COVID19

Sugar Beach Homeowners:

As of today. 3/19/20 at 5pm the Governor of Alabama has shut down all public and private beaches until 4/5/20. The complex will remain open and all management will still take place. These actions are normal for disasters of this magnitude. I hope and pray that everyone stays well within your family and friends. We will overcome this.

Best Regards,

Robert Stuart
President, Sugar Beach HOA
rstuart@sugsands.com

 

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First Blog Post

This is the first of many blogs that will cover a variety of issues and informational notices. Please check back regularly for updates from the board of directors.

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HIghlights of the October 5, 2013 Condo Association Annual Meeting

The 2013 Condo Association Annual Meeting took place Saturday, October 5, 2013 at the Christian Life Church, 25530 Canal Road, Orange Beach.  Several significant actions were taken.   Among them:
ºDues will remain the same for 2014.
ºAn additional principal payment of $250,000 will be made to pay down the SBA loan.
ºThe membership approved a budget with an additional $250,000 special assessment for previous unassessed for capital improvements.  Members will have until April, 2014 to pay this assessment and the insurance assessment.
ºTony Black, Tyler Glenn, and Allen Summerlin were elected to serve on the Board.  Dave Dyer who has served the Association as Treasurer chose not to run for re-election.  We thank him for his years of service.  

Sugar Beach News Update

Summer is almost over.  Tourism started slow in the spring but is finishing strong as we go into the fall season.  If you need proof, just try to make a left turn on the Gulf Beach road between Gulf Shores and the Flora-Bama near the Florida State line.  The future of tourism in our area will be further enhanced by new conference and entertainment developments:

•    Governor Bentley has signed the bill that will clear the way for construction of a new lodge and conference center at the Gulf State Park.
•    A 500 acre entertainment complex is under construction on the Gulf Beach Expressway in Foley.
•    A new Canal Walk under the Highway 59 Bridge featuring the famous Acme Oyster House of New Orleans.
•    A Bob Marley restaurant and Bar within walking distance of Sugar Beach.
•    A  Toby Keith restaurant at the Wharf.
•    New and expanded Beach Fest 2014 at the Hang-out in Gulf Shores

Your staff at Sugar Beach has been working tirelessly during the summer months  keeping up with the cleanliness and maintenance of the complex as well as working on improvement projects.  On a typical day we have LA Pools cleaning and preparing each of our four pools for our early morning guests.  Additionally, other LA pool staff members are busy cleaning the rest rooms, hallways, elevators, parking areas and stairwells. Our maintenance supervisor is always busy changing light bulbs, making general repairs and working on improvement projects.  Most noticeable of the improvement projects are the re-surfacing of the tennis court and the carpeting on the beach walkway.  The following are other projects completed:

•    To conform to the Orange Beach Fire Code, we have installed an automatic dialer in our fire panel that dials the Orange Beach Fire Department in the event of a fire.
•    Our maintenance supervisor has successfully completed a course at the Alabama Fire Sprinkler Association held in Wetumpka, Alabama on the  Inspection, Testing & Maintenance of Fire Pumps. After certification he will perform our weekly pump runs on our fire pumps, rather than paying an outside vendor.
•    Installation of new sodium lights for our east and west pool areas to conform to the recommendations of the City of Orange Beach to lessen the impact of nesting turtles along our shore.
•    Installation of sodium lights in the Gazebos
•    Installation of a volley ball net on the Beach for our guests.
•    Installation of two new pool pumps for the east and middle pools.

We always welcome new sets of eyes and ears when you arrive at Sugar Beach.  If you notice or hear anything needing attention or have a suggestion which may improve our complex, please call me, one of the security guards or Ray Felts our Maintenance Supervisor. Our pledge to you is that we will do our best to professionally maintain Sugar Beach Condominiums to a high standard and help protect your investment.

Jim Allen
Resident Manager

Insurance Info

We have a new agent for insurance.   Fisher Brown Bottrell is handling all policies for Sugar Beach.  All Insurance questions should be directed to Kelli Worrell.  She is handling the day to day account servicing.  Her direct phone number is 601-960-7458.  Her email address is kworrell@fbbins.com.  If your mortgage company needs information about Sugar Beach’s insurance coverage, she is the person to contact.  

Results of Tennis Court Survey

In case you missed Association Vice President Glenn Owen’s June 26, 2012 email:
This email is intended to update the owners of Sugar Beach on the results of the survey conducted to determine the level of interest in constructing a facility that would replace the tennis courts. A total of 38 unit owners responded to the survey. The results indicated 15 Interested, 10 Somewhat Interested, and 13 Not Interested. Only 2 surveys mentioned the cost of the facility as the reason for their lack of interest and several mentioned the view or desire for a garden in the tennis court area as their reason for lack of interest in the facility as previously presented. It would appear that the negative surveys are indicating a concern for the way the structure would look if constructed as presently proposed.

