ࡱ > s u r 5@ |g bjbj22 (x X X z_ h h h h h h h | ' ' ' 8 ' ' 4 | <4 (( ( P( P( P( P( P( P( P( 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 $ >5 R 7 z 3 h 0 P( P( 0 0 3 h h P( P( 3 {3 {3 {3 0 h P( h P( 3 {3 0 3 {3 {3 3 h h 3 P( ( &$ ' 2 3 3 4 0 <4 3 8 q3 8 3 | | h h h h 8 h 3 $ P( 6 * {3 , D ^- P( P( P( 3 3 | | $ q3 | | PPCMA Update 06-10-07 Dear PPCMA Members: As most of you know by now, vandalism has seen a sharp upswing recently. Our understanding is that no progress has been made on recovery of the stolen flags, or identifying the perpetrators. Also, significant damage has occurred recently to mailboxes, lighting, property, etc. Perhaps if Security were to take a more firm posture of automatically pursuing criminal prosecution, as opposed to quietly working out restitution on a more private basis, PPOA fines, etc., this behavior could be stopped. Perhaps the consequences need to be ratcheted up several notches. The word would get out. "If you vandalize property in Pecan Plantation, you will be subject to criminal prosecution." Pecan Plantation is absolutely no longer the type of neighborhood where one can leave a door unlocked or a garage open, even in broad daylight. Here is a recent story that proves it. On Bellechase, one homeowner suffered destruction to their mailbox lighting by vandals. The owner was out the next morning picking up broken glass and cleaning up the mess. The lady had a small step ladder to reach the damaged light. She got thirsty from the heat, went inside to get a water bottle, and upon walking back out discovered her ladder had been stolen, in broad daylight! What a sad commentary on our neighborhood. About $600,000 is spent annually on our Security. It is high time Security get the vandalism situation under control. There are many ways this can be done. In years past we had Security personnel that had good networks and sources of information. It is apparent this no longer exists. In general, Security simply fills out "incident reports" which usually go unsolved and operates radar traps, primarily against the members. The time has come for a change. PPCMA speaks for many members in saying, we want a stop to the vandalism before things get out of hand! Golf Committee (05-24-07) Don Fairweather, Chairman called the meeting to order. The committee has been completely reconstituted with no hold over members from prior years. New members include Diane Miller, Joe Westover, Vinnie Willmeth, Danny Peal and Jerry Doherty. Brenda Isham and Mike Robinius continue to serve with automatic membership as representatives from the LGA and MGA. Mr. Fairweather indicated to the members that in the future, only items on the agenda would be discussed at the meetings so if anyone has a subject they want on the agenda they need to get it to him prior to the scheduled monthly meetings. Mr. Fairweather provided each member a list of priority items to be considered by the committee. Specifically he addressed the need for a new golf course and the possible acquisition of The Nutcracker Golf Course, the need to replace all of the greens on the Pecan course in the next two to five years, a new irrigation system, improved use of Fore Tees data and commitment of funds for these projects. Michael Underwood, Golf Course Superintendent presented an in depth power point presentation explaining why the greens need to be replaced. Mr. Bartholomew, General Manager, discussed the need for additional golf facilities. He indicated that first priority would be the acquisition of The Nutcracker and then consideration for constructing a third golf course. If The Nutcracker is purchased by PPOA, then it would be used while the Pecan course would be closed for rebuilding the greens. Discussion of fivesomes on the weekends and holidays led to the approval by the committee that the Board of Directors make this a permanent change in our golf rules. Beyond the existing PPOA golf infrastructure, PPCMA feels strongly that any additional golf facilities, whether they be the purchase of the Nutcracker by PPOA or the PPOA construction of a newly built golf course on Anthony's 200 acres of raw undeveloped (lower existing value) orchard land, must economically stand on their own. In other words, they must be financed in such a way as to not pose a cost burden on the general PPOA membership. Finance Committee (05-05-07) The meeting was chaired by Don Crocker, who welcomed new members. He highlighted some of the committee's recent achievements. Significant savings on the runway lighting project, acceleration of cul de sac repaving and a new Authorization for Expenditure (AFE) procedure for capital were highlighted. He stressed that Finance only gives recommendations, not all of which the board chooses to follow. He mentioned previous recommendations to put the new Gate Entry System to a membership vote as "new capital" as required by the By-laws, the need to include Clubhouse expenditures in the 2007 budget and the need to have an annual budget