What's Happening ??

Spring at Cline's Landing seemed like constant maintenance and repairs. Royce and the guys are constantly "repairing and preparing" around the property. Wonder why you didn't see the maintenance guys around during the week. Wonder why they've got such good tans so early in the summer?? Here's why..



Hopefully you'll notice with your summer electric bills that Royce and his troops have re-insulated and re-sealed every air conditioning line on the roof. They have also replaced and or repaired wiring, exhaust fans as well as conduit and weather seals.



Royce also gets to enjoy the musical tones up close of our roof top generator.. He runs that noisy beast on a monthly schedule that Bobby Clark set up to make sure that it's always ready when the light go out on the island. ( The Generator is actually located in the center of the north building... I know everyone thinks it's located on their patio when it runs...)



We had an opportunity to enjoy our generator when the power company replaced our main transformer near our Station Street Pier exit. It was a quick one day fix... However the drainage project was not...



The digging and heavy machinery beeped and roared for about 2 weeks in front of our buildings while replacing drainage lines to the ship channel.. Hopefully, when the job is signed off they will repave the street and we'll be in good shape for another 20 years.

The continuing efforts to insulate the buildings from moisture and to stay ahead of the normal erosion of structures on the coast is the subject that our engineering firm will be looking at over the next few weeks. We hope to have a plan for the next 5, 10 15 and 20 years. None of us like surprises on our property.



We were also given the tour of work done to re-seal the parapet caps on the roof. These "seems" had separated from the walls and roof allowing water to enter the building. This was an extensive and expensive repair but very necessary.

What's Happening with Hurricane Ike...

Hello from Port Aransas,

Following a great summer here on the island we've dodged our second bullet this hurricane season. Although the elders say "we don't get storms after D or E in the alphabet" and "Texas doesn't have land falling storms in even years" I think you have to take them all seriously.

Port Aransas was very fortunate in that we saw no more than 35 mph winds and never got a drop of rain. The only indication anything was lurking in the Gulf was the huge surf and the rising water in the channel, marina and storm drains. These photos were taken Friday morning as the water rose over the finger piers. (Click on the photo's for larger image)



The surf at high tide near 2 pm had onlookers scrambling for high ground.



The rising water in front of The Dunes Condos made Lantana Street impassable early.



Closer to home, the picnic table view of the marina shows how high the water was by 4 pm Friday. Pretty impressive for a storm that was 250 miles northeast..



Shorty's and the Flats were accessible by car and by boat at 5pm Friday afternoon for those who needed to rehydrate during storm preparations.



Unfortunately however, we have seen no advancement in mental judgment, risk management or self preservation since my generation prepared for 10 to 15 foot waves... We watched 30-40 surfers plunge into the roaring surf all afternoon. (Shane was heartbroken that he wasn't able to join them.")



Today, following landfall near Houston, we see only unusually high tides.



As our dog Willow was giving me the grass and bush tour at sunrise, the water in the ship channel was dead calm but was even with the top of the bulkheads.



The tides are slowly pulling back this morning and hopefully taking some of the seaweed with them.



Although the fishing piers are still underwater, most of the docks appear to have held together.



We were very fortunate that Ike made its predicted turn up the coast. Our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors to the north.

What's Happening..

Today the Board of Directors of the Cline's Landing Association elected officers:

Richard Suttle - President
Randy Clay - Vice President
Ken Jones - Secretary / Treasurer

Also in attendance were Bob Wray and Bobby Clark.

The new Board pledged to work together on behalf of the Owners and the Association.

Lot's Happening... 03/01/08

For those who haven't been down since Christmas, there's a lot going on.

The mornings begin at 8:00am with the sounds of cranes, generators and jackhammers.
The top photo shows the crane that lifted the new roof supplies up into position over the last couple of weeks. This week it's back to lower the old roofing materials down into a huge dumpster. To the untrained eye (like mine), looks like insulation, tar paper, wood and lots of rocks...



































These photos are of the technicians installing the new Security Cameras around the property.
The office now enjoys clear views of each of the entrances and exits as well as under cover parking and the marina.





The next photos show the excavation in the marina near the large boat slips. The engineers and workers jackhammered up the sidewalk and removed the soil from the areas identified by the divers last fall. They're currently replacing the membranes over the seams in the concrete bulkheads then will backfill the area. They are only about half way to completion but the progress is good and best of all there have been no surprises...






The next photo shows some of the work that's been done around the property. This is very encouraging as prior to the arrival of Royce and his team this type of thing only occurred just before the Annual Owner's Meeting. These four guys work hard, they work independently and they care about the job they do. Also, the rock lowered in picture #1 above was recycled and used in these flowerbeds...




































