CHAIRMAN S MESSAGE By Lou Mintzer

Transcripción

1 THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE Issue Number 31 WINTER 2011 ABC Board of Directors Mr. Louis (Lou) Mintzer Treasurer & Chairman Mr. Richard (Rick) Titone - CPIM Secretary whyhow@bellsouth.net Mr. Ronald (Ron) Pitocchelli Improvements Director copleydev@aol.com Mr. Anthony Parrino aparrino@comcast.net Mr. Ron Parolisi ronparolisi@hotmail.com ABC Staff Farida Mansur General Manager Fax fmansur@arubabeachclub.net Luis Bello Controller lbello@arubabeachclub.net Cathy Brete Member Relations Coordinator execoff@arubabeachclub.net Front Office Manager frontoffice@arubabeachclub.net Ida Brete Reservations reservations@arubabeachclub.net Lucille Voss Resales resales@arubabeachclub.net ABC Website Date Mailed: February, Ringwood Terr., Boynton Beach, FL whyhow@bellsouth.net CHAIRMAN S MESSAGE By Lou Mintzer Dear Members, I Hope all members have had a good start to First, let me assure all members that the upcoming proposed budget for that will be on the convocation will have no maintenance increase. I write this column to all members with my sincere concern, not only as your Board Chairman and Treasurer, but more important as a member, as to what I and many other members see happening to our club. As some of you are aware, we have had ongoing court procedures with a small group of concerned members in the past few years. Their goal, in my opinion and others, is obviously to try and take over the Board so they can exercise their own agenda and take over our club, regardless of what damage it might do. In January, concerned group members Barry Burke and Kevin Foley, filed an injunction against the ABC Association (costing our club more money in legal fees) for two prime reasons. The first was to get Mr. Foley on the upcoming convocation Ballot for the Board positions that will be opening. One would ask, why go to court when the candidates had not been chosen at that time, if he met the recommended criteria as stated in the fall newsletter, and on our web site. The answer, I can only assume, is he must believe he did not have the requirements as recommended for the positions as many other candidates do, and this was the only way to get himself on the ballot, if a judge would agree, and then get this small group to vote for him. Obviously Olga Van Der Harst, one of the prime members of concerned members, concurs that there should be requirements for certain Board positions. On her website she had stated and I quote I remember Gilmore saying, we need people in the Board that have special qualities. Mr. Cooper passed away, he did the accounting, so I frankly thought we would get an accountant or at least someone with accounting skills in his place, but no, a car-salesman-garage owner? Her facts are inaccurate as to who did the accounting, as I had been your Treasurer for 8 years prior to her statement and was responsible for ALL the accounting and I was not a car-salesman-garage owner but an experienced V. P. of Finance and Controller for fortune 500 companies. However, she does state her thought, which is clear on requirements. continued on page 2

2 CHAIRMAN S MESSAGE continued from page 1 While the judge ruled our language in our By-Law number V was not specific enough, even though it has been consistently followed over the years, he ruled that all (24) candidates must be placed on the ballot. Ask yourself, for example, if you would want a member who has not professionally demonstrated experience as an accountant or in the financial area of expertise to be your Treasurer, which position is required in our Articles. The Treasurer position is to protect the financial investment you have made and to control our 4 million dollar plus budget in addition to maintaining the integrity of our financial statements with our public accountants. The cost alone to print and mail this convocation, could range between $20,000- $25,000 from approximately $8,000 previously. Aside from the cost, how can members reasonably vote with 24 candidates? So this small group call themselves concerned. For whom I would ask? The second reason for their court action was to try and get the list of ALL ABC members, even those who have directed the club not to release any personal information to anyone. This small group has had the list of all members, excluding those who elected not to release any personal information, for at least two years. So what is their reason for wanting this? They claim so they can contact ALL members for their agenda items so they can get the required 10% of member signatures and have their agenda placed on the convocation. This small group has tried for the past two convocations and could not get the required approximate signatures out of approximate 6,500-7,000 members to support their agenda. They claim they represent a large majority of members. So why can t they get the required 10% of member signatures? One answer could be, aside from the fact that many members may disagree with their agenda and enjoy our club as is, in my opinion, is that they only communicate to those approximate 500 addresses they may have. The other approximate 6,000 members whose names and addresses they have, they do not mail anything to or try to communicate with, so how concerned are they? If they don t communicate by mail with ALL the other approximately 6,000 members, why do they need the approximate 400 names and addresses of those members who elected not to have any personal information released. Where is their respect for all member rights? 