This article documents Hot Springs Village Property Owners’ Association, Interim General Manager, John Paul’s report to the Board of Directors on October 20, 2021.
Proposed Assessment Increase
Members have the option to mail the proxy into the auditing firm or they can vote in person at the November meeting.
Results of the vote will be announced at the meeting on November 15th.
We ask that residents do not drop their proxy in the box out front because it has to be mailed in order to be counted so it will just go away if it is dropped in there so don’t do that. We’ve got signs on the box but we’ve still had a couple put them in there.
Balboa Club Update
The porte cochere has been repaired and painted. The waterlines have been repaired in the kitchen and the entrance sign has been installed and updated. The parking lot was striped. This completes the planned rennovations for the Balboa Club this year.
The Turn at Balboa, the new restaurant, plans to expand their menu and operations by utilizing the upstairs kitchen, shortly. He’s got his equipment on order. Although we don’t know how long that takes anymore, to order anything. But he’s hoping to get it in and when he does he wants to open the upstairs dining space, also. So that will give us a nice addition to that facility over there. If you haven’t been, it looks very nice. I’d go over and look around.
Casa Coronado
We executed a lease agreement with Troy and Patty McKie to operate the Casa Coronado Restaurant, effective November 1st.
Mulligans at Ponce and Waypoint
Mulligans at Ponce will remain open under the current, will be operated by Matt Curtis, who is keeping all the old employees and really not changing much in that operation. Once that transition is complete, the POA will only operate the deli and our seasonal restaurant at Waypoint.
Gate Security
Gate Security continues to be a major focus for us. The Compliance Department is performing studies to determine options to help eliminate tailgating at the satellite gates.
We have recently reduced the timing on those gates, reducing the amount of time a potential tailgater would have to gain authorized entry. We have eliminated the pullover lanes at the Danville Gate and the Balboa Gate by putting safety delineators there so that people can’t pull over and wait for you and then go in.
We’re also developing a plan for enhanced gate signage. These signs will improve the esthetics at the gate and also comply with verbiage that will help our law enforcement enforce the trespassing laws for people entering the gates that are not property owners or sponsored guests.
2022 Budget
We’re wrapping up the 2022 budget and Coreena will be going into that in detail, but what I wanted to talk about today was just to compliment her and her staff on the long hours that they’ve put in. They’ve put in countless hours on both versions of this and I just wanted to thank them for their efforts in this regard.
IT Department
Our IT Department continues to install new credit card machines at all the POA retail locations – the golf shops, the restaurants, etc. Staff…we had a minor problem in the beginning with, they call ‘packets being dropped’ and duplication of cards. We’ve solved all that problem and the new machines are much more friendly to operate for the members and they should all be rolled out in the next two weeks. I think they have 20 left to install.
Golf & Village Men’s Member – Guest Tournament
The Village Men’s Member – Guest Tournament took place on September the 30th through October 2nd at DeSota, Isabella, and Granada. It is one of our two large events that we host and 56 teams competed in this tournament.
Golf Rounds continue to have an upward trajectory in 2021. Rounds were up by a 1,000 over September 2020 and so far around 14,600 rounds up, year-to-date.
Lot Next Door Program
We instituted a Lot Next Door Program. We have implemented a program to identify the POA-owned properties that are located next to homes and contact these homeowners to inquire if they are interested in purchasing the property before we start marketing them for sale to the public.
This program, we sent out 50 letters, just as a test and we got two responses and sold two lots.
We know that the program can work in some cases and we will continue that on a larger scale.
2021 Discovery Packages
2021 Discovery Packages show a very big positive. In September we sold 23 packages with a conversion rate of 24% and we have sold 165 packages for a total conversion rate of 14% for the year.
A lot of these packages are staying at the RV Park, which is an interesting turn for us – another department that shows increase, year-over-year.
Compliance Department
The Compliance Department reports through September they have issued 1,316 permits. The department issued 1,282 for all of 2020, so people are remodeling and getting after a lot of home improvement projects this year.
As of September, they have issued 109 home permits, year-to-date, as opposed to 56 in 2020. We are on track to reach our goal of 125 home permits by the end of this year.
First Electric Cooperative
5_10-20-21_GM_ReportOne of the big things I want to talk about is the First Electric Cooperative. They are scheduled to begin the broadband expansion on the eastern side of the Village, the Saline County portion of the Village, on November 1st.
