HP Connection

HP Community Connection by President Shirley Kafka

June 14, 2019
Hello again everyone.

Congratulations are due once again to our billiard’s club on their triumphant wins this past Monday evening. We have become contenders!! Both our A and B team made us proud.

Once again, please mark your calendars for the July 4th annual celebration here. Swim during the day, have your dinners, and then join us in the clubhouse. This year we will be showing Yankee Doodle Dandy as the classic film. Directly following this we will be serving coffee, tea, and desserts. Socialize and watch the streaming in of the fireworks on our large projection screen. The price is only $7.00 per person. Forms are on the front desk. It is open seating.

ONCE AGAIN, Phase 2 and Phase 4, it is important please that anyone leaving for the summer and fall should leave their car keys with someone. Although the starting date is yet unknown, once the paving company commences their work, your cars will have to be moved. Residents will incur the towing fee if needed.

As of June 8th, no planting will be done by the landscaping committee during the summer months. This is due to the heat and the hurricane season. Any emergencies, please call Linda Weeks.

Coral Lakes has been welcomed by our community and started their classes. It has only been a few days and the very few glitches have been addressed.

Remember to purchase summer show tickets for a mere $10. It’s an inexpensive delightful way to spend a Sat. evening.

Please mark your calendars for the closing dates of the cafe from July 29th to Aug. 4th and the clubhouse annual cleaning from Aug. 5th to the 9th.

Although you may not have heard any definitive news please know that we have not stopped going forward with our plans for the community. We have continual meetings and we wait, wait, and wait some more for responses from vendors and requested changes in proposals.

It will not be long before we award our contract to our paving company.

Hal Pugach and myself had a meeting with our patio attorney on Wed. Once again, we will be waiting for final drafts of the paperwork necessary. As the attorney is leaving on vacation in a week, we do not anticipate all be formalized for a few more weeks. It is disappointing. However, you must understand that we want all in proper order before we finally give the “all clear” for residents to submit their applications.

We cannot stress the importance of having residents purge old permanent guest lists for entry into the community. Please update your form. Again, it is advantageous to you and the community that you take the time to do this.

On behalf of our board and myself we want to thank the residents again for their respect and compliments on our work. It reinforces our decision in giving much time and effort in helping the community. There are always a few that find fault and complain. I have offered to have anyone who wishes spend a day with me to understand the workings of Campbell and your board.

I will not be available for approximately the next 10 days. Please call any board member should you encounter problems. Numbers are listed in the Lifestyle.

Be well everyone,

Shirley

June 7, 2019
Dear Huntington Pointe Residents:

Thursday, July 4th, 2019

Celebrate the 243rd birthday of this nation together. The festivities begin at 6:30pm in the theater starting with the classic movie, “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Immediately following in the ballroom we will be serving desserts, coffee and tea (BYOB.) Enjoy your evening with socializing and conversation. We will be streaming in the fireworks on our large screen.

The cost is $7.00 per person. Checks are to made out to HPA. Reserve by June 27th. This will be open seating. Forms will be at the front desk.

You should have all received your Huntington Pointe/Coral Lakes 2019 Fitness Class Integration Calendar via email. It is also posted on our website. All residents are invited to attend the 13 classes per week that Coral Lakes is offering at no charge.

You should also have received the first of a series of surveys being forwarded to all homeowners. This one was very general as we wanted to get an idea of what is wanted within our community. Please fill out and return. If unable to complete the form, please ask the front desk for assistance or for that matter, any friend or neighbor.

Residents attending the HPA meetings can see the progress being made on our projects. Many plans are currently “in the works” simultaneously.

I thought I would be able to announce the completion of our patio issue in this notification. Upon Hal Pugach and my trip to the attorney’s office on Wed. to finalize the paperwork, we received a call that the attorney was ill and the meeting was cancelled. We are in the midst of rescheduling and are delayed by over a week. We were disappointed but fully understand.

We will be selecting our paving contractor this coming week and awarding the contract. What this means is that our goal of having the walkways and roads complete before the Snowbirds arrive next season will be accomplished.

In addition to your being able to purchase show tickets on line, we are happy to advise you that you can now buy tickets for our Concert Series, subscription or individual, on line as well. We have a wonderful combination of live shows next season.

