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!