Foxhunt News and Reports
FOXHUNT UPDATE
9/15/08
BY JIM BARNET, VP
Before I begin with my report of Foxhunt activities would like to thank the owners at Foxhunt for the tremendous support in the April Election. With four candidates running for one seat I was returned to my seat by more than a two- to-one ratio over my competitors. I feel that the owners truly appreciate the hard work I have contributed to the association to make Foxhunt what owners want and expect it to be.
As most of you know, about a year ago I had begun a search for a possible replacement for SVM who was our management company. I felt, after being elected to my first term and seeing the internal workings of the association (and SMV) that we owed it to our owners to research other management companies.
With this in mind, as your President in 2007 I began a search for a new management team. After much research and many discussions I decided to present the Foxhunt Board of Directors with the SPM management team. I felt that with their background and expertise they were the company for the job.
The results!!! After more interviews and research by the Board we decided not to renew the SVM contract and instead hire SPM. (I know the initials can become confusing). So, as of August 1, 2008 Foxhunt is now officially run by SPM Management Company.
MAINTENANCE
How are they doing? Well, with just over a month of new management your board already sees a great improvement at Foxhunt. For example, maintenance is repairing everything in sight. They are constantly inspecting each unit and making immediate repairs where needed and possible.
Maintenance is also on top of owners calls!!! When a call is received from an owner the front desk immediately logs in the call and contacts the maintenance dept by radio. They then have a specific amount of time to respond to the owner and make necessary repairs. After the repair is completed they are to log that request out with date and time. These reports are carefully monitored and any request not handled according to procedure will be dealt with accordingly.
HOUSEKEEPING
And Housekeeping!! Changes have also been made in this department. The former head of housekeeping has been dismissed and a new person will soon be hired. In the meantime our housekeeping company has brought in a corporate manager to head up the team and get things progressing on a new track. I know that you will definitely see great improvements on your next visit to Foxhunt.
REMOLDELING PROGRESS
The remodeling is coming along nicely with 9 building completed or nearly completed. We plan on beginning our tenth building very shortly. I believe, but this is not yet confirmed, that this will be building #1.
OTHER CHANGES
In my last report I mentioned that we were planning telephone and cable improvements. Well your unit now has increased cable channels and HIGH SPEED INTERNET. We are still working on the unlimited calling that we were promised by the cable company but as of this writing that has not occurred.
ONE LAST COMMENT
As many of you already know because of my new career position I needed to step down as President of Foxhunt BOD. So at the last meeting I nominated Dan Myers to replace me as 2008 President and it was so moved.
Dan has a lot of BOD experience as he has presided over a timeshare organization in Florida for many years with remarkable success. So please welcome Dan and give him all of the support you have given to me over the past year.
Now do not think that I am going away. On the contrary, I have accepted the Vice President responsibility and will still be very active in the board.( As a matter of fact I just returned from a two day inspection review at Foxhunt to see how the new management team was progressing). However with all of the work still required in the renovation process I felt I needed to take just a little break. Last year I spent approx 4-5 hours a day and with this new career position as sales manager for an Exit Realty office I needed to cut that down just a bit.
At this same meeting the board also elected a new secretary and it is my pleasure to announce that Aden Sowell was elected the new Secretary/ Treasurer of Foxhunt Board of Directors.
Again, I want to thank you for all of your support in the recent election and during my term as President and hope that you will continue to support myself and the rest of the boards efforts in the future.
Jim Barnett
VP Foxhunt POA
4/20/2008 Foxhunt Update
Your board held it's Annual Meeting on April 14 and we wish to thank all the owners that attended and who were involved in a great dialogue about the future of Foxhunt. Your board also appreciated the fine comments that were directed toward our recent efforts to make Foxhunt the vacation place it should be.
It was also the first time in many years that Foxhunt had enough proxies to hold an official annual meeting and for this your board is very appreciative.
At this meeting, President Jim Barnett announced that because of his new business commitments and management position at Exit Realty South in Charlotte, NC it was impossible for him to be a candidate for President. However, he would agree to take another directors position if nominated and work closely with the new President to complete the many projects we are currently involved in.
