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| July 2006 Grapevine Archive |
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7/31/2006
7/29/2006 7/29/2006 The presumption on reading the feedback from the contributor is simply that the person chose to chastise the contributor for considering doing something to that building and that this discussion was born of some contrived initiative without a reason. There was no comment on the concept of improving the area, unless you consider hiding it an improvement. The rudeness is to belittle the efforts to get input and even advice for your readership. Now, about the appearance. Within one month of being on the board, I voiced my displeasure about the appearance. Some efforts have been made and it is improving. Then you want to speak about "giving something to the members" and use of the facilities. Let's be real. Sure there are functions at all the facilities. But, to what level? I will give you an example. The total food and beverage revenue for the LFPOA is around $250,000.00. That includes the Yacht Club, Country Club, 19th hole, and Bayview. Heron Lakes Country Club enjoys 6 times that revenue with only a dining room and grill and 855 members. What is the difference? Do they lose money on Food and Beverage every year? Two things. One, they hold frequent member gatherings where meals are served and enjoyed. They have holiday functions like Easter and Mother's Day events. When asked if we could do a Mother's Day event, one board member was told that we couldn't ask our employees to work on Mother's Day. Are you kidding me? I should note that each member there has a $25 a month food and beverage requirement. That kind of forces them to show up for a meal. I don't think Lake Forest will ever see that "encouragement" in the use of our facilities. Another thing, Heron Lakes enjoys frequent large groups in for luncheons with a nice buffet and can accommodate a fairly large group. They get paid per plate for these. We have very few groups like Kiwanis, Optimist, or Jaycees meeting each month. Could we? Sure, we could host any number of events of that type each month. We could provide them with a fine buffet and actually make money. We seem somewhat reluctant to market to those types of groups. Not only that, many of these groups will not come to our place because when they did try it, the quality or service was not sufficient. How do we turn that around? The new General Manager will get those things going. She has already become involved in civic groups and will be joining more. Through that network, she will be effectively marketing to many. The thing we must do, though, is to make sure that we do it right when asked. We will get opportunities to grow. How we handle them will determine our future success. So, in short, yes there is usage of the facilties. It is far less usage than you would expect for such a nice location as the Yacht Club, or a large room such as the Forest and Lake Rooms. We need to get those facilities serving not only our membership but the community. By serving the community, i.e. City of Daphne, ADEM, State groups, we can get more outside use of the facilities and get paid for it. The more use we get, the less our members need to contribute to the operation. That would free up monies to returm to our members in the form of more services. Now, don't you think the work to "please these groups" can be a benefit to our members? This board is not about taking services away, but giving more and better services to our members and getting more from our facilities for the mutual benefit of our members. There is a long way to go as we work to improve Lake Forest. Lastly, if comments made seemed rude, it was simply a reaction in-kind to comments directed at my postings. No harm in lively discussion at a website of this type. In fact, it sometimes is a good stress reliever for me. So, thanks.
As to the comparison to Heron Lakes, there are some areas where there are similarities. The cost of good employees would be comparable. To properly upkeep the facilities, such as the golf course and tennis courts, is expensive for both. When it comes to maintenance and the cost of labor, both organizations have similar problems. There are differences, though. At Heron Lakes a member must pay a pretty significant chunk of money to join. Once a member, one must pay annual fees that are probably much higher than Lake Forest. It would be reasonable to assume that the average income of a Heron Lakes member is higher than that of a resident in Lake Forest. Those 855 Heron Lakes members are there because they want to be, whereas many of our members are here because they bought property and don't have a choice. At Heron Lakes, if their organization makes a decision or takes an action that a member doesn't like, the member can quit. That is not so in Lake Forest. If one owns the property here, one must be a member and one must pay the maintenance fees and assessments. Most of our 3000 members may not participate in the club activities as much as those of Heron Lakes. On the plus side of a Lake Forest type of program, though, is the fact that the cost of running such a nice place is shared by so many and, therefore, the per person cost is very low. As a result, people who cannot afford to join a Country Club like Heron Lakes, can afford to enjoy Lake Forest amenities. This kind of program brings with it some responsibilities that board members at Heron Lakes do not have. Our leaders have to understand that the guys they play golf with every day or so may not be typical of the rest of the community. They have to try and consider the needs of people who may be living paycheck to paycheck to keep their family in a nice community like ours. Those people may not have time to become involved in Lake Forest politics. All of this does not contradict the director's view that attention needs to be paid to F&B costs. We just have to find some other way to increase participation. When the increase in maintenance fees was passed a couple of years ago, the general manager and I spoke often about how we could return some of that increase to the membership and improve member participation at the same time without putting the association in a bind. The dues increase, the first such increase in twenty years, was about $7.50 a month. So, we tried to find a way that we could offer every member a $7.50 per month credit to their account. That credit had to be used during the month. It would not be cumulative. It had to be used by patronizing one of our amenities. The member could eat at one of the restaurants or buy some golf balls or anything. The cost to the association would not have been $7.50 but the benefit, we thought, might have been a significant increase in participation by our membership. Unfortunately, the information system that the LFPOA had at the time would not support such a program. It would not automatically cancel the unused credit at the end of the month and we just could not figure a way to make it do so. The director seems to be serious in his desire to find an answer. Maybe he can come up with another idea that works. 7/29/2006 7/28/2006 MY-MY-MY This Director must have been born with a silver Foot in his mouth. 7/29/2006 So here it goes, we are not allowed to write anymore checks in July. This is not because we do not have the money, but because Toni wants the cash flow to look good. So, then August will look horrible. Her first week there she went after several department heads over finance charges accrued from their vendors. Lord only knows how many finance charges will be racked up now in the name of cash flow. Plus, she has been putting her time to good use. She is researching the Y2K file. That's right, the file from six years ago. Henry spends 2 hours a day on average in her office. I assume she is more his puppet than she has ever imagined. The great thing for Lake Forest is that, in my opinion, there are 2 horrible people, lawyers and car salesmen. Well, we got the latter of the 2. 7/29/2006 Well, another slate of 5 shows his (blank) again !! I can't believe this guy ( ********* I presume) ? Maybe, he needs to exit the board with the other 4 and our facilities can be properly maintained. Friday Construction could be reluctant to invest in a community with a board that wants to tear everything down and has no plan or money to do it with?? In the meantime, let it all waste away and degrade to $0 GREAT PLAN Mr. Director!! 7/28/2006
7/28/2006 From a director . . . If your readers will recall, one director had asked for a meeting with Friday Construction at a board meeting. The officers have had one such meeting with Friday. So, there is nothing to ask Friday about, really. The fact is that Friday Construction is concerned about the appearance of our facilities. He is particularly concerned about it when they abut his property. The only reason this was posted here is to get reasoned and intelligent feedback on the idea presented. If a writer is unable to provide that, he might want to remove himself from the discussion.
