Hawaiian Shores -- Cell Tower Discussion

WATCHDOG © 2011

UPDATED!

Members arrived last night ready to discuss the cell tower. The chair for the Infrastructure Committee did not have it on the Agenda for discussion. One of the members who came quietly inquired as to the whether it would be discussed and it seemed to surprise some of the 'directors' that it would be considered. The Watchdog knows the Board has been busy, very busy, and they have indeed filled their plate with commitments. How could they forget a motion made at the last Board meeting by the secretary during the discussion of the Member Survey? The motion was to commit the Cell Tower discussion to the Infrastructure Committee. Should it not have appeared on their agenda as 'new business'? Perhaps the plate is filled too much and stuff is falling off ... at the very least, not having it on the agenda under 'new business' is questionable management by the chair, who also serves as the Vice President. Even if it was not ready for discussion it should have been under 'new business' so those who came to discuss it -- because of the motion -- would know when exactly it would be taken up for discussion. To his credit, the chair was sensitive to the question and the committee invited the member to share his thoughts. They likely will have forgotten, the member who quietly arrived, patiently waited and finally asked is the very member who delivered a petition to the acting president in August of 2007 signed by the requisite signatures to call for a special meeting of the members to discuss the Cell Tower. The petition was never handled. In fact, it completely and surreptitiously disappeared. SURPRISE! In a completely unrelated forum the matter was handled in September 2007 by the Board under the authority of the acting president to have their attorney write the provider and request all things cease and desist. They did. 

Information was shared by another member regarding the evaluation  conducted by the provider to assure the tower would not interfere with the migration patterns of the night flying birds who head from Mauka to sea established it would. It is unlikely a tower can be erected, at least not at Maikoiko Street in that particular spot. 

FYI, the Infrastructure committee is currently on hiatus until the fourth Monday in January. 

 
COMMITTEE MEETINGS TONIGHT!

Beginning 5P, Monday, October 24, 2011 two different committee meetings will be held according to the latest listings on the official website calendar. 

At 5P Infrastructure Committee Meeting

At 6P By Laws/Policy Committee Meeting

On Saturday, October 8th the Board of Directors referred the Member Survey Question #6 a] Would you support the installation of a cell tower [no greater than 100' in height] using a portion of the Maikoiko parking lot area? The unverified results of the first alleged 100 surveys received and compiled has the response to this question at 66% "yes" of the alleged 92 respondents. Since the Survey had no 'deadline' date to submit it seems premature to be making policy on anything submitted without the final results. The deadline was set at the Oct 8 meeting for Nov 11, 2011. In any case, it has been referred and so ostensibly it will be discussed at this evening's meeting. 

Additionally, the By Laws committee is meeting to discuss 'final' verbiage of all the proposed changes to all By Laws and CCR's. These changes, if voted in by members will be binding on every Member! Except for your actual vote, this is the last opportunity for you to chime in on the discussion.

Hope to see you all there. 

Hawaiian Shores -- Was it the Rapture?

WATCHDOG © 2011

We arrived and stood there -- alone; we figured we must have been left behind...

What was it the President wrote a member of the Infrastructure committee when the member did not make it to a recent committee meeting? " As a courtesy, you might have let the chair and co-chair  know in advance that you would not be attending.  ...

When members are conscientious and notify the chair when they know they’ll be absent, then the chair will know if quorum will be met.  It means others won’t have to waste their time traveling to a meeting that won’t have quorum ... You did not notify the committee that you would not make that meeting."  --  

Ya don't say!  

Curiously, what would the etiquette monitor have to say to the chair and 2 other directors -- who are members of the Finance Committee -- about a calendared event [Finance Committee Mtg] on the OFFICIAL website calendar to which the entire community is referred by the Marquee as you enter the community -- scheduled for 6p tonight! Oh wait...the etiquette monitor --author of the 'tips for socially accepted behavior' above -- is one of the offending parties this time...what is that saying??? Shouldn't point a finger at someone else because you have 3 pointing back at you! And to add insult to injury the letter of chastisement or censure was cc'd to 5 other people!

