service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Annual Meeting

The Woods Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 1.  Although it is still over two months away we ask that you plan to attend if possible.  The Woods Condominium Documents require a majority of owners be present in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting to elect Board Members and approve the next year’s budgets. 

The Association needs owner participation to function and we encourage owners to consider being candidates for the Board.  No one has come forward to fill the Board position vacated by Ed Martins in December; therefore, a total of four positions will be open this year for election to The Woods Board of Directors.  Three positions will be for two year terms and one position will be for a one year term.  Candidates are requested to submit a brief resume or letter of introduction detailing their objectives and qualifications for serving on the Board.  Resumes received will then be copied and included with the meeting agenda and information package sent to all Woods Homeowners prior to the Annual Meeting.  Please submit resumes to:

            The Woods Homeowners’ Association

            53 Woods Lane

            Killington, VT  05751

A Director must be a Unit Owner or duly authorized agent of an Ownership Entity at all times during his or her term.  Questions concerning the position and duties may be directed to any of the current Board members or Tony Hart, General Manager for The Woods.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

We are still waiting for a ruling from the Vermont Supreme Court on our appeal regarding development rights and will immediately inform all Woods Owners of any news, good or bad.   Our attorney did draft a short background and history regarding the lawsuit which we mailed to all Woods Owners last May.  Please call our office if you would like another copy or have any questions regarding the lawsuit.

Maintenance/Grounds

Winter decorations were taken down the week before Presidents week.  With no major weather events in February we did cut the hours for the two junior grounds crew staff down to four days a week, but the weather forecast looks like snow on and off for the next 7 to 10 days so they should be back to full time.   We value our crew very much, but could not justify having staff on with no work.

We have had two major plumbing leaks in Village units this past month.  One unit had a frozen pipe caused by the intake air vent blowing freezing air on it.  Fortunately it was a ground floor unit and all of the water from the burst pipe stayed in the boiler room.  There was no water damage to that unit or any others.  The second leak was in an upstairs Village unit from a crack in the faucet for the washer in the laundry area which resulted in considerable water damage to the unit below.   We estimate repairs may be $4,000 to $5,000, not including loss of rental income.   These events are both good examples of why owners need to be properly insured for the contents inside their units and for damage to their own units and surrounding units caused by events like these.  Each unit’s mechanical systems and internal plumbing are the responsibility of the owner and damage caused by their failure is not covered through the Association’s insurance.

Although our newest truck is now five years old, thanks to careful use and regular maintenance our grounds vehicles and equipment are holding up well.  We did need to replace a leaf spring in our smaller truck this past month and we have replaced the brake lines and will need to replace the windshield in the Ford Expedition we use for maintenance.  The leaf springs in our larger truck were replaced a year ago.    

Spa

The spa had a successful President’s week.  We exceeded last year’s income by 5%.  With a weather prediction of a foot of new snow this week, we expect to have a great weekend coming up.

We continue to do well with the $10 vouchers that are being put into check in packages with the rental agents and a few select inns.  For those of you who do your own renting, if you would like to have vouchers, please call or email us and we can send them out or put them in your unit upon your guests’ arrival. 

And don’t forget that you as homeowners get 10% off any spa treatments.

Financial Update through January of 2009

The positive variance in net income is primarily from two sources: a savings in Terra Median Expense due to lower propane cost than budgeted and a savings in legal expenses due to inactivity in the KM lawsuit.  We may need all of the funds allocated for legal if we do not have a favorable ruling from the Court and we are planning on using the savings in propane to replace the $20,000 taken from common capital for the purchase and installation of the new propane tanks at the TM (which allowed us to save in propane expense).   Although the Spa had a strong holiday week, we still expect to finish February almost $10,000 behind budgeted revenue for the month.  If the Spa net income continues to fall below budget for the remainder of the year it will most likely cause a shortfall in this year’s Commercial Access Fee calculations which could roll over into next year’s budget causing a slight increase in the Commercial Access Fee.

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Annual Meeting

In accordance with our By-Laws, The Woods Homeowners Association Annual Meeting is scheduled for the first Saturday in May each year.  This years meeting will be held Saturday May 1, 2010 in the Terra Median building at The Woods.  We hope you plan to attend and will mark the date on your schedule.   Three positions will be open for the Board of Directors.  Please contact Tony Hart, Woods General Manger, or a current Board member if you are considering being a candidate.

Open Board of Directors Position

With the departure of Ed Martins from the Woods Board of Directors in December we have an open position on the Board.  Our by-laws allow us to continue to function with a four member Board or to appoint a replacement to fill the position until the next scheduled election.  We ask that anyone interested in filling the position for the remainder of this year please contact Tony Hart, The Woods General Manager or Richard Mandel, The Woods Board President.  In general, the Board meets once per month by conference call with the General Manager to review operations, capital projects, financials, and discuss any other Woods business matters as needed and appropriate.

2010/2011 Budget

We are starting the 2010/2011 budget process for the fiscal year beginning May 1, 2010.  Owner input and suggestions regarding the operation of The Woods and future capital projects is welcome.  This summer we need to complete the last year of a three year project to repair the stucco and paint the siding on the Cluster units (A and D cluster units remain) and we should continue to build the reserve to replace the Village unit roofs and continue with selective replacement of Village windows and sliders.   Other projects may also be suggested by the Board of Directors as the budget process moves forward.  At the fall Homeowners Meeting there was considerable discussion about the need to repair and resurface some of our roads and parking areas.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

As previously reported, Oral Argument was presented to the Vermont Supreme Court in November and we are now waiting for the Courts decision regarding our interlocutory appeal.  Anywhere from 4 to 6 months is the customary waiting period before a decision is issued from the court so we may have several more months before we have any news regarding the appeal.   We did mail a short background and history regarding the lawsuit to all owners last May, but if do not recall reading it and would like a copy mailed or e-mailed, please call The Woods administrative office and we will send one to you. 

Maintenance/Grounds

January has been uneventful with routine plowing, sanding, and shoveling walkways.  We are still evaluating our refuse recycling process but the overall concept appears to have been well received by both guests and owners.

So far this winter we have had far fewer no heat / no hot water calls. We think this is a result of many owners having had routine burner cleaning and maintenance performed over the summer and hope to continue that program next year.  The burner issues we have had have been in units that were not serviced over the summer.  We have also had other plumbing issues but those are a result of the age of the systems in the units.  Most Woods condominiums have the original boilers and hot water heaters which were installed 20 years ago and in some cases it is time to consider replacing the hot water heaters and boilers with new more energy efficient systems.  We are currently soliciting proposals for replacement systems and hope to be able to get information and pricing out to everyone this spring. 

