A PLACE TO BE
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Is COOL gang’s motto “every two we sue”?
During last Wednesday’s Coffee, we were told that once again a Board member had talked about or started some sort of legal action against our Village. It seems like only yesterday when previous directors Leroy Mulch and Reta Priest sued six Village Directors to circumvent their majority. Our Village shelled out tens of thousands of dollars for that 2008 frivolous lawsuit and subsequent insurance hikes.
Elected in 2009, Tom Bergsma was deemed a COOL gang aspirant who’s first five months serving resulted with just two Board meeting appearances. His first accomplishment coincidently was changing the attendance protocol for meetings via teleconferencing and then he diligently went to work on trying to get a high ticket dredging item done.
For a year owners had to hear what would happen if we failed to maintain our canals. First it was people would not buy Village property and then it was property values would drop. When those fizzled, it was let’s spend $15,000 for a topography survey so we know what we are really talking about and April’s 2010 meeting saw the Board finally succumbed to this survey, a virtual stepping stone to a humongous $900,000 plus full dredging plan.
In Bergsma’s absence four months later the Board unanimously voted to delay the survey because they thought it best to get Village sentiment and mailed them an elaborate dredging questionnaire. Later Director Bergsma said sending out this questionnaire to the membership regarding the issue of should we dredge or not was totally chicken shit. He stated during October’s 2010 meeting that the Board has to make this decision to dredge or face potential legal litigation and alas we were informed at last Wednesday’s Coffee that Director Bergsma himself had recanted an initial legal action against the Village. VP Pelletier added that Director Bergsma may have also misused sensitive owner information from the recent questionnaire. This made the Board announce that they will ask Director Bergsma to step down at tomorrow’s Regular Meeting.
The Cool Gang graciously gave us Mr. Bergsma back in 2009, so who will they endorse next? My money is on some power hungry all items most go through me non-owner with an “if I can’t be President I’ll quit” attitude.
And you say?
P.S. Less than half the membership responded to the dredging questionnaire, but the information collected from it clearly draws this simple conclusion. A decision to full dredging will make 1,024 owners spend almost a million dollars so THREE owners with big boats having deep drafts can navigate our canals better.
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16 comments:
I certainty agree that 1024 should not pay for three plus boats that have a problem maneuvering in the channel.
On the other hand I don't think the three plus owners should be deprived of enjoying their time at LIV. Perhaps a choice in a water vessel is warranted.
How many people use the tennis courts?
How much does it to cost to maintain the courts?
The outside of the courts and the wall around the dumpster's are looking very shabby $$$$!
A true eye sore when looking to left as you enter the park!
Get rid of the tennis courts, add Pickle Ball courts, much smaller. Reduce the size of the dumpster area, get rid of the volleyball area.
Build a new 3000 sq ft clubhouse, add another pool , Bocce courts, shuffle board courts. Fill in some of the pond, add some more lots.
The golf course takes up 1/3 of the LIV.
It could support at least 100 or so more homes. Generating $2800.00 plus dues more tax for our town! More votes more money!
Maintain the putting greens.
Why do we need a 28000 sq ft building to hold dances that only 100+ people attend and sits dormant in the summer? $$$$$$
It is not practical.
The restaurant would make a very nice clubhouse and sandwich shop! And owners Kitchen.
Get rid of some of those bathrooms. Bathhouse two would make a nice laundromat
The other bathrooms would make nice lounges.
Card plying, sewing , pinochle, comupter rooms, etc
Lose the laundromat in the Activity Center. This area would make another nice space for activity .The ideas are endless. A kids room video games and such.
Of course we would have some unhappy, disappointed owners. BUT how many people use the amenities, verses what it cost to maintain them?
This is a great time to consider and introduce different ideas. Properties values are down, $1000's of $$$ in the rear in taxes and dues. Changes are on our doorsteps. Let's reinvent ourselves !
Director Bergsma has a short time left. He will leave with a bad taste in his mouth. We will soon forget him.
For the time being, it's just another one we have to force a smile to. It makes me weary to think what choices we have in March.
I voted for Pat
I vote for Leroy
I veted for Joe
I voted for Ed
I voted for Tom..
I have a bad voting record or maybe very nieve.
