POOLS AGAIN !

Having dragged my gammy back/leg out of bed after a week or so of having medics playing darts on my bum - I am so dissappointed to see that the deep pool close to Block 4 is GOING GREEN (not sure if its the only one either?)!
Now I know there are matters to be sorted yet but the very LAST thing anyone wants to see is a stagnant pool - not only for obvious appearance reasons but that it breeds Mosquitos like hell.
While I will continue to applaud the efforts of the new gardeners and the great work they have been doing so far - it will be completely destroyed if the pools are allowed to go unfiltered and cleaned. I urge anyone feeling the same to speak out quickly before it gets too bad and we all start getting bitten by the mozies.
Lets have your comments please and those OWNERS especially need to get stuck in quick as they have the right to vote and they pay the money directly.
So far I have nothing but praise for the new regimine of President and comitttee - please lets keep it up !

Immediately after my last posting regarding the pool near block 4 starting to go green - the new gardeners were there like a flash and within 24 hours the water was looking beautifully blue again.
Another indication of their efficiency for which we can all be pleased and thank them.
HOWEVER - this week that which we dreaded has appeared instead - which of course has nothing to do with the gardeners but the law.



While we all know the President and committee are doing their utmost to resolve the pool situation this is what you will find if you arrive today.
Lets hope we learn some more soon and we see the pools opened - I for one would no longer wish to live here without those beautiful pools regardless of how great the gardens look.

I can not help but agree with you Chris whole heartedly,this situation it seems is dragging on a bit to long,we had a letter this week from the President, and i was hoping that it would be about the survey that was to have taken place with in two weeks, (It was approved by majority the quotation of Tecnielma, and he agreed to have it completed in two weeks.) this is a quote from the meet held on 23rd February,
but I'm afraid it has not got anything to report as yet, OK it is only April the first, but time is moving on,we need some news that we can have another extraordinary as soon as possible, OK yes we have a sitio wed site,but no one,s feeling's or comments are post on it,this is why we have opened this forum, DO use it and air your views.
.

Pools Again - I agree time is running out for this year and with family coming down in Spring holiday week it would be great if pools were open so my grandchildren can have a good time. Also good to hear gardeners cleaned pool so quickley, as even if they cannot be used they need to be kept in reasonable condition otherwise will be costly to empty and refill. Jenny

Good morning Jenny, I'm sorry to say but have heard no news on the pool situation as yet,as you know we do get rumors of things, no idea if any of them are true, but i have heard of the 60K THAT WAS BEING ASK FOR, KNOW BEING DOUBLE THAT,??? and still talk of making the pools outside block one and two ,into smaller pools??? don't ask me why??if its the size that's the problem?? i really don't know,but if its because the pumps don't do the work because of the size,?? and that's why some one is talking about reducing the size, then would it not be cheaper to say make two more walk ways on to the island, which would turn them into four pools??ha ha i may be mad, but it would still look the same but smaller pumps would be needed?? i think, but what do i know?i hope that soon someone will let us know the outcome of the survey? i do know that a meeting will be called, but we do need information BEFORE the meets so that people that find it impossible to get over here, can give proxy votes to say what they want or do not want.like there will be needed a lot of money to pay for this pool situation,how is it going to be paid for,OK you ask for a some of money, this takes time to collect, and if like most of the time only 75% pay, then it still will not be the total required,?? what happens then??once again, NOTHING,??so it's not looking to promising at this time, like we say, time waits for no man,,people a being ask to write to the web site?? i do hope that they are, if no one is making any suggestions to push things, then nowt will happen,Chris has posted this forum in every letter box, the idea is so people can write in and say openly what they think,but so far we only have 17 members ,we need people to join in or this will not work as a tool to get things moving,I Honestly think it is to much to ask one President and five committee member's to be able to come up with the RIGHT solution on this issue, they need help and ideas and a lot of support