Spa

Once again the local Special Olympics swim team will be practicing on Sunday mornings in our pool. The team of five qualifiers will be going to Nebraska in April to compete in the National Competition, and this is the forth year they have used our pool to train. We welcome them and wish them great success.

Friday, January 22,  the local Boston TV station NECN filmed at Killington.  They featured the ski area and then showcased what to do if you don't ski. The Spa at The Woods was among four other businesses they filmed.   After editing we will have a one minute blurb. It is set to air Wednesday, Jan.27, at 7:30 and will be repeated during the following week at random times.

Don forget your favorite Valentine. Gift certificates are available and we will happily send them out to you. We will also include a $10 gift voucher, good towards any treatment. Give us a call and let us make you a hero!

Financial Update through December of 2009

Spa revenues continue to fall short of our budget and the past several years despite our efforts to bring in more business.  Fortunately we have been able to reduce the associated operating costs and make up for some of the loss.  Our savings in Terra Median expense comes primarily from reduced propane costs as a result of now owning our propane tanks at the TM and securing a good contract price for propane there.  At year end we should apply any savings in propane to the cost of replacing the tanks which was a $20,000 capital expense taken from our reserve and is not reflected in these operating numbers.  

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Holidays

The staff at The Woods wishes all of our Owners and their guests the best during this Holiday Season and throughout the new year.

Board of Directors Position

We are sad to report that after serving as treasurer on The Woods Board of Directors for the past four years, Ed Martins has sold his Woods condominium unit and has stepped down from the Board.  We ask that anyone interested in serving out the remainder of his term on the Board please contact Tony Hart, The Woods General Manager or Richard Mandel, The Woods Board President.   In general, the Board meets once per month by conference call with the General Manager to review operations, capital projects, financials, and discuss any other Woods business matters as needed and appropriate.

Maintenance/Grounds

Winter arrived with some very cold temperatures and strong winds in mid-December.  We have not had much snow but our crew has still had to sand and salt several times.   We checked unit furnaces in October to verify that all were working heading into the cold season and again checked them in the middle of the most recent cold snap.  Despite these efforts we have had three no heat calls, two of which came in the late evening hours when an owner and a renter arrived finding cold units.  We continue to recommend burner cleaning and routine maintenance on an annual or biannual basis to help prevent emergency calls. 

Maintenance has remained busy with additional owner requests for new fireplace doors, installing wall mounted flat screen TVs, and performing a wide range of minor in-unit and Terra Median maintenance.   Please call or e-mail with any maintenance requests.

Recycling

The Woods now has “single stream”, “co-mingled”, recycling.  Blue, 16 gallon recycling bins have been delivered to each unit.  All clean glass, plastic, cans, cardboard, and paper may be placed together in the recycling bin or a paper bag or cardboard box for recycling.  Please leave the recycling bin outside the entry to your unit early on Monday and Friday mornings for pick up.  The bin will be returned empty in the afternoon when the "non-recyclable" trash is collected from the trash closet outside the unit.  

A "recycling only" dumpster has been placed in the Spa parking lot across from the Terra Median building.  All clean "co-mingled" recycling may be placed in this dumpster, but please do not place any trash in the dumpster or the entire dumpster contents will be treated as trash and not be recycled, resulting in both wasted effort and higher cost.      

We ask for your understanding and patience as we work out the best procedure to efficiently operate a recycling program.  This is new to us and we may need to make changes as we get the program under way.  Monday or Friday snow storms and holidays could cause some variation with our pick up schedule.  Thank you for your cooperation. 

Shuttle

Schedules for Gramps Shuttle to and from Killington for Woods Owners and Guests have been placed in most Woods units and delivered to the area rental agents for guests checking in to Woods units.   Please call or stop by the administration office if you need a copy.

Spa

December had a slow start but with the holidays here we are seeing increased bookings and gift certificate sales have picked up substantially. We have asked the local rental companies to include our Spa brochure along with a $10 Spa voucher in their arrival packets. We hope this will encourage more people to book treatments.

Our Spa e-mail newsletter launched on December 15^th.  In addition to owners, we e-mailed 175 newsletters to local businesses and past clients. We will continue to tweak it, so please forward any helpful suggestions you might have or what you would like to see in it. 

Spa winter hours are now in effect:  Sun-Thurs 9am-8pm, Fri & Sat 9am-9pm.  Remember your 10% homeowner’s discount.  We hope to see you over the holidays.

Financial Update through November of 2009

We continue to try to keep expenses below our budget; however, December will see some increased maintenance costs for sand and salt and refuse removal from properly disposing of old construction debris left on site many years ago. 

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fall Homeowners Meeting

The Woods Homeowners Fall Meeting was held on Saturday, November 21 at 3:30 PM in the Terra Median Building.  This was an informal, non-voting, informational meeting followed by a social hour. Reports on year to date financials and an operations recap through October 31 were presented.  You can find the operations recap and a list of capital projects for possible future consideration posted in the “for owners only section” on our web site, WoodsResort.net.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

Attorneys for both side presented oral argument to the Vermont Supreme court on November 3.   We could now wait for several months before receiving a decision on our appeal. 

Maintenance/Grounds

Fall clean up of our grounds is complete although leaves will continue to collect in entryways and other wind protected areas until the snow flies.  Our two plow trucks have been oil undercoated to help reduce rust, inspected, serviced, and are ready for winter.   In-unit service has been busy installing new fireplace doors in nine units and hanging new flat screen TVs in three units.  Please call or e-mail us if you have any maintenance requests.

 Owner Address Updates

Thank you to everyone who updated/corrected his or her mailing address, e-mail address, or phone # we have on file.  We understand most addresses stay the same but occasionally someone has a change we are not aware of.

Recycling

We have arranged for a co-mingled “single stream” recycling dumpster for the woods and we are in the process of purchasing 14 gallon “curb” recycling bins for each unit.  Some additional labor by our grounds staff may be required to collect the recycled materials, but if we achieve a significant level of recycling we should more than offset the expense by lowering our monthly refuse cost.   We will be able to recycle clean paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and cans.  

Restaurant

We do not have an operator for the restaurant at this time and do not expect to have one for this winter.  The TM Vision committee is exploring finding a caterer who will use the restaurant space in the TM building for functions and small events on a regular basis.

Winter Shuttle Service

A new schedule and reservation (pick-up) procedure for this winter was e-mailed to all owners whose e-mails we have on file.  We will also place a schedule in each Woods unit and copies are available at The Woods Homeowners Association office.

