Blog Archives
ELA’s Got Talent – At The Speakeasy Lounge
Lola Lauri
A long day of Christmas shopping and a cold, gray and wet day had us craving some good music and a cozy place to relax
Long Time Comin’ (and friends) performing at the Speakeasy Lounge
with friends. We rolled into the Speakeasy only minutes after the featured band, Long Time Comin’, had begun their first set. There was a nice crowd, and we joined Scott and Maria at the last available table by the bar as the band launched into “Mustang Sally”.
A mix of regulars and tourists filled the room, along with a number of ELA residents. Our neighbor Ron was there, with some friends from New York, out for a weekend of hunting. Mark and Meredith Mecca showed up, ready for some fun and, lucky for us, Mark brought along his saxophone. The Meccas are ELA members of over a decade. Mark usually plays with the Cove Haven house band Something Else, but on this night, to everyone’s delight, Read the rest of this entry
Holiday Decorating Contest for ELA Residents
Looks good, doesn’t it? But don’t worry, it’s Lola’s house, so it’s not eligible to win.
We love the holidays, and we love the way so many of you have decorated your lawns and homes for the season. So the Emerald Lakes Free Press is hosting the First Annual Emerald Lakes Holiday Decorating Contest. Yes, “holidays”. Don’t pout because we didn’t say Christmas, because we will accept entries for any holiday you choose for your theme. You can even get out your Easter decorations and put them up. As long as they are actually out and on your lawn and house on the closing date of the contest, which is December 22, 2012, it is eligible to win.
And there ARE prizes. We have a lovely gift basket, full of wine and good things to eat. We have a gift certificate from our friends at the Speakeasy Lounge. We have chocolate. You know you want this stuff!
To enter, all you have to do is send a picture of the (outdoor) decorations from this year, and send it, along with the physical address of the home, here in Emerald Lakes (we will be driving around the check!), and the name of the homeowner or resident who did the decorating to emeraldnews@yahoo.com. We will post these as soon as we get to them, and the voting opens immediately, so enter as soon as you can. You can enter your own home, or nominate a neighbor, it’s all up to you.
To vote for your favorite, all you have to do is post a comment telling us which one you like best. On December 23, 2012, Buz and I will count the comments and decide who the winners are, and will announce them right here, that night.
(Here’s the legal stuff, feel free to stop reading if you don’t care: We will do our best to count the votes. We will try to count each email address only once. If we get multiple votes from the same email address, we will only count the last one we receive. If it gets really complicated, we will just give up and pick our favorites. If there is a tie, we will flip a coin. C’mon, it’s Christmas and we don’t have time to get into complicated math.)
So, get in the spirit and get decorating. We can’t wait to see what you have done.
“Party House” – Another Perspective
Lola Lauri
Last month, we reported here on the concerns of some of our 
residents regarding the behavior of the renters and owners at a few particular homes in our community. (Read about it here and here) These residents made their case at an open board meeting, and the board members and our GM have been investigating. The Emerald Lakes Free Press has been investigating too, and we have found, as in most situations in life, there are two sides to this story.
I spoke extensively to Cari and Eric Lovelace, the owners of one of these so-called “party houses”, and they have described their anguish and upset over this characterization of their home and of their supposed lack of concern for what goes on there and in ELA.
At the most recent board meeting, President Al Leslie reported that Read the rest of this entry
November 17, 2012 Open Board Meeting
by Buz Whelan
Highlights of the November open board meeting include the creation of two new ad hoc committees, one on renewable energy, the other on emergency planning. Both of the new committees are seeking members. If you’re interested in joining either or both, contact the board through the website.
During his message President Al Leslie reported that careful investigation has shown the ‘party house’ landlord has been complying with Emerald Lakes rules to the letter. Mr. Leslie suggested that any observed rules or law violations by renters should immediately Read the rest of this entry
Staying Safe Throughout the Storm
EMERGENCY INFORMATION FOR HURRICANE SANDY
The following are useful links for information and assistance during the storm.
