Two of the Board members’ terms will expire this year, and the Board is soliciting candidates to potentially fill those positions in the September 2008 AGM election. Board service does require a good deal of work and entails a significant commitment of time away from home - and if employed, from work. The following overview of the requirements is provided to help those who might be willing to serve in making a decision about this important commitment.
- The term is six years. Board members may also serve on permanent committees or ad hoc committees for special projects.
- They must attend 3 Board meetings per year of about two days each, usually in January, June, and September/October. There is typically a pre-meeting to finalize the agenda the day before, and committee or other meetings after the meeting to follow up on various issues.
- Board members must prepare for, attend, and present information at the annual AGM in September/October annually. The third Board meeting is usually concurrent with the AGM.
- If the need arises, they may be called upon to travel to Aruba to attend meetings or court hearings at times other than the regularly scheduled Board meetings.
- Board members participate in a regular conference call every other week. These calls range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, but usually last about an hour. The Board or specific committees may have other scheduled or special purpose conference calls as needed.
- Board members stay in active communication with each other, the management consultants, and with members via email. Board members usually exchange emails about some matter daily. There are usually several each day, but at times, the volume is very heavy. Given international long distance rates and the necessity of delivering documents promptly to multiple parties, email is a necessity.
Anyone who has the ability and willingness to serve, and believes they could make a contribution to our Coop is encouraged to contact Jessica Franken, Assistant General Manager to obtain the necessary questionnaire and return it by June 1, 2008. Given the background of the current Board members, we would especially encourage those with a background in large operations management and/or someone with a background in corporate or public communication to consider applying if they are willing and able to serve. We believe that adding Board members with strengths in those areas would help direct us in our operations, renovations efforts and other on-going activities of the Board as well as helping us enhance our communication about these efforts to our members, our employees and to the community in general.
Thanks to all the members for their continued support, and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
Pay Maintenance Fees Quickly & Securely Online
The Annual General Meeting was held on Monday, September 10, 2007. All the items on the ballot were passed including the renovation plan. All owners that were on property this past week and had a chance to visit the renovated model rooms were very complimentary and excited about the end result. The recently completed model rooms were inspected by the Board of Directors and following the AGM, they had the opportunity to review and evaluate many of the suggestions and recommendations given by our owners. These were passed on to the construction and design team to be included in the updated plans. These updated plans will be re-submitted to the Board by mid October at which time the final plans will be published. All owners on property or in Aruba are welcome to visit us and arrange a time with the Membership department to go see these model rooms.
The following passport notice was taken from http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
UPDATE: The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security announced Friday, June 8, that U.S. citizens traveling to Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region, who have applied for, but not yet received passports, can re-enter the United States by air. This accommodation will expire at the end of September, and beginning October 1, 2007, all U.S. Citizens traveling outside the United States will be required to present a valid passport to enter and depart from the United States. This accommodation does not mean that Americans are exempt from meeting the entry requirements of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or countries in the Caribbean region, some of which require a passport, certified birth certificate, or other evidence of citizenship for entry.
THE RENOVATION
Some questions have arisen about the planned renovation, many of which have been answered in weekly owners meetings or individual discussions. Nevertheless, we would like to use this forum to ensure that every owner fully understands the plans, the process and the results of what will make our vacation home, not only beautiful, but also increase the value of your vacation investment.
Two of the re-occurring questions raised are how we came up with the assessment and why is it so expensive.
First, let us assure you that every dollar being spent is being done with a fine-tuned focus on saving money. However, we are not sacrificing quality to achieve this. It is important that we plan and renovate with the best quality products to protect your interests, future and long-term value of your units. This comes with a price tag.
The Process
Now, how did we arrive at the actual assessment? We all recognize the need for this renovation. Over the past several years, we have upgraded and changed furniture piece by piece in order to provide basic maintenance of our units. However, such upkeep has proven not to be cost effective.
Following feedback from our owners meetings, email correspondence and direct communication with the Board of Directors, we launched a research and planning project with architects, engineers and designers in which they have provided us with a detailed plan as well as estimated costs for the renovation – all designed to protect your interests and ensure the sustained value of your units.
This year-long exercise has resulted in the decision to renovate the Model Rooms. These Model Rooms will be on display for the next set of comments before finalizing the new design plans.
