comment == still unhappy too !!!!

Anonymous to me
show details 3:35 PM (37 minutes ago)

Reply

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "unhappy in la !!!!!":

I'm thinking there is a reason the board isn't publishing the minutes from Oct and Nov. Perhaps they don't want to publish what little they're accomplishing. It's a disgrace we're not able to get operation information in a timely manner. I've been at LA for a long time and this is the first time I've been so misinformed. It's now the middle of January and we don't know what is going on as far back as October. This is a community we support and are entitled to information on how our money is being spent. I may be off base but my perception is not only is this board not productive they seem to be counter-productive. Almost seven months and no management? Why would you fire a manager without a plan to replace him? Things are backing up and they can't use Gary as a scape goat anymore. This was a very bad administrative move and indicates, contrary to their resumes, we have elected very inexperienced board members. They also hired a new attorney to work the 12' wide issue. When will they take that matter to task? This is going on six years and not one board in six years has been able to give this a priority and get it passed? Hopefully "The Adventurer" that is being published next month will be full of information. Thanks to Cheryl et al for keeping the place running.

anon -- your right on all the issues -- new bod members are needed -- the same old brings the members the same old -- we must get new people to run for the available seats --- get anyone interested and have them send me their emails and i'll start a bank of emails so we can send out info for members who want to run -- it may be a start -- email me at

lachipper@gmail.com or ubfriend@aol.com

#5

RV SHOW

cut and paste this link for details http://macevents.com/show.cfm/eventID/99#7

BIG game !!! only 1 winner -- oh no! mr. bill !

HELP !!!!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "watch out she's mad as hell !!!!":

Does anyone know the date of the next open board meeting?


#9

happy birthday gypsy !!

watch out she's mad as hell !!!!

Anonymous to me
show details 8:28 PM (51 minutes ago)

Reply

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

Hi Chip! Oh, lets just all vote you in as manager already and be done with this nonsense! Who has the time really?? Obviously, you care a great deal for the future of LA, so it's just so simple...doesn't take much thought. What's the REAL prob?

Anyway, just wanted to say that the plowers did a stand up, super-fantastic job these past few days!!

And I really liked the snow man on the new LA flyer. It was so nice to mention the passing and loss of the obviously well loved gentleman, who passed away from the LA community.

Today is fri 1/9 to be clear and I was most happy with being able to drive safely in and out of LA to check on things. Plowed, gritted and maintained roads made me more then happy! Thanks Guys!
;)

Did hear a few gun shots way too nearby and the deer family ran away behind my lot from the shooter!!!!

I waited for the shooter to come by, but I didn't see him this time, what a shame, I had such a present for him.

Must admit, I am a most friendly gal, but when and if I catch the SOB shooting,(thisclose)to my trailer...your gonna eat that gun you hear me! (oh, and I know it's unfortunately, an LA property owner)

Leave the deer in LA alone, it's the only refuge they have, if you can't hunt like a man where it's legal, then give up your gun to a real man or woman who knows how to hunt responsible, ya coward!

Have a nice day Chip!

PK

pk -- good luck with YOUR hunting -- you're right it's doesn't take much of a hunter to shoot animals in a refuge -- BIG MAN that is for sure!!!!!

#10

ELVIS

1935 - 1977

manager

Anonymous to me
show details 2:36 PM (3 hours ago)

Reply

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "unhappy in la !!!!!":

WoW !! No one to mind the store? Does the board expect Cheryl to run everything until they decide to hire someone?? Are they going to pay her and the other girls in the office and Doug accordingly for what they expect them to do? This is really a disgrace that it's almost 7 months and still no manager and now no code officer. What is this board thinking?? They should make Cheryl the manager , she has been doing the job since they fired Gary, and move on to try to make aure LA survives


#11

unhappy in la !!!!!

Anonymous to me
show details 6:33 PM (2 hours ago)

Reply

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

With the board having to decide on two positions do you think it will be made by December or November? With the way they are playing around with the managers position, and not caring about how our money is going out the door, do you really think they , on a whole care, are really interested in the good of LA or again only their personal gains, which they all have already in electric, sewer and road upgrades. I hope evryone remembers the circus that is going on at election time and does something about the mess we are in. If you think this is bad now just wait until the summer when people are disgusted with the way things are or are broke and dues are not coming in watch for people just to walk away from the properties and the few left will have to pay all the bills. This board is destroying everything that was good and attracted people to LA so we all must bear the pain. REMEMBER AT ELECTION!!!!

waiting

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

I'm waiting for the Oct and Nov board meeting minutes to be published to see what's been going on. I think things must be busy as there are now two management job openings. If the two jobs are merged together as I think I read was going to happen I wonder if the job description and salary will reflect the change. It will be interesting to see who is up for re-election when the news paper is published next month. My pen is ready to fill out the ballot.

#12

food service

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

Some Current News from the LA site:


THE LACA KITCHEN/STORE IS AVAILABLE FOR LEASE. THE PRICE FOR THE SEASON IS $2,000. PA FOOD HANDLERS LICENSE AND LIABILITY INSURANCE A MUST. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT CHERYL @570-686-2800. MARCH 1ST IS THE DEADLINE.

quiet

awful quiet at la -- anything happening out there????

