Pointe West Resort/Hurricane Ike

Last Blog Posting

2009-06-18T17:08:00.005-04:00

We are happy to announce that we have created a hurricane recovery update section on the Pointe West POA website. In an effort to consolidate all the information in one place, we will no longer be posting updates to the blog. All future updates and communication will be located on the POA website under the "Announcement" section.

If you have not logged on to the POA's website you can do so by going to http://www.pointewestpoa.com/. If you have forgotten your password or never received one in the mail you can request a new login by clicking on "Request Login" on the menu bar. Also, please take the time to update your account information with your email address so that you can receive all updates via email the moment they are posted to the website.

Sign Off Completion Dates

2009-06-15T16:36:00.002-04:00

I just got out of a meeting with Cotton and they have committed to having all the walk lists that were created by the owners before June 1st done by this Friday (6/19) and they have committed to having all the walks that were done after June 1st done by the following Friday (6/26) and all the walks that come in from now on will have a 2 week turn around time for completion. the blinds are coming in sporadically and are being installed as they come in so that could take a bit longer than the 2 weeks also all the a/c issues that are related to the hurricane could take a Little while longer if parts need to be ordered.

Granite Update

2009-06-08T10:33:00.003-04:00

The Granite did not come in Last Friday like we thought so there will be a delay in getting counter tops mounted I have been told that it should be here today and installed both today and tomorrow some of the cabinets are still on order for a handful of units and they should be here Wednesday this will most likely push the units scheduled for the 7th back to the 14th.

2009-06-01T00:28:00.002-04:00

I AM SORRY..... THE CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE LAST EMAIL IS WRONG (IT'S BEEN A LONG WEEK)

IF YOUR UNIT IS LISTED PLEASE CONTACT customerservice@mrpandcompany.com TO SCHEDULE YOUR WALK

2009-06-01T00:13:00.003-04:00

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE UNITS THAT HAVE BEEN SIGNED OFF AND ARE READY FOR WALK THROUGH

IF YOUR UNIT IS NOT LISTED WE WILL CONTACT YOU AND/OR UPDATE THE POSTING WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE TO SCHEDULE YOUR WALK.

4151 Pointe West
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

26451 Cat Tail
102 103 302

26421 Cat Tail
102 103 202 203 302 303

4211 Pointe West
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

4141 Pointe West
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

4131 Pointe West
101 103 201 202 301 302 303

4121 Pointe West
101 102 103 201 202 203 302 303

4111 Pointe West
101 102 103 203 301 302 303

4241 Pointe West
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

4221 Pointe West
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

4231 Pointe West
103 202 203 302

26934 Baywater
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302

27010 Estuary
103 202 203 302 303

27020 Estuary
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

27030 Estuary
103 202 203 302 303

26501 Mangrove
101 103 201 202 203 301 302

26511 Mangrove
101 102 103 201 202 203 302 303

26540 Baywater
101 102 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

26550 Baywater
101 103 201 202 203 301 302 303

26560 Baywater
103 201 203 303

WGIPOA Meeting - May 16, 2009

2009-05-18T10:20:00.002-04:00

Agenda:
http://wgipoa.com/Agenda.htm

Jerry Mohn welcomed everyone back to the Galveston Country Club which has been newly renovated.

Sidney McLendon provided a brief legislative update:

The GLO is seeking $50 million going into committee
The closing of Rollover Pass is going to the Governor to sign
There is a bill that would allow those with disabilities to use golf carts on beaches
A bill providing funds to clean the beaches has been signed by the governor

Officer Dana Williams discussed a new service for the West End:

The plan is for the West End to have our own officers which should provide more effective coverage
The officers' email addresses will be provided to the residents and their telephone numbers may also be provided.
The exact schedule is not firm, but the plan may start by January 2010.
Lt. Henry Paretto will also be covering the West End.
Officer Williams stressed that the residents are the eyes and ears of the community and our assistance is needed.
The non-emergency phone number is 409-765-3702

Brian Lamb Galveston County Commissioner provided an update:

Background on the new Police Chief was presented.
Commended WGIPOA's work.
Urged that everyone be cautious of out of state contractors
Stated that the Bond Referendum provided funds for road improvements, one of which would be Stewart Road paving with curb and gutter.

Otie Zapp discussed the latest on the Windstorm Insurance legislation:

Our local representatives were successful in stripping the worst provisions out of potential legislation that was sponsored by the Chairmen of both the House Insurance Committee and the Senate Business & Commerce Committee.
June 1 the sessions adjourn and legislation in some form will probably pass.
SB1007 Tx Dept of Insurance if not passed will go away. Contains one good provision and several bad provisions.
SB14 was the bad bill which pushes aside responsibility on insurance companies and rewards insurance companies
SB14 is in the House and will go to the Conference Committee
He stressed we need more coastal representation on this committee
If the actuarial model for insurance coverage goes away there could have been a 52% hike in cost.
Probably we will see at least a 15% cost increase.
Some provisions require a WP8 form on home construction to qualify for coverage.
Policy holders will no longer be able to sue, the only remedy would be an Administrative procedure in which you must file your concern within 30 days.
The TWIA would be exempt from deceptive trade practices
For more information visit this web site: www.cwictx.org

Karen Mahoney District 6 Report:

City Council will be considering Recovery funds in the amount of $160 million for housing and $100 million for infrastructure.
Next Thursday there will be a workshop with public comment
The council will vote on May 28th
The council will work on infrastructure in June
Debris - FEMA will no longer pay 100%. The city may have to fund $4.3 million. After June 30th the residents may have to pay for haul-off.
Bay Debris is being removed by the GLO which uses Sonar to find boats and other objects.
Bollards are up, but can't provide a time when the signs will be in place.
If communities wish to place signs make sure the ordinance number is listed, otherwise no tickets can be issued.
The Planning Department is working on the set back which is now 25 feet from the north toe of the dune and may be changed to 50 to 75 feet.
Karen Mahoney offered to attend HOA meetings.
The city will close unauthorized access roads to the beach - residents can call to report this.
There is less than $200,000 for code enforcement, but has asked that this be doubled.
One third of Galveston properties have code violations
The Park Board will be cleaning sea weed at the Seawall, the West End after Memorial Day.
For any street repair email the Street Department and copy Karen Mahoney
The WGIPOA board asked that the council have a balanced approach to allocation of funds which will not penalize the West End.

Galveston Convention Visitors Bureau Presentation by Melody Smith and Meg Winchester:

A pre-Ike video was viewed
Statistics: 5.4 million visitors, $809 million in revenue to the city, $40 million in tax, each visitor spends on average $1,037.
Galveston is the #1 attraction in Texas
The Bureau is now located in Aston Villa, 2328 Broadway
Discussed the Convention Center and various types of public relation media they have used.
More information can be found on www.galveston.com
Saturday, May 30th at Noon is the reopening of the Strand called the Rebirth Day.
The trolleys may be working in 18-24 months, looking at Grants.

Jerry Mohn stressed the importance of the Amendment to HB2387:

At the WGIPOA Saturday meeting, the WGIPOA Board of Directors would like to encourage members to help the GLO with their efforts in securing funds for the Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act (CEPRA) by asking Senator Joan Huffman to support the amendment HB 2387. Contact for Joan Huffman, Senator, is as follows:

Capitol Phone: 512-463-0117
Capitol Fax: 512-463-0639
E-mail: joan.huffman@senate.state.tx.us
Chief of Staff: Jim Sheer - 512-463-0117

The GLO is seeking $38 million for CEPRA, the largest ever allocation since its inception in 1999. You may voice your opinion by fax, letter or e-mail supporting the amendment as soon as possible.

The GLO is really giving a tremendous gift to West Galveston Island with the proposed massive sand nourishment project west of the Seawall to 13 mile Road. This is just the beginning in having a sand nourishment project for the entire west end. One of the major issues with HB 2387 is to restore the coastal protection fee to 2 cents per barrel and expand the permissive use of the fund to include the coastal management programs of the GLO. Please have your property owner association and your members make contact with Joan Huffman soonest.

See the reasons for the request and the Guest Column by GLO Commissioner Jerry Patterson in today’s Galveston Daily News. Many thanks and please let me know if you have any questions or where I can be of assistance.

Jerry

The meeting was adjourned.

UNIT UPDATE

2009-05-13T01:44:00.003-04:00

Click on the image to inlarge.......

Please email customerservice@mrpandcompany.com with any questions...

Thank you,

Matthew R. Prince

Insurance renewal update

2009-05-12T18:00:00.004-04:00

To put your mind at ease...Pointe West does retain current flood, wind, D&O and property insurance on all buildings with exception of 10 buildings located in the Villas. The flood insurance policy lapsed due to some incorrect elevation issues that the Board was trying to work out with the insurance carrier. They were charging us too much based on these elevation issues. The flood policy for those 10 buildings has be paid by developer deficit funding to reinstate it and the flood carrier is in the process of issuing the new insurance certificates. They should arrive soon.
Elizabeth is still working to fight the elevation issues and will hopefully result in a credit for overpayment. Once the new certificates have arrived, I will post the information to receive them. The addresses of those buildings are:

26350 Cat tail
26320 Cat tail
4151 Pointe West
26411 Cat tail
26471 Cat tail
26421 Cat tail
26451 Cat tail
26461 Cat tail
4221 Grassy Point
26441 Cat tail

Dune Walkover Update

2009-05-12T10:58:00.001-04:00

The walkover reconstruction contract has been awarded to H&H Custom Decks Enterprises. H&H provided the lowest cost proposal and has a reputation for quality workmanship. Their proposed construction methods should minimize environmental risk. H&H is the company that originally built the walkovers.

Work should commence the week of May 18th, pending receipt of permits, and start with the Beach Club walkover. We anticipate contractor mobilization will be complete and permits will have cleared the Texas General Land Office by that time. Phase 1 of the project will repair the seven walkovers that extend from the Cottages to the Ocean Club Villas. We’re working with the City of Galveston to evaluate options for Phase 2 (the two westernmost walkovers) given the high cost to repair the public walkover and the low usage of both walkovers.

A value engineering process, which included input from the engineer and contractors, determined that the most cost effective and structurally sound way to correct problems with unlevel walkovers was to replace sections that were out of limits. Hurricane Ike’s high wind forces against the large “sail area” of the walkovers lifted many pilings out of their original location in the sand. When the pilings settled after the storm they were not in the same place. Value engineering determined that demolition and replacement was more cost effective than piece meal foundation repair given the high labor costs associated with shoring and partial disassembly.

Walkover sections being replaced will be structurally improved. Existing 4” x 4” pilings will be replaced with 4” x 6” (or 6” x 6” in select areas) pilings. The pile depth is being increased from 5’ to 8’ to improve resistance to sideward wind forces. For walkovers where the seaward end is being replaced, the elevation of the seaward termination is being decreased from ~10’ to ~6’ to reduce “sail area” and resulting wind forces during a storm. Damaged decorative “eyeballs” in the balusters are being replaced with standard balusters.

There are sections of walkovers that are not level but meet industry standard tolerances. These sections are not being replaced to conserve funds. There are also sections of walkovers that will be more susceptible to future storm damage because we’re not replacing the pilings and some of the sand has washed away. The loss of sand has reduced piling embedment depth and will therefore leave the affected walkover more susceptible to high wind forces.

The Beach Club walkover should take 3 to 4 weeks to complete. A schedule for all the walkovers will be disseminated once work has started.

Alan Wilde

A/C Update

2009-05-11T09:57:00.003-04:00

I wanted to let everyone know that the only a/c's that are covered under the Claim are the ones that had to be removed to make drywall repairs if your A/C is not one of these units and is not working please contact your own a/c repair company I am sorry for the inconvenience and there is a local repair company on the island called Air Repair and I will try and find out what there number is if anyone would like it.

Cabinet Update

2009-05-08T16:00:00.003-04:00

The Cabinets will not be here today like we originally planned I have been informed that it could be another two weeks. The cabinet company will be out this weekend to measure for the cabinets and as soon as I get a delivery date I will post it on the blog. I do apologize for the inconvenience and I know you will have questions regarding this issue and I will try to answer them for you the best I can. Please email all questions to matthewprince@mrpandcompany.com

Matthew R. Prince

WGIPOA Meeting- May 16, 2009

2009-05-06T11:35:00.001-04:00

WEST GALVESTON ISLAND PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
4210 Silver Reef PBW#1, Galveston, TX 77554
TEL: 409-737-5768 FAX: 409-737-5951
Email: mohn@msn.com

To: West Galveston Island Property
Owners Association Members
____________________________

May 6, 2009

MINUTES: The April 18, 2009, meeting minutes are on our website at, www.wgipoa.com

MEETING: The next meeting will be on May 16, beginning at 8:30 AM for breakfast burritos and 9:00 AM for the meeting at the Galveston Country Club, 14228 Stewart Road. Please note: We are back at the Galveston Country Club, which has been completely remodeled and looks great. Come see the new Galveston Country Club!!

The program will be a power point presentation by the Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau on their marketing campaign and efforts in promoting tourism for Galveston Island following Hurricane Ike and how the west end can help with backyard marketing.

Sea Turtles Donation: The HEART (Help Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles) organization needs your help to protect the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle.
HEART is a 501©3 charitable organization and donations are tax deductible. Visit the website at: http://www.ridleyturtles.org/ and please make a donation and to:
HEART, P.O. Box 681231, Houston, Texas 77268-1231

Upcoming Events:
Ongoing: Join the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and automatically become a member of the Texas Chapter. See www.asbpa.org and www.texasasbpa.org for details.
June 4-5, 2009: “Texas Coastal Conference” by the Texas General Land Office (GLO), on Galveston Island at the Galveston Convention Center. Go to: www.texascoastalconnection.com

Sept. 16-18, 2009: Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association (FSBPA) Annual Meeting, Amelia, Island Plantation, Amelia Island, FL.

Oct. 14-16, 2009: American Shore & beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) National Coastal Conference at the Trade Winds Island Resort, St. Petersburg Beach, FL

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you on May 16 at the Galveston Country Club, starting at 8:30 with breakfast burritos and at 9:00 AM for the meeting.

Jerry A. Mohn
President

Property Owners Association Launches New Website

2009-05-05T11:45:00.002-04:00

We are very excited to announce that the community's new web site is up and running at www.pointewestpoa.com! The new website includes a variety of features such as community documents, email bulletin and newsletters, events calendars, eforms, job bid tracking, photo album, message board, live chat and many more features.

In the next few days each owner will receive a website introduction letter that includes your temporary user name and password. Once you have received the letter, please take a moment to logon to the website and update your user profile which should including changing your user name and password to something you will remember.

If you experience any issues while trying to login to the website please contact Joyce McGarrigle at 409-515-1900 ext. 3018 or via email at jmcgarrigle@ccmcnet.com.

Disposal of Trash

2009-04-30T17:33:00.003-04:00

Due to the inoperable status of the trash compactors the condominium association is unable to dispose of the trash that is accumulating in the trash rooms and trash chutes on a regular basis. We anticipate that the compactors will be operational with 2 to 3 weeks at which time we will resume our normal trash service.

In the meantime the association has placed blue/brown 4 yard dumpsters throughout the community for owners and renters to use for disposing of their trash. We request that all trash be disposed of in these locations rather than using the trash chutes and trash rooms. The 4 yard dumpsters are on a scheduled service to be emptied twice a week by Allied Waste. Please see the map below to find the trash bin location closest to your unit.

Update

2009-04-30T09:05:00.002-04:00

Cabinets

2009-04-28T11:55:00.002-04:00

I was told by Cotton that the cabinets are do to arrive on the 8th of May and will take two weeks to install them all. This is later than originally expected but we should be receiving all the cabinets for the project at that time. The two week install is a duration so some will be done sooner but the last one shouldn't take longer than two weeks.

Villas UPDATE

2009-04-28T11:16:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I walked and signed off 6 more units on the villa side

4131 PWD units - 102,202,302

4151 PWD unit - 301

4241 PWD units - 203,301

I should be able to sign off more at the end of the week.

Baywater UPDATE

2009-04-28T10:23:00.003-04:00

Last week we let go of the APM (Assistant Project Manager) for Cotton on the baywater side. In the wake of this dismissal I have found quite a few discrepancies in the workmanship on the Bay side mostly just the attention to detail needed to finish out a construction project. Last week and this week I have been walking with the new APM for Cotton and trying to get him up to speed as to what is going on and where we need to be. I have informed him of the things I want to see fixed and it will be a process to back track and get everything right. I know this set back is not what people wanted to see but I believe that catching this now as opposed to later reduces the amount of time we will have to spend correcting it. Also this will push back any walk through we have for about a week or so in order to get things right. I know there are going to be allot of upset homeowners but I hope it is understood that this was needed to insure a quality product at the end. I know I have been pretty busy the past couple of weeks and I apologize if I have not responded to your individual requests I will be trying to go through my voicemail and emails so that I can answer your questions if you are awaiting a response from me please feel free to resend your emails or call me again.

Thank you for your patience,

Matthew Prince

Building update

2009-04-22T16:03:00.003-04:00

Memorandum from TerraMesa Resort Properties

2009-04-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

Memorandum April 2009

To the owners, friends and staff members of the Terramesa Resorts,

The recent economic meltdown has affected many resorts. The properties of the Terramesa MDR Resorts LP are not immune from these unprecedented market forces. We are increasing our communications with our investors during this time of volatility as we navigate some significant challenges. We are persevering and will continue to do so on behalf of our property owners, equity investors, lenders, professionals, staff, vendors and the communities we so enjoy building together.

We invested in the Centex resorts at good price points and we believe these properties will survive the downturn and emerge with solid performance relative to other similar resorts. This said, it is not new information to recognize that the market for second homes is lagging. In spite of the market, our sales teams are still seeing activity and interest in the properties. As positive as this news is, the sales progress to date has not kept pace with the original business plan. We believe this is a short-term challenge that we can overcome. Specifically, we are working together to renegotiate with our senior and mezzanine lenders to restructure the loans underpinning our investments.