7/27/2006 Concerning Friday construction... why not ask them?? I believe the maintenance shed was in plain view when they decided to build. Granted, the site needs to be cleaned up and a nice fence or something added. I read in the paper that almost 3000 permits have been issued in Baldwin county for developments so... the market is still a good one. Maybe, Friday Construction is having other issues that have nothing to do with a shed holding up construction??? Again, give them a call---! 7/26/2006 7/26/2006 From a director . . . On the financial side, it should be noted that both the May and June financials were available for Thursday's stated meeting. The new accounting person has done well getting the information together. June was an unusually poor month. There was no excess revenues over expenses, even before depreciation. It can be attributed to the pools opening and temporary help in lifeguards and such. There will be a pretty good month in July, but til the end of summer, don't look for a whole lot of excess. Mr. Kirby took the time to voice his displeasure at some postings on this site. Maybe directors shouldn't be posting or maybe their identity kept anonymous like everyone else's. It is pretty easy to guess who a "director" may be, if you read much or attend meetings. I have no problem with discussing issues openly, have stated that many times before, so , personally, I could live with it either way. But, sometimes others may not take kindly to a candid discussion about activities, or non-activities of the board and its members. It is time that we discuss the issues that lay ahead for us as members of the LFPOA. Has anyone noticed the maintenance barn one the right side of No.1 on the Forest Course? If you look, you will see an old metal building with several lean-tos attached. This serves as a hub for our golf course workers. We store equipment, materials, and offices there for our golf course superintendent and his staff. It also abuts property owned by Friday Construction. It is not a very attractive place and the feeling is that it is becoming an issue for Friday. It could be said that its condition and appearance is preventing Friday from expanding into that area. There is over fifty lots that could be developed in the area between No. 1 and the creek. The replacement, renovation, or relocation of this facility could spark a wave of development that greatly enhances our community. Could we use fifty plus new members paying dues? Could we stand to see new homes with values in the $200,000-$300,00 0 plus range? What is an appropriate response to this issue? Is such an investment good for our community? I think it is important that the board look for ways to attract Friday's development and encourage it. To this end, I think we should study the possible relocation of the maintenance facility to the old swim and racquet building. The area behind there is large enough, it has access to the golf courses, and the buildings could be planned for efficiency. With a little investment and work, we could remove an impediment to developing that area. Not only that, get rid of a physical plant (the existing maintenance building)that costs us operational monies and insurance. There will be some issues about access that will need to be studied. Also, the idea of workers that close to an amenity may be an issue. So, I will throw that out there for anyone interested in a real discussion about improving Lake Forest. Would this sort of activity, working to help a developer make investments, be something this board should be concerned with? Or, should we wait and see if that area will develop with the existing junkyard type atmosphere? I will be interested to read thoughts of other members on this issue.