Spa

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy® known as “Barefoot Massage” is now available. “Ashi” means foot and “atsu” means pressure. Very deep, soothing strokes are applied by the therapist while supporting themselves with bars suspended from the ceiling. Alison Hans, who has been with us for three years, has successfully completed 25 hours of training and is now fully certified to do this treatment.

Gift certificates are now available for the upcoming holiday season. If you aren’t planning on coming up but would like to purchase one, please call and we will process it immediately and get it into the mail that same day.

Extended weekend hours will start Thanksgiving weekend. We will be open Friday and Saturdays until 8pm.Winter hours Sunday – Thursday: 9am – 8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am -9pm start December 18.

Don’t forget that as a homeowner you get 10% off, and remember to THINK SNOW!

Financial Update through October of 2009

There are some expense timing differences from last year and budget including $5,000 for firewood which was in the Grounds budget and last year for October and will not show until November of this year.                    

Powered by Qumana

Fall Meeting

November 21, 2009

Recap for May through October of 2009

Capital Projects

Cluster Units

• Completed Sto (stucco) siding repairs and painted the white stucco in C, D, and G Clusters 
• Painted grey siding on D Cluster
• Painted front and rear decks on B through G Clusters

Village Units

• Replaced both living room windows and rebuilt entire rear wall on V-12 
• Flashed and repaired deck on V-13.  Replaced living room and loft windows on V-13
• Replaced loft window on V-32

Common

• Replaced water level probes and repaired electrical connections for three of six water storage tanks
• Purchased and installed new locking man-ways for 5 underground water tanks

TM

• Purchased new lounge chairs for outside summer use
• Replaced cushions for teak lounge chairs on pool deck
• Purchased and installed 6 new 1,000 gallon underground propane tanks

Operations

Grounds/Maintenance

• Repaired break in a four inch water main
• Repaired cracks on one underground water tank
• Drained A fire pond and cleaned the overflow outlet
• Removed old construction debris from upper water tank area and circle beyond Woods Homes where water main break occurred
• Shut down and super sanitized hot tub due to bacteria reading on water fall
• Changed batteries in all smoke detectors
• Inspected and re-charged fire extinguishers in all units
• Added additional perennials to the grounds
• Pressure washed all decks and cement patios
• Fulfilled over 100 in-unit service requests

TM Maintenance

• Replaced all hot tub and pool drain covers to comply with recent federal law
• Completed minor upgrades to the fire alarm system as required by the state
• Replaced electronic igniter on hot tub heater
• Replaced belt on compressor for pool “Zephyr” temperature and humidity control unit
• Replaced ladder for hot tub
• Replaced power module for TM phone voice mail system

Spa

• Upgraded Spa software
• Replaced Spa PC

Vendor Services

• Coordinated over 70 independent contractor services for owners not including providing keys to house cleaners, furniture deliveries and carpet installations
  • 45 propane burner cleanings
  • 11 plumbing repairs
  • Gas range installations
  • Interior painting
• Purchased and installed new fireplace doors for seven owners
• Purchased and installed new fireplace screens for 3 owners
• Located and purchased original replacement window screens and storm window for 2 owners

General Updates

Water System Source Protection Plan

• An updated Water System Source Protection Plan was submitted and approved by the state.

Shuttle

• Gramps Shuttle has been contracted to provide winter shuttle service to and from Killington.  Schedules are available and will also be delivered to each unit.  Service is similar to previous years.

Firewood

• 20 cords of kiln dried fire wood have been purchased for this season

Propane Pricing

• TM pricing is locked in at $1.244 per gallon for 25,000 gallons with Irving propane
• Unit pricing will float at fifty cents above Amerigas’s cost

Restaurant

• We do not have an operator for the restaurant at this time and do not expect to have one for this winter.

Recycling

• We have arranged for a co-mingled “single stream” recycling dumpster for The Woods and we are investigating purchasing 14 cubic foot “curb” bins for each unit.  If we achieve a significant level of recycling we can lower our monthly refuse cost

Kohl/Madowitz Lawsuit

• Oral argument for our interlocutory appeal was heard on November 3.  We are now waiting for a decision from the Vermont Supreme Court.  
• A brief history and background regarding this litigation was prepared by The Woods attorney last April and mailed to all Woods Owners in May of 2009.  If you need a copy, one can be obtained through the Woods Homeowners Association administrative office.

Future Projects to Consider for the Short and Long Term

Cluster Siding

$75,000 to $100,000 - continue with year three of a three year project to repair and paint the exterior siding throughout the Cluster units.  Siding repairs and painting the stucco in A and D clusters remains to complete the project.

Village Roofs

We have three estimates to re-roof the Village units with architectural asphalt shingles.

• $305,782 - Schernecker Property Services, Waltham MA, received in fall of 2008
  • Price increases 10% if all building not done at one time
  • Does not include repair of stucco siding after flashing is installed
  • Does not include new metal roofs over entryways
• $385,316 – Allroof, Roofing Specialists, Rutland VT, received fall of 2009
  • Includes stucco repair
  • Includes new metal roofs over entryways
  • Must do at least 3 buildings at a time to receive pricing on materials
• $126,315 – Bear Mtn. Builders, Rutland, VT, received spring of 2009
  • Proposal lacks some detail

Village Concrete Patios

Replace Village ground level concrete patios and correct drainage as needed.

Village Buildings 1 and 2

Paint the grey cedar siding – this could be done in house at minimal cost (estimate $2,500 - $3,000 per building for one coat of paint and labor)  but should wait if  roofs are to be replaced.  These were not done when buildings 3 through 9 were painted because they had been painted several years before by Woods maintenance.

Village Windows and Sliders

Continue with the replacement of windows and sliders as needed.

TM HVAC

Continue to seek viable economic alternatives for replacement to the TM HVAC systems.

TM Siding

Repair the Sto (stucco )siding on the TM – estimated cost

Paving

• $62,000 - Woods Road from the fork above the TM to E cluster
  • Excavate existing road bed down 18 inches, add fabric, 18inches of fresh gravel, 2 ½ inch base coat of pavement and 1 ½ inch top coat.
• $30,000 – add top coat to main road from entry to the TM
• Village Circle – grind and relay the existing asphalt and repave using the grind as a base
• E and F parking lots - excavate to remove boulders, repair the base and pave
• G Cluster and the Homes – upgrade the gravel base and add two layers of pavement
• Maintenance Road - Excavate existing road bed down 18 inches, add fabric, 18inches of fresh gravel, 2 ½ inch base coat of pavement and 1 ½ inch top coat.

