POOLS AND RECREATION (Nov 21)

The pool and recreation committee is researching the costs and benefits of solar water heating for the main pool. This is a system that automatically pumps water up to solar panels on the clubhouse roofs. The water in the panels is heated by the sun before it is pumped to the three 400,000 btu pool water heaters. Preheated water uses considerably less energy from the pool heaters saving us lots of natural gas expense.

The Board intends to put this project to a community vote. Before this vote, we need to provide information and get feedback on a number of questions:

1. Cost. The cost of the system depends on how many panels we can place on the clubhouse roofs. Preliminary estimates using about 3000 square feet of panels are in the range of $38,000 to $52,000, including all installation.
2. Durability. We have learned that there are two types of solar panels, ones that are flexible and rolled onto the roof and ones that are in rigid frames. The former are less costly and warranted for 15 years; the latter cost more and come with a lifetime warranty.
3. Payback. The question here is: How many years will it take for the annual natural gas savings to pay back our $38,000 to $52,000 investment? The Board has authorized an engineering study to address this question.
4. Trees. Will we have to cut down the beautiful trees around the clubhouses? The contractors we have interviewed say we do not have to cut down any trees. The best position for the panels will be on the back and side slopes of the two clubhouses. These areas are mostly shadow free during the prime hours of solar heat (10 am to 4 pm).
5. Aesthetics. Will the panels on the roofs look ugly? The panels will be positioned on the back and side slopes of the clubhouse roofs and will lay flat on the roofs. The pool committee will visit HOAs with solar installations by bidding vendors and provide photos to the Board.
6. Re-roofing: When the time comes to re-roof the clubhouses, there will be extra expense to take down and re-install the solar panels. We will get estimates of this expense.

We have a wonderful facility that, according to our recent survey, the community would like to keep open year around. All indications are that natural gas costs will be rising at a rate much greater than the rate of general inflation. Our natural gas costs during the summer months are relatively low. The solar water heating system will keep them low during much of the spring and fall and reduce them during the coldest months. The savings will only grow as natural gas costs rise.

POOLS AND RECREATION (July 20)

The main pool complex opened on July 4th to rave reviews. There were large and lively crowds, and we can look forward to enjoyment of this unique facility for decades to come. As with any new facility, there are some small glitches. If you are having trouble with your FOB or Medeco key, please contact management. Finally, please remember that each household is allowed a maximum of three guests at our pools and that an adult resident must accompany those guests.

Members of the pool and recreation committee have dedicated many hours to help make Beachwalk amenities enjoyable and cost-effective. While these people helped facilitate the refurbishing of the pool complex, they are not responsible for the final decisions or for the execution of those decisions.  The management company, Keystone, is the party to contact for problems and questions. Pool committee members would like to enjoy our amenities without being asked why something was done or being told what is not working properly. On a personal note, while I enjoy helping my friends and fellow residents, I am not on call for problems with the pool. When pool or recreation questions or problems arise, contact Keystone management. The contact information is in the Breeze.

The conversion of pools 1 and 6 to open space cost $116,346 as reported in the July Breeze. This decision will save the community money by lowering our operating expenses by about $20,000 per year ($10,000 per pool) and by lowering our reserve requirements by about $200,000 ($100,000 per pool). A summary of these savings:

• The major operating costs (two pools per year) include: electricity $5,928, pool and janitorial service $5,616, natural gas $2050, chemicals and county inspections $1,364, maintenance and repairs $4,210, and extra tree trimming $740.
• In addition to operating expenses, the association must set aside money to replace the decking and pool plumbing, re-plaster each pool, rehabilitate the cabanas, replace fencing, re-roof the cabanas, paint the cabanas, replace pool furniture, and replace pool pumps, filters, heaters and water heaters. Costs for these vary, depending on the specific pool but average about $100,000 each. The costs are found in the reserve study on our website  under categories for pools, fencing, roofing, and painting.

More detail on the pool 1 and 6 conversion savings can be found below.

POOLS 1 AND 6 CONVERSION SAVINGS

         NOTE
1. 2008 natural gas usage averaged 251 therms costing $430 in May-June, 140 therms $250 in June-July, 96 therms $95 in July-August, and 146 therms $250 in August-September.

2. Tim Rolfer of Aquapure estimated that half his labor costs were due to the 6 small pools. The pool service contract actuals for 2008 were $20,430.

3. Sophia of Sams' Janitorial estimated that half of her time was spent on the small pools during the summer and one-third of her time in the winter. The 2008 janitorial actual costs were $17,048 (rental of clubhouse cleanings have been deducted). Note that the small pool bathrooms must be cleaned and stocked in the winter because they are used by landscape and other contractors.

4. Tim Rolfer said that about 10% of the chemicals are used on the small pools. In 2008 actual pool/spa materials was $22,672.

