Aloha from the Makaha Valley Plantation Board of Directors,
Letter from the President
As you likely know, we have had significant changes to our Board of Directors this year. As a result, we have reviewed numerous issues facing us at MVP. The first of these is the solar panel contract. This contract was signed four and a half years ago or so. It was an all-encompassing contract that would have been of no cost to us. It included replacing our water heaters and installing solar panels and electric car charger stations. When I first heard of this it seemed too good to be true. It appears that it was. To date very little has been done on the project.
As a result, last month, we asked John Morris, our attorney to review the contract and provide us with what options we have available. John and his office told us the vendor was in breach of the agreement in numerous instances. They proposed that our manager send a letter to the vendor and, in accordance with the terms of the agreement, give the vendor an “opportunity to cure” these breaches. We did that last month. We have heard nothing from the vendor.
In the meantime, we have been asking for quotes for replacement water heaters. In addition, we have contacted numerous solar panel project consulting companies and have asked for bids to provide us with consulting on our project. Finally, we have put together a solar panel project committee comprised of board members and owners with relevant experience and knowledge. If you are interested in being on the committee and have such experience please let Chester know.
Sorry for the bad news. We will keep you updated as we appear to need to start over on this project.
Joe informs me it is time to begin repainting again. It was supposed to start last year but, due to our fees increase it was decided to delay a year. We could delay another year but, in order to protect our buildings we will eventually need to paint. One proposal I have heard is to change our colors. I have heard from many, including my wife, our buildings could use a color update. This would only be entertained by the board if 1) costs did not increase with new colors and 2) owners agreed that this would be a good idea. I believe a paint update could modernise the aeshetic of MVP and could increase the value of our collective property.
One of the Board’s primary goals is to keep costs down. Once we have bids we will let you know and Andrew will reach out to solicit color combination suggestions.
We were saddened to hear that Greg recently resigned from his Board position and from his Officer position as treasurer. He contributed much and he will be missed. Now we need to replace him and we welcome nominations. Please send them to Chester at touchstone: chester@touchstoneproperties-hawaii.com
I am excited to be your new President with this great Board! I know I speak for the Board when I say we look forward to keeping MVP our own piece of paradise as it is and to improving it as we can – and keeping HOA fees as low as possible!
Responsible Disposal of Bulky Items
Let’s maintain the beauty of our community by properly disposing of bulky items, furniture, toilets, mattresses, and construction materials. Dumping them at the trash bin enclosures not only creates eyesores but also burdens our hardworking staff. We have a recycling center right here in Waianae (near Pililaau Park) called Reynolds Recycling – you can learn more about their service here: https://www.reynoldsrecycling.com/
For large items you we also have the Waianae Convenience Center located at 85-572 Waianae Valley Road. You can even check ahead and beat the line with their live webcam here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by7OsQkK0Ms
Let’s keep our common areas clean!
Election By-Laws Update (Repeat)
Last year we tried to update our Bylaws with a Proposed Voting Amendment. Unfortunately, we fell just shy of the 66% of owner-participation necessary, so we are trying again this year.
Our Bylaws currently require directors be elected at a meeting where (1) a quorum is present and (2) a majority of those present vote in favor of electing that individual. These requirements make it difficult to elect directors because of “quorum-only” proxies. Let’s dig into that…
Imagine a typical annual meeting where we reach 55% quorum, where 40% of owners are attending or have designated their proxy to another owner, and 15% are quorum-only votes. A “quorum-only” vote is where an owner indicates that the meeting can occur, but they do not assign their voting power to anyone. The best way to think of this is that each quorum-only owner is an empty chair in the room. The way our bylaws are written those empty chairs count in the voting tally which makes that majority very hard to reach.
At our last election we had 55% quorum, which meant a director needed over 27.5% of the vote to be elected (because 55% divided by 2 is 27.5%) – but in practical terms that meant that 67.5% of the real owners (and their designated proxies) present had to vote for that particular candidate in order to out-vote those empty chairs! Not very practical.
So, with that analogy in mind our By-laws amendment is simply excluding those quorum-only owners from the voting process. In this way we can still get quorum and have the meeting, but when it comes to the voting it’s only actual owners and proxies that will be counted, thereby making it much easier for directors to achieve a majority and be elected!
This change will lead to much more efficient elections and a board that is more representative of the owner’s will. If you have any questions about this, please reach out!
Promoting Positions
As we look to the future we would like to announce some changes to our security and management. Chris Hodges is now an Assistant Manager in training and Naomi Tagaloa will be Chief of Security in training.
Appreciating our staff
We the board would like to thank our office staff for all the hard work they do everyday. It is a largely thankless job and often the ladies have to deal with difficult issues. They do their jobs with smiles on their faces and respect for our owners and renters. Thank you both for continuously doing such a great job.
Dog Poo Reminder
We would like to kindly remind all residents to be diligent in cleaning up after their dog companions. If you are aware of a neighbor who may not be as attentive to this responsibility please don’t hesitate to contact our front office. The slipper you save could be your own!
Kiana Jacuzzi
Please note that the Kiana Jacuzzi replacement is still in progress and will be through the month of June.
Mahalo,
The MVP Board of Directors