Makes me wish I was there!

I don't know about many of you but the subtle hand of Fall is slowly settling in here in New Mexico. Sure the days are still in the low 80's but the mornings are now cool and crisp. The Albuquerque Balloon Festival is around the corner. Changes are coming. Welcomed by some and dreaded by others as we watch the weather change here on the Mainland.

Taking one look at the warm trades gently sway the palm trees while overlooking the blue azure Pacific and the Island of Lanai lets us all know why Hawaii beckoned and we became homeowners at Wavecrest.

I thought I would share this one last pool picture of an early morning in Molokai as a reminder of why we are all there! I also want to thank Tracina and Iese for bringing many of the images of the blog to the homeowners.

Mahalo,


Doug Howard
C-306

Pool Opens Today Saturday, September 27, 2008

The pool renovation has been completed!!!

Hard as it is to believe the work on the pool was completed on Friday, the pool has been filled and it will open today!!

The Pua Aina personnel left the Island yesterday afternoon after completing this job in two weeks. The weather cooperated and they worked many hard hours to get it open as quickly as possible.

Those on-site at Wavecrest say the pool looks really nice and work was also performed on the decking to seal the grout and improve the appearance.

Iese also worked very hard to repair the pool light and we are happy to report that the pool light is working as it should. That should add some real ambiance in the evenings.

I want to personally thank the staff of Wavecrest, and our guests and owners that were very patient during this process. We are also grateful to Bob Cutts with Pua Aina and his crew that met and exceeded each committment made to us as owners of Wavecrest.

Mahalo

Doug Howard

C-306

Update on Pool Renovation for Wednesday, September 24, 2008

This is where the pool stood as of Tuesday evening with only one small row of tile to be completed in the shallow end of the pool.

According to Tracina, Pua Aina is now thinking that they can wrap up this job by 5:00 PM Friday evening.

I will keep everyone updated on the progress, filling of the pool and when it will be scheduled to reopen.

Lucky for us that the weather has cooperated and the crew has been motivated to get the job done as quickly as possible. I think you will all agree that the pool looks really nice. I have requested a close up or two of the tile and I will send that out when I receive it.

Thanks for everyone's patience while we the work is being completed! Almost there!

Mahalo,

Doug Howard

C-306

Wow look at the Pool Today Tuesday, September 23rd!!

These guys are moving quickly to get our pool completed! As I explained earlier, the pool dolphin was etched into the concrete so it could be recreated exactly. They also took numerous digital pictures so they would also have a reference point. It appears that they nailed it.

It is hard to believe that they can make this type of progress so quickly. However, before I left Molokai, Mr. Cutts the owner of Pua Aina said that the progress would be surprising as the pool goes back together.

I promise to bring you the updates as soon as they become available. We need to thank our staff, Tracina Reed and Iese Tanielu for keeping me updated on the pictures. I also want to thank those of you that have responded positively to the blog. We are hopeful that we can present Wavecrest in the best possible way to all of us that are lucky enough to own there.

Through you the individual owners, we have become a really great entity that has positioned itself for the future as a stable and awesome place to live, work and enjoy.


Mahalo,


Doug Howard
C-306

The Feral Cats of Wavecrest??

Well these guys certainly look comfortable don't they! During my recent visit to Wavecrest I was able to find all four of the cats that have lived here for over a year. As you can see, these two are as cute as can be.

The biggest surprise was that of the four these two can be approached and will allow you to pet them. The grey cat is especially friendly and even followed me to the 3rd floor and came right into the condo!

It became clear that some were feeding the cats and they inadvertently become little tattle tales by hanging out where they were being fed. I seem to have forgotten exactly where I saw them hanging out and to be honest did not see any food bowl or anyone actually feeding them.

I believe that these cats add value to Wavecrest. They are natural hunters and can prey on the mice and rats that prefer to occupy the same space as we humans for a variety of reasons. If the cats must rely on hunting for their diet then they can provide a valuable service for all of us at Wavecrest.

Long ago the owners at Wavecrest banned having pets. The board is charged with the responsibility to enforce those rules. We would ask that everyone please abide by these regulations and refrain from feeding the cats. If some owners have had a change of heart over the ban of animals then they should approach the board and petition for a change in the rules.

