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The Budget Process
Each year you receive a draft of the proposed budget for review and comment. A lot of work goes into preparing the budget. It is a complex activity that has to start early so that the budget can be finalized and approved prior to the beginning of the new calendar year. Here's how we do it: The Board may appoint a budget committee to help with some or all of the following tasks:
The Board and manager work together to gather all financial information we'll need to project expenses for the coming year. This could be a reserve analysis, bids for contracts, projections for utility or service increases, comparisons of past years' budget trends and many other details.
The Board also examines all sources of income - assessments, interest on investments, proceeds as well as other types of miscellaneous income.
The Board creates a working draft by adjusting the expenses and income until they balance. This may be accomplished by foregoing certain expenses to avoid the raising of assessments. Or it may be necessary to raise assessments in order to cover increased expenses such as utilities that the Board cannot control.
When the Board has developed the best possible draft budget, the Association sends it out to every member for review and comment. One of the reasons we start the process early is to allow you plenty of time to study the budget, ask questions and offer comments.
Based on member comments, the Board revises the draft budget as needed.
At the budget approval meetings, members have the opportunity to provide additional suggestions prior to the Board voting to approve the final budget.
Regards,
Harold Berry
President, TAMPOA
Harbour Place
Soon, another hurricane season may have passed us without inflicting damage. We should all be grateful.
Our replacement of the balconies and decks on the Administration Building continues to progress. We are hoping to be completed by year end, but the project completion date is a moving target. When it is completed, we hope to have many years of enjoyment along with relatively low maintenance.
We are starting our budgeting process for 2012. We will be looking at several things to improve our property. We are developing a landscaping plan to maintain and improve the appearance of the property. Also, we want to plan on replacing our existing pool furniture. Obviously, both of these items are very desirable, but they both have costs associated with them. We will be trying to find the best value for these things and incorporating them into our budget.
Please contact the management office or any of your Board members with any questions, comments, problems or issues as they relate to Harbour Place. We will always try to resolve them as quickly as we can.
Sincerely,
Tony Marcussen
President, Harbour Place
Porter Court
As the leaves start to turn here in the north, we're looking forward to the beauty and warmth of late fall and winter in our Porter Court community. And there's been a lot going on to get ready.
We are putting the finishing touches on our redesigned and rebuilt parking lot. The island has been removed and cement and paving work has been accomplished. We're using the newly available space to widen our parking slots. We will also label and reserve the spaces for each unit. We expect this will further mark our parking territory and reduce the incidence of outsiders who have felt free to ignore our general reservedfor signs. We are also in the planning stages to build carports for those who are willing to incur the construction and maintenance costs. Neal Mugherini is leading this project and we expect to have cost estimates soon. Once we have an indication of interest, we will have plans drawn up and seek approval from the TAMPOA Architectural Control Committee.
The pool has generated its own set of headaches. There was a leak in one of the whirlpool pipes and we are getting a new heater, water pumps and an automatic chemical feeder, but the pool will be in As the leaves start to turn here in the north, we're looking forward to the beauty and warmth of late fall and winter in our Porter Court community. And there's been a lot going on to get ready.
We are putting the finishing touches on our redesigned and rebuilt parking lot. The island has been removed and cement and paving work has been accomplished. We're using the newly available space to widen our parking slots. We will also label and reserve the spaces for each unit. We expect this will further mark our parking territory and reduce the incidence of outsiders who have felt free to top condition for the coming season. May this season be a trouble-free one for the centerpiece of our community! We tented units 405 - 408 for termites in late September. I'm sure those in the neighborhood felt like the circus was in town when they saw the red and yellow tenting covering the building. If you would like to see pictures of this, let me know and I can e-mail them to you.
Regards,
Al Montgomery
President, Porter Court
The Foundry
Summer is over and fall has begun, so I hope many of you will be returning to Key West soon. The buildings and grounds look good and, fortunately, we managed to avoid hurricanes this year.
For those of you who have not been to The Foundry since February, the biggest change you will notice is the relandscaped areas around our pool. The new trees are beautiful and most seem to be doing well. We are still having some fungus issues with the Buccaneer Palms. I want to remind everyone that the new The Foundry plantings are not to be trimmed by anyone other than the Association's professional landscaper and that no objects should be tied to or even propped up against the palms. This will help them to survive during the first couple of years after being transplanted.
We have also purchased four additional lounge chairs for the pool area to provide additional seating space during peak times when the pool is getting a lot of use. Hopefully, there will be enough for members during their visits to the pool! Please be courteous to everyone by removing your towels from the lounge chairs when you leave the pool area. Your Board, Rob Hoopes, Charlie McCarthy, Steve Porter, Sandra Sujak and I look forward to receiving any ideas or comments you have relating to The Foundry.
Regards,
Bruce Baumann
President, The Foundry
Mills Place
The summer months have been quiet at Mills Place. We have had relatively minor effects from storms. The rains have helped the landscaping in that the plants are green and thriving. We have bananas ripening on our trees by the pool and the Bromeliads are soon to bloom again.
Routine maintenance continues and we are doing well in regards to our annual budget. I look forward to seeing our residents during season.