Water System

Replace the two of our six 10,000 gallon water storage tanks that have had to be repaired.  Estimated cost $40,000 - $50,000.

Walkway Lighting

The wiring and posts for much of the exterior walkway lights are in poor condition and need replacing

Replace the drains and overflows on the fire ponds.

The drains are galvanized metal culvert which is now 20 years old and rusting out.

Landscaping

Continue to improve the grounds and add some shrubbery and perennials to areas with limited landscaping.  This should be an ongoing project with improvements made each year out of the operating budget.   Little to no landscaping was done around E, F, and G Clusters and the Village units could use some landscaping around many of the entries.  

Roadway Lighting

Add roadway lighting on the main road.  This has been a known need from the owner surveys sent out.  The issue is that there is not a power source along the road side to use for lighting therefore the project is more involved than simply adding more light poles.

Salt, Sand, and Firewood Storage

This is a request from the grounds crew.  Proper storage would keep firewood drier, allow bulk purchase of salt for winter use, and prevent any environmental issues with sand and salt storage.

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fall Homeowners Meeting

The Woods Homeowners Fall Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 21 at 3:30 PM in the Terra Median Building.  This is an informal, non-voting, informational meeting followed by a social hour. Year to Date reports will be presented on Woods Homeowners Association Finances, Capital Projects and Daily Operations.  Please call or e-mail us as to whether or not you plan to attend.  We need a fairly accurate count of attendees to properly plan the meeting and social hour.

Killington Resort will have a general informational meeting for all area homeowners at 9 AM that morning (Saturday, November 21) in the Grand Hotel. Killington does plan on being open for skiing and riding by that weekend.  If we have your e-mail address we have forwarded an invitation to you for that meeting which was e-mailed to us from Killington.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

The Vermont Supreme Court has scheduled Oral Argument in our appeal for November 3.  After Oral Arguments are heard we could still wait several months or more for the Court to issue a decision.  If we do not win in our appeal we will proceed to trial over damages in the suit.  Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.

Maintenance/Grounds

Our crew has stayed busy with fall clean up of leaves, sweeping out entry ways, and delivering firewood throughout the site.  Tennis courts have been broken down with the nets and line tape put away and the TM outdoor patio furniture has been taken in for the winter.   We paid a premium price for firewood last winter and received many positive comments from owners on the improved quality and will be using the same supplier again this year. 

On Saturday, October 24 we received two to three inches of rain which washed debris into the overflow pipe for the fire pond in front of A Cluster partially clogging the outlet under the pond. This resulted in water entering the pond faster than the overflow and drain could accommodate, causing the pond level to rise to the top of the bank.  Water did back up into one of the A units causing some minor damage.  We dug several channels in the far end of the bank to lower the water level and we are now in the process of draining the pond so the overflow and drainage pipe can be cleaned restoring normal flow through it.  The pond does not have a “spillway” to prevent situations such as this from occurring and we are looking at creating one at the far end of the pond as a future safety precaution. 

We had all unit fire extinguishers inspected and tagged on October 26^th and 27^th.  This is an annual occurrence performed through the Association at no charge to the individual owners. However, in several units each year we find that the extinguishers are missing and we do have to charge those owners for replacing them.  Ensuring that all units have inspected extinguishers helps keep everyone safer, our insurance premiums lower, and keeps all units in compliance with the Vermont State Division of Fire and Safety. 

Owner Address Updates

Enclosed is a form for updating your address, phone numbers, and e-mail.  Please review it and mail it back or call us with any changes. We appreciate having multiple phone numbers to contact an owner in case of an emergency and are finding broadcast e-mails to be one of the most effective ways to notify all owners with any urgent or last minute information. 

Winter Shuttle Service

We are finalizing the Winter Shuttle Service with Gramps Shuttle for this winter.   As in past years the service will start on Thanksgiving weekend and operate weekends only through December 20, after which it will operate daily through late March with different frequency for weekends and holiday periods versus non-holiday midweek.  The service was very lightly used mid week last winter.  We will continue to provide mid week service but will offer fewer pick up and return times to help reduce costs and increase efficiencies.  We will e-mail all owners the schedule as soon as it is finalized and place a copy in each Woods unit.

Spa

The Killington Hay Festival is drawing to a close and we were pleased with the amount of attention and response our Spa Bear generated. You can see photo’s of many of the hay structures at www.killingtonhayfestival.com.

On September 15 The Woods Resort and Spa was honored as one of the Volunteers of the Year at the Killington Chamber of Commerce 35^th annual meeting. More than 150 local business owners and Chamber members gathered at The Mountain Meadows Lodge for dinner and to hear Chris Nyberg Killington’s President and General Manager speak. We’re pleased that our efforts to give to the local community are recognized, and the good will that our hard work generates is sure to help promote our business.

We are currently offering our Pampering Pumpkin fall special of massages, facials and nail treatments. A 20% off coupon is currently running in the Mountain Times to help promote business during this slow time. We are looking forward to a busy winter season and hope to see you soon. 

Spa Fall Hours

Monday through Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM

Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM

Financial Update through September of 2009

YTD expenses continue to stay below both budget and last year.     

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fall Homeowners Meeting

The Woods Homeowners Fall Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 21 in the late afternoon in the Terra Median Building.  This is an informal, non-voting, informational meeting followed by a social hour.  Killington Resort will have a general informational meeting for all area homeowners that morning and the resort does plan on being open for skiing and riding at that time.   Please call or e

2010 Summer Rentals

We are updating our list of owners looking for monthly rentals next summer.  Please let us know if you would like your name and contact information given out to potential summer renters.   Two years ago we suggested that Owners looking for summer rentals pool some marketing dollars and advertise in Florida to generate interest in The Woods but at that time there was little to no response to the idea.  Several Owners have now resurfaced the concept, so if you would be interested in participating in a common effort to generate monthly summer rentals please contact us by phone or e-mail and we can explore our options.  This needs to happen right away as most summer monthly renters like to make their plans for the summer well in advance, often before the new year.   

2009/2010 Capital Projects

Cluster Units – Stucco repairs are complete in B, C, and G Clusters.  All of the stucco in C Cluster has been painted and painting is underway in B cluster.  A and D Clusters are scheduled to have stucco repairs next summer which will complete a three year project to paint and repair the Cluster siding.