On Saturday June 22nd we are presenting Spanky & Dino. This is a father and son act that play your favorite Doo Wop songs live on keyboard and drums. The cost of this show is $10. We guarantee you will love them!! Do not regret that you missed them.

Last Saturday the Billard’s Club had an internal tournament. Congratulations to all that took part and to first place winners, Carol Trout and Rich Kreitzman and second place winners Gary Lipsitz and Ira Kafka.

A special acknowledgment is due to Elliott Colchamiro. Elliott received the Lou Schiff Award for excellence and the highest level of achievement from the PBSO for his volunteer work.

Scheduled meetings for this coming week are as follows:

HPA Agenda Meeting: Monday, June 10th at 10:00am

HPA BOD Meeting: Wednesday, June 12th at 11:00

Most important information of all is WELCOME BACK to Danny Davern. Your absence made us realize what an integral part of us you are.

Once again, thank you for the positive comments being given to our board. Thank you again also for the respect given us at our meetings. You know that we are trying for all.

Shirley Kafka

May 31, 2019

Hello Residents.

As I stated in the past, the Community Connection will not be a weekly update. However, whenever there is something of value and interest most certainly you will be informed.

Those that attended the Events Committee HP sponsored Memorial Day social afternoon enjoyed the day. We had a tribute to the veterans followed by live music at the pool. Many brought their lunches, snacks, and dinners with the availability of the ballroom for comfortable seating. Extra thank yous to Paul Cohen who chaired this event.

Please mark your calendars for July 4th celebrations here at HP. We will have our annual movie (not determined yet) followed by wonderful desserts and the streaming in of fireworks. The cost will be a minimal $7.00 per person and RSVP forms will be available the end of next week at the front desk. This event generally starts early evening and we will advise you the details.

The Fitness Committee is currently organizing the schedule for HP residents and our neighbors, Coral Lakes. Those interested please watch for details within the week.

Residents, we had an incident at last week’s show whereby a brand new resident wanted to attend. He went to the box office and was immediately told by other residents that because he was wearing shorts he could not get in. He was going home to change when two others stopped him and were rude about his attire. He decided not to attend. PLEASE, new homeowner’s are not familiar with all the rules. Be polite when giving advice and direction. He had only been here a few days and it was certainly not a good introduction. Our community is kind and caring. Please refrain from hurting someone’s feelings.

The following is a list of HPA BOD meetings for next week. All are welcome to attend.

Open Mic Meeting on Tues. June 4th at 11:00am.

Special HPA BOD meeting on Tues. June 4th at 12:30pm. This is to bring board members the status of various ongoing projects.

Meetings the following week are the agenda and general meetings. Please note that there is a change of time and usual dates due to board member’s schedules and availability.

HPA BOD Agenda Meeting on Monday June 10th at 10:00am.

HPA BOD Meeting on Wednesday June 12th at 11:00am.

For a mere $10. per ticket, please join us in the theater this Saturday evening at 8:00pm.

The Florida Sweet Tarts will be singing the hits of The Supremes, The Shirelles, The Shangi-La’s and other groups. They incorporate hula hoops, show props, and costume changes.

Tickets are available at the box office from 9:00am to noon on Friday and Saturday from 6:45pm to 7:55pm. Please attend.

Be well,

Shirley

Friday, May 24th, 2019

Hello Residents.

It’s been a whirlwind of activity here at HP this week as the board forges ahead in a most productive manner.

Micky Novak was nominated and elected to be our second Vice-President. Congratulations and all the best to him.

At Monday’s HPA Board meeting it was voted unanimously that Coral Lakes can utilize our clubhouse for exercise purposes only. They will be absorbing the costs for any extra classes and our residents will be able to join them. The Fitness Committee is working to schedule these classes.

“Speak Up For Kids” had made a presentation at our agenda meeting and the board once again voted unanimously to allow their event to be held in our theater. Once we have the details, residents will be advised so that you can purchases tickets.

Following our general meeting the board held a patio meeting to tie up loose ends. We were in agreement and once the attorney returns our final paperwork, the work of the past 3 years will be finalized. THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT.

For those that are uncomfortable using our new “call in” system from ABDI please note that directions for use are being given on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 to 4. Please visit the front desk for further information.

