2007 News archives

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LAS GOLONDRINAS JANUARY 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

This month has certainly not been the time to visit  Las Golondrinas as it has been extremely cold and wet but thankfully the current signs look as though  we have turned the corner as it is getting much warmer and drier – let’s hope it will continue.

PARKING AREA
As per the minutes of the 2006 AGM I can report that the cost to have each car parking space clearly marked to ease the problems, due to improper parking, during the busy periods of the year would be less than €840. Painting of the lines will take place during the next 6 weeks. 

SUNLOUNGERS
We have now taken delivery of 9 out of 20 new sunbeds we recently ordered and the balance will be delivered shortly. The few remaining old sun loungers have now been disposed as they were in a dreadful state. 

ORANGE TREES
Juan has approached me regarding improving the look of the Car Park and certain blank areas of our garden by replacing the orange trees in the car park with orange, mandarin and lemon trees where the fruit will be edible rather than the ones we currently have. Anyone who has tried to eat an orange from our trees will know exactly what I mean. He is also suggesting that we plant avocado, plum and pomegranate in certain practical areas of our gardens. As this will greatly enhance the look of the gardens to the benefit of all the Owners at a negligible cost I have instructed him to proceed with his proposals.

CAR PARKING
Due to the limited car parking spaces we have I would ask everyone to assist me by parking any cars they are not using and trying to sell in the spaces we have outside the main gates.

EXTERNAL BUILDING WORK / ALTERATIONS
May I remind Owners that any planned building work or alterations to the outside of their property must be referred to me for Community approval, prior to commencement. Any proposed building work or alterations will have to adhere to the guidelines as defined within the Spanish laws of the “Horizontal Property Act”.  Failure to follow this procedure may result in any building work or alterations being demolished, at your expense, and your property returned to its original state.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

 

LAS GOLONDRINAS FEBRUARY 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

At last we seem to have turned the corner, weather wise, as we are experiencing some very hot days at the moment – long may it last.

PARKING AREA
After further discussions with all concerned the parking areas will be painted with “T” instead of solid lines. It is felt that it will look much better and be easier to maintain in the future.

SUN LOUNGERS
Having received the final delivery of new sun loungers we now have a total of 48 in the pool area.

NEW FRUIT TREES
This project has now been completed and we have now new, orange, lemon and Clementine trees in the main car park. We have also planted Avocado, pomegranate and plum trees in the top car park and in the side garden of block 1. All of the fruit from the trees are edible.
 
SERVICES
Several times, over the course of the last few months, Electricity and Water have been cut off, to Owners Apartments, due to non-payment of these services. I would suggest to all Owners that they check via their bank account that current direct debits are still in place and monies are being taken for these items. The “hassle factor” of having these services re-connected is enormous.

EARLY SUMMER BBQ
The early summer BBQ has been planned for Saturday the 12th of May with live music being provided by Andy Locke who was formally with Edison Lighthouse and can regularly be seen at Moochers.

SWIMMING POOL
Due to the pool circulation pump developing a fault on Friday the 2nd of March the pool heating cannot function. It is expected that the pump will be repaired and re-installed by Tuesday the 6th of March but it will take a further 72 hours to bring the water temperature up to an acceptable level

WEB SITE LINKS
Trish and Barry Henderson currently manage several Owners’ Apartments for rental purposes and information regarding these Apartments can now be seen on their Web Site - www.golondrinasapts.com. Links to other Apartments available to rent at Las Golondrinas can be seen on our Web Site under the heading “Apartments for Rent”

Alan Andrews & Jackie Stafford who have recently moved into Apartment number 38 on a long term rental basis have bought the Bricotela shop on the opposite side of the road to the BP Garage on the road to Fuengirola. Their shop has a huge range of soft furnishings such as curtains, fabrics, upholstery, etc etc. and I am sure you will find anything you require at reasonable rates and if you mention you are neighbours you may even get a discount. Their Web Site is  www.bricotela.com 

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS MARCH 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

In last month’s News Update I said we had turned the corner weather wise but unfortunately it was definitely a premature statement as we have had the worst March weather I can remember with rain, wind and very, very low temperatures. The weather forecast for the next 7 days over the Easter period doesn’t look that brilliant either - Sorry.
 
MIJAS AGUA
An ongoing dispute between Mijas Golf S.A. (suppliers of our water) and Las Golondrinas may result in us being responsible for a payment of approx. €6,000. The dispute relates to the water being distributed to both phase 1 & phase ll via 2 master meters located next to the sales office on the main road. The problem that exists is that the total volume of water recorded by the 2 master meters do not equate to the totals of the individual Apartment, garden sprinklers and pool meters. This would suggest either faulty master meters or a substantial leak situated somewhere in Phase 1 or ll.

