|
WESTWIND CLUB
WESTWIND CLUB |
|||||||||||||||
|
MANAGERS REPORT Happy New Year to all and best wishes for 2010!
The Cable Beach strip has been feeling the economic pinch, and things are still very quiet for a usually busy winter season. The casino at Windham has been closing the gambling tables during the day (until 6pm) leaving only the slot machines available for play. The BahaMar renovation project still has not begun yet, so we’re all anxiously waiting word as to when it may be a reality; we’ll keep you posted. Atlantis is feeling the recession and is offering once again its day passes for $110 per person; downtown Bay Street is hurting as people are browsing but not buying. BUT, the Westwind Club with its outstanding bar and grill is still the best deal in town, and we are thankful that our Westwinders continue to return each year, no matter what!
Before year’s end, we were able to finish the roofs on units 7 and 8, thus completing another building. The construction crew was great, starting late and finishing early to afford our owners and guests some privacy and quietude in their units; we were grateful for no complaints and the willingness of everyone to allow the work to continue.
We installed a new gas heater for the pool before the holidays, keeping the water nice and warm during the cooler days of which we’ve had many! And for those who like to take a dip in the evening, this is now like having your own private hot tub! Speaking of the pool, please remember to refrain from bringing glass to the Clubhouse area, especially in the form of beer bottles, so that we don’t have any accidents.
Replacement of carpeting in all the units has now been completed, and one would never know we are a 30-year young resort! We have had overwhelmingly positive comments from our owners who seem pleased with all the renovations and upgrades in the units these past 12 months. It’s been a long haul, but the outcome has been rewarding.
Our intention for this year is to complete new roofing on two or more buildings as well as repair any walls as needed. Some of the kitchen windows are showing their age, and we replaced the ones in units 18 thru 21; however, it’s becoming more difficult to locate proper replacements because these windows are outdated. Slowly but surely we are finishing the final touches to Westwind’s facelift, and then we should be good to go for yet another 30 years!
Here’s to welcoming everyone back for 52 more great weeks at Westwind!
Stephen
PRESIDENTS LETTER I hope all of the Westwind family is off to a happy and prosperous new year.
We have not progressed in our efforts to GO GREEN at Westwind Club. So far we have not received written agreement from BEC that would allow us to go on the grid. The nature of our facility would make it foolish to proceed without this. A battery system separate from the line would be impractical. A bit disappointing but maybe BEC will get on the energy saving bandwagon soon.
To date, we have 14 announced candidates for the election to be held at our Annual General Membership meeting April 13, 2010. They are as follows:
It is great to see so many interested in the operation of our club.
If you are unable to attend a meeting you can appoint a proxy with the form provided. If you have any candidate(s) that you want to have your vote(s) cast for, you should instruct your proxy to do so.
TREASURES
REPORT
Treasurer’s Report January 2010:
Wow 31 years and we are still going strong!
Westwind Club opened in 1979 and most of us did
not know what timeshare was all about.
Over these past thirty years our great little
resort has become a second home for most of us and each
visit is very special.
Our staff has set the standards very high and
their dedication and personalities make each visit even
more special.
In some respect 2009 has been one of our most
successful years from a financial point of view.
During the past year we have been able to
accomplish many good things at the Club without raising
the fees.
The surcharge this year has allowed us to complete more
roofing than normal leaving only three buildings without
new roofs.
Our old nemesis, Bahamas Electric Company
(BEC), has kept their costs more realistic in 2009 due
mainly to lower world-wide fuel prices.
Although we had anticipated a lower cost for
electricity in 2009 we have actually come in less than
the budgeted amount.
The recent sales of our unit inventory that Ray
Weigel and Lauren have offered has increased our revenue
and put new owners in some vacant weeks.
With all these positive revenue numbers we have
been able to set up a generator for the clubhouse area
to protect our storage of food at the bar and keep the
lights on in that area during those unexpected Bahamian
blackouts.
We have also purchased a new heating system for the pool
to keep the pool a more consistent and comfortable
temperature during the cooler months.
While doing the roofs Steve has shored up the
walls to make certain our buildings will stand for
another 30 years.
He has also had the seawall at the front of the
property refinished.
These items were not in the 2009 budget but
were able to be completed with the increases in our
revenue and the savings from BEC.
During the September meetings the Board had
approved the installation of a solar power system to
work along-side the present power system in an effort to
keep these costs as low as possible.
Unfortunately the Bahamian government cannot
approve the alternate power source at this time.
There is a significant move to get government
approval for alternate energy sources and we hope that
we will be able to move ahead with this project very
soon.
BEACH BOOKS
Shirley Biemesderfer “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is an award winning crime novel by the late Swedish author and Journalist Stieg Larsson. This thriller is filled with intrigue, serial murder, corporate corruption and the ending is shocking.
You will enjoy the characters Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander as this improbable team work to solve a four-decade puzzle. This novel was released with great acclaim in Sweden and in its original language, won Sweden’s Glass Key Award in 2006 for best crime novel of the year.