5. In 2008, pool 1 used an average of 1570 kwh/month which at 17 cents each meant an average cost of $267/month or $3204 per year. Edison verified that this meter was closed 3/18/09. Pool 6 used any average of 1337 kwh/month costing $227 for an annual cost of $2724. This meter was closed 3/26/09. Note: The pool committee and the Board have worked to reduce electrical use at all the small pools by reducing pump hours and using lighting more efficiently. These efforts have reduced electrical costs. The 2006 electrical costs for pool 1 were $5821 and for pool 6 were $4127.

6. General ledger account 7620 deals with sewers and plumbing repair. There are many entries “clear a main line stoppage,” “plumbing maintenance,” “plumbing/rooter service,” and “sewer maintenance.” Some may have involved a small pool, especially pool 6 with many ficus trees. The references that specifically mentioned a small pool totaled $959 or $160 per small pool.

7. The 2008 actual light maintenance contract was $26,820. The community has 895 lights according to the April 2008 Inventory. The six small pools had 118 lights. Counting the 156 tall pole lights three times (more labor intensive), the small pools use 9.8% of the contract.

8. The general ledger Jan 2008 through May, 2009 had an actual charge of $5,789 for account 6220, Satellite Pool Repairs. Annualized, this is $4086 per 12 months. The same general ledger as above showed $179 for account 6221, Satellite Cabana Repairs. This is $126 per year.

9. This is general ledger account 7614 for 2008. Many entries just referenced “common area maintenance” which could have been the small pools. References that specifically mentioned small pools totaled $3487 or $581 per small pool.

10. This is the annual county charge for inspecting one pool.

11. Tree trimming is done on a three year cycle except for trees around pools which are done annually. The number of trees around each pool varies. Pool 1 had 18 trees, 4 very large. The cost to trim these trees is $1570 per year according to Tierra Verde. The extra trimming costs an average of $1047 per year. Pool 6 has 8 trees, 6 ficus, one pine, and one acacia. The cost to trim these trees is $650 per year or $433 extra per year.

12. Taking to management and the Board member responsible for maintenance, it is estimated that our maintenance crew spends 7 to 8 hours per year on each small pool. Jobs done include: taking out, cleaning and putting back pool furniture; touch-up painting of gates, fences, shingles; replacing cabana shingles; repairing bathroom vent screens; checking out and fixing (if possible) plumbing, door, and other problems; painting bathroom floors. Our labor costs are $105,348, including taxes and workman's comp. This works out to $26.38 per hour. Add to this a small amount of materials such as paint, screen, hardware.

13. We have two security companies, Breakwater does the morning opening and Securitas  does the rest. In the 3 ½ summer months Breakwater has nine stops, the 7 pools and 2 gates. The main pool is the longest stop, but there is travel time to all the other pools and gates. About 50% of their time is spent traveling to the small pools and opening them. During the rest of the year, the morning patrol does not deal with the small pools because they are closed. Breakwater charges $700 per month, so the charge to the small pools is $350 times 3 ½ months, $1225.
            Securitas makes two rounds of the small pools, one to check them and one to lock them up. This takes about one hour for all the small pools or 12% of the time. Securitas charges us $69,841 per year, 12% of that is $9606 or $1601 per small pool when we had six small pools. However, we are not going to get any savings unless we reduce security hours.

14. Insurance premiums may come down due to decrease in liability for pool accidents as well as decrease of two buildings and pools as capital assets.

15. There will be little, if any, net change in water usage. The US Department of Energy estimates that pools the size of our small pools use 21-24,000 gallons of water per year due to evaporation and splashing. However, the decking, pool and bathroom area now need to be watered.

16. There will be an increase in landscape area, the area where the pool decking and bathroom were situated. These areas are about 3600 square feet for pool 1 and 2500 square feet for pool 6. Before the addition of this area, Beachwalk had 17.2 acres of common landscape or 749,332 square feet. 6100 square feet represents an addition of 0.8% of our $276,000 landscape and sprinkler costs or $2247 for the two pools. However, the decks at pool 1 and 6 had to be blown off and there were potted plants, ivy and bushes to be tended at pools 1 and 6 reducing this cost. Even though there would be an apportioned increase in landscape cost of around $900 per small pool , it is unlikely that our landscape contract will be increased (see below).

17. There are other places in the operating budget that costs would be proportionally decreased due to the converting of pools 1 and 6:

• Pest control spent $1779 in 2008 to control insects and we have removed two buildings and 54 feet of wooden fence (pool 6).
• Each small pool generates trash year round and we spent $2629 on trash removal.
• Our management company deals with work orders and questions about the small pools and we spent $128,072 on management plus printing and mailing costs.
• Our reserve study cost $2023 in 2008 and 49% of the items on the study (84 out of 172) were small pool capital items.
• Our newsletter cost 4,118 and some of the articles dealt with the small pools.
• We paid 7,986 for elections in 2008 and one election was for the question of what to do with the small pools.

