Improvements

Good news on the football piches, I was out in CdA earlier in the week and took a look at the pitch and it was in a real mess, hopefully be updated and ready to use in near future.

 Good News indeed BUT whats it going to cost you has any one told you what each owner will pay per month? Restoration, maintenance , irrigation, ? we will see if it is good news when the true cost's are revealed and will it really stop people kicking footballs around the garden's ? What about when we have quality pitches at great expense which outsiders will use for free.

Pools- I want tropical- have you even tried them after August!!

Sonatigh- good points, no mention of how much it will cost but it is good news none the less

 Hi Mick

From reading your post, we detect a certain disquiet and concern about the potential cost of having the pitches maintained. Maybe we are being extremely naive in the way we're looking at it but the pitches have been there a long time now and we rightly or wrongly assumed that the community would have been responsible for them originally in one way or the other or indeed at somepoint in the future. It looks like from the Milenium statement that we are to receive the pitches "without cost" and we'll have to see what and if any costs there are in maintaining them. I have heard that the irriagation is the same as the golf course so no additonal cost there and if it means running the sit down mowers across them evey couple of weeks we are unlikely too see charges that would cause that much concern. You never know the groundsmen/contractors might see it in their best interests too keep the pitches maintained for us in the long term.......... Great expense may well be wide of the mark.

As for people using them for free.......what people do you mean and how do you know there won't be hire charges if outside teams wanted to come and play inside our gated resort? It could be a nice little earner.

 What we can't afford as a community  is to have a child injure themselves on dangerous and uneven ground or infact slip on a discarded contraceptive!! They are in a terrible state now and make the resort look shabby and certainly not in keeping with what all of us bought in to in the first place. Having the pitches in  good playing condition may not eliminate the children playing football in the gardens but will certainly alleviate the problem and with gentle policing and encouragement they could be moved on to the more suitable areas provided for them. It's a positive step another in line with other recent positive steps. Once again I would love to thank all the presidents and Sara for all their hard work and surpport. You are really pushing Condado onto greater and greater things!

(Sorry for duplicating the post but its on both threads)

Cheers Jay

 well said that man Jay

 adios 

Jay my response highlighted in RED

 From reading your post, we detect a certain disquiet and concern about the potential cost of having the pitches maintained. Maybe we are being extremely naive in the way we're looking at it but the pitches have been there a long time now and we rightly or wrongly assumed that the community would have been responsible for them originally( the community is NOT responsible it is the ownrers IRM) in one way or the other or indeed at somepoint in the future. It looks like from the Milenium statement that we are to receive the pitches "without cost" (IRM say we can have them but we have to repair, maintain and Irrigate at our cost)and we'll have to see what and if any costs there are in maintaining them.((Could be be expensive?) I have heard that the irriagation is the same as the golf course so no additonal cost (wrong) there and if it means running the sit down mowers across them evey couple of weeks we are unlikely too see charges that would cause that much concern. (there will be charges thisis not the same maintainers that look after Golf course) you never know the groundsmen/contractors might see it in their best interests too keep the pitches maintained for us in the long term.......... Great expense may well be wide of the mark.

As for people using them for free.......what people do you mean (when pitches were in good condition local teams were using them for free nothing went in to community kity)  and how do you know there won't be hire charges if outside teams wanted to come and play inside our gated resort? (thats up to us to set up but at the moment do not exist)  It could be a nice little earner.

 What we can't afford as a community  is to have a child injure themselves on dangerous and uneven ground or infact slip on a discarded contraceptive!! ( not owned bty comunity all claims to IRM) They are in a terrible state now and make the resort look shabby (IRM need to address so they can sell more property) and certainly not in keeping with what all of us bought in to in the first place. Having the pitches in  good playing condition may not eliminate the children playing football in the gardens (Correct) but will certainly alleviate the problem and with gentle policing and encouragement they could be moved on to the more suitable areas provided for them. It's a positive step another in line with other recent positive steps. Once again I would love to thank all the presidents and Sara for all their hard work and surpport. You are really pushing Condado onto greater and greater things!

I had two grandchildren playing in the same team as the child who was injured and my wife witnessed the game and if she had considered the pitches dangerous she would  have not let them play. Incidentally One of them recieved a very serious head injury from beeing badly tackled and banging his head on the concrete in the hard court 5 a side pitch do we close them?  where do you draw the line ?

I am all for having facilities but lets find out what it will cost us before we celebrate, if the benifit is worth the addittional cost then great if not lets find a happy medium? 

Cheers Jay

Mick

Blimey!!

