We are almost there in completing our long awaited Club House.  The projected completed date is May 31, 2011.  I took a tour last week and was quite impressed with the actual space that we will have for the complex.  The gym area was larger than I had anticipated.  The windows were installed last Saturday and siding should be installed the week.  Once that is completed we will begin working on the inside. 

I will post on our web site information in April the costs and scheduled hours for the Club House.  If you are interested in renting our rooms please send us an email @ hamptonclub@yahoo.com

It has been over a week now that the first African American President has been elected.  Have you noticed any changes?  One change that I have noticed is that people of all races are talking to each other.  It seems that all of a sudden a mutual respect of each other has occurred.  I went to a city council meeting in my town on November 10, 2008 and all of the council members had something to say about the election and praise for the election of Barack Obama.  I am an optimistic person and I do believe that this President will face more challenges than any other president in history and he will prevail due to the will of the various groups of people that elected him.  The voters demonstrated that we do not have blue and red states.  We are all in this together.  I always had a thought that economics are the driving force that divides us not just the color of a persons skin.  It is so funny that under this unprecedented economic pressure that we are all moving together and were able to put away our prejudices and elect not only the first African American president but also the best qualified man for the job.

With summer approaching we must again remind parents that the common areas throughout the complex is not their back yard.  Kids should not be left to play by themselves between buildings or in the parking lot areas.  Kids should ride their bikes on the bike path and not on the major roads.  Helmets should be worn by all kids riding bikes and scooters.  One fall without a helmet could end a life. 

Please take care of your children and educate them.  It is not the Associations responsibility to look after your children.  It is yours.  Fines will be assessed to any child found breaking our rules and regulations.  Bikes will be confiscated and return only after fines have been paid.

 

If you have any questions, or comments please contact the Management Office.

On January 10, 2008 we had our Board Meeting to elect two officers for the Board Of Directors, unfortanetely we needed a quorum of 51% of the eligible voters to constitute a quorum.  We fell short and have no choice but to extend the voting period until January 31, 2008.  If you have voted you do not have to cast another vote unless you wish to change your vote.  Our Office will personally reach out to those homeowners who did not vote by phone over the next few days to obtain their votes.

Other items covered on the agenda were as follows:

1. Update on Contract received from Devco.  We received a contract that was missing many of the attachments.  Contract also did not contain specific language covering budgets, clearly defined responsibilities etc.  John has sent back a list of items to DEVCO that we need clarification on.
2. Update on proposed sale of land by First Baptist. First Baptist is looking to sell a parcel of land behind building 12 to Wick Properties in order for Wick to develop additional warehouse space.Wick will make a presentation to Hampton Club Residents on January 31, 2008 at 7pm at Mckinley Middle School.  After the presentation the Homeowners will take a vote.
3. If a no vote is presented at the meeting then we will move to have a trial which will occur on February 27, 28.  If a we do go to trial we will need as many Homeowners as possible to attend and possibly testify as to negative impact of additional warehouse development.
4. Additional parking spaces have been created in the old basketball court located by building 10.  These spaces were created for Visitors and Homeowners are not allowed to park there.
5. On a trial basis two garbage cans have been painted blue and labeled for recyclables in by building 1.  This area is used by residents located in building 1-3.  If the trial is successful we will do the same in the large garbage area located by building 12.  The dumpsters provide more room for recyclables as apposed to the smaller brown cans.
6. Noise ordinance and hardwood floors.  A question was posed to the members in reference to possibly placing some restrictions on the installation of hardwood floors.  In some instances the hardwood floors have caused increase noise between units.  The covenant committee will meet and review our current rules and make a suggestion to the board.
   

I hope that everyone had a great holiday and received everything that they wanted.  I received a few items and took the time to purchase additional items that I wanted.  The one item that I received was a book entitled the Four Hour Work Week. After reading this book in two days I felt compelled to share it with you.  This author has convinced me to change my assumptions about worklife and personal goals.

It is probably best to read the book one time through quickly to grasp his point of view (the author even gives a brief blurb on how to speed read). Then after you "get it" take some time doing the challenges if you feel so compelled.

I have already implemented one of the author's recommendations in my daily life....check email only twice per day: right before lunch then again an hour before the end of the day. Process every email at the time you read it. Seems a simple challenge but I did suffer "withdrawal symptoms" from not constantly checking email.  This is only a brief part of the book but to me was impactful.

Ferriss gives some great ideas about starting your own business even if you don't have or desire an MBA . He provides lists of free and paid resources to help you along the way.

There is a simple roadmap for freeing yourself from the 9-5 grind. Is it attainable?

