Clarification:
Some homeowners have contacted the office with concerns about the information given by the Board and the General Manager in the June Seashore News regarding potential COVID-19 cleaning costs. We would like to clarify that the information stating it would be very expensive to meet county requirements if we were to open up all our facilities was provided for fiscal transparency purposes.
Since the Covid-19 state and county shutdowns happened, the General Manager, Staff, and Board have been diligently monitoring a myriad of possible financial impacts that may directly affect our financial situation. To date, we remain in a strong financial situation and will continue to carefully monitor any changes that may negatively impact the Association.
We would also like to clear up some misconceptions:
- Misconception 1: The shutting down of the facilities has led to less work by our office and maintenance staff.
False. This is completely false. It has allowed staff to take care of some maintenance that would have normally been done at a later date. An example is our annual pool closure scheduled in late April that was done in late March and early April and, with the extra time, it gave staff an opportunity to clean and treat a stubborn “black algae” that has been a continuous and challenging problem. To do this effectively we needed the pool closure to be longer than usual. We also were able to do a great job refinishing our Bluff wood picnic tables. Our community maintenance did not take a vacation, work still had to be done.
- Misconception 2: The office was closed.
False. Our office staff did not see any fall off in their daily workload. We locked the office and asked homeowners and residents to make an appointment so we would not have people just walking in unannounced and to keep everyone safe. We still had committee meetings, architectural plans, documents, etc. that needed attention, and all the things that normally happened pre-COVID. Having appointments also benefited those needing things from our office, as our staff was able to prepare and have things ready when the homeowner and/or resident came in. Our staff was there every day doing the great work we have all come to expect.
- Misconception 3: The article written by the Board and General Manager for the SSN was a set up to prepare homeowners for an assessment increase.
False. In doing our due diligence on possible financial impacts of opening the pool, spa, sauna and showers we asked management to do a cost analysis of what would be the additional expenses if we opened everything and had to meet county requirements. Cleaning to meet safe COVID standards is significantly more involved than our typical daily cleaning. When we were presented this information at our June Board meeting, we realized that it would have a substantial impact on our cleaning (janitorial) budget. Right now, the pool is open. The county has not given the ok to open the spa, sauna or showers so our staff is doing the extra cleaning mandated by the county.
We can assure each and every fellow homeowner that our community is operating in a financially prudent manner and will continue to do so during COVID-19 and well after the virus is no longer an issue.
Niguel Shore Community Association Board of Directors
Bob Russell
Lynn Bushnell
Pat Pearson
Marc McCarthy
Mike Link
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