Anyone that knows Jane and I also knows we are cat people. Our board President, Mike Nicholls also is cat person. We have two cats that live in New Mexico and we have considered bringing them to O'ahu to our home there. It is a lot of fun to watch these cats hunt in the early evening. I saw one of them hunt a bird for almost 30 minutes last week. The cat stalked the bird and probably thought he had dinner several times. The bird seemed to enjoy the process and was always a step ahead. At least his time!

Mahalo for your support in this matter!!!

Doug Howard
C-306

Update on Pool Renovation from Weekend

What a difference a couple of days makes. We now have the new concrete coping around the edge of the pool completed and the new tiles are now being applied to the pool.

The tile will be applied first and then it will be grouted to seal the tiles completely to the pool surface and provide a smooth surface.

I was able to view the new tiles as they came out of the box. Pua Aina owner, Robert Cutts explained that they mix and match the tiles which come in sheets so that there is random pattern that improves the overall appearance of the pool. As you can see, the old porpoise outline has been etched into the concrete so it can be recreated in exact detail as before.

The new tiles have a really great look and you can see the new water edge tile as well. We will provide more information as it becomes available.

Mahalo,

Doug Howard

C-306

Pau Hana on Day 4 of Pool Renovation September 18, 2008

The coping around the edge was completed today. They were still working on the finishing touches at 7:00 PM tonight. The coping was poured and formed by hand. The pool has settled quite a bit since it was originally built and as such in no longer level. It took considerably more concrete on the shallow end of the pool than on the deep end in order to make the coping level.

Tomorrow they will saw the expansion joints and prepare the concrete pool surface for the tile. The new tile is really nice looking and the pool will look much better when completed since all of the patches will be gone and the tile will be uniform in appearance.

I will be leaving Molokai in the morning but I have arranged to have pictures taken daily for follow-up on the pool renovation.

I also have some other articles of interest to report in the near future. Until then have a great day!

Day 3 of Pool Renovation September 17,2008

Another day is almost in the bank and all of the tile has now been removed and the framing is partially installed for the new edge coping surrounding the pool. It would appear that the noisy work has been completed and the jack hammers will quickly fade into distant memory. Certainly nice that the very noisy part of the job lasted less than three days.

It is amazing to see the progress being made and soon we will start to see the new tile take shape as the pool goes back together. The crew is doing an excellent job and our Resident Manager, Iese was able to find the parts locally to move the pool light junction box.

I have taken other pictures which I will cover in future updates. I have also arranged to have additional pictures taken after I leave the property on Friday morning so we can all stay up to date on events here at Wavecrest and watch the progress of the pool renovation. Hopefully the weather will hold and the pool can be completed ahead of schedule. We will provide advisories on completion as we get closer.

Doug Howard

C-306

New Washer and Dryers in C Building

Its official, the C Building has all new Washer and Dryers on all three floors. I know that many of you have been wondering when it was going to happen so here is a picture of the first floor!

The place really is looking good and it is a very nice to be here right now. The Island is not really busy right now and all of the businesses in town welcome you with a big Aloha. I will be leaving Island on Friday and am starting to get sad at having to leave so soon.

As I said above the Island is not real busy right now. I was able to shop at Friendly Market the other day and didn't run into a single cart down the isles and two of the checkout people asked me to come to their line! Molokai Wine and Spirits was fully stocked with wine and cheese and the refrigerators at Mango Mart were bursting at the seams.

Mahalo,

Doug Howard

C-306

Day 2 of Pool Renovation September 16th

More progress was made today on the pool. Almost all of the concrete under the old coping has been removed and much progress was made on removing the pool tiles. I provided a picture of our dolphin. They will be able to recreate the exact dimensions of the dolphin by outlining its form in the concrete before removing the tiles. Interesting to watch.

I would suspect that almost all of the small blue tiles will be gone by Wednesday afternoon. We uncovered an issue with why the pool light was not working and our Resident Manager, Iese is working on the repair and rerouting of the electrical junction box. We are installing a new pool light and expect no problems with the electrical connection.

The trade winds have come back making it much more comfortable here, especially for the workers. It is nice to have the winds back. The views of Maui and Lanai are back!

Mahalo

Doug Howard

C-306

Pool Renovations Begin September 15, 2008

From Doug Howard C-306

At long last the pool renovation construction has begun. The pool supplies were delivered to Wavecrest last Thursday and the Pool Crew arrived today on Molokai. Work was started today just before noon.

