NOVEMBER BOARD MEETING: NOT A(N EMAIL) BLAST

The location of November’s executive board meeting was changed from the master association to the clubhouse but most residents were unaware of this because there was no email blast to notify us in advance. As a result, attendance was very low and familiar faces were missing. I guess email blasts are reserved for important announcements, like farewell parties and such.

The meeting started off with an important announcement. Our new president informed us that if conversation between residents were to take place during the meeting it should take place outside of the room. She then called the meeting to order. From there she announced there was a quorum and asked if there were remarks from the floor.

Why is this sequence so important you wonder? In past meetings, comments from the floor always came first so they weren’t included in the minutes. As a result, residents’ ideas, concerns, frustrations and complaints never appear on the record. But tonight, they were included in the meeting itself.

A newly elected board member expressed her gratitude for the change and that’s when things heated up. Both the president and former president put their hands up in a stop motion and said almost in unison “now wait a minute” as our president explained that she had no intention of including comments in the minutes due to legal reasons. Discussion went back and forth until the new board member retreated.

And then came the second wave. While trying to approve the last two months of minutes, the newly elected board member asked that the minutes be changed to reflect that Roberts Rules of Order had not been followed during a special session meeting. Once again, the president and another board member erupted. The discussion got so heated that at one point the board member shouted, “What’s your point?” to the requester.

She continued to press as to why the minutes couldn’t be updated to include a statement reflecting Roberts Rules of Order had not been followed. Boldly, she asked the new GM to take off his manager hat, put on his legal one and tell them the correct way to state that the rules weren’t followed. He had no response. It was finally decided that a blanket statement would be made to correct the minutes.

There was a report from the clubhouse committee regarding the restaurant survey. Results were published in the December “In the Woods” Some 320 residents responded and most comments were favorable. There was some dismay about the stairs, service, décor, and hours but overall, this committee saw the results as a favorable. Interestingly, no one mentioned the fact that 800 residents chose not to respond at all.

The survey showed the age range of those using the restaurant to be 56 years and older. The committee reasoned that this finding was an indicator of younger residents not having discretionary funds to spend at the clubhouse.

But here is the overlooked reality. The younger crowd doesn’t want to sit at a bar drinking, watching golf and rehashing the glory days. We would much rather be at the Olive Bar rooting for our favorite basketball, baseball, or football teams, drinking with our peers and discussing the latest technology and advancing careers.

We also spend our discretionary funds on season tickets at local colleges, area comedy clubs, and on massages, manicures and pedicures. We like gourmet coffee and will pay $5.50 a cup several times a day without giving it a thought. We occasionally drop $125.00 per ticket on a good concert. In case you’re not familiar with the latest statistics, most young Farmington Woods residents are young professionals with decent incomes.

It was revealed at the meeting that. we are on track to lose $120K as budgeted on the golf operation. The golf committee initially voted a dues increase and then suddenly, rescinded that vote. There will be no increase in golf dues because current members indicated that any increase would cause them to find other places to play. And we all know, we cannot afford to lose more members. I am a little surprised by their lack of loyalty to Farmington Woods Golf Course though.

On the brighter side, there are plans in place to bring in new members that include corporate memberships (The Hartford?) one day a week during the golf season. They did stress the need to bring in younger golfers to Farmington Woods and are actively wining and dining some private school golf teachers. I hope it all works.

There was also discussion on the siding of units, a project that is coming to an end. Apparently 20 years ago Farmington Woods made the commitment to rehab all units and little by little it is being done. The project was anticipated to take 20 years and now 20 years later we find that we need more time. The timeframe will be extended but it was revealed that when the program started there were a dozen or so carpenters. As of today we have four due to budget cuts. (The scheduled $120K loss to the golf course could pay the salaries of several carpenters and be a boost to our infrastructure at the same time.)

This report began by criticizing the board’s lack of communication skills: the location of the meeting was changed but residents were not informed by the email blast system. So it was nice to hear our new president announce several times during the meeting that all residents can log onto the Farmington Woods website membership tab and receive updates including draft meeting minutes.

This is a first at Farmington Woods and we applaud her decision to do this. If you are having trouble logging into the membership page which does require a password, the MA office can help. If you would like hands on help board members are offering to come to your home to assist.

The meeting closed with awards and gifts given to Farmington Woods volunteers. A nice gesture and certainly we are all glad to have them and appreciate their work.

The next meeting is scheduled Jan 7, 2013 due to holidays.

REASSESSING ASSESSMENTS

ARE WE BEING ASSESSED OR NOT?

Assessments are a fact of life endured by residents of many condominiums. But not at Farmington Woods Condominium according to our leaders:

In her letter of January 5, 2012 to all unit owners, Irene Loretto, President of both the tax district and executive boards assured us that “There has never been an assessment at Farmington Woods” and as recently as last month tax district director Nancy Landwehr made a similar statement in an article about Farmington Woods in the Avon News. I have heard the same claim from other board members as well over the last year.

I finally decided to check the accuracy, if not the veracity of those statements and quickly discovered that our leaders are either ill informed or prevaricating. It didn’t take a whole lot of research to find the truth.

The following document is from Amendment Number 3 to our Bylaws adopted March 30, 1998. It refers to our restaurant and the newly created minimums. Without even reading it you can see that the word assessment appears in one form or another 5 separate times!

(I highlighted the only section you need to read to see how we’ve been hoodwinked.)

History fascinates me. From what I’ve been able to ascertain from residents who were here in 1998 the restaurant was doing poorly and residents were asked to bail it out. So why can’t our leaders just own up to that. It’s one thing for them to remain ignorant of the history of Farmington Woods but trying to convince us that there’s never been an  assessment here is just plain dishonest.

