SHELLEY POINT NEWS
September 2017 A community newsletter dedicated to fostering a sense of community and the free flow of information at Shelley Point
FROM THE EDITOR
Terry - shelleypointnews@gmail.com
FROM THE EDITOR:
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN:
Hi All,
One of the tasks on my desk at present, is the preparation of the three-year plan for Shelley Point as well as the budget for next year. Fortunately, I have first-class support from the trustees (particularly Taryn Brand) and the estate manager (Norman Cowen) which is making the task a whole lot easier and more enjoyable.
The past month has seen the arrival of the muchanticipated flower season. I know that many were worried that the drought would result in a poor showing but thankfully, Mother Nature did not disappoint and we were treated to the usual magnificent displays of colour, albeit a bit later than usual. I think it was Samuel Johnson who said, ‘When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.’ I think that statement could apply equally to the West Coast. I truly believe that it is not possible to ever get tired of living here!
In analyzing and prioritizing the activities and requirements for the estate over the next threeyears, it is terrifying how much needs to be done but remarkable how many opportunities there are to improve service efficiency and cost effectiveness. There are also many opportunities for improvements to systems, policies and procedures to make the whole Shelley Point experience and lifestyle more enjoyable.
Of course, the advent of the flowers also heralds the arrival of Spring which is always something to look forward to. I only wish that the winter had produced more in the way of rainfall. Current rain statistics are looking very grim and it appears that the drought is still going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Yet, there are still homeowners watering their gardens with automatic sprinklers and hose pipes. Shame on you, is all I can say.
The biggest challenge will be to remain focused and to ensure we aren’t tempted into over-extending our limited resources by trying to implement too much, too quickly. Cheers for now. Ian Mac HOMEOWNERS HAVE THEIR SAY:
Have a wonderful month and remember, this is your newsletter. Feel free to drop us an email at shelleypointnews@gmail.com with your queries, comments, concerns or issues – basically, whatever is on your mind. And if you missed any previous issues, you can find them on the website at www.sphoa.co.za
Golf course update: Louis has asked for an update on the status of the golf course management and financials. He would like to know how the home owners’ money is being spent regarding this. (Editor replies – see country club report on page 4 & 5.)
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facilitate transport between the hotel and the beach club.
ADT Assistance: Maurits would like to commend the staff of ADT for responding quickly and efficiently to a recent incident of vandalism on the golf course and at his home. He says that it is very comforting to know that we have such dedicated men and women on the estate looking after our well-being all hours of the day.
The developer called for a pragmatic approach to access control and management of visitors to the hotel and beach club. There was some active debate around these proposals (which were, in principle, presented at the 2016 AGM). The Chairman very earnestly requested the developer to engage constantly with the HOA during the development and implementation periods, (and afterwards) to ensure that there is clear, open and honest communication and that any potential conflict of interest is proactively managed.
UPDATE FROM THE SHELLEY POINT BOARD OF TRUSTEES: The scheduled quarterly meeting of the Committee of trustees was held on 2nd August at the offices of Residentia Trust in Durbanville. Hotel update: The developer (Mr. Gert Joubert) briefed the Committee as follows:
Estate Rules and code of conduct: Over the past few months, a revised set of rules and code of conduct for the estate has been prepared. This was deemed to be necessary since the “old set of rules” has become outdated because of the growth of the estate and the introduction of new security procedures, etc. Any set of rules is, by definition, a work in progress and this revised set of rules will need to be treated as a living document and be constantly revised as circumstances change. As it is, the rules are generally not onerous and are simply there to assist in promoting harmonious living in a community environment. The new rules will be placed on the website in due course and members are welcome to comment on these as appropriate.
The property has been on the market for many months now, at a price of approximately one third of its replacement cost. Despite this, no buyer has been found. During this time, a significant amount of money and effort has been spent on renovations, upgrades and maintenance to create a “tropical island” ambience and the developer plans to reopen the hotel (under his own management) in time for the December holiday season. The hotel’s capacity has been increased through reformatting the “duplex rooms” to flexibly accommodate four rather than two persons and negotiations are underway with a new catering contractor to provide a range of catering options in three proposed new restaurants.