Like you I was hoping to have family visiting this year and renting an apartment for themselves but, with two young grandsons who spent 90% of their previous stays in the pools, I had to tell my daughter it would not be fair to bring them until the pool situation was resolved.
Like all the families at Sitio during the summer, the pools are the primary attraction since the beach is hardly an option without transport and even that means parking and carrying the usual 'beach equipment' particularly for small boys (gulp).
Like everyone I hope the situation is resolved soon which I am sure the President and committee are doing their best to do - sadly they are badly hamstrung by those owners who have failed so often to pay their community fees and, who if they had done so, would have avoided this dismal situation.
What seems to be so unfair is that losing the use of the pools is mainly due to the need to conform to the law which, in turn, has done little to help uphold the committee's efforts to reclaim the outstanding debts from those owners shirking their share of maintenance.
My personal feeling is that the blame for this situation sits squarely on the shoulders of those who have repeatedly failed to pay their community fees unlike the majority of responsible owners.
Lets hope they now realise that their lack of responsibility is not only costing those owners who rent their apartments for summer holidays but reduces the value of their home and investment.

Now we have the report what we need is the meeting to be called to decide on the action to take. Time is running out for this year, so lets get on and deal with it.

Having now had the opportunity to read the Survey/report, I will now add my comments. The report runs to 89 pages (plus many other sheets of bits and pieces) but much of it relates to materials specifications and Health & Safety aspects. The total costs comes out at E117,416 to complete the works to bring the pools up to legal standard.
It seems to me that if we can only use the pools if the works are first completed, then forget about swimming in 2011. There is a lot to do and time is not on our side and in any case we have to raise the funds.
25% of the quotas due at 31 March 2011 are unpaid and assuming everybody else who is at present current were to cough up with an extraordinary payment to meet the cost of the pools (and this is a big if), then we should need to ask for around E160,000 just to get to E117,416. This equates to around E1,000 per apartment.
We have been using the pools for years apparently illegally without mishap or consequence. I can understand that the Community President and Committee members will not accept the risk if anything untoward might happen.
However, having now identified what needs to be done to bring the pools up to standard according to this new report, could we not apply to the Authorities to give us one year's grace to complete the works with us being given special dispensation to use the pools in 2011, lifeguards and all?
Eddie Fairman

Thank you Eddie for all your work translating, i have ask David Tome on the sitio web if it can be translated for all to read?? but these thing's seem to take so much time, and like you say time is running out,we do appreciate your opinion, Eddie i don't now how many owner's read the sitio web,but i wonder if you could pass this report of yours on to it, whether it will get posted i really don't now, this is why we have opened this forum,

I agree with Jenny. Can we get permission to use the pools this year and start the works in October, to allow time to collect the money, and the work done over the winter time so it can be completed for next year.

With regard to collecting the money, I know that we may have trouble getting all the money due to debtors, but they have a legal obligation to pay the extra sum the same as the rest of us. This should be persued with them and their other debts to the community, however long it takes.

As a non resident owner, I am keen for the meeting to take place so that we can set the agreed processes in motion.

If the pools are not to be open this year which seems highly likely, then maybe we will have some money towards the costs of repairs out of the 2011 Budget. We shall not need Lifeguards (E24,000) and should be able to reduce the bills somewhat for Pool Maintenance (E17,880), Water (E48,000) and Electrics (E30,000) for running the pumps.
Something positive?
Eddie

HI Jenny, i think you have raised some very valid points,this total ads up to all most €120,000 and if you save, 50% of this, (which you should ) that is a very big amount of money that could start to get things done,i would hope that Eddie has given this to the administrators, it does show that some owners are on the ball and watching how and where the money should go,i say this because this is a very young forum, and possibly not reaching as far as we would like it to, OK we so far have got over 20 members, but if you look at the posts viewed you will see there are people reading the posts, that have not joined to make there points heard,

Hi Eddie
While all sggesstions will need serious considerations I suspct the only vialble ones will be a portion of the lifeguard costs. If the pools are emptied to save water it may cause further damage and cause more expense in the long run and if the water is retained and the pumps are not run the water will become stagnant and loaded with mozzies which will bring illness. The only good solution is a FAST one, It may not be that ALL the pools will be available this year but at least one would be appreciated. If they are not fixed by next year the place will go to pieces and many will be looking to sell or rent elsewhere.
Regards