A white paper that should be erased

The latest piece of propaganda coming from the office of David Israel is the so called "White paper" about the planned building swap.
Is this for real? is someone pulling our leg? 
First of all the info published on the"white paper" is the very same info that was brought to the Delegate Assembly by Ed Grossman who was soundly scolded and called a liar by David Israel. Now he's using the information in his bid to swap these buildings.To get a true perspective on what is going on with this whole thing, keep in mind that it came about because Israel illegally added a clause to the cable contract promising to provide space to Atlantic Broadband at $1.00 a square foot. If this "swap' doesn't happen, then Israel is going to find himself in hot water.
Here are some points to consider regarding the proposals in the "white paper"

1. It's easy to see that the building and property that is occupied by CV Realty is worth a lot more than the building they want to give UCO in exchange.

2. The "white paper" says that there is no way to estimate the value of the construction shack after renovation. In effect Israel is trying to make the swap without knowing whether it's a good deal or not. How can an informed decision be made without knowing the value of both properties? There should be a professional appraisal made on both properties before any trade is considered. To be fair, we could get an appraisal on our building and WPRF could pay for an appraisal on theirs.

3. The option of putting the UCO Reporter back in the Camden pool building at a cost to residents of $95,000.00 for restoring the building and making it fit for occupancy is not acceptable.
The lease agreements giving CV Realty the building on East Drive in exchange for giving UCO the use of the Camden pool building made no provisions for UCO to assume the costs of making it fit for occupancy.

Since the Reporter is unable to occupy the Camden pool building, it makes the lease deals invalid as UCO is not getting the qui pro quo that was in the deal. Now that the Reporter is operating from the clubhouse , we are actually paying for the space as we pay WPRF fees every month for the use of the clubhouse. Ergo: we pay for the space for the Reporter while CV Realty enjoys free use of their building. It's not the deal that was struck in the original agreement. At a bare minimum there should be a reduction in the recreation fees we are paying.

4. The three options mentioned in the white paper left out one viable and attractive option: Let CV Realty renovate the wonderful construction shack and conduct their business from there. Put the UCO Reporter back into the building on East drive. Though Israel maintains the building needs to be demolished and replaced, it's not that bad. That building still has plenty of useful life left in it, and it wouldn't cost us anything. 


 

The September edition of the CV Messenger is online now click here to read the news

Delusion ?.... Maybe, maybe not

Is the UCO administration losing it's grip on reality?  The claim that the realty building on East Drive has zero value is one of the most absurd proclamations yet! The zero dollar evaluation posted on the Palm Beach Property Appraisers website is actually a value referencing the TAXABLE VALUE. It's not the actual assessed value of the building. There is no taxable value because the property is owned by a not for profit organization and is therefore exempt from property taxes.  Does anyone other than "team Dave" actually believe that a nice chunk of real estate, or any chunk of real estate in Palm Beach County has zero value? Promoting that idea leads one to think that someone is losing their grip. "Did you look at the website?" was the cry heard from David Israel in his attempt to further his claim. He apparently didn't look deep enough. if he had looked, he could have seen that the actual assessment was what Ed Grossman brought to the assembly. The figures are posted on the website for anyone to see. They show a huge disparity in the values of the buildings and property in question. Unwilling to accept their failure in this matter, another posting on David Israel's blog attempts to solidify their assertion by posting the wrong numbers as proof. Despite evidence to the contrary they still maintain the realty building has zero value. Despite an official letter from the tax assessor verifying the assessments that Ed revealed,  Israel still stubbornly clings to his ridiculous position that the building has zero value.To add insult to injury Israel called Ed a liar and embarked on a tirade pointing the finger of suspicion at everyone. The reality is that "team Dave" either don't have a grip on reality or are purposely disseminating the wrong information. Either way it points to either incompetence or corruption.  Either way it's not an acceptable situation. Barbara Cornish figures prominently in this fiasco. She says that the buildings have equal value according to the appraisals she saw. Those appraisals have never been produced. The Messenger Club made a formal request to see them and have been told that there are no appraisals on record.  Her encouraging the committee to "trust me" in the matter sounds more like a line that a used car salesman might use. David Israel, or someone on his team should do what he demanded others do: Check the website, the figures are there if you really look. When the reality finally comes to them, we are hoping they might have the dignity to accept that they are incorrect, and apologize to those who went out of their way to reveal the truth of the matter. But that hope is doubtful as people who don't have a good grip on reality would rather drown in their delusions than accept  that they are wrong.