So here is the deal. 4 people showed up at the parking lot well in advance of the meeting. One of those individuals is the co-chair for the Finance Committee. She'd not had the 'courtesy of advance notice' that half of the finance committee would be a no show! Had there been proper notice it would have meant 'others wouldn't have had to waste their time traveling to a meeting that won't have quorum'! 

To be fair, mistakes happen. There have been mix ups about meetings that were scheduled and then cancelled in the past when the info did not get out. The difference here is the heavy handed domination factor when one grown woman, a senior, instructs another grown woman, a senior, as if speaking to a child and then is so cavalier about living up to the same standard she expects from others. Of the 4 individuals present, 3 were battling physical challenges. All who showed up value their resources wishing to use them effectively. Driving to a meeting that doesn't happen is not effective use of one's resources! The four present remained there until 620P when it was determined even the routinely tardy individuals who meander into a meeting arrive within the first 7-8 minutes of the meeting time. By 620P it was obvious they had places to be and things to do that did not include conducting a scheduled Finance Committee meeting. 

Below you will find a screen shot of the calendar to which members are directed as they arrive in the community and read the marquee. Notice even at 953P -- nearly 4 hours after the meeting was scheduled to happen the calendar reflects the Finance Committee Meeting.

And what is up with Tuesday the 27th of September and the 25th of October? The office is closed all day..no ... it is open from 8-12...which is it? You want people to consult the calendar and you do not provide accurate or even logical information? Delegation is simply a wonderful tool of a sound manager.

You wrote a member: "You did not notify the committee that you would not make that meeting." Let's lay it out here a tad differently; YOU did not notify the community there would be NO MEETING TONIGHT! 

DISCLAIMER: For the record it is understood the president is not the chair of the finance committee. However, she is the one who controls the calendar...it is to that place members are used to going to fix their schedule to allow them to attend meetings. 

Hawaiian Shores -- Fan Following

WATCHDOG © 2011

The Watchdog is humbled at the following generated here. It is the goal of the Watchdog to bring the folks who have an investment in property within the Hawaiian Shores Recreational Estates the latest information -- coupled with prolific commentary and opinion -- of the decisions, discussions, attitudes, and relevant details publicly discussed in committee or board format/meetings. With ~66 % of the membership living elsewhere [special thanks to those who live in far away places and looking routinely at this site] it is a service the Watchdog gladly provides.

The various details of topical discussion as they appear here find their way out into the community in the form of actions taken, plans altered, and rethinking policy going forward. It is also amazing to read or hear from those long time resident owners who have come to understand prevalence of apathy or antipathy with the Home Owner Association. They comprehend the impact it has on the day to day lives of the members. However, such disassociation or complacency needs to be balanced and kept in check. The laser beam of keen insight and quality control provided by our coalition assists in providing you, the member, especially if you do not live here, a perspective on 'what's up' and how your property value is being impacted.  Nature hates a void and will fill it. Inaction on the part of members creates a void...question is, how will it be filled?

Thank you to all of you who openly share your thoughts and send your concerns as talking points for the members at large! Without you this area would be for naught.

In the coming weeks, please plan to return to catch up on the varied 'talking points' at issue and on the minds of the long time and newer owners who wish to protect their investment and maintain a quality of life as independent as can be while living in a community with rules and a governing body.

Hawaiian Shores -- Operations Costs Coming Soon!

WATCHDOG © 2011

Effective Saturday, October 8, 2012, the harsh reality of truth was settled by the Board of Directors in a unanimous vote to set the upcoming fiscal budgets and the consequential assessments required to support the budget. The GOOD NEWS is the assessments are NO MORE than the last Board set. The BAD NEWS: They are NO LESS! The directors voted onto the Board [6 directors] this year who campaigned on cutting costs and the many who cast a vote for reduced costs -- and who naturally ASSUMED they would be paying less in the process  --may be amazed at those fabulous savings! AND just to be clear, the clanging of discordant noises from the '$12 a month for water' bunch have given way to THE SAME FEE as has been established for 3 years in a row! Their representative Directors have done them proud.