Friday's project is something of a mystery. They haven't built a house. They haven't even asked for approval from the city to start construction in the section off of Rolling Hill Drive. Moving into the section near the maintenance building would appear to be somewhere off into the future. I have to agree with Kirby. He should have been addressed in person about the issue first. Our revenues have always been seasonal. It is really hot outside! Some might not be as anxious to play golf right now as they would be in the spring or fall. I agree that the maintenance shed needs attention. However, the tennis players and swimmers will not want to look at it either. The present location is also more centrally located for our needs. At least it needs to be hidden as much as possible. The association, though, must have a facility of this type somewhere. 7/25/2006 I wanted to take a few minutes to thank Chris (Harbor Master) for his help in making the day of USCGA Vessel Safety Checks a success. Besides posting our information...he personally called every person with a boat at the marina and encouraged them to come down and get their boat checked. The process went very smoothly. We, of the Eastern Shore Floatilla of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, also met with the LFYC Commodore and hope to establish a regular program to help and educate all Lake Forest boaters. "Chris...thank you!" 7/25/2006 Have the rules now changed at the pools and tennis courts? Well, we parents obviously can understand the play-grounds, concerning alcohol. Its amazing that this board of directors has so far cut off its nose to spite its face on most all of its decisions. Why doesn't the membership of Lake Forest have a vote on such rule changes, if in fact they now have changed. This my friends is the best way to not have membership even think about using any of the amenities. I think now we in Lake Forest have the worst leadership we have ever had. 7/25/2006 I think Lake Forest has a empty building where Mr. Robinson can start preaching
7/24/2006
7/24/2006 From a director . . . The stated meeting wasn't that interesting. Willie Robison and some other board members voted to prohibit alcohol at the pools, tennis courts, and playgrounds. Brice Cocke attempted to embarrass other board members by revealing board member's expenditures in the food and beverage facilities. His claim of spending the most was interesting as he chastised the remaining board as hypocrites for not spending as much as he. Of course, he selected the area of expenditure to suit his needs. The fact is that board members are representative of the general population in Lake Forest, nothing more. As a board member, I want to spend more at our facilities. Unfortunately, while I play golf, I never see a beverage server on the course. I cannot enjoy the Yacht Club because it is either not open or full of smoke that I choose not to tolerate. I do eat occasionally at the 19th hole after my morning round. What other areas do I need to spend money on? If I choose not to indulge myself in adult beverages regularly there, does that make me less of a member than he? Is Mr. Cocke suggesting I need to? Interesting, indeed, that a man who chooses to frequent our drinking establishments will hold me in contempt for not doing that. Well, maybe he should play on the big course occasionally and actually rent a golf cart. Why does he choose to walk the lake for five dollars? He should be spending more on golf, right? Good grief, this whole conversation is ridiculous.
7/20/2006
7/20/2006
7/20/2006 Our current situation reminds one of our national government – those in office blame all problems on the previous majority group; - those out of office say they could have fixed everything if given enough time; - and the president is completely out of touch with reality! Think about it. 7/19/2006 Don't know, here. It does appear to have a size and weight stamped on it. Looks like a KG on the bottom indicating Kilograms of weight. Maybe just a ballast of some type. How it got in someone's yard?? I guess it rolled out of whatever it was in and landed there. 7/19/2006 At the City Council meeting last night, Ken Eslava stated that the NRCS funded stream repair projects are out for bid. He expected to receive bids and be under construction by mid to late August. You will see equipment at the Bayview Bridge during this effort. Also, during the actual streambed restoration work, which requires dredging, there will be staining of the lake water to some extent. They will take protective action, but it will still dirty the water a bit. 7/18/2006 From a director . . . I was reviewing some of the material in the discussion pages. The discussion on depreciation caught my eye. In particular, the depreciation expense versus excess revenues over expenses. When excess revenues over expenses are not enough to cover a depreciation expense, what does that tell us? It would seem to me that it would indicate that capital available for investment in assets is not keeping up with the wear and age on the assets. It seems logical then that over time, the assets are eaten up by depreciation and the book value goes to zero. Is this a good thing? We cannot invest in assets enough to outpace their depreciation. What does it tell us as a business operation? We also need to look at other areas of asset loss, don't we? Say the idea of settling on non-paid dues. The dues required to be paid, when booked as a receivable, are an asset. We currently hold over $200K in unpaid receivables on our asset sheet. What if we forgave a third of that? We lose assets on our balance sheet of around $70K, right? We have been doing this to the tune of $60K per year. Is this a proper way to treat assets? Should we rethink how we write off bad debt? This is something to consider.
7/18/2006 Our president over the past few years has undertaken a lot of work himself replacing wood, scraping, and painting his own home. He also had the roof replaced after our storms last year. Why did he not tear it down and replace it, if it needed that much attention? Possibly, because the basic building was sound. 7/17/2006
7/17/2006 The posting a few days ago regarding the massive amount of money supposedly received and squandered seems scripted by a former treasurer. This person always quoted fantastic figures to support his position then, looked down his nose, and spoke condescendingly to anyone who questioned his method of arriving at his conclusions. 7/16/2006 Our clubhouse has steel framing, which one can see at the end by the golf shop where repairs are underway. It has been said that the entire building is steel framed, was prefabricated at Brookley, and barged over to the YC where it was transported to the present site and reassembled. This person (an engineer) estimates a cost of several hundred thousand dollars to tear it down because of the amount of steel used in construction! Where will this money come from? Not to mention the cost of new construction. Accessibility is definitely a problem, but can be alleviated with ramps and even an elevator. Noise spillover can be remedied with new walls and soundproofing. 