by Frank Leeming, September 11, 2019
For three years: No money to repave Village roads
Hot Springs Village has 501.1 miles of roads – 472.3 miles are paved and 28.8 miles are not.
By way of comparison, Hot Springs’ public-works director Denny McPhate told me his city has approximately 300 miles of roads.
The life of a road is determined by many things: How much traffic it gets, how heavy the vehicles are (i.e., heavy trucks) and how well the road was originally built.
For many years, our Public Works Committee (now the Public Service Committee) was made up mainly of long-time employees in the road business who retired to the Village and volunteered their time to help their neighbors.
First, each year they would go out in teams of two and physically inspect our roads and rate their condition. Roads receiving a score of 85 or lower were judged to need resurfacing.
Second, they would badger the POA board and staff to spend at least $1 million to repave 30 miles of road each year. They argued Village roads have a life of 15 to 20 years, so repaving 30 miles a year would keep our road system in top condition.
One more thing the committee did: It hammered away on the need for a crack-sealing program, including the purchase of a $50,000 crack-sealing machine.
These veteran road guys told anyone who would listen how sealing road cracks will prolong the life of a road four to six years because it prevents water from seeping down and eroding the road base, particularly in the winter.
When I was on the POA board in 2015, we gave in and approved the purchase of a crack-sealing machine. The public-works department told us they would be able to use it 10 months a year.
What was spent on road maintenance in recent years
With all that in mind, here’s what was spent on road maintenance in recent years: 2012 – $1.26 million budgeted for street resurfacing.
2013 – $1.9 million.
2014 – $1.26 million.
2015 – $1.141 million.
2016 – $634,940.
The 2016 program included repaving DeSoto Blvd. between Castalon Courts and the Los Lagos area, and 14.92 miles of 1/4 inch micro-surface repaving of neighborhood streets.
The 2016 work was the last approved by the board in Hot Springs Village.
* * *
In the end, the change will be very expensive
Scuttling road maintenance is an easy way for POA administrators to find money for other projects, like developing master plans and building new pools.
The roads are still there and may look fine, but delaying maintenance is like putting a ticking time bomb out there for Villagers to drive on.
When the roads begin to crumble and crack, the cost of catching up will be enormous.
We’re already $3 million behind.
Crack sealing our roads never took place at the level promised.
Village roads used to be a shining example of why this community stood head and shoulders above others. They were something we could proudly point to when potential buyers came to the Village.
That’s not true anymore because POA staff has shifted spending priorities. In the end, the change will be very expensive.
by Frank Leeming, September 11, 2019
Tom Blakeman
09/11/2019 — 12:19 pm
So, here we go again. Another chink in the POA armor. . . or should I say crack in the road? Thank you Frank for putting these facts out there in easily understandable format.
I think we have to ask ourselves how many other issues are similar and how far are we behind on other basic maintenance and refurbishment? We have heard about culverts failing and water mains leaking like sieves. Lift stations are being redone but what about the lines connecting them all together and to the treatment plants?
Then we need to think about the $2 million or so being lost every year just to keep the golf courses in the condition they are currently in. Those losses are because we are not marketing and selling golf as we should be.
And, where is the prioritization list for all the deferred maintenance with cost estimates? I can tell you that if I were a board member I would not approve one nickel of spending until all the chinks and cracks were well documented and known to all.
Kirk Denger
09/22/2019 — 8:30 pm
Tom Blakeman09/11/2019 — 12:19 pm, ” Those losses are because we are not marketing and selling golf as we should be.” So, if we market and sell golf as we should, then all the other losses will be OK? Just asking.
Eliabeth Berry
09/11/2019 — 12:21 pm
Thank you for all the work and time you spent investigating the condition of our roads. This should be put on top on the list to present to the board. Of course, the top priority is to remove the CEO and her assistant. Please any lawyers out there, we need your input and advise. We will treat you kindly and respect your help. Please respond.
Walter Chance
09/11/2019 — 1:39 pm
Good article and another reason to delay Balboa and divert the money to road improvements.
Minn Daly
09/11/2019 — 3:33 pm
Thank you Frank ! Our infrastructure is NOT important to this BOD/CEO! Their project is to implement a plan called CMP that majority of HSV members rejected. Implementation of infrastructure will come when all water lines break, culverts are destroyed & roads have very deep pot holes where we are unable to navigate them. Then guess what? The CEO will tell the BOD there is a problem that needs to be addressed after her issues with increasing water rates & POA dues to correct some of the issues. After 500,000 for CMP was much more important than a waterline to members homes. Spending MILLIONS to redo a golf course & tear down the Balboa Club plus pool is much more important than infrastructure. I am happy that you are publishing the issues but we have no one representing us that is listening. It is a sad state HSV is in, let’s hope we are not into bankruptcy by the end of this year! Oh! You can bet CEO will get her salary, plus bonus for getting us there. Sad times for all of us who love this community. Minn Daly
Linda Anderson
09/11/2019 — 4:30 pm
FRANK-THANK YOU for once again stepping forward with the facts of this very important issue. When Leslie Nalley took office, her comment was “Let’s move Boldly beyond maintenance “. How can anyone think that maintenance should not be a priority? A simple technique is to just ignore an issue and move on to spend millions on tearing down and rebuilding to become a CMP developer. The Balboa project could easily cost $7-8 Mil. with no funds available. A drastic step to raise assessments in order to leave a legacy. It is the property owners who will pay dearly and be legally responsible for the BOD/CEO’s decisions to march them into overwhelming debt. Worst of all we can do nothing about this.