While our conversations with all lenders involved are collaborative and constructive, it is possible that some parties will take steps involving various types of notices and will probably involve their legal counsel. These negotiations will likely happen behind the scenes, but some may surface publicly. This, while alarming, is a normal step in the process of restructuring as the lenders retrench their positions. The banks and mezzanine lender have all indicated a willingness to work with us to restructure and move forward together. We, along with our investors and lenders, are committed to overcoming these challenges.

In light of the economic environment and slow sales, we will be implementing land development reductions in budgets and staffing over the next two to three weeks. It is important to note that we will be continuing to serve our owners with hospitality services and amenities. While we will be evaluating the hospitality budgets, we don’t currently anticipate making significant changes.

Our resort communities have proven to be unique and continue to be desired by discerning resort property owners in spite of the current economic conditions. We expect our resorts to continue to operate with excellence and we’ll share more information as we move forward.

Sincerely,

Terramesa Resort Properties

Update

2009-04-21T17:40:00.002-04:00

I will post my spreadsheet tomorrow for the building updates.

I walked some of these units to day with Cotton and the flooring and trim companies to try and come up with a resolve for the gaps between the bottom of the base and the top of the carpet. I will keep everyone updated when we can figure out a resolution.

Also the storm last weekend was bad down here but as of today we seem to have stood up well against it. There is no reported damage.

Thank you,

Matthew Prince

WGIPOA Meeting - April 18, 2009

2009-04-19T22:04:00.005-04:00

Agenda:

WEST GALVESTON ISLAND PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
AGENDA

April 18, 2009

Meeting at Moody Gardens Hotel – Vine Room

1. Call to order Jerry Mohn 9:00 AM

2. Establish Quorum Susan Gonzalez 9:01

3. Introductions Jerry Mohn 9:02
Officials/Corporate Sponsors

4. Approve 3/21/09 Minutes Jerry Mohn 9:06

5. Treasurers Report Marty Bilek 9:07

6. Gordon Morse – GARM report 9:11

7. UTMB Austin Meeting and HB 4586 9:16

8. Otie Zapp – Windstorm Insurance 9:21
Report

8. Karen Mahoney – District 6 Report 9:35

9. Brandon Wade – Deputy City Manager
“State of Galveston after Ike” 9:45

10. Other topics: 10:30
· CEPRA VI
· Ike Dike
· Bollards & Signs
· GLO Coastal Protection Plan
· ASBPA – Washington Summit/Texas Chapter
· Marquette/Anchor Bay
· Sargassum Synposium

11. Adjournment 11:00

Below is a recap of the most relevant discussion and comments that I could quickly capture with my note taking.

Several public servants were recognized including Karen Mahoney, Brandon Wade, and Joe Jaworski that voiced his support for the West End and announced that he was running for Mayor next year.

Gordon Morse gave the GARM report. Regarding Bollards he reported that the bollards will be installed in Pre-Ike locations and that the City of Galveston will amend the Beach Access Plan in approximately 3-4 weeks to reflect the current state of the beaches after Ike. Attendees stressed to him that more signs are needed to stop the vehicles that are driving on the beach.

Alice Melott, Real Estate Agent, reported there have been 27 single family sales. These sales have been within 3-7% of their listing price. There are 268 listings in the West End. She mentioned there have been low-ball offers, but these have been turned down.

HB4586 – UTMB Funding. A report was provided by J.D. Epstein which provided hope that funding is a good possibility now. If everything goes well the hospital will have 550-600 beds and we should have a Level 3 Trauma Center by summer and a Level 1 Trauma Center by next year.

Otie Zapp reported on the seriousness of the Windstorm legislation that is currently being considered in Austin. The two main bills to be defeated are SB14 and HB4733. We need 11 Senators to vote against SB14 to stop it. Help is needed from all coastal legislators and residents. A good website for more information is http://www.cwictx.org/

Karen Mahoney District 6 briefly reported on the Long Term Recovery Plan and also commented on the first two Marquette plats that have been approved.

At this point in the meeting, the Board approved a contribution to Otie Zapp’s organization to assist in his efforts on the Windstorm legislation.

Brandon Wade, Deputy City Manager, City of Galveston reported on recovery efforts and the complexity of working with state and federal agencies. He reported that the federal process is a learning experience and that FEMA has an extensive list of funding exceptions. Concerning city revenue, real estate taxes are down about 15%, sales tax slightly up, water fund down 19%, and sewer revenue down 13%. The Capital Improvement Program has been halted until they can review their 6 month financials. The City has $51 million in projects, applied for $4 million in Hazard Mitigation projects, $28 million in housing buyouts, $2 million in Federal highway projects, applied for $267 million in Block Grants ($161 million in housing, $106 million in non-housing). The city has replaced 64 traffic signal controllers, but the Central City controller is only repaired and may go down again. There are 800 signs missing throughout the city. Bollards will be replaced at Pre-Ike positions, after which bollards parallel to the dunes may be installed to prevent driving across dunes. The city has picked up $25 million of debris which is 1.4 million cubic yards.

Regarding the house buyouts – if a house is bought then nothing can be constructed on the site including the Ike Dike.
Mr. Wade discussed conditions affecting several of the older West End subdivisions which have private roads, water, or sanitary sewer issues and his efforts in addressing their needs.
The illegal signs are to be removed from along the roadways within the next two weeks. He asked for emails to be sent to him in support in case he encounters complaints.
The Police Department has 20+ vacancies due to the hiring freeze. There are only 2 cars patrolling the West End. Mr. Wade reported that he may be able to start hiring after the 6 month financials are available.

At the conclusion of his presentation, I requested that he post on the city web site the Bollard Replacement schedule to show what has been completed to date and the timeline for the work remaining which includes Pointe West. He replied that he would talk to his staff to get this posted.

Mr. Wade added that all of the Bollards should all be installed by Memorial Day.

Mr. Wade took several questions from the attendees regarding specific issues in their subdivisions.

Jerry Mohn then adjourned the meeting.

Onsite Property Manager's Contact Information

2009-04-17T18:23:00.003-04:00

Our new on site property manager, Joyce McGarrigle, can be reached via email at jmcgarrigle@ccmcnet.com or phone at 409-515-1900 ext. 3018.

GOLF CARTS

2009-04-17T18:07:00.002-04:00

This is just a quick update. Things are still moving down here still it was a little slower today due to the weather but we should still be on track for drywall in the remaining buildings next week.

Also please review the spreadsheet posted on Wednesday for the owners that have codes and needed to get there locks changed. I will be calling these people if I have there contact info to let them know but if we do not have your contact info please contact me at the email listed below.

If you are an owner and have a golf cart parked in the garage of your building please email me at matthewprince@mrpandcompany.com (in the subject line please put GOLF CART)

Thank you,

Matthew Prince

Hospitality Committee Meeting Recap

2009-04-16T14:07:00.002-04:00

To: All of the Pointe West Property Owners

For those of you who may not be aware yet, the Pointe West Owners Association Board of Directors has established a committee to be a representation between the Pointe West property owners and the Terra mesa Hospitality Group. The primary goal of the committee is to develop an alliance and working relationship with the hospitality group to bring ideas, concerns, provide recommendations/solutions, and feedback from the Pointe West owners and to work with the hospitality group in achieving the highest possible level of services, amenities, and experiences to the Pointe West Resort. As a side note ... please remember that the Pointe West Hospitality program is a separate entity and is not subject to the oversight or direction of the Pointe West Owners Association.

Our first joint meeting was held on Saturday April 4, 2009 and the following is a general overview of that meeting. Please understand ... and bear with us ... this was our first meeting and we discussed in excess of 65 different individual issues so it is somewhat difficult to cover every detail of the meeting in this outline. Additionally, there were numerous items that the Hospitality Group will need to review and respond to our questions.

The hospitality committee is committed to establishing a strong and open communication link with owners so we hope that you will become an intrigal part of the committee by providing your input and response to our ongoing emails and blogs.

While it is inevitable that there will be different opinions and positions on issues that come up ... it is the responsibility of the Hospitality Committee to represent the general positions of Pointe West Owners and to present those positions to the Terra mesa Hospitality Group and to support Pointe West to work together and create a community that property owners, guests, and management alike will achieve a harmonious life style!

Those participating in the April 4 meeting included:

Pointe West Committee Members
Heather Belcher, Neerja Bhardwaj, Gene Fairbrother, Susan Gleghorn, Elizabeth James, Tom McKinley, Daniel Merchant

POA Board Members
Joe Castillo, Elizabeth Heckathorn

Terra Mesa Hospitality Group
Natthan Birkett

Terra Mesa Development Group, LLC
Tim Welsh

Property Management Representative
Deborah Bowers

Meeting overview notes

The Hospitality Committee, along with representatives of the POA Board, the Terra mesa Hospitality Group, and the Property Management Company met on Saturday, April 4th to review suggestions for improving the Pointe West Club and Hospitality services. While there are many items that were reviewed and discussed, the primary focus was on those items that would not require additional costs either through the club operations or ultimately passed on to property owners in the form of increased dues. Below, by category, is a summary of various items that came out of Saturday’s meeting.

Services and Amenities

The Club is working with a group of individuals to create a services and sundry store in the front office area. This added amenity would provide an outlet for packaged food items, toiletries, magazines, etc. Additionally, the hospitality group is investigating developing relationships with providers that will come to Pointe West offering services such as massages, grocery delivery, nails, hair care and other services which might add to the amenities of the resort.

Beach

While there has been a substantial enhancement in the quality of beach cleanliness, the hospitality department was asked to evaluate the possibility of having their employees make daily rounds to pick up trash on the beach and keep it in a more pristine appearance ... even though the ultimate responsibility for beach cleanliness is through the Pointe West POA.
The hospitality department has explored options to have beach furniture available for rent however; providers are generally not very receptive to contracting at the west end of the island unless there is a high usage factor. Therefore, the Club has ordered 20 new chairs for the beach which should suffice for the beachgoer demand. As demand increases, more chairs may be procured.
The volleyball court will be replaced once the bollards are in place.

Beach Club and Pool Area

Pool towels ... while a seemingly minor issue; pool towels have become a very costly item, which ultimately gets passed on to owners in our club dues or paid via the developer through deficit funding to the club. Considerable discussion was involved in trying to come up with ways and options to decrease this cost area (in excess of $79,000 per year for replacement, laundering, and transportation of towels). From the discussion and suggestions the hospitality group is going to reevaluate how pool towels and the towel station is managed to decrease this expense area.
Since Ike, one of the major challenges for the hospitality group is finding employees and staff for the summer season. With a current staff of 12, Pointe West will need to increase to 30 to 34 full time associates over the next 60 days ... a challenge for them due to the lack of island people looking for hourly-seasonal type work. Again, this was an area of discussion in bringing up ideas for ways to find qualified staffing.
The access to pool facilities for adults and smoking issues were discussed. A couple of items agreed on were adult only hot tub hours being implemented from 6:30 am – 9 am and 7:30 pm – 9 pm. Also, that confirming the pool area is non-smoking and that this policy would be enforced by the pool staff.
There was also an issue brought up as to the feasibility of heating the club pool. While it will be investigated, there is no natural gas (the most efficient heating method) yet available on the west end and previous estimates indicate costs would well exceed $30,000 per year plus the cost of purchasing the heating unit.
General appearance and maintenance of the club was addressed and some items noted included beach club deck being painted, rusted light fixtures and railing being painted.
Owner and guest communications were discussed in that it was felt by some that it was difficult to really know what functions were taking place at the club. The cork board at the beach club has been updated, and will be on an ongoing basis. There was also discussion on utilizing the new hospitality website to better promote what is happening at Pointe West.
One of the key ... and lengthy issues ... addressed was the potential for establishing a daily resort fee. As this has been a very critical issue in the past, considerable discussion was addressed to this topic. The general concept discussed would be that “IF” a fee were instituted it would not affect owners but would be charged to renters in the range of $15 per day per unit (note per unit – not per person). A key part of the discussion was that if a fee were put in place that it would have to be a value added fee in that it would need to provide for enhanced club services, inclusion of what are now fee added amenities such as no charges for use of bikes, kayaks, chairs, etc. Again ... there is no final determination on this issue and the hospitality group has agreed to submit back to the hospitality committee a review of “IF” they were to institute a resort fee how it would be offset by the enhancing of services and other amenities.

Bay Water

General discussions on how to keep this area more tidy and enticing to users. Such items as having staff visit the Baywater pool several times per day to make sure the pool is ready for guests, remove any chairs from the pool if needed, making sure lights and fans are off in the refreshment building, periodic clean-ups and proper securing of the area at the end of the day.

Club – Hospitality desk - Food and Beverage Facilities

There was considerable discussion on the club facilities including maintaining hours of operations that were reasonable for a resort facility while still being able to maintain a reasonable staffing cost based not only on season but also owner/rental occupancy (which is subsidized by either owner dues or paid by developer subsidy).
There was commitment by the hospitality department to update the after hours recording to provide an after hours phone transfer or number to security. Also for the creation of specific after hour policy for common issues that owners and renters might have for how security would handle these issues.

Rental Program

There was considerable discussion on the various issues dealing with enhancing the Terra mesa Hospitality rental program but due to time restrictions it was not possible to cover all the areas. For that reason, the hospitality group will be addressing each of the various questions and items brought up in a separate report back to the hospitality committee which we will update owners when we have it.

General Property Social Activities

There was some discussion of the different type of social activities that the Club offers owners, guests, and renters alike. The general discussion was that the hospitality group should look for new items, such as art shows, pot-luck suppers, game nights, and to basically stick with core social activities that receive the most participation. Past social events, including talent shows and bingo, have not received any participation and are only an added expense to club operations.
Plans have been made by Pointe West Hospitality to have an Owners’ Social event on September 5, 2009 ... Details will come out from Hospitality as the date is closer.

Recap

The above is a “brief” overview of the meeting this past Saturday and we will update Pointe West owners with more information over the upcoming weeks. Our purpose in this general overview is to keep to our commitment to be responsive and communitive to the owners of Pointe West and timeliness of getting this information to you.

As we have more information to provide and as we meet with the hospitality group we will be disseminating that information to you.

We are also in the process of incorporating a committee section in the Pointe West owners’ website currently under development where there will be a central communication center for providing your input and getting information on what is happening within the Pointe West community.

In the mean time ... we as a committee appreciate any input that you have on how we can serve your needs and represent you. Please provide any questions, ideas, or issues you would like to bring up to one of the members of the hospitality committee. While we have several individuals who make Pointe West their primary residence who will be able to help keep all of us up to date on what is happening ... it will take all of us working as a community to make Pointe West what we all want it to be.

Thank you,

The Pointe West Hospitality Committee

UPDATE ON EVERY BUILDING

2009-04-15T17:50:00.003-04:00

We now have activity in every building!

Thanks again for your continued patience.

WGIPOA Meeting- April 18, 2009

2009-04-15T10:57:00.000-04:00

WEST GALVESTON ISLAND PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
4210 Silver Reef PBW#1, Galveston, TX 77554
TEL: 409-737-5768 FAX: 409-737-5951
Email: mohn@msn.com

To: West Galveston Island Property
Owners Association Members
____________________________

April 15, 2009

MINUTES: The March 21, 2009, meeting minutes are on our website at, www.wgipoa.com

MEETING: The next meeting will be on April 18, beginning at 8:30 AM for coffee and donuts and 9:00 AM for the meeting at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room (first floor).

PROGRAM: Brandon Wade, Deputy City Manger of the City of Galveston, will give the “State of Galveston Island since Ike”. Brandon will also give current updates on FEMA, debris removal, buy outs, infrastructure, and more.

Sea Turtles Donation: The HEART (Help Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles) organization needs your help to protect the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle.
HEART is a 501©3 charitable organization and donations are tax deductible. Visit the website at: http://www.ridleyturtles.org/ and please make a donation and to:
HEART, P.O. Box 681231, Houston, Texas 77268-1231

Upcoming Events:
Ongoing: Join the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and automatically become a member of the Texas Chapter. See www.asbpa.org and www.texasasbpa.org for details.

April 25, 2009 Galveston Bay Foundation “Marsh Mania”
Location: Snake Island Cove, Galveston Island; Activity: seagrass planting, trash/debris pick-up; Age requirement: +18
Location: Isla del Sol, Galveston Island; Activity: cordgrass planting, registration, cookingContact: vmintzer@galvbay.org or call 281-332-3381 ext. 207

April 28- 29, 2009: Sargassum symposium 2009 announcement for registration and call for papers. See http://www.sargassum.org for registration info. This event will be held in the conference room on the campus of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas.
April 29-30, 2009: Texas Bays and Estuaries Meeting. See http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/tbem. This both events will be held in the conference room on the campus of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas, Texas.
June 4-5, 2009: “Texas Coastal Conference” by the Texas General Land Office (GLO), on Galveston Island at the Galveston Convention Center. Go to: www.texascoastalconnection.com

Sept. 16-18, 2009: Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association (FSBPA) Annual Meeting, Amelia, Island Plantation, Amelia Island, FL.

Oct. 14-16, 2009: American Shore & beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) National Coastal Conference at the Trade Winds Island Resort, St. Petersburg Beach, FL

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you on April 18 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room, starting at 8:30 for coffee and donuts and at 9:00 AM for the meeting.

Jerry A. Mohn
President

Update

2009-04-14T15:34:00.002-04:00

I just wanted everyone to know that we are gearing back up on the Villa side to show the same work force the Baywater side has and we should be in every building by the middle of next week. we are having material shipped this week for the buildings we have not been in yet and are in the process of stocking these structures. We are also working very hard to finish up the buildings we have already started there is a 2 and half week lead time on cabinets and shower surrounds. Once we get these items on site I will let everyone know.