Indulge the Watchdog as we take you back to October 2010 during the first discussion of the Budget negotiations with the previous Board. Let's identify a common thread that weaves from that board to this one. The Chair for the Finance Committee this year has acted responsibly during budget discussions. He understood the process having participated in it for two years previously. He tried to come to an accord with everyone's input and put together the best budget going forward. The Watchdog appreciates that dedication despite the fact that he has had to assert himself to act as Chair. However, this is the same person who came to the first budget discussion in 2010 as a director with a budget of his own. His budget called for a 17% decrease reduction to the annual assessment! That would put the assessment down around $250.

To be clear: This year's budget has shaved off variable employee costs by ~25%. They have also scaled down costs over all by ~$28,000.00. When you add the amounts together that are expected savings: Variable Employee Costs: $67,520.00 and Operational Costs: 28,800.00 the grand total savings: ~$97k. Where is this savings reflected in your annual assessment? Truthfully the budget will allow for ~$62,000.00 surplus and this is a good thing. Why? Because the attempt at austerity reflected in this year's budget may not be the reality on the other side of the fiscal year. Interestingly, though some directors have tried to scale down the water user fee from its current $50 per month to something they believe better reflects the amount actually spent on the water system to deliver the water, it turns out the fee that was set 3 years ago and has been covering the costs of operations was exactly what the current president's own investigation revealed! If you add in the $3.00 infrastructure fee also being added to the amount of the delivery costs it is $50. Imagine that! The Director of Operations and Management, the Finance Committees and Boards of 2009 + 2010 actually had it right and the current president's figures supported the fee. So what of the uninformed clamor of the masses over the alleged outrageous fee for water consumers now? When they find out that all the campaign rhetoric was based on ignorance of the data and on the 'rumors' of those who 'once upon a time in this land long long ago' had a dated concept of what the costs should be. The reality of business costs are always a shock when you haven't been in the trenches doing the planning and running the business.

We'll see if the same SHOUT about the assessments and water fee materializes this year! To quote one of the finance committee members who was busily trying to find costs only associated with the water consumer 'the days of $17 a month for all you can use water are long gone!' Here's hoping her neighbor who has been calling for a return to $12 a month sees her point of view. Reality bites!

In the meantime, you now have the amounts to budget for going forward into the next fiscal year which begins November 1, 2011.

Hawaiian Shores -- Survey Says....

Aloha Watchdog Readers,

Some results are in from the Member Survey sent out in the 'mid year' packet last month. If you haven't  received a copy of the results you should contact the office as they are not posted on the official website as of 1047 on Monday, October 10, 2011. However, the Watchdog has compiled a quick reference to some of the data here. The data reflected in the graphic is simply the highest vote for a category. If a 'no' vote was the highest that is reflected. If a 'yes' vote, that was reflected. This is not a complete compilation of all data. When you receive your copy of the first 100 responses you may have questions about the data. 

A deadline of November 11, 2011 was set for final receipt of Member Surveys. If you cannot locate your copy of the Member Survey please contact the business office via phone or email.

Please do pick up your copy of the Member Survey, fill it out and drop it back at the Business office or the drop box before 11/11/11 so your input will count! The Board has already referred two items, the public use of the Swimming Pool and the Cell Tower to the By Laws/Policy and Infrastructure committees respectively for discussion and recommendations. The Watchdog will notice you all here when those two committees meet again so you can schedule time to attend the committee meetings and share your thoughts, one way or the other.