Pat McCullough
09/11/2019 — 4:44 pm
I have lived in two condo communities where the roads were “let go” . It does not take long before you are back to dirt and / or gravel. I was surely not aware of this little secret and now wonder what else are they hiding? We are a community that this should not be happening to. I am not a lawyer or a legal person. Will someone who is please step up and at least provide us with some direction as to what a correct next step should be??
George Tenuta
09/11/2019 — 5:27 pm
Folks,
This report really bothered me because of my background and the monies involved. I agree with Frank about the longer term impact and certainly the appearance.
I wrote to Jason Temple (COO of HSV) for a clarification. Here are the emails to date. I will provide a final update if I get one. On the final note I copied the BoD.
Jason,
Can you respond to Frank Leeming’s claims below that we are not spending historical levels on resurfacing when we have a budget of $2.6M for your Streets and Sanitation department.
George – I am meeting with the Public Service Committee this Thursday and will address it then. Come join us.
Jason,
I cannot make the meeting.
I was looking for a straightforward answer to a simple question.
Out of your 2019 $2.6M operating exp., what % or amount have you spent on road resurfacing?
George – we are going to spend it all. We have been delayed this year due to creating the culvert plan and getting the Street Maintenance Department properly staffed. We are going out for proposals to obligate the remaining funds in the most cost effective manner given the current prioritized needs of your infrastructure today. Come to the work session tomorrow around 9 a.m. at the police training center or schedule an appointment with me so that you will have context and accuracy. I look forward to talking to you in person.
Jason,
I don’t appreciate the glib answer that you are “going to spend it all”.
You have a $2.6M operating expense budget for 2019 for Streets and Sanitation.
What is your current spending year to date for road resurfacing? One number.
Apparently you are planning to spend more in the next 3-1/2 months on road resurfacing, so what is that number?
I can add the two numbers myself.
“Spending it all” tells me nothing.
I know you spent something because Maderas was resurfaced from Desoto to the Diamanté Country Club, unless they paid for it. I have attached a couple of photos of the hole in Maderas that your folks patched earlier this year at my request to repair. The 1 foot square is now becoming a 3 foot square depression full of cracks and there are cracks across 1/2 the road.
I am not available for your meetings. Working as an engineer and manager at 3M Company manufacturing plants gives me a very good understanding of budgets and maintenance planning. I have spent many hours in meetings, I am retired, so no need to do that now and I am only concerned about the sustainability of this place.
I am looking to understand if Frank’s claim is correct, that we are not spending any money for road resurfacing in 2019. I am not even interested in 2017 or 2018 at this point.
I have one foot out the gates of this village, after what has gone on the last 2 years and having only been here 5 years, I have no desire to be caught in a debt ridden, run down, desperate community.
I would sincerely appreciate two numbers from you.
George Tenuta
09/11/2019 — 6:32 pm
Here are final emails on the subject. It is a very sad situation.
George – I would really like to me you because you understand the importance of sustainable decisions and proactive planning. My apologies, did not mean any disrespect nor intended to be glib previously, the 2019 budget as well as the financial audits are public information you can download from the HSV website http://explorethevillage.com/members/governance/financial-reports/ . You will find that financially we have been improving year after year for the last 5 years and on track for continued growth. I work with the Public Services Committee on the infrastructure budgets, planning, and will be updating the committee tomorrow in our informal work session which you are invited. If you want the detail, I extend to you a professional courtesy to come meet with me this week in person 501-922-5524 and I would be glad to go over the previous and this year’s budget planning and give you the insight into the “why” behind the decisions. Next week I will be in Texas to meet my new grandson, and will be back the following. We are looking for new committee members if you are interested in helping and your background would be helpful.
Jason,
I am familiar with the financials page and the road resurfacing amount is not in the numbers reported.
You know that. Your response sounds like a canned answer from your boss.
You folks have no idea how silly you come across when you don’t answer simple questions.
I am a customer of yours and in my 30+ years of working for 3M, I would never have tried to deny our customer the truth about our product or service, but that it what integrity is about and the current leadership we have has none.
You could have given me the number(s) I was asking for. If it fell short of historical levels, then it would have been up to me to decide how much I wanted to understand the gap. Your none answer tells me there is huge gap and problem.
But, I thank you. It will cause me to meet with a realtor and start the process of leaving.
So, great job Jason and Leslie, one less thorn in your side.
Be assured I will share this with hundreds who will hopefully share with others.
I will recommend that those who can, leave ASAP, because my experience and knowledge indicates that this a failing enterprise with the leadership we have.
P.S. Fix the sinkhole I mentioned in my last note so my moving truck doesn’t loose an axle.
