AnouND THE RarvcH Mnv 2006 tl

MfSSAGE FROM THE FpgSIDENT Mnue nv

Tou Dun;rnnl

Ilre April 29, 2006 Boarcl rneeting lvas a continuing step in the goal of makir,g; the ranch a rnore efficient and enjovable pl;rce to visit and live. l'he Board continues to sh'ive to becon"re a more professional entif. A Codc of Ethics & Standard of Condr-rct ior members of the Board of Directors rvas instituted. fhis should assure our nrembers that each of us r,vill conduct the corporation's business irr an exemplary manner. Adjustments tcl certain receivables rvere made on the recommendaticln crf our auditor. Tht' 2005 audit can nol\. be con-rpleteC. Begir-uring rvith this mt'eting all resolutions presented will be votcd on by roli call.

h nurrrber of resoiuttons

\,vere

presented and passecl. These carr tre. seen in the nrintrte's oi the mecting. With the good r'r'cathcr and our superb road crer.v and ner'v t-quipment, \'ve are making corrsiderable progress u'ith the rtlads. We n'ant to continue to emphasrze tl're need for member support and participation to reach tiur goals for the ranch. lVc r.r'clcome arlv constructive cornments and suggestions t]rat )rou rna)/ have to help us reach these goals. lVe irave established a Ir{edia Clommittee specifically alor,g these lines to assist us in this endeavor, cotnnlLlnication n'ith thc membership.

Con'rn'rlrrEE

R"rponr

IANET Sulrtvarl The lvft'dia Comrnittee is r,vorking on an initiative to improve comrnunications with property orvners via the rt'ebsite and ner,r'sletters. tr{e are especially rvorking to ensure that property o\,vrlers are being provided informatiorr that is easily understood. VVe rvill Lre rerrier,t ing the format .so tirat r,t'hat is included i.vill be more intereshrrg and concise, both to long-tcrm and ncr,r, properly or.trners. In keeping r,r,'ith the Strategic Plan, rve are asking for input from all or,vners about rvhat thcy n ould like to see aud horv to present it in the simplest fonn. ComtniLtee: Janet Sullivan, Chair; Lld lvlarcato, Kathlcen O'Kcefe, and Alida Lorio. BY

Nrxr MEEnNc or POATRI's BonRD oF Dlnrcrons: Snrunpnv, f urv 29,2086, 10 A,\4 Ar Trnurucun RnNcu HrnoquARrERs.

AeouNo rnr RaNcn

Pncr 2

Mav 2006

Roao Accrss Tnsrc FoRCE Rrponr Accordin6 to legal documentation available to Lrs, all property or,r'ners, as r,vell as the Association, have an ingress and egress easement for the use of Terlingua Ranch roads. This is taken to mean that r,ve all have a right to use the roads and should not be stopped from doing so. Past POATRI Boards have specifically outlined conditions under rvhich a road mav be barricaded. Those conditions are contained in the Board Policies & Procedures ]Vlanual, Section II, Access to Private Roads on Terlingua Ranch. Over the years, some barricades arrd locked gates r,vhich do nct meet the criteria- laici ou-t

in the Pohcies & Procedure-s have been erected by orvners rvithout interference or objection from the Association. I{e currently have on file the r,vritten requirements outlined in Policies & Procedures for only one gate. The Road Access Task Force has taken an initiative in locating and identifying all gates and other barricades that affect property owller access. I,Ve are taking GPS readings s0 that a rnap can be created. Frorn this map we r,vill determine the orvner of the propertv and contact them to reiterate the rules and discuss solutions. The Terlingua Ranch road system consists oi roads that

SrnnrEcrc Pmru SrRroru, CHnrn The Strategic Plan Steering Committee \ /as formed durine the January 2005 POATRI Board N{eeting. The committee consists of Board members, owners and management. The members of the cornmittee are: Jack Staton, Board N,{ember; Don Backeq, Board BY fACK

Member; Alicia Gill, Property Or,vner; Ed Marcato, Property Or,r'ner; Louise Borton, Property Ou'ner; Dave lv{attsorr,

Property Owner; Alida Lorio, General Iv{anager. The purpose of the commit-

STTERING

rr.ere created by TerramaE

county roads and roads that either previously existed or lvere created across property that is not part of Terlingua Ranch. Although easements are not in question on T'erlingua Ranch roads or county roads used by Terlingua Ranch owners, lve r,r.ill be further researching our rights and responsibilities regarding roads maintained by Terlingua Ranch through nonranch property. Anvone being ar,vare of a gate or other barricade that affects Tcrlingua Ranch o\^/ners, please contact Alida Lorio at the ranch office: opsmgr@terlin guaranch.com or 432-37 l-2176.