And now, some of the raw data:

WATCHDOG © 2011

As you see, while the respondents prefer to not be any more involved -- to the tune of 79% of the 87 who answered that survey question -- they surely have strong opinions. Their opinions are being self limited however to filling out a survey and apparently not being involved in the decision process of their Association. There appears to be a full disconnect for some between the nebulous entity of HSCA and their understanding of just how HSCA's Board of Directors affect their property values. Making your annual assessment payment is only a partial investment in the stability of property values for a Homeowner's Association. The rules and policies that are implemented and the impact on the individual home/lot owner is another substantial area which should concern all Members. 

Do your part in protecting your investment by getting the Member Survey filled out and submitted. The future of your property values will depend on the actions taken by those who do fill out and submit. If it doesn't include you NO GRUMBLE!

Hawaiian Shores -- October Board Meeting

WATCHDOG © 2011

Greetings Watchdog Readers,

This is a reminder to schedule into your busy life the upcoming Regular Meeting of the Board! You can scoot over to the official website and print a copy of the Agenda. OH WAIT! You can't! As of this morning it still is not posted.

LATE BREAKING: It is 1139 Wednesday the 5th of October -- 2 days before the next Board Mtg and the COMMUNITY'S information source reflects the following: 

Taken at 11A 10.5.11

The community passes this on the way in and out and it still reflects a meeting that happened 5 days ago but not the one coming up this Saturday; 2 days from now. Is this oversight or  ???? If you follow directions 'SEE CALENDAR' then you get the 'scoops' on what is coming up. -- Is this the disclaimer? 

UPDATE: Watchdog is pleased to announce the Marquee and the official website have been updated to reflect that which was not there prior to posting this notice here. Of course, the day of the week and the time of the meeting is incorrect on the website but the date is correct. Perhaps someone was in a hurry to correct something that had been brought to their attention...For a copy of the Agenda for Saturday's meeting please go here.


Up for discussion this month:

1. Finance Committee will be discussing draft budget for next Fiscal Year -- the fiscal year begins November 1, 2011. 
2. Survey Results will be discussed. Interestingly, as I understand it, they are still arriving and with no deadline date they may still be coming.
3. Status update on the work on the Stables. 
4. Status report on the work at Maikoiko St park

And FYI, Executive Session has the following items:

1. Board member rights, cooperation, and etiquette. Why do you suppose this is being done in executive session? Or, as some of our members refer to it --SECRET MEETING?
2. Member complaint -- Why is this in Secret? Will it lead to litigation?
3. Human Resource matters
4. Status of Contract for the Preliminary Engineers Report
5. Status of agreement for solar farm lease. Why do you suppose this is being done in a SECRET MEETING after discussing it in the open? The motion was to enter into contract negotiations -- if it is just a status report on the agreement why the secrecy?

As a matter of information, there are only a few things that can be covered in executive session and frankly they do not cover all the topics this Board has shoved into that forum. Hawaii Revised Statutes defines the matters for executive session as follows: "The board of directors, with the approval of a majority of a quorum of its members, may adjourn any meeting and reconvene in executive session to discuss and vote upon matters concerning personnel, litigation in which the association is or may become involved, or as may be necessary to protect the attorney-client privilege of the association...." Not all Human Resources discussion relates to 'personnel' and if it doesn't should not be in executive session; Board training on proper decorum should not be in executive session; Status updates should not be in executive session.

You are invited to speak about Agenda items at the beginning of the Board Meeting. You may wish to inquire as to the reason such topics are being listed as executive session topics.

Hawaiian Shores -- 2012 Election Season

WATCHDOG © 2011

Welcome Watchdog Readers!

GREAT NEWS! Watchdog is happy to announce the 7 candidates the Resident Owner Coalition has secured and will support for election of the 3 2012 Director seats to be filled for 3 year terms! 

This is a listing of their names;

Al B.

Bob R.

Francesca H.

Sandy R.

Scott F.

Suzan T.

Victor N.

The collective experience of these folks as it relates to the Home Owners Association [3 have served as directors; 6 on committees; 1 was an employee] and as it relates to personal is wonderful. They understand the concept of a 'team' of people working together embracing all ideologies and the diversity of each person's life experience and sage while always understanding the ONE reason they would serve is to foster the best interests of ALL Members not just those in their neighborhood or those who have a special interest. These candidates have a provable record of community service and commitment and most as long time residents!