Section 7.2. Powers and Duties. The Executive Board may act in all instances on behalf of the Association, except as provided in the Declaration, these Bylaws or the Act.

aa.        (1) Operate and maintain the premises and facilities leased from the Farmington Woods District for the benefit of the Unit Owners, their invitees and members pursuant to terms and conditions of membership as set by the Master Association.

(2) Provide for non resident and resident membership in the golf club.

(3) Maintain a Club liquor license under the Liquor Control Regulations of the State of Connecticut within the Clubhouse leased from the District.

 (4) Levy assessments against the Unit Owners and members of the golf club who so agree as a condition of membership, as a charge or fee for goods and services purchased or other charges incurred by Unit Owners or such members for use of the facilities or membership in the golf club but not paid for at the time of purchase, and for any additional fees or charges incurred by a Unit Owner or golf club member in the use, leasing, renting, or purchasing of goods and services from the Association in connection with the premises leased from the District or other services provided directly to the Unit Owner by the Association or its staff. The charges for membership in the golf club and use of the Clubhouse may reasonably differentiate between golfing and non-golfing memberships.

The levy can include a separate assessment per Unit Owner or golf club member as a minimum periodic charge for the fixed costs of operation and overhead of the restaurant in the Clubhouse, against which the costs of meals purchased during such period can be credited. This uniform restaurant assessment shall be established by the Executive Board after Notice to the Unit Owners and an opportunity to Comment. Pursuant to Section 47-258(a) of the Act, such charges may be assessed against the Unit of any Unit Owner incurring such charges, and enforceable as a common expense assessment.

THE COSTS OF NOT RUNNING A BUSINESS AS A BUSINESS

The State of Connecticut passed the Common Interest Ownership Act in 1984 and amended it in 2009. It governs what executive boards can and cannot do and puts limits on how much they can assess unit owners in any given year. It turns out that if an assessment does not exceed 15% of the association budget “the special assessment is effective without approval of the unit owners.”

So, if the association wanted to assess all 1,084 units $1,000 each for new roofs the total of nearly $1.1M would require the approval of owners since it exceeds 15% of our yearly budget of $6M. That's a one time assessment.

When I moved here in 1999 the restaurant assessment was $20/mo for ten months. That soon changed to $25/mo for twelve months and was raised to $30/mo several years ago. That's an ongoing assessment, one that never ends and only goes up.

In 1998, when the assessment first went into effect, the total came to about $220K, well under the 15% threshold for unit owner approval.That $220K has grown to nearly $400K, still under the 15% limit for owner approval. 

But if you figure what that 1998 assessment has cost residents since its enactment, it comes to roughly $4.7M, about 78% of this year’s budget. And if you add the $2.1 it will cost residents over the next five years (barring increases), we’re looking at $6.8M over a twenty year period which amounts to an assessment of $6,273K for each unit owner! 

That $6.8M figure sounds oddly familiar. Oh yes, it’s the total that the bonds we rejected in May would have cost us with interest over the next 20 years.

Tax district board elections are today. We have directors who are either unaware of what I just summarized or blatently lying to us about it. These are the same directors that were ready to spend $6.8M over the next twenty years to shore up the money losing golf/clubhouse operation. 

They were so sure we were behind it that they spent $50K of our money planning this boondoggle with it's horseshoe bar.

Let's face it. We need honesty and transparency from our leaders, which is why we need to elect the three candidates I endorsed in my last post: Peter Janus, Joe Chudecki and write-in candidate Harry Dermer.

Public Act No. 10-186

AN ACT CONCERNING THE COMMON INTEREST OWNERSHIP ACT.

Sec. 47-261e. Adoption of budgets. Special assessments. Loan agreements.

(b) The executive board, at any time, may propose a special assessment. Not later than thirty days after adoption of a proposed special assessment, the executive board shall provide to all unit owners a summary of the proposed special assessment. Unless the declaration or bylaws otherwise provide, if such special assessment, together with all other special and emergency assessments proposed by the executive board in the same calendar year, do not exceed fifteen per cent of the association's last adopted periodic budget for that calendar year, the special assessment is effective without approval of the unit owners.

THREE OPENINGS, THREE EXCELLENT CANDIDATES

We survived a hurricane, a nor'easter and the finale of a grueling presidential race in the span of a week. We can rest now right? My aching back and jangled nerves could use it.

But hold on. There's one more thing we've got to get through before we start resting up from the madness and mayhem we all just experienced. We've got our own election to attend to: there are three openings on the Tax District Board coming up for vote tomorrow night and we have some really great news to share from a reader:

Harry Dermer has agreed to be a write in candidate in the upcoming Farmington Woods Tax District vote on Monday, November 12 at 7pm.  Registration begins at 6:30 pm. 

As many of you know, Harry most recently served on the MA Executive Board.  He is currently serving as a member of the newly appointed Clubhouse Task Force.  He, with the other Task Force members, has been instrumental in identifying improvements which have already had a positive impact on Restaurant revenues.

I urge you to write in Harry Dermer and vote for Peter Janus and Joe Chudecki in the upcoming election!  Together, these individuals will help bring fiscal accountability and financial transparency to FW. 

Please share this news with all your Farmington Woods friends and neighbors.  You need to vote in person.  Every registered Avon or Farmington voter, living in Farmington Woods and/or owning a Farmington Woods unit is entitled to vote.

I've lived in Farmington Woods for more than thirteen years now and must say we've never had a more urgent need for new leadership than we do today. Please, if you care about the future of Farmington Woods, show up and vote Monday night.

And if you want the board to be more responsive to the needs of all residents and not just those of one special interest group, vote for Peter Janus, Joe Chudecki and write-in Harry Dermer.