Our Administrator and Mijas Golf S.A. are currently looking at the problem and I will obviously keep you updated of the developing situation.

AYUNTAMIENTO DE MIJAS
Just a reminder that in order to obtain the maximum early payment discounts of your IBI (local taxes), Basura (rubbish collection taxes) and car tax these should be paid within the next few weeks. Anyone that has set up direct debits the payments will be deducted from your bank accounts by the end of the month (last year – 24th of April)

NEW ROAD
On a much brighter note I’m pleased to tell you that the new road at the roundabout, just before the Repsol Garage, is open and takes you to the new roundabout at “Lidl’s” therefore cutting out the bottleneck at the twin roundabouts by McDonalds.

PARKING AREA
The painting of the parking lines (“T”) has now been completed and is having the desired effect of people parking their cars more considerately. I would, however, be grateful if you are using the bottom car park you park in the parallel parking spaces in the proper manner as this give the cars on the other side of the road an easier turning circle.

APARTMENT BLOCKS
I have had several comments and concerns from Owner’s regarding storing or leaving various items of furniture or sports equipment, for long periods of time, outside their Apartments and I would be grateful if this unsightly practice ceased.  

GARDENS
Juan is in the process of cultivating the waste ground in front of the Electricity sub-station to grow a variety of vegetables. These vegetables will be made available for the enjoyment of all Owners when they are ready to be picked.

1st APRIL NEWS GAZETTE
I hope everyone enjoyed the above and I wish to thank my Co-Conspirators (Vice-Presidents) for all of their input and especial thanks to Geoff Brown for designing, developing and editing the Gazette.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS APRIL 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

Apologies for the lateness of the April News Update but this was due to commitments I had for a recent family wedding. The weather has now, at last, returned to a sensible situation and we are experiencing daily temperatures of approx. 30c.

LITTLE CHARLOTTE
The funeral of little Charlotte took place on Friday the 4th of May and a joint wreath was sent on behalf of Phase 1 & 2.

Since this tragic accident I have had a meeting with our Vice President’s regarding any possible improvements or changes to our current pool security and obviously I will keep you informed of the developing situation.

COMMUNITY SATELLITE SYSTEM
Due to the unacceptable response times and reliability of service I have stopped using Blankenstein’s as the main provider of Satellite equipment and maintenance to the Community.

I have switched to a Company called “Sky’s the Limit” who very quickly identified our satellite problems and provided us with the correct Community solution, at reasonable costs.

We have recently had both of our satellite dishes re-aligned to provide an optimum signal to both blocks.

If anyone is still experiencing difficulties with (a) losing channels or (b) pictures breaking up we have proved that the best solution is to replace your “Sky Digibox” to the latest PACE box.

Several Owners that have upgraded to the lasted Pace Digibox are now receiving all of the very weak or unobtainable channels such as channel “4 & 5” and all of the “Plus 1 channels” - subject to the Sky Subscription Package.

The cost of such an upgrade, including installation, is €199. Should you wish to upgrade to “Sky Plus” please contact Sky’s the Limit for details of the service and an individual quote.

Their office hours are Monday to Friday 10am – 8pm, Saturday 10am to 2pm - closed Sundays. The can be contacted on 952562471 or 679046940.

“RENTALS”
Can I remind all Owners, who rent their property, that Community Rules must be clearly displayed on the back of their front doors in both English and Spanish. Should anyone require a copy of these rules, in either language, please contact me by email.

I would also ask these Owners to ensure that their Managing/Letting Agents are made aware of our requirements and more time is spent by the Agents explaining to each new Short/Long term rental the basic “Community Rules” regarding – Noise, Pool rules etc.

EARLY SUMMER BBQ
This took place on Saturday the 12th of May and I am pleased to report that it was, yet again, a great success with over sixty people attending. Live Music was provided by Andy Locke of “Edison Lighthouse” fame and our BBQ’s wouldn’t be the same without our resident singing Gourmet Chef, Geoff Brown rustling up his “Monster Paella”.

Another BBQ will take place during the Summer period – date to be announced.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS MAY 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

Glad to report that we are currently experiencing wall to wall sunshine and the outlook for the coming weeks looks extremely favourable.

IGNORE THIS WARNING AT YOUR PERIL

See the email sent to you on the 6th of June

GARDENS
On a much brighter note our gardens are looking stunning thanks to Juan’s continuing efforts and our “Vegetable Garden” is coming on in leaps and bounds and we should be in position for Owners to sample our crops shortly.