Gardens and maintenance: • Storm water drainage upgrades and verge repairs have been completed and the maintenance team is currently busy with repairs to boardwalks and cobbled walkways. • We are having difficulties in getting the municipality to repair streetlights that are not working. SBM is claiming budget constraints but the maintenance team is actively engaged with them to resolve the issue. In the meantime, 145 of the 441 light poles on the estate have been repainted and
In addition to the upgrade and renovation of the hotel, the developer also plans on creating a new “beach club” facility in the area of the originally proposed “small craft harbor”. This beach club (to be called The Pirates Cove) will provide a range of watersports activities such as sea kayaks, wind surfers, jet skis and beach cats along with a restaurant and bar area. Patrons are expected to include members of the general-public as well as hotel guests and it is envisaged that a shuttle service will
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repaired. The balance will be done in 2017/2018. • A refuse drop off area at the new gate was built during August. This is to help weekenders to dispose of garbage without having to leave wheelie bins out all week for collection on a Thursday. • Cleaning of the da Gama monument is scheduled to happen in the next few weeks. • A detailed technical audit of the fire-mains and hydrants was carried out in August and the identified repairs will be budgeted for in the next financial year.
SECURITY REPORT: ADT Acting Supervisor, Mkhulu Tekula has been nominated for the Employee of the month for July. He displayed an outstanding proactive approach during an internal investigation of two incidents involving vandalism on the golf course that were reported by residents. We would like to congratulate Mkhulu for his “above and beyond” effort. Well done and keep up the good work!
Finances: Due to the stubborn problem of levy arrears, the cash position of the SPHOA has declined slightly to 23.5% of annual income. This is slightly below the recommended holding of 25% but is not of concern at present. Costs and expenditure will need to be tightly managed over the next two months and debt collection will receive ongoing very close attention. All members of the association are requested to bring their levy accounts up to date as soon as possible to avoid possible legal action.
Acting Supervisor Mkhulu Tekula (left) and Site Manager Daniel Plaatjies
LEAPFROG PROPERTIES PHOTO OF THE MONTH:
A proposed three-year financial plan, is currently being prepared and will be tabled at the AGM in December. The first year of this three-year plan will become the budget for the next financial year. The second and third years will be indicative of the financial needs of the association for the future. Hopefully, this will provide members with additional insight into the finances of the association and more opportunity to make meaningful inputs.
This month, we have a beautiful lighthouse sunrise sent in by Karen – a very worthy winner of the Photo of the Month. It will be entered into the Photo of the Year competition where several cash prizes, sponsored by Leapfrog Properties, are up for grabs.
Desalination plant: Given the ongoing water crisis and its potential impact on the estate and its infrastructure, the trustees will make representation to both local and provincial government for assistance in the rehabilitation of the RO plant. This would benefit the entire region by reducing the demands made by Shelley Point on critically low water supplies.
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will be circulated to members for comment in due course. This constitution will be tabled at the 2017 AGM for adoption by members of the SPHOA.
SPORT AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES: Monthly ‘Sundowners’ Get Together After the temporary cancellation of the monthly Sundowners Get-Together due to cold weather and resultant poor attendance, the Golf Club is pleased to announce that Sundowners will now once again commence on the last Friday of every month from 5.307.30pm. So, come along this month on 29 September and celebrate the return of Spring. Please bring a plate of snacks to share.
• The constitution protects the interests of the HOA and its membership, and envisages that each member of the SPHOA, will automatically also be a member of the S&SC. Various other classes of membership are envisaged. • At present, all activities related to the management of the S&SC and the assets owned by the HOA have been “outsourced” to Golf Data (GD). Contractually, any profits made by the club are split with two thirds accruing to the club and one third to GD.