This website has a number of free publications and information for preparing and surviving during natural disasters, including information on how to prepare an emergency kit, how to protect your home, and how to prepare food without electricity: http://www.ready.gov/
Receive alerts for Monroe county on your phone or through your email account: https://monroe.alertpa.org/index.php?CCheck=1
“Party House” Major Focus of Board Meeting
October 27th Open Board of Directors Meeting
“Party House” Major Focus of Board Meeting
By Buz Whelan
Although the discussion didn’t begin until over an hour into the meeting, the grievances over a short-term rental house on West Emerald Lake produced the most passionate remarks during the October meeting. Beginning with Mark Davis’ opening statement, which was comprehensive, residents from the general area of the house spoke, one after the other, on the rental’s damaging effect on quality of life. Speaker after speaker cited littering, garbage dumping, loud parties, fireworks far into the night, and a septic system that is overtaxed and sure to fail at some point in the near future. The discussion went on for about 45 minutes and showed evidence of the strain on affected members’ nerves. Board President Al Leslie assured the distressed group that the association attorney is working to resolve the situation, but it was unclear what form that resolution would take.
Who We are NOT
Opinion
Lola Lauri
We got a letter this weekend, from the ELA Inc. board, and we have decided to just give them what they want, so they can sleep better at night and stop wasting money on this “non-problem”. But what are they so worried about? Here’s my take on what happened:
Since the ELA board just won’t play nice
They shelled out your cash for legal advice
On how to shut down the EL Free Press
That seeks to shed light on their ongoing mess.
It seems the lawyer said don’t overreach
We live in a land that values free speech.
The best you can do is send them a note,
And try to scare them. So they took a vote.
Then GM Roth got a paper and pen,
And asked us to say that we’re us and not them.
But just to be clearer, right on this spot
We’re gonna say ALL of the things that we’re not:
The ELA Road Plan Explained
Lola Lauri
The following information is based on the plan in place last year. If there have been any changes since then, I do not have them.
The board agreed to a 5-year plan presented by Gil Werner and the Maintenance committee, including Bob Lauri and Joe Miller. The plan begins with dedicating $200k per year to the roads.
First, Bob Lauri, our staff, GM, and the maintenance committee surveyed the roads and assessed the damage by designating roads as primary, secondary and tertiary. Then specific pieces of each road were rated based on the extent of the damage and the need for drainage fixes. Areas slated for repair were chosen using this data which, presumably, will be updated each year as situations change.
The first priority in repairing the roads is to prevent water damage. This happens by fixing the grading along the sides of the major roads and replacing damaged drainage pipes that run underneath them. It makes little sense to repair or repave roads when there is not proper drainage. The freeze/thaw cycle on roads with poor drainage is the main cause of the “alligator cracks” that are the beginning of road deterioration. Of course, there will always be routine maintenance that must be continued along with this drainage project.
With proper drainage, and with the work guarantees that were negotiated with contractors, paving should last longer in the future, and this frees up some of the $200k for more repairs to secondary roads. As we catch up with the drainage and repaving, hopefully, this will at some point allow for paving of those unpaved roads.
However, all of this is dependent on the board continuing to fund the project, and barring any major disasters that require immediate repair. Should we be lucky enough to have another mild winter or two, the project could be accelerated, but major storms and a lot of freeze/thaw fluctuations could set it back. So, with all these variables, it is hard to say exactly how long this might take.
There is a plan, or at least there was, but plans in our community are always dependent upon the whims of the current board, so it is important to let each board know what your priorities are, and to select candidates who will continue programs that you think are important. Even if you choose not to attend meetings, you might want to put a note on your calendar, as a “back to school” item, to write a letter to the board each September, reminding them of the things you believe are important in our community.
Does Pool Temp Really Matter?
by Bill Henry and Buz Whelan
For several years it has been argued that the Emerald Lakes Association could save a significant amount of money by lowering the temperature of the indoor pool. It was said that reducing the temperature from 84 degrees to 80 would save on both fuel and chlorine. Some of these arguments occurring during monthly open board meetings became quite heated. What are the facts? Here we present a comparison of the first four months of this fiscal year with the same period last year.
May thru August 2011 2012
Water Temperature (in degrees) 84 80
Com Ctr Heating Oil (in dollars) 6,242 7,124
Pool Maintenance (chlorine) 1,875 2,340
Totals $8,117 $9,464
These numbers seem to indicate that pool temperature has a negligible effect on costs. While the higher number for the lower temperature may be the result of some intervening variables, there is little evidence that any important savings can be had by reducing the temperature by 4 degrees. Yet those who use the pool for such activities as Adult Water Aerobics say the difference in comfort level is significant in a negative way. Simply put, 84 feels comfortable, 80 feels uncomfortable.
The United States Water Fitness Association recommends a water temperature of from 84 to 86 degrees for multi-purpose indoor pools. It’s hard to explain to pool users who complain of the colder temperature that they must endure it to save the association money. Perhaps it’s time to return to the higher temperature rather than aggravating a significant number of users for no defensible reason.
Emerald Lakes Free Press 