I was elected as your President and will do all in my power to serve the needs of all the owners of Foxhunt. It is the objective of this board to improve the quality of our units and at the same time do everything possible to control all costs associated with running the association's business. Much has been asked of the owners over the past two years and your support has and continues to be critical to accomplish the various needs and improvements facing Foxhunt. All of the board members thank your for your tremendous support.
The other changes in the board are as follows and the current board members for your association will be:
Dan Myers, President
Jim Barnett, Vice President
Aden Sowell, Secretary/Treasurer
Tom DeCosta
Richard Foster
February 4, 2008
As promised, from time to time I want to give Foxhunt owners updates as to what your association is doing to make Foxhunt a better place to vacation. Therefore here are the latest happenings.
Probably the most asked question about Foxhunt is “When will my building be completed. Thus far we have completed or are in the processing of completing buildings 2,5,6,7,9,11 and an anticipated 3 more to began shortly. At this time I am not certain which buildings this will be but management is working on this now. Hopefully I will have that information in a few days.
Concerning the remaining buildings we are confident that we will be able to complete everything by the end of the year. This is our GOAL and the board feels it is very realistic.
Probably the next most asked question concerns the Housekeeping. A couple of months ago I met with the President of MasterCorp, our cleaning company. I set some expectations for them and told them this was the minimum I would accept. I also tag teamed with Fairway Forest and between the two of us I think they got the message. We now get weekly reports that advise any housekeeping and maintenance problems.
Things have gotten better but still not to the level I expect. So, the President of Fairway Forest and myself are having another POW-WOW with MasterCorp on Feb 6th to discuss their new contracts. We also requested and received an itemized report as to what there obligations will be during the next contract period. This will make them more accountable to us because every expectation will be in writing and nothing left for interpretation.
At the end of this year the contract with Sapphire Valley Management Association (SMVA) is up for renewal. Your board feels it is a prudent move to interview other management companies to be certain that we are getting the best for our dollar. I am not certain when, if ever, this was last done but felt it was a necessary move.
We may, after an investigation, remain with them or we may hire someone new but at least we will know we did a through investigation before resigning a contract with anyone.
November 17, 2007
The Board of Directors met on November 12 & 13, 2007 to review and discuss the proposed budget for 2008. Our goal of providing our owners with a quality vacation experience is a primary objective of your Board. The conditions that have existed over the past decade could no longer be tolerated. Therefore, last year we began our extensive renovation program to accomplish our goal. Now, in order to continue on with our program this year we had to make some very difficult decisions.
After a very thorough and concerned evaluation of the options available to us, we have found it both necessary and prudent to increase the Maintenance Fee; impose a Reserves Fee as well as complete the 2 year Special Assessment for the ongoing major interior renovations. We should like to share our thoughts with you on how we arrived at the figures.
Maintenance Fees
First, as everyone is aware, much like your own home, expenses have risen with the national increases in energy and wages. While your Board understands that everyone has experienced increased demands on personal fiscal matters, we found ourselves with few options but to increase the annual operational budget. We are certain that you recognize that it is not economically sound to delay repairs or preventive maintenance or not collect adequate reserves, just to keep our annual dues artificially low. To do so leads to continued long term deterioration, more special assessments and ultimately greater costs to all of us.
Much like any organization, your Boards’ budget meeting involved examining every aspect of our operations to see where we could make adjustments and hold increases at a minimum. Operational costs such as electricity water, sewage, garbage pickup, housekeeping, master association dues, insurance and upkeep of the buildings have all risen significantly. Consequently, we have had to adjust fees to cover these and other increases. Therefore, after 10 exhausting hours of discussion our final budget was produced and it has become apparent that it is necessary to increase the 2008 assessment by approximately 15%, raising this fee from $460.00 to $530.00.