Sports and social club update: Partly in response to Louis (see “home owners have their say”) and partly as part of a routine update:
• From a financial point of view the following are key points to note:
• The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the club has been meeting regularly through the year and has provided regular updates in Shelley Point News.
o In round numbers, there are 1190 properties levied at present at Shelley Point. i.e. 1190 x R 160. So, R190 400 is collected monthly in favour of the S&SC. In real terms, slightly less than this amount is collected monthly due to some members levy accounts being in arrears.
• You will note that we are now using the name, “Shelley Point Homeowners Association Sports and Social Club” (S&SC) in this update. This is to clearly differentiate the club from the “Shelley Point Hotel, Spa and Country Club” (the official name of the hotel operation) and another legal entity called the Shelley Point Country Club Pty Ltd (a specific legal entity owned by a previous owner of the Hotel). It is also felt that this name better represents the aspirations of the club, in that it is established to promote sports as well as a range of social activities in the community.
o From this amount, GD is paid a fee of R 130 000 per month less the cost of water and electricity used in irrigating the golf course and bowling greens. This runs at R 25 000 to R 30 000 per month. The balance (plus/minus R 100 000) goes to GD for operations and maintenance of the S&SC. Note that ownership of all assets is retained by the SPHOA while GD is responsible for its maintenance within contractually specified parameters.
• The IMC continues to oversee the affairs of the club to ensure that the assets are being appropriately managed by Golf Data (GD) and that interests of the HOA and its members are being protected.
o The difference between the funds collected via the club levy and the payment made to GD is held in bank accounts managed by Residentia Trust.
• The draft constitution for the Sports and Social Club is now close to complete and
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o Latest financial reports indicate a healthy cash surplus available though there is an urgent requirement for the procurement of new capital equipment which the HOA and IMC are currently discussing with GD.
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o Maintenance of the golf cart fleet is currently managed by the IMC and incidental expenditure incurred by the Club on this and other activities is managed by the HOA chairman and the trustee holding the financial portfolio.
Regrettably, the SA Open had to be cancelled due to the lack of facilities at Shelley Point – cloakrooms, kitchen, sufficient seating, accommodation, etc. Hopefully, the tournament can be reintroduced next year.
Lastly, the golf club management have requested that golf members refrain from discussing issues with Golf Data staff. All complaints, queries and comments should be addressed to either the Golf Captain or Club Manager. In addition, please note that members are not permitted to bring their own liquor onto the premises.
o At present the golf course, bowling greens and tennis courts are all improving steadily under GD management though there is still a huge amount of work required to bring everything up to expected standards.
Bowls, Tennis and Bridge: If you are interested in participating in any of these activities, please consult the information table on the last page for contact details and additional information.
o One area of concern at present is the lack of profitability on the “operations” side of the club. i.e. the Pro Shop and the bar area as well as the number of rounds of golf and other activities. There are many reasons for this situation and the IMC is addressing these actively.
LIFE AT SHELLEY POINT:
Golf report: (Anne Ainsworth)
Property overview for Shelley Point by Maurits Marnewick (Leapfrog Properties) This very interesting analysis of the property market as it relates to Shelley Point will be published in several parts over the coming months. Thank you Maurits for providing this data!
The golf club has now received the new Boland and SAGA affiliation/membership fees for 2018 which will be included in the new fees for Shelley Point which are due on 1 November. The new rates will be reviewed in due course and recommendations presented accordingly. There are now a total of 77 members.
Background: According to Deeds Office statistics (Source: Lightstone), Shelley Point consists of 1366 freehold properties which are not only residential properties but also includes those properties which are registered to the SPHOA such as greenbelts, play parks, parking areas and other private open spaces such as the golf course.
Tournaments: - The Shelley Point Club Championships was held during the last weekend of August and results will be published in the next newsletter. - The Sanlam cancer fundraiser was a huge success and a total of R5304 was raised which included R744 from Golf Data (20% of green fees taken on the day.)