Kathy Henderson
09/11/2019 — 5:43 pm
Excellent article as usual, Frank! We’ve been waiting to be resurfaced ever since they did a very poor patch work on Berlanga Circle several years ago.
Anonymous
09/11/2019 — 8:02 pm
Are you people believing what we are reading here???? You would think arrests could be made here!! Who else knows more about this crap?? If my health were a bit better I would be heading someplace else.
Pat McCullough
09/11/2019 — 8:09 pm
I did not want the comment above sent anonymous……..it is by me , Patrick J. McCullough – a 15 year resident who is really angry. This is no way to end a what was once a beautiful retirement in what was once a paradise. I really feel sorry for those of you who just got here recently. At least we got lucky with some good years here before all of this hell broke loose.
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Julie
09/12/2019 — 6:14 am
The POA and board may be on to something here.
Why spend money on roads when sometime soon you won’t need to? Either the gates come down and the county takes over or the roads get used less and less due to no traffic as more and more HSV residents abandon ship.
Who can blame them? No one retires to become part of a new urbanization experiment that they are forced to pay for.
No one retires knowingly to a community where simple board meetings can’t be held without a massive police presence.
No one retires to a place with 9 poorly run golf courses that lose millions and millions of dollars.
No one retires to a place where the employees have such ridiculous job titles that defy any understanding.
No one retires to a place with a crazy, half-baked lunatic making more than the governor of the state and who seems intent on destroying the very fabric of the place without delay.
No one retires to a place where inept, frustrated, former military career guys become board members so they can finally leave a legacy of further ineptitude.
No one retires to a place that bills itself as a gated community but is, in fact, so porous as to be laughable.
No one retires to a place where the police chief constantly reminds us all of the many things he is unable to do about the lax security rather than actually doing anything. Come on in – we’re open for anyone to use our amenities. No charge.
No one retires to a place that can’t figure out how to contract for projects that don’t end up a disaster (gates, thermal cooling, dredging, etc, etc.) and a complete and total waste of money.
No one retires to a place where the CEO can successfully direct the local paper to not report on anything unfavorable regarding the board or the POA management.
No one retires to a place that illegally holds secret meetings, illegally conducts improper committee meetings, and illegally silences members of the community.
No one retires to a place that has waffle cone vendors on the beach for the non-resident “guests” to enjoy.
No one retires to a place that can’t operate a single restaurant without losing money.
No one retires to a place that signs secret, multi-year, money-losing contracts with shady outfits like Troon that result in nothing but more lost money.
No one retires to a place where property values decline on a regular basis year after year after year.
No one retires to a place that leaves dozens and dozens of rusting culverts ready to collapse in place but builds a crummy little outdoor cocktail pool that is only used 1/4th of the year for twice what it would cost if anyone knew how to contract.
No one retires to a place that raises fees on every possible thing you might ever want to do every single year. Fees that reduce the use of the amenities and that result in less income, not more.
No one retires to a place where the management hides behind their desks and never openly engages with the very people paying their salary.
No one retires to a place that loses every single change they had proposed to our bylaws and then acts like that vote never happened and goes about making the changes anyway.
No one retires to a place that spends massive amounts of money to “fix” an old, dilapidated, run-down, leaking golf clubhouse only to have a newer run-down leaking golf club house that loses money and that few people even use.
No one retires to a place that proposes to throw 6 million dollars they do not have to “fixing” an old, tired, and run-down golf course that doesn’t draw enough players to even break even.
And no one ever retires to a place that pays $500,000 for a crummy, ill-planned, inane, asinine, sophomoric, boilerplate document from some crazy outfit in Florida that is absolutely guaranteed to destroy what we have if ever implemented.
Not a single soul.
Tom Blakeman
09/12/2019 — 6:36 am
Julie: Excellent commentary.
Monica Impellizzeri
09/12/2019 — 11:35 am
Julie excellent! Needs to be shared publicly.
Anonymous
09/12/2019 — 4:35 pm
How many people are on the street department?
Dirk Diggler
09/12/2019 — 5:15 pm
Actually George should be asking Jason how many staff do you have on a street and sanitation department and how is it structured, I’d love to hear his answer on that one
Anonymous
09/13/2019 — 10:22 am
Not surprising. We told several years ago that all the street signs would be replace with the more legible white lettering on brown. Has not happened.
Kirk Denger
09/22/2019 — 9:14 pm
The shoulders of the roads have not been upgraded at all as they should be after any resurfacing project. Most roads have serious drop-offs at the edge of the roads because the POA road dept is inept. Temple continues to report ten tons of asphalt being dumped into potholes at every COO reporting to board meetings. We do not have that many potholes! Most of the asphalt is being dumped on the shoulders! Shoulders need to be built up to the new grade of the resurfaced roads immediately after the road is resurfaced. This has not been done and is the main deferred job neglected. Stop dumping 10 tons of expensive asphalt per month on the shoulders! Use Citi-pit instead and save the association dollars dearly. I have moved 10 tons of Citi-pit daily myself with a wheelbarrow and shovel, just as a comparison to the BS that is coming out of the road dept.