You obviously feel extremely strongly about the potential cost implications and rightly so but lets adopt a positive approach to the situation and hope that things don't work out negatively cost wise. If the presidents and Milenium continue to do the stirling work they have done so far I'm sure they'll have the ability to negotiate a nice little deal that will see the pitches returned to their former glory without too much cost for the community. There is a great deal of support for the pitches as you can see from the petition so even if there is a minimal charge maybe people will still see a benefit.

Where does the water supply to pitches come from?

The groundsmen/contractors who do the gardens may well want to look after the pitches in an attempt to keep us sweet and keep their contract. Could be a nice little carrott to dangle.

We could charge 30-40 euros an hour for a pitch if teams wanted to train on it and make money that would go back into the kitty and Milenium would find that easy to set up no doubt.

As for avoiding nasty accidents....they can happen anywhere and on any surface but as responsible parents/grand parents surely we want to avoid them and it aint rocket science to work out grass pitches are nicer/safer to play on than hard courts. I refereed for three days solid during the festival/tournament and agreed if the pitches were not at all playable I would not have risked my two children on them or indeed my well dodgy knees but facts is facts they are awful and there were injuries due to their condition.

For now this is all conjecture but one things for sure being positive  to the situation is  the only way to go. One thing that business has taught me if you want something done and done on your terms then a positive and affable approach  will get you what you want  99 times out of 100.

I'm sure we're all off the same song sheet aren't we?

Jay

Jay,

Good common-sense comments. The present impression you get soon after entering Condado and heading up to the Jardines is of a very run-down deteriorating facility. As well as the unkempt area surrounding the pitches enclosure, the actual area inside the fence is now arguably just as bad. Of course we have to look to keep this facility in the condition it should be in, for reasons both of recreation for residents/visitors, and overall promotion of the resort for future sales/development.

I agree that the the extra cost of this ressurection/maintenance on each induividual' s community fees is likely to be very minor. You get what you pay for.

Regards,

Well said Jay. Totally agree cost will more than likely be un-noticeable to each property holder. Even less when the non-payers are forced to pay.

I also reiterate your words. Thank you to all at IRM, Sara, and all the good presidents there who are achieving great things throughout the resort, and taking us in the right direction. Your hard work IS APPRECIATED .

Frank

I agree that its a good thing to have the pitches but has anyone actually asked ML to provide a costing for these before the community takes on the costs.  Have we been "gifted" the pitches or just allowed to use them until IRM want them back.

My understanding was that the football pitches were for the community but were not maintained at a cost to the community.  It seems we now are paying for something we used to get for free...possibly a smart move by IRM if they retain ownership.

And is the cost to be paid for by everyone on CdA or is La Isla exempt?  Do we stop non-residents using them and are we liable for accidents/injuries now if outside teams use them?

I'm not against paying for the pitches as they are a good facility.  I would have liked some more details...but as I get about a dozen emails a week telling me what bushes are being pruned and what fences are being painted it may have slipped into the inbox without me noticing!!

From the previous posts about the costs of installing heating to the pools I think it's far too much money at the moment as we would be talking about all the pools on the resort and heating only extends use from April to October and not for the full 12 months of the year so would make very little difference to many owners. Once the resort becomes less seasonal maybe I'd go for the idea.

Regards football pitches and bowling green I think Mick raises many relevant points- I also think the comment 'at no cost' refers only to the resort not having to buy or lease the land the pitches are on. I cannot for the life of me see why we should be trying to hold the maintenance of the pitches up 'as a carrot' to the gardening company. Whats the suggestion there? Do they loose our contract if they don't do them for us? Maintence doesnt mean just cutting the grass once every few weeks and you can't do business like that.  Hopefully ML have already professionally negotiated that anyway- I hope at minimal cost if not free. No doubt if they ever get a buyer who wants selected pieces of land on the resort ML will have to negoatiate purchase or rental with them to keep hold of the land. I dont see this situation arising soon but if Paramount becomes a reality we may slowly see land purchase on the resort. I'm sure the owners backing onto that lot wouldn't mind it being improved by anyone as they were meant to have a lemon grove out there.

At a time when many people are struggling with the cost of the apartments (and for so many this isn't their sole property) any additional sum to the community charges has to be carefully thought through. It isn't a 'no brainer' to add 3 euro's (example) for the heating of the pools, 2 euro's (example) to maintain the pitches (who pays for their watering will that be another 2 euro's or so each?) Add 4 euro's for internet and suddenly you are approaching an additional 10 euro's or more per apartment each month very easily. This isnt because everyone wants to pay as little as possible its just reality-  the situation would be helped by getting outstanding community fee's from those who side step it.  (An improvement I'd like to see is a regular update on ML's site about that).

