11-06-2024, 05:31 PM
"First, I’d get on the same page. According to June, 2024 “The Conch” the official newsletter of HPP, the US Postal Service has put up 2 million in “hardware” (mail boxes) and 500K in cash for related installation. Further, HPPOA has put up a little over 500K in cash costs.
So – A little over 3 million IN TOTAL. USPS at 2.5 million, HPPOA at 500K."
Aloha HiloJulie,
It is interesting that the Mailbox numbers reported in the Conch are different than what we, as Owners, have been told over the past 2 years at meetings or in "Mailbox Updates."
From the beginning, some on our board would throw out the phrase "over a million dollars in mailboxes." This is documented in a May 2023 Mailbox Update and minutes from a June 2023 board meeting.The phrase "over two million in boxes" is a recent development. But what isn't recent is that there are no more boxes now, than what was first delivered. So, did those mailboxes, sitting in the yard, just double in value?
Owners were also told that the estimate costs for preparing the MB sites were $500K. But the board was going to budget $600K to "cover any additional cost." Eventually, $650K was budgeted. However, who knows exactly how much has been spent, or how much more has been budgeted? As the MB cost is no longer discussed at meetings and tracking HPPOA expenses is difficult (I know, I was on the Finance Committee).
The Conch was supposed to be a Newsletter that INFORMED Owners. In fact, the Conch was/is a requirement and court ordered. Unfortunately, the Conch has turned into a device for HPPOA board propaganda- nothing hard-hitting, or "negative" allowed. Ask most HPP Owners about the lawsuits that HPPOA is involved in (there are more than just the one) and they will either be surprised or aware of very little- HPPOA wants it this way. Ask most HPP Owners about the history of HPPOA and what, exactly HPPOA is and those Owners will assume that HPPOA is an HOA not a voluntary community association that is supposed to act as an administrator for road maintenance- HPPOA wants it this way.
As I have said before, mailboxes are just the tip of the iceberg. I was on the Land Use Committee, which was involved in the mailbox project. And there is "so much more" that HPPOA wants to do. But not only do they want to do so much more on restricted land, they want to do it with road fee money.
The mailbox "park" volunteers? Just wait. Eventually HPPOA will find a way to fund them, using what they will call, non-road fee money. And, as HPPOA has done in the past, they will siphon off "a percentage" of road fees, throw them into a non-road account, let them sit there, and/or invest them, so that they can use the accumulated amounts to fund their expensive (hundreds of thousands of dollars) of non-road projects. Meanwhile, the bond which did not cover the paving of all the roads, has not been paid off (close, but they could have done it sooner) and less road will get paved (they were doing 2 miles a year, now only 1).
I know HPP has an issue with mail service. HPP has other issues too. But Owners cannot get on the same page and help to "fix" these issues when HPPOA keeps information from them, bullies them with legal "opinion" paid for with Owner money, and denies owners their rights to participate in decisions that HPPOA has unrightfully given themselves authority to make.
Currently, there is no way to know, for sure, how much money has been spent on the mailbox project. Because HPPOA is not going to share all of the figures- period. They are only going to spin, as in the Conch, what looks good for them.
So – A little over 3 million IN TOTAL. USPS at 2.5 million, HPPOA at 500K."
Aloha HiloJulie,
It is interesting that the Mailbox numbers reported in the Conch are different than what we, as Owners, have been told over the past 2 years at meetings or in "Mailbox Updates."
From the beginning, some on our board would throw out the phrase "over a million dollars in mailboxes." This is documented in a May 2023 Mailbox Update and minutes from a June 2023 board meeting.The phrase "over two million in boxes" is a recent development. But what isn't recent is that there are no more boxes now, than what was first delivered. So, did those mailboxes, sitting in the yard, just double in value?
Owners were also told that the estimate costs for preparing the MB sites were $500K. But the board was going to budget $600K to "cover any additional cost." Eventually, $650K was budgeted. However, who knows exactly how much has been spent, or how much more has been budgeted? As the MB cost is no longer discussed at meetings and tracking HPPOA expenses is difficult (I know, I was on the Finance Committee).
The Conch was supposed to be a Newsletter that INFORMED Owners. In fact, the Conch was/is a requirement and court ordered. Unfortunately, the Conch has turned into a device for HPPOA board propaganda- nothing hard-hitting, or "negative" allowed. Ask most HPP Owners about the lawsuits that HPPOA is involved in (there are more than just the one) and they will either be surprised or aware of very little- HPPOA wants it this way. Ask most HPP Owners about the history of HPPOA and what, exactly HPPOA is and those Owners will assume that HPPOA is an HOA not a voluntary community association that is supposed to act as an administrator for road maintenance- HPPOA wants it this way.
As I have said before, mailboxes are just the tip of the iceberg. I was on the Land Use Committee, which was involved in the mailbox project. And there is "so much more" that HPPOA wants to do. But not only do they want to do so much more on restricted land, they want to do it with road fee money.
The mailbox "park" volunteers? Just wait. Eventually HPPOA will find a way to fund them, using what they will call, non-road fee money. And, as HPPOA has done in the past, they will siphon off "a percentage" of road fees, throw them into a non-road account, let them sit there, and/or invest them, so that they can use the accumulated amounts to fund their expensive (hundreds of thousands of dollars) of non-road projects. Meanwhile, the bond which did not cover the paving of all the roads, has not been paid off (close, but they could have done it sooner) and less road will get paved (they were doing 2 miles a year, now only 1).
I know HPP has an issue with mail service. HPP has other issues too. But Owners cannot get on the same page and help to "fix" these issues when HPPOA keeps information from them, bullies them with legal "opinion" paid for with Owner money, and denies owners their rights to participate in decisions that HPPOA has unrightfully given themselves authority to make.
Currently, there is no way to know, for sure, how much money has been spent on the mailbox project. Because HPPOA is not going to share all of the figures- period. They are only going to spin, as in the Conch, what looks good for them.