Tourism is up, according to the Washington Post

From Roger Mullenhour:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/09/27/hawaiis-14-billion-tourism-industry-back-to-pre-recession-levels/

Phase II Lease redetermination

This is just a friendly reminder that those in Phase II will need to get their back lease payment checks in by tomorrow, Tuesday,  Oct. 1st.  Marianne sent out a form which would enable you to sign up for the automatic withdrawal.  I actually scanned mine and then emailed it to her today.  If you need the form, I'd suggest you get in touch with Marianne ASAP.

It is important that we all pay on time, if possible.

Thanks,
Randy

Deal on rental cars

I just got an email from Hotwire that they are having a one day sale on car rentals, including Kauai, TODAY.

I was able to rent a car for the November meeting for $5.95/day - of course the taxes and fees made it quite a bit more but it was still a great deal.

So if you haven't reserved your car yet for the November owners' meetings, today would be a great day to do that!

Randy

Parking fee on hold

The AOBO Board has decided to defer the implementation of the parking fee beyond the Oct. 1st date, as originally proposed.  The parking fee is on hold for now with no date certain as to if and when it will be imposed.

The Board will discuss it at the November meeting in Kauai.

Thanks to all the owners who sent in their thoughts and comments on the subject.

Randy

Clarification

I have learned that there was some confusion about the offer from the Trust to open the pool for a higher amount than we are paying.

That offer was for only ONE month.  They did not offer to open the pool for months.  They offered to get it opened for only October. So it would have given us only one more month of a pool. 

Still hoping to get a resolution to this situation.

Randy

Pool news

I wanted to let everyone know that we still have been unable to arrange an alternative pool for our guests' use.  The Sheraton is starting a remodeling project so they are unable to contract with us.  We have also been unable to reach an agreement with a different operator to open the pool.

We will keep you posted.  We have heard that some owners have had guests cancel their reservations because of the lack of pool.  Please keep track of any economic losses you encounter because of the situation.

Thank you for your patience.

Randy

Recent article in SF Chronicle about Hawaii

Kauai

On the Garden Island of Kauai, environmental and cultural concerns have slowed some proposed hotel transformations.

EBay founder Pierre Omidyar is facing opposition for his plans to build a resort and ridge-top homes in Hanalei, on a 63-acre site that includes the overgrown ruins of the former beachfront Club Med and Hanalei Plantation Hotel.

New environmental protections for a gem on the island's south side, however, seem to have unanimous approval. Lawai Kai includes a beach popular with nesting green sea turtles and resting Hawaiian monk seals, a beachfront hill traditionally used as a lookout and other archaeological sites, and Allerton Garden, part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden.

In June, the area became a "special subzone" of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, preserving its natural beauty for residents and visitors.

Phase II Lease Redetermination award

Aloha everyone,

We have just been advised that the Panel has rendered its decision in the Phase II Lease Redetermination process.

Basically it represents an increase of approx. 80% over what the present lease fees are.  It is back-dated to January 2012 so there will be a large sum due to the landowners.  The details of that are yet to be worked out.

For example, my lease fees for unit 39 have been approx. $560/month.  The new lease fee will be approx. $1015.  It's not quite doubled.

My understanding is that this award is actually less than the amount that the landowners originally demanded from us so it is an improvement.  Also, the fee is fixed for ten years. I believe it's about the same as what Phase I received.

The AOBO Board is going to meet this week to consider the next step.  Ben Miller will be sending out a letter to all Phase II owners later this week, probably with the specific awards.

Please direct any questions to Ben Miller at BMiller450@aol.com.

Randy

Pool update

Aloha Owners,

As you know, the pool was closed as of Sept. 4th.  The operators of the pool abruptly and without notice decided to close the pool.  We have been working at trying to find alternatives so that we could get the pool open.

We have been in negotiations with the Trust to re-open the pool on a temporary basis.   They  wanted $66,000 for the month,  or $200 for the month, per owner. We have been paying nearly $110/month.   The AOBO, AOAO, Outrigger and Castle met and offered the Trust the same price that we have been paying.   The Trust rejected our offer. Therefore, the club will remain closed.   We regret that we have been unable to get the pool opened right away.  

 If anything changes in the near future we will post it on the blog.   

Thanks for your patience.

Pool closure

The AOBO has just learned that as of tomorrow, Sept. 4th, the Kiahuna Swim and Tennis Club will be closed.  The current operators of the pool have advised us and the landowners that they will not be opening the pool after today.  Our understanding is that they have nevertheless told their employees to return to work tomorrow.

The landowners have advised us that they are pursuing other alternatives to get the pool reopened as soon as possible.  We are optimistic that this will not take long.   It is possible it could be a temporary arrangement until a more permanent one can be set up.   We do not know how many days or weeks it will take to arrange new operators of the pool who can secure the appropriate insurance and employment requirements.  We will keep you advised as soon as we learn more information.

If you are concerned about the pool/tennis court fees that may have been deducted for September, please rest assured that no monies have been paid to anyone so no one will be out any money.

Rest assured that we view this as a serious issue and are monitoring the situation very closely and intend to keep you fully aware of developments as they occur.