for capital instead of just quarterly budgets had been examples where the board chose not to follow Finance's suggestions. PPOA will, however, go back to following the policy requirement of an annual capital budget. Mr. Crocker stressed "Finance is here to help." Bob Osterling reviewed the financials through April. The number of new net PPOA assessments (memberships) are well over budget, however the last month or so has been stagnant for new net member sales. PPOA has not closed a deal to sell all of its' lots to a single buyer but does expect it to close. Mr. Osterling reported that this buyer was from New York. (PPCMA previously had heard from Mr. Bartholomew that this buyer was from California, and later heard him report this buyer was from Arizona. While somewhat confusing, we believe all references are to the same buyer.] Marina revenues are down due to higher gasoline prices. The PAC electric bill during the recent mild month was $2,100. For April, PPOA had a cash flow of $8,928 versus a budget of $11,902. For the year to date, PPOA has lost ($248) versus a budgeted loss of ($26,617). The full year projection is that PPOA will make $136,000 versus a budget of $106,000. F&B revenues are up with more business after the renovation, but so are costs for both labor and goods sold. Under the current structure, the more F&B business PPOA has, the more money it loses. F&B lost ($21,083) in April versus a budget of ($3,404). Year to date F&B has already lost ($116,285) versus a budget of ($68,397). Bob reported that labor for coffee and room "set-ups" for committee and board meetings had been charged to Member Services at a rate of $650 per month. This cost comes off the F&B budget as a credit. There are an average of 131 functions per month, at an actual set-up cost of $2,900. The plan is to begin moving the additional cost burden of these meetings out of F&B. While this accounting change will make F&B look somewhat better, PPOA's bottom line will not be improved. One committee member pointed out that using Bob's figures, set-up for a committee meeting would calculate out to over $20 per hour, and we don't pay the folks that much. Based on the $7.50 hourly rate PPOA pays for the set-up labor, on paper PPOA is apparently carrying nearly 2.5 full time employees just to do the coffee and room set-ups, and he wanted to see more details on Bob's figures. Bob agreed to provide more details, explaining that some meetings require more than others. No committee action was necessary on this, and it is on the board agenda for discussion. PPCMA would point out that while an extensive discussion of meeting "set-up" cost shifting occurred, not one single mention was ever made in the meeting regarding the need for more outside F&B business to generate real bottom line improvements. Perhaps PPOA needs to learn new ways to grow more beans instead of just learning new ways to count them. Also, PPCMA tries to attend many meetings every month. We have noted a number of occasions where a committee has rescheduled their meeting, but failed to tell the Clubhouse staff. Coffee set-ups are prepared, but nobody comes. Such slip shod practices apparently are costing the association. It seems to PPCMA that $34,800 per year is a lot of money for all of us to pay for these meeting set-ups. We feel there is substantial room for streamlining in this area, and as such will begin following these Member Services charges more closely. PPOA has an uncommitted Capital Reserve of $1,747,000. It was noted that collections for the Road and the Bridge Fund were under budget both for the month and the year. This was questioned in light of the fact new member assessments are well over budget. Bob guessed it had to do with pre-payments, but was not sure. He agreed to follow up on the question. The insured Capital Reserve accounts are presently earning about 5%. The group felt it would be beneficial to present a "pie chart" in the Columns, showing where assessments actually go, by amenity. It was pointed out that this had been done routinely in the past. Bob will follow up. Lynda Tomlinson gave a board report. She said the board has really not yet developed its' top five priorities, and is not at the point of knowing what funding requirements will be coming from the different areas of Pecan next year. The board is now looking at the budget, but Bob Osterling has run into problems getting information from the PPOA Department Managers. Don Crocker stressed that "we need to hit a forecast, it doesn't matter if the forecast is a million dollars, we need to hit it!" Bob Osterling then showed a cash flow forecast that shows PPOA will need an assessment increase in 2009. Mr. Crocker pointed out that should the association acquire another golf course, the increase will be needed sooner to cover operations. Another member added that would depend on how a new golf course were financed. Mr. Osterling handed out a capital spending report, that shows a net capital spending program