The last two photos are pictures of pictures so they're a little hard to make out. They are of the waves that blast our marina when the ships go by. Along with attempting to verify ownership and responsibility for the crumbling concrete wave-break pier, we are also looking at a mooring device that allows the cleats that secure the boats to slide up and down a stainless steel shaft. This will allow the boats in the marina to survive these destructive waves.

See you Soon !

What's Happening 05/21/07

Busy, Busy, Busy…

There’s been a lot going on around Cline’s Landing since the Owner’s Meeting in April. First, the leaking pipes have been replaced above the Dolphin Room. The walls for a “chair storage area” also in the Dolphin Room are finished as well as progress on the installation of new ceiling tiles. A new floor in the Exercise Room has been completed “in house” as well.

Last week, samples of the material that covers the Expansion Joints in the parking lot were installed near the Tennis Courts. One is the same reddish “rubber stuff” that we’ve had before and the other is a variety of “Astroturf” that covers playing fields in stadiums across the country. The Rep for the company that I spoke with said we could replace the “red stuff” every 3-4 years or get the “Grass” and not replace it for decades. The other advantage is that if it should somehow tear or burn our Maintenance crew can replace it with little effort. ( I thought the Green Grass look was very nice. It looked like you’re driving into a PGA Country Club parking area.)

Divers also examined the joints of the Bulkheads in the Marina. (One of which was our distinguished Mayor Claude Brown.) I understand that there are some gaps that will require repair and fill but structurally they are sound.

I also noticed 2 well dressed ladies near the Fish Cleaning area with measuring tapes and clipboards. I didn’t think they were Redfish Groupies hanging around waiting for Steve Heymann’s daily catch… Turns out they were from an appraisal firm figuring a second opinion on the value of our property. (This was one of the concerns raised at the Owner’s Meeting.)

“The Culligan Man” was also here and disassembled something that I think I saw in an old Star Wars movie. I’m not sure whether he’s fixing it or replacing it, but Soft Water should arrive in the near future…

That, along with some roofing repairs on the A Building and tidying up the landscaping along Station Street (nice job Tony) is some of what’s been going on down here in paradise.

Summer’s almost here, see you soon,

Randy

Owner's Meeting - April 14, 2007

Sorry for the Delay...

I was in the middle of my Simulator and Re-current Training at Continental Airlines through the 28th of April...

Owner's Meeting - April 14, 2007

The 2007 Owners Meeting was a tremendous success. For those who were able to attend, the Meeting was informative with many questions asked and answered; the beautiful Condo Tour and the Dinner Social were all well attended and great successes.

The Meeting began with a series of reports from our Insurance Representative Pam Jameson, Financial Auditor Lupe Valdez and a local Realtor Suzette Freeman from Port Aransas Realty.

Insurance this year is actually figured at $84.00 per sq/ft. This equates to $16,000,000.00 for the loss of the structure here at Cline's Landing. There were questions asked and concerns regarding the amount of coverage and the estimate for replacement. Requests were made for "comps" with other properties and a "second opinion" of the appraised value. (It was noted that Cline's Landing is a rather unique property in that we are sitting on top of 65 foot tall concrete and steel pillars that extend into solid rock. The breach of the bulkheads in a storm may take the soil but we should fair well compared with others. This fact is one of the reasons that our Insurance costs and appraisals are rather unique as well.)

Auditor's reports indicated a "clean opinion" with "no control issues" which in their language means all is well and our system of 3 steps in order to write checks is working out well.

Realtor Suzanne Freeman reports that not only has Port Aransas "been found" but so has Cline's Landing. In 2006-2007 we had 6 publicly reported sales ranging from $212 to $390 per sq/ft. She presented "comps" from new properties including The Harbor's, Teal Harbor, The Mooring's and the 3 huge 30 story towers to go in just south of the new Arnold Palmer Golf Course. These properties as well as others in the works range in price $350-$400 per sq/ft. These properties as well as others including Cinnamon Shore's and Newport , are boosting our valuations. We've been featured in 2nd Home Journal and The Travel Channel actually filmed from the Sunset Room here at Cline's Landing for their upcoming segment on Port Aransas. Suzanne did say that with the higher valuations do come the responsibilities of continued maintenance, repairs and the availability of comparable amenities offered by these new arrivals.

Amenities Committee was very well represented by Nancy Phillips (107). She thanked all involved for the help in procuring, planting and placing the new plants in the hallways on each floor. She also gave a rundown on the repairs slated in and around the Dolphin Room. The first was the replacement of the sewer pipes in the ceiling, then the replacement of the carpet, ceiling tiles and new paint to follow along with a new TV. She then thanked the Hearns (117), the Draeger's (307), the Klee's (315), the Hanna's(604) and the Mollenhoff's(615) for their participation in the Condo Tour and invited all to attend.