We had a set back in the schedule due to funding but that has been rectified as of late last week and we are going to do everything we can to make up that time lost.

Thank you for your continued patience,

Matthew R. Prince

Cage's

2009-04-14T12:07:00.002-04:00

This is a post explaining the Cage's being cleaned out.

From the information that I have gathered these are the directions for this process.

Cage clean out does not mean to remove all of your contents from within them they are your storage units and it is OK to use them for this purpose. What is being asked is that if you have anything that you are not planning on keeping and/or items damaged by the storm or debris within your cage that these things are cleared and that the remaining items be washed off.

Once you have completed this task please call CCMC or email them to let them know that you have completed this so they can document. The contact for CCMC is Joyce and her info is email: jmcgarrigle@ccmcnet.com phone: 409-515-1900

I understand that allot of you cannot make it down here to do this yourselves here is an email address and phone number for A.C.S. a service that can help you with this. Phone: 281-508-1873 ask for Amy Velimirovich and the email is foramy@rocketmail.com

Thank you and I hope this helps,

Matthew R. Prince

Update

2009-04-08T12:52:00.000-04:00

New Onsite Property Manager

2009-04-07T17:03:00.003-04:00

We are excited to announce that the new on site property manager, Joyce McGarrigle, started today. Joyce has lived and worked in the area since 1979 and comes to us with 35 years of experience in management. Her background is in real estate, multi-housing property management, and homeowner associations.

Joyce currently reside in Tiki Island and owns a weekend home across the San Luis Pass Bridge in Treasure Island. She has an extreme fondness for the west end of the island and is very familiar with the Gulf Coast and all it has to offer.

Joyce looks forward to meeting and working with all our homeowner at Pointe West. Next time you are at Pointe West, pop your head in at the Beach Club and say hello.

Condominium Association Insurance Funding

2009-04-06T18:36:00.004-04:00

The Pointe West Condominium Associations have just received an additional $2,049,766.03 from the second layer insurance carrier to cover wind related damages. This long awaited payment ends a four month dry spell since the last funding of $5,00,000 occurred in November 2008. The immediate use of these funds will be for the payment of completed tear out and restoration operations. The submittals to support these additional funds were completed in December of 2008, so it has taken months to maneuver through the insurance system.

The current insurance payment reflects only a portion of the claim that was submitted in December 2008. The insurance carrier did not agree to cover all the hurricane damage costs claimed in the December 2008 submittal. Several meetings have occurred and various additional submittals have been submitted in an effort to settle the final claim. In order to obtain final resolution the insurance company and the condominium association representatives will be in a series of meetings this week to address the outstanding items.

Once the final insurance settlement is agreed to by all parties the associations will review all hurricane related costs and insurance disbursement to determine the final condominium association assessments. We anticipate the final assessment to be sent out late Summer 2009.

Information

2009-04-06T13:16:00.002-04:00

This is a quick post to inform everyone it is NOT advised to make plans for your unit until after you have had your walk through. Just because you have carpet does not mean the unit is completely done there are many different aspects that go into play when trying to complete a unit and it is better if you do not make plans till after you have walked it and signed off. I am trying very hard to get these units done as fast as possible but there are unforeseen circumstances that come into play during construction that can delay the original schedule. It is fine if you want to come down and stay in your unit with the understanding there might be some things left to do. However please do not try and rent a unit out till you have seen it and signed off that it is complete and to your satisfaction. I am just trying to eliminate some of the headaches that can come from operating this way. Please feel free to call or email anytime to go over the status but understand that this is a construction process and schedules are in no way a guarantee. I am doing my best to keep us on track but I do not want someone to have to cancel a rental because there unit had some items left to be finished due to a delay.

Thank you,

Matthew R. Prince

Pointe West Beach Closure

2009-04-03T18:04:00.002-04:00

The City of Galveston is planning on installing the beach bollards as early as next week. This will once again restrict our beaches to pedestrian only traffic. This will be completed in coordination with the General Land Office, City of Galveston and environmental groups. Once the bollards are installed if you see people driving on the beach or illegally parked on the beach, call the non-emergency police number: 409-765-3702.

Cottage Grading Underway

2009-04-03T12:02:00.003-04:00

The grading of the beachfront cottages began today. They started at the east end of the cottages and will be working west. We anticipate the grading work to be complete by April 13th. Starting April 9th the irrigation tech will be on site to work on the irrigation repairs, following behind the grading crew. Once the grading and irrigation repairs have been completed, the area will be hydro mulch with Bermuda grass seed. We anticipate all this to be finished by April 20th.

Project Update

2009-04-02T18:03:00.000-04:00

Update on POA Repairs

2009-04-01T14:37:00.007-04:00

The Property Owners Association is currently in the process of completing several repairs throughout the property. List below is a quick update of what is in process:

Tot Lot Playground

The border around the tot lot playground has been replaced and new mulch is being installed. We anticipate the playground repairs to be complete this week.

Dune Fence

Last week we began putting the Dune Fence back up that runs from the cottages to the last walkover. All the stakes were placed Thursday thru Tuesday. Today, the contractors have begun installing the picket fence material. We anticipate this being completed by end of next week.

Street Signs

Over the past week weeks the old street signs have been swapped out with an upgraded product that matches our streetlights and includes the Pointe West logo. This week we are putting the finishing touches on the street sign install which includes the mounting of the stop signs, speed limit signs and one way signs.

Dune Walkovers

The engineering and surveying work has been completed and being submitted to the City of Galveston Permitting Department for review and approval today. We anticipate the permitting process to take 3 to 4 weeks.

Main Entry Tower

The repair work for the Main Entry Tower roof has been contracted and work is scheduled to start next week.

Cottage Grading Repairs

Grading in the cottage area is scheduled to begin this Friday.

Pointe West Hospitality Committee

2009-04-01T12:59:00.002-04:00

At the Pointe West POA Annual Meeting held on February 7, 2009 the board of directors discussed the creation of a Hospitality subcommittee. The committee would serve as an intermediary between the membership and the Hospitality Group. We are proud to announce that over the past several weeks seven Pointe West owners have accepted the request to serve on the committee.

Over the past several weeks the committee has been preparing for the first meeting with Hospitality and Terramesa representatives. It is set to occur April 4, 2009 at the Pointe West Beach Club, at which time the committee will present the charter and several ideas that the committed has already developed. We look forward to a productive relationship with the Hospitality group and to receiving suggestions from homeowners. The complete list of the committee members and the charter are as follows:

Name Capacity
Heather Belcher Committee - Member
Neerja Bhardwaj Committee - Member
Gene Fairbrother Committee - Chair
Susan Gleghorn Committee - Member
Elizabeth James Committee - Member
Tom McKinley Committee - Member
Daniel Merchant Committee - Member
Tim Welsh Terramesa Resorts
Joe Castillo POA Board or Directors
Elizabeth Heckathorn POA Board or Directors
Natthan Birkett Hospitality Facilities General Manager
Deborah Bowers Property Management Representative

Hospitality Committee Charter

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of the Hospitality Committee is to advise and make recommendations to the Club with the intent of maximizing membership satisfaction with respect to rental program initiatives and amenity appearance and maintenance operations.

MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS
Committee members shall be limited to Association members in good standing. The committee members will elect one member to act as the committee chairperson. The requirements for membership shall be determined and approved by the Pointe West Property Owners Board of Directors. The Committee shall meet monthly, and as necessary, to fulfill the requirements of the functions and assignments as set forth herein. The onsite property manager shall keep notes and send out required meeting notices.

SCOPE AND RESPONSIBILITY

Shall consider a wide spectrum of programs, annual events, signature programs and activities to involve as many members and club staff as possible, while working within the Club budget.

Establish set schedule for community and amenity inspection that identifies areas that need service, maintenance or repairs. Inspections to be provided to Club for review.

Identify and propose club staff service optimization and improvements.

Identify and propose external marketing and owner participation initiatives that will increase rental program traffic.

Identify and propose club restrictions for those members that have delinquent POA accounts.

Identify and propose potential cost saving opportunities for the club operations.

Attend monthly committee meetings.

Provide information regarding programs, events and activities, to be published in the community newsletter and website.

Provide written minutes of all meetings to the chairperson for presentation to the POA Board of Directors.

RESTRICTED FUNCTIONS
Members of this committee do not have authority to give direction and/or instructions to contractors, management or employees. Members shall not seek bids for services or any other matter without direction from the Terramesa Hospitality Group, LLC.

Owner Storage Units

2009-03-27T17:32:00.003-04:00

The restoration of Pointe West is progressing through the wind associated damage which is primarily above the parking garage. The Associations anticipate the first funding from the flood insurance within the next month, this will provide funding for breakaway walls and other items in the garage level. In anticipation of returning the condomnium buildings to their original appearance we request that all owners remove the contents from their storage units. As the majority of the items in the storage cages have been ruined by the flood waters we request that this be completed in accordance to the following schedule:

March 27, 2009 - April 30, 2009
Owners to remove and dispose of contents from Storage Units
Owner can also give notice to CCMC to have porter remove ruined contents

May 1, 2009 - May 8, 2009
Porters cut locks from remaining storage units and dispose of ruined contents

May 11, 2009
Owners can start using storage units

2009-03-26T19:09:00.000-04:00

WGIPOA March Meeting

2009-03-24T20:51:00.008-04:00

The West Galveston Island Property Owners Association meeting provides island residents updates on information that affects us all. This last meeting had several topics I thought would be of interest to Pointe West owners.

The agenda was extensive and did not leave any time for Q&A at the end of the meeting. Click this link for the agenda:
Agenda: https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/Agenda_032109.pdf

Jerry Mohn noted this is the 10 year anniversary of the WGIPOA. It formed in March 1999.

The GLO will wait 2 seasons before establishing the final 4.5 foot line.

HB911 - Otie Zapp presented a summary on the impact of this potential new legislation. Otie believes this will produce devestating effects for Galveston and its property owners. All those present were in agreement action is needed to ensure this legislation is not approved. Everyone may want to keep up to date on the progress of this bill. Please read this attachment. https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/HBill_911.pdf

Karen Mahoney, District 6, City Council reported on several topics. Of interest was:

The Recovery Committee would be presenting to City Council on April 9 and public comment will be held at Ball HS this Saturday.

Bollard replacement is behind schedule. City Council will be discussing this at the next meeting. She asked that we call the police if vehicles are driving on the beach where not allowed.

Illegal signs posted by contractors will be coming down.

Cheryl Johnson, Tax Assessor/Collector moderated a PowerPoint presentation and had several handouts that she believed should answer most questions about her department's responsibilities and upcoming legislation that could affect each of us.

https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/Tax_Slides.pdf

https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/Tax_Time.pdf

https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/Tax_Legislation.pdf

https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/HB3779.pdf

https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/Taxpayers_Rights.pdf

One last handout was provided by Marty Bilek on the Ike Dike proposal

https://home.comcast.net/~alpetros/Ikedike.pdf

DAILY UPDATE

2009-03-23T21:21:00.001-04:00

2009-03-20T21:35:00.001-04:00

March 19, 2009 Contruction Update

2009-03-19T17:58:00.001-04:00

Going forward, a daily log will be posted to the blog each day detailing the days
events/construction activity. Click on the picture below to see the full size version.

WGIPOA Meeting

2009-03-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

WEST GALVESTON ISLAND PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
4210 Silver Reef PBW#1, Galveston, TX 77554
TEL: 409-737-5768 FAX: 409-737-5951
Email: mohn@msn.com

To: West Galveston Island Property
Owners Association
____________________________

March 19, 2009

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR A GREAT WGIPOA MEETING 3/21!!

MEETING: The next meeting will be on March 21, beginning at 8:30 AM for coffee and donuts and 9:00 AM for the meeting at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room (first floor).

PROGRAM: Cheryl Johnson, Galveston County Tax Assessor/Collector, will be our guest speaker. Her topic is twofold: A class on “Effectively Protesting Your Values” tax legislation bill during the Texas Legislation Session. Cheryl will share her Taxing Legislation booklet with everyone and to provide information on how your folks can make a difference and what to do. The public is invited so bring your neighbors and friends.

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you on March 21 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room, starting at 8:30 for coffee and donuts and at 9:00 AM for the meeting.

POA Update

2009-03-16T18:20:00.001-04:00

Our next POA Board meeting is scheduled for March 23, 2009. Here is an update on a few items:

New street signs are being installed
Cross over plans are nearing completion
New surveys required for dune crossover reconstruction
Corp of Engineers exposure if mechanical equipment used in dune area
Homeowners have submitted $91K of the over $900K first POA hurricane assessment
Hospitality subcommittee held its first conference call on 3-13-09
Chairman – Gene Fairbrother
New POA website vendor meeting on 3-17-09
Lagoon fountain repairs scheduled for this week
TexDot has approval to clean and re-grade various road side waterways
Have submitted supplemental information and awaiting insurance company funding schedule.

Bay Water Update

2009-03-16T03:25:00.003-04:00

This update is for the Baywater Buildings I will post one for the Villas next. I am hoping to have a unit by unit update at the end of this week.

26934 Baywater Dr. - This building just got its first coat of paint on the walls and trim. It will still need another coat of paint then the electrician will be in to reset outlets and check plugs. Then the carpet and flooring will be installed. After that the cleaning crew will be in and we will be ready for walk through. This building is about 2 1/2 weeks out

26010 Baywater Dr. - This building has trim installed and is in the process of getting its first coat of paint. this building is about 3 weeks out.

26020 Baywater Dr. - this building has been primed and needs trim, This building is about 4 weeks out.

26030 Baywater Dr, - This building has been primed and needs trim, This building is about 4 weeks out.

26501 Mangrove Dr. - This building has been insulated drywalled taped and floated and is in sanding stage.

26511 Mangrove Dr. - This building has been insulated and has been skimmed but not sanded

26540 Mangrove Dr. - This building has been insulated and is in Tape and float stage

26550 Mangrove Dr. - This building has been insulated and is in tape and float stage

26560 Baywater Dr. - This building has been insulated and is being drywalled

26570 Baywater Dr. - This building has had insulation hung and the sub floor is being repaired

Flood Insurance Update

2009-03-06T18:09:00.002-05:00

Today the Board of Directors received the "Proof of Loss" for the flood claim. The initial numbers indicate that the total amount to be received among the two condo associations is around 950K. The Condominium Board Members will be reviewing the "Proof of Loss" statements in detail on Monday and hope to receive funding within 2 to 3 weeks.

Reconstruction Update

2009-03-04T10:03:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a few days since my last Blog, I apologize. Things are moving pretty fast and we are making great progress this will be a quick update as to where we stand right now.

4151 Pointe West Dr. - Is in flooring stage. The trim has been installed and Paint complete.

4241 Pointe West Dr. - Is in the last stage of Paint. Drywall has been hung, taped, floated & textured with the trim installed and first coat of paint applied.

4231 Pointe West Dr. - Is finishing up texture. The drywall has been hung, taped, floated and will be primed and ready for trim early next week.

4221 Pointe West Dr. - Is finishing up paint. The drywall has been hung, taped and floated. The trim has been installed and primed and the first coat of paint applied

4211 Pointe West Dr. - Is finishing up paint & is in flooring stage. the drywall is complete as well as the trim & primer.

4121 Pointe West Dr. - Is finishing up Paint and trim. The drywall is hung, taped, floated & textured.

26421 Cat Tail - Is Finishing up Texture. The drywall has been hung, taped and floated.

26451 Cat Tail - Is in Float stage. The drywall has been hung and taped.

26934 Baywater - Is in Texture stage. The drywall has been hung, taped, floated & the soffits are ready for paint.

27010 Estuary - Is in Texture stage. The drywall has been hung, taped, floated & the soffits are ready for paint.

27020 Estuary - Is in tape & float stage. The drywall has been hung & the soffits are ready for paint.

27030 Estuary - Is in tape & float stage. The drywall has been hung & the soffits will be complete and ready for paint today.

26501 Mangrove - Has had the insulation hung & in Sheetrock stage.

26501 Mangrove - Is in insulation stage & soffits are being worked on.

THE FOLLOWING BUILDINGS HAVE HAD A/C WORK DONE TO BOTH THE A/C UNITS AND A/C CLOSETS AND IS WAITING START-UP PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ONLY A/C'S THAT HAVE BEEN WORKED ON UP TO THIS POINT ARE THE ONES THAT NEEDED TO BE REINSTALLED BECAUSE THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THE CLOSETS BY THE REMEDIATION CREW. THE A/C TECHNICIAN WILL be GOING BACK THROUGH TO INSURE THE REST ARE WORKING WHEN WE INITIATE START-UP.

26441 Cat Tail

26471 Cat Tail

26320 Cat Tail

26350 Cat Tail

4221 Cat Tail

4111 Pointe West Dr.

If your building is in flooring stage it should be completed with in the next couple of weeks. Please send me an email to schedule a time to perform your walk through. Send it to matthewprince@mrpandcompany.com in the subject line put your building and unit number/walk through. PLEASE ONLY USE THIS EMAIL IF YOU ARE SCHEDULING A WALK THROUGH OTHERWISE IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING YOUR BUILDING PLEASE USE mrpconstruction@rocketmail.com Thank you for your cooperation.

Side Note: We have written a protocol for securing these buildings and it is being followed. However I would like to reiterate this is a construction site and I can not be in every unit all the time. If you have anything of great value inside your unit it is recommended that you remove it until reconstruction is complete. This is just a precaution.

Also the above mentioned stages are set by the building. For example: If 7 units have finished paint and trim than the building is in flooring stage even though there are still 2 units finishing up paint.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding. I feel very good about how things are going and the time in which we are getting things done.

Thanks again,

Matthew R. Prince
M.R. Prince & Company

WGIPOA

2009-02-27T18:37:00.001-05:00

February 27, 2009

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR A GREAT WGIPOA MEETING 3/21!!