On Thursday the 23rd, the HPA Board met for nine hours in preparation of our going forward with our major projects. At 9:00am we met and received approval from all members to go forward with the interviewing of architects for our clubhouse renovations.

At 9:30am our interviews commenced having chosen 4 of the competing firms for the paving/sidewalk job. We are close to a final decision. All being well the projection of having new roads and sidewalks by the fall will be complete.

As our community moves forward in our road project please know that the time will come that all vehicles parked by the apartments will have to be moved because all the apartment parking lots will be redone. If you are a Snowbird who left a car at HP please make sure that a neighbor has the key to your car. We will be posting notices this summer as to when cars in a specific parking lot will have to be moved elsewhere. If your car is not moved it will have to be towed at your expense. Please make arrangements for someone to have your car key.

At this week’s HPA Board meeting, there was a discussion in reference to the tennis lights and the previous involvement of Campbell in securing a vendor that did not have the correct credentials. Please read the following remarks made by Sue Loeser. Thank you.

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

Mea Culpa

I was wrong. At this week’s HPA BOD I said that a former Campbell Property Manager acted without board approval regarding the purchasing of the new tennis lights. After some research I found that this is not true.

At the February 19, 2018, HPA BOD meeting, with all directors present except Morty Millstein and Audrey Fuentes, Lenny Kaplan made the following motion:

… to approve the purchase of new aluminum poles, and LED light fixtures for the Tennis Courts. The purchase will include the new aluminum poles, brackets, plate covers and new LED Area Light Fixtures for Courts 1 and 2. Cost of this purchase is $39,600.40. The vendor will be Lite Maintenance, Inc. Funding will be from Reserves Account 3749 Capital Improvements.

The motion was seconded by Sharon Cadoff. The warranty was3 years on parts and labor. A discussion ensued and a vote was called. The motion passed unanimously.

Furthermore on February 27, 2018 I signed the contract for Lite Maintenance for the amount stated above.

We had four quotes at the time ranging from $39,600 to $88,900 for the same work. Nothing is mentioned regarding the license/insurance of any vendor or the issue of a permit.

I flatly just did not /do not remember this. My apologies to go out to Campbell Property Management for misrepresenting the issue.

Sue Loeser**

That being said, have a wonderful weekend

REMEMBER:

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE TO ALL VETERANS takes place on Monday, May 27th at 12:30 in the ballroom. This is followed by live music, swimming and dancing at the main pool. Bring your lunches and snacks as tables will be set up in the ballroom for your use.

HAPPY HOLIDAY.

Only the best,

Shirley

May 17, 2019 HP Connection

Good Day All Residents.

Those that attended last week’s show had a marvelous time and thoroughly enjoyed The Motowners. Don’t be left out. The show on May 18th is once again $10. per ticket. The talent is Michael McGeehan & Margo Brown.

Please remember our annual Memorial Day event on May 27th. Fill out the form at the desk. There is no fee but we would like to know how many people to prepare for. Join us in honoring our veterans followed by Paul Anthony entertaining us at the main pool. The clubhouse ballroom will be open for those wishing to have lunch or early dinner within access to the pool. Tables and chairs will be set up for your use.

We had a productive agenda meeting this past Tues. The board will vote on the issues this Monday the 20th at 10:00am at the HPA Board meeting in the theater. All are welcome.

On Thursday the 23rd the HPA Board will be interviewing the selected paving companies they have chosen. The process will run from 9:30 am to approximately 4:30 pm. Residents are invited to attend and listen to the process. No questions other than the designated committee people, will be allowed. The day will be lengthy and our questions will be prepared prior to the interviews in order to keep the time frame as short as possible.

Once again, thank you for your support. We are moving forward at a nice pace.

Be well,

Shirley

REPORT OF MAY 1^st, 2019, HPA MEETING WITH

AKOURI CONSULTING ENGINEERS (ACE)

Introduction

HPA President Shirley Kafka has asked me to summarize Wednesday’s meeting with Akouri Consulting Engineering (ACE) and send that summary out to everyone. The 11:30 AM meeting was to gather in the Library but it soon became apparent that we needed to move to a larger setting. Therefore, around 11:30 those in the library moved to the Theater. If you tried to call in around that time you probably did not get through because the phone had to be moved as well. Approximately 300 residents attended the meeting in person and 30 were on the phone listening.