Grievance Committee chief Bo Perry (504) reported a very quiet year under his watch.

Nominating Committee's Jan Novak(103) reported there were 2 nominations for 2 open positions on the Board for 2007-2009. Ken Jones and I were the 2 candidates... Elections were sort of held, and Ken and I were swept into office in the blink of an eye.

Manager's Report followed with Patsy Grimes thorough assessment. Currently we are:
*Upgrading the fire alarms, speakers and protection equipment in the hallways.
*Repairing the water softening equipment.
*Upgrading the surveillance cameras.
*Replaced a wooden gate. (next to the Station St Pier)

Patsy also mentioned the impact of the new maintenance team. Since Royce arrived on the property we have not used an outside contractor. Maintenance and repairs are being completed in record time and again all done "in house." (Last year's expense for outside contractors to do the work our staff should have been able to do was almost $50,000!) When you include their wages of close to $70,000 this was a very inefficient and costly department. Patsy appears to have a great crew on board and a Maintenance program that we can now afford and be proud of...

Old Business: Board Member Hugh Caudill reported on various projects around the property including the "Rubber Rock" which is sprayed over the expansion joints in the parking lot. It's only good for a few years and will need to be replaced. We are looking at a possible new product as well. (You may see a "test strip" or 2 in the parking lot soon.) Hugh also mentioned the repairs on the sewer pipes above the Dolphin Room appear to be an isolated event. The others have been inspected and appear to be fine. Hugh also mentioned that the repainting of the walkway ceilings is now complete.

New Business: Steve Heymann (204) mentioned the bulkheads in the Marina and the need to have them inspected. In years past they were "Liquid Jacked" back into position. It's not a repair but simply a temporary fix.

Previous Board Member Bob Wray (510) reported the plan for a new recreation area to be submitted to Owner's in coming months is developing on schedule. This plan is part of an enhanced renovation and updating of our entire property. Bob mentioned the plan is a combination of ideas collected over the last couple of years. He went on to introduce Dan and Debbie Pendley of River Oaks Pools. Their presentation was professional, very informative and showed designs that were scalable and can be adjusted to our needs. They were here to present ideas and concepts of what's available and what's going into the new properties here on the island. (3 of which they are currently doing...)

The plan centers around our current pool which is expanded on 2 sides. A much larger, elevated Spa and second "adult pool" with lap swimming capabilities are included. The plan also includes grilling and eating areas as well.

These concepts as well as related issues including examining the current bulkheads condition, total cost estimates and determinations regarding property improvements and an ADA grandfather clause will be considered. Look for more on this in the coming months.

Those are the high points of the 2007 Owner's Meeting. Thank you to everyone who made it a success including Kay Culpepper (111) for her hard work on the Condo Tour. To Nikki Lockett (308), Carol Clark (414) and Pam Klee (315) for their efforts in making the Dinner Social so memorable. Thank you of course to our staff as well. I hope I didn't forget anyone...

Randy Clay

** If you would like to be notified by e-mail when this site in updated, please send an e-mail to ClinesLanding@gmail.com

**Dan and Debbie Pendley were kind enough to provide us with screen shots of our Recreational Area Concept used during their presentation.

(Click on the Photo for Full Screen Image...)

The 1st Image is the "enhanced" current pool and spa...

What's Happening 03/23/07

Cline's Landing Owner's Meeting is April 14, 2007!

There's a lot going on down here and lots of new faces as well. As you arrive for the Owner's Meeting you'll notice new faces in the office, new Owners, newly re-done fountain out front, lot's of landscaping and trimming going on over the last week and a new talent in charge of our Maintenance Department.

During the meeting we will elect two new Board Members and discuss the many thing that we all want answers to about our property. We have many Owners who have expressed concerns over the deterioration of our property as well as the tremendous expenses on outside contractors and vendors for repairs over the past year. This of course will begin to change immediately as "Royce" has taken charge of Maintenance. We actually hired someone who can fix things on the property. He is an excellent carpenter and experienced in plumbing and air conditioning. (He is also here :30 minutes early, is easy to find on the property and actually stays till 5:00pm...)

Other topics will include our volunteers who hope to have proposals ready for Pool option's, and a discussion of inexpensive wireless Internet coverage, as well as any other topics that you would like to discuss or introduce. So get your lists together and please join us on the 14th for the Meeting, the Home Tours and the Dinner Social.

Randy Clay