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is a part of a trilogy, which includes “The Girl Who Played With Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets nest.” I can’t wait to read all three, so they will travel to Nassau with me in March.
All three novels have been adapted to film and are being shown in Europe to huge audiences, so let’s hope we will have the opportunity to view them soon in the US, as they receive broader distribution.
A ”recession vacation” in The Bahamas
John O’Connor, the son of Board member Michael O’Connor is a free lance writer and a regular contributor to the FT Weekend Magazine. John spent some time in the Bahamas last summer working out of Westwind. I know you will find his informative style of writing as engaging as I did about a place we know so well. The link to his story is: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/19ad211a-b860-11de-8ca9-00144feab49a.html
Download and enjoy.
The Nassau
Guardian
reports…..
· Eight years after its destruction, work has begun on rebuilding the Straw Market. The $10.0 million project is scheduled to be complete by mid 2011. Get the full story at
www.thenassauguardian.com/bixex/303458905236619.php
· Baha Mar is “very close” to completing its financing, reports Chairman and CEO Sarkis Izmirlian. For full report go to www.thenassauguardian.com/national_local/316246928632690.php
· For the Oasis grand arrival (see page 7) as reported in the Guardian go to www.thenassauguardian.com/weekend/296110564497792.php
TRY SOMETHING NEW…..and see
Oasis of the Seas
in Nassau Harbour. Owners of Week 49 had the opportunity to see this new ship of the Royal Caribbean fleet visit Nassau in December. Mary Darville witnessed its docking with camera in hand.
Mary’s quote
“OMG —– IT’S
HUGE”
The Oasis is the biggest (longest, tallest, widest,
heaviest) passenger ship ever built.
A crew of 2165 will tend to the needs and
expectations of 6,269 passengers.
It was
ordered in 2006 for $1.4 billion.
Passenger decks number 16 with 2,210 outside rooms
and 496 inside rooms.
Oasis
is currently scheduled to visit Nassau Friday’s on Royal
Caribbean’s “Eastern Caribbean Cruise” thru late spring.
After that the schedule will be every other Friday.
Watch for it from the clubhouse
at 1 pm when it arrives or its 7 pm departure.
Visit downtown for lunch on Friday’s and get a
close up of this newest wonder!
QUERY —– QUERY —– QUERY
These questions come
from across the pond: Q. Why don’t you
review restaurants at new locations as opposed to the more
established? A We
welcome restaurant reviews from our owners
who dine at newer locations that we have not had a
chance to visit. Q. Why don’t all the
Directors make contributions to the newsletter? A The
Directors have access to the Newsletter “when
points are to be made” or issues arise. During
the
past five issues all Directors have been published at
least once. Q. Could the minutes
or key issues from the AGM be published in the Newsletter? R. Good Idea.
The complete minutes of the AGM are now published in the
owners section of the web site. Q. Could we get more
information on the progress of the Cable Beach development? R. The editor's
view is that by the time I get information, condense
it into an article and put it in the newsletter, it could be
old and stale. For
current information try the Nassau
Guardian web site on the Website "Bahamas News Links"
tab and key on “Baha Mar”.
FROM THE FRONT DESK
It’s becoming extremely difficult to keep the unit carpets
“Hotel Clean”.
The black top from the drive way travels on our bare feet
into the unit and onto the carpet!
Please wear footwear (sandals/flip flops) to and from the
clubhouse and drop them off at the front door of your unit.
Please follow our rules which forbid defacing the building or
hanging items on the building.
Screw hooks and nails used for festive Holiday decorations
could compromise our efforts to keep the buildings termite
free. Each hole in the
fascia board presents an opportunity for an entrance to the wood
being protected. We all want to celebrate our Holidays but we need the support of all
owners in following
this rule. Also do not
hang clothing items on the building.
Another housekeeping issue is the extreme soiling of our towels and
face clothes. Please use the Kleenex provided in each unit to remove make-up—–the
biggest culprit!
With your help we will need to throw away less laundry
We have mounted an Emergency Cabinet in the hallway
closet door, beside the office. It is available for use 24/7. In addition to medical first aid supplies it contains our
Defibrillator.
PASSPORT///PASSPORT///PASSPORT/// AIRLINES MAY DENY BOARDING TO THE BAHAMAS IF YOUR PASSPORT EXPIRES WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF ENTRY. If you make a sandwich for your flight home from the Bahamas, make sure it does not contain meat from a 4 legged animal - U.S. Immigration will make you remove and discard the meat from your sandwich! |
|||||||||||||||
|
CURRENT BOARD OF
DIRECTORS |
|||||||||||||||
|
Donavan Meyer, President |
Michael
O’Connor, Secretary Pete Seibert , Webmaster Raymond Weigel III, Sales and Resales Stephen Darville, CLUB MANAGER |
||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