MINUTES: The February 21, 2009, meeting minutes are on our website at, www.wgipoa.com

MEETING: The next meeting will be on March 21, beginning at 8:30 AM for coffee and donuts and 9:00 AM for the meeting at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room (first floor).

PROGRAM: Cheryl Johnson, Galveston County Tax Assessor/Collector, will be our guest speaker. Her topic is twofold: A class on “Effectively Protesting Your Values” tax legislation bill during the Texas Legislation Session. Cheryl will share her Taxing Legislation booklet with everyone and to provide information on how your folks can make a difference and what to do.

Sea Turtles Donation: The HEART (Help Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles) organization needs your help to protect the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle.
HEART is a 501©3 charitable organization and donations are tax deductible. Visit the website at: http://www.ridleyturtles.org/ and please make a donation and to:
HEART, P.O. Box 681231, Houston, Texas 77268-1231

Upcoming Events:
Ongoing: Join the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and automatically become a member of the Texas Chapter. See www.asbpa.org and www.texasasbpa.org for details.

March 25-27, 2009: American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) Coastal Summit, at the Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC. Further information will be posted at www.asbpa.org when available.

March 28, 2009: Rivers, Lakes, ‘N Bayous “Trash Bash”, Saturday. For more information, check the website: www.trashbash.org or telephone: 281-486-9500

Sept. 16-18, 2009: Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association (FSBPA) Annual Meeting, Amelia, Island Plantation, Amelia Island, FL.

Oct. 14-16, 2009: American Shore & beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) National Coastal Conference at the Trade Winds Island Resort, St. Petersburg Beach, FL

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you on March 21 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room, starting at 8:30 for coffee and donuts and at 9:00 AM for the meeting.

Jerry A. Mohn
President

Hardwood

2009-02-24T13:23:00.003-05:00

This is a request for all owners who had hardwood floors please send me an email to mrpconstruction@rocketmail.com

In the subject line please put: address/hardwood and in the body please state the color and location it was in as well as your contact info. I am going through both the units and the reports to find all of them but this will help insure we don't miss anyone.

E.G.

SUBJECT LINE: 4161 Pointe West Dr. Unit 202/Hardwood

BODY: We had dark wood in the living room and hallways.
phone#

Thank you for your help I will post an update to the units being worked on tomorrow or Thursday.

PROTOCOLS

2009-02-24T12:51:00.001-05:00

Condominium Association Protocol for Communication
between MRP Construction & Owners

The reconstruction manager should follow the steps outlined below to communicate with owners during the reconstruction process:

1. Obtain a current owners list from Property Manager
a. If contact information is missing, reconstruction manager should contact the respective building captain to see if they have updated contact information for those owners
b. If updated information is obtained from the building captain, then the reconstruction manager must provide this information to the Property Manager so that the formal records can be updated

2. No later than two days prior to the start of a particular building contact all owners in that building to inform them of the following:
a. Start Date
b. Brief overview of construction process
c. Estimated Completion Date (should state that this is tentative and could change as construction gets underway)
d. Provide them with building captains contact info.
e. Informs owner that they are responsible for unpacking their personal belongings such as furniture, clothing, bric-brac, etc.

3. Post a blog the day the building starts informing the community that a particular building has started, include photos when possible

4. Mid-Point of a particular building’s reconstruction or after the drywall phase:
a. Contact the building captain to schedule a walk of the building. Building Captain will then relay progress update to owners.
b. Post a blog update that drywall has been completed

5. Interior of units are completed:
a. Contact all owners in that building and schedule a time for them to walk their unit. During the walk with each owner:
i. Explain how the warranty works
ii. Answer any questions they may have
iii. If needed, make a list of items that are of inferior quality and need to be address with Cotton for immediate fix.
iv. Inform owner of any pending exterior work that needs to be completed on the building and a timetable for the completion
v. Remind owner that they are responsible for unpacking their personal belongings such as furniture, clothing, bric-brac, etc.
b. Post a blog update that all interiors for that building are complete

6. Exterior of the buildings completed
a. Inform Board that the Exterior of the building is complete
b. Schedule a walk with a Board Member to sign off on the exterior of the building
c. Post blog that exterior is complete

NOTE: If the association does not have an email address or phone number for the unit owner than a letter communication must be sent.

Reconstruction Update

2009-02-19T11:55:00.002-05:00

The following buildings have been insulated, sheet rocked, & textured the 3rd floor ceilings however have not been insulated. That is a different type of insulation and requires a separate crew to blow that in.

4151 Pointe West Dr.
4211 Pointe West Dr.
4221 Pointe West Dr.
4231 Pointe West Dr.

This group of buildings has had all of the sheet rock hung and is in the process of being textured and should be done by this weekend.

26421 Cat Tail Dr.
4121 Pointe west Dr.
4241 Pointe West Dr.

Cotton will have a finish crew on site next week to start the trim and paint of the textured units.

Side Note: Cotton is walking all of the units in all of the buildings to check the A/C closets.

On Monday Cotton will have an A/C company on site to start hooking all of the A/C's up that were removed during the remediation. This will allow us to climatize the units as we move into the warmer months to help prevent any further damage from occurring.

Water Update

2009-02-18T09:22:00.002-05:00

The last two remaining pumps for the water and fire safety items were turned on yesterday!

Now that they are on we can tie up the loose ends fire safety wise on the rest of the Villa and Baywater buildings. These are the pumps that pressurize the domestic water as well.

reconstruction update

2009-02-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that things are moving along very well for our first week we currently are replacing the balcony ceilings in the following buildings:

26934 Baywater Dr.
27010 Estuary Dr.
27020 Estuary Dr.
27030 Estuary Dr.
26451 Cat Tail Dr.
26421 Cat Tail Dr.

And we have installed vertical wall insulation and have started the drywall phase in the following buildings:

4221 Pointe West Dr.
4231 Pointe West Dr.
4241 Pointe West Dr.
4121 Pointe West Dr.
4151 Pointe West Dr.

We are also walking the individual to insure that all material that needs to be removed is taken out before we are finished with build back. There will be a crew out next week to take care of these issues.

Reconstruction Pictures- February 13

2009-02-13T18:15:00.002-05:00

Reconstruction Pictures- February 12

2009-02-12T14:42:00.004-05:00

Cotton Starts Patio Ceiling Repairs

2009-02-11T18:31:00.005-05:00

Today Cotton began the process of removing the damaged patio ceiling material and preping the areas for reconstruction. Photos, seen below, show the crews working on the patios at 26934 Bay Water.

Annual Meeting Handouts

2009-02-11T12:41:00.002-05:00

If you were not able to make the Annual Meeting but would like to review the handouts they can be downloaded from the POA's website:

http://acw.associawebsites.com/siteapps/ACWDefault.aspx?CID=4064&mcwsitehome=%2fmain%2fAssociaCommunities%2fContent%2f362_P.O.A.Pointe.West_4064

Instructions on how to access the files are located on the Announcement Page. Hard copies are also available at the Beach Club front desk.

The handouts included the following:
2008 Year End Financials (Balance Sheet and Income Statement)
2009 Operating Budget & Backup
Reconstruction Schedule & Cash Flow
Recap of Insurance Proceeds Spent To Date and the Remaining Repair Costs

WGIPOA Annual Meeting

2009-02-11T10:40:00.000-05:00

Villas Restoration

2009-02-09T18:45:00.002-05:00

Both of the Condominium Boards have renegotiated restoration terms with Cotton. The payment to start the Bay Water Condominiums was provided to Cotton on Saturday and as of today it is in their bank accounts. Since they have that funding they are now willing to start the restoration of the Villas Condominiums at the same time as the Bay Water Condominiums.

This is great news but of greater necessity is the need to obtain the second assessment from both the Bay Water and the Villas Associations. The due dates are February 28, 2009 but it is needed now so that we can continue to fund Cotton’s restoration scope of services. The boards anticipate the first funding from Lexington within the next two weeks, it will take all these funding mechanisms to keep the following schedule:

4151 Pointe West Drive 2/16/09 to 3/4/09
26451 Cat Tail Drive 2/23/09 to 4/10/09
26421 Cat Tail Drive 3/2/09 to 4/23/09
4211 Pointe West Drive 3/9/09 to 3/20/09
4141 Pointe West Drive 3/16/09 to 4/3/09
4131 Pointe West Drive 3/23/09 to 4/14/09
4121 Pointe West Drive 3/30/09 to 4/28/09
4111 Pointe West Drive 4/6/09 to 5/7/09
4221 Pointe West Drive 4/13/09 to 5/15/09
4231 Pointe West Drive 4/20/09 to 5/22/09
26441 Cat Tail Drive 4/27/09 to 6/19/09
4241 Pointe West Drive 4/27/09 to 5/5/09
26461 Cat Tail Drive 5/4/09 to 6/3/09
4221 Grassy Pointe Drive 5/4/09 to 6/4/09
26471 Cat Tail Drive 5/11/09 to 6/17/09
26411 Cat Tail Drive 5/11/09 to 6/5/09
26350 Cat Tail Drive 5/18/09 to 6/17/09
26320 Cat Tail Drive 5/18/09 to 6/29/09

The Boards are already in the process of coordinating the second funding from Lexington as well as defining the third member assessment.

Bay Water Pool Update

2009-02-06T09:47:00.005-05:00

We are excited to let you all know that your Bay Water pool has been repaired! These repairs included new plaster and replacement of all mechanical equipment that was damaged. It will take a few days for the pool to fill completely. In a few days the pool furniture will be power washed and reset to pre Ike conditions. We are also finalizing the completion of repairs to interior and exterior of the buildings and landscaping items. We are excited about the progress that has been made. As for the Beach Club all functional areas are operational with the exception of the BBQ grills on the pool deck. The new pool cabana arrived last week and we have scheduled it to be installation.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend.

Pre-Annual Meeting Q&A

2009-02-05T17:36:00.002-05:00

Thank you to all the homeowners that submitted questions prior to the annual meeting. The various boards divided the questions among the board members and our responses are below.

Operating Budget/Dues Questions:

1. How are the homeowners associations' dues spent monthly and is there is a cautious saving of what is not used? (Lee Petros) Please refer to the Association budget that you recently received for the breakdown of dues expenditures. Each invoice for services is reviewed and discussed to ensure that the services were fairly priced, actually received, and completed before the payable is processed.

2. Who is tracking records of all the budgetary items? (Susan Smith) PMG IS TRACKING THESE AS PART OF THEIR CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS THEY ARE PAID FOR, WITH BOARD OVERSIGHT. THIS FUNCTION WILL PASS TO THE NEW MANAGEMENT COMPANY. AN ACCOUNTING FIRM HAS BEEN RETAINED TO AUDIT THE ASSOCIATION HURRICANE ACCOUNTS PRIOR TO TURNOVER AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE AUDIT SERVICES FOR 2009. PMG PROVIDED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO THE BOARDS ON A WEEKLY OR SEMI-WEEKLY BASIS FOR REVIEW.

3. Why did the board raise the dues this year when we have only half of the facilities and staff operating? See Question #4

4. Why are we paying for HOA DUES when our unit, the facility and amenities budgeted are not even useable and haven't been useable since September 13, 2008 and not projected to be usable until June 09? (Joe Castillo) All three associations have basic services that must continue in order to keep the property functioning during the reconstruction efforts. All services that can be done without have been stopped/placed on hold for the months they will not be used and are reflected on the 2009 budget. In addition, because the reconstruction schedule has not been finalized at this point, the board made assumptions as to when those services would be brought back online. In the event that services are brought back on later than anticipated, the board will make adjustments to the budget.

5. Why isn’t the budget a six month budget if the facilities will not be usable until June 09? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) See Question 4

6. Why isn't the developer paying a higher than 21% POA and 36% Baywater Condo Assoc. of the funds needed to operate the 2009 proposed budget when they own 70%-80% of the undeveloped lots? (Joe Castillo) Currently, the developer only owns 1 Bay Water Condominium unit that is incorporated into the POA and the Condo Association and 41 lots in Tranquil Shores that is incorporated into the POA. At this time, Tranquil Shores has not been officially accepted by the POA since the required improvements have not been completed. This equates to the developer’s interest in the POA equally 7% and 1% in the Bay Water Condominium Association. The remaining land that is owned by the developer is raw land that has not been platted or incorporated into any of association at this time. The upkeep of the raw land or unplatted sections is not maintained with association funds.

7. Why are utilities like water being budgeted for twelve months when most of the buildings are not habitable and no one is there to use the water? (Tom McKinley) The budget does take into account the lack of use, but since there is not an exact start up date and there may be some increase we based those cost on last years totals so we would have a realistic 12 month projection.

8. Why are the condo special assessment prorated by the sq. footage of a unit instead of split equally among all owners? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) The condo special assessment was split in proportion to each owner’s respective undivided interest in the Common Elements of the building (structure and lot it sits on). Each owner’s interest is calculated by the amount of sq. ft. as a percentage of the overall sq. ft. of the entire building. Section 11.2 of the CCRs for the condominium associations outlines that this is how it is to be calculated. The Board is restricted by the rules and regulations outlined in the CCRs and the Bylaws.

9. What is the porter service and why does it cost $4000 a month? (Tom McKinley) That is the charge for cleaning the hallways, garages and common areas of every building once a week. The monthly cost per building is $400.00.

10. Why is the Telephone line item expense in the Bay Water Condo budget listed at $1500 a month? (Lee Petros) This is based on 3 lines at $50 each times 10 buildings, which equals $1,500.00 a month. The same calculation is used for the Villas budget using 18 buildings. The 3 lines are for the elevator emergency phone, fire alarm monitoring service, and elevator monitoring service.

11. According to the budget, PW is estimating 10% uncollected assessments, is PW going to write these uncollected dues off? (Susan Smith) THIS IS ESTIMATION AS THIS IS A NEW BUDGET ITEM WHICH MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED EITHER HIGHER OR LOWER. WE WILL NOT WRITE THESE UNCOLLECTED DUES OFF UNLESS THEY ARE DISCHARGED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS. THE OUTSTANDING FEES ARE A COLLECTIBLE DEBT DUE AND OWING TO THE POA OR THE BOARDS SO LIENS ARE BEING FILED ON THE PROPERTIES IN GALVESTON COUNTY AND COLLECTION SUITS WILL BE FILED AGAINST EACH OWNER PERSONALLY AND DOMESTICATED IN THE OWNERS' RESIDENT STATE TO BE LIENS PLACED AGAINST PERSONAL ASSETS.

12. If uncollected dues are being written off, is TerraMesa making that up from the deficit funding? (Joe Castillo) TerraMesa’s deficit funding covers the difference between the income received by the association and its expenses. Since the income stated for owners’ assessments in 2009 is reduced by a 10% delinquency rate it impacts the income received thus increasing the amount of deficit funding needed. Therefore, it can be said that a portion of the deficit funding is used to offset the anticipated delinquencies for 2009 as shown in the budget.

13. Why does the budget show elevator maintenance beginning in April 09 if they are not working and it could take 3-6 months to get them fixed? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) Currently the board does not have a firm date on the estimated time frame of the elevator repairs. However, this cost has to be accounted for once the elevators are up and running. Therefore, the board made a decision back in Nov.-Dec. 08 to budget for this expense starting in April. Currently this service is on hold with the service provider and will be brought back online as elevators are repaired. If the funds are not needed the Board will readjust the budget.

14. Will the cost of maintaining and monitoring the elevators coincide with when the elevators get fixed (i.e. we will not pay for maintenance and monitoring until the elevator is working and only for the elevators that are working)? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) Yes, the elevator maintenance service will not be used or paid for until elevators are brought back online.

15. Why was there a 20% increase in the POA dues and was it approved by the board? (Mark Dolan) POA dues increased 20% to account for cost increases incurred over the past three years. POA dues have not increased since inception of the Association. The only dues that have increased are the Club dues.

16. If the board approved the 20% increase why wasn’t there any explanation to the Owners? (Mark Dolan) The POA board approved the increased dues. Any dues increase for the various Associations must be approved by the respective board.

17. According to the budget, 20,750.00 is spent on landscaping charges for the POA, what area does this cover? (Neerja Bhardwaj) This is the monthly expense for maintenance of Common Areas within the Pointe West POA. Common areas include the greens and landscaping around the a Entry Oval, Ocean Club, Beach Club, and Baywater Villas, Summer Shores, Baywater Estates, Cottages, and areas of Termini Road.

18. If expenses for the management, maintenance, landscape is less expensive to operate on the bayside villas than the beachside villa, why are the dues the same? (Tom McKinley) The dues are roughly based on dividing the totals by the # of buildings and units. There are just twice the # of units on the beach side, but since they are separate association there are slight differences in final #’s.

19. Have there been rebates and payment reductions by vendors; such as Comcast, Exterminator, landscape, etc.? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) Certain services providers (i.e. Schindler, ThyssenKrupp, HomeTeam Pest Defense, Porter, Southcross, Beach Cleaning and Allied Waste) were notified to place there services on hold and stop billing until further notice. The board has reflected this in the 2009 with the anticipation to bring the majority of these services back online in April. However, if the reconstruction schedule dictates otherwise then they may be suspended further. Other services such as Cable, Electrical and Water are calculated on consumption not negotiated contracts and cost saving due to lack of use will be reflected in their billing.

20. If there have been rebates and payment reductions by vendor, why are the dues being increased? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) Yes, see question 20. Refer to 2009 Operating Budgets for all three associations which outlines the income needed to support the expenses that each association anticipates incurring in 2009.

21. Why did owners not receive 2008 year end financials in there Annual Meeting packet in preparation for the February 7th meeting? (Joe Castillo) Year end financials will be available at the Annual Meeting. The Board does not receive year end financials from the property manager until the 20th of the following month (January 20, 2009). Once received, the board must go thru a process of verifying for accuracy and in some cases revisions to the year end financials. Due to this, financials were not ready in time to send prior to the meeting. Given the current situation, the board felt that it could not delay the annual meeting any longer due to the need to communicate the status of our community.