President George Akouri spoke for about an hour explaining to the HPA BOD what his report found. The entire board had received a digital copy of the report in April. After Mr. Akouri spoke each board member had the opportunity to question Mr. Akouri. And once all those questions were answered Mr. Akouri also responded to questions posed to him by the residents in attendance.

As I mentioned at the meeting, we all heard the same presentation, but I am sure that some people came away thinking that our clubhouse is in good shape while others thought they heard that there is lots to be done. I am going to present the facts (as I heard them) and if you did not hear the presentation you can judge the state of our clubhouse for yourself!

Akouri Consulting Engineers was asked to identify the health and safety issues found in our clubhouse, and that is what the report addresses. The company was not asked to price out what it would cost to remedy the issues they found. They were not asked how each item should be addressed. They simply were asked to identify health and safety issues.

First and foremost Mr. Akouri stated that our clubhouse roof was in excellent shape. He and his team were amazed at that since most flat roofs show at least some ponding. Ours does not. He also said that structurally the walls seem sound.

The two major findings mentioned:

Standing water in the atrium under the plants on the cement floor.
The lack of fresh air entering into our ventilation system – this involves all the bathrooms, sauna, the indoor pool and the card rooms. (Per the actual written report his could involve duct work, exhaust fans, supply fans etc.)

The above two conditions have to be remedied.

He also mentioned:

The air quality is “adequate” yet he recognized there is an odor throughout the clubhouse. Much of this is due to the lack of fresh air integration into our system.
Our ramps no longer comply with current ADA specifications. By today’s standard a ramp can only be 30 feet high and there need to be periodic landings so that a wheelchair occupant can rest while using the ramp.
The carpets in the card rooms need to be replaced and he recommended non-slip tile which is easier to maintain than carpeting.
The curved plastic skylight over the atrium is cheaply done and should be rethought.
He took air samples and there did not appear to be any mold present in the air.

Mr. Akouri spoke in generalities but when he was questioned we also heard the following:

He believes the clubhouse can be upgraded in sections so that the entire building would not have to be closed at any one time. He did not address the possible increased costs due to a longer performance period.

If we replace doors and windows so that we now have hurricane proof windows that may affect the A/C’s. We have to be make sure that once the windows are changed our A/C’s are properly sized.

It appears that the electrical system does not appear to need to be upgraded, but he did not open walls to check the system. He did recognize that we need some GFI outlets here and there.

He said that there could be mold under the carpeting.

When asked if we improve even one item for ADA compliance does this mean that we have to make our entire clubhouse ADA compliant? His response was that in our case the Florida Building Code is handled by the Palm Beach County Building Department and that department will tell us what is required once we submit our plans/documents.

Mr. Akouri was asked if HP is a good candidate for solar panels and he replied yes. He then went on to explain that solar panels for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house could cost $30,000. He further told us that if we had solar panels the collected energy goes directly to FPL which in turn sells that power to others. We would get some sort of rebate from FPL. In the case of the aforementioned home an electric bill of $230/month before the installation of solar panels was reduced to $10/month after the panels were installed due to the rebate from FPL.

The card rooms each have only one ceiling fan to circulate the air. Is this the cause of the odor in those rooms? Mr. Akouri did not think so, but rather the lack of fresh air was probably the cause.

He was asked if the air quality is the source of the rust on the lockers in the locker room. Mr. Akouri thought so. (Chipped paint and the presence of humidity – AKA air quality — was not mentioned but is bound to be part of the cause.)

It was also mentioned that in nearly 30 years our clubhouse has never really been totally upgraded.

Not mentioned Wednesday but contained in the written report:

Per the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser records the clubhouse was constructed in 1990.

The total “fungi” in the air near the lower atrium near clubroom 2 and the upper atrium area are both at unacceptable levels.

The electrical inspection showed that although some items work, they are not in compliance with the manufacturer (e.g., on the roof three condensing units have 20A protections instead of 15A that the manufacturer requires).

Florescent lights (lobby, corridors, offices, etc.) should be replaced with LED lights.

Each supply fan (five of them) and exhaust fan (21 of them) is listed; some are in good condition, some are the wrong strength, some are in poor condition.

Six roof top units (compressors) are listed with half of them listed for replacement.

There are 18 split systems (air handling units and cooling units) listed with recommendations for replacement for numerous units.