See you there!

SPEAK UP & VOTE!

“To get a more transparent, fiscally responsible and responsive Board, we have to speak up and vote.  We have to encourage capable, fair-minded people to run for offices, and we have to get out and vote for them.”-anonymous contributor from “One Last Chance to Decide the Future of Farmington Woods”

From the MA:

“The Farmington Woods Tax District will hold it’s annual election on Tuesday, October 30, 2012 in the North Lounge of the Clubhouse.

Registration starts at 6:15 pm

Meeting opens at 7:00 pm

As there are 3 positions open and we have 6 people currently running there will be a ballot issued to each person who registers.

All 6 will be listed with an extra line for anyone nominated from the floor.”

I’m happy to announce that of the six candidates for the tax district board I’m able to endorse two. Since there are three openings I wish I had one more to endorse, but as noted above it is still possible for another candidate to be nominated the night of the meeting.

It seems odd that our Declarations allow the President of the Condo Board to be a candidate for the Tax District Board, but it’s just another way of maintaining the status quo, I guess.

And the status quo at Farmington Woods is that golf will survive at all costs, despite years of losses, the Great Recession and the downturn in the popularity of golf worldwide. It is for this reason that I wholeheartedly endorse the following two candidates:

Peter A. Janus

2 Redwood Lane

penajan@att.net

I have been a resident of Farmington Woods since the early 1980’s. If elected to serve as a Tax District Director I will provide leadership skills, balanced decision-making, financial analysis tools, and a commitment to transparency and accountability in the operations of the Tax District Board.

Relevant Experience

Since 2007, I have served as president of the Board of Directors of a condominium association in Colorado. I have been on the Board of Directors of that association since 1999.   While streamlining costs through fiscally challenging times, I have forged a positive working relationship with homeowners. I led our Board through a number of capital improvement projects and in setting cost effective and achievable goals for our management company. 

My 20+ years of activity with the Section of Labor & Employment Law of the American Bar Association, including my present tenure as an elected member of the governing Council, have been marked by positive and collegial relations between members who practice for both management firms and union/employee firms. As a past budget and finance chair I was effective in setting priorities that achieved long and short range goals for our membership.

Since 1982, my experience as owner and renter in Farmington Woods has contributed toward an understanding of the value of our community and the significant challenges we must face for the future.

My background is significant for professional and community leadership. I led my law firm through transitional times that allowed our firm to remain cost effective and competitive. I have led an active professional life while contributing leadership to the community through various Cornell alumni activities, and involvement with other associations.

I seek to use these skills for forge a more secure financial future for Farmington Woods.

Education

Cornell University, A.B.

Boston University School of Law, J.D.

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, M.B.A.

Kingswood-Oxford School, West Hartford, CT.

Joe Chudecki

17 Madison Lane

jchudecki@aol.com

The reason I am interested in this position is that I believe that both the clubhouse and golf course can be run much more effectively and efficiently than currently.  I am concerned with maintaining property values within the community and think that much can be done if the operation is run more like a business.

My qualifications are a BSME from Duke and business degree.  I have done three business turn around's from 1990 to 2004 (manufacturing) and are what many consider to be a turn around specialist or sometimes a hatchet man.  I was typically hired by the board of directors of a company to come in and restructure operations.

IT’S TIME TO RUN FARMINGTON WOODS GOLF COURSE AND CLUBHOUSE LIKE A REAL BUSINESS.

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012

ARE WE REALLY THE 47% NOW?

"Golf is an invention, not, as some would have it, a divine gift. While we may celebrate the pleasure it brings us, it's best to remember that we are singing of ourselves when we do so."- Desmond Muirfield, Noted Golf Course Architect and designer of Farmington Woods Golf Course

Desmond Muirfield


I’ve lived at Farmington Woods for more than thirteen years now. I don’t consider it a country club, as do Mapquest and Bing Maps. To their credit Google Maps calls us Farmington Woods Golf Course. But in reality we are neither. We should technically be called Farmington Woods Condominium on all maps and by all residents because that’s what we are.

Unfortunately, some here have the attitude that this is a country club and if you don’t play the game of golf you are merely a resident living here to enjoy the mythical country club lifestyle. I’ve played the game and I live here; it’s not a country club, period.

I didn’t grow up rich. My father owned a garage and made an honest living repairing cars and getting people back on the road. We didn’t belong to a country club, although I attended many parties at Shuttle Meadow Country Club while attending classes at Mrs. Linder's School of Dance & Etiquette, which took place in her mansion just down the street. It was my mother’s idea. And I really did  learn to dance.

That’s probably why after reading the following letter, printed in last month’s "In the Woods", I decided to submit my first ever  “letter to the editor”. As if it’s not enough living in a place where for some, golf is king and the rest of us are merely residents, having friends and loved ones who happen to walk the course on occasion characterized as having a “feeling of entitlement”, just sounded backwards to me.

I’m sorry, but if any group of folks here has a “feeling of entitlement” it is the small group of people who use a course that is not only being subsidized by non-golfing residents now, but has a long history of financial support from decades of residents, without whom the course would no longer exist. To try to cast those people as the infamous 47% is downright insulting.

Anyway, I have included the aforementioned letter, with the one I wrote in response, following it. If the Communications Committee allows it to appear unedited, or prints it at all, they will have demonstrated their commitment to the First Amendment. If not, it is here for you to read in its entirety.

To the Editor,

I recently addressed the MA Board regarding an escalating
problem here in Farmington Woods: It seems that a feeling
of entitlement has overcome some residents with regard to
the golf course. The statement I hear most often is "1 own it,
why can't I walk on it?"