7/15/2006 From a director . . . The lake is certainly an amenity for our members. And it is filling in. There are several ongoing projects and promising things happening on that front. The City of Daphne, with Federal help, will be dredging the channel east of the Bayview Bridge. This will be done to re-establish the stream bed of D'Olive Creek in that area. The project will be bidding in the coming days with construction likely to move ahead in a month or so. Secondly, the spillway structure at the dam will be repaired. The top of that structure, along with control valves will be replaced and made safe. Currently it is unsafe and unsecure. This will prevent trash accumulation and debris from obstructing flow out of the pipe discharge. Thirdly, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management will begin a watershed study in October. This study will focus on improving water quality being discharged to D'Olive Bay. Most of this discharge routes through our lake. As it is being performed, your board will be bringing attention to the years of debris, sand, and silt that the lake has prevented from entering the Mobile Bay Estuary and D'Olive Bay by its filling in. Upon completion of the study, a management plan will be developed. This Watershed Management Plan will have to include the lake as a major water quality resource. In doing so, we are hoping that funds can be directed to returning the lake to full service and size to allow for the best cleaning of the water and improvement to the long-term water quality going into D'Olive Bay. Those targets are years away, but the process is finally starting. What else can we do with the lake. Well, the Lake chairman is currently in the process of studying the fishery stock. We are hopeful that we can get a management plan for the fishery within the lake. That will provide our members a lasting resource that is fun for families and our children. One part of this plan will be to post signs that tell everyone that the lake is private. If the City of Daphne is dead set on it being private, then that is what it should be. In fact, restricting access to the lake is being contemplated. Another component in fishery management will be creel limits and maybe slot limits for fish being caught. In many lakes the limits are set through a fishing permit. I think a permit, free to our members, should be required to fish in the lake. That way, the creel limits can be introduced and non-members can be asked to leave. Enforcement in that area could be a problem, so we will study this very hard before implementation. Another thought on the fishery is the introduction of grass eating species to keep the lake cleaner. Many private lakes introduce grass eating fishes for cleaning the lake shores. So you see, on many fronts, the lake is being studied for its long-term viability and use by our members and to serve as a water quality protector of Mobile Bay. Planning for the future health of the fishery, working to restore the lake, and making efforts to maintain the structures is continuing and even ramping up to new levels. Our members should be grateful for these efforts put forth by volunteers and government agents. What a beautiful amenity we have in the lake. 7/15/2006 At last year’s annual meeting the little “pit bull” of the group of people so much opposed to the then president, stood up and castigated the then chair of food & beverage for not having monthly reports for meetings – will he do the same at this year’s meeting? The current chair does not seem to have much to report either! Speaking of last year’s chair of f&b, he was also attacked for proposing the idea of selling the yacht club property with a leaseback agreement so we could still have a YC and marina. The money received (reportedly 9 million dollars - $9,000,000) could have been used to create a new community center with pool and tennis courts, leaving many millions of dollars to be placed in an inviolate trust (meaning future boards could not raid it) to garner interest that would be used to pay our day to day as well as unexpected expenses. How will our “new” facility be financed? 7/15/2006 Toni has been going through peoples offices and computers while they are not at work. This seems a bit odd even unethical. Why not ask? She went all through Michelle's office, party coordinator, on Michelle's day off. I know she has a right but this is ridiculous. She just walks into peoples offices picks up stuff off the desk and starts sifting through it. How about asking! 7/14/2006 Lake Photo Album update 7/14/2006 We are having a gathering of people Saturday morning to play tennis and have some fun. We will start at 9am. Just bring your racquet and everything else will be furnished. There is no cost. Lets just have fun. If you are coming please call the club house 626-4515 and sign up so we will know how many people will attend. If you forget to call, come and play anyway. 7/14/2006 We all read with great interest the many postings regarding the plan attributed to our president of destroying the country club and using trailers as temporary space. He called it visionary. Upon checking Roget’s Thesaurus for synonyms of visionary, one finds among others - abstracted, delusory, fanciful, idealistic, illusion, imaginary, impractical, radical, unrealistic, and unworkable. Our board of directors has been very good about studying in depth the many projects that come before it and seeking advice from members and authorities before proceeding. What expert(s) have been consulted regarding the actual structural state of the building, not the cosmetic external facing, or the problems with leaks? I was pleased to see at least one director (Mr. Peterson?) plans to assess changes and remodeling with a critical eye to cost savings, I certainly hope he is not alone. 7/14/2006 Why is the lake not recognized as an amenity. With so many non lakefront owners using it, I think it is a definite amenity & THE reason that I moved here. In fact, it is practically the ONLY amenity that I utilize & I am distressed by all of this talk of tearing down & rebuilding the country club while the lake is filling in with silt & threatening to flood our homes. Any chance you can add it as an amenity on your website, so others will begin to recognise that?
7/13/2006
7/13/2006 I find it ironic that a person who used her position on the board to land the top job in the organization is working so hard to investigate the ethical conduct of her predecessor.
7/13/2006 According to a reliable contractor/developer the cost for Demolishing the existing CC is $100,000, the cost for an outfitted triple-wide trailer is $90,000 and more than one would be required. That does not include the electrical and the plumbing and all the permits. 7/12/2006 Isn't the meeting next Thursday? What should be so interesting. Toni has tried her best to find errors in Jake's ways, why what is the point. She has been digging up old files etc. Even questioning things from as far back as 10 years ago. What is Henry's obsession with Jake? The club will be torn down. I am not sure when but I can guarantee that it will be gone by October without a court order.
7/12/2006
7/11/2006 Hi there, FYI there is no WOMEN'S club meeting in July, but look for a coffee/tea in August, always the third Thursday of the month, except for June and July...same for Garden Club. Thanks 7/11/2006 The Country Club building is currently sprinklered. The Yacht Club building is currently sprinklered. The reduction of insurance costs cannot be obtained by keeping a "Wood-framed" building. Combustible construction materials are the problem, even sprinklered. That is one consideration in a revitalization study. Changing the type of building to a non-combustible building. The question is, though, does it actually save money on insurance enough to offset the higher capital cost going in? Those types of buildings can run 15-20% higher in costs, or more. In any case, the buildings we have will be forever classified as combustible, with sprinklers. Aside from that, our location is in an area that insurers are hitting hard for rate increases because of the hurricanes. Even though we had no claim during Ivan or Katrina, our rates have jumped because of them. You can anticipate further jumps if the season is as active as last year's. One issue we have is that we were told of the increase just days before a renewal date. That action by our insurer left us no time to shop for other carriers. Not only that, but had we changed afterward, a 25% cancellation would have been in effect. We did modify the policy coverage in some areas and saved a few thousand dollars. Next year, we will be more active in that process and go after the best rates available. Other considerations about insurance. We should study each amenity we have and see how they affect the overall coverage costs. We currently have eight physical plant locations. The Yacht Club, Country Club, Three pools, a golf course, a maintenance building and the stables. All of these carry insurance. Does this fact, and the continuing cost increases, make the consolidation of amenities more important for our long term financial health? How big is the impact on our rates of each pool, golf hole, or stables? Should we even consider elimination of one or more, or just plan on raising dues to cover cost increases? Let's all hope that the board studies these issues and uses sound planning and decision making when the time comes.