The Costs
The cost of doing business in Aruba is far more expensive than doing business in North America. Everything we do involves purchasing and bringing in supplies that do not exist on Aruba. This means shipping and freight costs that are higher than our U.S.-based counterparts. This also results in Aruba customs, import duties and BBO taxes that add to the cost.
We also have high insurance costs associated with any building project. And finally, we have the labor costs applicable to Aruba. These collective costs mount up. A major renovation, as the one proposed, will result in high costs for the supplies plus the aforementioned associated costs that may not be included in a comparable U.S. project.
All of the above costs are calculated in the assessment that you have received for payment of the planned major renovation.
The Plans
We are doing these Model Rooms taking everything into consideration, but not limited to the cost, your comfort and the general esthetics of the unit.
These Model Rooms will enable us to ensure that we are doing it right before we proceed with the mass renovation of all the units.
Many of our owners have called, e-mailed and asked us about the extent of their unit renovation. Please note that final inclusion of certain furniture, appliances and accessories as well as changes in floor plan will be made after completion of the two Model Rooms.
The following is the proposed list of items that will give you an idea of what is being replaced in your unit.
The Why
Once again, these renovations have been long overdue. The Beach and Racquet Club is 17 years old this year and our units have become tired. The renovation will not only bring the resort back to life, it will revitalize the individual units raising the value of your unit and the resale value as well. Additionally, this renovation will guarantee our five (5) star exchange status and increase the corresponding exchange power.
This will be the first full renovation in the 17-year existence of the resort. We are going beyond a cosmetic cleansing. We are upgrading both the look and feel of the resort and adding new appliances, new lighting, new amenities and much more.
Saving Money and Doing It Right
The Model Rooms will save us time, energy and money in the end. The exercise in producing renovated sample units (Model Rooms) is necessary to ensure that we do this right the first time. By creating the Model Rooms we will have gone through the process, re-evaluated, corrected and fine-tuned the models before we proceed with the major renovation of all the units.
The Communication
What started as discussions in the Board Meetings spilled out into the Members Lounge and over the Internet in our Owners Chat Rooms, at poolside and on the beach. Everyone has been talking about these renovations for more than a year now.
While we have reached out to as many people as possible, it is virtually impossible to reach and communicate with everyone.
Board members have had numerous conversations in person and over the Internet with owners about these plans. Comments have been made, suggestions offered and everyone who has wanted to say something has been heard.
The Model Rooms are now being renovated and should be completed by August 31st. If you happen to be on property or in Aruba following that date, feel free to visit both renovated Model Rooms 420B & C. Of course, we will also post pictures on our Renovation website of the renovated rooms for everyone else to see.
There is an old saying that when God started out to build a horse he decided to turn the task over to a committee. The result was a camel. We don’t want any humps in our resort so we are not going to be able to accept every suggestion. That would be impossible and we would end up with very strange rooms. Rather, we will review all comments and try to blend as much as feasible into the final plan.
The Assessment
When we sent out the convocation last month announcing the Annual General Meeting we did not specify the Assessment Fee’s due date. Please refer to the updated and recently posted “Renovation Assessment Schedule and Due Dates”.
Stay tuned, we will keep you informed of everything, every step of the way. This is your vacation home and we intend to make it the best there is for you, your family and every other owner.
Communication between owners and the Beach & Racquet Club
team is of paramount importance to the smooth running of our operation -
but we can't make it work by ourselves. There are many occasions where
we need to get in touch with our owners - such as to confirm travel
dates so as to prevent arrivals in the wrong week, discuss the new
rental program, outline the massive renovation program, and items of a
similar nature. Unfortunately, though, we encounter discrepancies and
that makes communication very difficult. Plus, sometimes the new
contact information provided to us has been incomplete - such as we get
a new address but not the new phone number. Therefore, to streamline
our contact lists for owners, we request that if you move or change any
of your contact information (legal name, address, telephone, fax and
e-mail address), please make sure the Beach & Racquet Club is aware of
all the changes so we can update our records accordingly. To contact us, please
go to
http://www.lacabanabrc.com/contact.shtml and select the subject Members
Change of Address. Thank
you in advance for your attention to this extremely important request.