this year of $589,606 (through April approvals.) He said there might be one other project coming from Mitch Tyra, but he could not remember what it was. Also it was noted that these figures do not include May board approvals such as the re-paving at the Marina, repaving at the parks, etc. Mr. Crocker said this adds another $40,000 to the capital. (PPCMA checked back and capital AFEs totaling $135,198 were approved at the May board meeting, so we are a bit confused by Mr. Crockers $40,000 figure. See PPCMA Update of 05-04-07. This would result in a capital program of $724,804.) Questions were then asked by visitors in attendance, as follows. Over the past seven years, over $800,000 has been lost on F&B. How are we doing compared to other clubs, and shouldn't we let members have a say in whether or not these levels of ongoing F&B losses are acceptable? Lynda Tomlinson responded that club F&B operations almost always lose money, and she wouldn't know what it is we would ask members regarding acceptability of the losses. Another visitor commented that when the current General Manager Michael Bartholomew, a club management veteran, was hired, for over a year he told Finance and the membership that there was no reason a club like Pecan Plantation could not break even on its' F&B operation. A visitor asked how much the RV lawsuit was costing the membership? Mr. Osterling responded that he did not know. Total legal through April is $55,000 with a full year budget of $75,000, but he did not know what the RV lawsuit impact was. One visitor asked why PPOA only carries a $5 million liability policy? Mr. Osterling said he is in the process of reviewing the insurance coverage. The meeting adjourned. ACC Meeting (06/07/07) The ACC Committee Meeting was called to order by Board Representative Monty Lewis. The ACC minutes of the 05/17/07 meeting had previously been approved without changes via e-mail. Vice Chairman Bob Ziemski asked for volunteers to assist ACC, Compliance Officer Brent Hamilton, and By-Laws with the review of the ACC Policies and Procedures and their incorporation into the Association Rules and Regulations. ACC Member John Gehring agreed to assist. Monty reminded everyone of the Board of Directors Meeting for 06/07/07, and that there was a fairly full agenda for that meeting. President Gary Guffey will be covering some important topics (See the BOD Meeting information below). Compliance Officer Brent Hamilton again reminded everyone of the mowing compliance/enforcement. With the rains this spring and early summer, everyone is asked to cooperate by keeping their lots mowed. He added that outsourcing of mowing has relieved some of the backlog with enforcement mowing, and that earlier notifications would be done in future years as necessary. Outsourcing earlier in the season may also be considered in future years. Finally, Mr. Hamilton added that enforcement of RV, Trailer, and Boat parking C&Rs would commence next week for areas not in units 1 through 18. Operations Manager Mitch Tyra added that mowing and drainage issues were more severe than normal this year. (See also BOD Meeting Summary below) Mitch added that the Greenleaves home construction that has taken a long time was nearing the end of the 90 day extension (second extension) granted by ACC, and that the $100 per day fine was being considered in that case. The Committee then approved 5 of the 6 New House Permit applications, 13 Miscellaneous Permit applications, and 3 Construction revision requests. A Committee discussion then followed regarding drainage issues. ACC will be looking into enforcement of the Builders Permit Application Agreement which states that Texas Water Code's related to drainage will be the responsibility of the Builder. New home construction, as well as landscaping modifications, does not permit the drainage of water onto a neighboring lot. Board of Directors Meeting (06/07/07) The BOD Meeting was called to order by President Gary Guffey. This was a rather lively meeting and was, by comparison, well attended. There were about 85 members in attendance. Mr. Guffey began his comments by informing the members that the dispute with the Developer regarding the $1,000 ACC Fee is still ongoing. The attorneys for both sides have, as of yet, failed to meet in order to make any progress on a resolution. For the time being, the Anthonys are paying the ACC Fee into an escrow account, under protest, until a resolution takes place. The RV Hearing of 05/30/07, request for change of venue requested by PPOA, has not resulted in a decision as of yet. That decision is anticipated on 06/08/07 and will be announced upon receipt. With regard to this issue, Mr. Guffey expressed that the situation is unfortunate. The Board was placed in the position of having to enforce the C&Rs by one member about a year and a half ago. Also, Mr. Guffey pointed out that the oath of office taken by the Board Members, states that they will uphold the rules and regulations and the C&Rs. After