Dear Cays Homeowners and Residents,
It is a spooky time of year in more ways than one as we approach Halloween and the Presidential election. COVID-19 remains a front line concern and the City is attempting to balance public health with trick-or-treating. Drive-thru trick-or-treating has been organized for Coronado residents in both the Cays and Village with treats and gifts from 2-6pm on October 31st. The Cays location is across from the fire station and reservations can be made for your 20-minute timeslot by phone at 619-522-7342 or email recdept@coronado.ca.us. Recommended activities this year include: Online parties and contests, drive-thru events and car parades, and Halloween movie nights with family. Activities that are not allowed per the City of Coronado include: door-to-door trick-or-treating, haunted houses, and in-person gatherings including block parties and live entertainment.
There is no election polling site in the Cays this year as the number of sites has been reduced. Mail-in ballots are being utilized at historic levels and can be turned in to two locations in Coronado:
• Coronado Library, located at 640 Orange Avenue – do not put in book return slots. (619-522-7390)
• City of Coronado Community Center, located at 1845 Strand Way (619-522-7342)
Ballot drop-off locations will be open from 8am to 5pm from Oct. 6 – Nov. 2. On election day (Nov. 3), the hours will be from 7am to 8pm.
If you prefer to vote in person, the designated site for Cays residents is in Imperial Beach at the South Bay Union School District Education Center - Burress Auditorium, 601 Elm Avenue. Polls will be open on October 31-November 3, 2020 from 7am until 8pm.
The Annual Meeting held in September was certainly not as fun as in the past, since we were unable to have the event at Loews. There was no large gathering or after meeting dinner buffet and open bar to catch up with neighbors and friends. The HOA did conduct an online Zoom meeting with the assistance of our legal counsel, Epsten APC, and had over 140 attendees. Plenty of time was allowed for questions from the audience as the Inspector of Elections, Lynda Pippenger, and her assistants counted ballots for directors, the year-end transfer of funds, and to approve the meeting minutes from the 2019 Annual meeting. The year-end transfer of funds and the 2019 minutes were approved and the results of the director voting were concluded at the October Board meeting after tabulating ballots from a run-off election for Trinidad Village Director. Dennis Thompson, Antigua Village, was re-elected and is the new CCHOA President, Tom Schibler, Trinidad Village, was re-elected and is the new Vice President, Karen Farmer, Jamaica Village, was re-elected and continues as the HOA Secretary, David Rothschild, Green Turtle Cay, was re-elected, and Kim Tolles, Bahama Village, was re-elected. Bob Rood, Mardi Gras, continues as our HOA Treasurer.
Reserve projects continue throughout the Cays as part of maintaining and improving our community. Kingston’s major exterior renovation is nearing completion after 13 months with the final portions of Buildings 6 and 7 and discrepancy correction on Buildings 3-5. Landscape put back is taking place as the contractors complete each building. Kingston’s dock renovation/replacement project by Bellingham Marine is also nearing completion with new dock fingers, headwalk sections, electrical and water systems, fire-fighting equipment, and dock boxes. Speaking of dock projects, the HOA Maintenance Team continues their efforts in Antigua Village by refurbishing gangways, replacing dock bumpers and piling rollers, and replacing all 30 life rings. A major project in Montego Village is underway to re-seal and re-surface a large concrete parking structure and re-install two tennis courts. Painting projects for single-family homes continue in Bahama and Port Royale Villages and is set to commence in Jamaica Village. Contractors have completed painting of the Jamaica gazebos and are moving on to the pool fencing and deck along with the entrance stucco walls. HOA Maintenance is giving the stucco wall at the north end of Port of Spain a much needed facelift after our landscape contractor, Park West, installed a beautiful stone planter with red Spanish roses.
Mulching and the installation of new ET Water irrigation controllers has been a major focus for landscaping over the last few months. Mulching gives our home fronts and common areas a fresh look, augments our soil, and helps in the never-ending battle against weeds. Phase 2 of our irrigation controller upgrade is approximately 70% complete and we are ordering the remaining controllers to be installed this fiscal year. Park West has also been busy submitting the required paperwork for irrigation rebates which will help offset the cost of the subscription/maintenance warranty plans we have purchased. My next priority for our home fronts is to have Park West focus on thinning out and trimming the plants and removing excess soil around stucco walls while evaluating sprinklers and improving watering efficiency.
Your HOA Staff is undergoing some major changes as our transition to Walters Management for accounting services progresses. Maressa Miranda, HOA Controller, and Mariana Coudurier, Accounts Payable Coordinator, will be departing the CCHOA Team. Maressa has been with the HOA for eight plus years and is looking to use her accounting skills to assist other organizations. Mariana is working for Southwest Airlines and has been assisting the HOA part-time. Kathie Kaiwi will be taking on a larger role within the Admin Office and we are looking for a new Membership Services representative, as Brianna Guido is being promoted to Administrative Assistant. On the Maintenance side of the staff, we are recruiting a maintenance technician with significant stucco skills. We are short-handed in Maintenance with one member of our team on a leave of absence.
Good Neighbor Tip: Keep your neighbors in mind when replacing older light fixtures with new LED fixtures. LED lights use significantly less electricity but can be extremely bright compared to incandescent lights. Light intrusion into your neighbor’s living space and especially bedrooms in not allowed per the Member Handbook and will cause you to lose friends fast. Be selective when ordering/purchasing new light fixtures and look for lower wattage and softer tones. Lumens is a measurement of brightness, so less lumens, the warmer the light color. A 1600 lumen LED light is equivalent to a 100 watt incandescent bulb and a 800 lumen LED light is equivalent to a 60 watt incandescent bulb. Soft white means a warmer tone while daylight means a brighter white color. Our yards are relatively small, so chose a lower lumen LED light with a focused beam width to prevent light intrusion and upsetting your neighbors.
Reminder to turn back your clocks one hour on Sunday morning, November 1, 2020, as daylight savings ends.
Stay safe and stay healthy,
Henry Angelino
CCHOA General Manager