Announcements

ANTIGUA NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2014

Greetings: Summer is over but the warm temperature does not feel like it. I hope we get rain soon.

Speaking of rain all of the villages are experiencing over budget water bills. Our water bill as of 31 Oct is $1600 over budget. We have cut back as much as possible to keep plants growing but we are still over budget starting with the 1 July 2014 budget year. Only rain and cooler weather will help.

SOLAR: I am contacting companies to give estimates on solar energy for the garages. Then we can determine if solar is cost effective.  Once we get some estimates and a plan, your opinions on aesthetics via pictures and cost figures will be requested.

MAINTENANCE:  I thank all of you that attended the village meeting concerning maintenance.  I received many good comments concerning the state of our village. As a result, I am working with HOA management to look at our reserves and to request estimates on replacing shake shingles, patio and garbage fences, looking at front landing decks and the cement steps, and cleaning up the unsightly wires on our homes as well as getting a cable-wiring plan.

I am also concerned about the number of abandoned satellite dishes we have. Satellite companies get your business, and then when service is terminated the dish remains. Anyone installing a dish is required to get HOA AECC permission. Many do not get permission for installation and we have no way of policing them.  I am thinking about getting a closer watch on dish installations and charging a fee for those that have them so you do not pick up the tab when an owner or renter abandons them. I am open to thoughts.

RESOLUTIONS: 
Thank you for attending the Resolutions meeting in October. I wanted input on four proposals and got good feed back. In fact, a fifth proposal was discussed. We decided to go ahead with resolutions for towing vehicles parked in front of garages and banning wood burning fire pits on patios. I also think we need to ensure dish networks will not be mounted directly to the roof as they cause leaks. I am drafting a resolution that the dish installers need to have a cement block that they attach the dish. That is the rule in Montego village and it works.  I am working on the resolutions but the next opportunity to bring them before the board is our January meeting.

ROMANTIC PLACES IN SAN DIEGO FOR 2014:  Number 5 on the list is Gondolas in the CAYS.  I get the opportunity to see them every day from my patio and have witnessed many marriage proposals including one of my co-workers as they take the romantic voyage in our beautiful CAYS. For the Holiday Season I encourage each of you to decorate your boats and patios to show Gondola passengers how good we look.

GRAND CANYONS: If you are renovating please let the HOA know so we can schedule a replacement of your under slab drain if it has not been done. So far, we have 32 of 54 complete.

LANDSCAPE:  Two coral trees were removed before they failed . In fact, one did fail partially before it was removed and luckily did no damage or worse hit someone. New plants will be in place soon. We are behind schedule on installing synthetic turf. Almost all of the grass along the sidewalks will be replaced with synthetic turf. We all like real grass but it needs water and is easily killed buy the number of pets that traverse our sidewalks each day.

BUDGET:  As of 31 Oct, we are under budget. I hope we can continue under budget while at the same time meet our objectives for the year. I will continue to monitor the budget and at the same time keep our village moving forward.

GARAGE PAINTING: We are finally done, except for replacing termite damage. It was not possible to know until scraping of wood began. Those affected will receive a letter from the HOA notifying them that their garage requires access for repairs to be completed and to schedule a day for access. Most plants along the garages are in place and trimmed. We still need to replace some that I had removed because they were not thriving.  Thank
you for your cooperation. 

ELECTRIC:  SDGE is investigating why garage electric bills are 4 times higher on the south side than the other three meters. Garages will be have to be accessed to identify why there is high usage if the meter checks out as working properly.  Affected owners will be notified if access to their garage is required. It could be a safety problem. We do not want electric shorts that cause fires.

RODENTS AND SNAILS: We have ongoing efforts to keep rodents and snails under control. Call the HOA or me if you notice any problems from critters.

EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE: The HOA does not have Earthquake insurance. We are getting quotes for next year’s budget, which will help us, determine our priorities.

HOLIDAYS:  Lets light up Antigua in December. I encourage you to place lights on your patios, gangway railings, and boats. Many use solar powered lights.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

Gary