#13

BAIL OUT !!!!

#14

BAIL OUT !!!!

#16

BAIL OUT !!!!

#17

JOE BIRRELL

changed per request

richardbirrell@aol.com to me, ubfriend
show details 1:35 PM (3 hours ago)

Reply

Hello Chipper -- This is Rick Birrell, Joe Birrell's son. I apologize for the inconvenience, but was wondering if the blog posting of Jan 1, 2009 could be amended as follows. There could be legal ramifications stemming from my original post as I will be taking legal action in the matter of my father's estate. I've also omitted my home phone #.

Thank you very much.

Regards,
Rick

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Chipper,

My name is Rick, I am Joe Birrell's son.... don't know if you were at the memorial service for Dad at St. Vincents where we may have met. My wife Gemma and I had the honor of meeting several of my Dad's co-workers and friends from Lake Adventure at the service and were deeply touched by the outpouring of sympathy for Dad.

I've received a package from 1-800-Flowers which contained a garden greenery plant from the Lake Adventure Board of Directors and fellow employees. We wanted to sincerely convey our deepest gratitude for this beautiful gift.

Again, I wish to convey my appreciation for all the kind people of Lake Adventure. If interested, I have started a memorial web site which can be visited at the following URL (requires registration in order to leave comments/tribute): http://www.imorial.com/josephbirrell/

I can be reached as follows:

Richard J. Birrell
2050 68th St.
Brooklyn, NY 11204

phone: (718)
email: richardbirrell@aol.com


With Warm Regards,

Rick Birrell

comment

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

This is one of the best commentaries I've read on this blog. I nominate you to run for Board President. I've often questioned why our board minutes take months to be published while other communities post theirs the same month. I've also noticed in reading board minutes from other communities their attorneys attend the meetings and you are correct items are assigned acted on quickly. There was a meeting scheduled with our new attorney in early Sept to address the 12' wide issue, nothing was ever published and questions on the issue go unanswered. The "new" attorney took over this project six months ago and progress remains a mystery. Volunteers may not be appreciated by this board. Information and suggestions are not acknowledged, at least that's been my experience. Unfortunately we lost a decent and hard working man in Joe. This is a huge loss and creates an even bigger management vacuum. The BOD is not expected to run the day to day management of the community, however they created a situation where more is expected of them than it appears they are willing or able to give. Meeting once a month handling administrative duties isn't the same as being on site every day. They could meet four times a month but that still leaves 27 days of no one working the daily issues. Some suggest that all we do is gripe on this site but if things were running smoothly we would have nothing to complain about. There are many things I like and enjoy about LA and that list is certainly longer than the list of things I don't like. This is a place we can express our opinions and hope the BOD can use that information as a barometer for items most important to community members.


#19

BAIL OUT !!!!

#20

comment

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "BAIL OUT !!!!":

I wish someboby told me we were in the mountians before I bought my lot we should cut all the trees down to get sunlight and stop the trees from falling on power lines

#20

bitching ????

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "bitching ????":

A thousand thank yous Jim !
WELL SAID!

bitching ????

Jim Meehan to me
show details 1:35 PM

Reply

I enjoy your site. However there is allot of bitching going on about some things that just can't be helped. L.A. is in the mountains, roads are going to ice up. The complainers should check the weather before coming to the Pocono's.Not enough salt or grit or sand on the roads. Not enough staff on hand when the power goes out. Are we becoming a bunch grouches and old farts? Enjoy what you have at L.A. or go to Florida. Complainers want a perfect world. Remember it is a Trailer Park, not Squaw Valley.

BAIL OUT !!!!

#21

ice

hide details 11:33 AM (1 hour ago) Reply
We were also up at LA this past weekend. We were there late Saturday afternoon. Some roads (especially near the gate and front of the park) were icy. Fortunately, our road was very clear -- I think it gets a lot of sun. We would have loved to stay overnight, but won't take the chance of doing that again during the off season with the way the power goes out so often. That already happened once this year to us and it wasn't a pleasant experience! It's a shame because it is really beautiful and peaceful there during the winter and could be such a great weekend getaway.


PB

ice

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


Oh Wait just one darn minute!!!!!

I too, witnessed the ice first hand and it was VERY bad on certain roads.

And I have not drank any eggnog!
:)

I will start leaving my initials

pk

pk--- thanks for reaffirming what i experienced when i came to la on saturday at noon--- more grit should have been on the roads at intersections, the entrance gate and on the hills-- if you had a small vehicle that would start to slide you could have been in deep trouble-- ended in a ditch, off the side of the road or even into another vehicle--- this is a area that a manager should be on site to monitor and respond to with proper maintenance procedures-- it's basic ice and snow management 101

#22

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!!!!!

comment reply

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?

comment reply

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

joe

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "FAREWELL TO A GOOD MAN!":

I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday chipper! How tragic for this man's family to have lost him...so close to the holiday season. I did not know this man, however, my prayers go out to his friends and family.

God Bless
RIP

FAREWELL TO A GOOD MAN!

today was the funeral for joe birrell and his family at st. vincent's church - it was a beautiful service in keeping with joe's personality -- he was a good man!