The statistics presented below are current and are for the preceding 12 months i.e. from August 2016 to the end of July 2017.
Period of Ownership: From the table below it is evident that around two thirds of existing owners have either owned property or resided in Shelley Point for more than 8 years with the remaining third having owned property for less than 8 years. This indicates a stable core
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of owners but also that there is reasonable “churn” and demand for the re-sale of properties in the estate. Number of years owned 11 years + 8 – 10 years 5 – 8 years Less than 5
Current Owners 38% 29% 11% 22%
in homes may become tarnished and turn black. It is during a red tide that single celled organisms and non-poisonous plankton multiply rapidly. A resulting poisonous secretion depletes the oxygen in the water which suffocates sea creatures. During severe outbreaks, the atmosphere can also become polluted and affect people, but fortunately where we live, we are protected by the strong south eastern winds which can terminate red tides.
Sold in last 12 months 32% 23% 6% 39%
Owners Age Age of Owners 65 + 50 to 64 36 to 49 18 to 35
Stable Owners 15% 41% 42% 2%
Recent Buyers 9% 33% 44% 14%
Recent Sellers 19% 33% 42% 6%
It is interesting to know that 50% to 80% of the oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere is derived from plankton from all the earth’s oceans. Scientists agree that in every breath we take, we inhale oxygen from plants in the ocean. So, how lucky are we to live healthily here at Shelley Point, surrounded by the sea? I have also heard another “wisdom” which says that for a person’s psyche, one should always live near lots of water and where it is always green.
Next month we will be looking at market segmentation as it relates to Shelley Point as well as the profile of new buyers in our area. Red Tide: (Written in Afrikaans by Henri Roux and translated into English by Yvonne Collett): The sea around Shelley Point is a crayfish reserve and no crayfish may be caught in the cordoned off zones, even when in possession of a license. It is during Red Tide, so called, even when the water isn’t red, when scores of crayfish come walking onto the beaches, especially at Elandsbaai. The live ones are carted off to our shores and to St Helena Bay where they are returned to the sea so that they can safely reproduce in the reserve.
Feral Cat Update: We have had no further feedback from SPCA regarding a date when traps will be brought to the estate. However, if there are any homeowners who have feral cats in their neighborhood that are tame enough to be placed in a box or pet carrier and taken to the vet, please do so. The cost of the sterilization will be covered by the funds which several of our homeowners have graciously pledged for this purpose. Please follow the procedure as outlined below:
One can observe a red tide or red water from our homes. Sometimes, you can also smell it. Red Tides are not very severe in our area where the colour can vary between red, dirty brown, yellow (safe), olive green or amber.
• Contact Cary-Ann at Wesland Animal Hospital 0227134970 to arrange a date for the sterilization. Mention that it is a feral cat from Shelley Point as Nicky Brouwer has negotiated special discounted prices from them for feral cats.
Sometimes fish are also washed ashore when the crayfish walk out of the sea and can, like live crayfish, be cooked instantly and safely eaten. Shellfish however, are deadly during red tides and must not, under any circumstances, be consumed. During serious conditions silver, copper and even white paint
• On the morning of the sterilization, entice the cat (or cats) into a box or other suitable carrier and transport the animal to the Wesland Animal Hospital in Vredenburg.
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homeowners. Anyone prepared to take on this job? Email shelleypointnews@gmail.com
• Upon collection of the cat after its sterilization, make the necessary payment which will then be refunded to you on presentation of the invoice to Lindy at the office. If you are making a special trip to Vredenburg to drop off and collect the cat (or cats), we are happy to partly cover your fuel costs too!
Current Rainfall: Henri, who is monitoring rainfall here at Shelley Point, has reported a total of 21mm for the period 15 July-14 August. This brings total rainfall for 2017 (January to 14 August) to 67.5mm – significantly lower than previous years. So, the situation remains dire and there is talk that Level 5 restrictions will soon be put into effect.
