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May 29, 2009
May Newsletter
THE WOODS MAY NEWSLETTER 2009
service@woodsresort.net 802-422-3100
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2009/2010 Capital Projects
Cluster Units – work has progressed quickly removing the small greenhouse bathroom windows and repairing any rot around them and around the walls under the side porch roofs where water has infiltrated behind the stucco in the B and C units. So far there is less rot than anticipated and we hope to do more this summer than originally planned.
Village Units – window replacement is complete in several units and we are now identifying the next priorities based on structural damage and need.
TM Vision Committee
Keith Haselman from Village 35 is organizing a committee to brain storm and explore ways to better utilize the TM building. Their first meeting was held this week. If you have ideas for the committee or would like to participate please call us at 802-422-3100 or e-mail us at service@woodsresort.net.
Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit
There is no update regarding this lawsuit. As reported in our April Newsletter, all briefs related to our Motion for Interlocutory Appeal have been submitted to the Vermont Supreme Court and we are now waiting for the Court to review the briefs and schedule Oral Argument. Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.
Maintenance/Grounds
Our grounds crew has been busy preparing The Woods for summer visitors. Newly sown grass is sprouting along the roadsides and over 100 additional perennials have been added throughout the grounds. Combined with last years plantings, the perennials are now strikingly noticeable around the TM and in the planters under the light posts at the entrances to each Cluster. Loretta Earle our Administrative Assistant has extensive gardens at home and she has been instrumental in providing plants and directing the project. We hope to continue grounds improvements and slowly add shrubs and trees where landscaping is lacking.
We have begun unit inspections and are focusing on larger generic problems such as window and door operation, fireplace screens and firebrick, boiler room condition, and general plumbing fixture condition. Our last fireplace and chimney inspection identified 20 fireplaces where the firebrick was cracked and should be replaced, we will be verifying issues such as that and as we complete a group of buildings we will notify the owners of those issues and any other areas we feel need attention. In anticipation of some common problems we have negotiated contracting pricing in several areas:
Firebrick Panel Replacement – individual panels $240 each; over five panels $180 each; and over 10 panels $160 each. If your fireplace needs repair it is obviously less expensive if we coordinate the repairs among multiple owners and do them all at once.
Fireplace Doors – we are purchasing these from a wholesaler in Pennsylvania and can install new doors for approximately $300 in a Village unit and $350 in a Cluster unit. New fireplace screens are also available for around $50.
Boiler Room Burner Cleaning and Maintenance - we have a contract price for work in multiple units of $115 per unit to clean both the hot water heater and boiler and change the pilot orifices and thermo couples in both.
Window Screens – many units have broken window screens which we can sometimes repair but we now have a direct contact with Pella windows to get factory replacement screens for the existing windows. Prices vary depending upon the window size.
Ceiling Fan and Atrium Window Cleaning – many cluster units have second story windows and ceiling fans in the entries of the units which can only be reached with a tall ladder and some careful manipulation. Our crew will go in and clean the fan and the insides of the high windows for a flat fee of $40.
Interior Painting – we work with several painting contractors and use one exclusively for all of our interior work at a very good rate. Call for a quote of any interior painting and wallpaper work you need.
Spa
In May, the spa ran a successful Mother’s Day special and in June we will again be running manicure and pedicure specials – which were well received last summer. We have once again been opening early on Sundays to allow the local Special Olympics swim team to train in the pool, and we hope that this bit of community outreach helps these great athletes attain their goals on June 5-7 at the games at UVM.
We recently upgraded the Spa management software and we are excited about the capabilities for direct e-mail marketing that we now have. Please remember to give the spa desk staff your email address if you would like to receive these notices in the future.
The tennis courts are finished and ready for play, so please give the spa desk a call at (802) 422-3139 to schedule your court time.
Spa Summer Hours
Sundays: 9:00am-5:00pm
Mon-Thurs: 8:00am-6:00pm
Saturdays: 8:00am-8:00pm
Financial Update through May of 2009
|
INCOME |
Fiscal YTD |
Budget |
Last year |
|
Operating Income (less Spa) |
$831,474.96 |
$834,525.76 |
$784,109.63 |
|
Non-operating Income (interest & dividends) |
$6,240.66 |
$6,900.00 |
$10,948.72 |
|
Spa Income |
$314,690.59 |
$370,400.00 |
$382,411.75 |
|
Net In-Unit Service Income |
$6,714.42 |
$7,450.00 |
$6,762.70 |
|
Total Income |
$1,159,120.63 |
$1,219,275.76 |
$1,184,232.80 |
|
EXPENSE |
|||
|
Spa Expense |
$296,615.91 |
$329,225.00 |
$336,631.94 |
|
Terra Median Expense |
$197,310.32 |
$191,610.86 |
$204,869.94 |
|
Maintenance/Grounds Expense |
$205,731.83 |
$231,101.60 |
$230,959.68 |
|
General & Administrative Expense |
$327,158.21 |
$359,185.36 |
$371,984.69 |
|
Non-operating Expense (legal) |
$76,115.52 |
$50,250.00 |
$67,706.74 |
|
Total Expense |
$1,102,931.79 |
$1,161,372.82 |
$1,212,152.99 |
|
Net Income |
$56,188.84 |
$57,902.82 |
($27,920.19) |
Note: This year’s budget was planned to recoup last years operating loss. These figures are un-audited year end numbers and may change slightly after independent financial review.
