SECURITY REPORT F RANK F LORES P OST C OMMANDER
A&A Committee From our new members I often get asked, What does A&A stand for? Architecture and Aesthetics. The A&A Committee is staffed by volunteers who evaluate all requested permit work and variance requests, perform lot consultations, and assist in lot line delineations. We are always seeking ideas as to how we can craft new rules and change existing ones to embrace new products and ideas that will enhance our outdoor living space. New regulations were recently enacted that you need to be aware of. First , owners are reminded that they must use contractors for their permitted work who are licensed by the State of California and hold a business license from the City of Cathedral City. An owner acting as their own contractor must hire licensed sub-contractors. Secondly , Association employees may not perform any work for an owner that requires a permit. Please do not jeopardize their employment at ORPS, and limit your contact to after-hours for work that does not require a licensed contractor. The Committee intends to implement a vendor performance feedback survey for permitted work performed within the Resort. We believe this information gathering will be valuable to our members in the selection of vendors for their lot improvements. More to come on this. T ED W ILSON , A&A Chair ACCOUNTING 101 Welcome to Accounting 101! Do you know what happens to your monthly assessment fee? Currently you pay $383 per month. This amount is divided into 3 separate entities and bank accounts: • $291 Operating • $89 Reserves • $3 Capital Operating is the daily ins and outs of what makes this resort run. Your $291 is deposited into the bank and checks are written to pay all the operation bills, i.e. utilities, landscaping, payroll, supplies, etc. Reserve is the “savings” account of the resort. This money is used for replacing/repairing the property. An annual reserve study is done by an outside firm to assess the life of the property. i.e. roof, HVAC, streets, etc. These projects are determined annually and approved by your Board. The balance is invested in CD’s for earning interest. Capital is the “extra” fund. This is for new additional improvements that are not included in the reserve study, i.e. shade structures at ES pool deck. Look for next month’s article on How to read Financial Statements B RENDA M EJIA , Controller
Hello everyone. As some of you may have already noticed during your evening walks, certain areas of the resort are very dark at night. Security is doing its best to maintain a
continuous patrol of these areas from dusk till dawn. As a staff, we appreciate any help the residents of ORPS can provide us by reporting any trespassers or things that look out of place in these darkened areas. Some residents have extremely dark areas behind their lots, giving trespassers an easy place to hide. A quick solution that would also be a great help to the Security staff is the installation of motion detection lights at the back of your lots. When motion is detected in the light placement area, the lights come on and stay on for a period of time. The motion detection lights help reduce light pollution by only turning on when triggered. These lights are relatively low priced and can be ordered and purchased at the A-1 Convenience Store. SAFETY AND SECURITY When we return to California from Michigan we think about the wisdom of living just a few miles from the famous San Andreas fault. Who would do that? We take comfort in the fact that it’s been 350 years since the big one, but then other people say that just means we are overdue. I spent $9 on Amazon to buy a red duffel bag that we can use to store some emergency supplies. But what to put the bag? Back in August 2003 we lived in Detroit and experienced the Northeast Blackout in which 10 million in Ontario and 45 million in eight states had the electric grid go down for several days. Water could not be pumped and the sewage systems overflowed when it rained. The first day was fun, barbecuing all the meat that thawed in the freezer. But everything in the refrigerator had to be thrown out after two days. No TV, Internet, grocery stores, gas stations. No shower. No cold beer or ice. They say that the big one, when it comes, will likely originate at the Salton Sea and roll north from there. The shaking may last one and one half minutes and the ground go up and down violently. We are told that RV’s are safer than homes because the RV’s are not attached to the ground, can bounce separately and are built to withstand rough treatment as they are hauled down the road. Some RV’s have generators and water tanks. Do some research on the Internet and think about how you should prepare for the big one. F RANK F LORES PostCommander@ .com
C HARLIE L EAHY , Vice Chair
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