I am neither a cool person a sour person
I don't ask the right questions
We are not saying we DON'T need a management company. We have other choices. This is just a small list of Texas HOA Managemnet Companies. What we pay ARAMARK is rediculas!
http://www.hoa-tx.com/ManagementCompanyDirectory.aspx
Acclaim Managment Group Inc. Dallas (817) 684-3437
Action Property Management Inc. Houston (713) 686-4692
Advanced Association Management Inc. Dallas (972) 248-2238
Alfra Developer Management LLC San Antonio
Alliance Association Management, Inc. (Associa) Austin (512) 328-6100
Alternative Management Group Inc. Garland
Alternative Management Systems Dallas (214) 904-8250
Arbor Property Management Inc. Austin (512) 345-4626
Arrow Community Management Inc. Houston
Ashlie Management Inc Huntsville
Ashoka Lion Management Houston (832) 364-6025
Asset Property Management Inc. San Antonio (210) 342-1181
Association & Community Managing Professionals Inc. Houston
Association Investor Management, Inc. Fort Worth
Association Management Inc.
To the person who ended with "I don't ask the right questions"...well, sometimes it is difficult to know what questions to ask. In my short time here I have certainly seen good and bad Directors come and go. Some with hidden agendas and some who have genuinely strived to make Long Island Village a better place. Perhaps we have reached a point in our associational life that we need something OTHER than an HOA. I am not certain any more that an HOA really suits our needs. I am also not certain that ARAMARK suits our needs. It really might be a good time to consider other options on both accounts.
Obviously we are stale and bored. Our neighbors outside the park want to grow. We want to protect something that has cancer and is slowly breaking down. We continue to argue with our neighbors , fight with ourselves and SUE ourselves. The money is ridiculously being spent. Aramark is just to much damn money! The BOD and management want more money from members!
Well we have homes in the north that wont sell ,no raises in our SS, lost IRA'S. Some can't afford the gas to get to LIV. Some can't afford what they have here. Some ignorant person will post, YOU DONT LIKE IT HERE THAN MOVE! Some are trying. Their are near two hundred places for sale! And for that you will continue to lose condo fee's and taxes. The town loses taxes ,they will raise them to off set their budget . It's a vicious circle. Something needs to done.
We have had some good board members true. Not good enough.. Look what the not so good members did and still are doing to us! Yes we have a better manager.
Not good enough. Not trimming costs and saving money! The members have to see the big pictures!
Attendance is down,1024 units near 2000 people and the same 100+ people show up for an event!
I remember when we had to park on the road. Leslie once drew 400 people! Now less then 200.
If people don't want to go to events fine.Its a village now. Its different.Its more like the homes all points north. We are spending to much money on 100+ people!
Some properties are left abandon,back taxes, lost dues,
There is no reason we have to have roads look the way they do. THE MONEY SHOULD BE THERE! Put the money in a road bond!
The parking lot, rotten plywood walls, but we have a sidewalk, flower beds, new signs, new furniture, new entrance to Armondo's office, move a sign there and add a sign here. All this money should have been put to better use.
I think we should explore and entertain the idea of dismissing the HOA.
What are our options. Joey is a smart guy. We would love to hear his take on it.
I say give it all away to people who know what their doing!
LIV is not the same place as it was 10 years ago. But we continue to operate LIV the same way with the same people and the same management.
STOP GET HELP! Where dying here!
Here! Here! to "Obviously..." LIV is different. The U.S.A. is different. The WORLD is different. Let's come up with some GOOD options and ideas to bring LIV into the 21st Century!
I find the idea of ending our HOA intriguing. I'm not sure what options are available tho. What if we became part of the city of Port Isabel? I understand our taxes would go up, but if we didn't have any management fees.? I'm open to hearing new ideas.
We are not alone folks!
Be aware that there are variations on the above HOA homeowner's story with each homeowner that goes through those initial stages of "unease" and questioning about his/her HOA.
Some homeowners are gullible and just believe everything their HOA board tells them without question.
Others know, inside themselves, that something probably really is wrong in their HOA, but they don't want to, or are afraid to, get involved.