No ventilation ducts or vents were observed in multiple areas of the building (stairwell maintenance room, ballroom storage area).

The air supply was not properly balanced for the ballroom and ballroom kitchen/storage areas.

The billiards room and clubroom 2 have numerous ventilation problems.

The plumbing drainage system in the bathrooms and dressing rooms needs repairs to insure the system drains properly and retains water in the P-trap.

The following is the “Conclusion of the Engineering Report”

“Our investigation into the various systems in operation at the Huntington Pointe facility uncovered various deficiencies. Those deficiencies ranged from minor installation issues to significant concerns about the remaining service life of the various systems.

“ACE recommends:

Replacing/repairing mechanical systems as specified in Section 6 of this report. The work must be in accordance with plans prepared by a licensed engineer and approved by the Local Building Department. (Section 6 is about Supply Fans, Exhaust Fans, Roof Top Units and Split Systems.)

Replacing/repairing electrical systems as specified in Section 5 of this report. The work must be in accordance with plans prepared by a licensed engineer and approved by the Local Building Department. (Section 5 is about GFCI Receptacles, Switches, Fuse Protections, Lightning Rods and LED Lights.)

Plumbing repairs to the P-traps in the bathroom and fitting room areas. The work must be in accordance with plans prepared by a licensed engineer and approved by the Local Building Department.

Completely replacing/redesigning the planter area in the atrium. The work must be in accordance with plans prepared by a licensed engineer and approved by the Local Building Department.

Replacing the carpeting system in all activity rooms.

Replacing the skylight in the atrium with energy efficient glass. The work must be in accordance with plans prepared by a licensed engineer and approved by the Local Building Department.”

At the end of the report it also states: “The site assessments performed during January, February and March 2019 were visual evaluations. Areas obscured from view such as ceiling, wall and floor cavities or other inaccessible areas were not examined.”

And now you know what was said during the meeting with ACE as well as items included in the ACE Report that were not mentioned.

So what is the next step?

Since no one on the board is an expert in clubhouse remodeling/refurbishment, the plan has always been to hire professionals.

Thus the next step is to interview architects, select one/several, share the ACE Engineering Report with each and then see just what each would recommend as the next step.

Remember, this is a process and as we have done in the past we will keep everyone abreast of each step of the process. So stay tuned…

(Please note that any text in italics is text added by me for further explanation.)

Sue Loeser

Director of Special Projects

Dear Residents:

Last week was the final edition of The Chronicle. Everyone enjoyed reading Sue’s updates and we thank her for her diligence and expert writings in keeping us all informed.

You are all aware that the past week brought about a multitude of issues to deal with. No decision has yet been made on a weekly journal.

We had a week of havoc. Someone had asked me how long I was President and my response was 200 years (2-1/2 weeks.)

Many residents are concerned with Sue’s resignation and the functionality of our board. All is in place and we continue forward.

We had a vacancy in Phase 2 due to Sue’s leaving. We welcome Wayne Goodman to the Phase 11 Board and Howard Isserles’ appointment to the Board of Directors.

At the agenda meeting I announced the appointment of Sue Loeser as our Director Emeritus. She has provided years of distinguished service. There are no set rules and privileges that a director emeritus has. She will be actively involved. She will attend any meeting she chooses but no longer has the right to vote.

I had assigned the position of Director of Special Projects to Sue shortly after my becoming president. She has agreed to retain this job. From the time she resigned there was not a day where we did not have contact. I made it clear to all when questioned that knowing Sue she would not abandon me with any information necessary for my continuing in a positive way. The residents of HP should feel comfortable knowing she has been and remains a vital person to this community. It is not mandatory for her to attend any meetings or take part in any discussions. Just know she is available to us.

Our usual monthly Board of Directors Meeting will take place this Monday, April 15th at 10:00am. There will be the usual Open Forum for residents to ask questions after the adjournment of the meeting.

I wish all a very Happy Easter and a Sweet Passover. For those traveling, be safe.

Enjoy all with your family and friends. Take a breath and give us a chance to get organized. There will not be a Friday general news article for the next few weeks. Be patient please.

I know I am once again repeating myself, but I thank the residents of HP for being so very respectful to me. Regardless of our viewpoints, we exchange information, ideas, and thoughts.

All the best,

Shirley Kafka

President

HPA