The downside is that the book is provides a cursory glance at some topics that need to be expanded. However, I think he did a good job at presenting his view of how life can be. He's also opened himself up to "The 4 Hour Workweek 2.0" when he can go in more depth.

In all I found it an enjoyable read. As a small business owner I fully understand and appreciate the amount of time that one needs to spend in order to grow a business.  Ferriss book did open my eyes to alternate ways to be more productive and also to stand back and smell the roses.  We only pass this way once and we should enjoy the ride. .


Read the book and find out!

With so many family members visiting for the holidays please make sure to remind them to park in the designated areas only.  Visitors to buildings 1-4 must park in Lot A and visitors to building 5-12 must park in Lot B.  If Lot B is full please have them park in Lot A.  Please note that Security will be making rounds and will boot illegally parked cars.  The fee to remove the boot is $75 and must be paid in cash.  If you have any questions on our policy please do not hesitate to call our office at 732-545-3263.  We really want everyone to have a positive experience while visiting the Hampton Club, so PLEASE inform your guest of our parking procedures.

Our office will be closed on November 22 and November 23

Our Basketball and Tennis season is upon us.  We will be painting the Basketball court Orange and Blue on August 1, 2007.  The court will be closed on that date.   We have installed benches along the side of the courts for parents to utilize while your kids are playing.  Please provide your key fob to Security to gain entrance to the courts.  Courts will be closed promptly at 8:30pm.  Please use the garbage bins for disposal of all garbage.  No bikes or roller blading are allowed on the courts.

Our annual Basketball  tournament and Picnic will be held on August 18, 2007.  Please come to the Management Office located at 115 Edpas Road for your application.  All applications are due on or before July 18, 2007.  As usual we ask you to bring a dish of your choice for the picnic.

Our own Vondell Richmond will be screening his first film Sophisticated Romance on July 28, 2007 at Rutgers University.  Please click here to order your tickets.

I would like to send congratulations out to Tanya and John Benevento on the birth of their first child Jack Benjamin Benevento.  Both mother and child are doing very well. Here are his vital statistics:

Born:       June 14. 2007
Weight:     9 lbs 8.6 oz
Length:   21 inches
Head   :   13.5 inches
Chest  :   15 inches

Our Board meeting was held on June 2, 2007 at our new Tennis Court.  The good news is that maintenance fees will not increase for the upcoming year.  Our fiscal year ends on August 31.  The Board discussed our financial position since 2003 to present.  We have been able to reduce many of our expense categories since 2003 while making major improvements to the Hampton Club.  Over the past two years we have replaced each roof.  Install new gutters throughout the complex, install railings in front of each buiulding, install a new sprinkler system and paved the roads throughout the complex.  All of these projects have been funded by our reserve funds. 

The Tennis court and Basketball courts will be opened by June 30th.  Club House start date is still not fixed due to ongoing talks with the City.  We are hopeful that we can have it completed by December 31.

Our pods have arrived.  Additional pods will be delivered in two weeks.  So far we have eight homeowners who have made deposits.  If you wish to reserve a pod, please bring a check for $85 to our onsite office located at 115 Edpas Road.

First Baptist have sold the three remaining units located in building 11.  We should be receiving $150,000 from the sale proceeds as part of settlement.  We anticipate receiving the additional $225,000 before the end of the month.  These funds will be credited to our reserve fund.

Lifestyle & Recreation Center

On Monday May 14, 2007 we began the process of installing our new Basketball and Tennis Courts.  The courts are scheduled to be completed by May 30, 2007.  Our ribbon cutting cermony and Board meeting will occur on Saturday June 2, 2007 beginning at 10am.  Our Club House construction has been delayed due to the fact that the City of New Brunswick has instructed us to make some modifications to our building plans.  Those modifications are needed due to the additional construction that will occur due to the new high school road and the necessary modifications to our main entrance.  We are hopeful that the new plans will be submitted by the end of May and approved by the end of August.  If all goes well we should be able to complete the Club House by the end of 2007.



Aldi's

Construction of the New Aldi's supermarket continues next door.  Due to the Eminent Domain of a portion of land owned by First Baptist the original Aldi's located on Route 27 will be moved to the corner of Van Dyke and route 27.  Construction is scheduled to be completed sometime in June/July 2007.  They will be no access from the Hampton Club to Aldi's.  The roadway and a wall will separate our development from Aldi's.   I have suggested to the owner of Aldi's that they erect a gate to close off the parking lot at night or at least keep the lights lit in the parking lot.  I can see illegal activity occurring in this lot if it is not protected.  We all need to keep a watchful eye on this situation once the store is opened.