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May 05, 2009
April 2009 Newsletter
THE WOODS APRIL NEWSLETTER 2009
service@woodsresort.net 802-422-3100
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Annual Meeting
The Woods Homeowners Association Annual Meeting was held May 2, 2009. Members representing 74.4% of the voting power of the Association were present in person or by proxy to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
The proposed budget for 2009/2010 was approved with three members voting against it because they felt fees should remain higher, at last year’s level, to begin building larger reserves for future projects such as water system upgrades and road and parking lot paving.
The Member Resolution to renew our $300,000 line of credit with Banknorth passed by unanimous vote.
Keith Haselman, Ray Jowdy, and Ed Martins were unanimously elected to the three vacant Board positions. The new Board Members are:
President Richard Mandel Home 2
Treasurer Ed Martins Village 14
Secretary Paul DiGeronimo Home 1
Vice President Keith Haselman Village 35
Member at large Ray Jowdy Cluster C-1
They may be contacted by e-mail at Board@WoodsResort.net or you may refer issues and questions to them by contacting the Woods administrative office at 802-422-3100.
Vision Committee
Discussion at the Annual Meeting regarding the restaurant and the Spa evolved into the need to look at ways to maximize utilization of the Terra Median building. Owners mentioned bringing in fitness instructors for classes, having the restaurant focus on functions and large parties, revisiting managing our own rentals, and just finding a niche or service that is not provided elsewhere in the area. Some long time members commented that this had all been discussed before with little success, but overall it was decided that we needed to form a committee to brain storm, research, and analyze ideas to better use the TM and generate additional revenue. If you would like to be involved with this, please call the Woods office at 802-422-3100 or e-mail us at service@WoodsResort.net.
2009/2010 Capital Projects
Capital projects have begun with siding repairs on units in B and C clusters and window replacement in Village units 12 and 13. Removal of a living room window in Village 12 uncovered rotted plywood and framing because of water infiltrating from where the deck on the unit above was attached to the building. The entire rear wall had to be removed and rebuilt. This is the worst we have encountered in the Village and hopefully will be an isolated occurrence.
Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit
All briefs related to our Motion for Interlocutory Appeal have been submitted to the Vermont Supreme Court and we are now waiting for the Court to review the briefs and schedule Oral Argument. Enclosed with this newsletter is a document prepared by our Association’s attorney intended to provide the Association Members a thorough update regarding the history and background of the ongoing litigation. Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.
Maintenance/Grounds
Spring clean up continues. Roads and walkways have been swept, new mulch has been put down, and top soil and grass seed is being spread to repair winter’s damage. The grounds crew has prepared the tennis courts and once the lines are installed the nets will be put up and play can begin.
We continue to have issues with two of our fiberglass underground water storage tanks. Excavation of the overflow pipe that was not working on one of the tanks uncovered a broken fiberglass flange connecting the tank to the overflow pipe. The flange was molded in one piece as part of the tank and it broke in a very difficult place for repair. We are moving forward with other repairs and upgrades to the water system as needed and mandated by the State of Vermont.
We have negotiated a contract price of $115 (for most units) plus a 10% administrative fee to clean both the propane water heater and boiler and replace the thermo-couple and pilot orifice in both. This is a very good price and is a service that should be performed every two years or so to keep burners efficient and help prevent common emergency repairs. The service would be performed by Mark Woods, a licensed independent propane service technician whom we have worked with this past winter. If your burners have not been serviced in the past year or two and you would like to have this service scheduled please contact us by phone or e-mail and we will arrange for the cleaning.
Spa
The spa ran a successful April special – an ad in the Mountain Times offering a free upgrade from a fifty minute treatment to an 80 minute treatment. The special brought in quite a few treatments during a particularly slow month and reinforced the value of consistently advertising in the local publication.
In an effort to bring in more revenue this summer, the Spa will be selling tennis memberships and booking hourly court rentals. (PLEASE NOTE: Woods homeowners and guests will still have complimentary court time, but the courts must be booked in advance.) Please remember that this summer you will need to call the spa desk at 802.422.3139 to schedule court time if you would like to play. We expect the courts to be ready for play by mid May.
Spa Summer Hours
Sundays: 9:00am-5:00pm
Mon-Thurs: 8:00am-6:00pm
Saturdays: 8:00am-8:00pm
Financial Update
Our final numbers for the month of April and our fiscal year are not yet in; however, we project to finish the year ahead of our budget. A year end update will be included with the May Newsletter at the end of the month.
As noted above the fiscal 2009/2010 budget which started on May 1st was approved at the Annual Meeting on May 2nd. Monthly fees for all woods Owners are lower than last year. Even though the May Owner Statements do not get sent out until after the Annual Meeting, please be aware that as always, payment is due upon receipt and is considered late after the 25th of the month. Interest will be charged on all past due amounts and a $25 administrative fee is charged to accounts with balances past due over 60 days. Formal collection will be initiated on any account past 90 days. Unfortunately we have initiated formal collection proceedings on one unit despite repeated attempts to work with the unit Owner. If for any reason you cannot make a payment on time, please contact The Woods administrative office.
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