10% is only 40. Does this make sense? The court ruled that we must give them the entire members list. To those members who elected to have their personal information not released to anyone, please accept my apology, as I would have thought the Aruba court would have respected your rights as members. The last point in the court action they brought against the ABC association was that they demanded 30 years of convocations and Annual General Meeting minutes. I could not find any reason for this request. The judge ruled that they could have 15 years of convocations and minutes and only those with Article changes. Lastly, and of significant importance, is that it is imperative that Board members of our association be of specific professional backgrounds and experience for certain Board positions. We cannot ignore this requirement, for to do so and have a Board consisting of members who lack certain professional skills and experience, would be devastating to our club in many areas. This in my opinion. You will see an agenda point on the upcoming convocation to add more specific language in our By-Law number V. Please read it carefully, for without this amendment, we could be looking at 50, 100 or 200 candidates on the next voting convocation, or possibly more. So what can you as voting members do? PLEASE, PLEASE exercise your right to vote in the upcoming convocation elections regardless of which candidate you vote for and THINK carefully about the credentials of each candidate and who you believe would be best to continue representing you on your Board. This is your club and your investment, your Home Away from Home. Your Board represents you by the majority vote. NEW DEVELOPMENT Your association has just been advised by our attorney of a new development in the court case involving concerned members Burke and Foley. The judge has ruled that if the association did not comply with giving the members list to Burke and Foley within 48 hours of his decision that a penalty of approximately $2,600 per day of association money would have to be paid to them with a maximum of approximately $52,000. The association complied within the 48 hour requirement, and in fact, Burke or Foley never came to receive the member list, but Olga Van Der Harst did. It should be noted that this member list has your name, address and number of shares (weeks) you own, along with the total of all members which has been in existence since the inception of our club and approved by the Judge of First Instance of Aruba at that time. So what is this new development? Burke and Foley now DEMAND that this list is incomplete and now want to invoke the penalty of $2,600 per day so that your money is paid to them. What do they DEMAND? They not only want the members list they were given, but now want in addition, the individual shares (weeks) you own, continued on page 3

3 CHAIRMAN S MESSAGE continued from page 2 the serial number of each share certificate you received, the type of series you own and the number of votes for each share you own. Our attorney had filed an injunction to stop this, which did result in another court case. On February 16th, the judge ruled in FAVOR OF ABC and advised Burke and Foley they could not execute the penalty clause and have the association money they demanded. The membership must stop this absurd behavior by this small group of so called concerned members who tried to get your association funds. This is your money. Also, this results in more legal expense. These are ridiculous demands without reason, in my opinion. One way you can speak out as a member to protect our club, is through your VOTE. Do not allow them to destroy the harmony of our club, for if we don t use the power of the VOTE, the consequences will be devastating. FROM THE EDITOR By - Rick Titone Before I begin my Editorial for this Edition, let me first state that I am writing this as your Newsletter Editor, and an individual member, and NOT as a Member of your ABC Board. For many years I have attempted to wrap my Editorials around a single word. For this one I am going to use the word; CONSIDER. CONSIDER the fact that for the past five years your Club has operated in an extremely strong financial position. Budgets have been well prepared, adequate enough to allow the Club to operate successfully in all Departments, provided funds for the many renovations and improvements that have been made, and have done so with only one a very small increase in the Maintenance Fees (the first in many years) and NO ASSESMENTS, while still maintaining the lowest Maintenance Fees on the island (See another article in this edition on this). In addition, during the past five years the independent outside auditing firm that audits the Club s books each year has not found even one discrepancy in any of the transactions or records of the Association. All of this has been the result of the efforts of your Club Treasurer, Mr. Louis Mintzer. There has never been a more conscious, hard working and financially responsible member of your Board than this man. And he surely deserves to be re-elected as your Treasurer for another term in the up coming April Board election. CONSIDER the fact that during the past five years there have been a substantial number of improvements and renovations made at our Club. Far too many to mention here. But, you have all seen and enjoyed them. Every one of them have been developed, planned, contracted for and overseen by your Project Coordinator Board Member Mr. Ron Pitocchelli. Nobody has taken more time or made more effort to see to the improvement of our Club than this man. Just try to remember what our Club looked like before he came on your Board. I wish I could go back and show you the conditions then. You probably wouldn t believe it. With all of the major improvement projects currently underway, like the Club s entire AC System, and some other future projects currently in the planning stage, is there any reason not to re-elect this man to your Board in April. CONSIDER these facts when you receive your ballot. I hope that you will agree with me and vote for these two members so that your Club can continue to prosper and improve in the next five years. CONSIDER That there will also be other member s names on the ballot as well. More than 10 of them, some of whom are qualified, and many that are not, since they do not have the experience in either the accounting or project management fields that the two current positions on the Board require. I, for one, plan on voting for the two incumbent candidates.