7/10/2006 Hi, Can I ask you to add an item to the website calendar. As a member of the Eastern Shore Flotilla of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, I would like to encourage all Lake Forest boat owners to bring their boats to the Lake Forest Marina from 1:00 to 4:00 on Saturday 7/22/06 for free Vessel Safety Checks by the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. 7/9/2006
7/9/2006
7/8/2006 From a director . . . Repairing the country club building is fine, and it has and can continue to be done. But honestly, a major renovation has to be considered as well. The building was built without the benefit of current building codes. It also has real problems for users. The accessibility issue has been mentioned here before. From doors, to stairs, to even the approach from the portico. IN that respect, the facility itself limits our ability to market the meeting rooms and services available. First, you have noise issues from the Bayview to both rooms. Second, the accessibility is so limited that many civic groups or professional clubs will not consider using it. Thirdly, even our member population can have difficulty getting in and out of the rooms. Is it fair to the Seniors groups for them to have to use the stairs each time? How many accidents have we had from folks stumbling on the stairs? There is a real concern for the usability of the building as it is. Now, I want to make this statement clear to everyone. The directors are not pushing the demolition of this building as a group. There is a need to study the building for a revitalization. All things should be considered. There are really three distinct options we have. First, leave the building as is and make necessary additions and renovation for accessibility without changing the main structure. Second, do a major renovation of the structure using some of the existing building and redoing other areas to increase functionality, accessibility and efficiency. And thirdly, a complete demolition and reconstruction of the facility. This is by far the most ambitious of the three. There would be an opportunity to relocate it on the site and provide a better place for our members while offering outside users a more user friendly facility. Now, which of the three is the best option? Well, there is a debate on that issue that is beginning. The study of all facets of the issue will lea d to the proper and best decision. As I have told those who want it to go, and those that think it should be left alone, the decision can only be made when all the facts, figures, and conditions are looked at for all three options. Personally, I believe that it will end up somewhere in between. Where we do a major renovation of the building keeping some areas working while the rest is redone and upgraded. In that manner, we can obtain the functionality we need and also reduce the overall cost of operation. IN any case, to just say we cannot have a better and more usable facility is a copout. To say that our members can't afford it is a copout. It is my belief that an upgraded facility that has modern conveniences and amenities will increase all our values. The newer homes coming in can have a new community center type facility to use, thereby making them more attractive. As those homes add value, your home does to. That is the ultimate goal in our amenities, anyway, isn't it? To add value to our homes and improve the quality of life in our community. It is time to start a serious look at the issue, obtain all the facts and figures, and then come to a decision and move forward. I appreciate the forum where views can be expressed and thoughts can be shared. Diversity of thought on this and many issues in our community lead to everyone gaining a greater understanding and knowledge of the community. Believe me that if we work together for the common good of the community, all of us are better for it. 7/8/2006 I made some inquires concerning a new metal roof with several ins. companies. If the roof is approved ( not cheap tin) it can reduce ins. costs. So can a sprinkler system! Please fix what we have and stop making excuses that are petty to tear the building down--everything needs maintenance!
7/7/2006 I do feel that this current board had the idea that they could just come into the organization and take over by asking lots of dumb questions and trying to "Fix" what they thought was "messed" up only to find that you really can't improve on the wheel. Their perception about things at LF was certainly off. I really haven't heard any of the employees say that they were given orders by the board to complete a task but I do think that questioning employees without the benefit of a GM present has been uncomfortable for some of them, but that's my observation and opinion. I really do hate that these guys and girl, didn't see fit to let the interim GM be the liaison between the employees and the Board. 7/7/2006 OK, your writer has mentioned ceiling tiles. My question is this: Should we replace ceiling tiles regularly due to a leaking roof? Or should we fix the roof? The ceiling tile will continue to be discolored and stained as long as the roof is leaking. Why would a director have control over a ceiling tile needing replacement, anyway? Look, the budget provides for maintenance of buildings at the same level of expenditures from last year. The bigger question is why we would have to replace so many. Is the roof of the club that bad? If we have continuous leaking of the roof, what other items are damaged from water intrusion. Take a look in the Forest Room on the far right corner. Do you see the hole in the floor? This was produced from years of water damage to the structure. How many other structural components are rotting? What other problems do we have? How much would it take to fix the club building as it is? Let's see, there is structural repair, roof repair, window sealing, A/C duct with mold, insulation with mold, rotting floors, leaky faucets, broken kitchen equipment, broken light fixtures, siding that needs replacing, and the list goes on and on. I'll tell you what. Go up there and take a really good look at our showplace. Look at the walls with water stains. Look at the ceiling tiles and how many have been stained by leaks or drips. Look at the floors and feel them as you walk on them, listen to them creak. And when you tally all the things that building actually needs, ask yourself two questions. One, why is it that way, and two, why hasn't it been fixed. the honest answers are there for you. It is not about this board not doing anything. It is about the ability of our association to pay to properly maintain the building and all the other amenities without incurring debt. You add to that that the hurricanes caused expenses above those budgeted the last two years. Just make an honest assessment and see where you end up. That is what this board is trying to get done. The LFPOA has got to find a way to retain, maintain and improve the facilities for a very long time on a very limited budget.