Reserve Funding
If you are a long time owner at Foxhunt you may remember that periodic special assessments had been imposed by Board’s over the years. Charges for “reserves” have been collected for specific improvements. However, these were more of a bandage rather than a well thought out, long term plan. The ongoing interior renovation was a predictable expense that could have been achieved by annual “reserve” payments over the last 15 years; however, a fully executed “reserve program” was not implemented.
In order to avoid similar, very high, special assessments for road paving, roof replacement, painting, interior replacement (appliances, televisions, phones, floor treatments, furniture, etc..), and the like, your Board believes that it is necessary to start collecting “reserve funds” on an annual basis. Therefore, the Board has set the 2008 Reserve Fee at $55.00. We encourage owners to view your vacation ownership as an investment which can provide enjoyment for many years. The maintenance and reserves fees together, result in a cost of $585.00 for your 2 bedroom, townhome resort.
Special Assessment
Last year, the Board set a $650.00 special Assessment to begin funding for major interior renovations for all 60 of our units. Hopefully, many of you have had the opportunity to either see the results of the renovations or at least pictures at our website, (www.foxhuntsv.com). Our current schedule has 6 buildings being completed by the end of 2007 with the remaining 9 buildings completed during 2008, based on collections and scheduling.
Funding for these renovations will again require the special assessment, as indicated previously in last years Board Letter. The Board found it necessary to set this year’s special assessment at $695.00 per week, (because of a shortfall in collections). Based on a fully funded budget for the 2008 year, we anticipate that this will complete our interior renovation project. These interior renovations are ensuring that the overall value of your vacation week investment remains high.
We sincerely appreciate your support in this effort as our success in completing this project will depend upon the timely collection of this assessment. We are again providing the opportunity for this special assessment to be paid in 3 installments: $235.00 by January1, $235.00 by April 1, and $235.00 by July 1, 2008. It is important to make your payments in a timely manner in order for us to complete our major interior renovation project on time.
In summary, the 2008 per unit fees will be $530.00 for maintenance, $55.00 for reserves, and $695.00, special assessment for interior renovation.
We would like to remind you that the Foxhunt property Owners Association has a number of timeshare weeks available for purchase. We believe that these weeks represent a great value to our current owners either as additional vacation weeks or as gifts for family members or investments for friends. Sales of available weeks will assist in keeping future fees lower.
Please contact our listing agent, Sue Reid at Reid Realty for sales information. She can be reached by email at, sue@suereidrealty.com, her website, http://suereidrealty.com/ or phone, (828) 743-5955.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or any other member of your Board of directors. We are owners also and certainly want to do what we can to ensure that your vacation experience, as well as our own, is one that is a rewarding time.
Your Board of Directors
Jim Barnett, President
Tom Decosta, Jr. Vice President
Dan Myers, Secretary/Treasury
Aden Sowell
Richard Foster
10/12/07
As promised when I first established this website I planned to use this site to update the owners as to the happenings at Foxhunt. Well, if you continue to read this column you will learn all of the progress your board is making in bringing your units back to the condition that you had always expected them to be.
First, let me discuss the cleaning and maintenance of the units.. As we all know the condition of the units has left something to be desired. In many cases they are not cleaned properly and/or there are unresolved maintenance issues. In some situations the condition had been so bad that the owner or exchange party had to be moved or even check out early. This is definitely not acceptable to your board and I therefore have instituted procedures to monitor unit conditions.
In an effort to make cleaning and maintenance accountable to your board I have designed several report forms which they are required to fill out. Among the forms is one for the cleaning crew to fill out as the work is being done; another for the quality control person to fill out to denote unit condition (including any missing or broken items) and still another report that the maintenance crew fills out to show which damaged items have actually been repaired and when they were repaired. These reports are then sent to me periodically (some weekly and some bi-weekly) for review.
While on the subject of unit damage this has become a major problem to your association Many units have soiled carpet; broken mirrors; holes in walls, etc. In an effort to curtail this type of damage you board has instituted a new policy.
