Spending spree alert

Any unit owners concerned about wasteful spending should attend tonight’s meeting of the Projects Committee. The committee will meet this evening (Wednesday, May 22) at 7 p.m. in the clubhouse to consider up to approximately $255,000 in projects. The committee’s recommendations will then be taken up by the Board of Directors at a special meeting to take place sometime next week.

On the committee’s agenda:

• $175,000 to replace the clubhouse roof
• Up to about $55,000 to trim trees
• About $20,000 to install speed humps throughout the Village
• Approximately $4,000 to reinforce a brick veneer on the exterior wall of the Grenoble building facing the Orleans

At this rate of spending, we will soon run through the entire $400,000 balance in our special assessment account (from the most recent special assessment). Once that happens, watch out!, because then it will be time for another special assessment.

One question unit owners may want to ask is why we would spend $55,000 for tree trimming when it has been less than three years since our last major tree trimming, for which we paid Lawn Logic less than $40,000 in the summer of 2010. Tree trimmings of this type are supposed to last at least five years, and our maintenance crew is more than capable of the minor trimming needed to prepare for hurricane season.  A tour of the Village should satisfy owners that Lawn Logic’s very comprehensive work has held up well. Let’s not hire a contractor at inflated prices for a little trimming around the edges, which our in-house crew can do at no additional cost to the association.

Considering the large number of projects listed in our infamous Engineering Report – for which the last special assessment was supposed to serve as a “down payment” – it's also fiscally irresponsible to spend $20,000 now on speed humps – a project that isn't even listed in the report. A little history lesson may also be in order here, because a number of years ago the Village had speed bumps but they were removed at the request of the fire department because of how they slow down emergency vehicle response times. So why would we spend money to put them back in after we removed them for safety reasons when we have so many elderly residents requiring ambulance transportation during our not infrequent emergency calls?

I also am aware that some alarming emails have gone out about the Grenoble wall. Contrary to the emails’ claims, the two-by-fours that are propped up against the wall are not holding up the wall itself, and the building is not in the slightest danger of falling down. The issue is delamination of the brick veneer, which is a decorative feature, not a structural one. Behind the veneer is a solid concrete wall. Repairs should be done to reinforce the veneer, but I believe the $16,000 estimate provided by Criterium Engineers is inflated.

As for the clubhouse roof, I will listen carefully to the discussion and the reasons given for why patching the roof is not an alternative to full replacement.

Regarding this past Monday's Board meeting of May 20, the video is now posted at the top of my Meeting Videos page. (Due to a technical glitch, a few minutes of the video are missing during our discussion about the laundry rooms.) Highlights (or lowlights) of the meeting included a 46-minute lecture from our association attorney on proper protocol and yet another threat of a lawsuit from an individual who was just paid $56,500 in settlement money by our association's insurance company. The meeting also proved why our Board President Marvin Tow's recent decision to move Good & Welfare to the end of Board meetings was a bad idea, as most of those who had signed up to speak were unable to wait that long, and Mr. Tow didn't even allow Board members to respond to owners' comments or make motions on their suggestions, since the business portion of the meeting was over by that time.