Sincerely,
Linda Harra
President, Mills Place
Association Annual Meetings Schedule
TAMPOA - Monday 1/23, 10 a.m. at The Top of the La Concha Hotel
Harbour Place - Friday 1/20 at 1 p.m. at the Westin Truman Room
Foundry - Tuesday 1/24 10 a.m. at the Association Office
Mills Place - Wednesday 1/25 at 10 a.m. at the Association Office
Porter Court - Thursday 1/26 at 10 a.m. at the Association Office
Shipyard - Thursday 2/2 at 1:00 p.m. in the Westin Truman Room
Shipyard
Things in the Shipyard are looking great. With the arrival of our late summer / early fall rains, the place has really greened up. Thanks to the input of our Landscaping and Pool Committees, we now have new trees and fresh plantings around the pool. More will follow as we get closer to the end of the year. We have also installed new maps, signs and arrows in the parking areas.
Due to Comcast changing to all digital in the near future, we recommend that you upgrade now. Since Shipyard is a "bulk" subscriber with Comcast, the individual unit owners can save by bundling their phone, internet AND cable services into one reduced price package. You can call the Association office for the information of the contact person who will help you take advantage of this offer.
The recycling efforts continue to show improvement. We recommend that all owners ask the Association office for their small blue recycling bin. These bins fit in the kitchen under the sink and Maintenance can deliver one to your unit upon request.
The Shipyard annual meeting is planned for Thursday, February 2nd at 1:00 p.m. on the second floor of the Westin Resort and the annual social is scheduled for the same day at 5:00 p.m. at the Shipyard pool. More information on these events will be forthcoming.
As we await the arrival of our snowbird friends, we hope that we have a safe end to the "tropical" season.
Sincerely,
Mike Caron
President, Shipyard
Our "Gated" Community
Please be advised that although the Truman Annex and Shipyard communities are gated, the general public is allowed to enter the property freely in order to access places such as Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and The Little White House. The Association does not monitor who enters or exits the communities. Security staff is available to help homeowners with issues such as parking and violations of homeowner bylaws. Security can be reached at 305.294.3995 24 hours a day. Emergencies should first be directed to 911 followed by a call to TAMPOA Security. The police department's non-emergency phone number is 305.809.1000.
Thank you.
Recycling
We strongly encourage residents to recycle. Following is a list of instructions from Waste Management on recycling specifics. Recycling should be placed in the appropriate cans in the trash compactor area of your association or on the street for the freestanding homes and town homes of TAMPOA. Pick up is on Monday mornings.
Plastics
Please rinse. All colors accepted. Labels, caps and lids are ok.
Bottles, cups, bowls, etc. with #1 - #7 recycling symbol on bottom.
Metals
Please rinse. Labels and lids are ok.
Aluminum drink cans. Steel or tin food cans and lids.
Unbroken Glass
Please rinse. Labels are ok.
Green, brown and clear bottles and jars.
Corrugated Cardboard
Please flatten. All boxes must be broken down to fit into the bin.
Put the following in paper grocery bags and then place bags in bin:
Paper
Carbonless paper, Junk mail, magazines, paper bags, catalogs, phone books
Cardboard—cereal boxes (liner removed), soda and beer cartons
Packaging, paper towel and toilet paper cores
Envelopes—with or without windows
Newspapers—all sections (please remove from plastic bags)
Office paper—file folders, letterhead, printer paper
**Please do not ever place the above items into the recycling containers in plastic bags. The only items that must be placed in a small clear plastic bag are household batteries.
Contact the Waste Management office at 305-295-4314 for removal of appliances, furniture and hazardous waste (car batteries, paint, solvents, adhesives, pesticides, lighter fluid, computers, cell phones, fluorescent light bulbs, etc.)
Hurrine Season Reminder
Hurricane season in the Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico runs from June 1st to November 30th each year. ALL outdoor items should be taken inside including but not limited to patio furniture and potted plants. In the event that such items are taken by the wind and cause damage, the owner of the items causing the damage will be held responsible. Please make arrangements to have someone look after your home when you are away. The TAMPOA maintenance staff will not be able to help you as they are responsible for securing the Association property.
Approved hurricane shutters may be kept closed from the middle of August through the middle of November, once a hurricane warning or watch has been issued for Key West, provided that all reinforcing hardware has been painted to match the shutters. Storm panels should not be installed until a warning is issued and they should be removed within 72 hours after the storm has passed. Thank you!
General Reminders
Due to high occupancy levels and parking space shortages during Fantasy Fest and the busy season in general, all owners and guests are reminded to please park in their appropriate parking spaces only.
Temporary parking permits are available from both the guard house and the association office. Permanent parking stickers are available in the office during regular business hours. Shipyard owners and long term tenants are now required to have registration stickers on motorcycles and scooters.
Please provide us with and keep us updated on your current contact information. An email address will help us keep you updated on approved meeting minutes and other important Association matters.
Please be sure your pets are registered with the office. Copies of the pet's annual vaccinations and a photo are required.
Holiday decorations should be limited to a few strands of lights, simple green wreaths and red bows.
Thank you!
Your Administrative Staff
Sterling Christian, CPM, Operations Director
Sterling@tampoa.com
Connie Christian, CPA, Accounting Manager
Connie@tampoa.com
Stephanie Hellstrom, Office Manager
Stephanie@tampoa.com
Danny Franco, Maintenance Manager
Danny@tampoa.com
Frank Basham / Pavel Ketchum, Security Managers
Frank@tampoa.com / Pavel@tampoa.com
Vickie Datzman, Bookkeeper
Vickie@tampoa.com
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