Beginning January 1, 2008. it will be a requirement at check-in that owners and exchange guests register a credit card as a security precaution. While no deposit will be charged against the card at check-in time we will charge anyone for MAJOR damage to the units. We are not referring to broken glasses or plates, etc but rather MAJOR damage such as damaged walls, stained carpets, broken furniture, etc.
While the board regrets that we must implement this procedure we have found it necessary to do in order to maintain the integrity of the units and make accountable those that create the problem. Financially, the association cannot afford to continuously repair or replace items damaged by an owner or an exchange parties without passing the costs on to all owners which we do not want to do. Therefore, we felt this would be an equitable solution to a rising problem.
Now for an update on the renovation process! As of today we have almost 1 million dollars in assessment collection (plus the 480,000 already spent to do buildings 7 and 9) and therefore are preparing to begin renovating 4 more buildings. At present I do not have the exact units to be done but will advise once that has been determined. I can tell you that it will be limited to those building scheduled to be down for annual maintenance.
I sincerely hope that your have found this report to be informative and that you will continue to log on to www.foxhuntsv.com and look for further updates. Also, please use this site to e-mail me with any comments or recommendations you may have to make Foxhunt a better place to vacation.
Jim Barnett, President
Foxhunt P.O.A.
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Foxhunt Update 8/29/2007 - Message from President
Housekeeping
For the past several months I have received numerous complaints about the housekeeping crews that have been cleaning our units. I have been called by some owners, received letters from others. I have also reviewed many of the report cards that owners and exchange owners fill out. Well, I want everyone to know I am taking appropriate steps to resolve the horrendous conditions some of you are subjected to.
On Tuesday, September 3, I will be meeting with the President, Area manager and regional VP of the company that we currently employ. At this meeting I plan to let them see the reports and read the letters I have received. I will then explain what we expect in the future and present remedies that I think will resolve many of the problems.
I do not expect our owners to have to check in to a dirty and unkempt unit. I want you to be able to check in with confidence knowing that you unit is in AAA condition. I do not want you to have t o call the front desk or housekeeping to re-clean the unit. THIS IS MY GOAL!!!!
We are spending $60,000 per unit in Foxhunt and I promise you that as long as I am on the board of directors I will not let our units deteriorate because of housekeeping, maintenance or any other controllable force. My plan has always been to make Foxhunt the Pride of the Valley and a place you can be proud to come and bring friends and relatives.
Renovation project
Due to the fact that we can only do the renovation project when unit are down for annual maintenance there has been no progress this summer. However, with the onset of winter several buildings will be down for planned maintenance and renovations will resume soon. As soon as I have a schedule I will publish it on this site.
How many units will be completed this winter? This depends on the funds we receive by the end of September. However, our goal is to finish another 4 building. If this is obtained we will be on the schedule we set as our goal last year.
I hope you enjoy reading this information and found it informative. In any event I would like to hear any comment, positive or negative, about our site. Please e- mail me at jim@foxhuntsv.com with any comments or suggestions you may have.
Jim Barnett
President, Foxhunt HOA
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5/22/2007 Message from President
The Foxhunt Board of Directors would like to welcome you to Foxhuntsv.com and hope that you will come back often.
The purpose of this website is two fold. First and foremost this site is for you, the timeshare owner. It will be, if you let it, your information center for Foxhunt. You will be able to access information about many of the happenings in the community; learn about board actions and decisions; keep updated on the renovations of the units and many more things of interest to our owners. You will also be able to communicate with the board via e-mail and be able to express you thoughts about any situation you deem necessary.
The second purpose is to inform non-owners about our community and hope that they will visit Foxhunt and purchase one of our lovely units.
Speaking of purchasing Foxhunt units this site also has the option for you to advertise and sell or rent your units at no cost. All that you need to do is send me your information and we will publish it on the site. I plan on adding a ad form that you can print out, fill out and mail back to us. In the meantime just send your information to me at Foxhunt and I will see that it gets on the site.
Lastly, please let me know how you like this site and feel free to send me any suggestions you might have. E-mail me jim@foxhuntsv.com with your suggestions.
Regards,
Jim Barnett
President Foxhunt Homeowner's association