4 Want to try a little something different for a change? Then take yourself up to the South Beach Center Mall in Palm Beach and check out Café Rembrandt. This unique place on the high rise hotel strip has the true feel and ambiance of a European café. Good food, drinks and a warm atmosphere are just a few of the reasons that both visitors to the island and locals frequent this unique restaurant. It is also a great place to enjoy live music, featured three times a week. DINING OUT IN ARUBA B y t h e M y s t e r y G o u r m e t Besides a complete lunch and dinner menu they also feature a children s menu and Thursday night is barbecue night. Some menu selections include: Deluxe Dutch style sandwiches, soups and salads. Appetizers and main courses including beef stew, skewer of pork, curried chicken, fish and chips and local grouper. Prices are moderate to reasonable with entries in the $12.00 to $16.00 range. ENJOY! MEET THE MANAGER Meet the people behind the scenes that make your club run as well as it does. Meet Teresa Britten, your Club s Front Desk and Reservations Manager. Teresa was born in the Philippines. She immigrated to Aruba in 1990 after a severe earthquake damaged the Hyatt hotel where she was employed. She found employment at the Holiday Inn in Aruba, and worked there until She then worked in the Accounting Department at ABC until When ABC and CDM split, she went to work at CDM until 2009 when she returned to ABC as our Front Desk and Reservations Manager. As your Front Desk and Reservations Manager she manages six full time employees at the Front Desk, including the Night Auditor, and several full or part time telephone operators. She also manages one employee in the Reservations Department. Teresa holds a Bachelors Degree in Commerce from the Philippines, and is currently pursuing another degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management in Aruba. She has been married for 18 years and has three children, two boys and a girl. She lives with her husband in their home in Alto Vista, Noord. Her hobbies include cooking, dining out and spending time with her family. Next time you check in at the Club, be sure to say Hi to her. CLUB STORES Hey Folks. I don t have to remind you that we have some great stores on our premises at ABC and that they are there to serve you with good prices, kind service and member discounts. These merchants pay rent to your club which helps keeps your maintenance fees down. But, they also have to make a living or they will have to leave. The Board has already had to reduce some rents in order for some of them to be able to stay. So, why not support them by occasionally stopping in, look around at what they have and buy something. Maybe something for yourself, or for another family member. Or, just something to take back home as a gift for someone else. Everybody likes something from Aruba. They will appreciate your support.