22. What is the status of the delinquent dues? (Susan Smith) DELINQUENT DUES ARE BEING WITH PURSUED BY COUNSEL BEGINNING WITH THE HIGHER DOLLAR OUTSTANDING ACCOUNTS OR THOSE OWNERS WITH MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS WHO CHOOSE NOT TO MAKE THEIR PAYMENTS. THE PROCESS IS PMG FIRST CONTACTS THE OWNERS WITH A REQUEST FOR PAYMENT LETTER; IF NO RESPONSE, THEN THE ACCOUNTS ARE REFERRED TO COUNSEL WHO SENDS A DEMAND LETTER. IF STILL NO RESPONSE, THEN LIENS ARE THEN PURSUED AND FILED AGAINST THE PROPERTY FIRST, AND MOST RECENTLY, INDIVIDUAL COLLECTION SUITS ARE BEING FILED.

IN ADDITION, NINETY TWO DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS HAVE LIENS PLACED ON THEIR PROPERTY, EIGHT DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS ARE UNDER A REPAYMENT PLAN; NINE ACCOUNTS ARE INVOLVED IN VARIOUS STAGES OF BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS; NINE LAWSUITS FOR PERSONAL JUDGMENT HAVE BEEN FILED; AND FOURTEEN ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN SENT DEMAND LETTERS BY THE ATTORNEYS WITH POTENTIAL FOR FILING OF COLLECTION SUITS IN WHICH PERSONAL JUDGMENTS CAN BE OBTAINED. ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTS UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR AGGRESSIVE ACTION.

AS STATED IN THE PAST, THE BOARDS WILL CONSIDER ANY REQUESTS FOR A WORKOUT ON DELINQUENCIES ON A CONFIDENTIAL BASIS.

IN ADDITION, THE BOARDS HAVE DISCUSSED WITH AN OWNER ATTORNEY THE OPTION OF REVISING THE BYLAWS TO ALLOW OUR HOA LIENS TO BECOME A FIRST PRIORITY LIEN, BUT THIS WOULD NECESSITATE REQUESTING LENDERS ON A GOING FORWARD BASIS TO SUBORDINATE THEIR MORTGAGE LIENS TO THE HOA LIENS WHICH MAY BE PROBLEMATIC.

Insurance Questions:

1. When will we receive a copy of the current evidence of Condo/flood insurance for Building #10? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) The policy was renewed in January 09 and the association has not received its new Certificate of Insurance or Declaration as of yet. We have requested the updated information and anticipate having it by Feb. 7.

2. What happens to the insurance money that is not used? In other words the work is completed under budget, what happens to the rest of the money? Will we be able to audit the contract vs the checks paid Cotton for reconstruction? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) Section 11.2 of the Condominium CCRs states, if there is a surplus of funds after repair and reconstruction is completed, or if the Owners and Eligible Mortgagees vote not to proceed with reconstruction or repair as set forth herein, such funds attributable to the damaged Common Elements shall be used to restore the damaged area to a condition compatible with the remainder of the Condominium, the insurance proceeds attributable to Units and Limited Common Elements that are not rebuilt shall be distributed to the Owners of those Units and the Owners of the Units to which those Limited Common Elements were assigned, or to their mortgagees, as their interests may appear, and the remainder of the proceeds shall be distributed to all Owners as their interests may appear.

3. Due the fault of the development not getting the right kind of insurance, isn't someone responsible and to be held accountable for the loss of income owners have suffered who rent their place and can not even begin to book for the future.? We have no idea when it will be habitable and back to normal. (Joe Castillo) The development does not purchase the insurance policies but rather each associations purchases its respective insurance policies as required by the CCRs. Section of the CCRs states:

(a) To the extent reasonably available at reasonable cost, the Association’s insurance policy may, but shall not be required to, cover any of the following types of property contained within a Unit, regardless of ownership:
(i) fixtures, improvements and alterations that are part of the building or
structure; and
(ii) appliances, such as those used for refrigerating, ventilating, heating/
cooking, dishwashing, laundering, security or housekeeping.
If such insurance is not reasonably available, the Association’s insurance policy may exclude improvements and betterments made by or on behalf of the individual Owners and may also exclude the finished surfaces of perimeter and partition walls, floors and ceilings within the Unit (i.e., paint, wallpaper, paneling, other wall covering, tile, carpet and any floor covering), but each Owner shall have the right to obtain additional coverage for such improvements, betterments or personal property at such Owner’s expense.

At the time that the Condo Associations purchased their policies they decided to purchase a policy that extended to all items within the units except for personal belonging (i.e. furniture, clothing, bric-a-brac) which was in excess of what was required for the association to carry per the CCRs.

4. I also heard that construction has stopped due to no insurance funds from the 2nd tier carrier, is this true? (Tom McKinley) The tear out is complete and we are finalizing bids on the rebuild, plus trying to negotiate are next payment but by no means has the process stopped.

5. What is the status of the second layer of insurance proceeds? If they don’t come through by the end of Jan, what is the back-up plan? The association is working with the second layer of insurance. If the second layer of insurance does not come through the associations will begin looking at additional loan options through private banks.

6. Is there a detailed accounting to date of how insurance funds have been spent both for common grounds and individual condos? (Lee Petros) Yes, all expense documents have been processed and retained by PMG. A spreadsheet will be available at the Annual Meeting. The board is in the process of engaging a CPA firm to perform an audit on past revenues and expenditures and to process future insurance fund revenues and reconstruction expenditures.

Hurricane Assessment Questions:

1. What is the Special Assessment paying for? How are you getting banks that have foreclosed or received the keys from homeowners because the property is now worth half of what they paid for it pay HOA dues? (Tom McKinley) The assessment covers the wind deductible, flood deductible, IRC’s fee, and condo landscaping. We are attaching liens to all property owners including banks if they do not pay.

2. What happens to the condos of the people who have not paid their assessment for the deductible or any arrear assessments? (Susan Smith) SEE ANSWER TO #23 ABOVE. IN ACCORDANCE WITH TEXAS LAW, ALL UNITS WILL BE REPAIRED WITH THE INSURANCE PROCEEDS; HOWEVER, THOSE DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS WILL BE REPAIRED LAST. IN ADDITION, AS SET FORTH IN THE ASSOCIATION DOCUMENTS, THE BOARD HAS THE OPTION OF DECLINING THE DELINQUENT OWNERS ACCESS TO THE BEACH CLUB AMENITIES. ALSO, WATER AND CABLE MAY BE SHUT OFF TO THE DELINQUENT OWNERS' UNITS, AND IF THE DELINQUENT OWNERS' UNIT IS IN A RENTAL PROGRAM, THERE IS AN ASSIGNMENT OF RENTS OFFSET WHICH CAN BE EXERCISED AND ALL RENTAL PAYMENT PROCEEDS CAN BE ATTACHED FOR PAYMENT TO THE ASSOCIATIONS INSTEAD OF PAYABLE TO THE OWNERS DIRECTLY.

3. Since the landscape/common areas are used by owners (villas) as a whole, why is the prorata share split by sq. footage of the unit? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) The condo special assessment was split in proportion to each owner’s respective undivided interest in the Common Elements of the building (structure and lot it sits on). Each owner’s interest is calculated by the amount of sq. ft. as a percentage of the overall sq. ft. of the entire building. Section 11.2 of the CCRs for the condominium associations outlines that this is how it is to be calculated. The Board is restricted by the rules and regulations outlined in the CCRs and the Bylaws.

Reconstruction Questions:

1. What transpired with the cost of rebuilding of the ramps and landscaping? (Neerja Bhardwaj) Ramps: Three firms specializing in costal permitting and construction were contacted for bids. From these, a local company Shelmark Engineering has been contracted to assess the condition of walkovers and provide engineer drawings needed to repair them so they are safe and within the City of Galveston and General Land Office guidelines. The repair process will be in two phases. Phase I will include repair of the three public and the Beach Club walkovers. This will allow vehicular traffic to be blocked on the beach. Phase II will include the repair of the remainder of the dune walkovers.

Landscaping: Four bids on landscape replacement have been received and are being reviewed. The vendor providing the most cost effective bid will be chosen.

2. Why doesn’t the Beach Club bear at least part of the cost of the Beach Club walkover? Is there an agreement which requires the POA to solely bear this responsibility? (Joe Castillo) The Club only owes the Beach Club facility and the land it sits on which is defined by the boundaries of the elevated slab. The walkover that connects to the Beach Club is owned by the POA and therefore must be maintained and replaced by the POA.

3. Why is the POA responsible for the public dune walkovers? Did we agree to maintain them in perpetuity or is this the City’s responsibility? (Joe Castillo) The City of Galveston is the owner of the public dune walkovers but has an agreement with the POA for maintenance. This agreement states that it is the POA’s responsibility to maintain these walkovers and the public parking lots.

4. What is the final cost for the dune walk over’s and schedule for repair? (Mark Dolan) Final dune walkover repairs are not final. As noted previously, we have engaged an engineering firm to develop the rebuild plan which will be done in Phases. Phase I which is underway includes the detailed engineer assessment and a board-by-board, post-by-post assessment. Upon completion of the assessment we will immediately let the contract for reconstructing the first 4 walkovers. Phase I is estimated at $252,134 and this amount is incorporated in the first assessment. Phase II will be reconstruction of the remaining 5 walkovers and such costs are estimated to be $232,000. Prior to the engineering study it is difficult to establish a firm deadline. Our initial target date to begin reconstruction is 3 weeks.

5. If funding for the reconstruction continues to be delayed, can owners do some of the reconstruction work themselves (such as hanging drywall, etc)? Could the reconstruction manager provide a list of materials that we would need to use so that the condo is restored to original condition? No, see posting on blog dated February 4, 2009.

6. The units with exterior sheetrock on the balcony ceilings sustained much more damage than the units with Hardiplank. Is it possible to have all balcony ceilings rebuilt with Hardiplank even if the additional cost would not be covered by insurance? If not all ceilings, perhaps just replacing with Hardiplank on the 3rd Floor units would mitigate future roof damage and the related water intrusion. It is possible that the owners would vote for an assessment for this purpose? I’m concerned that if we simply replace the damage with sheetrock we will have a similar loss in the next hurricane. (Elizabeth Heckathorn) The insurance company can not force the condominium association to replace the damaged material with like material. However, the insurance company will only pay for replacing the damaged portion with like material. The cost difference between using the existing material versus the hardiplank would be a cost that would have to be borne by the association. If the membership decides that it is in the best interest of the association to replace the existing patio coverings with hardiplank then the difference in cost would have to be assessed to all members/owners. The boards have received a bid for replacing the entire patio and corridor covering with hardiplank and are reviewing the cost associated with doing so.

7. Does it matter to the insurance company (in the rates charged) whether the reconstruction is Hardiplank or sheetrock. (Elizabeth Heckathorn) See response to question 6.

8. Does the association intend to protest property tax assessed values, assuming they will be above market (considering the non-usability of the property) at January 1 or should each owner individually undertake this effort? If the association does not want to do this at its expense, would it serve as an organizer for those owners who wish to spend the money on this effort? Does the association or Terra Mesa have a conflict on this issue such as a tax increment financing district being present or some similar agreement? (Susan Smith) We have spoken with Don Kenney with the Galveston County Appraisal District about the overall property valuation reduction due to Ike. He has been to Pointe West and was surprised at how much we have done compared to Seascape and other resorts on the Island. The Appraisal District will consider an overall property reduction for Pointe West, if we can get power of attorneys from the condo owners which is how most of the condos work on the Island. They will also consider the individual homeowners as well, if this is the approach we want to use. Of course, individual owners always have the ability to proceed on their own, but if we try to do this for the whole resort, it could be very beneficial for the all the owners. And of course, last but not least, the common areas such as the Beach Club,etc. Mr. Kenney said that the Appraisal District is in discussions about property values in Galveston as a whole but is still deciding how to benchmark the values. They are looking at using some sort of a national hurricane standard and have also discussed using the 2004 values as a starting point and go from there. Since our resort was valued beginning in 2006, they will probably have to start with those 2006 numbers. He requested that we call him back in April once they figure out what they are going to do. They are willing to discuss an overall resort reduction with the Board and we discussed the insurance adjusters reports, etc. which will be needed in order to start the process. We did invite him to the February 7th meeting but he declined since they really don't know what to tell us yet.

9. What efforts are being made to provide better and more timely updated information to the owners? The blog is good but it is not updated often enough. Remember, we each have a significant financial commitment and an emotional attachment to Pointe West. All board members have access to the blog posting website and provide updates as changes occur within the community.

10. We have already lost potential income on our condo, due to can not rent, can't sell and we are getting requests for rentals forthcoming. When will the villas/bldgs. and club/sunset pool be ready for use? (Lee Petros) If your unit had no damage, the villas will be able to be occupied once all life safety repairs (i.e. sprinkler, alarms) have been completed. Those units with damage will not be habitable until the reconstruction on that unit is complete. The schedule will be provided by Matt Prince.

11. When will unit be able to be occupied/ rented? (Lee Petros) Refer to Question #10.

12. What is the status of the small business loan and how will this be spent? The Villas Condominium Association received an offer from the SBA for a loan amount of $197K. The Bay Water Condominium Association was denied a loan from the SBA. The board is reviewing the details of the offer and has not made a decision regarding accepting the loan.

13. What is the schedule and the order of repair for the interior condo repairs? (Lee Petros) Matt Prince is preparing the schedule. The order of repair will be: (1) those units being occupied full time, (2) those units that are current on their dues and assessments, and (3) the buildings with the least amount of damage – this will permit more owners to occupy their units in a timely manner.

14. Will repairs to both condo associations (Ocean and Bay) be done at the same time? Yes.

15. Internal repairs are taken a LOT longer to get funded. In the interest of time, can the home owner repair his own unit and then submit expenses for reimbursement? (Susan Smith) NO, THIS IS NOT OPTION. PLEASE REFER TO THE HURRICANE BLOG POSTING OF 02.04.09 WHICH REFERS TO ARTICLE 13 "PROHIBITION OF DAMAGE, NUISANCE AND NOISE, 3RD PARAGRAPH, WHICH STATES "No Owner shall do any work which, in the reasonable opinion of the Board or its designee, would jeopardize the soundness or safety of the Condominium or any structure created thereon, would reduce the value thereof, or would impair any easement or other interest in real property thereto, without in every such case the unanimous, prior written consent of all members of the Association and their Mortgagees." REPAIRS WILL BE MADE TO THE UNIT AS TO THE ORIGINAL TURNOVER CONDITION. ANY UNIT UPGRADES WILL NOT BE COVERED BY THE ASSOCIATION AS THIS WOULD BE COVERED BY YOUR PERSONAL INSURANCE POLICY COVERAGE RELATING TO THE "WALLS IN".

16. Describe the process for the rehab of the condo units, for example, electrical, wallboard, painting, placement of furniture, etc, and, how many buildings can be worked on at the same time. How much skilled labor is available for the project? (Joe Castillo) Reconstruction crews will be split across both associations, the bay and ocean side, so that multiple buildings will be undergoing reconstruction at the same time. Within these crews you will have sub-groups that will focus on the interior and exterior at the same time.

17. When all the dust settles and people have issues with furniture, things, etc, damaged/missing during the moving process, how is that going to be handled? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) Owners will need to address these issues directly with the General Contractor.

18. When will elevators be up and running? (Joe Castillo) It is undetermined at this time. The insurance company is still reviewing bids submitted by the board. In addition, the insurance company has their own expert to evaluate the damage and estimated cost to repair. Until this review has been completed a consensus on the cost of damages can not be reached, therefore, holding up the reconstruction start.

19. Status of elevator repairs - will warranty repair costs be used to reduce the amount of out of pocket expenses? (Joe Castillo) Yes, this will apply to the elevators on Pointe West Drive that where in the process of a ThyssenKrupp warranty claim/repair.

20. Will certificates be available to home owners for units stating no damage and no mold present? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) If your unit did not incur any damage a certificate of mold clearance will not be issued since no remediation took place in these units. Unit owner that experienced damage in their unit will receive a certificate after build back has been completed.

21. How do we obtain a copy of the mold remediation certificate for our condo unit? (Elizabeth Heckathorn) See question 20.

22. Are the refrigerators in the units being taken out and replaced by the resort? I have gotten mixed answers. I would like to know because ours was full of food in the freezer at the time of the storm and would certainly need replacing. (Susan Smith) THIS IS TO BE DETERMINED ON A UNIT-BY-UNIT BASIS. SOME FRIGS WILL OBVIOUSLY BE IN BETTER CONDITION THAN OTHERS. MATT PRINCE, THE RECONSTRUCTION MANAGER, CAN ASSIST WITH THIS DETERMINATION.

23. What is the status of the certificate of occupancy for our units? I heard that it is still in place which should mean I can stay in my unit. (Elizabeth Heckathorn) The certificate of occupancy was issued by the City of Galveston after the initial construction was complete on each building. The City of Galveston has not revoked the certificate of occupancy.

24. My unit has power and water - is there any reason why I cannot stay in my unit overnight now -regardless of whether I have damage or not - living with a wall out should be my problem? (Tom McKinley) Some units are ready to be occupied but some units and buildings have water issues besides your unit. Please check with the construction manager on if your unit is okay to be occupied.

25. If my unit is repaired/not damaged and I have water and power now - can I rent it out now? If not, when and why not now? (Tom McKinley) Yes, you should be able to rent but you would need to assume liability.

26. Explain in layman terms what exactly the damage report is being used for? (Elizabeth/Joe) The IRC damage reports were prepared by our public adjuster that outlined the damages that they felt incurred to the units based on moisture readings taken after the storm for each unit. This initial report was used to establish and substantiate the associations’ claim. A revised report was prepared after our public adjuster walked each unit with the insurance adjuster. During this walk the insurance adjust agreed to the repairs as outlined in the second report with the understanding that as reconstruction progresses certain damages might need to be adjusted via a supplemental report.