ConrMtrrEE RrpoRT

tee is to function as a resource to the Board, General lv{anager and Property Owners in assisting them in making decisions lvhich are aligned rvith the VISION, goals and objectives of the strategic plan. Currently the committee is in the process of scheduling our first meeting. One of the first goals for the committee r,vill be to establish an operations plan r,vhich ltill provide property orvners rvith a guide for evaluating the effectiveness of the committee and de'"'elop a process for addressing changes or deviations in the

strategic plan. A.'{ore specific roles and rcsponsibilities are defined in the committee's guidelines which r.vill be posted on the POATRI rvebsite along with contact information for the. commiitee.

AnouHo rnr Rlxctt is published qLlarterly by the Board of Directors of the Property Owners Association Terlingua of Ranch, lna" and is provided free a{ charge to all nembers in good standing. le&ers, comments, and suggestians are vtelcome.lelters rnay be editet/ for publication- Write to: Around tlte Ranch newsletter, PO Box 63B,Terlingua, TX 79852. Or email: [email protected].

Mrv 2006

OprnnrloNs RrpoRT r,t euarteq, nv

Plcr 3

Anouno rHr RnNcH

A STATEMENT from the 2ood

Artoa Lonro, Gnxnnar MeruRcnn

Financial: . Line of credit paid . ?006 billing generated fi284/174 cash payments or 47% of 2006 total assessment . 1't Quarter Resort loss is smallest in recent history . Fuel prices up an average of 55 cents per gallon over last year . 73% behind budget in income overall . 3.51y',' ahead in expenses . Overall gain on budget of

2005 . 108

1.9%,

created

Other:

. 2005 field audit completed . Board authorized needed

BOARD of DIRECIORS of POATRI, INC. We the Board of Directors of POATRI have been informed

by

correspondence

from

adjustment

Significant Tiend: . Property transfers in 2005 doubled over those done in

at this time. We the Board of Directors will defend vigorously

2044 . 1" quarter 2006 project a 46%, increase in transfers over

new olvner accounts

POATRI for reasons not specified

any suit against the corporation in whatever situation the suit arises. Please be reminded that there will be a cost to this action. The funds that rvill be needed to defend this action will have to come from the fees that we all pay for things

such as road maintenance. Road Maintenance: . Welcome Doug Fugg, Road Supervisor - Glad to have you back home! . Solitario worked

thoroughly . North Corazones & Lodge area rvorked . Water truck purchased and put on line Resort: . Occupancy down 2% over same period'05 . RV & Camping stable . 2"d Quarter should be ahead of il5 . Improved loss position due to closings and improved maintenance

Planned Accomplishments for the upcoming period:

. Financiali Z"dbilling of assessments; demand letters to one year delinquents;2007 Budget, particularly Capital Projects planning. . Road Maintenance: Repairs to far reaches of the Gates; Big Bend Valley area; complete Cedar Springs diversion dams & Cate 4 Project. . Re6ort: Continued reduced expenses; r,vater delivery system repair necessitates closing two weeks in early June; begin low impact .

marketing program.

Exrmpr OwNrns MErrruc Vor-uNTEER PnvmrNrs Many thanks to the all exempt properby orvners r,vho responded well to our letter requesting their voluntary contributions to the Association. At the end of the 1't Quarter we had received $7,733 in voluntary assessments, r,vhich is 675% more than we received in all of 2005. so

our

concerned property owner members that Mr. Don Mahan will file a legal action against

assessment receivables

As

the details of the suit emerge, the Board will provide more details.

We ask for your encouragement at this time, remembering that this is your RANCH and we desire that it be successful. The only way that this will happen is if we give up our PRIVATE ACENDAS and come together as a TEAM. This is a beautiful place that has lreen here tbr many years, and the commitment of this Board is that it continues on this path.