Water System – An updated “Source Protection Plan” for our water system was submitted in July and has been approved by the State of Vermont. Also, as required by the state, new locking “man-way” access extensions have been ordered for the underground storage tanks and will be installed before winter.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

We still do not have a definite date scheduled for Oral Argument before the Vermont Supreme Court but the Court has indicated that we will most likely be heard in early November.  After the briefs have been reviewed and Oral Arguments are heard we could still wait several months or more for the Court to issue a decision regarding the case.  Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.

Maintenance/Grounds

Last Chance for Boiler Room Burner Cleaning – Our independent service technician is still offering to clean both the hot water heater burner and heating system boiler burner for a contract rate of $115 including installing new thermo couples and pilot orifices.   As the fall and winter heating season begins this price will no longer be available.  If you have not done so and would like your burners serviced, please let us know right away so we can have it scheduled.    

In addition to routine mowing and grounds work our crew has been helping with the exterior painting of the cluster units and they have assisted Sue Burgess with the Fall decorations which are now complete. 

We have replaced some of the wiring and most of the junction boxes for the walkway lighting in  several areas that have been continual problems over the past year.

TM Propane Tanks

New underground propane tanks which The Woods now owns have been installed behind the TM building replacing tanks which were owned by AmeriGas.  Replacing these tanks has allowed us to shop our propane for the TM and get a lower contract fixed price for the season.  The TM uses approximately 30,000 gallons of propane each year so a savings of only twenty cents a gallon will save us $6,000 a year in propane cost for the TM. 

Spa

August business levels were on par with last year; however, September has been very slow.  As fall arrives we are again offering our “Pampering Pumpkin” facial special and we will be creating other promotions and working with our therapists to generate income despite the soft economy.  Please stop in when you are here.  Remember Woods Homeowners always receive a 10% discount on all treatments.

Spa Summer Hours

Sundays:           9:00am-5:00pm

Mon-Thurs:      8:00am-6:00pm

Saturdays:        8:00am-8:00pm

Financial Update through August of 2009

YTD expenses continue to stay below both budget and last year with savings in all departments.   We do anticipate a large propane expense for the TM this month after installing new tanks and when we do finally go before the Vermont Supreme Court for oral argument in the KM Lawsuit our legal costs will also see a increased expense.

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2009/2010 Capital Projects

Cluster Units – Stucco repairs are almost complete in B and C clusters. We have also started repairs to areas in G cluster which were not addressed two years ago when the roof was replaced.   The cedar siding, trim, and decks have been stained in D cluster and decks are now being stained in E and F clusters.

Water System – Upgrades to our storage tank access still need to be completed this fall.  Unfortunately, these upgrades did get put on a back burner due to continued wet weather and other time consuming issues such as the July water main break.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

There is still no update regarding this lawsuit.  We are waiting for the Vermont Supreme Court to review the briefs submitted and schedule Oral Argument.  Our attorney has inquired as to when this might occur but he has not been given a date.  There could easily be several months or more delay based on the Court’s case load before this takes place.  Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.

Maintenance/Grounds

Boiler Room Burner Cleaning – Our independent service technician is still offering to clean both the hot water heater burner and heating system boiler burner for a contract rate of $115 including installing new thermo couples and pilot orifices.   This is an excellent price for this cleaning and it could prevent the expense and inconvenience of a late night service call during the winter season.  Over 30 owners have now taken advantage of the contract price.  If you have not done so and would like your burners serviced, please let us know right away so we can have it scheduled.    

Plumbing Repairs – We have had several units with leaks in either their domestic water pipes or heating pipes in the past month and we have repaired a drain pipe in the basement of the Terra Median building.  Most of the plumbing leaks have been in F and G cluster units where some plumbing runs through the concrete slabs making repairs more difficult and expensive.  Unfortunately there is nothing to be done other than fix the problem when it occurs.

Fireplace Doors – We are ordering new fireplace doors for several owners.  They are custom made to fit the Woods fireplaces and cost between $300 and $400 for the set of doors depending upon your fireplace.  Please call or e-mail us if you would like to have this done prior to the winter season.

Fall Homeowners Meeting

The Woods Homeowners Fall Meeting will be held on Saturday, November 21 in the late afternoon in the Terra Median Building.  This is an informal, non-voting, informational meeting followed by a social hour.  Killington Resort will have a general informational meeting for all area homeowners that morning and the resort does plan on being open for skiing and riding at that time.

Comcast Bills

Several owners have questioned why they are suddenly getting an invoice from Comcast for their digital television box.  Please recall that last summer when Comcast changed their television line up, they offered a digital box free for one year to anyone signing up prior to August 15, 2008.  After one year of free service a charge of $3.95 per month would be billed directly to the Homeowner.  That year has now passed.  These boxes are not included in our bulk cable rate which is paid through the Association so if you did receive a digital box from Comcast last year you are now being billed directly from Comcast for that service.   This was an option that many Woods Owners did not take and the bill only applies if you installed the digital reception box.

TM Propane Tanks

We will be excavating by the service entrance behind the Terra Median building in early September and replacing the seven 1000 gallon propane tanks buried there.  We hope to complete this in one day and not inconvenience any one using the pool and Spa facilities.

Spa

Fortunately our weather improved and August ‘09 is almost on par with ‘08 but still off budget. This year the spa decided to have a “Hay Fest Bear”. This community effort is sponsored by the Killington Economic Development and Tourism Commission. The structure consists of five round bales and six square. The structure stands twelve feet high. Sue selected a design “Spa Bear”. With lots of cooperation from the maintenance staff and an artist for the EDT we completed her in six hours. It was a beautiful day and everyone had a great time with lots of positive feedback from people going by. We are now running a contest to name our Hay Bear with the winner getting a spa gift certificate. Feel free to submit yours.

Spa Summer Hours

Sundays:           9:00am-5:00pm

Mon-Thurs:      8:00am-6:00pm

Saturdays:        8:00am-8:00pm

Financial Update through July of 2009

YTD expenses are below both budget and last year with savings in all departments.  Spa revenues continue to fall slightly behind budget and last year.

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2009/2010 Capital Projects

Cluster Units – We now have a second crew repairing the stucco siding.  Wet weather is still an issue and slowing progress but we are working in both B and C clusters with a two person crew in each.

Water System – We are in the process of updating our “source protection plan” as required by the state every three years and we have drafted and submitted an updated monthly sampling plan to the state.   Automatic controls for one of our three holding systems have been repaired and our plumber and electrician are moving forward to diagnose and complete repairs to the other two systems.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

No change.  As reported last month, there is no update regarding this lawsuit.   We are waiting for the Vermont Supreme Court to review the briefs submitted and schedule Oral Argument.  There could easily be several months or more delay based on the Court’s case load before this takes place.  Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.