27. Why are the damage reports replacing or repairing things that are not damaged? (Elizabeth/Joe) The association and the insurance company will not replace anything that has not been damaged. If you feel that this is the case with your particular unit please notify the construction manager to discuss your situation.

28. When is the water/sewer going to back on? (Lee Petros) As of Monday, February 02, 2009, the repairs to the pumps have been complete for all the Villas. The first nine have access to water. Galveston city inspectors have been scheduled to inspect the pumps for the Ocean and Baywater Villas. Once approved by the city, water can be restored. An update on this is planned to be announced before the Annual Meeting.

29. When will the repair schedule of all units published? The board is currently working on a schedule with the General Contractor and anticipates having it finalized in the next several weeks.

30. When will the fences come down? (Tom McKinley) On most buildings, fences should be down when reconstruction starts.

31. What is happening with construction work to commence on exterior of bldgs? Debris is still on patios (which is not that difficult to remove) and the longer the ceilings are out of the patios the more damage can occur from animals and elements. (Susan Smith) THE OUTSIDE BUILDING ENVELOPES WILL BE REPAIRED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE INTERIOR REFURBISHMENTS WILL BE DONE BUILDING BY BUILDING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RECONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE. BALCONIES WERE INITIALLY SHRINK WRAPPED FOR PROTECTION.

Developer Questions:

1. Mr. Castillo will you please schedule an appointment with Mr. Macfarlan and explain we are reaching a point of diminishing returns? He must take an active roll and either front the money to make repairs NOW, or file litigation against the insurance company. THE TIME FOR ACTION IN NOW! I realize that there are much more pressing matters for the majority of property owners, but we have only a piece of dirt (no structure) for which we paid an exorbitant amount and continue to pay an ever increasing monthly amount as well as inflated property taxes but for which we get zero benefit at this time. We never make it to PW (because we have nowhere to stay) and never use the pool or clubhouse or restaurant or whatever. We bought this lot only because a marina was going to be adjacent to it - and the marina was imminent. Our intention was to build a house on the lot as soon as the marina was built. It has continued to be imminent for at least 3 years now. I continue to believe the marina will increase the value of the development considerably. Long preamble for the simple question: what are TM’s intentions now, relative to the proposed (promised?) marina? (Joe Castillo) Refer to letter mailed out by developer in early February.

2. Is Terramesa covering the expense of repair of the Pointe West water tower? (Joe Castillo) Yes, TerraMesa has agreed to repair the Main Entry Monument at its own expense.

3. In my opinion the board members, especially the owner / volunteers have done an excellent job and this is not where our problem lies. When Dean Macfarlan mailed out the brochure for his Texas properties he signed the enclosed letter "Head of the Terramesa Family". It is time for him to act like the head of the family. His silence has spoken volumes. With the current increases in fees a 3 bedroom villa at Pointe West will cost approximately 36K to 40K per year to own and operate, considering the cost of the investment and all operating expenses. Owners will not continue to pay $40K per year for an asset with no benefits. You can not occupy, rent, or sell your unit. This will cause more foreclosures and then fees to be higher. This is the same as investment tax credit. Every time ITC has been lowered, the government made more money because more people invested in long term capital gains. Of course, when raised income actually went down. (Joe Castillo) Refer to letter mailed out by developer in early February.

4. At the last POA meeting an owner inquired about the status/progress of the marina. Joe Castillo responded that Terramesa hired (or was about to hire) a consultant to coordinate everything (permits, cost estimates, contractors etc) needed to move forward with the project. How has this progressed and what is the current status? (Joe Castillo) Refer to letter mailed out by developer in early February.

5. Why was the marina dropped from the current master development plan? This would have added substantial utility and value to the development. For me, and I’m sure for some others, this was a significant part of our investment decision since as our children and grandchildren grew older it would add boating to the available activities. (Joe Castillo) Refer to letter mailed out by developer in early February.

6. What is the future of this development and what can be expected from Terra Mesa to get this development back on track? (Joe Castillo) Refer to letter mailed out by developer in early February.

Club Questions (Natthan answers all):

1. Why are we paying a Club Membership fee (Line item #56150) when the staff has been cut back and the bar isn't open, the restaurant is only open, I believe, 4 days? Seasonal hours of operation are in place. We have adjusted the hours accordingly since 2007.

2. Why isn't the Club Membership budget cut in half until it's at full service in June of this year. The club has been in operation since early October 08. There are limited items that are currently being replaced/repaired due to Ike's impact. Currently BBQ grills are the only items that are non operational.

3. Has there been an attempt to try and beef up security at the beach club so that ONLY bona fide users will get to use the facilities when they become available? We will continue to work with our security company to monitor the gates with man power/additional staffing this year. Installing an automated locking system is in excess of $25K.

4. What are the plans for the use of the beach club/pool/amenities by non owners/renters? Will there be a usage fee? How will that all work? For the time being we have decided not implement a club fee. Those options are still being explored. We want to ensure a seamless transition if and when the program is implemented.

5. What is resort doing about getting ready for upcoming rental season/ long term rentals?Currently we are marketing the TM resorts. We are working with a production company, Helicona press who will be filming a kayak fishing show towards the end of February. PW will be the featured property. We have scripted ads ready to move forward with local advertising along with internet based searches.

6. Is the lock key code we were given during repairs still valid? How do we obtain new codes when available? Access codes are only set for 30 days for the individual home owners. Once a rental guest receives a new code for your home yours will be re-set. New codes can requested from the front desk staff.

7. What is the status of the Beach club dues? I am getting rental inquiries and need to know if I need to raise my rates. We have not planned for an increase of club dues at this time.

8. Will the beach chairs that were on the beach come back - will water be at the end of the walk over by summer? We are focusing on replacing all items that were lost in IKE. Our focus will be replacing and repairing items that directly impact the use of the BC and BW pool sites as a priority. We have tracked all items that were lost and we are working on a plan to schedule the replace items.

9. When will beach club bar (topsiders I think it is called) be up and running? Topsiders will have limited hours until June. We are looking at Friday & Saturdays starting in April. Depending on what spring break looks like we will adjust the hours accordingly.

10. We lost one cabana to the storm - why were they not taken down and secured - will it be replaced - will we get more cabanas? The lost cabana arrived last week and will be installed in the coming weeks.

11. Will the club provide more lounge chairs for peak season - during peak time hard to get a space to sit/lay down? We currently have bids for additional pool chairs.

TERRAMESA LETTER

2009-02-05T16:43:00.002-05:00

Illegal Dumping

2009-02-04T16:12:00.001-05:00

Help Put a Stop to Illegal Dumping

Galveston, Texas
February 4, 2009

Over the past four months, the City of Galveston has made tremendous progress removing debris from our community in the wake of Hurricane Ike. However, illegal dumping has become a persistent and unsightly problem. Help the City put a stop to illegal dumping by reporting it!

It is a crime to illegally dump refuse in the City of Galveston. The Galveston Police Department and City Code Enforcement Officers are on the look out for anyone disposing of refuse improperly. Violators found dumping materials will be cited and fined up to $2,000. To report illegal dumping please call the Galveston Police Department’s non-emergency phone number: (409) 765-3702.

Brandon Wade, Deputy City Manager, has a special message for property owners currently repairing or rebuilding their homes and businesses. “Do not allow your contractor to mislead you into believing its ok to dispose of construction debris from reconstruction activities on your home in the city’s streets,” he stated. “Insist your contractor dispose of all construction debris at the City’s transfer station or at a landfill,” he went on to say. “They are required to do so by City Ordinance and State law.”

The City’s Transfer Station is open. Storm debris from commercial buildings and new construction debris is accepted. Galveston residents may make one free trip per month and leave up to 1,000 pounds of material at the station. You must present a current water bill and have proper identification. Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.; Saturday 7:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Condominium Restoration

2009-02-04T12:20:00.003-05:00

Several owners have requested self performance in regards to restoring individual condominiums. The vertical and horizontal components of the Association are common elements and thus owned by the membership. In the interest of time and in order to protect the membership of the Bay Water and Villas Condominium Associations, the board of director’s position is aligned with ownership. Through insurance funding and owner assessments the Associations will repair all damaged common elements as identified in the October 30, 2008 Pointe West Blog posting. The following Article from the Declaration of Condominium further addresses this item.

Article 13.6 Prohibition of Damage, Nuisance and Noise
Third Paragraph
No Owner shall do any work which, in the reasonable opinion of the Board or its designee, would jeopardize the soundness or safety of the Condominium or any structure created thereon, would reduce the value thereof, or would impair any easement or other interest in real property thereto, without in every such case the unanimous, prior written consent of all members of the Association and their Mortgagees.

Second Phase of GLO Beach Cleaning

2009-02-03T15:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the GLO's contractor was working on the beach in front of Pointe West on the second phase of the cleaning efforts. This entailed digging the sand down a foot deep and running it through a sifting machine to sort out any remaining debris from the storm. Once the sand was sifted, it was then returned to the area that it was removed from. Below is a picture of the operations in front of Pointe West.

POA, Villas and BayWaters Board Meeting Minutes

2009-01-28T12:26:00.002-05:00

All Board meeting minutes are posted to the PMG Website under "Our Community-Pointe West" in the "Minutes" category. Minutes are posted through January 12, 2009. The Boards meet every Monday and minutes are posted with a week lag time (due to preparing, review by Board members, Board approval and signature process).

City of Galveston Press Release: Galveston's Water Supply Negative for Bacteria

2009-01-28T09:59:00.001-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Galveston’s Water Supply Negative for Bacteria

Galveston, Texas
January 27, 2009

After Legionella bacteria was detected in the water supply at John Sealy Hospital last month, the City of Galveston tested its own water system to determine if the bacteria had spread beyond the confines of the facility. Results came back and confirmed the City’s water supply was not contaminated.

The City’s testing regiment included two different methods: the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiment; and the culture technique. All test results for legionella bacteria came back negative indicating the source of the problem was not city water facilities. Samples were taken from the following Island locations:

1. Water Treatment Plant in Texas City
2. Virginia Point Metering Station
3. 30th Street Pump Station
4. UTMB elevated storage tank

City officials sampled water from these locations following the chain of supply from the Mainland onto the Island and then to the UTMB campus. Between five and six million gallons of water pass through the City of Galveston’s 30th Street Pump Station each day. That’s roughly half the island’s water supply.

All structures located on the island should have flushed their water systems immediately following the lifting of the City’s boil water notice in October 2008. If homeowners or building owners have not already purged their water lines they are strongly encouraged to do so immediately to eliminate any stagnant water. The City routinely tests its water system and it meets all water quality requirements.

Water Update

2009-01-27T13:44:00.002-05:00

The following buildings and units have no damage, the power and water is on, and the Fire Safety in place and can be occupied. Please remember that the elevators are still not running. We are waiting on the insurance company to finish the review of the elevators repair bids.

The water is on to all of the units in the buildings listed below. However, the other units had damage caused by the storm and are not repaired yet so they could be missing alarm sirens for Fire safety. So it is not recommended that these units or any units that took damage be occupied until build back is complete.

Keep in mind that not all of the units listed have had the ball valve over the water heater turned on so that will have to be done before use. It should also be said that you will want to flush out the pipes for at least ten minutes at all fixtures before use. It has been awhile since they have been on and there most likely will be a smell of rotton eggs due to the sulfer in the water.

4151 Point West Dr.
102
202

4141 Point West Dr.
102
202

4131 Pointe West Dr.
102
103
202

4221 Point West Dr.
202

4231 Pointe West Dr.
102
202
203
302

4241 Point West Dr.
101
102
202
302

The next group of buildings have water and fire suppresion turned on however all of the units in these buildings were affected in one way or another by the storm and it is not recommended that they be occupied until build back is complete.

27030 Estuary
27020 Estuary
27010 Estuary
26934 Estuary

As for the other units and buildings, I am waiting for the City to conduct its inspection and approve the power to be reconnected at the water pump buildings before we can complete the last little bit of Fire Safety work needed to turn the water on. Keep in mind that there are some buildings that will not have water due to the extensive damage they took from the storm and the plumbing repairs in the garages will have to wait till the reconstruction starts.

GLO Beach Cleaning Update

2009-01-22T16:58:00.005-05:00

Over the past few days, the GLO has been removing the debris on the beach that they had previously piled up in front of the line of vegetation. Below are pictures of what the beach looks like today after they finished collecting the debris piles.

End of Beach Club Walkover

East of Beach Club Walkover

Annual Meeting Packets on Website

2009-01-15T17:38:00.002-05:00

The documents for the Annual Meeting have been mailed to all all owners and posted to the POA website on the Annoucement page.

The meeting will be held at the Moody Garden Ivy Room from 10AM to 1PM. If you are coming in from out of town and need a reservation please call the Moody Gardens Reservation Desk at 888-388-8484.

Due to a tight agenda and lack of conference call abilities, the Board is requesting that owners submit questions in advance by sending an email to elizabeth.heckathorn@terramesaresorts.com. Please have questions submitted by January 28th. The questions will be complied for the board to answer. Responses to the questions will be posted to the blog prior to the meeting.

Updated IRC Damage Reports

2009-01-15T13:03:00.002-05:00

The IRC damages reports that were revised in December 2008 have now been posted to the POA's website for download and review. The initial reports are no longer on the website. However, if you need a copy of the earlier reports please send an email to Matt Prince at mrpconstruction@rocketmail.com.

Hospitality Updates:

2009-01-15T12:54:00.000-05:00

The Bay Water pool repairs are now under way. The pool is currently undergoing retro fitting to ensure that we are compliant with the new federal law for the VGBA pool safety act of 2009. When the retro fit is completed the re-plastering of the pool, lazy river and hot tub will start along with the repairs of all in-pool lighting. All pool pumps and related equipment have been repaired with the exception of the pumps that control the flow of our lazy river. At the same time, Pampered Lawn has started to clean up the landscaped areas inside the pool area. We are working on schedule with Pampered Lawns to install new and replace any expired vegetation in the coming months. Lastly, Cotton USA has been contracted to start the required roof repairs.

The Beach Club will also undergo the same retro fitting required by the VGBA pool safety act. In the coming weeks, the Hot Tub and the Kiddie pool will be drained and prepared for the necessary repairs. Cotton USA will also complete the needed roof repairs. All internet, television and cable service have been restored at the Beach Club and all functional areas of the Beach Club are open!

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Natthan Birkett

Annual Meeting- Save the Date

2009-01-09T18:16:00.003-05:00

The Annual Meeting for the POA and Condominium Associations has been scheduled for Saturday, February 7. Annual meeting packets are in the process of being mailed to all owners. The documents in this mail out will include the Annual Meeting Notice, Agenda, 2009 Operating Budgets, and the 2009 Operating Budgets Backup Summary. All items will also be posted to the POA's website next week for review and download.

WGIPOA Meeting- January 17, 2009

2009-01-09T12:05:00.001-05:00

WEST GALVESTON ISLAND PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
4210 Silver Reef PBW#1, Galveston, TX 77554
TEL: 409-737-5768 FAX: 409-737-5951
Email: mohn@msn.com

To: West Galveston Island Property
Owners Association Members
____________________________

January 8, 2009

MINUTES: The December 20, 2008, meeting minutes will be on our website later at, www.wgipoa.com

MEETING: The next meeting will be back to our regular format and it is on January 17, 2009, 9:00 AM, at Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room (first floor).

PROGRAM: Karen Mahoney, City Council Member, will be the guest speaker and her theme will be: “So. What’s New for District 6?”

Come joins us for coffee and donuts before the meeting.

Sea Turtles Donation: The HEART (Help Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles) organization needs your help to protect the endangered Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle. HEART is a 501©3 charitable organization and donations are tax deductible. Visit the website at: http://www.ridleyturtles.org/ and please make a donation and to: HEART, P.O. Box 681231, Houston, Texas 77268-1231

Upcoming Events:
Ongoing: Join the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) and automatically become a member of the Texas Chapter. See www.asbpa.org and www.texasasbpa.org for details.
January 12 - 14, 2009: Ninth Biennial State of the Bay Symposium on What is Needed to Sustain Our Estuary? The conference will be held at the Galveston Island Convention Center, Galveston, Texas
Feb. 18-20, 2009: 22nd National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology, at the Trade Winds Island Resorts, St. Petersburg Beach, FL. Visit: www.FSBA.com/seminar.htm for information and registration.

March 25-27, 2009: American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) Coastal Summit, at the Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC. Further information will be posted at www.asbpa.org when available.

Sept. 16-18, 2009: Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association (FSBPA) Annual Meeting, Amelia, Island Plantation, Amelia Island, FL.

Oct. 14-16, 2009: American Shore & beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) National Coastal Conference at the Trade Winds Island Resort, St. Petersburg Beach, FL
Thank you for your support and we hope to see you on January 17 at the Moody Gardens Hotel in the Vine Room, starting at 8:30 for coffee and doughnuts and at 9:00 AM for the meeting.

Jerry A. Mohn
President

Roof Update

2009-01-08T16:23:00.002-05:00

This is a quick update to let you know that the all of the roofs at the condo buildings have been repaired. Building 10 that had severe truss damage on the bay side has been fixed with the exception of a few minor details like the resetting of the ridge shingles and vent. (Updated picture posted below) I also want to let everyone know that there are still some small repairs needed to get the fire suppression and water back on to the buildings and this should be complete by the end of the month. We are still waiting to hear back from the insurance company before we can start reconstruction inside the units. I do hope to have an answer soon in regards to this issue.

Picture of 26070 Bay Water Drive taken 1/8/09

GLO Cleans Beach in Front of Pointe West

2009-01-08T12:58:00.007-05:00

Earlier this week, the Texas General Land Office's contractor began working on removing the debris that washed onto our beaches during Hurricane Ike. The contractor raked the beaches and piled the debris in front of the line of vegetation to be removed by another crew. According to the GLO, it could take up to April to finish the debris removal from of all the Galveston's beaches. Attached are pictures of the work done earlier this week.