7/6/2006
7/6/2006 From a director . . . The board has not discussed raising any dues, neither publicly nor privately. That is a FACT! Any rumor contrary to that fact is a lie. I hope that clarifies this issue. 7/6/2006 O.K. the director asks what has the slate not maintained. The CEILING TILES with ugly disgusting yellow and brown stains have NOT been replaced even though these have been mentioned by different writers at this site and in person a number of times over the past few MONTHS. It is a small thing to fix. Talk is cheap, lets see who is honest in their promises. I am counting the days till I see them replaced. Count with me members, July 5, day one, no repair. I won't count the approximately 270 days since they took office. 7/6/2006 Jim Moss, communications chair, with the help of Tomasina Werner & Mike Sager have completely taken over the Lake Forest Spectrum! 7/5/2006 From a director . . . Once again, we hear how well financially our association is. In regard to that, every member should know why and how this is so. First, Jake Bodiford did his job very well. He reduced service in nearly every area to save expenses. He now has the LFPOA facilities on skeleton crews and minimum capabilities. With the low expense, the board will see this year an income over expenses of around $250,000. Apparently it has been that way for some time. That gives the board this money to either spend on increased services, special capital projects, or savings for future major capital investments. When this board took office, the situation had to be very similar. Of course, the old board did have expenses related to a GM position. That alone in 2005 took nearly $140,000 of that surplus revenue. So, where were we when this board came in? Around the end of November and into December, our cash in the operating account was about $10,000. That is less than 10% of one month's operating capital. We had spent nearly every dollar available for operating. Not only was the excess revenue spent, the former board had cut a deal with Friday Construction and received $100,000 in cash. This was done to eliminate deposits for home construction and architectural fees for their home. In that deal, the board also gave away any architectural review of new homes coming into Lake Forest in that builder's lots. Think about that a minute and consider that not only did the board spend the excess revenues but also an additional $100,000 in cash. And we are told that we are financially in good position. I look at the last four or five years and I see excess revenues over expenses of around $150,000 each year. I also see an additional $100,000 in cash from Friday Construction. That totals to nearly $800,000 in cash available for investment. Where is it? Granted a bit of it went to reduce debt, but not too much. What improvements were made with that money? Did we save any of it? So, where are we now? We have funds set aside for disaster. This board has transferred money into a capital saving program. The reason? To cover uninsured losses and other catastrophic expenses. This board has approved a capital expense budget of around $100,000. The items include new pool equipment for around $30,000, a Bobcat tractor to help on the golf course, and various other projects. Where will that leave us? The best estimate is that come November or December of this year, our cash position will have improved by at least $100,000. That is unless other projects come up that need to be funded. We are in pretty good financial shape as long as we manage our expenses. Steve Jernudd and his staff have been very good at minimizing expenses. I believe that Mrs. Fassbender will watch the dollars just as closely, or even closer. I look toward a bright future for the LFPOA.
7/5/2006 No one has answered my question about the accomplishments of the Slate of Five. Does that mean that they have no accomplishments? Surely they must have done something besides appoint one of their own as the GM. Looks like they could also add tearing down the Country Club. Great job of mismanagement so far. And as for maintaining the facilities, they have cleaned up the pools but like to point out that the damaged ceiling tiles at the Country Club have not been replaced. After all, why maintain the Country Club, when they plan to tear it down. And, oh yes, now they plan to raise the dues to $75 - what a bargain. Lose our amenities and pay more for less. Great job Slate of Five. Keep up the good work. 7/5/2006 Concerning the lifeguards: I have asked for information on whether the lifeguards have an effect on our insurance costs. To date, there has been no solid answer. Obviously, our lifeguard program is a great service. Again, we will need to weigh the benefit versus the cost at some point in time. The entire pool package needs review, though. Each year, we have shut our pools down and allowed them to become dirty, filthy water holes. Then, in the spring we spend enormous time and effort to clean them up again. What impact does this cleaning have on our pool equipment and pool surfaces? Consideration will be given to setting the pools to continue chlorination and filtering during the off season, but at a lesser level. The chemical costs run higher, but the spring cleaning effort is reduced or eliminated and the equipment is not "shocked". This will also allow our maintenance staff to do other things in the spring besides a month or two of pool cleaning. And consider this, the wear and tear on the surfaces is reduced, thereby lengthening the life of the paints. Maybe that can double the life span of our pool paint. Those are the types of things that this board is looking at. Reviewing each area of operation and looking for improvement. 7/5/2006 My last communication for the day (thank goodness). The question has been asked, just what has this board done? In any business that is changing management, there is a period of evaluation and review. This board has looked at many issues and how they effect the membership. When something is found that needs attention, it is dealt with. For example, Mrs Fassbender was appointed over the Yacht Club and Marina. She first looked to review the situation and looked for ways to improve. Last year, there were 62 dry slips rented at the Yacht Club. To date, though her effort there are 74 slips. This has increased revenue with no increase in expense. Also, the wet slips were poorly managed. There were boats there that seldom, if ever paid slip rent. Now each stall has a lease agreement in place and when rent is unpaid, the boats are removed. The LFPOA will no longer allow boats to park for free. Again, a simple but effective management change that results in a better bottom line and protection of the LFPOA. These things are unseen and unannounced. I think our membership would be glad that Mrs. Fassbender looked after them so well. This board is going about looking after your money and assets, that is all. There are other areas where the board has been effective. Look at the Lake issue. The State of Alabama, for the first time, has budgeted funds to study the lake and its watershed. We met this past week with the regional director of the National Estuary Program from the EPA office in Atlanta. He said that what he saw happening with the lake was the government's vision of what the NEP partnership was. He was both proud and impressed with the teamwork displayed by state, federal, and local officials and the involvement of the community. This message is going to Washington and I am convinced that it will lead to funds being directed to help our cause. You know, there are many ways that things get done under leadership. I would be negligent if I did not call attention to the volunteers that do so much. These volunteers are willing to help our community improve. From medians, to the lake clean up, to the golf committees, and I guess tennis clubs as well. This board will continue to help these people in their missions by offering support and gratitude. Have a great summer and enjoy! 