Here we go again!

Rather than address the concerns raised by Ed Grossman about the proposed building swap, the administration, led by you know who, again embarked on their usual tactics of attacking the character of the person raising some serious questions.

Ever since the initiative to swap these two buildings was raised, the administration and the committee have said that there is no assessment or evaluation registered at the county assessors office. That claim was decidedly put to rest when Ed Grossman produced a letter from the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's office showing that there is a current assessment for both buildings.  The assessments showed that the building and property proposed to be given in trade for the realty office's quarters is worth a fraction of the value. In other words: The swap is unfavorable as far as the interests of CV is concerned. 

Not having a credible answer to the revelation, David Israel immediately pronounced that Ed Grossman is a liar, and also that the County assessor is in the same category. Israel's posting on his blog before the assembly also smeared the reputation of the objectors, but didn't have an answer about the huge difference in value of the buildings and property. A difference that was ignored by the committee, who maintained that the buildings had no assessments. They either didn't know, because they didn't do their homework, or hid the real truth in their quest to push this initiative forward. 

It's a disgrace that an elected leader and his so called "team "  would resort to tactics like this. It's a shame that the committee would accept the distortion or concealment of the facts without so much as a whimper.   

When another concerned resident spoke up at the assembly. Israel told him to keep quiet or he would bring up some dirt on him. That is a very troubling statement. If there is something about the delegate that is of concern about his character, Israel should reveal it, Not use it to intimidate him into silence.

The assembly turned into a circus when Ed Grossman approached the committee on the stage and was accused of perhaps carrying a gun and suggesting he is plotting an assassination. That is one of the most ridiculous statements ever heard .  Ed Grossman has never threatened anyone. Israel's asinine squealing to call the Sheriff was just a tactic to avoid the questions and evade having to answer why he is not furnishing the residents with the whole story. He didn't answer any concerns about anything. When challenged as to why the Atlantic Broadband contract was altered after the vote, his only reply was to grunt and change the subject. 

We can look forward to the usual finger pointing and accusations of people disrupting the meetings for some vicarious thrill.  We can look forward to not getting any answers to the issues being raised. It's just the way David Israel and his team do business. Israel implied that the objectors are just causing trouble, and trying to shut down the whole initiative to swap buildings, this is another gross misrepresentation of the facts. The real idea behind the objections is to make sure that CV is getting a good deal in the swap. Not just to destroy the whole thing.
Keep in mind that the whole swap is about giving Atlantic Broadband space at $1.00 a square foot, a clause that was illegally entered into the contract after the ratification vote at he Delegates Assembly. 
Keep in mind that Israel attempted to deny the residents a vote on the matter by pushing a motion at the committee to put the decisions in the hands of the UCO officers, leaving the residents out of it. He voted in favor while the rest of the committee turned it down.
Keep in mind that if this piece of property is acquired by WPRF, or whoever it is that the deed will go to, it's gone forever. When the time comes that CV residents want to buy out the Levy family, it's another asset that adds to the value of their holdings. It's another asset that will add a nice increase to their asking price. 
Keep in mind that the construction shack that CV will acquire has a considerable tax bill attached to it, something the realty building does not have attached to it. When Atlantic broadband is done with it, CV is going to be left with .... What ? A building and property that really has not much going for it that will need ongoing maintenance, taxes and utilities. 
Keep in mind that the original deal giving the realty company the use of the building on East Drive, gave the village newspaper free use of space at another facility owned by WPRF. Now that the original deal is compromised due to the building being unfit for occupancy, the newspaper is using space in the clubhouse, space that all residents pay for. That's not the deal ! There's no quid pro quo there. CV realty has a pretty good deal and still gets to use their building pretty much for free, while we are expected to pay for the facilities to use the clubhouse for the paper. That's not the way it works! WPRF agreed to give the paper free space , that is not happening, the terms of the agreement are void, there is no agreement as long as WPRF doesn't hold up their end of the bargain.
It would be better for CV to get a 99 year lease at a dollar a year on the construction shack, just like the deal that the realty company enjoys, do their own renovations, and keep the property on East Drive.  