Pointe West in the Austin American – Statesman

2009-01-07T16:49:00.002-05:00

Pointe West is featured in an article published in the Sunday, January 4 edition of the Austin American- Statesman titled "Beachy keen houses to rent for spring break". Click on the link below to read the article.

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/travel/01/04/0104beachhouse.html

Breezes January 2009 Operating Hours

2009-01-07T09:15:00.001-05:00

THURSDAY – SUNDAY
11AM – 4PM

SATURDAY
11AM – 5PM

Beer & Wine $2.00

limited MENU

Bay Water Pool Repair Update

2009-01-07T09:07:00.003-05:00

To all;

I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the Bay Water pool. The electrical repairs and water service have been restored. The pool clean up process started on Monday. Progressive Pools started to drain the lazy river and hot tub first thing. That process will take a day or so. Over the next week they will begin working on the pool pumps, jets and river flow and begin repair/replace the required items which could take a few weeks depending on what they find. The last step for Progressive will be to clean up all of the debris within the gated area (with the exception of the landscaping). Once the pool repairs are completed we will move towards repairing the towel room, restrooms and so on. The final step in the process will be to complete the landscaping. I hope this helps in keeping you up to date as our team is working hard at restoring Pointe West to pre Ike conditions.

Natthan Birkett

Galveston Emergency Notification System

2008-12-31T14:57:00.003-05:00

Galveston Emergency Notification System

Sign Up For The City's Emergency Notification System:
The City of Galveston is in the process of establishing an Emergency Notification System. The city's goal is to provide essential information quickly in a variety of situations including unexpected road or street closures or the need to evacuate buildings or neighborhoods due to situations like hurricanes, severe weather, abnormally high tides, and water service suspensions.
How To Sign Up To Receive These Important Communications From The City:
Residents, business owners and neighbors must register the voice and text communication devices where they wish to receive messages. Messages can be sent simultaneously in voice and text formats to all standard voice and text communication devices, including land line phone, cell phone and e-mail.

To Sign Up For The Emergency Notification System:
To add your contact information into the Emergency Notification System, please click on this registration link. To protect the privacy of your personal information, a provision has been included in the City’s contract that maintains the confidentiality of your information.

Please note: residents, businesses and neighbors with listed telephone numbers have already been included in the system. You may use the registration link to register additional communication devices into the system.

To Discontinue Receiving Emergency Notification System Messages:
To remove your contact information from the Emergency Notification System please click on this opt out link. Please note that you must provide all communication devices you originally registered into the system in order to opt out completely. Also, by opting out of the system you will no longer receive emergency or community notifications.

For questions regarding the Emergency Notification System please contact the Office of Public Information by calling, (409) 797-3546.

Please paste the registration link into your brower and it will automatically take you to the registration site:

https://nnn1.3nonline.net/OptIn/citizens/optin.action?party=132582

___________________________________________________________________________________
As a separate note, if anyone is interested or looking for an outing this weekend, The Grand 1894 Opera House (Official Opera House of Texas) is celebrating its 114th birthday and its reopening after Hurricane Ike on Jan. 3rd from 10AM to 2PM. It is free to the public and includes refreshments, birthday cake and light entertainment.

Also, Galveston is planning a city-wide open house at Ball High to discuss the future direction of the hurricane recovery efforts for Jan. 24th. Time is TBD.

Property Owners Association Update

2008-12-26T13:25:00.011-05:00

1. Dune Walkovers

Homeowner, Alan Wilde has been working on the dune walkover repairs. One of the engineering companies he has been in discussions with has completed an assessment which shows the walkovers relative to the 4.5 ft elevation line. The line is overlaid in black on the Google Earth pictures.

Alan has submitted the following report.

Dune Walkover Project Update

Discussions have taken place with several engineers and contractors regarding the dune walkovers and our current understandings are:

· Dune walkover repair will require that a Beach Construction Permit be obtained from the City of Galveston.

· Feedback obtained so far indicates that the walkovers can largely be repaired in place versus conducting a wholesale demolition and rebuild project.

· We probably will not have to move the seaward terminating points of the dune walkovers inland. Most of the walkovers (8 of 9) appear to lie inland of the post Ike line (4.5’ elevation) that is being used to limit the seaward boundary of structures.

· The damage to our dunes may impact our ease of getting a permit. The City of Galveston has a general philosophy that walkovers are not needed if dunes don’t exist. Therefore, we will likely have to either demonstrate the existence of sufficient vegetation and/or dunes to justify a walkover or provide a plan to restore the vegetation and/or dunes.

Project update

· Four sources for engineering services have been identified and two finalists are under consideration. Information from the last finalist is due Tuesday December 23^rd. At that time the Board should have sufficient information to select an engineer.

· Several potential contractors have been identified and at least two have conducted site visits.

· Our current estimate is that an engineering assessment and permitting will cost less than $20,000 (approximately $40 per home owner). This cost could increase if the assessment indicates that repair drawings are needed for the contractor or additional deliverables are required for permitting (e.g., dune reconstruction drawings).

· Once a contractor is selected, we will ask for a scoping (+/- 20% accuracy) estimate for providing an ADA (American’s with Disabilities Act) compliant ramp for the walkover at the Beach Club.

· There is a natural tradeoff between time, cost, and risk on this project. A low risk, financially conservative approach is being undertaken by the Board given financial concerns expressed by the homeowners.

· Project timing is unclear at this point. It would be beneficial to have at least three dune walkovers repaired before Spring Break. Expediting the project would require doing tasks in parallel, for example, collecting some funding from homeowners before the final cost of repair is known. For example, asking for $100,000 in initial funding ($200 per homeowner) now instead of waiting to request funding after all contractor bids are returned.

Please feel free to ask questions by emailing alan.wilde@sbcglobal.net.

2. Landscaping

Much of the dead landscaping at Pointe West has been cleared. Areas around villas and few cottages still remain. The electrical work that supplies power to the irrigation system and the fountains is set to be completed soon. The controls on both the irrigation and fountains will be tested to see if any additional repairs are needed.

Homeowner, Joel Chess has been contacting landscaping companies for additional bids on replacement and maintenance. He met and walked the property with at least one company earlier in December and will be meeting with others in early January. Target date for receiving all bids is mid to end January.

3. Outstanding POA accounts as of 12/15/08

31-60 Days: $10,309.97 (41 accounts)

61-90 Days: $140,274.19 (99 accounts)

91-120 Days: $3,827.22 (5 accounts)

120+ Days: $214,439.46 (60 accounts)

Total: $368,850.74 (205 Accounts)

A complete report is available at the Beach Club front desk. Please contact PMG if you feel there is an error with your account.

The collection policy is at the front desk and can be found at the PMG website as well. http://acw.associawebsites.com/P.O.A.Pointe.West/associationgovernment/index.htm

4. General Post Ike Work:

The developer, Terramessa, has agreed to pay for the replacement of street signs throughout Pointe West. The signs are expected to arrive by the end of December and installation to begin sometime in January.

Have a safe and happy New year!

Saturday's Galveston's WGIPOA Meeting:

2008-12-22T18:29:00.001-05:00

Here are two emails from Saturday's Galveston's WGIPOA Meeting:

----- Original Message -----
From: Jerry Mohn
To: Jerry Mohn
Sent: Mon Dec 22 15:54:43 2008
Subject: WGIPOA Meeting 12/20

Attn: West Galveston Island Property Owners Asso

At our Saturday Town Hall Meeting, County Commissioner Bryan Lamb discussed the mosquito problem that exists throughout then County and the loss of the spraying equipment and airplane to “Ike”. He has put in a request for mosquito spraying. We thank the Commissioner.

Jerry
________________________________

From: Gilliam, Cindy [mailto:Cindy.Gilliam@co.galveston.tx.us]
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 3:47 PM
To: Jerry Mohn
Subject: RE: WGIPOA Meeting 12/20

Jerry, we put a request in today for mosquito spraying on the West End. Thanks, Cindy

Cindy Gilliam
Administrative Assistant
Commissioner Bryan M. Lamb
409-770-5475

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----- Original Message -----
From: Jerry Mohn
To: Jerry Mohn
Sent: Mon Dec 22 11:46:43 2008
Subject: WGIPOA Town Hall Meeting at Moody Gardens 20 Dec 2009
Attn: West Galveston Island Property Owners Asso

Bill Hand from Bay Harbor took really great notes at our meeting this past Saturday. We will have also minutes but later this week. This is hot off the press and I wanted to share with our members.

Thank you again Bill Hand.

Jerry

==============================================================================

Subject: WGIPOA Town Hall Meeting at Moody Gardens 20 Dec 2009

Neighbors,
Here are a few notes that I took during the four hour meeting this past Saturday. A big thanks to Jerry Mohn and the WGIPOA for arranging this very informative meeting. And another thanks to the public officials and others who answered our questions and brought us up to date. Things are starting to come together and hopefully most of you are making some real progress in your recovery.
Bill

Commissioner Bryan Lamb
* Call his office to report mosquito problems 409-770-5476
* Both mosquito control airplanes where destroyed when they where flooded inside the hanger at Scholes Field.
* The state has been slow cleaning up the state roads but the county is working to get them on the ball.
* All county facilities should be back up and running by mid Jan 2009.
* A lot of people are interested in the proposed “Ike Dike”. The county is also interested.
* Many ordnances on the mainland prevent the placement of FEMA trailers. There are about 500 families who qualify. There are lots of rumors about who the people are who will occupy this housing. FEMA needs to tell you who they are and people need to understand they are probably your neighbors.
* The bond issue for road improvements from 61st to 8 Mile Rd passed. Expect some delays during the construction which should start soon.

Council Member Karen Mahoney
* City is settling in with the assessment process. Red, Yellow and Green are done. The beachside and Teichman area is still in bad shape.
* The Long Term Recovery Committee (LTRC) needs input from everyone. The next meeting will be held at Weiss School on Monday 22 Dec. at 5:00 PM.
* The first West End Town Hall meeting for the LTCR will be held in Jamaica Beach in early Jan 2009.
* Debris removal is going well, but dumping has been bad along Stewart Rd.
* Security issues are still “Out There”. It is important to report any suspicious activity and for neighbors to watch out for each others property.

Vic Pierson – Mayor of Jamaica Beach
* The traffic light is working
* Everyone on the West End needs to work together during our recovery.

Neville Cole – Ron Paul’s Office
* Call 979-285-0231 for assistance
* The office on the island will be open 9 Jan 2009.

Betty Massey – Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR)
* Karen Mahoney has been a real leader and supporter of the LTCR process.
* City Council unanimously appointed the Comprehensive Plan Committee, who have been working since the summer of 2007. They are currently working on the second draft of the CP. They where requested to be the nucleus of the LTCR. You must be a resident of Galveston to serve on the committee per the City Charter. Part timers are encouraged to participate in the grass roots effort process but can’t officially be on the committee.
* Another meeting will be held Monday 22 Dec 2009 at 5:00 PM at the Weiss Middle School cafeteria. Everyone is urged to attend.
* Please engage your neighbors about their vision for the island.
* The goal for the initial plan to be complete is April 2009.
* GCDN will set up a website to post recovery information soon.
* Contact the City Secretary if you would like to be on the LTCR or Betty Massey 409-765-9770 email b.massey@northenendowment.org
* The last round of appointments will be in Jan 2009.
* In order for other than “residents” to participate, the City Charter has to be changed in the May election. Jerry Mohn said the WGIPOA would support that change. There was other discussion from the audience expressing concern that taxpayers could not be on the LTCR if they where not full time residents.

Sgt Tim Buck – Galveston PD
* Normal patrols are in effect. 3 units and one sergeant 24/7.
* No signs on the beach and no tickets are issued for driving on the beach until signs are up. They will issue warnings as needed.
* Call volume on the West End is below normal at this time.
* Camping is not allowed except in campgrounds. Call 409-797-3702 for enforcement.

Mike Varela – Fire Chief
* Service level is back to normal call volume. GFD has contracted with the county for service on Bolivar.
* Station 5 and 4 are in temporary quarters.
* Both West End fire stations are in the regular quarters. An extra pumper with 750 gallons has been added to the West End because of water supply issues in some areas.
* All emergencies are life flighted to the mainland unless there is fog, then GFD personnel have to assist with the transport which takes some of them off the island for a while.
* Check out your fireplaces before you use them.
* Watch out for homeless people staying in vacant buildings. Call 409-797-3870 if you observe this.
* The water department installs and maintains fire hydrants. The FD inspects them annually.
* Fire trucks have maps of the streets and one has a GPS.

Wendy O’Donahue - Planning
* Her division is broken down into Planning, Building Permits and Code Enforcement.
* 5000 letters where sent out concerning assessments. 1300 where substantially damaged. You can appeal the process.
* You can get an Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) letter from planning dept.
* Code enforcement is looking for dangerous buildings. Property owners are responsible for these buildings. Call to report 409-797-3660 or planningcounter@cityofgalveston.org.
* Sheetrock permits are waived per city council vote.
* Permit fees are waived until 31 Dec 2008.
* Permits are good until the project is complete. “Drive a few nails every week”
* Code Enforcement issues – call: 797-3660

Daryl Kinsey – Centerpoint
* Majority of service is back up
* Some beach front is still down until poles are installed. Wait until Centerpoint is finished before you call your electrician.
* Centerpoint will be doing a final clean-up of their equipment. Most is already complete.
* Working on street lights. Each pole has a six digit ID number. Report online at Centerpoint.com or call them in. Work is usually done in about three days.
* Phone numbers for Daryl: 409-765-4026 or 4165 Email: daryl.kinsey@centerpointenergy.com

Bobby Enriquez – Texas Gas Transmission
* Gas service extends as far as Jamaica Beach.
* Call if you need service, 409-766-2801, they are working full time and most of the service is back up.

Jerry Stoddard – FEMA
* Working in partnership with the city and county
* Ken Reilly is the new Deputy Branch manager.
* 220 families are in trailers (17 moved in last week)
* 370 trailers are in the area and they require a lot of coordination to get them in service and people moved in.
* Total need is 900 to 1000 trailers on either private or community sites.
* 100 units for the island.
* FEMA trailers are a last resort. FEMA prefers rental units and many are starting to come back on line every week.
* People in these trailers are your neighbors and are not “Katrina type Evacuees”.
* FEMA will be in the area for a long time and they are assisting with the LTCR.

Brandon Wade – Asst. City Manager
* A lot of public works projects take 3 to 5 years.
* There has been a loss of 40% of the water sales revenue, which will have a big impact on funds for work.
* The water system is working, but still damaged.
* The city needs your help with the debris clean-up efforts. The city can’t remove debris from private property without a compelling reason. Lots of paperwork involved to get it done. Try to organize neighborhood clean-up projects.
* Bollards will be replaced on the beach after it is cleaned up. Target date is before Spring Break. Signs will be replaced after the sign machine that was destroyed by the storm is replaced.
* Over 2000 signs are missing around the city.
* Most of the 166 traffic signal boxes where damaged and parts are on the way to start fixing them.
* Residential debris removal ends 31 Dec 2008, but may be extended. Commercial debris removal has ended.
* The city cannot pick up debris on unimproved (vacant) property.
* Contractors will replace damaged fire hydrants (Hopefully with help from FEMA).
* Canal cleaning may be possible with a lot of paperwork. An announcement will be made after 1 Jan 2009, so stay tuned.
* The “Obama Public Works Program” may provide some help to the island…stay tuned.
* Call 797-3630 or publicworks@cityofgalveston.org for assistance. Eric Wilson- Water and Sewer, Angelo Grasso – Streets and Signs, Justin Bowling – Debris removal.
* City council hired Jeff Ward to assist the city with the hazard mitigation / buyout grants. He is an SME in the area.
* 1.3 billion (800 million for 10 Counties) from HUD. We need to show unity as a community to get this and any other future money that comes our way.
* City hired James Lee Witt firm to assist with FEMA grants and to get reimbursed for money we have already spent.
* Call the Galveston County Health District if you have septic tank issues.

Eddie Fisher – GLO
* Beach debris removal seaward of the 4.5 line is underway and moving west.
* All geo-tubes will be removed unless they are permitted for repairs.
* GLO jurisdiction is seaward of the 4.5 line and that line will be re-evaluated in early 2009.
* Emergency rules are good until March 2009. Check the GLO website for updates.
* No enforcement for removal of houses on the beach for one, and possibly two years. The GLO prefers not to get involved in the legal matters to remove these homes. They prefer buyout when possible.
* Normal beach sand recovery will take longer than originally anticipated.
* The GLO is working with the feds to show how important it is to protect the barrier islands that help protect 1/3 of the petrochemical plants serving our country.
* Sand is already being moved in front of the seawall, but will have to shutdown for turtle nesting which begins in March.
* GLO Mobile information trailers will be at Jamaica Beach 13,14,15 & 16 Jan 2009 and 3,4,5 & 6 Feb 2009. You can visit them face to face for information and assistance.
* Working with the city on a permit application program to help expedite that process.
* A team from the GLO has been tasked to restore the dunes in the effected area.
* Near shore debris removal has started but will take a long time and is very expensive. Using side scanning sonar to detect debris when possible.

Ike Dike – Dr. Bill Merrel TAMUG
* A 17 ft. seawall from San Luis Pass to High Island with end caps and three floodgates located at Bolivar Roads, San Luis Pass and the ICW.
* Barrier would protect all of Galveston Bay and the petrochemical industry.
* Dutch style current technology flood gates would be used.
* Estimated cost is 12 million dollars per mile.
* Beach in front of the seawall would require constant re-nourishment. Australians’ have a system for that.
* Could take a decade to complete

************************************************************************************

quick update

2008-12-22T12:05:00.003-05:00

Just want everyone to know that the email station is up and running for residents to use if they come down and want to transfer some pictures they have taken. If you need a digital camera we have one available for you to use.