7/3/2006 From a director . . . I talked with a reliable source, who had a meeting with Henry and the boys and he said they were going to press forward with the demolition of the CC. We have not even discussed it in a board meeting. If we do not get the word out they will have it done before we can stop them. 7/3/2006 Hello, well the rumors are out that Lake Forest residents will be paying $75.00 a month, next year! That from a man that used to live here and now is watching the board closely. Does Henry and the board plan to slip in a raise at the fall meeting? Is Bob Underwood around a lot, he slipped in that $37.50 (from $27.50) a month without the members votes. I'm afraid of a revolution if that goes through! Henry needs to get ready for a fight. I understand we are about 13,000 people in Lake Forest, I hear different figures, why don't we have actual bonafide figures? If the city's population is a total of 18,000, that makes the the rest of the city small and we know whose money they are operating on. With all that tax money, can't we get our roads paved? We appreciate what they have patched, but it's always next year when you ask! The crepe myrtles are nice, but Improvement Comt. that is not going to do it! Traveling from Bayview out the Windsor exit is very slow going, because of the pot holes and torn up road. using the Home Depot exit is the same! Recently, I had guests from out of town, and they were shocked that our roads were so bad. Let's stay on Daphne until they give us some help! The crepe myrtles and patched paving was just to placate us,,,,we need the roads paved all over and let's keep reminding Daphne of the same until we get it! 7/3/2006
7/3/2006 Webmaster....How can the board go forward with the demolition of the CC without a membership vote? (Is that possible?) 7/3/2006 Why does this board work under a cloak of secrets-- something they accused the former board continually of and claimed to be above the table about all their good intentions?? O.K.--move on...they snowed a large group of property owners with their "everything is positive" garbage at the last annual meeting. Now, it is time for those of us that have known the score all along and spoken the truth to unite together with those that have learned the truth to put an end to the "slate of 4/5 and a G.M."
7/3/2006 Can someone please offer a specific instance where this board has directed that we NOT maintain our facilities. Also, there seems to be some who think that micro-management is a problem. Please, for my own sanity, can you relay an instance where the board has micro-managed the staff. Accusations of this are fine, but without specific knowledge or examples, it would be hard for another board member to check on these things. Here is something to think about. For the past several years, the GM at Lake Forest had nearly unchecked authority. He was given the ability to spend capital funds as long as he didn't exceed $7500; he was given the authority to relieve debt to owners and settle liens for less than full payment; and he handled real estate transactions for the board where he forfeited architectural oversight of lots. There are many other things that went on that the LFPOA was put at risk on. As this was corrected in the last election, it is logical to expect a greater governance coming from the new board. Like any arena, the LFPOA will have swings in the amount and type of governance practiced by the board. There is a stark difference in strong governance and micro-management. This involvement by our board is something the members should expect after the free reign of the previous GM. To call governing of our association micro-management is a misrepresentation of what is occurring. Now, concerning maintenance. Sure there are issues that need addressing. As in the past, there are always things that we can fix or improve on. For the record, however, this board has taken no action that would cause a maintenance item not to be properly addressed. There are two things to consider in this regard. First, the past two years each provided a major storm event at our properties. The yacht club was totally uninsured at the time. All damage from that storm had to be fixed by the LFPOA. Also, there was not enough damage to make a claim at the country club. However, there was still damage. These storms resulted in an extraordinary number of maintenace issues for our Maintenance Department. Rather than developing a single work order and bidding it out, the decision was made to fix these ourselves, without additional assessment fees. That decision, made by a previous board, is still having an effect on our ability to timely manage all maintenance and repair issues. Our staff has admirably worked to do all they can on these items and still handle the day to day issues. Looking back, I guess we could have handled it differently. There are those that still encourage the compilation of several items into a concise and detailed scope to bid to contractors. Is the board to force staff to do it that way? Would that be micro-managing? For the record, the board has given staff nearly every penny of capital they have asked for. We have purchased equipment and approved several major projects. There is no board effort to not deal with all the maintenance issues. In fact, some are privately encouraging the use of additional staff for the summer to complete some long overdue projects. As I have said before, if a member has an issue that is in need of work, report it to the staff or one of the board members and that will be relayed to Mr. Eggers. But remember, he and his small staff can only do so much, so be patient. The second item to consider is the nature fo what our staff does. The past two months have been solely committed to the pools. The pools had to be ready. Not only that , but major improvements were made to the pump and filter systems at the pools. The water is in the best shape ever. The pools have been a tremendous success this year. There was deck painting and pool repainting, also. Go enjoy the pools this summer. While you enjoy the area, think about the effort put in by staff to get them looking that good. With said, it is likely that you will be seeing the maintenance issues on the other facilities start getting more attention. I know that shingles and handrails are being replaced now and other things will begin to happen. So don't worry that this board is out to ruin any buildings or destroy them from lack of maintenance. That is just another tall tale from people who want this board to fail. Think about that statement, a minute. They want this board to fail. What does that tell you about their concern for the LFPOA? Do they have your interest in their heart? Why would any member wish for the LFPOA to suffer? We should all work for the betterment of the community. Work to establish high standards fo r our properties and staff. And finally, we all should work for the common good of the LFPOA, regardless of who is controlling it.