bedbugs !

There's a unit in Sheffield O infested with bedbugs, it's been that way for some time now. Donald Kelly the owner of the unit refuses to do anything about it , the occupant, who rents it, can't afford to do anything about it either. Exterminators quoted a price of $1800.00 to treat the unit. We hear that the place is so bad that the occupant can't use the bedroom and spends his nights sleeping in a chair in the living room.  Neighbors report that they have seen bugs crawling on the occupants clothing .
It's only a matter of time until the bedbugs spread to other places around the village unless something is done  about it.  It's easy to bring a few bugs home. No one is exempt from catching an infestation.
Outside forces are becoming involved and there are intentions by Palm Beach politicos to step in to resolve the dilemma. Senator Bobby Powell's office put the issue on the agenda and charged an aide with investigating and seeking a resolution. We can look forward to the story being picked up by the news media once his people get involved.
Frank Bonaro. the ex President of the complex who was  recently ousted by the residents, claims that Donald Kelly is purposely ignoring the situation in an an ongoing campaign to seize control of the rest of the building. He claims that Donald Kelly is acting like a slum lord and is engaging in blockbusting techniques. 
The distressed occupant could look for other accommodations in Century Village, but most owners would be reluctant to rent to him in fear of the bugs being transferred to their property. 
It leaves Century Village in the unenviable position of getting the reputation of a bedbug  ridden slum. 

Another great deal ?

Here's a letter from the Property Appraisers office in West Palm Beach,

Not trusting the word of the executive in this matter The messenger Club investigated the values and received this letter in response. It shows a huge disparity in value between the two buildings. .The building UCO proposes to  trade is worth three times the building UCO will be getting in return.Not only that. The building the realty company is getting is tax free, while the building that UCO is getting paid $3713.00 in taxes last year. 

This is not the " great deal" that the administration is proclaiming. The executives at UCO are either under a delusion about the values or they simply lied when they informed the committee that the buildings are of equal value. 

This initiative should not be permitted to go forward. 

The proposal is being put to the delegates at the end of the week for a vote. Anyone having an ounce of common sense would turn this deal down.Ask yourself: If I owned the building on East Drive would I consider an even swap for a building that is about one third of the value? This is exactly what "Team Dave" is trying to do. Watch the committee meeting where David Israel voted against bringing the decision to the delegates for a vote. Fortunately the committee decided to bring it to the assembly after they were informed by a member of the Messenger Club that a clause under Florida Statute  617 clearly says that property transfers must be voted on by the board of directors.

UCO made a deal with the owners to allow the realty company the use of the building on East Drive for the use of  facilities at the Camden pool in exchange, Now that the paper can't use that facility, that deal is broken.It should break the lease on the realty building as UCO is not getting what the terms of the agreement promised. What should happen is that WPRF should permit the newspaper to use the utility  building for free. It's not acceptable to  use the clubhouse to produce the paper. We pay for the clubhouse, that means we are paying WPRF for space that is intended for recreational purposes only.  Putting the newspaper in the clubhouse means we are paying for space  that we should be getting for free under the terms of the original deal. Handing over the realty building and the property that goes with it is not in your best interest.despite the comments from committee members that it's a great deal.

The answer is;  Vote this proposal down and send "Team Dave" back to negotiate a better way.