The golf course is indeed owned by the Farmington Woods
District, but it is subject to the rules of the Master Association.
In Section 3 of the Resident's Handbook, Subsection 6.2.5, it
clearly states the rules regarding usage of the golf course.
Walking, jogging, fishing and vehicle use are prohibited. No
pets are allowed on the golf course.

These are ordinances of Farmington Woods not the Golf
Committee and are there to ensure order and safety on the
golf course. Violation of these rules has become all too
common. Recreational walkers can be hit by a ball and injured
or worse. This is a dangerous situation.

It is commonplace for speeding, parking, and other infractions
to be enforced. Why are the golf course rules not enforced
equally?

When residents closed on their Farmington Woods units, all
were required to read a booklet containing the rules and
regulations of Farmington Woods and then sign a document
agreeing to abide by these covenants. These rules should
come as no surprise to those who choose to ignore them.

I believe the MA Board needs to take an active role on this
issue and enforce the regulations as written before an
unfortunate accident occurs.

-Michael Hamelin, 2 Split Rock Lane

To the Editor,

Regarding Mr. Hamelin’s letter stating that the golf course is a dangerous place to walk, I couldn’t agree more. Unfortunately there are other places that are equally as dangerous: Catalpa Court between the 12^th hole and 16^th tee come to mind, as does the pathway to the common gardens at the 5^th tee.

But to characterize non-golfing residents who take the occasional sunset walk on the course as having “a feeling of entitlement” strikes me as rather harsh. Some of these folks have been supporting the course for twenty years with their condo fees, district taxes and club minimums.

Placing them in the notorious 47% will not foster the community relations required to ensure the continued survival of Farmington Woods Golf Club.

These residents support a game they do not play. They should be thanked, not derided, because they may decide one day to take ownership of the course seriously and use the Declarations to make it a recreational facility they can use all the time. 

Article XVIII Section 8f clearly states: “Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, nothing in this Declaration shall be deemed to restrict the use of the golf course as a Golf Facility.”

It just seems that a little respect is due the folks who pay for a course they don’t play and can’t walk on. New leadership may one day decide, by popular demand, to turn the course into a park that would make New York’s Central Park envious.

Respectfully submitted,

Lee Lagasse

HE SAID, SHE SAID JOURNALISM

In order to maintain an illusion of neutrality, the media often employs what’s known as “he said, she said journalism.” They are often criticized for it. On the other hand, at least in this form of journalism both sides are heard from and given a platform for their goals and ideas. I’m certainly not fond of this approach. There are times when one side is clearly right and the other clearly wrong and yet the talking heads just shake their heads and go on to the next story.

When I read an article called “A Course Divided” in the October Avon Life last week I was surprised to see that another form of journalism existed: simply telling half the story. The article began telling the story of the bond fight at Farmington Woods last spring and devolved into a one-sided fluff piece about the overwhelming greatness of our village told by the usual suspects, all of whom were either members or former members of the Golf Club. And of course, the president of the boards and a couple board members were quoted as well.

After reading the article I flashed back to a couple of Executive Board meetings after the bond vote when some board members wanted to hire a public relations firm to improve our image after the debacle they tried to impose on us. I’m not a PR man, but if I were, this article would be something I would have suggested, or even written to put a damper on the problem that golf presents for many residents of Farmington Woods. And with the District Board election coming up October 30, golf needs all the boost it can get.

I have one request. Before you read my letter, please read the article, if you haven’t already. I’m hoping I wasn’t too hard on Ms. Pollock, considering that Avon Life’s advertising consists largely of real estate ads and most articles have a positive spin with lots of smiling faces in the pictures. It is, after all, a lifestyle publication, not the NY Times.

Anyway, enjoy the article: http://www.lifepublications.com/ , Avon edition, page 8. I’d like to add that it was well written, as are all the articles I read by Ms. Pollock in the publication. I probably shouldn’t fault her for not seeing this story for what it really is, because if she did and reported it, she would probably be sending out resumes this week. A person’s got to eat, you know. 

HE SAID, SHE SAID, JOURNALISM

Ms. Pollock,

As someone who was actively involved in the $4M bond fight at Farmington Woods last spring I was disappointed to see that only one side of this important issue and historic vote was given a platform to express its views.

I am the individual who created the blog that the article states "attacked Dan Sullivan". I too, believe in the Constitution's First Amendment but as a retired teacher I also believe people deserve all the facts in order to make informed decisions.

That is the reason I started www.farmingtonwoodsinsider.blogspot.com back in March

In six months this micro-community blog has received 10K page views and posted a total of 63 articles written by myself and more than a dozen other contributors, most of whom prefer to remain anonymous for fear of social, or other sorts of retribution. So they write anonymously, which is really sad when you consider we live in the "land of the free, home of the brave": America. If you go to the site you will see that it's purpose is to educate, not attack as has been portrayed in your article.

With regard to the subject of this emaiI, I can only say that I would have been happy with that type of journalism. But in this case what I read didn't go that far. The people you quoted all represented one side, so I'm afraid that in this case you have failed in your mission "to give each........ party fair and equal representation" as stated on your editorial page.

I was going to avoid being critical in this email, but as another resident who read the article and wanted to respond said in an email:  "I have had numerous editorial comments for the NY Times and The Hartford Courant published over the years, most political, but I'm not sure I can write this without emotion becoming a part of it".