Maintenance/Grounds

We continue to have unsettled weather with showers or rain several days a week or more.   Our grounds crew has barely kept up with mowing and trimming between storms.  We have also cleaned up dead and overgrown shrubs by the pond behind B cluster and will continue to make spot improvements to the grounds.

Village cement patios have all been pressure washed to remove dirt and algae.  With any sign of extended dry weather we will start staining the wooden decks throughout the Clusters and Village.

On Thursday night July 16 we experienced a severe lightning storm causing cable outages throughout The Woods and damaging television sets in several units.  We recommend that as a precaution, everyone use a surge protector when plugging in an expensive TV or computer.  Comcast responded early Friday morning and had the cable service repaired by 9 AM.   

Also on that same night, although not necessarily related to the storm, we had a break in a four inch water main causing a loss of water pressure to F and G Clusters and the two Woods Homes.   We were able to restore full pressure to F Cluster on Friday by isolating the main that served G Cluster and the Homes and on Saturday we located the break at the end of the main in the woods beyond the two Homes and had it excavated and repaired by late Saturday afternoon.

We have replaced the ladder for the TM hot tub with a commercial grade ladder properly inserted in to the cement decking.  The old ladder was no longer stable and the brackets holding it to the deck were broken due to poor design not well suited for a public pool area.

Boiler Room Burner Cleaning and Maintenance – Our independent service technician is still offering to clean both the hot water heater burner and heating system boiler burner for a contract rate of $115 including installing new thermo couples and pilot orifices.   Most units at The Woods have not had these systems cleaned in many years.  Over twenty owners have now contracted to have this service and we recommend all owners consider having it performed.  In several instances the cleaning uncovered safety hazards and other needed burner repairs.

Propane Pricing

We have been asking AmeriGas Propane to lock in a contract price for next year for several months. They have finally given us a floating rate of fifty cents over their local market index which we have agreed to for the next year for the Woods condominium units. 

AmeriGas owns all of the tanks and regulators at The Woods.  Better pricing is available elsewhere if you own the propane tanks and The Woods Board of Directors has decided to move forward in this direction and begin by replacing the tanks at the Terra Median building with new tanks we will own.  Based on the high propane usage for the TM building, the payback time for the replacement of the tanks at the TM will be only three to four years, perhaps less.  The Woods has over seventy propane tanks and at this time it is not feasible to replace all of the tanks for the individual units.

Spa

Spa business has been slow.  We have had some success with our papaya pineapple pedicure special, and we are now offering 20% off massages Monday-Thursday in order to try and increase business.  New additional lounge chairs have been ordered for the outdoor pool deck and we are awaiting their arrival.  However, with the rainy weather, we have not needed them as of yet.  Let’s hope that August is better.

Financial Update through June of 2009

YTD legal fees and operating expenses are coming in below budget.  However, the budgeted legal fees were spread equally over twelve months and we know they will increase significantly when we go before the Vermont court.  Grounds and maintenance has had no large expenses but repair to the broken water main on July 16 will cost several thousand dollars and we will have increased TM expenses when upgrades are made installing a safety vacuum release system for the pool.   

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2009/2010 Capital Projects

Cluster Units – Repair of the Stucco siding is slowly progressing in B Cluster and will then move on to C Cluster.  Wet weather has delayed some work.

Village Units – Window replacement is complete in several units and we are now identifying the next priorities based on structural damage and need.  We will most likely not order and install any more windows until the fall but in the mean time, please let us know if you believe you have a faulty window or slider.  Recently, several owners reported problems with their sliders and we have been able to repair and adjust the existing door without needing to replace it at this time.

Water System – Work has begun testing and replacing components of the automatic control systems for filling the holding tanks.  In July we should be ordering manhole extensions and locking lids for improved holding tank access to meet state requirements. 

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

As reported last month, there is no update regarding this lawsuit.   We are waiting for the Vermont Supreme Court to review the briefs submitted and schedule Oral Argument.  There could easily be several months or more delay based on the Court’s case load before this takes place.  Please do not hesitate to direct any questions regarding this litigation to the Association Board of Directors or General Manager.

Maintenance/Grounds

June has been a wet month with very unsettled weather.  We have maintained our mowing schedule but have also had more “rain days” off than we would have liked. 

Rear decks on all of the Cluster units have been pressure washed and we hope to stain them in the next month or two as part of the Cluster siding and painting capital project.  Rear Village decks and cement patios will be washed in the next several weeks and we will also stain those decks as needed.  Village decks were all stained as part of the Village capital project four years ago and are in overall better condition than the Cluster decks. 

Repairs were completed on the cracks in one of our underground 10,000 gallon fiberglass water system holding tanks.  It is one of two of our six tanks that have issues and we are getting an engineering study and costs to eventually replace them.

Boiler Room Burner Cleaning and Maintenance – Many owners have taken advantage of the contract rate we have of $115 for cleaning the burners on both the unit heating system boiler and hot water heater by a licensed propane service technician.   We strongly recommend that if you have not had this service performed in the past two years that you have it done.  We are finding that most burners have not been serviced in many years and are extremely dirty and inefficient.  We have also uncovered several systems that needed additional repairs for both safety and efficiency.  Our contract rate is a very good value and may not be available as we get closer to the heating season. 

Rear Deck Expansions

Two Cluster Unit Owners have submitted requests to The Woods Board of Directors for permission to replace the decks behind their units with new larger decks at their expense.  The Board has reviewed each request and our attorney has prepared an Easement Agreement allowing the owners to construct the larger decks.  Enlarging a deck involves expanding onto “common property” and each request is reviewed independently.  The Board has established design and construction guidelines which must be followed as part of the agreement.  A “NOTICE” regarding the Easement Agreement is enclosed.

Water Quality Report

Enclosed is the 2008 Consumer Confidence Water Quality Report for The Woods Homeowners Association.  We are fortunate to have a very good water source and our water quality continues to be excellent.  Although we perform the daily operation and maintenance for our system, TPW Management has been the state licensed operator of the system since taking over from Wise Vacations and the report comes from them.   If you have any questions please call us or TPW.  The state mandated upgrades we are making to the system are related to improving the distribution system to prevent future problems and do not reflect upon the current quality of the water.

                                                                                 Spa

May was an extremely soft month for Spa revenues and we continue to look for ways to trim costs and bring in business.  June, although not strong appears to be better than last year and we hope we can continue to improve revenues despite a down turn in visits to the area and continued worries about the economy.