Also I have had a couple of the Building Captains schedule out there post remediation walk through. I am still waiting on the others. Please email a time you will be available the first or second week of January to come down and perform this. If you can't make it I understand but please send me your email addresses and contact info so that I can keep you up to date. That way you can relay the information to the owners in your building.

They are still working on the roofs on the bay side and HOPEFULLY they will be finished by the the end of the first week of January. I have met with the Roofing superintendent Today and he is having his truss manufacturer order the trusses needed for Building 10 Bay side and we should have them on site by the end of next week and ready for install.

Thank you have a Merry Christmas,

Matthew R. Prince
Restoration Manager

West Galveston Island Property Owners Association - Hurricane Ike Update Meeting

2008-12-19T14:12:00.003-05:00

Please find attached the agenda for the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association West End Town Hall meeting this Saturday from Jerry Mohn of Galveston:

Coffee and doughnuts will be available starting at 8:30 AM.

We have a great program with lots of information on the “Ike Recovery” for the west end.

Hurricane Ike Update Meeting
Moody Gardens Hotel – Salon FGH
9:00-12:00 noon
December 20, 2008

AGENDA

Introductions
Galveston County
Judge Jim Yarbrough (Invited)
Commissioner Bryan Lamb
Galveston
Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas (Invited)
City Council Karen Mahoney
Jamaica Beach
Mayor Vic Pierson
Federal
Rep Ron Paul – Navella Cole

Recovery
LTCR (Long Term Community Recovery)
Betty Massey

Presentations
Public Safety
Sergeant Timothy Buck

Fire Safety
Fire Chief Mike Varela

Planning Department
Wendy O’Donohoe
Zones/ Permits –Repairs/Electrical
FEMA – Jerry Stolar
Centerpoint Energy – Daryl Kinsey
Texas Gas Service - Bobby Enriquez

Utilities
Brandon Wade
Water/Sewer/Septic
Buy Outs/Debris/Canal Debris

General Land Office (GLO)
Eddie Fisher – Coastal Director
Beach debris/4.5 LOV/Houses on Beach/FEMA Buyout
Sand nourishment/marsh restoration

New Shoreline Project – “Ike Dike”
Dr. Bill Merrell - TAMUG

Adjourn

Roof Repairs/Building Captains

2008-12-19T13:22:00.002-05:00

This is just a quick update on the roof repairs:

All of the villa roofs have been repaired and the roofing company is over on the bay side now starting on those structures. The buildings are going in no particular order other than just staring at one end and moving down the line. (East to West)

Building CAPTAINS:

I would like to schedule a post remediation walk through with you. This would be a time when you could come down and we would walk through all the units in your building together and I can answer some of the more individual questions coming from the owners in your structure. If you could please send me an email so that we can set a date to make this happen.

The fire safety issues are still being worked on and I am sticking to my same time frame which is around the middle of January for these items to be complete.

Also I will not be on site Tuesday the 23rd through Christmas and will return back on Monday the 29th. I will be checking my voicemail/email and will be following up with trades via phone and email if questions come up.

I hope everyone has a good holiday.

Sincerely,

Matthew R. Prince
Restoration Manager

Power is restored to all of the buildings

2008-12-17T13:37:00.004-05:00

I'm pleased to tell you that the power is on to every building. The breakers inside the units have been turned off with the exception of the a/c (unless affected during the storm) The a/c was kept on to help keep the humidity down inside the units. Please understand that during the construction process the power will be on and off to the buildings as repairs are made but as of now they all have power.

At this point, The board and I do NOT recommend anyone coming down here to stay. Please keep in mind that if you need to access your unit to retrieve any personal belongings make sure to check in with the front desk at the beach club as the buildings are gated and locked. Also the roof repairs and other construction processes being performed make walking around these buildings unsafe.

The water and Fire suppression system will take a little bit longer to get up and running (hopefully by the middle of January) It has come to light this week that there may be some issues with the pipes going to the buildings and I am working on getting those issues isolated. I have been told that there is a 14 day lead time for the city to come out and restore water. Now that the power is back on we can run the pumps and insure their ability to perform when water does arrive.

I understand that it is frustrating to not be able to use your condo during the holidays. However I hope that you can find comfort in the fact that the board and I are working very hard to get you into your units as fast and as safe as possible. Getting the power on is a huge step forward and I am excited about the progress that has been made.

Cotton has had their plumber out here the past 3 days going through the units and making sure all of the visible lines are capped off and the water is shut off at each of your unit valves. This will help to minimize the potential leaks that may occur when the water is restored to the buildings.

My next move is to get the fire safety systems up and the water back to the buildings. I hope this comes as good news to everyone and hope that everyone has a good Holiday.

Matthew R Prince
Restoration Manager

UPDATE ON POINTE WEST

2008-12-15T15:26:00.002-05:00

I apologize for the delay in getting this initial blog posted. I would just like to start by saying thank you for the opportunity to help you with this reconstruction process. My first full day was December 3rd 2008. Let me give you a recap as to what has happened since then.

I have walked all of the units (Both Baywater and Villas) that I had access to and finished up last Friday (12th of December). I will be creating a spreadsheet for those units regarding what I found if anything. If you would like a copy of that spreadsheet please send an email with your information to mrpconstruction@rocketmail.com and I would be happy to email that to you. Also if your unit is on an individual keypad code (anything other than the beach club code) please let me know what that is so that I may inspect.

This week I am meeting with the fire suppression companies and the electrician to get these items repaired in the buildings as fast as possible. The contract for the Fire safety companies (Kauffman & Alarmtech) was approved and we are working on a schedule. I am giving myself till the middle of January to have these Items complete but will be doing everything I can to have them done sooner. Also I have given the remediation company (Cotton) an opportunity to come back and inspect the water lines for leaks before the water is turned on to the buildings and they will be going through them with their plumber over the next few days. The power has been restored to most of the buildings out here. There are seven buildings that Centerpoint is working on because there was a problem that occurred with the transformers after their initial repair. I want everyone to know I am eagerly trying to get these rectified.

I would also like to update you on the roof repairs. As of now the roofs that are complete are as follows:

4151 Pointe West Dr. 4221 Pointe West Dr.

4141 Pointe West Dr. 4211 Pointe West Dr.

4131 Pointe West Dr. 4231 Pointe West Dr.

4121 Pointe West Dr. 4241 Pointe West Dr.

4111 Pointe West Dr. 26411 Cat Tail Dr.

26421 Cat Tail Dr.

The rest of the buildings are being worked on and I will post them as they are finished.

In closing I would just like to say that mine and the boards main focus out here is to get the people back into their units safely and as fast as possible. I am available for any questions or concerns you might have, so please don’t hesitate to call or email me. It has been a little hectic so please allow 48 hours for a response. I believe with a little effort and determination we can get Pointe West back on its feet and fully functional in a timely manner. Please understand that this is a construction process and the schedules that are submitted are a reference to how long a project should take and are in no way a guarantee. There will be some hiccups along the way but I am here to make sure that we get through those and KEEP THE PROJECT MOVING FORWARD!

Thanks Again,

Matthew R. Prince
Restoration Manger

Second Insurance Layer - Lexington

2008-12-12T17:43:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week representatives from Lexington including the adjuster that represented Essex conducted an onsite property evaluation. The Lexington adjuster introduced the new consulting contractor that would represent Lexington's interest. Lexington outlined their standard operating procedures that would include evaluation of damage, audit of all contracts and invoicing and the review of all proposed reconstruction costs. Lexington does not issue further funding disbursements until all these items are completed which by their schedule is March 2009.

The Associations provided Cotton bid documents for the rebuild of the envelope and interior wind damage areas of the buildings. The Lexington contractor had reviewed prior to meeting and questioned various items during walk of various condos. Among the items questioned were moving of contents, interior and exterior painting specifications and insulation replacement.

Lexington's standard auditing process is scheduled to start within a week and finalized in late February. An outside auditing firm will be contracted by Lexington to review unit prices paid to date and the contract scopes. The completion of the auditing process and the approval of the reconstruction scope will determine the timeline for the funding disbursement from Lexington.

This translates to a slow down in the reconstruction of the condominiums. The funds that have been obtained from condo owner assessments and the first insurance layer are contractually committed for tear out operations, electrical system, fire suppression, fire alarm and roof replacement. There are currently no additional funds to commit to any other reconstruction contracts.

The Associations have attempted to demonstrate the need for additional funding to Lexington by providing costs to date and the anticipated wind damage reconstruction costs. The Associations are facilitating Lexington where ever possible to expedite the current funding schedule. The Associations continue to provide information to the SBA program in order to potentially obtain interim construction funding.

In consideration of the most recent constraint the Associations have compiled a listing of all condo owners that have paid their first assessment. The listing will be used to establish a priority reconstruction schedule, as construction funds become available the Associations will attempt to serve these owners while maximizing the number of buildings open for homeowner use.

Beach Club Hours of Operation

2008-12-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

Sunday – Saturday
8am - 6pm

Breezes Café

Breeze will be closed from
December 22, 2008 – January 1, 2009

Breezes will reopen on
January 2, 2009 from 11am – 4pm

Holidays 2008

Christmas Eve December 24
beach club open 9am – 4pm
breezes café – closed

Christmas Day December 25
Beach Club & Breezes café - Closed

New Year’s Eve December 31
beach club open 9am – 6pm
breezes café - closed

New Year’s Day January 1, 2009
Beach Club open 10am – 2 pm
Breezes café - Closed

Status Update

2008-12-09T18:26:00.001-05:00

The following is the status of the special assessment collections as of today's date:

Bay Water: $219,634.65 billed/$129,767.64 paid/$89,867.01 outstanding.
The Villas: $384,770.38 billed/$220,928.24 paid/$163,842.14 outstanding.
TOTAL RECEIVED SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS IS $350,695.88.
TOTAL OUTSTANDING SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS IS $253,709.21.

On Monday, December 8, 2008, the Bay Water and The Villas Boards approved the following expenditures, which work is to be completed, hopefully, by December 31, 2008:

1. Kauffman Co. (the original contractor) for the fire sprinkler systems in the amount of $31,890. However, Kauffman was still surveying the backflow preventers and fire pumps so there will be a supplemental invoice to be paid.

2. Alarmtechs, Inc. for the fire alarm systems in the amount of $45,362.15.

The total of these two invoices is $77,252.15, which will be paid from the special assessments received, depleting the cash balance of the special assessments received to $273,443.73. Some additional invoices need to be paid from the special assessments so this will only leave whatever funds are left after these invoices and the supplemental Kauffman invoice to begin the unit restoration process in January. These funds will not restore very many units so the outstanding $253,709.21 is needed as soon as possible. Otherwise, we will be forced to wait until the second layer of insurance is received. There is another meeting tomorrow at Pointe West with the second layer insurance adjuster at which time we will give you a status update. Once all the appropriate fire systems are in place and approved by the authorities, hopefully by December 31st, the electrical can then be permanently turned on, which is good news for everyone.

Also, there has also been no official determination as yet from the flood insurance adjuster relating to the elevators.

You will be receiving your regular first quarter assessments within a few days which will be billed at the 2008 assessment rates and will need to be paid within the timeframe set forth in the invoices. Both Boards have been unable to reach an agreement on the 2009 budgets and we will be revisiting the issue next Monday. We have been advised that insurance rates on all the insurance policies will be increasing 10-15% and we are considering negotiating with the insurance companies about possibly increasing the deductibles to lower the premiums. This will be a major component of our budgets in 2009.

Many of you have been asking about the updated IRC reports, but we are still waiting for them.

Lexington - Second Insurance Layer

2008-12-05T13:45:00.004-05:00

The insurance adjuster on the first layer has been retained by Lexington to represent their interest on the remaining insurance coverage. The benefit to the Associations is the established relationship that has been vital in obtaining full payment from the first insurance layer. Having the same adjuster keeps the case moving forward without revisiting previous insurance coverage decisions. A meeting has been scheduled for late next week to review the proposed scope of reconstruction for exterior and interior of the buildings. The Associations anticipate initial insurance funding from discussion resulting from the meeting and then periodic insurance fund releases based on costs to date.

WGIPOA Meeting

2008-12-04T17:19:00.001-05:00

The West Galveston Island Property Owners Association is having a West End Town Hall type meeting!

Mark your calendars and plan to attend:

When: December 20
Time: 9:00AM
Where: Moody Gardens Hotel
Room: Salon FGH

Purpose is to update the west end on the Ike recovery efforts and what needs to be done and timetables. We are inviting speakers for the meeting from State, City, County, FEMA, Utilities, Planning, GLO, Public Safety, and Fire to advise where we are, what is being done, what the property owner associations can do, etc, etc, in the Ike disaster recovery efforts. We have a room large enough to hold 300 people so please tell your neighbors and friends.

Coffee and doughnuts will be available starting at 8:30 AM.

Restoration Manager

2008-12-04T10:16:00.003-05:00

Matt Prince, the restoration manager hired by the association, began work this week. He is in the process of reviewing what the associations have done to date with regards to the reconstruction process. Currently, he is walking all units with Cotton's tear out team to review the work that they completed and signing off on this stage of the reconstruction effort.

Matt Prince is located onsite and will be available to answer any questions that individual homeowners may have about the status of their units/building. He will also be posting regular updates to the blog with regards to the status of reconstruction.

Matt Prince's contact information is as follows:

Phone Number: 409-515-1900 ext. 3022
Cell Phone: 281-780-9916
Email: mrpconstruction@rocketmail.com

STATUS UPDATES AND RESTORATION MANAGER

2008-12-01T18:00:00.003-05:00

We are very pleased to tell you that the remaining balance of the Essex insurance policy limits which was in the amount $3,000,000 was received and deposited in the bank today. As a result, the roofing schedule has been stepped up as we were able to add a second roofing crew in order to complete the roofing process sooner. We are waiting on The Merlin Group's legal opinion relating to the various flood insurance policy interpretations and will let you know when the opinion is rendered and what Pointe West can expect relating to the elevators, etc.

We are also please to announce that Matt Prince, a former Centex employee who was involved in the construction and turnover process with the original nine villas and continued on to the additional nineteen villas, has been retain effective today to assist the POA and two condo associations with the restoration of the units and property on behalf of the owners. Mr. Prince is very familiar with the property, the materials, etc. and thus there will not be a learning curve as he will be able to jump in and coordinate and facilitate with Cotton and the homeowners during the restoration process. Mr. Prince's duties will be many, including working with the owenrs on the IRC reports, coordinating any owner upgrades vs. original finishes, assisting with owner insurance claims, informing the building captains of various reconstruction phases and construction monitoring with timetables, communicating with the owners via blog postings, maintaining files for audit operations, and ultimately, coordinating the successful turnover of the restored condos to their owners. Mr. Prince will be walking the property and meeting with Cotton and Board members tomorrow, and his contact information will be made available to you once his phone number and email account have been established.

New Villas Board Member

2008-11-26T16:47:00.003-05:00

As of Monday, Lee Petros has joined the board of directors for The Villas at Pointe West. Lee is an owner of an Ocean Club Villa unit. He has extensive experience in the construction field as the Executive Director of Construction and Demographic Studies for the Fort Bend ISD. We believe that this knowledge of construction, contracting and financials will be a benefit to the existing board during this time of reconstruction and forward.

The Board for all 3 associations is as follows (all board members are voting members):

POA:
Joe Castillo, President
Joe Smith, Vice President
Todd Erickson, Treasurer
Elizabeth Heckathorn, Secretary
Mark Dolan (Homeowner), Director
Neerja Bhardwaj (Homeowner), Director

The Villas at Pointe West, Inc.:
Joe Castillo, President
Todd Erickson, Treasurer
Elizabeth Heckathorn, Secretary
Susan Smith (Homeowner), Director
Lee Petros (Homeowner), Director

Bay Water Condominium Association, Inc.:
Joe Castillo, President
Todd Erickson, Treasurer
Elizabeth Heckathorn, Secretary
Tom McKinley (Homeowner), Director
Jerrell Jenkins (Homeowner), Director

We also wanted to take this time to recap which board members are responsible for posting to the blog. The schedule is as follows:

Monday- Villa Homeowner Board Members (Susan Smith or Lee Petros)
Tuesday- Bay Water Homeowner Board Members (Tom McKinley or Jerrell Jenkins)
Wednesday- Elizabeth Heckathorn
Thursday- POA Homeowner Board Members (Mark Dolan or Neerja Bhardwaj)
Friday- Joe Castillo

Additional Insurance Payment Expected

2008-11-26T16:37:00.002-05:00

The Board received notice today from Essex that is has released two checks tendering the remaining balance of its $5,000,000 policy limit. We expect that the checks will be received by the association the week of December 1st. The final payment from Essex breaks down as follows:

The Villas at Pointe West, Inc.- $1,371,000.00
Bay Water Condominium Association, Inc.- $1,629,00.00

Legal Interpretation

2008-11-26T14:41:00.002-05:00

Resulting from meetings with the condominium flood insurance adjuster, the Associations have asked Barry of IRC to obtain legal council from the Merlin Law Group. At stake are various claims within the garage level and components of the elevator system. The Merlin Law Group is to provide interpretations of the National Flood Insurance Program that substantiate the Association’s claim. The Associations anticipate resolution in late December.

Climatized Condominiums

2008-11-26T14:13:00.004-05:00

Reconstruction continues to progress across Pointe West, this week Cotton officially completed tear out operations with the climatizing of all condominiums. In the case of the damaged units, control areas were established to protect interior furnishings. These controlled areas were sealed with the use of the plastic coverings in order to maintain climatized areas. The Associations asks that all homeowners assist in keeping these in place so that the interior furnishings are protected.

Cotton is to provide a Hygienist report on the operation completed to date. Upon receipt the Association will make the report available at the Beach Club.