Some of the facts left out of the story include: $50K of resident taxes spent to study a proposal that was turned down 2 to 1 with an historic 1,023 votes cast; a golf/clubhouse operation that has lost $1.3M over the last several years and continues to lose hundred of thousands of residents fees and taxes yearly, money that is then not available for improvements to the infrastructure of the community; the fact that most members of the Tax District Board (and the people you interviewed) are golfers or ex-golfers who think nothing of spending resident funds, in this case with an 18% increase in taxes for twenty years, for their entertainment; the fact that there are 89 resident golfers in a community of 1,084 homes and nearly 2,000 residents. It takes 300 members to break even on the course. We haven't had more than 200 members in years. And there's a lot more.

Since I've already exceeded the word limit of 300 for letters to the editor I may as well add to the total. I started the blog to counter the propaganda of the monthly magazine published by the Master Association, "In the Woods". In this month's issue there's a letter from a member of the golf committee. In it he characterizes non-golfing residents, whose fees and taxes have supported this losing operation for years, for a course that we're constantly told we own, as having a "feeling of entitlement" for asking for at least some time to walk the course they pay for. I think they call that projection in Psych 101.

As someone who appreciates a catchy title, I liked yours. "A Course Divided" is definitely creative and aptly named due to the fact that the article itself left out one half of the story: words from the people who fought vigorously to defeat a multi-million dollar boondoggle that would have locked us into a losing proposition for 20 years. As a result, it ends up being exactly what it says it is, divided.

Please excuse the long winded nature of this email, but this story is not really about the long-term survival of Farmington Woods. In the end it won't be Farmington Woods that goes bankrupt as our President likes to say; it will be the so-called "self-entitled" residents who will pay the price and face financial tragedy because of a selfish few. Probably something that isn't news worthy anyway.

Sincerely,

E. Lee Lagasse, Chair
Farmington Woods Residents for Fiscal Responsibilty

THE WOODS: UNIQUE OR RUSTY ANTIQUE?

On more than one occasion I've heard the leadership of Farmington Woods describe our little community as "unique". Of course, it's uniqueness is defined by the fact that we are the only condominium in Connecticut that owns and operates it's own golf course. (Other condo communities have them, but aren't financially responsible for them.)

That's because in the seventies Otto Paparazzo decided it would be a great idea to satisfy the California Dreamin' fantasy of the era and create a resort community, complete with pools, tennis courts and of course the beautiful golf course that surrounds us right here in chilly old Connecticut. It was a big attraction at the time.

Fast forward to the second decade of the twenty-first century following the housing bust and the ensuing Great Recession and our uniqueness among Connecticut condominiums now stands as our biggest concern: the financial health of the golf/clubhouse operation and the effects it is having on the physical and social well-being of our lovely community. So I ask, are we really unique or simply a rusty old antique?

Unfortunately this problem is not a local one. I have read and heard stories about countless golf courses going bankrupt both in Connecticut and other states during the last several years due to both the ailing economy and the general downturn in the popularity of golf worldwide. KPMG Global agrees: "During the go-go nineties golf courses were overbuilt and the result has been devastating for the industry at large and especially for homes/condos built as part of a golf community."

Some of my readers may already know that I spent time in Arizona earlier in my life, following four years in the US Air Force, pursuing a Masters Degree in Learning Disabilities at the University of Arizona and then working as a high school special education teacher in the Tucson public school system. Though I had many out-of-state job offers when I graduated (including one in Hawaii) I had fallen in love with the desert and decided to stay.

Tucson is a great place for outdoor types. Friends and I climbed most of the great peaks surrounding the town, I found myself participating in a county slow pitch league, did a lot of miles biking in the foothills, became an avid horseman and finally got proficient at my favorite sport, basketball. A few years after I arrived in Tucson I struck up a friendship with a local golfer and started playing golf again. 

Though I had lived and played golf in Connecticut and South Carolina prior to moving to the desert, it wasn’t until I met my friend Jim that I picked up the clubs and began to enjoy the pleasure of playing in the desert sun, on greens surrounded by desert flora, with warm desert breezes belying the fact that it was actually winter back home in Connecticut.

I eventually moved back to Connecticut to be closer to my aging parents and siblings and missed the warm desert weather immensely. So when I met my future wife and we got married in 1988 I decided to take her to the place I call my second home so that she could experience the beauty of the desert during the dreary Connecticut month that is April.

We made reservations at the Sheraton El Conquistador Resort located at the foot of the beautiful Catalina Mountains and the weather did not disappoint. With temperatures in the 80’s we spent every available moment outdoors when we weren’t gorging on delicious Mexican cuisine. And this may come as a surprise, but we spent as much time on the golf course as we did in the pool drinking Margaritas. It was nothing short of heavenly.

What does any of this have to do with the current golf situation at Farmington Woods? Well, yesterday I received a call from my old friend Jim. He still plays golf, but his options are now severely limited. Many of the golf resorts that were built in Tucson in the 80’s and 90’s he said, are now in bankruptcy or headed that way. Even the glorious Sheraton (now run by the Hilton Corporation), the largest golf resort in town, with it’s 400 residences and 45 hole golf course, is facing bankruptcy. He told me I could read all about it on the Arizona Daily Star's website.

Fortunately for them they have some big money backers in the Hilton Corp who continue to keep things running and some investment group will come in and save the day. The blame is being placed on the recession, but there are other factors as well, including the declining popularity of golf in one of America’s premiere golf destinations.

They are not alone. According to the Daily Star “Since the recession began in 2008, several of Tucson's resort jewels have struggled, going through foreclosure or bankruptcy proceedings.
The Westin La Paloma recently emerged from bankruptcy with new owners. The J.W. Marriott Starr Pass Tucson Resort & Spa has been in receivership, and the Westward Look Wyndam Grand Resort & Spa sold for the second time in six years in February. Others, such as the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, have struggled.”

