Village E-News July 2012

The lazy days of summer are upon us, but if you want to stay busy, there is a lot happening in the Village! The Battle of the Fitness Centers is returning for its fourth year, and the Clubhouse 1 team is looking to steal the trophy from the Community Center team – champions for two years running. And don’t forget to mark your calendar for Grandparents’ Fun Day on August 4. This favorite event brings families together for traditional summer entertainment, without the county fair prices!

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News Items

Overnight Guest Parking Permits Required Starting August 1

A reminder: Starting August 1, a Notice of Violation (NOV) will be issued between midnight and 6 a.m. daily to non-resident guests who don’t display an Overnight Guest Parking Permit on their vehicle dashboard. The NOV replaces the courtesy warnings the Security Division started issuing on June 1. Overnight Parking Permits will help the community in several ways, including:

• Security will now be able to distinguish people who are in the Village illegally;
• Abandoned cars can now be identified and towed away, alleviating parking issues;
• The owners of cars that have a problem, such as an oil leak, can be contacted.

Overnight Guest Parking Permits will be issued to visitors who have been invited in by a resident through the Gate Clearance System for no more than 60 nights per year. If a guest has gate clearance and wishes to stay overnight, he or she must notify the Gate Ambassador upon arrival and the guest will be issued an Overnight Guest Parking Permit. Overnight Guest Parking Permits will be available 24/7 to authorized guests when they arrive at any Community entrance gate.

Residents are encouraged to attend a town hall meeting, hosted by GRF and the Security Division, to learn more about the program and ask questions. The town hall meeting will be Tuesday, July 31, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at Clubhouse 5.

Read on for more information...

United Board to mail Proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws and Occupancy Agreement to the United Membership for Vote

At their regular Open Board meeting on July 10, 2012, the United Board voted to mail the proposed Amended and Restated United Bylaws and Occupancy Agreement to the United Membership for a vote.

The proposed revisions to these United governing documents were made with the assistance of United’s Legal Counsel and will bring the documents into compliance with State and Federal law and best business practices for California Common Interest Developments.

These amendments, which require a vote of the United Membership, will be mailed as part of a ballot package to the addresses of United shareholders on August 1, 2012. The secret ballots must be returned no later than 5:00 p.m. on August 31, 2012. Instructions for returning the secret ballots will be included with the ballot package.

Keep reading…

Third and United Mutuals Seeking Candidates for the Fall Elections


Have you ever considered running for the Board of Directors of your Mutual? The United and Third Mutual boards are looking for candidates who have a desire to help the community. Please be aware that applicants must be year-round resident owners and must not be delinquent in payment of HOA assessments or fees.

For information on running for the United Board of Directors, please contact Lynn Hamm at lmatzhamm@gmail.com or 206-0322, or Corporate Secretary Patty Kurzet at 597-4265. The deadline for self-nominations for the United Mutual Board is August 10.

For information on running for the Third Board of Directors, please contact Third Candidate Information Chairman Mark Schneider at 949-587-1598 or Corporate Secretary Patty Kurzet at 597-4265. The deadline for self-nominations for the Third Mutual Board is August 17.

For more information on running for either Board, click here.

 

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Ask Jerry - Please Explain GRF’s Reacquisition of BroadBand Services.

On April 26, 2012, Connexion Technologies, parent company of BroadBand Services, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Connexion Technologies has provided cable television, high-speed internet and digital phone service to Laguna Woods Village since the beginning of 2010. Through the bankruptcy process, the Golden Rain Foundation (GRF) was able to reacquire the BroadBand Services contract at auction, with a winning bid of $600,000. Within the bankruptcy transaction, GRF also acquired assets such as set top boxes, 13 digital channels, 40 high-definition channels, network upgrades, phone service, wi-fi hotspots, and miscellaneous furniture and equipment from Connexion Technologies. Additional transitional costs have been approved at $400,000, which may include legal fees, material and inventory purchases, moving and storage fees, uncollectible amounts due and contingencies.

From 2010 through the first five months of 2012, there was a savings of $6.6 million in actual costs or cost avoidances with Connexion Technologies. GRF chose to bid and buy back its own contract rather than have the court determine the contract recipient. This was to ensure quality of service and avoid the possibility of a substandard operator.

GRF Broadband Services is now operating in the third floor of the Community Center and plans to operate within the scope of the existing operating budget. Future capital expenditures for equipment and network upgrades will require an increase in the Replacement Reserves contribution by $4.00 per manor per month.

The Broadband Customer Service phone number is 949-837-2670. West Coast Internet continues to provide internet service to the Village.

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Be There - Don’t Miss Grandparents’ Fun Day on August 4


Grandparents’ Fun Day is Saturday, August 4! This year’s Fun Day will take place at Clubhouse 2 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be food and activities for grandparents to enjoy with their grandkids, including water slides, a bounce house, a dunk tank, game booths, prizes, a magician, relay races, cartoon artists, Village clowns, face painters, arts and crafts, popcorn, cotton candy, nachos, snow cones and more!