In an attempt to bring the members of the BRC up to date we would like to advise the members that the Auction of the Villas property took place on Thursday, June 7, 2007. We have been advised that The Gillmann Group out of Las Vegas was the successful bidder. The Villas complex, the Key Largo Casino building, and the entire Existing Royal Cabana Casino Building were included in the Sale.
The Board and members wish Mr. Gillmann and company good luck and are looking forward to having a good working relationship from now and in the future.
More news will be posted as it is made available to us.
Thank you
Tentative plans were submitted to the Board for the renovations of the resort at the January board meeting. We are planning to update the Main Lobby, A, B, C, D and F units over the next three years. After review of the plans as submitted, the board asked the engineer and designer to make various changes that all board members and management would like to see accomplished. We asked that they resubmit the revised plans back to the board members for further review by the end of March.
After the board reviews and comes up with a tentative set of plans, we will place a set on display in the members lounge so that all owners while on property may review and make additional suggestions.
It was decided to delay any more talk of a name change for the resort at this time. We will continue to research what the cost would be and if there are any limitations on what possible names we could use.
As most owners know from our previous reports, the Board has been holding all foreclosed units. We plan on using these units during the renovations to place any owners that want to come to the resort during the time their unit is being renovated. In the mean time our reservation department is renting the units on a first come first serve basis to any owner that wants to extend their vacations. Just contact the reservation department for additional information.
These rentals will help us to cover the maintenance fees that are due on these units.
In an attempt to eliminate the problem of owners not showing up for their weeks causing the unit to set empty and also to aide those that show up the wrong week, we will be starting a new program.
Between 6 to 8 weeks before your scheduled week of occupancy, we will be calling you to verify your check in date. We will be checking to see if you are planning to use your week this year or if you will be renting it out. We will be setting up a program where we will help you with renting your unit if you would like, where the rent collected will be shared between the owner and the COOP. We have no definite plans as to the workings but information will be forthcoming. We are attempting to eliminate the empty rooms at the resort and hopefully stop the loss of income from the F&B department that results from the empty beds. We hope this new program will aide in our budget and maintenance fee structure.
This past year we had 13.5% no shows, which amounted to 21,016 nights with no one using the room. We estimated a loss of $1.8 million between an empty unit and the loss of F&B income if the unit had been occupied.
A new chiller for the air conditioning has been installed. The new equipment will result in a $90,000 energy savings per year. We did have an emergency this past month when a motor burned out in the Chiller in section 7 of the resort. Maintenance Department personal worked 24 hours to make repairs. We will have to search the budget for money to replace this particular motor this year.
Painting is being done in all the tunnel areas to match the walls and boarders with our new carpeting that has been installed in all hallways.
Our new computerized reservation and accounting system is nearing completion. Our existing contract with the company that supplies all equipment and services, expires at the end of May at which time we will not renew. We will than have all new computers, software and licenses in the name of the COOP. No more renting of equipment and services. The final cost will be $462,000. We will realize a savings of $198,000 per year from our old contract that will result in a 2 1/3 year payback on the new system.
Our new phone system is now in operation with voice mail available in each unit. To check on your voice mail if the red light is flashing just hit “star 6, pound 7” (*6#7) and listen to the message.
A major concern in recent months has been the fly problems on the Island. We have begun additional spraying each day in an attempt to alleviate the situation. Plans are underway to screen in the Islander Grill to help in that area.
Additional news from the government is that we have been issued our Hotel License that has never been applied for by our former management company. With this license in hand we will now be able to apply for a permit to reopen the Oasis bar on the beach.
Effective February 1, 2007 the Transfer of Ownership fee will be increased to $150 for each new Share Certificate to be issued.
Board of Directors
La Cabana is now an official "Hot Spot" with Setarnet WIFI. WIFI
Cards are sold at the Front Desk, the price is $10 for one continuous 24 hour period of
access. For one week continuous access you will purchase a card for $35. No refunds
will be given once cards are purchased so please choose the card best for your needs.
La Cabana guests can also
access the "Hot Spot" by using their credit card and locals who have WIFI
included on their ADSL package may connect using their ADSL username and
password. "Hot Spot" locations at La Cabana are the main lobby 1st and
2nd floor surroundings, plus the pool and beach area surroundings. La Cabana is not
responsible for connection or troubleshooting of the WIFI, however we will assist with connection configuration on your laptop, if necessary.