These costs can be difficult to determine and it is unlikely (as with landscape in item 16) that trash, management, reserve or newsletter costs would be reduced because we have two fewer small pools.

a) 2009 reserve study on the website
b) Pozos 2008 estimate
c) June, 2008 Aquapure estimate, $5500 per small pool
d) 2009 reserve study
e) Based on work done on pool 2 cabana+ 2009 reserve study $1240 for doors
f) 2009 reserve study has $3300 for plumbing and $4940 for partitions but is missing money for pump room wallboard, bathroom doors, and a new vanity.
g) September 2008 estimate by Antis $2990 per cabana roof plus replacement of rotting wood
h) 2009 reserve study shows water heater costing $1550 with a 10 year life, pump $738 with a 15 year life, filter $2000 with a 10 year life, and pool heater $3900 with a  10 year life.
i) 2009 reserve study for pool 1; average of June, 2008 bids by OCBS and PCW for pool 6
j) Based on Tierra Verde removal costs removal of two large and one regular eucalyptus tree at pool 1 would cost $4750, removal of the ficus trees at pool 6 would cost $3600. This would reduce tree trimming costs (point 11). However, removal of trees gets plenty of resistance, so I zeroed out this item.
k) 2008 Pacific Painting bid
l) Aquapure June, 2008 bid of $704 per pool every four years
m) 2008 reserve study
n) Estimate based on similar projects

Main Pool to Open July 4!!!

July 2 -OC Health Department has signed off on the pool!! Pool will open Saturday, July 4. Thanks to all for making this happen especially AquaPure and Tierra Verde Landscape. All went the extra mile.

Main Pool Nearly Done– June 27

Fence is down, clock is up, most plants and palm trees are installed, plastering was completed today, and the main pool and jacuzzi are filling with water. 13 landscapers worked during the week installing the plants, 21 plasterers plastered today. If all goes well, the city and county will approve the opening of the pool sometime during the day on Wednesday, July 1. Click here for recent pictures taken on the pool deck.

Big Doings at the Main Pool – June 24

Clock has been installed. Fence is scheduled for completion today, then temporary fence will be removed. TVL has ten gardeners installing plants. Cement is being laid for handicap ramp from the street to the pool.

Satellite Pool Landscape Status - June 22

The replanting of Satellite Pool areas 1 and 6 was put on hold June 19 in order to divert the attention of the landscape crew to the planting and irrigation at the main pool. Reseeding will be done soon.

Pools Update – June 20

The Board's hope is that the main pool will be open for your enjoyment on the 4th of July weekend. The pool comlex is the focal point of Beachwalk and will be enjoyed by the entire community for decades to come. Thanks to all, Board members past and present, committee members and volunteers, and of course all homeowners for this wonderful amenity.

The following are the accounting of costs to date for this project:

This net cost is very close to the final cost. There will be a few minor items that will add to costs, but they will be offset by savings from pool chemicals not used and janitorial services not needed.

The pool 1 and 6 areas are well on their way to becoming the lush greenbelt areas voted on by the community. The following is the final accounting of the costs relating to this project:

The conversion of these pools to greenbelt areas will bring substantial savings in reserve and operating costs. I will discuss these savings in a future article.

Other recreation news: Randy Kline and an energetic committee of volunteers has once again sponsored the premier community event for Beachwalk—the July 4th parade and picnic. A big thanks to Randy and the committee. May all have a wonderful time celebrating our community and our great nation.

 
Main Pool Update – June 17

Perimeter fence being installed. Pouring of concrete deck complete. Concrete work on handicap ramp to street begun.The plastering and filling of the pool should happen later this week with the planting beginning in the middle of next week.

Main Pool Update – June 12

Pouring of colorized concrete with flagstone surface design was begun Friday June 12 and should be complete by next Wednesday. Concrete work will continue on Saturday. Landscape installation will begin about June 16. City and County inspectors signed off on the project today. A final inspection is scheduled for week of June 28!

Main Pool Update - June 5

County approval for changes to the decking unexpectedly took three weeks because they are swamped by Virginia Graeme Baker inspections. This caused the construction schedule to change. Here is a tentative schedule:

Decking will be poured beginning Wednesday, June 10th and be complete by the 16th at the latest.

Once the deck is done (during the week of June 15-19), there will be simultaneous work on: the fencing, the handicapped ramp, and stucco of the building.

The plastering and filling of the pool and spa will happen about one week after the deck is complete.

The County and the City each have two inspections left, one during the above work and a final inspection. The pool cannot be used until it passes both final inspections. Now that there is approval from both the city and the county, things will move quickly. There will be extra crew assigned to the job and perhaps work on Saturday.   The July 4th completion date will depend on quick response from city and county inspectors.

Main Pool Status - June 1

Most of the raised planters at the main pool have been created and stuccoed.  Work has begun on the Handicap Access Ramp to the left side of Clubhouse 1 between the street and the pool.  City code is requiring 3 handicap parking spaces fronted by a sidewalk.  Slope of the ramp will be no greater than 4%.  Concrete for the pool deck should begin to be poured this week.  Concrete will be cut to form 4 x 4 foot diamonds, be sandstone in color, and be stamped to produce an appearance of slate.  Bids are coming in for plants and trees to be planted within the pool complex.  We are still on schedule for a July 4th opening.