Others don't even bother to ask any questions
because they've gone into blind denial about what's going on all around them in their HOA (mainly because they're very busy with other matters in their lives and "don't have time" to think about it or do anything about it).
So they just "pay up and shut up."
A middle road that would work for all HOAs
http://texas.ahrc.com/engine.php/submission;page=input,action=display,id=996
Get educated! Read more of Texas HOA laws.....
The cry is to "Do away for HOA's entirely" which I feel is not a realistic approach, nor do I feel continuing with procedure and policies as they currently stand is not also acceptable in the running of HOA's in the U.S. What I propose is a middle of the road approach from my own personal two years of experience serving as an ARC member, Board Director and finally Board President of my HOA in the Community of Eldorado in McKinney, Texas.
There will always be the few who care enough to give of their time to serve their communites just out of a desire to serve. There will always be the "side line watchers" who complain and fall into the "do-nothing"catergory in doing anything of value for anyone, except for themselves and perhaps their immediate family.
Next is management companies that specialist in managing HOA's which represent more of a burden to HOA communities rather than assist the community in being a great place to live with protection of property values in a program that makes sense. Show me a community that is in the "Red" and I will show you a community who has a management company sucking the very blood from the community with very little service and huge unreasonable fees.
Conclusion from my experience. Do away with all forms of management companies in HOA's. Keep the money in making the community more beautiful and less political. Fire your management company today or at least by next week.
Next, require board members of an HOA to be the best of the best in the responsibility of Board Directors. Have the HOA run criminal, as well as credit checks on all prospective board members. Require board members to commit to spending at least ten to fifteen hours a months in fullfilling their committed responsibility to the community.
Hire a good accounting company to keep the books for your HOA. You will find the costs involved are one/tenth of the cost of the typical management company...
Please read more interesting!
http://texas.ahrc.com/engine.php/submission;page=input,action=display,id=996
Take away the golf course and some of the other amenities and you will lose many active people.
Young and old reap the benefits of the exercise, fun and friendship that go along with the golf course, tennis courts and big clubhouse.
Bring in some new music and entertainment for a change and there may be more than 200+ people at events.
Update the website to show the advantages of LIV. Show the water and fishing and golf and people moving about. People of all ages.
Hard to say what is right,but I believe it would require 75% vote of the membership(75x1023) to do away with the HOA - if that is even allowed under Texas law and even if it is there has to be some sort of organization to manage the common areas regardless of what you call it.
As far as management LIV has done about every way that is mentioned above from self management to what we have now. For those of us who have owned during all of that I think most would say we are much better off with a management company than the various degrees of first the board running the entire show with areas of responsibility for directors and appointed volunteers, followed by hiring a manager and using outside accountants and then a management company. The only constant and one which is always going to continue is some folks will be satisfied and others won't. Not saying things can't be better, just saying it's not as bad as some say nor is it as good as others think and maybe, just maybe a little less blame game and a little more working together will as in the past get us back on a more even track.
For all the above "Anonymous", with their great ideas of solutions:
I hope to see your application to run for the Board so you can devote most of your time to see that the solutions to our present problems are solved. If all of you get elected, then you would have the 8 votes to get them passed since you are all in agreement that all past Boards haven't done
anything.
Take away the golf course :
soon or later the 100+ active wont be so active.. just how many new members do you have sign up?
We dont need anymore entertaining! People want to entertain themselves..There are die hards here..YOU DONT see the picture.
You dont hear you dont see.
When you get older your world gets smaller! This is big problem for the younger people!
At least try another managment company!
My guess would be that you personnally would be fine, but the HOA would dissolve. That's good and bad. Once dissolved you wouldn't have to pay any HOA fees, but common areas would not recieve any maintenance either.
Which would leave open the possibility of a new HOA being formed, but existing homeowners "may" be exempt from joining and paying any fees...something to look into with an attorney.
RE: all past Boards haven't done
anything.
I refuse to think your being sarcastic.
Your statement is somewhat true.
The people on the board are friends and neighbors
They only know so much..We will continue to line the pockets of ARAMARK
And what we'll get as members from the BOD's is 100% of nothing.
N othing
O n
T he
H orizon
In
G rowth
NO ONE CARES.. We deserve everything we get!
Good nite!
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