Spa Summer Hours

Sundays:           9:00am-5:00pm

Mon-Fri:      8:00am-6:00pm

Saturdays:        8:00am-8:00pm

Financial Update through May of  2009

We are only one month into our current fiscal year and it is too soon to draw any conclusions regarding this years expenses.  We will continue to seek operating efficiencies while continuing on a path of steady improvements to the buildings and grounds.  Unexpected expenses and timing issues can and will skew our performance to budget at any one time.

NOTICE

Upon receiving requests from several Woods Homeowners, The Board of Directors for The Homeowners Association has decided to review individual requests for Cluster rear deck expansions and if appropriate grant an Easement for an individual Owner to  replace his/her existing deck with a new larger deck. 

The existing deck is Limited Common Area and the new deck will be Limited Common Area, which is defined as part of the Common Areas and Facilities under the Revised Declaration and the existing deck and the land upon which it sits and the new deck location are Common Areas and Facilities as defined in the Revised Declaration.

Pursuant to Section 7.02 of the Revised Declaration, the Association Board of Directors, acting as a Review Board, may authorize alteration or improvement to Limited Common Areas and Common Areas and Facilities without approval of the Association Members as otherwise required, if the Review Board determines that the improvements represented by the New Decks are not material, will result in no material adverse impact on the use and enjoyment of the Units, Common Areas and Facilities, Commercial Units and Commercial Common Areas and the procedures and standards of Article VII of the Revised Declaration are otherwise met.

The deck replacements must also meet design and construction standards established by the Board of Directors to be consistent with existing design, color and construction quality and all relevant state and local codes.

June 26, 2009

Powered by Qumana

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

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.

Powered by Qumana

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 1^st was approved at the Annual Meeting on May 2^nd.   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 25^th 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. 

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Holidays

We hope everyone has had a happy holiday season.  Our sincere thanks to those who have sent cards, called, or stopped by to extend their best wishes and express their appreciation to the Woods staff.

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

The Rutland Superior Court has forwarded our Motion for Interlocutory Appeal regarding the “10 year limitation” to the Vermont Supreme Court with the recommendation that it be heard by that body.  We are now waiting to see if the Vermont Supreme Court will hear the Motion.  If the Motion is denied or results in an adverse ruling, the case will proceed forward through discovery and to trial.

Restaurant

Isabella’s Restaurant opened for dinner on Friday, December 19 with excellent reviews from those who dined.  The menu features a wide selection of entrees and nightly specials with your choice from a number of accompanying sauce selections to compliment each dish.  A limited children’s menu is also available this year.  If you would like to continue to have a quality restaurant operating in the Terra Median building please make every effort to support its presence through your patronage and by spreading the word to your guests and friends.  Isabella’s offers a quality dining experience in a refined atmosphere without the noise and crowding often found at other area restaurants.

Maintenance/Grounds

December brought several significant snow and rain events keeping our crew busy plowing, shoveling, sanding, and salting.  Over three feet of snow fell from December 17^th through the 21^st.   In addition to plowing the roads, we shovel or snow-blow 80 walkways, 24 fire hydrants, propane tanks for every unit, and make sure trash closet doors are clear and there is clear access to all electric meters not located in an entry closet.  After all of that, we had to make sure all of the sewer gas vent pipes were open and unfortunately we still have several areas where roofs need some attention to prevent serious ice damming and leaks into the units. 

We apologize to anyone who was here over the weekend of December 5^th and found the hot tub in the TM not up to temperature.  The electronic igniter for the hot tub heater failed that Friday and our service company could not get the replacement part until the following Monday.

The winter’s influx of rental guests has resulted in multiple calls, several after hours, to our staff for issues such as guests being locked out, no hot water, not being able to use the internet, etc.  If you do rent, please ask your rental agent to be sure there is adequate information regarding their services and what to expect when the guest arrives in your unit.  We will always try to respond and assist as possible but in fairness to all of our owners we do charge for in-unit service and after hours calls start $60.

Spa

On a positive note, after a soft foliage season, November finished with the number of Spa treatments equal to last year. Unfortunately memberships were slightly behind and we continue to fall behind our revenue goals.   Our staff is making every effort possible to trim expenses in response to the revenue short fall.  We also continue to look for ways to improve the services we offer and recently added a deluxe pedicure chair which we were able to purchase slightly used at a fraction of the cost of a new one.   We are confident the purchase will pay for it self in a short time and will help maintain our position as the premier Spa in the Killington area. 

Please welcome Ethan Doss who has joined our staff as an evening Spa / pool attendant.  Ethan has a Bachelor of Science degree in recreational management and a family history of being in the hospitality business.   His addition completes our Spa staffing for the winter season.

Financial Update through November  

Powered by Qumana

service@woodsresort.net                                                                                 802-422-3100

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fall Homeowners Meeting

The Woods Fall Homeowners Meeting was held on Saturday, November 22, 2008.  Twenty seven owners attended representing twenty two Woods condominium units.  The agenda and year to date operations review will be posted on our web site www.WoodsResort.net.  A year to date profit and loss summary through October follows at the end of this newsletter.  If you would like a copy of the profit and loss detail or the reserve account balances reviewed at the meeting please call the Woods Homeowners Association office at 802-422-3100 or e-mail us at service@woodsresort.net.  Our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2009.  

Kohl / Madowitz Lawsuit

We are waiting for the Court’s response to our Motion for Interlocutory Appeal of the Court’s decision regarding the “10 year limitation” found in the Woods deeds.  If the Motion is denied, the case will proceed forward through discovery and to trial, with the possibility of an appeal on this issue if an adverse result is reached at trial.

Gramp’s Shuttle

We have again contracted with Gramp’s Shuttle to provide shuttle service from the Woods to Killington and back.  Scheduled service, procedures, and reservation phone number are the same as last year.  Schedules will be placed in all Woods condominium units and have been distributed to the primary short term rental agents used by Woods Homeowners.

Restaurant

Isabella’s Restaurant will again be operating out of the Terra Median building this winter.  Chef/owner, Nigel Noble, is on site and plans to open in early December. Isabella’s will be opening at 2:30 pm for bar and tavern service with full service at 5:00 pm.  Nigel does plan on offering a limited children’s menu this year, however he will not be offering breakfast or lunch.  We encourage all owners to support his efforts to operate a successful restaurant at The Woods.

Propane Pricing

We chose not to lock in a fixed price with AmeriGas this year because the lock in contract prices were extremely high.  Our pricing will float at thirty eight cents over AmeriGas’s cost and currently should be right around $2.00 per gallon or less.  With the recent decline in fuel prices this appears to have been the correct decision.

