Vision Statement

BOB MARSHALL'S PLAN FOR CENTURY VILLAGE


Century Village WPB is a wonderful place to live. It is also a great place to spend only a few weeks or months during the season. However it is my opinion, living could be made less stressful for the unit owners.
One of the ideas that I'd like to investigate would be the hiring of professional management for the village. In my opinion what exists today does not work well. Changing the management every two to four years just does not make good sense. I'd envision a person who functions in much the same manner as a Town Manager. This needs to be investigated and I'd begin this analysis early in the my term.

Most of us need to visit the Clubhouse to see about tickets or to acquire guest passes etc., so why not be able to acquire your transponder and/or gatepasses at the same time in the same place? All of this integration of function can be accomplished if we are coorperative with WPRF rather than litigious and adversarial.
As the Clubhouse was being designed and renovated, plans were in place to have a card reader system in place, at the entrance to the indoor pool and at the North door under the library. This would have allowed handicapped folks to park reasonably close to the North door and enter the building directly, rather than having to go to the front door. This system would also allow for the folks who use the indoor pool to enter from the Southwest door. This becomes especially important during a rainstorm. Oh yes, also installed at those doors would be a TV camera. Anyone tailgating would loose his or her right to use the remote entry into the Clubhouse for a period of time. This is not a police action but rather a heightened effort at keeping the facility secure. Had these systems been installed as the building opened much of the stress in the current offices could have been eliminated.

I'd like to see a realistic reevaluation of rebuilding 2102 (The proposed UCO office building). The newspaper has worked from its current location for years and there is no reason the finance folks could not work from there as well. This reevaluation probably could not happen until after the arbitration case is completed. It is difficult to negotiate with someone after you called them a “thief” and a “liar”!
The investigation department needs some major reevaluation. Florida law dictates the maximum amount that a prospective unit owner or renter may be charged. The vendor’s cost for this service is rapidly reaching these limits.
Since the collapse of old Communist Empires and the horrors of 9/11, we have prospective owners coming to our gates from the far corners of the globe. Investigations require a total revamping, in recognition of the Fact that one size does, indeed, not fit all. We need a Professional investigator, who knows how to develop Global Reach in the process; we need to know who is seeking to inhabit our buildings, unfortunately, in some cases, costs may rise, but this is driven by our need to enhance our Security.
I will contact the State offices to inquire of their plans, if any, to increase that amount, inquire of other potential companies offering the necessary services and also inquire of other ways to obtain the necessary information to do these checks, affordably. Perhaps we need to contact some of the Fortune 500 companies and inquire into their needs and ability to collect this data. Perhaps the incoming Manager will have had experience and can make recommendations as to how to accomplish all of this with modern computers and software technology.

On day one I will ask for a list of all Reserve accounts and any activity into or out of these funds in the past two years. I will also request a copy of all minutes showing what the activities were or were supposed to be. (Our Financial accounts must be in accord with professional standards and all costs must be transparent and fully funded in our budget.) Also on day one I'll request an analysis of the Roads Bridges and Walkways reserve account along with whatever information exists determining what the cost of repaving the roadways will be and when this repaving will need to be done. We need to update any existing figures, considering wear and tear and the major increases in the cost of petroleum products.

Someone had asked earlier about the level of communications during my previous term. There was a discussion in the blog area for that question, however it needs repeating for anyone who may not have had access to that part of the blog. I firmly believe that we did the best we could under the existing circumstances. Admittedly our effort lacked coverage. Upon election, we will resume planning and implementation of modern Television on Channel 63! This will consist of people, News, Real time coverage of events such as Committee meetings; in short 21st. century service to our residents. The communications with the unit owners, especially regarding the Operations Committee, needs to be enhanced.
Step one, would be to have the Operations Committee meetings held either in the party room, Classroom C, or in the Theater. They should be held much like the County Commissioners hold their meetings,with allowance for hearing from unit owners on major financial projects and expenditures. The Operating budget for WPRF and the UCO budget need to be presented with much greater detail.

No one who is interested should be surprised to hear that benches and birdhouses were included in the budget and since you voted for them, you are getting them! The budget should be presented at the regularly called meeting, as called for in the Millennium agreement. Also on day one I'll inquire of WPRF as to whether these benches and birdhouses may be installed. After all the waterways and the land close to the water is owned and controlled by the WPRF management.

Lastly, for now, this Village needs to be reunited. The divide and conquer mentality must be eliminated. This Village is owned and occupied, mostly, by rational, caring people.
WE must stop the “ONE” from “governing the Village”!

TO RECAP!

1) Hire Professional management for the Village.
2) Consolidate UCO and WPRF service such as; Passes, ID’s Tickets,
Transponders…on networked computers in the Clubhouse; “One Stop Shopping”.
3) Card reader enabled entry to the Clubhouse via building end and rear entrances.
4) Reevaluate the need for an expensive new UCO building.
5) Bring Investigations up to a post 9/11 standard with Global Reach.
6) Bring UCO finances up to Generally Approved Accounting Procedures; make finances transparent and fully budget and fund all approved Line Items.
7) Reconstitute the Roads, Bridges and Walkways Budget line and bring it up to date as to need and budgeting.
8) Implement a modern Channel 63 TV capability and enhance Communications to achieve total transparency.
9) Bring the Operations Committee, and the millions of dollars that it spends. Into the light of day.
10) Examine all beautification projects and do what make sense and is possible, on UCO land.
11) End the litigious and adversarial atmosphere and reunite the Village; restore a professional and cordial relationship with WPRF.

What is YOUR VIEW? I would like to know!

Bob Marshall