/2006
6/8/2006
6/8/2006 Russell Block has withdrawn his name from the GM position. So, I guess we are back to square one. I also know that there was someone feeding Russell info on the board and this influenced his decision.
6/6/2006
6/4/2006
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This is one of the
wonderful things about Lake Forest. Because our community provides
these great amenities, the director's son has been able to distinguish
himself in the swim competition. Since ours is a tennis family,
several of my children excelled on the tennis courts with two of them
earning college scholarships in tennis.