Should anyone feel that their view is being adversely affected by trees or bushes please contact me and I will discuss the matter with Juan.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS JUNE 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

I can’t believe we’re into the second half of 2007 and I’ve already started collecting information for Christmas / New Year – Sad or what!

The weather is consistently in the low 30’s and it’s definitely here to stay.

WEBSITE
For information purposes we have had 7,832 visits to our Website for the period 1st of January 2007 to the 30th June 2007, which equates to over 43 visits per day – we must be doing something right!!!

If any Owner has any suggestions to improve our Website or wants to incorporate any relevant links please do not hesitate to contact me by email.

COMMUNITY FEES
May I remind everyone that your 2nd half year’s Community Fees are due to be collected or paid by the end of this month. Failure to pay in full by the 31st of July 2007 will result in you forfeiting your early payment discount. 

NOISE
If I analysed what I receive the most complaints about it would be, without doubt, related to NOISE issues.

Our busiest period of the year is almost upon us and I would ask each and everyone of you to take note of the following:-

Should anyone have a problem with continual and unreasonable noise, late at night or early in the morning, you can call the Community Security Guards, Antares, to deal with the matter on 618744975 or 609453809.

VEGETABLE GARDENS
I am delighted to tell you that we have distributed our first crop of vegetables (Tomatoes, peppers and courgettes) and there’s a lot more to come.

FRUIT TREES
All of the Orange/Clementine & Lemons have immature fruit on them and I would ask that these are not picked off the trees, especially by children, until they are fully ripe.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS JULY 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

Despite being the second week in August Las Golondrinas doesn’t seem as busy as in previous years, maybe the extreme weather in the UK & Ireland has taken its toll. The weather remains extremely hot and sometimes borders on the ridiculous but I’m sure it’s much better than being up to your shorts in rain water !!!!!

STONE BENCHES
Due to the wooden benches situated by block 2 – 4 (Back Line) reaching the end of their workable life they have been replaced with 2 reasonably priced stone benches that will last us a lifetime.

ENTRANCE TO LAS GOLONDRINAS
I have asked for a quote from our Painting Contractor to “Spruce” up the twin archways to Las Golondrinas as they are looking a bit shabby in comparison with the rest of the Community. Obviously I will keep you updated regarding the cost.

PARASOLS
I have been approached by several back line property Owners regarding the matter of “Giant Parasols” on the sun terraces of some front line properties resulting in some cases of a restriction of their view across the golf course. Can I ask those Owners to lower the parasols when not in use and to remove them completely from view when not in residence.

For those Community Owners who have elected to have parasols on their Balconies I would ask for the same co-operation as above.

The use of a variety of parasols does detract from the unified appearance that we try to promote and if you wish to obtain shade on balconies the approved method is by Toldos / Awnings, in Community Colours, that were voted and adopted by the Owners at our initial AGM.

On the subject of balconies I would like to congratulate the majority of our Owners on the way they have beautified their balconies by the use of colourful plants etc but I would ask for everyone’s co-operation in not using them as a visible storage area for household / sports items.
     
VEGETABLE GARDENS
Thought you might like to see a picture of our Community Vegetable Garden – seems to be a great success – maybe we will become a bit more adventurous next year by planting more exotic vegetables.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS AUGUST 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

August has come and gone and as you would expect the weather was, in the main, extremely good apart from one spectacular torrential downpour – have a look at this picture from the “SUR” – even we get bad weather sometimes but I’m pleased to say that it lasted only a few hours.

OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY FEES
This is one item that I definitely didn’t want to be writing about again but due to a hardcore of certain Owner’s failing to pay their Community Fees on time I have had to re-introduce this “Name & Shame” Section of the News Update

OWNER	APARTMENT	AMOUNT OUTSTANDING
WEATHERALL	14	€1,058.89
LIBAK	20	€1,048.54
DENTON	23	€2,099.95
DENTON	44	€1,029.11
WILLIAMS	50	€3,302.56
MAHON	60	€1,013.61
EDWARDS (T)	66	€3,557.26
	TOTAL	€13,109.92

I have had numerous complaints regarding the “Hardcore” who are failing to pay their Community Fees on time and to this end all assistance to them, or their “Rentals”, from either myself or the Vice Presidents, will be withheld until their fees are paid in FULL.

It is my intention to raise the matter of Community Fees at the next AGM and increase the penalty for late payment substantially and I personally don’t think there will many objections to my proposal.

I have instructed the Administrator to take whatever legal action against the offending Owners to recover these debts and all legal and Administration costs incurred by the Community will be charged to these Owners Community Account.