consultation with three attorneys, the Board concluded that they had to take the position which it has in this matter. However, Mr. Guffey pointed out that any unit has the right to change their C&Rs via a 50% plus one vote of that unit's residents. The petitions are available to do so at the General Managers Office. Thus far, no member has opted to undertake such a change. The gate between the Marina and Bluff View Condos will be permanently closed within a day or two. Also, the Association is attempting to solicit some cooperation regarding drainage issues in that area between the Condos and the Marina. Mr. Guffey then made some comments regarding incorporation. It was recently announced in the Hood County News that the City of Granbury was annexing several small tracts in the Acton vicinity. Mr. Guffey feels that the PPOA membership has many misconceptions regarding this incorporation issue. He is considering the idea of quarterly Town Hall Meetings once the Communications Task Force completes its initial evaluation. Since incorporation is a recurring topic, he felt that this may best be discussed in such a forum. The 2002 Wallace Group Drainage Plan was the next topic. This study was done at a cost of about $35,000 to PPOA. Mr. Guffey felt that no previous action on the part of the Board or management may have been due to a lack of funds. Marv Jensen, along with the Infrastructure Committee will be looking at that study's recommendations and any costs associated with it. Mr. Guffey assured the members that if the Developer is responsible for any changes, those will be discussed with them. (See also Open Discussion and Comments below). The Board is looking at how Food and Beverage charges for membership services with regard to meeting setups. (See Finance Committee above). There are roughly 131 meetings per month and the Board does not feel it is fair to charge these against Food and Beverage. Michael Bartholomew has been asked to verify these costs and the topic will be reviewed by the Finance Committee. The Quicksilver protest last Saturday resulted in about 65 PPOA members gathering at the Square in Granbury. The noise and perceived dangers are of interest to many members, particularly those who live near the river. Bob Newton and Dick Roan have been working with Quicksilver regarding these issues. Mr. Newton reported that he and Mr. Roan had met today and discussed some of the key issues. Although they do not agree on how to best deal with the issues, Mr. Newton feels that the PPOA Members deserve a response from Quicksilver to the many letters and survey results forwarded to them. Mr. Newton read one member's letter which represented the concerns of many of those who responded to the survey. Mr. Roan expressed his feeling that the protest undermines his work as a County Commissioner in attempting to get some funding from these gas companies for the county roads and repair projects. He commented that Quicksilver has been in business for 44 years and the recent accident resulted in the first employee death on the job for the company. He added that he has requested the approval documents for the plant's operation. He further added that he had been told by OSHA representatives that the Quicksilver plant represents less of a danger to Pecan than the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant. Mr. Guffey concluded this portion of the meeting by stating that although getting funding for the county roads projects was in the best interests of the county and Pecan residents, the Association's main concerns are the noise and air pollution issues which have not been addressed to date. Bob Lowrey then updated the members on the activity of the Communications Task Force. The group has completed their media assessment and is now looking at creating a framework and strategies for how best to use those various communications methods. Bob pointed out that one groups recent publication (referring to PPCMA) of his reporting of committee chairmanships misrepresented what he had said. He had stated that 30% of the 2007/2008 chairmen were new. PPCMA reported that 70% were holdover chairmen. (PPCMA had not "quoted" Mr. Lowrey, but did accurately summarize his previous comments.) He felt that, although factually correct, this reporting had misrepresented his statement. Mr. Guffey noted that as long as the reporting was factually correct and not personal attacks, he had no objections to how this was reported. Mr. Guffey further added that this years Board has already eclipsed the last three Boards combined as to e-mail updates to the membership. He felt that a concerted attempt was being made to keep the members informed. Lastly in the Presidents Comments was the announcement that the BOD workshop had been canceled for July and that there would be no August BOD Meeting. The next BOD workshop after this summer break is scheduled for August 22nd. The June 27th BOD Workshop and the July BOD Meeting will proceed as normally