You can read the article about the Hilton here: http://azstarnet.com/business/local/another-tucson-resort-in-default/article_6c89e7cb-0311-517c-ab13-f204dd402a47.html and about other courses in Tucson closing here: http://azstarnet.com/news/science/environment/dry-times-for-some-southern-arizona-golf-operations/article_b6e229e5-4952-5ea7-b72b-c9adb9a26b83.html.

Most of these failing operations will be bailed out ultimately by investor groups who are buying them up at thirty cents on the dollar, but the golf business in Tucson will never be the same again. And that gets me back to the ”uniqueness” that is Farmington Woods.

Yes, we are unique in many ways. We are unique in that we are the only condominium in Connecticut that owns a golf course. We are also unique because we own a failing golf course that in other places would be filing bankruptcy while waiting to be bailed out by an investor group. But lastly and most tragically we are unique in the fact that long before Farmington Woods files bankruptcy many of our residents may themselves face financial disaster one day due to rising condo fees, district taxes, restaurant minimums and the resulting drop in housing values. In case you haven't heard, there are now several Section 8 properties within the gates of our community.

Think about it: Golf and sunny Arizona. They sure make a nice pair don’t they? But if you think that the Hilton is filing bankruptcy primarily due to a drop in booked rooms, think again. Consider this quote from Jerry Hawkins, a commercial real estate broker with CBRE Commercial Real Estate Services Worldwide: “On the other side of the equation is the golf course”, Hawkins says. "Golf has a significant negative impact on a lot of these resorts. You have to mow. You have to fertilize. You have to maintain. And it doesn't depend on how many people play."

So I’m kinda sad about the situation unfolding in my second home of Tucson, but I get even sadder when I contemplate the future of our own little “resort community”. I’d really like to see the course pay for itself so that we can maintain our image of “uniqueness” but when I look at what’s happening in Tucson of all places, I get very, very concerned. 

And while the sun continues to shine brightly in Tucson as their golf situation worsens, the long term future of our little community in cloudy old Connecticut is looking rather bleak. With its golf membership in decline, resulting in losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars subsidized increasingly by residents, the future of Farmington Woods Condominium will be significantly different than its past. And with no clear turnaround plan in place and seemingly little motivation for change, what that future will look like is anybody's guess. 

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

The title for this post comes from the Who song “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. I’m old enough to remember it being played on the radio back in the early seventies and have seen it play out more than once in our national political circus. However, after reading the latest submission by our trusty Farmington Woods Insider roving reporter I can see that it even applies to politics in communities as small as Farmington Woods.

The people speak: think May’s referendum on the bond issue. New leaders are elected. Change is the expectation. But in the end the status quo is maintained because leftovers

from the previous administration somehow manage to hold onto power through backroom deals and shenanigans. This month’s Executive Committee report is living proof that sometimes the more things change, the more they stay the same.

But I’ll let our roving reporter give you all the sordid details. Her report is living proof of another of life’s most profound axioms:  that the only constant in life is Change. Unfortunately, that change can be for the good or the bad depending on your point of view.

Anyway, hats off to the new board members who fought the good fight for change, but lost because, well, life’s just not always fair I guess. Hang in there guys.  

MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS

I heard through the Farmington Woods “grapevine” that there would be a major coup at the Sept 27, 2012 board of director’s meeting which explains why it was standing room only when I arrived. (If the fire Marshall had seen the room, he would have cleared it in a heartbeat). And true to the rumors, there was a coup but not the coup that was expected.

At the beginning of the meeting the newly elected members were introduced. After that came the vote for new officers. Yes, dear readers, Irene Loretto is no longer president (she's now secretary) but in some ways, she still is. Sara Harrigan was elected president through a tie breaking vote cast by, you guessed it, none other than our outgoing president.

What did I just write you ask? Well, here’s where the coup comes in. When one of the newly elected board members nominated someone other than Sara Harrigan for president, Irene looked shocked, almost indignant: How dare she do such a thing; she hadn’t even been sitting in the seat 10 minutes!

Anyway, four board members voted for the new member’s nominee and the other four voted for Sara. The tie breaking vote was cast by the sitting president. And of course, she voted for Sara who quickly took the president’s seat and read her prepared speech. Not only did she have a prepared speech but later inadvertently admitted to calling our outside financial consultant to discuss “our rating and understand our financials” before the voting process even took place.

It seems that the plan behind the coup was to make Sara president so that we can continue to run Farmington Woods further into the ditch we currently find ourselves in. During the bond fiasco, Sara spoke out in favor of the $4M bond, the golf irrigation system and the need for the elevator and clubhouse renovations. I suspect with her at the gavel, we will be revisiting these issues again.

The shining stars, however, were the new board members. They asked when they would be receiving Robert’s Rules of Order, the state mandated rules governing all condo meetings. Irene looked shocked and puzzled by the question and then an older gentleman from the crowd yelled three times, “they’re on the web.” Irene looked at the staff for confirmation but none came, so she finally managed to squeak out “are the rules on the Farmington Woods website?”, completely misinterpreting the older gentlemen’s statement. It was apparent he was talking about the internet and not the website. He just was not up to date on his terminology and Irene was not up to date on the CT Condo laws requiring associations to use Robert’s Rules of Order.  

But back to the requests of the new board members, not only did they ask for Robert’s Rules of Order, they asked for the financial data for the golf course and restaurant. In fact, there was much discussion on the missing golf reports and current membership status. I sense we have a bean counter or two on the new board which will make future meetings interesting. Can’t wait!

The golf task force was also discussed as was the subject of why non-golfing residents are not actively being sought out to participate. The golf “Pow Wow “ that took place a couple months ago was also discussed.  A new board member had heard that non-golfing residents who attended the meeting weren’t allowed to speak. She wanted to be sure every resident’s voice, golfer or non-golfer, was heard. Hear, Hear!  