5 IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE MEMBERS There are some members who are still concerned about communications. Have you tried your Club Web Site lately? It is located at There is a wealth of information there for you including such things as the Annual Time Share Calendar, so that you will know when your weeks start, this Newsletter, a special column from the GM about what s going on at the Club and in Aruba, along with a virtual tour of the resort. There is even a Member s Only portion of the site that has the Club s financial information, the Minutes of the last General Member s Meeting, rentals, re-sales, swap ads, and much more. To enter this portion of the Web Site you will require a password. Your password is the first five letters of your last name. Beware of other web sites and Newsletters that purport to represent your Aruba Beach Club but contain much false information, distortions and in some cases, outright lies. Their frequent required retractions proves their worth. There is only one OFFICIAL web site and Newsletter for your Club and this is it. DO WE HAVE YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS?????? Want to stay up to date on what s going on at your Club, receive any Special Notices and receive your Newsletter? Then be sure that the Club has your current address. This represents an economical way for your Staff and Board to keep in touch with you. Please help us keep our address file up to date. If your address changes or you get a new one please send it to jkelly@arubabeachclub.net. Also, be sure to include the address edpabc@setarnet.aw in your address book to assure that you receive correspondence from the Club. CLUB STAFF MEMBEERS VOTE TO JOIN A UNION All of the Club s Housekeeping Staff, along with some other eligible members of the Club Staff, voted in early December to be represented by a local labor union. The Board has the next several months to negotiate a successful work contract with the union for these employees. The Association s Attorney will also be involved in these negotiations. We have no idea right now what demands the union will present. However, it is fair to assume that increases in wages and benefits will be among their demands. Just what affect this will have on the Club s financials is unknown at this time. But, with more than 50% of the Club s budget made up of wages and benefits it can be assumed that any increase will have an immediate affect. More on this as things occur. Also watch for additional information on the Club s Web Site in the GM s Report. ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS In an effort to allow our Housekeeping Staff sufficient time to clean and prepare all of the rooms that must be turned around each Saturday the new Check-Out time is now 11:00 AM. Members or Guests staying in their rooms after this time will be charged a fee at check-out. If not paid, it will be added to the Member s Maintenance Fee Bill. Check in time is now 4:00 PM. However, if your room is ready before that time you will be allowed to occupy it. There are places at the Club where you can store your luggage or change your clothes if you wish to take advantage of the Club s facilities while you are waiting for your room to be ready. The cooperation of ALL Members is essential for this program to work to the benefit of everyone. We request your cooperation.

6 THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BY RON PITOCCHELLI - PROJECT MANAGER TRANSPARENCY/TRANSPARENT: (Definition) Having the property of transmitting rays of light through the material of which it is made so that the bodies behind or beyond can be distinctly seen. When I started the renovation project of our club years ago, it was how I visualized our club to be in the next thirty years. It was to be beautiful, safer, income producing and energy efficient. Also, to be the friendliest little club on the island of Aruba. THE PAST Please take a walk around our club and really look at what has been accomplished over the last ten years, and ask yourself, is this not being transparent? The first thing created was a new restaurant on the beach, to have a place convenient for the members to enjoy. With all the new restaurants coming to Aruba, a restaurant indoors was no longer needed. It also added additional income for our Club. Next was safety, new railings on the balconies that were brought up to code. New plumbing, electrical and many things that cannot be seen by the eye. Although there are many things that can be seen by the eye, just take a look around your room, with an updated and safe shower, new kitchens and furniture that have stood up well over the past number of years, new entry doors, balcony doors and draperies. Then ask yourself, is this not transparent? Can I see where my money is being spent? Then it was income producing space. The newly expanded mini market with all transparent windows. The health spa. The new boutique store next to the front desk. The new silver store and the internet café. All of these spaces create income for our club. Ask yourself, is this not transparency? The beautification: The fountain in front of the employee entryway, the dumpsters removed from the front of the building, the septic tank removed and more parking spaces added. The new entryway, the new lobby, new tile on all the balconies, new lighting, new towel station, a new Mediterranean terrace that prevents water from running into the lobby during heavy rainstorms, as well as expanded lobby space. THE PRESENT All these things you can see were created and accomplished in the past, which we now benefit from in the present, and will remain for years in our future. THE FUTURE Let s now look at the future of our club. The most important work is already underway. The new air conditioning system has just completed the first of four phases. The new water cooling towers are in place and running, new redundant pumps are in place and running. A new water filtering system has been installed before it gets into the water entering the building. The future of this project is on the drawing board. When the entire system is complete over the next few years, our club will be much more efficient and benefit with high energy savings for the club. This translates to many dollars for our club s future. Please ask yourself, is this not being transparent? I have worked very diligently with complete dedication over the past ten years to bring our club into the twenty-first century. I am committed to finish what I have started for the future. Do not the past, present and the future define our transparency? Thank you for all your patience.