Thanks again to those of you that provided your condo for the Pool Crew!

The work schedule will be Monday through Saturday this week. The following week the crew will be working Monday through Friday and returning to O'ahu for the weekend. They will return to Molokai the following Monday to resume work. The owner of Pua Aina Pool Company has indicated that they will make every effort to wrap this job up as soon as possible.

We will be letting everyone know the progress and if the pool will be ready to open prior to October 15th. If the weather remains favorable it should be completed early but one never knows what will happen during a renovation project.

Thanks for your kokua (understanding) during this process. The pool will look really nice at the end of the renovations!

Doug

Welcome to the Wavecrest Owners Forum

Doug Howard - C306

Welcome to the new Wavecrest Owners Forum. It is a place for the open exchange of ideas and opinions. We openly welcome your dialogue on your choice of topics. There is only one rule here. There are no anonymous postings or comments allowed. We are about respectful sharing of ideas or comments - not posting anonymous comments that may contain a morsel of truth on a plate full of assumptions.

That other blog allows you to post half-truths and innuendo that usually is not backed up with facts. I suspect that the same individuals are posting again and again but since they do not identify themselves we are left to guess. However, their writing style does not vary so one can follow an assumption that only a few are playing loose with the facts and hoisting the banner of blind subjectivity on anyone that reads the blog.

I was personally offended by some comments that some members of the board were either stupid or unethical. I reluctantly joined the board in March out of a sense that maybe I could help with a project or two. The board members are homeowners who donate a hefty chunk of their time and expertise to help run Wavecrest. They really do have the best interests of each of us in mind with every decision that is made. Each board member is a homeowner first and a board member second. Why would a board member or a homeowner for that fact, make decisions that were not in the best interest of all concerned? After all the purpose of the board is to look out for the best interests of the association as a whole and provide a stable management platform to meet those goals. We should all be proud of the legacy of this board and their accomplishments of placing us on firm financial footing.

Wavecrest is in excellent financial condition. Yes, we have all made a sacrifice in terms of our capital contributions through maintenance fees. We have just endured an unprecedented run up in utility costs ever experienced in our recent lifetime. We were pefectly positioned financially to weather this unforseen consequence and hold the line on maintenance increases for 2009. Since when did keeping the fees unchanged for two years become a sinister plot of overcharging?

There has never been overcharging. The excess of income over expenses goes into the reserve fund. Your board has a 20 year plan for the maintenance and replacement of all capital items that must be funded either by having adequate reserves or by special assessment. Hawaii law now requires that the reserve be at least 50% funded and they strongly suggest 100% funding. The Hawaii State Legislature has threatened to move the funding requirement to 100% almost every year. The board has adopted a reserve study that is well thought out and considerate of replacement of numerous items along with the maintenance of this entire facility for the next 20 years on a rolling schedule.

Your board has built up the reserves to where we were at the 100% funding level. The decision to forego any maintenance increase simply means that the funding percentage will drop as more of the monthly revenue is applied to actual expenses incurred during the year. Not because of overcharging.

I was not here during the last special assessment for the roof but competent financial oversight is important to try and eliminate the need for a special assessment in the future. Nobody wants their maintenance fees to go up. However, Hawaii in general and Molokai specifically is an expensive place to do business.

I am not trying to make the assumption that any board is perfect and always makes the choices that resonate with owners all of the time. I will make the case that all decisions are honestly made with our best interests in mind.

I hope that we can all learn to respect each other and present our different opinions and ideas in the hope that we can make Wavecrest a place we are all proud to call our home!

Mahalo for your Kokua!!

Doug Howard C306

The Real Wavecrest Blog for All Owners

Welcome to your comment spot on the internet. Here is where we will attempt to post information that represents your best interests in providing you truthful information about our wonderful resort here in Molokai. We will attempt to be honest and forthcoming but we will attempt to limit harmful half-truths that do nothing but hurt the honest exchange of information.



Everyone can feel free to post information at this spot but consideration will be given to those that are honest, respectful and most important help with providing up to date information that will be a service to all of us. All pictures posted to this site by the host are copyrighted material and may only be used with prior permission.



My name is Doug Howard.