Fall Harbour Towne Condominium Newsletter October, 2008
 
Fall
Fall is that explosion of color that signals the end of summer and a time to prep the boat for it’s winter hibernation. Quality’s grounds crews are blowing our irrigation lines and getting their plows ready for the winter season. Last year was a highly abnormal year for plowing and we exceeded our budgeted allocation by nearly double the amount. Hopefully this year will produce average snowfall amounts.

Board Talk
The Board is currently in negotiations with the City of Muskegon to resurface all major roads within Harbour Towne. The City will grind up all existing paving and re-surface the roadways. The cost would be spread out over a 10-year period with all co-owners paying an equal share. As soon as we have a finalized bid from the City we will advise you of the cost.

Our annual irrigation bill for all of Harbour Towne is approximately $30,000.00. We currently are accepting bids to install 12 wells to supply irrigation water. It is our expectations that these dozen wells will result in a signifiant savings to the Association and generate a pay back in less than two years. The average life expectancy of well pumps should exceed 15 years. We will keep you posted on this project. The Board is very appreciative of the time commitment and devotion that board member Dan Weller has contributed to this undertaking!

Our website was initially developed for a variety of reasons:

1. Steve LeBel, a co-owner, offered to help the Association with the creation of our website and he placed it free of charge
   on his server. The Board is extremely appreciative of his talents, generosity and dedication to perfection!
2. The Association wants to expose and engage co-owners in the process of what the Board takes into consideration to maintain Harbour Towne in a fiscally responsible manner.
3. All information that has accumulated since the commencement of our Association status in 2000 is being downloaded to our website (Examples: Board Minutes, Correspondence to and from the Board, Annual budgets and actual year end expenses, Owner Concern Logs etc.)
4. The Board also maintains a “confidential section” on the website for the storage and access of sensitive information.
5. We have formatted nearly all website information so that it is searchable by co-owners and the Board, similar to a www (World Wide Web) search.
6. Another key reason for our website is to allow the Board to track co-owner concerns and identify and accumulate meaningful cost data. This particular item has the potential to help us, and our vendors, to better clarify and control future condo expenses. Also, co-owners will be able to access their concerns on or website to determine what has been done to date.
7. The Board also hopes our website will lighten everyone’s load and provide consistency in the computerizing tracking of all essential information.
8. Last, but most important, we want to provide consistency between Board Member Turnovers! We need to keep the Board’s time focused on key administrative functions and eliminate the burn out factor of things that can and should be automated!

The Board is very fortunate to have the donated, professional services of co-owner Kelly Cousineau. Kelly is a highly reputable efficiency expert specializing in process improvement and cost containment. Her tireless devotion, enthusiasm and team building skills are greatly appreciated!

Eight People Spent Eight Hours to Ensure Our Requests are Addressed and We Know When They are Completed
A New System for Handling Maintenance Requests is being developed.

Have you called in a request for a repair on your unit? It wasn’t too long ago that repair requests were few and far between… but the volume of calls has been steadily growing. We now have 191 units ranging in age from 3 to 15 years old so we expect the number of calls to continue growing. Our board is watching trends like these and decided we should develop a robust, effective process to respond to our requests. In other words, a predictable and repeatable process that works regardless of the person who calls, the service needed, or the employee receiving our call.

On October 15th, eight people spent the entire day mapping out the existing process and defining an improved process. The team included two board members, two Co-owners, and four people from three of our service providers (Sun Agency, Quality Landscaping and Dimensional Roofing). Results of the workshop included:

• A new step was added to contact co-owners after the work has been completed.
• Specifications for a web-based computer program so we can enter our own requests and check status; the system will auto-route our requests to the people doing the work with much less intervention to slow it down. (For those who don’t have Internet access, the management company will be able to enter the information and check status for us.)
• A communication plan to help us, the Co-owners, become more aware of what our board is working on, when and why.

You can expect regular updates on our progress in the coming months as we implement these results. To help us minimize costs we plan to send as many updates as possible via email. Therefore we’re asking you to please contact Kelly Cousineau with your current contact information (920-912-2024 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). If you don’t call us, Kelly will be contacting you. For our system to work efficiently, we need your 1) full names, 2) condo address, 3) other contact addresses, 4) email addresses and 5) all relevant phone numbers.

Until we’ve finished the new process, please continue to call Sun Agency with your requests. Both Vicki and Kathy are able to record your request and know how and where to route it. If you have any questions about the new process, please contact Jerry Siminski at 759-3451 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Garage Refrigerator/ Freezers “Winter Warning”
If you have a combination refrigerator /freezer in your garage, it is imperative that you remove all refrigerator and freezer contents during the winter!
Refrigerator liquids obviously freeze during cold weather, but did you know that freezer items “thaw”?
The compressor supplies cold air to the refrigerator and diverts a portion of that cold air to the freezer section to keep things frozen. When the temperature in the refrigerator drops below the preset temperature (typically around 40 degrees). the compressor will not run and eventually the freezer temperature ends up being the same as the refrigerator (40 degrees….“below freezing”).
As the garage temperature warms the refrigerator cycles on and cold air is again supplied to the freezer. This cycling continues through the winter months and the freezer contents are repeatedly thawed and refrozen, resulting in spoiled and unwholesome food.
Note a common deep freezer (without a combination refrigeration section) does not have this problem!