Please check back from time to time to learn more about the candidates and what they are up to. Also, please keep an eye out for the 'Meet The Candidates Forum' -- and annual event provided by the Board of Directors for 3 years where Members can ask questions and vet their candidates. It has customarily happened in November. 

Hawaiian Shores -- Going Green or Seeing Green?

WATCHDOG © 2011

Aloha Watchdog Readers,

On Thursday, September 29, 2011, members gathered for a Special Board Meeting, were introduced to a proposed project currently under development. This project should it come to fruition, we are told, will provide a solar heated array of mirrors to generate power -- a half meg -- to sell to Helco. Ostensibly, they anticipate generating about 560kw and the left over 60kw will be shared between their own power needs and whatever left after that 'no charged' to the Community's own power source for the water system's operations. What we didn't get for free they would gladly sell to us at the same rate they sell to Helco. The deal 'sounds too good to be true' -- or at least that is one concern voiced by one of the directors and his intuition may just be kicking in. With a little time and effort you can maneuver through their site, one that does not inspire confidence in their 'tech savvy' persona, and find the biographies for this 18 month old start up. The claim was made that collective experience of the folks associated with this group was about 60 years in the industry -- an industry dealing with renewable energy. But looking over the biographies it is 60 years in construction, in business development, in marketing, anaerobic waste management. To be fair, it may all be related to renewable energies...or not.

When you go to their 'current projects' link it was last updated on July 14, 2011 and looks like this:

When you land on the page look at the name of the page:

HUH?

UPDATE: After posting this article -- viewed by a few folks -- guess who has gone in and changed the titles to their website pages? YEP! You guessed it. New Range Power! The current projects page now looks like this.

More friendly, no?

Of course, any new business has its fair share of growing pains but if you are selling a product and referring people to your website wouldn't it be nice to see what the product looks like? An array of mirrors that admittedly will be about 700 degrees at the surface of the mirror might be a concern to anyone living close by unless they could see the product and know they won't be experiencing hotter than usual temps as the heat radiates off the surface of the array. 


Then there is what HSCA is getting out of it. In 2007 when HSCA entered negotiations with a Cell Provider to erect a Cell Tower on the closest area of Maikoiko Street park to the forest ~.5 acre, the contract called for a monthly sum of $1000 coming as a lease payment for that Tower. Here we have 4 acres being leased out 6000 per year.

• .5 acre for 12 months $12,000
• 4 acres for 12 months $6,000
• Doing the math?

It is true, the Cell Tower met with opposition and it never came to pass so that income did not materialize. Yet, just recently we were told the new Cell Tower will come in at about $500 per month and it will likely be erected on the same .5acre. So, again, why $500 for a .5 acre for one utility and $62.50 for a .5 acre to another utility?


The Watchdog is impressed with the projected goals of this company where our local application is concerned...at least during the presentation but when looking at the website NOT SO MUCH! 


Harking back to 'if it seems too good to be true' sentiment it may well be. The good thing about this is nothing ventured nothing gained...HSCA is not putting up capital so we are not losing our own treasures should this not pan out. However, there are a number of questions that do arise that need addressing. 

• Is HSCA expecting to be 'off the grid' for the power source for the Water System?
• If so, when the company leaves will HSCA be expected to purchase the system in order to maintain the 'GREEN' power source?
• Will the technology be antiquated by then -- requiring a huge investment to either really 'green' up or simply to return to the grid via Helco? 

The liability factor? What will it be? Will our $6000 annual payment cover any liability costs? 


So many more questions. And then there is the motion the Board rushed to make...an interesting motion indeed! Hopefully we will have an update or these questions will magically be answered soon.


Watchdog is going with a cautious optimism but with the pragmatic wisdom 'if it seems to good to be true' just in the back of the mind.