The Blog would like to hear from homeowners that are in favor of authorizing the Board to take a $5 million loan. For example:
The Blog would like to hear your thoughts?
45 Comments
James Taylor
5/15/2022 08:06:25 am
I believe the whole idea has to many loose ends not put together well will cost nothing but money with no returns.
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Nadine Lange
5/15/2022 09:22:29 am
I do not want to spend additional money for no specific details.
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Kathy Rogers
5/15/2022 09:37:04 am
Yes - I feel very comfortable voting YES on the revitalization plan. It is economical & badly needed. I urge everyone to vote YES.
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Summer
5/15/2022 11:35:48 am
Hi Kathy, I am interested to know why this $5 million + expenditure is badly needed right now? With a price tag of over $2 million in interest? Desert Princess is an absolutely beautiful property and I fail to see the necessity for this overpriced project at the height of inflation for an additional $33 a month in homeowner fees with an interest rate that will have to be negotiable again in several year which is a big variable which most homeowners don't realize.
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CM
5/15/2022 12:03:39 pm
To Summer,
Cathie Wachter
5/15/2022 10:51:01 am
Remember this is a 15 year loan and here is what the experts say...
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Joyce Fowler
5/15/2022 11:32:41 am
I am not comfortable with this project and the 5 points you mentioned above. I am also not comfortable with raising the Hoa dues. They are high enough.
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Whitney Baez
5/15/2022 11:43:34 am
Why do we need a loan? Paying in one or a couple of payments should be an option. That way we can earn interest and pay as we spend. With the economy in its current state of crisis this should be placed on hold.
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Debra Blair
5/15/2022 12:24:15 pm
I have already voted NO. This is a WANT and not a NEED!! Stop spending money we don't have. How about this NEED: being able to sell or refinance our homes and and lender will lend in this community!!! vote NO!!!!!
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CB
5/17/2022 10:56:04 am
Spot on Debra!
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George
5/15/2022 01:06:20 pm
I agree with Summer.. very valid points. I am so taken aback when I ask other homeowners how they voted and they say yes..
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PPM
5/15/2022 03:32:21 pm
I don’t understand why any residents would vote yes on this project. The board members, less the two intelligent ones, have zero integrity in the eyes of many. Those few board members are hiding behind the revitalization committee, and given a yes vote will spend this money how they (PETER W) want to.
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Felicity
5/15/2022 04:39:31 pm
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Dolores
5/15/2022 04:45:08 pm
This is not a need, only a want. I think the property looks fine. I would think the many landscaping employees we have at DPCC could take care of the need for plant replacements. I’m a full time home owner, do not play golf or take advantage of the other amenities available here but enjoy the security of a guard gated community. I do not want HOA fees increased for this project, prefer updating the clubhouse.
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Paying for long dead plants for the next 15 years
5/15/2022 06:30:22 pm
If passed this would cost us all over 2.5 MILLION IN INTEREST ALONE, nobody knows what the final figure would be.
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Tom Rosa
5/15/2022 08:07:20 pm
Plan your work and work your plan is a motto I live by. This $5MM proposed project has NO defined plan or price tag accordingly. It's all a best guess at this point. There are only two outcomes for the homeowners, 1) We get far less for our money as labor and material increases annually. 2) Like all vaguely scoped projects it will cost far more than the $5MM they claim. Inflation is currently is 8+ % is there an escalation assumption in there budget? If so what is it ?
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Michelle
5/16/2022 12:45:28 pm
Tom, all your comments on this blog are valid concerns. You question whether or not the Board's budget has an escalator assumption. My question is "What budget?" How can you possibly have a budget when you haven't received any bids for the project? Prices are rising daily, interest rates are escalating monthly....the CDAC is clearly in over its head. Unfortunately, we are being asked to fund their project with less information most would need to purchase a new car.
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Saulius
5/16/2022 09:07:50 am
If every homeowner at desert princess spent $33. per month on plants for a year for their area cost would be about $400. and we would be done with updating. What the heck is this 15 year plan but a over the top beaurocratic waste. Cut down the dead or dying trees and those that look ugly and fix our streets as they are looking tired. All the rest is unnecessary extravagance just plain smoke and mirrors. Please vote NO our HOA fees are high enough allready.
