ice

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "ice":

I was at LA on sat and everything was fine. The doom and gloom is getting old. I had no issues with anything you are talking about. Maybe too much egg-nog for you over the holiday?

anon--- next time i'll take pictures -- chipper

ice

i was up at la saturday and i was surprised at how icy the roads were-- there was very little grit on the roads and the driving was treacherous-- in fact the entrance gate was icy ruts and very slippery -- i'm surprised no one hasn't taken out the gate arm

it is evident that no one is managing the situations at la and that a manager is needed -- this bod is really falling down on this issue and can't find a capable facility manager -- they have been at this for 6 months and still no one for this position -- they are doing something very wrong and aren't able to handle the task in front of them -- the loss of the manager and the compliance officer at the same time is a serious problem developing at la and with the possibility with defaulting member dues this bod could be in real trouble really quickly-- the members should express their dissatisfaction with these problems and demand that a manager and now a compliance officer be hired before spring -

of course this could be an opportunity to rearrange the structure at la -- a full time maintenance supervisor should be considered with responsibilities for maintenance operations and act as compliance officer-- combining these two positions is a logical step in getting proper supervision over the maintenance department and controlling the compliance issues -- then again if the bod can't find a manager how would they find a ft maintenance super/compliance officer--- this may be beyond their pay scale!!!!!

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "comment + question":

I think most of us would agree that the current and previous boards have been lacking in these main areas:
• Capability -- they can’t even seem to be able to hire a general manager.
• Fiscal responsibility -- the recession did not happen overnight. They should have been more responsible and not develop a high priced eight-year plan to begin with (by that I mean raising the dues so drastically at once). Sure, they said the dues would not go up (except for a few dollars) for the first five years. But have they ever said what the dues would go up to in years 6, 7, and 8 in their plan?
• Ability to make the decision when needed –- electrical, water, sewage problems don’t develop overnight. Throughout the years the boards have believed in using the “band-aid” affect until it is absolutely necessary to correct the situation once and for all. That, most of all, has gotten us into the mess we’re in.

So how do we resolve this? How do WE as a group demand action and actually get accountability? Is it enough to just vote in 2 or 3 new people each year? How do we know new faces will make a difference? We can demand, yell, scream, or whatever, but in the end the board will do whatever THEY (the select seven members of the community, not the majority of us) want. How do we actually go about and change the system?

I suppose that is why the CCLA developed. I don’t know anything about the Concerned Citizens of Lake Adventure. Can anyone share some information on this group, such as their history, purpose, membership, meetings, etc.? Are they helping the community's situation?

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Eduardo Garcia to me

hide details Dec 24 (5 days ago) Reply


Chipper,

In spite of fees being lowered $150 by the bd for 09/10, the fees remain relatively high for the services and amenities offered at this community. Privately, bd members act as if they are doing us a favor and should have no reason for complaints. I have several friends in nearby, year-round communities and their overall yearly dues are much lower with consumer satisfaction very high. How about that? Why can't that happen here at LA?

Take for instance Breezewoods Acres, where the board actually realized savings of over $150 in their yearly fees for 09, so their members are paying much less than LA and their recreation events and services are better, too. Their board meet on a regular basis and their minutes are posted within the same month, but more important, decisions are acted upon promptly. Look at Birchwood Lakes, there's transparency in the bd and the community is actively involved. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE LA, but things need to improve dramatically, and very fast.

I know there are others that share my concerns and perhaps an alternate slate should be fielded for the next elections; like-minded people are required to push a system that is lacking inertia. I was an auxiliary police officer, ran a little league softball team and do realize the power of volunteers in our community. If you poll members, most have expertise in area's needed to help maintain a lively and safe community. Maybe a call for volunteers to participate in minor maintenance/building projects can free paid staff to do larger tasks, without having to paid exorbitant fees to contractors for certain specific jobs. Of course there are tasks that are best left to the professionals, but that doesn't mean that experienced members in a particular field can't comment on a related contract. Would it be swell if we had a data base of skilled members who are asked to review and comment on contract/projects. How do we know if we are getting our money's worth and the contractor not taking short cuts at LA expense? Just because you are a paid staff or a bd member doesn't mean that you have the only cost-effective solution. Physically-able members should volunteers a number of hours as part of their yearly dues to handle something like tree clearing and planting, re-furbishing existing structures, etc. The kitchen can be run in a similar fashion. What about an auxiliary unit to supplement security during peak months...I will not talk about a Fire department for LA.

The bottom line is how much we are asked to pay in fees and how much savings LA can expect from professionals wanting to do business with our community. Additional savings can be realized across the board with closer supervision of paid staff management and cleverly negotiated contracts with outside vendors. Our volunteer should be able to receive a discount in their yearly contribution. This is the incentive, and the task of managing the volunteers for projects goes to the paid LA manager. Members that can't devote hours, for whatever the reason, will pay the customary dues. I know that bd members read your blog, so I want them to be aware that they must be creative and think outside the box...or ship-out!

Respectfully,
Eddy