For connection/troubleshooting guests must contact the Setarnet Helpdesk at 583-4000; the Helpdesk service is available weekdays from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, plus Saturday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.
It’s been a while since we have been able to update the members as to the happenings at your resort, but we will attempt to keep everyone informed as well as possible.
First off the Board would like to welcome our new General Manager Joe Najjar to our resort and wish him well. You will see Joe around the property at all times of the day so don’t be afraid to stop and introduce yourself. He is always open to suggestions and is hoping to become familiar with all owners. He has been on property for about a month now and we are already seeing changes for the positive. Our employees are very happy to have Joe in charge as he cares for the employees also.
Renovations to the main floor restrooms located at the end of the first floor hall opposite the Captains table are nearing completion. This work is mainly being accomplished with in-house maintenance crews. A savings on the cost.
A major change that has been accomplished is the turnover of phone system, wiring, and computer wiring to the Coop. These belonged to OHEM and we have been paying for its usage over the years. Thru a court decision, Ohem was ordered to sign over the deed to the wiring and various computer equipment to the COOP for an agreed upon price. With this accomplished, we are now installing a new digital phone system which will include voice mail in each unit. We are working with Setar to lower the prices for in room phone services. When the work is accomplished, the resort will have a new Phone number. (297) 520-1100. The existing number will be retained by OHEM to be used at the Villas only. INFORMATION WILL BE ANNOUNCED WHEN IN EFFECT.
We have removed the existing Internet café and WiFi system that belonged to OHEM. The Internet café (which is already in operation) and the WiFi system are being replaced by a system owned by SETAR. Access will be by a prepaid card which owners can log on with and use only the minutes necessary. Any minutes not used can be carried over for another time. Prepaid cards for purchase will be available on site. The COOP will receive income from this service that will be used to aid in maintenance fees.
New carpeting has been installed in the hallways of all four floors of the interior wings.
New plants and shrubs have been installed throught the property. We are receiving positive reports from owners and guests as to how great the grounds are looking.
The pool deck areas have been power washed to bring it back to original brightness.
The damaged and rusted door on the back of the Pool slide has been replaced.
The employee’s cafeteria has been remodeled and painted. The eating area is now separate from the kitchen area. The employees continue to thank us for giving them a nice place to work and caring about them.
The main parking lot is scheduled to be resurfaced within the next couple of weeks.
New terry cloth bathroom towels have been purchased and placed in the rooms. We have also purchased new hunter green beach towels. They should be in within the next week. The new beach towels will be larger and plusher than the existing towels. These towels will only be available to BRC guests and owners while staying at the resort. They will not be available at the Villas towel stand.
Bath and Beach towels belonging to the BRC are now being laundered on site, which is cheaper than outsourcing to a commercial laundry.
The design for rehabilitation of the remaining units at the resort is being worked on at this time. Due to the change over of management of the resort, the work is being delayed until 2007/2008 fiscal years. Information will be included in the AGM convocation package.
Plans are still being discussed to make the buildings at the resort SMOKE FREE. This item will be placed on the ballot at the AGM this coming fall.
Guests of the Villas are no longer allowed to make charges to their rooms at any of the BRC restaurants or facilities. BRC guests can not make charges to their rooms at the Hangout or the Sunset swim up bar at the Villas
Next Boards meeting is scheduled for June 25th thru June 27th.
Due Date: December 15, 2007 - A 25% Late Fee Applies
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS ARISING FROM THE RENOVATION
Renovations and Occupancy Report
Capital Improvements
Lawsuit Issues
Have you Written Down our New Phone Number?
Our new phone number is (297) 520-1100. Please check our online phone directory for extensions.
Update from your Board of Directors May 2006
YOUR BOARD INFORMS January 23, 2006
Why did the Board make these changes? 
Casa Grande N. V., our previous management company filed for bankruptcy thereby activating the provisions in the management contract for termination of their contract and their sub contract with OHEM N.V., pursuant to order of the Aruban court. This change only applies to Casa Grande Resort Cooperative Association 1. OHEM N. V. will continue to oversee operations and management on behalf of the LA CABANA VILLAS.