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Terry
5/21/2022 03:01:01 pm
The BOD, by their actions will impact our personal credit ratings by hanging a 15 year debt around our necks for a completely ridiculous reason. And, by their inaction will continue a situation that will deny DP homeowners the ability to have residential mortgages available to access their equity or sell their property here at DP. Does the BOD have any respect for homeowners or their fiduciary duty to homeowners? The answer is NO, just like my vote against their proposed ridiculous 15 year debt. This BOD must be reigned in as they are out of control. Stop dreaming up ways to spend OUR money and take care of REAL issues that we are all aware of.
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Summer
6/3/2022 02:59:52 pm
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mark
5/31/2022 04:51:22 pm
When we bought our condo just under 2 years ago we spent $3000 to update the landscaping on our end unit because it had been allowed to deteriorate. What will happen now with the landscaping we installed if the new plan is approved. Will everything we just had installed be removed and new items put in?
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Are We Next?
6/1/2022 04:46:48 pm
Mega drought Declared!
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6/2/2022 12:46:59 pm
I've never understood why so many people wait until the last minute until they do something that they KNEW was coming. It's only when people are at the precipice do they finally take action or panic. Southern California, not just the Coachella Valley, is in a DESERT. Ornamental lawns should never have been allowed in the first place. Now that we are forced to take action, we have to deal with the added costs of removing the turf around our "common areas" and replant with drought tolerant plants, rock and gravel. Mark, if you upgraded your condo with the hoa approved drought tolerant landscape you should have nothing to be concerned with. Please folks, READ the information listed in the communications sent by CDAC. This is not the time to panic, but to use rational, measured and calm thinking to solve these problems. We can continue to make Desert Princess a beautiful place without letting plants and grass die and fixing it piecemeal.
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Leslie
6/3/2022 09:22:35 am
So Michael, I agree. Piecemeal and incrementally definitely is the way to go in which case a milti-million dollar loan is unnecessary, right?
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6/3/2022 01:31:56 pm
Leslie, Please READ my statement. I never said we should do it piecemeal. I said, "We can continue to make Desert Princess a beautiful place WITHOUT letting plants and grass die and fixing it piecemeal". Please don't spin my words to support your agenda. BTW, have you run the numbers and time involved to do it the way you are advocating? Completely impractical.
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Not Bamboozled
6/3/2022 05:10:40 pm
The CDAC has shown us:
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Terry
6/5/2022 11:29:23 am
I have a good and quite intelligent friend who believes the reason for the largest number of voters sending in their ballots in over ten years here at DP is NOT because voters are enamored by the 7.5 million dollar debt proposed for a ridiculous plant swap, but rather by their anger over the BOD'S attempt to bambozzle them with false information and mistruths. When voters are comfortable with the status quo they have a tendency to not bother voting. We have a large number of voters according to the inspector of elections so we shall see. I believe my friend is correct.
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Caroline M
6/5/2022 01:59:10 pm
Terry, very well said. You should be on the board.
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Leslie
6/6/2022 07:45:18 am
I totally agree, Caroline. Terry would definitely offer the leadership we're sorely lacking....leadership that has the ENTIRE community's best interests at heart. Happy E-Day to all! Win, lose or draw, this blog has been invaluable to the residents by informing, promoting the exchange of thoughts and ideas, all of which contributes to the strength and success of Desert Princess.
CB
6/5/2022 05:04:47 pm
Terry, I couldn’t agree more. #1 priority should be getting us off the do not lend list. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES! Not all of us own other homes. For some of us DP is our year round, primary and only home. Being unable to access equity or refi MATTERS to some of us. Why are we not represented? Don’t we pay the same HOA fee??
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What If?
6/5/2022 08:54:04 pm
What if, Instead of legal action, we recall and replace all those members of the Board who voted for the ballot proposal to borrow $5 million and swap plants and then replace CDAC in total.
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Leslie
6/6/2022 11:20:22 am
It is somewhat pre-mature to discuss what-ifs. The appropriate time to look at options is if the YES votes prevails.
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Terry
6/6/2022 04:35:37 pm
Dear "what if,"
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What If?