"The Recreation Division is hard at work planning the best Grandparents’ Fun Day yet," says Kurt Rahn, Professional Community Management Recreation & Landscape Division Director. "We have some exciting events in store this year, including new games and prizes."

More than 500 grandparents and grandkids attended last year’s Fun Day. Professional Community Management is once again a sponsor of the event prizes.

Tickets are on sale now at the Clubhouse 2 office and the Recreation Division office. All Inclusive tickets are only $10.00 (children under 2 years are free). Tickets are limited and available only while supplies last. There will be no refunds after August 3. Call 597-4273 for information.

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Did U Know? The Battle of the Fitness Centers Starts July 30!


Just three days after the opening of the Summer Olympic Games, Village athletes will compete in the Battle of the Fitness Centers. A team of residents representing the Clubhouse One Fitness Center will compete with a team representing the Community Fitness Center for this year’s championship. The winning team will earn the right to display the trophy in their fitness center for the year.

"This is the fourth year for this event," said Fitness Supervisor Peter Quan. "The Community Fitness Center has won the last two years in a row and is hoping for a three-peat! The Clubhouse One Fitness Center won the inaugural year."

Individuals compete in their age and gender divisions. At the kickoff, there will be an introduction of the reigning champions, distribution of T-shirts for this year’s Battle, team photos and team-building events.

All residents and guests are welcome to attend the Opening Ceremonies on Monday, July 30 from Noon to 4 p.m. in the main room of Clubhouse Seven.

This is a great opportunity to show support for your Fitness Center and for your friends and neighbors who are participating this year.

Click here to see some video from last year’s battle!

Keep reading for a schedule of events…

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Kudos - Successful Second Harvest Food Drive with PCM Staff!

Professional Community Management, Inc. (PCM) sponsored an employee food drive June 18-29 to support the efforts of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to eliminate hunger in the local community.

During the food drive, PCM employees were encouraged to drop off nonperishable items such as canned goods and dry food and personal-care items at bins at the Community Center and the Warehouse.

PCM collected 340 pounds of food, enough to provide 283 meals to those in need.

An estimated 615,000 Orange County residents are at risk of going to bed hungry. Children and seniors make up 50 percent of that number, many of whom see their only meal at a free or reduced-price lunch program.

"We appreciate the employees of PCM and their efforts to fight hunger in our community," said Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Nicole Suydam. "Nearly one in five Orange County seniors struggle to put adequate food on the table."

Second Harvest, through its nearly 500 member-partner charities, provides meals to nearly 240,000 individuals each month. Second Harvest also provides bimonthly supplemental groceries to low-income seniors through the Florence Sylvester Senior Center, which serves many seniors in the Laguna Woods Village Community.

"Our employees are so committed to making a difference and addressing these critical needs in our community," said Jerry Storage, General Manager of PCM, Inc. Laguna Woods Village. "My hope is that we can do more as a company each year to support the charities that help our communities thrive."

For more information, please visit Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

 

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Conservation Corner - Every Drop Counts: El Toro Water District Raising Some Village Water Rates

The El Toro Water District has increased certain rates for water, sewer, and recycled water charges. These hikes stem from higher costs for water imported from the Municipal Water District of Orange County.

Other charges are increasing to help the District fund its maintenance and operations budgets, including an increase in fixed water meter charges and an increase in the rate for recycled water used to irrigate the golf courses.

Additionally, both residential and commercial sewer rates will increase slightly. The impact of these rate changes will be reflected in the first full billing period after July 1, 2012. Although the increased rates will not affect residents’ 2012 assessments, there are proposed increases in the 2013 Business Plan associated with this rate increase. Conserving water now will help keep future Community costs down.

What can the Village do to help conserve water and counteract some of these higher costs? Here are some simple steps which can add up to a lot of water savings and help our community to continue its growth.

• Fix or report leaky faucets, running toilets, or sprinkler problems: saves at least 20 gallons per day for every leak.
• Install water-saving showerheads and ultra low-flush toilets: saves 500 to 800 gallons per month.
• Run only full loads in the washing machine and dishwasher: saves 300 to 800 gallons per month.
• Shorten your shower time. Even a one or two-minute reduction can save up to 700 gallons per month.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks: saves 150 gallons or more each time.
• Don’t use your toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket: saves 400 to 600 gallons per month.
• Capture tap water. While you wait for hot water to come through the pipes, catch the flow in a watering can and use later on houseplants or your garden: saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.
• Keep a bottle of drinking water in the refrigerator. This beats the wasteful habit of running tap water to cool it for drinking: saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.

Read on for more information...

 

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