Saturday, June 2, 2012

Major Progress Continues: Phase II of Deck Pour and Stadium Seating Setup







11 comments:

  1. Is there no list-serv or bulletin board where the membership can have input into the project, or raise specific questions?

    I have long had concerns about the scope and timing of the project, but blame only myself for not having raised them earlier. Nonetheless, it still appears there are a number of serious issues going forward that merit consideration by the membership. I would like to raise several at this point:

    1) Construction delays such as this project have seen are often associated with cost and budget overruns. Is this project off budget, and if so, by how much?

    2) Shouldn't the Association give serious consideration to eliminating, or dramatically down-scaling, the clubhouse construction plan, and perhaps expanding the planned deck/BBQ area? I have never seen convincing financials about whether the clubhouse can bring in adequate revenue to sustain its up keep, and I am not convinced of the logic of having a residence in the building. I understand that at least some other clubs in Arlington, such as Donaldson Run, function without an on-site residence. Furthermore, down-sizing the clubhouse would provide additional space and budget for an expanded deck/picnic area - which is the area of the club that has traditionally been the most in demand.

    3) Given the delays, and dramatically shortened season, what consideration has been given to extending the season as far into the fall as the weather permits, at no additional cost to the membership, at least on the weekends? It would seem the operating budget for guards, staff, utilities, etc. ought to have considerable slack, unless the construction budget has eaten into those margins?

    4) Why are our capital contributions non-refundable, at least in large part? Overlee is the ONLY pool association I can find, with the possible exception of Tuckahoe, whose website is unclear, that has no provision for members re-couping any portion of their equity or capital contributions to the club. Donaldson Run, Vienna Woods, Chesterbrook, McLean and Highlands ALL have refundable contributions -- and none of their initial assessments are as high as our $2000 NON-REFUNDABLE fee. We ought to be able, like all of our sister clubs, to allow members to recoup some of their contributions. I would suggest that our $1000 capital contributions should be consdiered equity shares in the association that we should be able to sell when they no longer want/need to continue their membership due to relocation, children moving away, or for whatever reason.

    Based up on my conversations with an admittedly small number of other members, I believe all four od the above proposals merit serious consideration by the Board. I also believe a large slice of the membership would appreciate the opportunity to discuss these matters in a membership meeting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks to the Board for their many long nights and early mornings working to bring home a project we can all be proud of. You have certainly done your part and it is apparent to anyone who paid attention that had the result depended on your work and that of our contractor, the pool would have opened May 1 as scheduled. It is quite alot to ask of a VOLUNTEER Board to rise before dawn to trudge out for meetings with the contractors, county officials, and all other relevant parties, to execrise constant vigilance over the project, and to manage the extreme frustrations relating to the permitting process. Thanks as well for the endless opportunities you have provided to the Community to have input into the design and planning process and even to volunteer to work along side you if they were so inclined.

    Just remember that as Teddy Roosevelt so aptly stated: "It is not the critic who counts, nor the one who points out where the strong have stumbled or the doer of deeds could have done them better. No, the credit belongs to the men (and women) in the Arena . . ."

    Thanks for being "in the Arena" for me, my family, and the rest of the Overlee Community.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I agree completely.

      Jeffrey Levy

      Delete
  3. I agree with the comments from Brad Bennett (no relation).

    I was pleased to see that Phase 2 of the deck pour was successful. How many more phases are needed?

    Also, I thought Overlee members might be interested to know that Arlington Forest Pool is not open yet either. They replaced their bathhouse, with construction starting last fall. They failed their first county health inspection on May 31st. The latest notice on their web site is:

    Monday, June 4 Update
    Arlington Forest Club Members -
    As we move towards opening, Arlington County showed us that it is never too late for surprises. We passed our Health/Pool Inspection today. You may recall that this was the only remaining barrier to us opening as of Friday. We also had our Temporary Certificate of Occupancy revoked today. This bizarre development appears to be largely an Arlington County procedural issue; it is definitely not the result of something we (AFC) did.
    As dramatic as this Certificate of Occupancy issue sounds, we still expect to open on Tuesday, June 5. We will have several additional inspections Tuesday morning. We believe those will go well and we will open at 3 PM on June 5. That said, it is fair to say there is some chance that we will hit a snag with one of those inspections and the gate will still be closed at 3 PM. Please keep an eye on your email or the web site for the latest updates.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Arlington County procedures and revoking of permits concerns me. If it happened at AFC there is a good chance that we will have red tape issues as well...

      Delete
    2. Isn't the above an anonymous post. Call the pool police.

      Delete
  4. I second Rick's post. Would very much appreciate the Board's response to each question raised. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello, my previous comment from May 25th blog was deleted, even though I left my name? I can only guess my question was not liked, however, it was hardly controversial or aggressive. So I will kindly ask again- due to the delayed opening, has the Board given any thought to giving each member additional guests passes for free as we are having to rely on the kindness of others to bring us as guests to their pool until ours opens? And yes, I know the Lap Pool is open this Sunday, but as a mom to three young kids, the Lap Pool is not for us and we have to await the baby pool and social pool opening. Again, I am not demanding, just asking :) I do appreciate the Board's hard work and think the new pool will be great, when it opens. Mandy Scandlen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mandy,

      The Board of Directors is extremely busy right now working on the construction project. If you are serious about this request please write-up your proposal and send it to me and I will forward to the BOD for consideration.

      Please answer the following:

      We have 2 person memberships, 3+ memberships, Goldcards, and August Passes.
      - Who would get a guest pass and how many?
      - Who would print them?
      - What budget would they come from?
      - How would they be delivered?
      - Would there be any limit to when they could be used? (4th of July when pool is packed?)
      - Would everyone get them or would they have to be requested?

      Thanks,

      Jim Mountain

      Delete
  6. Great, thanks Jim, I will send in my proposal this week. Thanks for the Board's consideration! Mandy Scandlen

    ReplyDelete
  7. You made numerous nice ideas there. I done a search on the issue and learnt nearly all peoples will agree with your blog. It’s a wonder more people aren’t trying it out.

    ReplyDelete

Overlee is owned and managed by its members. Questions and comments should be transparent and posted only by Overlee members.

Please leave your full name when you comment. Anonymous comments will be removed.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.