6/6/2022 07:08:07 pm
Thank you Terry,
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Terry
6/7/2022 08:45:43 am
What we, as users of "my desert princess blog" have achieved is to alert homeowners to the fact that our elected leadership seems to have little respect for homeowners, and even less respect for their duty as leaders to operate in the BEST INTEREST of DP HOMEOWNERS. This achievement is hugely important. At this point, after a very substantial win on the vote ( 599 against, out of a total vote of 794 ) our board is on notice that we have taken an interest in how they are operating and are not exactly pleased. They will remain under our scrutiny to insure that they follow the law and respect homeowner's rights.
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Michelle
6/7/2022 09:57:08 am
What if? While none of us, except the Board have exact numbers on what the landscape proposal cost, the Board informed us that the Peter Webb recall ballot cost homeowners $10,000.00 so there is no reason to assume this ballot cost anything less. We definitely have sundry expenses that have been incurred for this project.....two Townhalls offering food and beverages to several hundred attendees, any bills incurred for professional consultations and a Loan Origination Fee of $1500.00, a fee which is typically non-refundable.
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Mary Maloney
6/7/2022 09:45:19 pm
I find it funny that this board put out so much rhetoric about the cost of the recall yet spent the money for a community wide vote on this project very easily. As a Realtor with clients trying to sell their properties currently in the community, NOT being able to obtain a conventional loan for the condos is a REAL ISSUE. This board has known about this issue for YEARS! Fact. They did nothing about it and now that we are officially on the DO NOT LEND list, they want to throw up their hands that there isn't anything that can be done. Seems that it plays right into the hands of those that want to convert our community into a private club......just saying. Seems all too convenient. There are many private clubs in the valley, I am happy to help you buy there. THIS IS A RESORT COMMUNITY, built to be one, needs to be one.
Judge
6/7/2022 08:26:02 am
Why did we hire a management company?
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Terry
6/8/2022 11:18:58 am
Well said Mary Maloney. The private club concept needs the economy of scale we lack at DP. Example: An onsite restaurant that caters almost entirely to DP owners cannot survive the 6 month period annually that those owners are absent. The restaurant throws off huge losses that are picked up by homeowners which raises their costs of ownership. As mentioned, DP lacks the economy of scale large clubs have that keep their individual costs low. It is a cycle that does not improve over time. The money spent on losses such as this example could be better used for making actual improvements to DP. This is lost opportunity. Unfortunately DP leadership will go to any lengths to keep their club house so they champion this type of operation. This will eventually lead to complete failure. We homeowners are tired of paying for a private club house used by a minority of owners.
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CB
6/8/2022 12:37:59 pm
Agreed Terry. DP could have just as nice AND profitable restaurant, patio and bar area IF we were able to make the changes needed for that to happen. It is not rocket science. I addition to having part of my (and all homeowners) HOA fees not purposely subsidizing a losing concern, I would love it if the food was better, and the atmosphere upgraded. As a year rounder, I would love to go to over for a beer and something to eat (oh, 90% of the repetitive menu is fried, beef or pizza) , maybe play pool (oh no pool table), hang out with friends (oh, none of my DP or external friends want to go), watch a basketball game (oops go Celts!), etc etc....currently I am paying for: food I cannot or won't eat, in a room that looks like the dining hall in a nursing home. WE DESERVE BETTER and all the HOA fees that pay the annual shortfall can be used for some of those "tree replacements" and much needed garage utility upgrades (oh yah - take a look at the electrical boxes for the condo garages!!! - frightening and potentially unsafe and maybe not up to code?)
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Leslie
6/8/2022 02:04:15 pm
Minority appears to rule on many aspects of how our money is spent these days.
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Lindsay
6/8/2022 02:28:24 pm
Vote this BOARD OUT!!!!!
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Leslie
6/8/2022 03:42:35 pm
Swap out the plants as we can afford to from our reserve fund? Maybe the driving range could be left to it's own devices and perhaps piecemeal remove grass as we can afford to do so.
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What If?
6/8/2022 04:26:21 pm
Driving range? what if we stopped watering it? Just let the grass die, why does it need to be grassed? No need to replace the grass, its a driving range!
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