7 MEMBER TO MEMBER A New way for Members to communicate with the Board and each other. This Newsletter will publish all letters received as long as they are signed by the member (no anonymous letters will be published) and do not contain inflammatory statements. Received: February 4, 2011 Dear Mr. Titone, Please place this letter in the member to member section of our newsletter. I am writing this letter on behalf of Lou Mintzer s candidacy to remain the Treasurer of our board. I have been a member of the ABC for 28 years and take great comfort in knowing that my investment is secure because of the efforts of Lou whom I urge all to vote for, so he can continue to act on our behalf to protect our individual and collective interests. I came to know him when he graciously made himself accessible on the phone to answer my questions about the assessment and changes at ABC. In addressing my concerns, he was always patient, forthright and honest. The vast financial knowledge he demonstrated shows how vital it is for us to have the benefit of Lou s business background as a professional accountant. He has shown great skill in guiding the financial affairs of ABC as he has always critically evaluated and investigated all possible options before any expeditures were made in order to keep down our costs. It is clear that Lou genuinely cares about the future stability and integrity of the ABC and preserving its unique character and its atmosphere of warmth and caring.the welcoming attitude generated by the staff encourages you to instantly relax. There is no intensity or indifference but an attentiveness that leads to a sense of calm and feeling that you are in a home away from home. So you can immediately start to enjoy your vacation to which we look forward. It s intangible but reflects the compatibility of the staff and board. So it s imperative to keep Lou Mintzer as Treasurer of our board, not ony for his accounting and business background, but also for his management and interpersonal skills. I plan to vote for him in the upcoming election, and I hope all members will do the same.thank you. Fanny Dean Gordon My husband and I joined my mother, Deanie Gordon, at the ABC last December. We are paticularly grateful for Lou Mintzer s availability and willingness to help us with a reservation snafu which he and the staff handled for us at the last minute, enabling us to actually make the trip. From our wonderful experience there, we look foward to contining having the time share in our family, as we felt part of the larger ABC family.we also felt very comfortable in the ABC s low key atmosphere which is most unusual in a resort. The staff and other members were eager to create such an atmosphere which can only happen if the staff, management and board are harmonius. We credit Lou Mintzer with being one of the creators of that environment. Susan Gordon Israel, MD Received 2/5/2011 Dear Mr. Titone, I have been a member of the Aruba Beach Club for over 30 years. I am very happy with all of the renovations in the past nine years, and I am very happy with the current board. I would also like to add, that I know that your project manager Ron Pitocchelli is up for re-election. I know he is responsible for the design and remodeling of every aspect of the renovation at the club. He is in the middle of replacing the entire air conditioning system. This, when complete, will result in a substantial reduction of energy cost for the club. In my opinion, it is critical that he remains on the board to complete the projects that need to be finished. I believe Ron Pitocchelli to be an irreplaceable member of the current board for all the reasons stated Edward De Vito Received 2/10/2011 Hello Rick, Just a note to let you know that I think that you and the other board members are doing a very good job and the renovations that you and Ron have been involved with have turned out just fine. I feel that you and the other members have done your best to keep our cost down and you should be returned to the board. We need people who know what has to be done and the ability to follow through. Have a good day. Richard J. Ward Received February 12, 2011 We are in full support of the re-election of Ron Pitocchelli, Improvements Director, and Lou Mintzer, Treasurer. Both of these men have done an outstanding job during their term(s) as Board Members. With Mr. Pitocchelli s background and leadership skills, he successfully spearheaded the renovations that we desperately needed at our home-away-from-home; and Mr. Mintzer has been able to crunch the numbers and work with others to keep our maintenance fees affordable. We have been members of ABC for 13 years, and the Club has never looked so good! These men take pride in what they do, and they sincerely care about our Club the members. We fully support the re-election of both Mr. Pitocchelli and Mr. Mintzer. Regards, Ninfa and Paul Lankiewicz Member #L02808 & L02801