We were told there are two good candidates for the General Manager position. I hope they have a college degree and the required certification. The job description has been rewritten so I’m assuming that education and certification was included this time around. Moreover, I think the job description should be available to all residents online.

At the end of the meeting Sara requested that all board members send her emails so that she could add their email address to her contacts. She said this will make it easier for her to maintain contact with them. One older board member told her she didn’t use email and wasn’t sure she could do it. Sara insisted she find a way to use it and send her an email. I thought that was cruel on Sarah’s part.

The next meeting is at the clubhouse. Elections will be held for the Farmington Woods Tax District. It ought to be fun. See you there!

ONE LAST CHANCE TO DECIDE THE FUTURE OF FW

This post needs little introduction. Simply put, our future as a condominium community will be determined when the Farmington Woods District holds a vote on Tuesday, October 30 at 6:30 pm in the North Lounge of the Clubhouse. 

The terms of three key board members are up and new leadership is needed. Keep in mind that the present membership consists of the folks who spent nearly $50K of our money just for research on the course/clubhouse boondoggle which an overwhelming majority of us voted against last May 10th.

So if you like it when people spend your hard earned money on things that only they care about with little regard for what the community as a whole wants, stay home, have a nice meal and watch your favorite sitcom.

But if you're tired of the "golf mafia" determining where your money is spent, by all means show up and vote for someone whose interest is the whole community, not just the part that's used six months out of the year, weather permitting.

I have a feeling this writer has more faith in the latter happening than I do, but it's always nice to be surprised.

10,000 hits on this blog in 6 months!

That’s equivalent to 10 for every unit in Farmington Woods!

Tremendous interest obviously!

This blog delivers very good questions, very good ideas/suggestions, and a clear indicator of lots of dissatisfaction, resentment and anger among residents. It’s encouraging to know that for every writer there are probably several more people who think similarly but don’t take the time to write. Unfortunately, even fewer tend to act, and with elections coming, we need to act.

Unless we do something, nothing will change. It was all too sad that after the huge voter turnout for, and success in defeating the bond issues, we had insufficient turnout to defeat the budget. By our absence we empowered the MA Board to do the very things we did not want in a piecemeal, more covert way.

To get a more transparent, fiscally responsible and responsive Board, we have to speak up and vote.  We have to encourage capable, fair-minded people to run for offices, and we have to get out and vote for them.

In 37 days (it will be fewer by the time this can be put on the blog), we have the Farmington Woods Tax District elections --- 7:00 PM, following a 6:30 PM registration period, on Tuesday, October 30.   If you wonder how important this election is, notice how closed it is.  Once again, there is no proxy. Once again, many of our residents will have gone south for the winter. 

Do you have to stand up and be counted before the eyes of the Board? Or do you get to have a private ballot in a box?

Do you know who is running? Do the new applicants even know if they have been approved by the Board to run? Once their names are announced, would you like to have a chance to find out a little about them? How much time does it take to do that? Will we be given as much choice as possible?

Who is going to vote? Who is going to help others get to the election place?

Let’s start planning now to be informed and participating voters. Let’s not sell ourselves short. Put this on your ipad, your smartphone, your calendar: Tuesday, October 30, 6:30 PM, the North Lounge of the Clubhouse.

LET'S TALK GOLF, ONCE AGAIN

We haven’t talked about golf in awhile, but let’s face it folks, it’s a problem that’s not going to go away on its own. We need to change the way the course is funded or at some point we’ll be a weed covered disaster surrounded by a perfectly manicured 18 hole golf course. You know, the very “abandoned golf course” scenario that golfers use to scare residents into paying for their chosen pastime.

I’d like to thank my latest contributor for keeping this enormously important issue alive with her article:

LET’S TALK GOLF

Let’s talk golf. (Any time II type golf I make the same typing error; I type “gold”. I guess our golf course is really a gold course open only to the few while the rest of us pay.)

At the July 29^th Executive Board meeting the interim president of the Ladies 18 hole golf group spoke about the unfair cost that golfing residents pay as opposed to non-resident golfers to belong to the golf club. She believes, as many who live here do, that they should be allowed to golf at a lower price because they reside here.

I guess in theory they rationalize this because they are paying condo fees and district taxes in addition to their golfing membership and think it should cost less than the outside members who are paying the full freight of the complicated pricing structure. Perhaps she is correct in this thought and then again, perhaps not.

So let’s talk about what she said at the July 29^th meeting. In her presentation she indicated that the golf course is losing upwards of a half million dollars each year and therefore, the residents would have to help pay for this deficit. And we do. According to her, only $200. plus is charged back to every unit per year in Farmington Woods, by her standards, a small amount. (Blogger's comment: It should be noted that her figure was for each of the last three years. At the August 6^th golf “PowWow” a source stated that the figure this year is closer to $300. per unit.)

But let’s look at what every resident in Farmington Woods is getting for their $200.00 plus contribution: nothing, absolutely nothing, except the privilege of paying. Don’t go near the golf course or walk next to it, and should you enter it, you’ll surely be fined.

Now, Farmington Woods has always said the golf course is a dangerous place and residents should stay away but I recently read Ed Jarrett’s article In the Woods that a golfer got hit with a ball. Hum, wonder how that happened? I can tell you I live close to the course and balls always drop next to me when I’m outside. And then there is the matter of the Catalpa Court. If you walk on the side of the road the near the 16^th tee, your chances of getting hit while not on the course are as great as if you were actually walking anywhere on it.