scheduled. The Treasurers report was presented by Controller Bob Osterling. (See Finance Committee report). The Board then unanimously approved David Jeffries authority as Communications Manager for annual expenditures not to exceed $5,500. This is in accordance with PPOA Internal Control Policy 1-1 Appendix B. Mr. Jeffries replaced Jason Barbaree as Communications Manager earlier this year. There was no old business to review. Committee recommendations were undertaken as follows: Infrastructure recommendation for approval of Josh Rosenfeld as Vice Chairperson and adding Al Boynton and Gene Brinker to the Committee was unanimously approved. The Marina Committee recommendation for approval of increasing the committee's membership from seven to nine members and adding Dr. Dana Segler and Curtis Ritchie as new members was unanimously approved. The Membership Committee recommendation to approve Sharon Dempsay as Vice chairperson and adding Barbara Haberthur as a new member was unanimously approved. This brings the Committee membership to its full level. The Golf Committee recommendation to approve Diane Miller as Vice Chairperson was unanimously approved. The Golf Committee recommendation for approval to amend the Golf Rules and Regulations, Section 7.2.7 (Allowing fivesomes on weekends and holidays) received a 4-4 Board vote. President Guffey voted to approve the recommendation which resulted in the approval of this change. Joe Westover stated that By-Laws will be reviewing the wording of this rule as a part of the ongoing By-Laws Committee activity. The Management Report was presented by Operations Manager Mitch Tyra (as Michael Bartholomew is on vacation this week). He reported that the seal coat project is scheduled to begin June 18th, preferably beginning with Plantation so that the striping project can commence on that street. Letters to each streets residents will be mailed in advance of this seal coat project in order to allow residents to plan for the activity. A four to eight hour drying time will be needed, depending on temperatures. On the streets where replacement asphalt is to be done, more core sampling is being done. The repaving is anticipated to commence the week of July 5th. At the Marina, the AMUD Sewer connections have been completed. Marina Committee Chairman Duggan Smith added that the new gas pumps are also in place at the Marina and at the docks. Mr. Tyra was then asked to report on the hog question. He stated that no hogs were reported trapped or killed recently, and that hog activity was substantially down because of the river being higher. Mr. Keeney stated that some hogs were trapped on the Pecan side of the river and were active in the Orchard area. The meeting then moved into Open Discussion. It was noted by one member that the representations of Quicksilver at last years Town Hall Meeting did not appear to be being followed through on. Those representations regarded the electric compressors and the noise containment building. He felt that with the enormous profits (he estimated to be about $1.6M per day), the Quicksilver company was not acting much like a good neighbor in his opinion. Mr. Roan then noted that there were four electric compressors on back order at this time, and that the containment building was still being discussed. Another member noted that this was a modern gas plant and that he did not feel it represented any danger to PPOA residents. Several members expressed concerns that the drainage issues were being exacerbated by the Anthonys defoliation and cultivation within the Orchard. This silt and sand appears to be adding to the Association responsibility (and costs) to maintain the bar ditches and the clearing of culverts. Mr. Keeney will be addressing these concerns with the Anthonys. Mr. Guffey again stated that this is a 25 to 30 year old problem and that the 2002 Drainage Study would be reviewed and the Board would be addressing any issues from that study. It was pointed out that the study represented conditions at that time, and that the many new homes constructed since that time may have impacted those older recommendations. The meeting then adjourned. We hope you found this information of interest, and that you will continue to help us "spread the word!" Thank you, PPCMA Advisory Council Jim Allen John Gehring Mike "Robo" Robinius Ray Stallings Dan White To Join PPCMA, simply e-mail us at HYPERLINK "mailto:PPCMA@charter.net" PPCMA@charter.net HYPERLINK "http://www.PPCMA.org" www.PPCMA.org o }$ ' q/ ^0 4 4 4 g= = H I lQ Q =R R f f f f f f g g 1g 2g Cg Dg Eg Fg hg ig vg wg xg yg zg {g |g ϵϊφ h.ve ho hn hn 0J 5CJ$ OJ QJ \aJ$ %j hn 5CJ$ OJ QJ U\aJ$ hn 5CJ$ OJ QJ \aJ$ hK hn OJ QJ hn hn 6OJ QJ ] hn 5OJ QJ \ hn OJ QJ hn 5CJ OJ QJ \aJ . , - ; < n o g h n o $a$gdn zg {g o ^ _ !$ "$ |$ }$ % % ' ' ) ) * * s, t, - - ]0 ^0 0 0 2 !2 $a$gdn !2 23 33 "4 #4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 7 7 7 7 9 9 _; `; ; ; f= g= = = A> B> $a$gdn B> ? ? `C aC OD PD _F `F yH zH I I L L O O