8 ABC BOARD MEETS IN FLORIDA TO HOLD DOWN EXPENSES As recommended by some of our members, the ABC Board of Directors held their regularly scheduled January 2011 Board Meeting in South Florida in order to do their part to reduce Club expenses. Since three members of the Board reside in Florida it meant that only two members had to fly to the meeting, and at fares much lower than what it would have cost to fly to Aruba. With the reduction of air fare expenses, and not having to rent high season rooms at the Club for Board Members to stay in, the resultant savings amounted to thousands of dollars. This action puts the Board well below their annual allocated budget for Board expenses. The next regular Board Meeting is scheduled for April 2011 and will be held in Aruba in conjunction with the annual General Meeting of Members. CLASSIFIED ADS IMPORTANT NOTICE Your Newsletter no longer accepts paid classified ads. All weeks for Sale, Rent or Swap can now be placed on the Club Web site FOR FREE This is just one more service that your Board has provided to make it easier and less expensive for members to rent their weeks. Do not leave your rooms empty. If not used you will be charged the energy surcharges. You may still place unused days or weeks in the Club Rental Pool by contacting Ida Brete at arubabeachclub.net or while at the Club. ABC FINISHED HIGH IN TIMESHARE SURVEY A recent survey conducted by the Aruba Time Share Association of all of the former Sun Company time share resorts revealed the following information: ABC has the lowest average employee per unit (0.61) compared to CDM (0.81) Costa Linda (1.00) and Playa Linda (0.63) ABC has the lowest maintenance fees for a studio ($435) compared with Playa Linda ($562) Costa Linda and CDM have no studios. ABC has the lowest maintenance fees for one bedroom ($516/$602) compared with CDM ($610) and Playa Linda ($638) Costa Linda has only two and three bedroom units. In addition to these findings, ABC is the oldest time share resort on the island and the first in the Caribbean, yet probably the most modern and up- to date. These results are a true reflection on just how your Board and your Club Staff manages and operates your Club. So don t listen to the small group of naysayer who continually speak against the Board and the Staff for their own personal adgenda. EXTRA NIGHTS AND WEEKLY RENTALS AVAILABLE Want to stay at the Club a few extra days after your regular week? Want to come in a few days early? Want to avoid the crowds at the airport by traveling mid week? Want to try for a cheaper mid-week plane ticket? Well the Club Reservations Department can accommodate you with extra nights or even a full week, either before or after your regular time, and at a very attractive member rate. NOTE: Space may not be available during every weekly period, especially during high season. For more information, or to make reservations, contact Ida Brete at the Club at reservations@arubabeachclub.net

9 El mensaje de presidente (Lou Mintzer) Mis queridos amigos miembros, Espero que todos miembros hayan tenido un buen comienzo del Primero, déjeme asegurar a todos miembros para los que el próximo presupuesto de que estará propuesto en la asamblea, que pronto Ustedes estaran recibiendo, no tendrá aumento de mantenimiento; asi las cuotas de mantenimiento se quedarán lo mismo. Escribo esta columna a todos miembros con mi preoccupación sincera, no sólo como su Presidente de la Junta y Tesorero, sino también y más importante, como un miembro, con respecto a lo que yo y muchos otros miembros ven pasar a nuestro club. Como algunos de Ustedes saben, hemos tenido en curso procedimientos del tribunal, con un grupo pequeño quien se llamaban Miembros preocupados en años pasados. Su objetivo, en mi opinión y otros, es obviously de tratar de encargarse de la junta para que podrían ejecutar su propia agenda y asi encargarse de su club, sin considerar qué daño podría hacer. En enero, los miembros Barry Burke y Kevin Foley, miembros de este grupo pequeño, presentó un mandato judicial contra la Asociación de ABC, costando más dinero a nuestro club en honorarios de abogado, para dos principales razones. El primero era conseguir el Sr. Foley como candidato en la lista de la asamblea próxima para uno de los puestos de la proxima junta. Uno se preguntaría, porque ahora, cuando los candidatos no habían sido escogidos todavia? Ni si él cubriera los criterios recomendados como indicados en el boletín de otoño, y en nuestro sitio web, porque asi, hubiera sido considerdo como un candidato viable de todos modos! La respuesta, puedo solamente asumir, debe ser que no se considera tener los requisitos tan recomendados para los puestos de la junta abiertos, como muchos otros candidatos hacen, y ésta era la única manera de lograr su inclusion en