My point here is the rule “residents keep off the golf course or be fined” doesn’t even address the situation. Your chances of being hit by a golf ball are high if you live near the course or if you follow the rules and walk on the roads, especially Catalpa Court, you might just as well be on the course anyway.  So if you’re a walker be prepared to be hit even when you’re not on the course.

Dick Oatman likes to say every resident owns the golf course therefore we all are responsible for paying for it. After all, when we moved here we saw the course. I don’t know about anyone else but the documents I got from the association when I bought my unit itemize the amenities and what I am responsible for paying and the golf course is not one of them. Dick also likes to say the golf course is common property as he did in his July article which also appeared In The Woods.

But let’s get back to each resident paying $200.00 plus a year per unit to the golf club and the common property idea. If we are all paying $200.00 plus a year and the property is common property then I am proposing a new golfing idea. It is about ACCESS for everyone who is currently paying for this common property.

1. Each resident will have access to the golf course during times of no play. Many times during the day the  course is empty, no players at all, especially the back nine.

2. The residents will be respectful of the greens and use cart paths when walking on the course.

3. If the resident encounters a golfer, the resident will yield to the play and golfer alike.

4. Golfing rules will be amended to include residential activities on the course during times of no play.

5. Early dawn and dusk walks are permitted year round.

6. All pet rules apply.

Given the financial climate of the golf club the above changes are reasonable, fair and equitable for all who are paying for the golf course. After all, common property means everyone gets to use it according to our condo documents. I for one would be willing to pay and live with the above changes. In fact, I would advocate for more paved cart paths, better known as walking paths. Beats the road!

Just as a side bar on the golf situation: Let’s take a look at the Florida model (snowbirds, you know this all too well): each golfer belonging to a club pays an assessment each year the golf course does not break even or make a profit. It’s only fair that all golfing members shoulder some of the responsibility for the game they love. After all, the residents of Farmington Woods are supporting a game they don’t necessarily love for your love of the game.  

SIX MONTHS, 10,000 PAGE VIEWS, WOW!

When we started this blog six months ago if you had told me that it would still be around now I'd have been skeptical. If you told me it would also have garnered 10,000 page views I'd have called you crazy. But we're still here and lots of contributors have helped keep this effort going. A big Thank You to them and another to our readers who keep us writing. 

NOT SUCH AN AUGUST MEETING

I have a lot of respect for the people who attend the monthly meetings and report back what transpires at these events. I don’t have the stomach or the endurance to attend and hear the same dismal reports month after month.

And I respect their anonymity. I started this blog as an anonymous enterprise and got my share of flack for not coming out. And when I did I’m not sure I got any more respect for doing so than I would have otherwise.

The good people that submit reports and rants anonymously have my respect and admiration. It’s just too bad that the atmosphere here at Farmington Woods prevents an open discussion about our present and future priorities without fear of retribution.

If you have a comment about anything written by my anonymous reporters and ranters you can direct them to me at 2chewman@gmail.com.

NOT SUCH AN AUGUST MEETING

If you missed the August Directors meeting, here are the important updates that will affect you tomorrow:

First, from this point forward, if you need a document from the Master Association, the staff will gather it and copy the information but it’s going to cost you a pretty penny. How pretty? $50.00 per hour for the staff, who, by the way are already being paid by you in your monthly condo fee’s, PLUS 50 cents a page to copy. 

(Editor's Note: The new condo law actually says records can be transmitted electronically. So if they're being sent by email that means they should not be charging 50 cents a page for copying they're not doing.)

Does it sound like this board is trying to discourage inquiries? Absolutely they are!!  It was suggested they post all documents on this website so that residents could access the materials but our sitting president shouted “You’re out of order!” and there went the best idea of the night.

The second great news is that we continue to lose money in the restaurant and golf operations. No shock there but what is apparent is this sitting board cannot make financial decisions to benefit all residents.

The Chairman of the finance committee reported that after his committee considered various options for the failing golf course operation, of which he is a member, they decided to increase resident golfer’s fees to equal that of outside golfers who play here. The chairman of the golf committee was opposed, even though he was given an in-depth explanation of how and why it should be done.

Cheap was the word of the night for the golfers in the room; they want to play at the cheapest price possible even though it’s coming off the backs of every resident, golfer or not.  And here’s the prize word of the night: Amenity. Our president suggested we make golf an Amenity. What is wrong with these people?

And now for the restaurant: we over buy the food and liquor 3 to 1. In other words, we spend three times the amount on food and booze than we sell. The food is perishable and the booze apparently is not such a hot product in the bar these days.

I understood that we bought very expensive bottles of alcohol to accommodate certain golfers who no longer play here. Now we are “stuck” with scotch that no one wants.

Anyway, we have decided we would offer some cheap lunches in hopes to boost the lunch crowd and get rid of the old food. With the same old crappy food being prepared, I don’t see that plan working very well.

Last, but surely not least (and the scariest thing I heard all night) came the report on the search for a new general manager. Our president told us we had nineteen applicants and several were interviewed over the phone. She thought there were some very good candidates.

Here is a brief summary of what she said: “The job description for the general manager is currently being updated because there were things that may need to be added to the job description.”  I wondered why anyone would interview for a position without a valid or current job description. But she assured us that “it was posted on the website and there was interest.”

I checked out the job description on the website and of no surprise and in keeping with our usual sub-standard “business” approach, all that is required to manage Farmington Wood’s $7M budget is a high school diploma! Can you say SHOCKED? What about Certification and the background check that is mandated by the State of Connecticut’s new condo law effective as of July 1^st, 2012?

And if we can’t remember everything we want our next general manager to do, why not add this to the job description: “ALL OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED.”  It’s always been on every job description I’ve ever had and is legally binding.

Based on our past history with managers, we’re going to need it!