The highest rated areas of interest were the Meeting Space with a Kitchen and the Exercise Room. After looking at the tennis court area in light of these comments, it appears that a smaller structure (approximately 30×50 feet on 2 levels) could be built in front of the north elevator with a flat roof that would match the existing structure. The surface of the tennis courts that would not be affected by this structure could be made to look more presentable than the patched surface that presently exists.
The top level of this structure could be used as and Exercise Facility and On Site Manager’s Office with Restrooms and the lower level could be a 1500 square foot Meeting Space with a Kitchenette.

The Board is extremely interested in taking on efforts that will improve the value of our owner’s investments in Sugar Beach. However, we are very sensitive to the concerns of the owners regarding any of these proposals. We will continue to investigate the feasibility of the various options and will ensure that any concept has been thoroughly evaluated and adjusted to meet the concerns of our owners prior to presenting the concept for approval.

Glenn Owen
HOA Board Vice President

Request For Owner Input

It has been suggested that we create a page on the website devoted to contractors and vendors that owners have found to be particularly useful.  For example, if an owner has found a contractor who does a particularly good job repairing screen doors, laying tile, doing remodeling, etc., this could be very useful information for other owners.  It would be sort of an Angie’s List for Sugar Beach.  Let me know what you think of the idea.  Please email me your thoughts.  Send them toastrojny@yahoo.com.  

2013 Financial Reports

Click here to view copies of Sugar Beach’s financial reports.  This directory is now password protected.  Owners have been mailed their user name and password.  If you wish immediate access, please email the webmaster your email address and the unit you own.   

As of September 30, 2013, we had cash on hand of $1,492,495.89.  This includes reserves, funds for operations, and petty cash.  This is an 31.31% increase over cash on hand September 30. 2012.  This is the highest amount of cash on hand this decade.   Note much of the cash on hand is needed to pay outstanding obligations,e.g, the SBA loan of $1,276,006.59 as of September 30th, maintenance for the complex, insurance premiums, etc. as well as to fund our reserves.  The year to year increase is primarily as a result of there being no major maintenance work so far this year..  Cash on hand generally falls in the early part of the year because insurance premiums are paid but owners have until April to pay the special assessments that cover them.  

Cash on Hand 2011 2012 2013
January $   888,021.91 $   765,398,27 $ 1,097,685.54
February $   921,599.60 $   839,567.93 $ 1,132,479.91
March $1,023,992.40 $   965,815.49 $ 1,234,705.38
April $    991,143.59 $1,089,592.80 $ 1,357,457.97
May $    941,239.30 $1,102,382.70 $ 1,405,546.48
June $    970,067,00 $1,112,130.10 $ 1,437,322.16
July $    977,375.50 $1,137,278.90 $ 1,473,009.34
August $    921,927,75 $1,148,605.70 $ 1,490,319.55
September $   903,161.94 $1,136,594.70 $1,492,495.89
October $   904,473.20 $1,123,907.80 $1,249,610.79
November $   916,055.01 $1,142,759.00
December $  704,050.32 $   937,571.49


The table above does not include assessments receivable, i.e, money owed the Association, which came to $ 10,476.15 as of September 30, 2013.  

Assessments Receivable  2011 2012 2013
January $ 174,127.36 $  329,212,30 $ 312,279.51
February $ 153,073.55 $  287,094.08 $ 288,785.92
March $   60.386.13 $  170,057.85 $ 198,541.21
April $   37,563.64 $    57,207.10 $   81,493.33
May $   34,955.35 $    42,484.05 $   49,767.99
June $    26,351.30 $    35,656.59 $   31,850.48
July $    13,191.56 $    28,201.87 $   26,092.95
August $      8,038.78 $    19,703.44 $   16,678.85
September $      8,702.91 $    20.430.16 $   10,476.15
October $      7,212.68 $    24,363.79 $   29,791.18
November $      6,944.35 $    16,289.45
December $      9,960.70 $    17,060.06


Note:  Assessments receivable generally increase in January because the insurance assessment has been assessed, but owners have a number of months to pay it. 

We continue to work on collecting the remaining delinquent dues owed the Association.  

The interest income we have received has declined significantly.  This is do to the decline in interest rates.    See table for monthly figures.

Interest Earned 2011 2012
2013
January $  1,653.29 $    171.79 $   171.23
February $     354.46 $    167.64 $   190.84
March $     441.01 $    191.51 $   249.70
April $     445.67 $    246.33 $   283.82
May $     422.91 $    222.99 $   266.98
June $     411.54 $    199.87 $   236.49
July $     427,54 $    206.79 $   253.27
August $     425.09 $    191.75 $   233.52
September $     424.91 $    280.44 $   181.31
October $     411.67 $    208.58 $   168.66
November $     504.19 $    187.86
December $     240.19 $    144.77
Total $  6,142.47 $ 2,417.32 $ 2,235.82

Disposal of Bulk Items

Owners and guests should not dispose of bulk items at the dumpsters.  That means don’t dump your old tables, chairs, sofas, etc. at the dumpster.  The rule of thumb is if it does not fit through the dumpster opening, it SHOULD NOT be left at the dumpster.  If you have such bulk items to dispose of, contact the property manager on how to dispose of them.