la papeleta, (si un juez estaría de acuerdo), y luego conseguir su grupo pequeño para votar por él. Mientras el juez dictaminó que el lenguaje de en nuestro artículo V de los estatutos no era suficientemente específica, aunque ha sido seguido constantemente con el paso de los años, dictaminó que todos los 24 candidatos deben ser puesto sobre la papeleta de votacion. Pregunte a usted mismo, por ejemplo, si usted querría a un miembro que no ha hecho una demostración de la experiencia de manera profesional como un contador o en la área financiera de la pericia de ser su Tesorero, qué puesto ser requerido en nuestros artículos. La posición de Tesorero de la junta es de proteger la inversión financiera que usted ha hecho y examinar el presupuesto además de mantener la integridad de nuestros estados financieros con nuestros contadores públicos, sobre nuestros $4 millón en presupuesto anual. El costo, solamente para imprimir y enviar por correo que esta convocación, podía llegar a entre $20,000 a $25,000 en comparación con approximately $8,000 antes. Y aparte del coste, cómo los miembros pueden votar razonablemente entre 24 candidatos? Así que este grupo pequeño se llama Interesados, para quien preguntaría. La segunda razón para su demanda del tribunal fue probar y recibir la lista de todos miembros del ABC, incluso aquellos que han pedido al club de no liberar cualquier información personal a nadie; obviously no respetan los derechos de otros miembros, sólo los suyos. Este grupo pequeño ya esta en posesión por a los menos dos años, de la lista de todos los miembros, excepto aquellos que eligieron de no liberar ninguna información personal. Así cual sera su razón para querer esto? Ellos afirman que asi pueden contactar con todo miembro sobre sus artículos de agenda, y asi que conseguir 10 % de los miembros de firmas de poner a la asamblea para un voto. Este grupo pequeño ha tratado de obtener para las dos asambleas anteriores, para poder conseguir las firmas aproximadas requeridas para soportar su agenda, entre los 6,500-7,000 miembros. Afirman que representan una grand mayoría de miembros, pero por qué no pueden conseguir el 10 % de las firmas requeridas? Una la respuesta podía ser, aparte del hecho de que muchos miembros pueden estar en desacuerdo con su agenda y disfrutar nuestro club tal como está, está en mi opinión, que solamente se comunican a esas aproximadas 500 direcciones de correo electrónico que pueden tener. A los demás 6,000 miembros aproximados cuyos nombres y direcciones tienen, parece que no envían nada por correo, ni tratan de comunicar con ellos, asi cómo Preocupados son ellos? Si no se comunican por el correo con todos los otros approximately 6,000 miembros, por qué necesitan los 400 nombres y direcciones aproximados de esos miembros que pidieron no tener información personal liberada, donde esta el respeto para todos decrhos de miembros? 10 % es solamente 40. Esto tiene el sentido? El tribunal dictaminó que debíamos darles el listado entero de todos los miembros. A aquellos continued on page 10

10 El mensaje de presidente (Lou Mintzer) continued from page 9 a quienes miembros que eligieron tener su información personal no soltaron a alguien, por favor acepte mi disculpa, cuando habría pensado que el tribunal de Aruba también habría respetado sus derechos como miembros. La última idea en la demanda del tribunal que interpusieron contra la asociación de ABC era que exigieron los minutos de 30 años de asambleas y reuniones Generales. No podía encontrar razón para esta solicitud, pero usted como un miembro puede hacer su propia conclusión respecto al por qué. El juez dictaminó que podían tener minutos de 15 años de asambleas y solamente aquellos con cambios de artículos. Para terminar, y de gran importancia, es que es imperativo que los miembros de la junta de nuestra asociación son de formación profesionales específicas y experiencia para ciertos puestos de la junta. No podemos hacer caso omiso de este requisito, porque al haverlo y tener una junta que consta de miembros que carecen de las ciertas destreza profesionales y la experiencia, va ser devastador a nuestro club en muchas áreas, en mi opinión. Usted verá un punto de agenda en la asamblea próxima para añadir que la lenguaje más específica en nuestro estatuto V. Por favor lee este número V cuidadosamente, porque, sin ser cambiado, podíamos estar estar mirando a 50, 100 o 200 candidatos en la próxima asamblea de votación o posiblemente más, dependiendo de cuántos hacen aplicacion. Recuerde por favor, que tenemos approximately 7,000 candidatos potenciales bajo el fallo actual del tribunal, aunque no va ser muy improbable que tantos solicitaran. Así lo que Ustedes pueden hacer como miembros, por favor, es de ejercitar su derecho de votar en las elecciones de asamblea próximas; y por favor sin considerar qué par cual candidato vota, y piensa