I am in no way being negative, the football pitch situation needed to be resolved and if non residents from the local community start to use them then this may bring money into Al Kasar. If we can charge for their use then even better. This is one improvement we had to go for but I would have just liked to see if there are any costs involved we may have been pleasantly surprised- I think most likely we'll be paying for water and the cost of any resources needed to bring the pitches up to speed (sand, soil, grass seed, goal posts, fencing etc) Next year on the Market Saturday maybe we can also run football tournaments and charge entry! Mind you who'd organise and supervise that regularly- a one off like in this summer maybe, but regularly?

The real improvement I want to suggest is a flat pathway cutting across the rough land bordering the golf course from opposite the football pitches to Jardin 6 (Sports Zone) I see problems arising from parking at the sports zone when the resort is busy and in part thats because it can take over 40 mins to walk from the lower regions of Naranjos to Jardin 6 and its still a hefty walk from Jardin 1/2/3/4/5 to Al Kasar. I know this land is for sale for building properties- but in the short term maybe....

Thak you for the correction- 3 euro's per month is obviously more manageable. I just want to caution against the slippery slope of 'another couple of euro here and another there'. However not against the idea at all just dont think its for now.

 hi , i think heating the pools should be priority as we have a resort in spain that has over 300 sunny days a year , so a lot of owners and rental clients holiday off season , but its a nightmare as the pools are freezing , ps they would only need heated off season . 

Oops - Meant Thanks to MILLENIUM not IRM. Apologies (especially to Millenium).  We all make mistakes - Thats why they put rubbers on the end of pencils.

Frank

Heated pools would be great but so far- as far as I can fathom from this forum- with whatever outlay, they could only be heated April to Oct. So not so good for owners or off season renters.

Hi

I totally understand the pit falls of heating the pools.

Main ones are

initial outlay (although I have heard of someone renting heating systems?)

Covers to prolong the use, but then who puts the cover on and takes it off (responsibly)

Heating costs.

I know what I was suggesting was only a half way house, but at least it ensures the asset of the pools are used far greater than just say 8 weeks a year. Unless you have a greater pain threshold than most.

Realistically without large investment and running costs the line I was proposing was the best fit. Anything else will be a struggle.

PS solar heating from what I have been told and seen, unless it is a large area (cost's more) it would be like adding a jug of hot water from a kettle every now and then.

Neil

I don't think heating the pools would work.  If we could get agreement on the months to heat them, the temp etc I would think the cost would deter many.

If they can be done for €3/year or even €10/year I'd be all for it.  I think it would allow people (non residents) to use their places more often.  I know a big factor in deciding to visit over easter is the weather and use of the pools.  If they were heated it would make a difference to us.  And the more people over the more the shops etc get used and the better off CdA is.

In saying that unless something is given to one of the presidents to look at and discuss with ML nothing will be done.

2 points on the heating:

1) Still think 26-28 is very high for pool temp...maybe 24.  And probably just March - Oct/Nov.

2) On covers...I would be against that as too many kids around and they can be deadly if a child falls onto/under them.  Especially as the pool areas are not secure (gates left open, broken etc).

Like i say, I have looked into this for most of this year. I have taken readings of the pool temp and looked at the air temp during the nights.

I have looked at pool temperatures that are comfortable and

During April (during a good weather spell) the pool (la Isla) reached 24 C. This was just bearable for me and my son to use. Trust me just bearable. 20deg C is "do able" but only for the determind swimmer.

To heat the pools up by 4 -8 deg c is not too much, but the latent heat require intitially is large hence why solar can not be relied upon.

Covers can not be used as they need as I have said someone to put on and off, then quite rightly you have other problems.

Even if you used covers the heating system may not be enough for the cold months and so this would be expensive for what would be little use.

I am not trying to convince people about pools etc but just trying to give many hours of work and effort in looking into the possibilities for the pools and ultimately the heating of the pools would have to be a compramise unless you want to pay the earth.

Neil

Neil

I for one appreciate the information from a personal point of view as i have been wondering/banging the drum for heated pools (accross the estate not just specific ones, the norm not by exception) for some time here and on the other forum.

I am aware however that there are many things above this on the presidents list and anything which certain individuals sniff that may cost 50 cents a milenium will not be looked at regardless of the wish if the majority.

Thanks again and lets hope the wind of change blows

Paul