7/3/2006 The Surgeon General has declared second-hand smoke more dangerous than they ever thought, causing health problems unseen. The SURGEON GENERAL people, let's take note, make the facilities at Lake Forest NO SMOKING, catch up to the other part of the world and make our building NO SMOKING. Ruling out smoking at the pools and tennis courts was easy, that's all outside....what a joke! This board needs to get serious about the health of our members and protect us from injurious smoke. 7/2/2006 Reading the Grapevine today was very interesting. First, of course, Henry has lost his mind. His idea of tearing down the Country Club and putting trailers there is ridiculous. It is totally inappropriate. What in the world was he thinking about when he wrote that article - or was he thinking? Second, the Slate of Five has been in office for almost a year now. What have they accomplished? They promised great things. Exactly what great improvements have they made. I would honestly like to know. It appears that they have not even maintained the facilities and have been totally unprofessional in appointing one of their own with absolutely no real management experience to be the new General Manager. The position of General Manager is one of great responsibility - and should be served by someone with some actual experience in Country Club management. So, again I ask exactly what has the Slate of Five accomplished. Please enlighten me. 7/2/2006
This little item is interesting. A Motion was made by Ms. Barnette and Seconded by Mayor Small which states the City of Daphne Planning Commission does not accept the traffic study proposed by the Baldwin County Board of Education as prepared by Mr. William J. Metzger, Jr. Due to the additional traffic flow generated. the City of Daphne Planning Commission recommends that prior to the commencement of construction of the facility located on Main Street, the plans be presented to the Planning Commission for review and approval.There are several minutes from the Utilities Board. This excerpt from some of those minutes is also interesting. Mr. Segalla informed Mr. Clayton that he had done a great job and commended him on the time and effort that he had expended with several recent major projects. Mr. Segalla told Mr. Clayton that he felt capital improvements and planning were his strong suit, and that he was glad the General Manager recognized this real talent and was putting him where he could do the most good for the Utility. Mr. Segalla stated that the Board was only interested in interviewing and approving four positions within the organization of Daphne Utilities: General Manager, Finance Manager, Human Resources Manager, and Operations Manager. He stated that involvement in additional positions would be micromanaging and the Board was not going to micromanage. Mr. Segalla stated that the Board does not evaluate the departmental operations managers/supervisors on a daily basis and although the Board has good knowledge of what the managers do,. . . For those who may not know, Bob Segalla is a former president of the Lake Forest property owners association. Although, Bob no longer lives in Lake Forest, his time here was spent helping our community association prosper and as a result he was one of the finest presidents we have had. He does still play golf in Lake Forest. His comments above regarding micromanagement might be worth considering by our current Board of Directors. 7/1/2006 Mr. Lawson, I suggest you get at least 3 legitimate appraisals on all the facilities individually. I think your "vision" is lacking reality and common sense. If the cost of running the utilities is a problem- why not build some walls in the hallway to the Bayview lounge and close off the meeting rooms when they are not in use, then lower/up the thermostat! Not upkeeping our facilities is a betrayal to the members! "Maintain, Retain, and improve"--- "I won't touch one shovel full of dirt in Lake Forest!" (J.Moss-2005) Maybe, a lawyer is needed to save Lake Forest from this circus .. compliments of the "slate of 4/5(?) and a GM" I am truly disgusted by their lack of respect for their L.F.P.O.A. neighbors. Let's sell the golf courses Henry--they are a big drain on the association!!!
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Last week we
received a contribution lamenting the fact that cash flow right now is
not what the director would like and another contribution reporting that
the new general manager had issued instructions that no more checks were
to be written in July only because she wanted the cash flow to look
better on the financial reports. The cash
flow for the LFPOA has always fluctuated depending on the season and
weather conditions. This is not a new thing and it is also not a
matter to be particularly worried about. The association's cash
flow has been and should still be more than adequate. That doesn't
mean that management should not look ahead and plan expenditures
accordingly. It certainly should. Since we have new
management, we should realize that it may take a while for her to be
able to forecast these period fluctuations. However, she does have
some experienced personnel at her service, who should be able to help
her navigate through these first few months or year. Naturally,
the accounting department and management should always be on the alert
and ready to take correcting action if it appears that for some reason
we are heading toward a more permanent problem. On the other hand,
it would be setting a dangerous precedent to be manipulating accounting
actions solely for appearances' sake. That would probably be
something that our auditors would criticize during our annual audit.
That is assuming, of course, that the current administration is still
requiring an annual audit.