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

Board Meeting Recap 11/18/2006

Here's a Recap of the November 18th, 2006 Board Meeting.

Following the approval of the prior meeting's minutes, Patsy gave the Manager's Report. The high points were that we currently have 12 Units in the Rental Pool which is down from 14. We have also contracted to have the stairwell's painted, the rust spots on the hallway ceilings painted and the palm tree's trimmed.

Ray Keating followed with points that included re instituting the Nominating Committee as well as the Grievance Committee that had all but disappeared in the past few years. Jan Novak will take over the Nominating Committee and the Grievance Committee person will be announced.
Other points included, letters from Nancy Phillips regarding the needed improvements to the Dolphin Room, and letters from an Owner who wants to change the patio door heights on his units two sliding glass doors and replace them with French Doors.
We were also informed that there is an offer from a local vendor to provide High Speed Wireless Internet for the entire Cline's Landing Property for $8.00 per month per unit.

The Budget Review followed with Patsy. We apparently receive a small discount on the employee Health Insurance because we now have 10 employees. There was a considerable discussion regarding the number of employees on staff with the majority of the repairs and maintenance done by outside contractors. It was noted as an example that Bay Tree, the property next door is completing an $830,000.00 total rehab of the property all done in house. Their personnel do the electrical, plumbing and sheet rock repairs that we contract out.
Dick Uthoff stated he hoped there would be room in the budget for more money for our maintenance staff this Holiday Season...

Discussion of Long Range Projects was next.
We reviewed a proposal that was sent to Patsy regarding simply repairing the existing pool. The $70,000.00 estimate included refinishing the pool's bottom, replacing the tile/coping, and replacing the defective and recently replaced decking. This estimate does nothing to address the old pumps and plumbing as well as the inefficient design. It was determined that for each $100,000.00 of repairs, the 70 Two bedroom units would be assessed $760.00. The Penthouse units would be $1300.00. We have Pool designers from Cabo Pools and Spa's coming down in December to begin design work on a great new pool and pool area. The larger Hot Tub, Beach Entry, a Zero Edge as well as cleaning up the eyesore along the canal. The homeowners had asked for this proposal during the last Owners Meeting. Bob Wray and I will post the estimates and plans on this site as soon as they are available so we can decide whether to repair or replace.

The estimate of $15,000 to redo and repair the Dolphin Room was discussed.

The roof for the Building B is scheduled to be addressed in 2008 and was tabled for now as well as a proposal to do something else to the Sunset Lounge Deck.

Proposals followed by Sylvia Uthoff to demand that ceiling fans be removed immediately from Patio Balcony's as per the Master Deed, the pouring of a concrete slab in the NW corner of the property (the old dog run) for a playground to keep children out of the parking areas and the construction of a fence along the Ship Channel from the Pool Area all the way to the Station Street Pier fence. (The purpose is to prevent a child from someday falling into the 5 foot deep water along the Ship Channel.) Although it has never happened and we are not every child's parents, it was discussed... The possibility of adding more ladders along the channel was discussed as well.

Those are the High and Low Lights of the public portion of the Board Meeting. The Members continued their discussions in private to select a replacement for Ed Kelly's seat which is vacant as well as other issues.

Randy Clay

What's Happening 07/25/06

The Blackout of '06..

The Owners that were here last Friday night when the power went out already know how quickly it gets warm in your home. For those who were not here, it got hot fast. Luckily, no one currently depends on the electricity being on for life sustaining equipment, but it would have been a life threatening problem in the past had our very expensive and much heralded "Roof Top Generator" not automatically begun operation when the power failed on the Island.

That's just what happened...

No word yet from the current Board Members regarding the the loss of power last week, but I spoke with Dick Uthoff as he passed in and out of Patsy's office today with a thick file folder under his arm. Dick said "Stuart & Stevenson, the manufacturer of the equipment, failed to service the Generator properly". He said "that the Batteries that operate the switching system when the power goes out were not hooked up properly". (Of course this would have failed the maintenance test prior to them finishing the most recent service call...) Along with this problem, I understand Patsy did all she could do, but was unable to manually get the unit started. (Thanks for your efforts Patsy!)

It appears that each employee should be trained as to the operation of the unit and the location of an override switch that turns it on in case these batteries should ever fail again.

I'll pass along the official explanation from a current board member when it becomes available.

Randy Clay #108

What's Happening 07/01/06

The summer is in full swing here in at Cline's Landing. Lot's of boats, cars, people and parties.

The boats are coming in with lots of Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel and Shark from the end of the Jetties along with Trout and Reds from the second gut of the surf.

The cars have arrived here in force and we are paying for the poor decision to give up 10 parking places in favor of the new angled parking plan in the lot. Every space was full last night, including the Reserved Boat Spaces. They were full of cars and some double parked in front of the boats. We cancelled our trip this morning as there was no way to get the boat out.

The people have been arriving steadily over the last few weeks, lots of old friends enjoying vacations and new owners preparing their units as well.

The parties go on across the Island, however the 4^th of July party for the kids on Saturday July 1^st was a real success. Dozens of happy kids were enjoying a Piñata, Balloon toss and lots of food and drink. Thanks to Bob and Marianne Wray for their hard work and great party.

We have a question for you this month. We have a number of owners who have poor reception on their cable TV. Please let us know if you are having a problem as well either by a post here on this site or to us at Clays@centurytel.net.

Randy Clay #108

What's Happening?

Cline’s Landing has enjoyed a number of safety enhancements, maintenance projects and general property cleanup since the last Board Meeting. Thanks to each owner who passed along their concerns and observations to Tonya Clay. The rather extensive list was presented to the Board.

Our combined voices were heard in regard to Pool Safety. After trying for months to get the slick paint around the pool fixed to stop the almost daily slips and falls, our new President Ray Keating, Patsy and our Maintenance Guys had the "new paint" on the pool within days. The "grit" in the paint is somewhat uncomfortable to the touch, but that's a small price to pay for the safety of our owners, kids and grandkids.

The board also asked Bob Wray and Randy Clay to look into the upcoming need to repair, renovate or replace our pool and pool area. The pool is our largest and most frequently used amenity. It serves as the centerpiece of the property and was high on the list of concerns of many owners prior to the Board meeting. There were many suggestions discussed including:

1. Patching the plaster on the pool bottom, redoing the pool deck area (again...) and removing the piles of brick, construction materials and weeds between the pool and channel and replacing it with River Rock type stones.
2. Redo the existing pool and pool deck area. This would allow the job to be done completely and would allow the replacement of the old plumbing and filter pumps with much more efficient units.
3. Total redesign of the pool area. It was pointed out by a number of owners, that our 20+ year old design is rather inefficient when you look at the available property area around the pool. The pool is the centerpiece of the property and should be a “first class amenity in a first class property.” Suggestions included a much larger and more efficient Hot Tub. The current “Spa” holds 8 to10 people comfortably. We obviously need to be able to accommodate twice that number or more. The lack of heat for the main pool was another concern. Energy prices would preclude heating the main pool, but a combination of darkening the bottom and the addition of solar water heaters on the “channel side” roofs of the cabanas would warm the pool with a minimum expense of energy. Other suggestions included a kid’s area, a sloping beach type entry area and the ability to swim laps.

Many other worthwhile suggestions and comments were made during the 2006 Owner’s Meeting.

Randy Clay #108

Update: May 26, 2006

We have discussed our needs and options with the 1st Pool Builder. They made a proposal last year to refinish the existing pool and will include a 2nd proposal that completely redesigns the Pool and Pool area. We will let you know how this progresses...