cuidadosamente sobre las credenciales de cada candidato que usted cree ser el mejor para continuar representarlo sobre su voto. Éste es su club y su inversión, su segundo hogar; su junta lo representa por el voto de mayoría. Gracias. Lou Mintzer Traducción: Terence Wright THE LATEST ON THE CLUB AC SYSTEM This system is over 30 years old and has been under constant repair for the past few years under a maintenance contract that the Club had with a local AC company. Some of it is now beyond repair. Therefore, your Board has undertaken a project to completely renovate the Club s AC System. This project will be done in several phases. Phase one was scheduled for completion by year end. However, because of the late delivery of two critical parts from the supplier in the states, and because most construction is suspended in Aruba during the month of December, this phase of the renovation was completed in January of It provided for a new cooling tower, pumps, valves and piping. A different Aruban company completed the installation. The Board is pleased to announce that there will be NO INCREASE IN MAINTANANCE FEES OR ASSESSMENTS as a result of the completion of Phase One. Phase Two will consist of one new chiller unit, valves and piping. Later on all new fan coil units for all of the rooms will be added. This Phase is to be completed by the end of When completed this newly renovated system will save a substantial amount of both electrical energy and water which will help recover the cost of the project over time. Just don t listen to the wild rumors flying around about the Club s AC system. It is all under control. So stay cool. Work is completed on Phase 1 of the AC Renovation.

11 JUST FOR SOME HUMOR Editors Note Thanks for the many kind words regarding my attempts to inject some humor into the Newsletter. See how you like this one. Since this Newsletter no longer accepts Classified Ads I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the funny ones I have come across in my reading. Here they are: FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER- 8 YEARS OLD. Hateful little bastard. He bites! FREE PUPPIES- _ Cocker Spaniel, _ sneaky neighbor s mutt. FREE PUPPIES- Mother, AKC Registered German Shepard. Father, Super Dog.able to leap a tell fence in a single bound. FOUND, DIRTY WHITE DOG- Looks like a rat. Been out in the street for a while and took a hell of a lot to clean up. Better be a big reward. COWS, CALVES: NEVER BRED. Also one gay bull for sale. NORDIC TRACK MACHINE- Brand new, never used, call Chubby. RIPE GEORGIA PEACHES- California grown- 89 cents/lb. JOINED A NUDIST COLONLY- Must sell washer and dryer. $ WEDDING DRESS FOR SALE- Only worm once by mistake. Call Steve. FOR SALE BY OWNER- Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 45 volumes, Excellent condition. $1,000. or best offer. No longer needed. Got married last month and discovered wife knows everything. Gone But Not Forgotten Sandy Mintzer, wife of Board Chairman Louis Mintzer passed away during the month of December. Sandy was a frequent visitor to the Club and had many friends there. She will be missed by all who knew her. Additional Departed Members Include: Richard (Dick) Baker- wks- 9-11, Thelma Harris- wks 46-49, John (Jack) Littlefield- wks 11-20, Deborah Merdo- wk 34, Louis Meyerson- wks 49-52, Victor and Mary Peterson wks 1-6, Elisa Ucci- wks 33-34, Katherine Penman, Jan., John Coporale, Wks They will all be missed by their many friends and fellow members.

12 NOVEMBER STORM HITS ABC A substantial portion of Hurricane Thomas hit Aruba and ABC in early November causing substantial beach erosion and damaging many of our beach chickees. (See photographs) Five chickees were washed out to sea, three are damaged beyond repair and another thirty sustained some damage even though a major effort was made by both the staff and some members to move them out of harms way. Estimates for the repairs may well run into the thousands of dollars. In edition, there was also significant damage to both the beach and chickees over at CDM. Under our joint agreement with them, they will be required to pay a portion of our expenses, but we will also be obligated to pay our portion of theirs. In addition, there have been new government rules recently passed with regard to just how many chickees a resort may have on their beach and where they may be placed. The Club will have no choice but to comply with these new rules or risk having to remove chickees and pay a substantial fine. The GM is in the process of getting a government review of both the new rules and the placement of chickees once the beach returns to an almost normal condition. A major storm hit Aruba causing much damage to the beach and our Chickees 7370 Ringwood Terrace Boynton Beach, FL FIRST CLASS MAIL U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 48 PATERSON, NJ