-POATRI Board of Directors

The above statement was voted on by email conference of the POATRI Board of Directors. Per resolution passed at the April 29, 2AA6 quarterly meeting the vote regarding this statement was as follows:

Durham Yes Janet Sullivan Yes Liz Demetri Yes Don Backer Yes Yes Jack Staton Virgil Evans Yes Yes T. J. Ramey Tom

Jerry

Brewster

No

Kathleen O'Keefe No

Pncr 4

VoIUNTEER

AnouNo rHr R,cNcH

M.cv 2006

Gnoup Mnrrs PnocREss

rv fncx HrNNrssry The Bad Rabbit Volunteer Group is continuing its work to renovate the old bunkhouse facility into a beauti{ul and useful conference lp*V room. The subskucfure for the dance floor is complete and the cedar handrail at the pool side entrance is nearly done. The hardwood flooring will notbe installed until we can get an adequate floor covering to protect the surface from r.r'ear and tea4, particularly from the movement of chairs across the floor. The entire floor has been leveled, an enfoance from the pool side entrance has been created, and a cedar post safety rail has been built for the midsection. The floor is nolv ready for the finishing of the tile work. The following people actively participated in the construction

of the dance floor and concrete rvork: Jim and Portia Dunn, ]ulianne Braun and Dave Farmen, Doug Backer and Ray Choate, Wayne 1\,Iacleod, William Rich DickWillaueq, Dean Buchel Susi Cavender, PatBennett, Jim Millea Ed Marcatg Charlie Oakes, Frank Oxsheer.

Thanks also go to the families of some of these folks for allowing them to take part of their vacation time to assist. Special thanks to Ed and Charlie for making this vital step happen and for making it r.t'ork. Next step: tiling the remaining floo4 putting on the hardrt'ood, finishing the handraii. Then on to the ceiling fans, lighting and other electrics. We need more volunteers and" as always, additional funding. If you'd like to volunteer or make a donation (or both), please contact

Annclr 3 Tnsr Foncr Rrponr

either the Ranch office or |ack Hennessv ([email protected] or 432 371-2718). Lefls keep up the momentum!

Posl/bathhouse Annual membership for property owners in good standing is $2Slyear. . Day use is now $llday for property owners in good

'

standing. r For non property owners the fees rernain $1O0lyear or $5iuse.

Summer Hours

.

RanchlResort Office: Bam5pm Thurs thru Mon. Closed Tues & Wed. . Bad Rabbit Cafe: 7am-9pm Thurs thru Sun. Closed Mon, Tues & Wed. . Pool is closed on Tuesdays for cleaning & maintenance.

WIImugn The goal of the Artide 3 Task Force is to tabulate and review the numerous comments relating to the new Bylaw article lvhich n'ere returned r.vith the ballots and to ultimately make suggestions as to potential changes for the Board to consider. Of the 697 ballatsreceived, 73 coniained r,vritten comments. The breakdown by section is as follolvs: 3.01 Classes of Members - 5 3.07 OfficialVoters' list - 24 3.02 Member Defrned - 11 3.08 Annual Members' Meeting - 16 3.03 Members in Good Standing Defined - Z8 3.09 Special Members' Meeting 24 3.04 Membership Voting Rights - z0 3.10 Members Restricted Acts - 55 3.05 Right of Members to Petition - 27 3.11 Sanctions for Restricted Acts - 48 3.06 Mernbers' List - 14 3.12 No lnterest Corp. Property- 23 BY DICK

It is fairly obvious by looking at the numerical breakdon'n which sections generated the most interest. Although the comments generally voiced concerns or objections, not all r,vere totally negative and many contained constructive corunents. The fact that seventy-one property otvners had enough interest and took the time to respond in writing could be considered a positive outcome of the pro."ir. The task force will be revielvitg th" comments over the next few r,veeks and collating a report tbr the Board of Drectors and Membership for the July,2005 meeting.

Mrv

2OO6

TnrnsunEr's Rrponr

AnouNo rHr RnNcH

Prcr 5

THr Gooo Nrws ABour

DoN Bacrrq Tnrnsunrn The total equity at the end

CoLLECTtoNs: soME srATlsncs

of the 1't Quarte4, 2006, was $861,553, as compared to the 2005 year end of $607,472.'The assessment cash collected for the first quarter was fi279,464, with 46%, of current bilied assessments collected for a net increase in cash of $65,280 after expenses and debt service. Resort cash collected was $79,553 rvhich resulted in a net cash decrease of $27,766 after expenses and debt service for a total et change to cash of $42,379. The following cash financial summary has been prepared. The full financial statements are posted on the r,r'eb site - rv\,vr,\/.poatri.org - and are available in hard copy from the Ranch office.