Once completed, this project will make high-speed broadband internet services available to all Saline County residents in Hot Springs Village.
Our staff is working closely with First Electric during the essential planning stage of this project to minimize the damage to our underground lines during the installation progress. You have to break eggs to make an omelet and we know it’s coming.
First Electric plans to complete the project in approximately 12 months. And remember, they are starting November the 1st.
They will host a town hall meeting on November 9th at 2:00 p.m. at the Coronado Center to discuss what they are doing, the implementation and to answer any of the questions that the public may have. We look forward to that program. This is a major step in broadband. At least in the Saline County portion.
And that’s my report.
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Report transcribed by Cheryl Dowden and is not deemed to be perfect, but very close to what was stated.
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Thank you for reading. If you like, please comment below. We love to hear your opinion, but civil discourse is important. Comments must be made using your first and last real name, or they will not be accepted. Be sure to bookmark this website.
John C Sowers
10/26/2021 — 2:58 pm
Thanks John Paul for keeping us informed about the daily work done by the POA staff. We are very lucky, and thanks for your leadership these past two years.
Al Lipson
10/26/2021 — 3:07 pm
No comment on the Interim General Manager report since he is a
$150K babysitter and just a pass-through for POA staff requests. When will we see any degree of accountability, exhibited by our inept BOD, in holding individuals accountable for the mismanagement of our village? Or do we not hold our BOD accountable for anything ? Cheryl…thank you for posting. We all appreciate what you do !
Johnny Ostendorf
10/26/2021 — 5:49 pm
What in the world will make you happy? That sure looks like a lot of accountability and transparency. I guess some old people just need to complain.
Tom Blakeman
10/26/2021 — 6:18 pm
Not a lot. Just a little. This place does not hold board members or staff accountable for anything.
Kirk Denger
10/26/2021 — 9:46 pm
The little things make me happy! Striping the Balboa Club parking lot, instead of painting it all black and then striping. Saving $20,000 in black parking lot paint and hundreds of thousands revitalizing the Balboa Club on a shoestring budget to the best of JP’s ability. Truly a success story in comparison to the demolition of another iconic historical site of Hot Springs Village suggested by past CEO.
Thank you John Paul, for playing your part of baby sitting HSV, you have done a great job for a lot less.
Johnny Ostendorf
10/27/2021 — 6:32 am
Thanks for recognizing John Paul for all he is doing. I am amazed by all the meaningful steps to save HSV money that have taken place under his leadership and that of our new board.
Susan Posner
10/29/2021 — 5:56 pm
Think at times peoples way of communicating can elicit strong emotions or can overlap with their personal mood, after all all humans regardless of age are with those fallacies. So stereotyping by age as well as snarky personal attacks is counterproductive of getting replies to topic or issue. Cheryl has clearly asked people to try to refrain from that on this site. Think we can try at least.
Jay powell
10/27/2021 — 1:38 pm
Just what might you suggest we do? Send them to jail or worse, simply because they might not do what you’d like them to do.
Susan Posner
10/29/2021 — 5:36 pm
BOD are fiduciaries (legal responsibility) to the property owners who elect them to fulfill fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and obedience. BOD other than a convenience stipend are not compensated by wage as that makes them employees and that falls under labor law. Breaching BOD fiduciary duties property owners can recall them, even go to court. Most courts determine misconduct that constitutes breach of fiduciary duty, such as using BOD positions for “self dealings” like placing their personal interests or personal gain above property owners; manifesting favoritism or vendettas among some property owners over other property owners even if using subordinates to do so. BOD is a serious position in an association that has accountability to the point of association carrying insurance to cover costs of BOD breaches of fiduciary and binding documents for election recall. BOD must show equality and fairness and have property owners confidence and trust. This is not a committee position or a club, it is a fiduciary agreement between BOD elected and property owners who elect them. Most BOD and property owners are understanding of this. To avoid legal or recall problems there must be transparency, honesty, understanding and two way communication that entails, “talk,questions,listen and respect” on both sides. This site is but one such communication as are meetings, reports, surveys,emails etc all are part of the equation.
Missy Masterson Hale
10/26/2021 — 3:25 pm
Thank you for all the good news!