• Ensure that the vet has nicked the cat’s ear – this indicates that the animal has been sterilized and as such, if it is trapped in the future, it can immediately be released.
Restaurant Review by the Famished Foodies: This month saw the Foodies back again at the De Palm Lifestyle Centre but this time to have lunch at the See Ster Koffiehuis. Being a beautiful clear and warm day, the Foodies selected a table with a lovely ocean view and straight away ordered a cappuccino and a milkshake while they perused firstly, the adjoining gift shop and then, the menu. Both drinks were pronounced to be delicious (the milkshake even came with mini marshmallows floating on top!)
• Special rates for feral cat sterilization are R400 for females and R275 for males. The cost of euthanasia of visibly sick or diseased cats is R130. These costs are significantly lower than standard treatment rates and apply to feral cats only – not domestic cats.
The menu contained a selection of toasted sandwiches (R45), various burgers (around R65) and a small variety of other light meals (mostly in the R60-R75 range). All appeared to be accompanied by a choice of either chips or salad. There was also a kiddies’ menu for diners with children. Foodie 1 ordered a ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwich with chips while Foodie 2 opted for the cheddarmelt burger with salad. The sandwich was beautifully toasted and not overly greasy and the burger was moist, well-seasoned and freshly made. The Foodies followed this with a slice of the home-baked carrot cake, which they shared. The cake was very dense and moist and contained a plethora of wonderful spices. Probably a little under baked on the bottom but delicious nonetheless.
Please consider donating to this worthy cause and help to keep the cat population under control. If you would like to donate some funds towards this, please drop off the cash with Lindy at the office. If you do not live at Shelley Point but would like to contribute, please contact me so that necessary arrangements can be made whereby funds can be transferred. Lastly, we are looking for a volunteer who would be willing to manage and coordinate the feral cat programme at Shelley Point. It would not involve a large amount of time or effort but we feel it is necessary to have one person in charge who is responsible for liaison with the SPCA, the animal clinic and the
The waitron was very friendly and accommodating. The food took about 30 minutes to arrive but since everything, including the salad, was prepared from scratch, the Foodies were very happy to wait and enjoy the lovely weather and sea view. The bill came to a total of R220 (drinks, two
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meals, slice of cake to share and tip) which the Foodies both agreed was extremely reasonable and very good value for money.
VASCO SAYS:
So, as far as the Coffee Shop category goes, the Goodies awarded See Ster Koffiehuis a fourstar rating. The food was fresh, well prepared and tasty. The serving staff were cheerful and attentive. The view was wonderful. And as far as the Foodies are concerned, what more can anyone possibly want? For more information, phone Ina on 083 273 4703 At Shelley Point Spring is sublime It’s the residents’ favourite time The weather is mellow And plants bloom bright yellow And next week they’re removing my grime
Position Estate Manager Administrator Security Manager ADT Patrol Car ADT Control Room Pro shop /Club house Golf captain Bowls captain Tennis captain Bridge captain Community notice board Fire alert (ADT) Police National Police Ambulance Cell phone emergency
SHELLEY POINT DIRECTORY Name E Mail Norman Cowen manager@sphoa.co.za Lindy Cowen Daniel Plaatjies Supervisors Controllers Pieter van der Merwe Anne Ainsworth Liz Roberts Niel du Toit Terry Mackintosh Chris Roberts ADT Response Vehicle St Helena Bay
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admin@sphoa.co.za dplaatjies.za@adt.co.za NA NA shelleypcc@gmail.com britanniaza@yahoo.com chezroberts@mweb.co.za ddt@vodamail.co.za didge28@gmail.com chezroberts@mweb.co.za
Telephone 082 784 2920 022 742 1309 071 631 1853 083 636 6466 022 742 1380 022 7421037 083 455 5321 083 327 4349 082 579 9692 076 6004641 076 7832035 0835560052 0227368060 10111 10177 112