Some interesting collections statistics lvhich r,vere posted on poatri.org on February 76,2006: As of 2l 73106 we have a total of 4753 owner accounts . 3639 of these are olvners in good standing (this include 498 exempt or\/nersr plus two POATRI accounts rvhich do not vote). This leavcs 1114 members not in good standing. Of these: . 237 have bad addresses or no addresses that rtu e or the county have been able to find. . 498 are delinquent due to or,ving assessmetlts accrued from before 2005. . 379 are delinquent only because they have not yet paid the $51 SIA from 2005. We are seeing most orvners paying the past due 5IA along rvith their 2006 assessrnent and so expect to clear many of these 379 accounts before the end cf March. This r,r'ould indicate that POATRI currently has only 735 "hard core" delinquent accounts at the present time, r,vhich is much reduced from the 1250 such accounts at the beginning of 2005 anel the 1000 accounts at the end of the year. IVe thank all of our olryners rvho are paving their assessments and r.vho are responding to our collections campaign.

sY

1* QUARTER CASH FINANCIAL SUMMARY

Check out wwwpoatri.org, theTerlingua Ranch property owners' official web site, updated regularly. Board news - Operations news -Tract Maps - Property for Sale by Owner - & more!

Prcr 6

AnouNo tse Rarcn

SummnRy oF Acnorvs FRoM Bonno sv Lrz Dr,rarrnl, Srcnrrnny The {ollouuing seven directors lvere present and certified: Jack Staton, Don Backer, Jerry Brewster, T.J. Ramey, Tom Durh arn, Liz Dernetri and Kathleen O'Keefe. Two absent: Janet Sullivan and

Virgil Evans. The following resolutions

rvere passed at the recent Board Meeting: All votes rvvere done by roll caii and were unanimous except for the one for road dedication" A' The POATRi auditor is authorized to adjust to POATRI assessment receivables account as recommended by the POATRI Audit Committee. fu{otion by- Don Backer, Second by T.I.Rameyr 7 ayes,0 nays, 2 absent" 4'. The General Manger is directed and authofized to pursue the dedication of the iast three miles of Terlingua Ranch Road to Brewster County and to present an upriated report to the Board of Directors at the July,2006

quarterly meeting. Motion by T.J. Rame,v, second by jack Staton. 6 ayes,0 nays, 1 abstain-Brelvster, 2 absent. A The revisions to the Association Assessme.nt Procedures of the Board Policies & Procedures Manual are accepted as r.r'ritten. It'f otion by T.J. Ramel', Second bv Kathleen O'Keefe. 7 ayes 0 nays, 2 absent. ,r'. The General lv{anager is authorized to research obtaining the services of a spe-

Mav 2006

Mrrrlrvc Apnl L 29 | 2006

cialized law firm to pursue legal {oreclos,.rres on d"li.tquent assessment accounts and be prepared to make a recommendation to the Board of Directors at the July,2006 meeting. Motion by Jack Staton, second by Tom Durham. 7 ayes,0 nays, 2 absent. h The revisions to Ort'nership Records Procedures of the Board policies & Procedures Nlanual are accepted as r,vritten. N{otion by Liz Demetri, second by Jerry Brervster. 7 ayes,0 nays, 2

ond by Jack Staton. 7 ayes, A nays, 2 absent. rf' Resolution for empioyment of McCreary, !'eselka, Bragg & Allen, P.C. to collect unpaid fee assessments. This is the same lar,v firm employed by Brer,vster County to collect delinquent property tax on these same properties. lvlotion by Kathleen O'Keefe, second by Don Backer. 7

ayes,0nays,2absent.

TERTINGUA

absent. l'. The revisions to the Passr.vords & Other Security

Arrangements Procedures of the Board Policies & Procedures Manual are accepted as written. Motion by Jerry Brervster, second by Don Backer. 7 ayes,0 nays, 2 absent.