PAINTING OF THE ARCHWAYS
The painting of either side of the “Archways” has now been completed and certainly looks much better.

UNEXPECTED ITEMS OF EXPENDITURE
Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances we have encountered some unexpected items of expenditure during the month of August, namely:-

 

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS SEPTEMBER 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

September was definitely a “mixed bag” with regards to weather and October unfortunately hasn’t started terribly well either. Throughout Spain there has been rain, sun, snow and hailstones the size of golf balls.

AIR CONDITIONING UNITS
During the last few months I have been made aware of an inordinate amount of break downs and the vast majority of these have been caused by lack of routine maintenance which can result in extremely costly repairs.

I have spoken with Acair who does most of the Air Conditioning repairs at Las Golondrinas and they can offer Owners a Maintenance Contract on the following basis:-

A maintenance contract would involve our personnel checking that the air conditioning/heating system is working correctly by checking:

The charge would be €70 per visit plus IVA and ideally there should be two visits a year, one in spring prior to the summer and another in the autumn before the heating season starts. This is particularly important for absentee owners as they or their tenants frequently arrive at weekends and can find the cooling/heating is not working and cannot be repaired until Monday. Should the unit require gassing, the gas would be charged additionally as would any spare parts required.
If a fault develops between visits the usual €70 call-out charge would be waived and €25 an hour would be charged for labour plus any materials.

Interested Owners Should contact Acair (Gerald or Tim Zabell) on 0034 – 952 48 62 87

NEW YEAR’s EVE GALA DINNER
I have received details from the Tamisa of their Christmas and New Year Festivities which I will be emailing to you shortly.

Anyone who is interested in attending the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner should email me as soon as possible to reserve a place for this extremely popular event. After discussions with John Peach, the owner of The Tamisa Hotel, I am pleased to inform you that the costs will remain the same as last year – Adults € 150pp and children € 75pp all plus 7% I.V.A.

OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY FEES
I am pleased to report that during December the outstanding fees owed to the Community has been reduced by 50% but there is still a “Hardcore” of Owner’s who have still not paid their Community Fees, despite bringing it to their attention last month.

The Administrator is in the process of preparing the necessary legal paperwork to commence proceedings against these people and as previously stated add the costs of collection to their Community Account.
 
POOL
Here we go again – during August I received a letter from Ayuntamiento de Mijas informing me that along with Fase 2 we don’t have an opening licence for our swimming pool. This may seem as strange to you as it does to me, especially since we have had numerous inspections by the Ayuntamiento de Mijas during the 6 year’s the pool has been in use. I won’t go into detail regarding the visit I made to the Town hall to discuss the matter, as if I had any hair I would tear it out

To obtain the necessary licence to keep the pool open we need to get a detailed inspection by a qualified person and the completed forms have to be submitted and approved by the Ayuntamiento de Mijas. The cost quoted by the Administrator is € 1,000 + I.V.A. but I am hopeful of getting the inspection done on a cheaper basis.

It is planned that our pool will be closed and emptied for a period of approximately 2 – 3 weeks from the 14th of January 2008 to carry our essential repairs to the pool and its surrounds. Normally this period is extremely quiet regarding visitors to Las Golondrinas so disruption should be kept to a minimum. Those who rent their Apartment should advise their Management Agent or any potential clients.

BE VIGILANT
On Sunday the 30th of October 2 youngish Gypsy Women were seen to enter our Community from the Golf Course and tried to gain entry to one of the Garden Apartments, luckily without success. The matter was immediately reported to Antares, the Security Company, and these Women are well known to them and the Police but as usual proving attempted break-ins are extremely difficult.

It has also been reported to me that Pick-Pocketing is on the increase, especially in Fuengirola, and in the event of anyone bumping into you and you should immediately check your pockets, wallet or Handbag.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS OCTOBER 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

If September’s weather was a “mixed bag” then October has been a real “Jumble Sale” of changeability. We have had everything apart from snow and the thunder and lightning we had 10 days ago was spectacular and the best I have ever seen or heard.

AGM
Just a gentle reminder that our AGM will take place on Friday the 28th of December at the Tamisa Hotel at 10:30am.

I will be emailing every Owner shortly regarding their intention for their Proxy vote for the AGM. Please ensure you respond to the email as it is important to have a true representation of all Owners’ opinions regarding Community matters for the forthcoming year.

POOL
In line with the requirements for the pool licence and Spanish Legislation covering the operation of Community Pools we are required to replace our current pool entry gate to and from the car park with a larger gate with secure locking and we may have to make alterations to the car park wall surrounding the pool to provide greater security. Obviously I will keep you advised of the on-going situation.