Maintenance/Grounds

Fall clean up is complete although with the recent snowfall which arrived in time for the Thanksgiving Holidays one cannot tell.  Our plow trucks are ready for winter and have already been in service.  Firewood is on site and our first loads of sand and salt have been delivered and put to use.

Water System

The State of Vermont performed a routine Sanitary Survey of our water system at the end of October.  They identified several needed upgrades to our system which we had anticipated and budgeted for this year and we are working with the State and Harrington Engineering to complete the upgrades in the most cost effective way possible.  Our water quality is excellent but we do need to improve access to our underground holding tanks and we do need to install additional water level probes and low level alarms in those tanks. 

In the process of working with the State and Harrington Engineering it came to light that the hydrants throughout The Woods were installed as a means to flush the system and were never intended to be a primary source of fire protection because the water mains supplying them do not have the capacity to be connected to a fire truck without causing damage to the mains.  The system was originally permitted with the understanding that the hydrants could only be used with gravity flow and could not be connected directly to a fire truck.  Our primary source of water for fire fighting is the two fire ponds located by A and B Clusters.  We have discussed this with the local fire chief and he is working to maintain our current insurance rating regarding fire protection.

Spa

Financial Update through October  

Several Woods Owners are 60 days behind in paying their monthly assessments.  Please note that after 30 days finance charges will apply and after ninety days our written policy is to begin legal collection proceedings.  The Board of Directors believes we need to be consistent and follow our policy as written.  Please contact us if for any reason you cannot or do not pay your assessments when due.

Powered by Qumana

Fall Meeting

November 22, 2008

Agenda

3:30 pm                                    Welcome and Introductions

3:35pm                                     Financial Review

·        Operations

·        Capital Reserve Balances

3:50 pm                                    General Updates

·        Shuttle

·        Restaurant

·        AmeriGas Pricing

·        Kohl – Madowitz Lawsuit

4:15 pm                                    Operations Recap

·        Spa operations

·        Capital Projects

·        Water system

·        TM Repairs

·        Grounds Maintenance Projects

4:45 pm                                    Future Projects

·        Cluster

·        Village

·        TM

·        Common

5:00 pm                                    Questions and Open Discussion

5:30 pm                                    Adjourn for Social Hour                      

Operations Recap for May through October of 2008

Capital Projects

Cluster Units – Completed Sto (stucco) siding repairs and painted the white stucco and grey trim and siding in E and F Clusters.  Painted the grey cedar trim and siding on the fronts of the units in A, B, C, and G clusters.  Completed front roof repairs on units A-5, A-6, and A-7.

Village Units – Replaced living room glass sliding doors in units V-22, V-24, and V-37.  Eleven replacement windows have been ordered for installation in V12, V-13, V-32, and V-36.  The windows are back ordered.  We are scheduled to get the worst of them installed in early December.  Several may need to wait until spring.

Common – We are working with Harrington Engineering and the State of Vermont Water Supply division to finalize required upgrades to our water system.  These upgrades include improving access to our underground storage tanks and installing storage level controls and alarms on tanks which do not currently have them in place.

TM – Replaced two hot water storage tanks.  We will also be replacing one hot air furnace which heats the men’s locker area and treatment rooms on that side of the Spa.  That furnace failed this week and replacement should be completed before Thanksgiving.

Sue Burgess is shopping for some furniture upgrades for the women’s lounge area in the Spa.

Water System Repairs

• Replaced the one inch water line from the curb stop to the furnace room for unit B-7.

• Installed secondary containment barrels for our two chlorination systems.

TM Repairs

• Replaced a small section of standing seam metal roofing on the gable over the north side emergency exit from the pool area.

• Cleaned the surface and repainted the pool and hot tub.

TM repairs cont.

• Painted the stucco around the greenhouse window by the main entry to the TM and completed minor repairs to the ceiling above the porte cochere.

• Replaced/upgraded emergency lights and exit signs throughout the building.

Grounds / Maintenance Projects

• Resurfaced the gravel paths inside the Village Circle.

• Re-pointed the mortar in the chinking for the Village furnace room chimneys.

• Corrected drainage behind V-22.

• Repaired the intake around the culvert under Woods Lane across from C cluster.

• Cleared space for owner storage in the maintenance garage.

• Removed dead trees and limbs throughout the property.

• Changed batteries in all smoke detectors.

• Inspected and re-charged fire extinguishers in all units.

• Replaced the last two maroon directional signs with new signs in gold on black.

• Replaced kitchen outlets in all units with new “GFI” outlets.

• Painted all walkway railing posts and light posts throughout the property.

• Added over 100 perennials to the grounds –mostly in front of the TM building

Future Projects to Consider for the Short and Long Term

Cluster Siding

Continue with years two and three of a three year project to repair and paint the exterior siding throughout the Cluster units.

Decks

Pressure wash and paint all Cluster decks and Village decks as needed.

Replace Village ground level concrete patios.

TM HVAC

Continue to seek viable economic alternatives for replacement to the TM HVAC systems.

Village Roofs

We have one estimate to re-roof the Village units with architectural asphalt shingles. 

Village Windows and Sliders

Continue with the replacement of windows and sliders as needed.

Walkway Lighting

The wiring and posts for much of the exterior walkway lights are in poor condition and need replacing

Replace the drains and overflows on the fire ponds.

The drains are galvanized metal culvert which is now 20 years old and rusting out.

Paving

Repair and repave sections of the Village Circle, Woods Road from the TM to G cluster and the Homes, and some parking areas.  These areas are in poor shape but not a priority.  

Add one more layer of asphalt paving to the main road coming in.  Two different paving contractors have told us that the road could use one more layer of asphalt.  The contractor who rebuilt and paved the road several years ago said budget constraints at the time did not allow another coat.

Landscaping

Continue to improve the grounds and add some shrubbery and perennials to areas with limited landscaping.  This should be an ongoing project with improvements made each year out of the operating budget.   Little to no landscaping was done around E, F, and G Clusters and the Village units could use some landscaping around many of the entries.  

Roadway Lighting

Add roadway lighting on the main road.  This has been a known need from the owner surveys sent out.  The issue is that there is not a power source along the road side to use for lighting therefore the project is more involved than simply adding more light poles.

Salt, Sand, and Firewood Storage

This is a request from the grounds crew.  Proper storage would keep firewood drier, allow bulk purchase of salt for winter use, and prevent any environmental issues with sand and salt storage.

Powered by Qumana