,/:'. All official votes by POATRI Board lv{embers shall be made by roll call vote. Motion by Jerry Brer.r'ster, second by Kathleen O'Keefe. 7 ayes,0 nays, 2 absent. A When the General Manager becomes aware that false information or false allegations regarding ranch management or ranch policy are being communicated to property owners, the General N{anager is authorized to post the accurate and factual information regarding these topics in a timely', objective and informative manner on the POATRI website. Motion by Kathleen O'Keefe, sec-

NANEH

Did you moveT Did yaur mailing

sddress change?

you selt any af ysur pfoperty on

Did

Terlingua Ranch?

notify POATRI of any of these oc-

Please

curences so we can keep our records up to date and keep you

informed.' Tha,nksi!

Mnv 2006

Ponrnr.oRc

Anour.iu rHt Rnlcrt

Pect 7

- A Usrrul Tool AvnTLABLE To Arr OwNERS

Sirrce the advent of the ownt'r \\'cb sitc - rVrrtrr'.ptlatri.rrrg - the Association h;ls beerr able to irrovidc olvncrs i.vith more and nrore information and nervs about l.erlingua Ranch. T'he ner,v lv{edia Cornmittc.e irrrtiativc rvill be improvilrg the use of the rvcb site tlemendousl1,.

The sheer quantity of informirtior-l tlrat car-r L'rc uploaded to the rveb site - ior example, complcte financial stattrncnts, thc entire POA'fRI Sirategic Plan - is ccist prohibitive for the printed ner.r,sletter. And timeliness is a huge factor supporting thc' usc of ihe internet for orarner commu ni cation.

Olvners lvho do not have intenret access of their orvn should check in rvith their local public library'. Virtually ever'\/ library in the country has frr-'e internet access - arrd from there, it's sirnple - type v,"'tvtr,. poa Lri.or.q irnd get the latest llelvs Around ih* Ranch.

RrsoLVrNG ETvIRoNMENTAL IssuEs At the January 2t)0(r meetirrg, property orvners and the Board of Directors heard of an unauthorized dunrping ground locatecl in Big Bend Vallel'. Bccausc environrnental issur)s are so importani to the rvell being and future of the Ranch, there was ncl argument that POATRI should beconre invc-rlved in the resolution of this issue.

The first step rvas to locate the orvncr.s oi thc property affected. Bclth orvners expressed lack of knolvledgc as r.vell as outrage that such an abuse of their propertylvas taking place. They plcdged full cooperation. POAI'RI has posted the. arear against both trespassing and dumping. Brervster Countv Sheriff Ronnv Dodson has directed his force to patrol regLl-

larlv and rvhere possible to issue tickcts against thc dumpirrg. Cotrnty Jtrdgc Val Bcard has agreed to assist r-rs in finding funcling for .rn cr,'errtual clean up of the site. Dumping is illegai ;rnd subject tcr citations arrd lines. Property orvners can be. heId liable for the continuation of such drrmping sites. It is in evcrv otr.r'ner's bcst intcrcst to report such trespass.

PO Box 638 Tr

r.rr

;.=:

j-''j"'.;

rrr.r.r,r Trx,qs 79852

TERI.INtrUA

RANGH

To trel Rio

1ot\?asq

lbrlinsua Ranch LrJqe is locateJ at the b"". # the Chnstmas Morrilins in the h.J.t the bie bend of souih*est Texas, 60 "f miles south of Alpine and 6 miles 6utheast oft state highwag rre . :

t

We have 12 well*appointed matel rooms, an excellent stauta.*, iF th. most uni.que landl'". *ro;.. i..rh oi'.,'and a pool in

Texas it.g *;th +p.;. Chrhuahuan Desert.

,.1"

o*

=

".d

*i;"g

the quiet a.,.1

b."itg .,f th"

6 pels or"-*.|.o*e . We accept f-or'more in{orma*on, call us at y+itz) )7t-z+w. O, write PO bo* Ola, Terlin*qua, Tx.79sr2- Or visit ou r website: www.terlinguar"n.h.cot (-,K)up rates are auailable. Ch;ldren

Mastb€ard. Visa,

tn.l Dit.clu"r.

(ontocl members of the Boord of Direrlorr vio visiling olr wchsile: to nto,, ln{ iilrd \nl'.art I'rrr

*ir*,noiln' ;

r'

ffi $lii}{tr