The pool covers will come into action this week due to the low night time temperatures.

POOL - LICENCE
As reported last month we are required to obtain an “Opening Licence” for our pool and I am pleased to inform you, that all being well, we will have the licence in our possession within the next few days.

I must give a big thanks to 2 of our Owners, Mari Paz, for preparing all the necessary architectural documentation to obtain the licence and Jose Lorca for liaising with all the relevant Ayuntamiento Departments to process the paperwork.

NEW YEAR’s EVE GALA DINNER
In order to guarantee the necessary tables I must have the final numbers within the next two weeks regarding tickets for the New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner at the Tamisa Hotel. Currently we have well in excess of 30 people wishing to attend.

OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY FEES
We are slowly reducing the amount of fees owed to the Community but would ask the following people to take note that as at the 2nd of January the legal process will commence against them.

The above Owners will have no voting rights at the forthcoming AGM until these fees are paid in full.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS NOVEMBER 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

Las Golondrinas had very few visitors during November and this was probably just as well as the weather, to say the least, was a tad on the “Iffy” side with lots of rain and temperatures plummeting overnight. I’m pleased to report that despite the cold nights we’re currently experiencing fairly long spells of sunshine during the day, over the last week, with temperatures reaching the low 20’s.
 
AGM
Sorry to harp on again - the AGM will be held at the Tamisa Hotel on Friday the 28th of December 2007 at 10:30 am on the first call and if there is insufficient numbers it will commence at 11:00am on the second call.

If you have any suggestions or recommendations to improve the running of the Community, for the forthcoming year, please email or phone me and I will raise your points during the “Any Other Business” section of the AGM.

ADSL INTERNET CONNECTION
We are in the throes of investigating the feasibility of Owners being able to receive a high-speed ADSL Internet connection with The Connectivity Warehouse (not currently available to us from Telefonica). A test connection has been installed in one of the Vice President’s Apartment and I’m pleased to report that it is working very successfully.

The Company concerned can offer a solution for individuals or Communities and I will keep you updated once I have further details regarding costs etc.

We are also hoping to get a comparative quote from a similar type of Company.

COMMUNITY FEES
Community fees for the first six months of 2008 will become due on the 1st of January 2008 and in order to receive the “Early Settlement Discount” they must be paid in FULL by the 31st of January 2008

It has been reported to me by the Administrators, that as at the 3rd of December 2007, the following Owners still have outstanding Community fees.

The above Owners have been contacted on numerous occasions by the Administrators regarding this matter and have been advised that Legal Proceedings, including seeking to place an “Embargo” on their Apartments, will commence on the 2nd of January 2008 to recover these long outstanding debts. All legal costs incurred by the Community will be passed on to the Owners concerned.

JUAN & MONTSE
I would like to take this opportunity to thank both Juan & Montse for all their efforts during 2007 and in line with previous years they will receive, from the Community, a Christmas Hamper, organised by the Administrators, and a Christmas bonus of €100 and €50 respectively.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President

LAS GOLONDRINAS DECEMBER 2007 NEWS UPDATE - return to index

First of all let me wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year. I am glad to report that we had a record number of Owners over for the Festive period and for the majority of the time the weather was extremely good.

AGM
The AGM, held on Friday the 28th of December at the Tamisa Hotel was extremely well supported and each Owner should have received by email a copy of the financial results for 2007 and the approved budget for 2008 along with the Minutes of the AGM. The financial results and Minutes will also be posted to our Website

POOL CLOSURE
As you’re aware the pool was to be closed for essential repairs during January but due to prior commitments of the Company concerned the work will now commence on the 4th of February for a period of 3 weeks, weather permitting. Could all Owners’ please advise their Rental’s or Management Agents.

COMMUNITY FEES
The “Community Fees” for the 1st half of 2008 are now due and will be debited to your bank account during the course of this month. Failure to pay your Community fee in January will result in the loss of the discount available to you.

OUTSTANDING DEBTS TO THE COMMUNITY
It has been reported by the Administrators that there remains only one debt owed to the Community as at the 28th of December 2007

With immediate effect the Administrator has initiated Legal Action against the above Owner including seeking an “Embargo” of the Apartment.

NEW YEAR’s EVE PARTY
We had a party of 30 people for the New Year’s Eve Party at the Tamisa Hotel and as always it was a great success – maybe something to do with an “Open Bar” until 4am !!!!!.

 

Kindest regards,

Eddie Robertson
Community President