Winter Bud Tips
The following are helpful pre winter season tips, from Bud Kemperman:

1. Replace your furnace filter annually if you have the 4” wide filter or every 60 to 90 days if you have a smaller variety.
2. Have your furnace and hot water heater annually inspected by a licensed heating professional.
3. Replace your humidifier pad annually and disinfect every 30 days with dish soap and bleach to discourage bacteria and mold buildup. Check the water supply valve to the humidifier to insure it is open all the way. Monitor your humidistat setting and decrease the percentage of moisture, as it gets colder to eliminate window fogging.
4. Remove and store all window and door screens. Clean and reinstall in the spring. This also helps decrease window fogging.
5. Check the operation of all smoke detectors and replace the back up batteries every other year or sooner if they are beeping.
6. Replace driveway garage lights with long lasting, fluorescent bulbs, equivalent to a 40-watt.
7. Remove and drain all garden hoses and be sure the water faucets are turned off. If you leave an exterior garden hose with the water turned on, it will eventually freeze and could, and has, flooded the interior of a unit.

If your Condo is Vacant in the Winter Please Comply with the Following:

1. Forward your mail or have it picked up by a neighbor or friend.
2. Notify Sun Agency where you can be reached (address and telephone number) for mail notification, billing statements and in the event of an emergency.
3. Cancel all delivered newspapers.
4. Notify your TV and Internet provider that you will be on vacation for an extended period of time and to place your service on hold status until you return.
5. Let you neighbors on both sides know how long you will be gone and ask them to keep an eye on your property.
6. Set your thermostat minimally at 55 degrees or higher and make sure you have all your heat registers at least partially open.
7. Place hot water heater on vacation setting.
8. Shut off your main water supply line at the meter. If you live in a unit where you do not have access to your main water supply valve, contact the neighbor who has access well in advance of when you need your water turned on or off! If difficulty is encountered contacting the neighbor or obtaining cooperation please immediately advise any Board Member for assistance.
9. Drain all water lines by opening and closing all hot and cold-water faucets till they drain and then close them.
10. Flush all toilets to relieve water pressure on the line.
11. Open the doors under all vanity sinks so warm air can be circulated to the plumbing.
12. Dispose of perishable items in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer.
13. Periodically have someone check your condo interior while you are gone, to confirm the furnace is working.
14. Have someone periodically (preferably monthly) check the ceilings and below the windows for possible water damage. A minor leak can develop into major costly repair if left unattended.
15. Sink traps and toilet bowl traps can dry out during extended absences of “five months or longer” and cause sewer gas to enter your condo. To prevent this from happening have someone pour a little water in all your drains and toilets if needed.
16. Install long lasting driveway fluorescent light bulbs (equivalent to 40 watts) to insure your lights are on during your absence. An unlit residence identifies you as being on a long-term absence to the criminal element.

New Arrivals
During July 2008 through September 30, 2008 there was one units re-sold at Harbour Towne. During this same time frame no Developer units were sold.
Please extend a warm Harbour Towne welcome to the following new residents:
Names: Dennis & Susan Dahlquist
Address: 1450 E Harbour Towne Circle

Harbour Towne Yacht Club
As you probably already know the Harbour Towne Yacht Club is now a “smoke free environment” and they have recently opened a full service kitchen. Chef Rick Thrasher, a local favorite, who has worked in many top Muskegon restaurants, provides fabulous meals at reasonable prices. If you are not yet a member, stop in on Wednesday nights after 5pm and try his Baby Walleye and fries for $9.95 with the 2nd helping free, or try any of his other fine meals and sandwiches.

Famous Quote
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."     - Martin Luther King

Newsletter Input
If you have a particular item or concern that you would like discussed in an upcoming issue of our newsletter or Web site, please contact Jerry Siminski at 759-3451 or any Board Member.

Harbour Towne Activities Calendar:

• HT Ladies Luncheon Group - meets the 2nd Tuesday of the month, at 1:00pm, at Pints and Quarts.
• HT Bunko Bunch - meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at 1:00pm. Call Arlene Wickland at 759-5513 for the location and to RSVP.
• HT Condominium Association Board normally meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm in the upper level of the HT Yacht Club. Always check with a Board Member to verify that a meeting is being held for the month you choose to attend.

Looking for Volunteers
We are still looking for a few more condo volunteers to assist with our website updating. Volunteers need a computer with Windows XP or Vista, scanner, Microsoft Word and Internet Access. If interested please contact Jerry Siminski at 759-3451.

Our Condo Christmas Potluck is Tuesday - 12/02/08
Our Christmas Potluck will take place in the lower level of the Harbour Towne Yacht Club on Tuesday, December 02, 2008. On this date the Club will be closed to the membership and only open to Harbour Towne Condo members. Please bring a dish to pass!

• 5:30 pm Social Hour and food setup
• 6:30pm Dinner
• 7:00pm to Close - Good Fellowship

We will provide wine and punch. Other spirits may be purchased if you are a Club member or you may purchase a one day club membership for $3.00.

Condominium Assoc. Board Members:
Dave Taylor – President – 759-1193
 3529 Sand Bar Court
Dave Shoemake – VP/Secretary - 755-8747
 1476 W. Harbour Towne Circle
Dan Weller – Treasurer – 755-3936
 1440 East Harbour Towne Circle
Jerry Siminski – Communications - 759-3451
 1500 West Harbour Towne Circle
Jim Geisler – 755-6750
 1659 East Harbour Towne Circle
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Kathie Vanderwater (Sun Agency) 759-7722.
Call for “all building and grounds complaints,
Insurance claims and Condominium Fees!