HIGH SIERRA NEWSLETTER - WINTER 2008

Please send payments or any correspondence directly to High Sierra Condominiums at
the following address:

High Sierra Condominiums
P.O Box 7188
Ruidoso, NM 88355-7188
USA

Phone: (575) 257-6913
   Fax: (575) 257-7319

High  Sierra’s
E-Mail  Address:
info@highsierracondos.com

The President's Corner

The members of the Board of Directors and I want to wish a happy and prosperous New Year to all High Sierra members.  The weather has turned cold in New Mexico and has dropped some snow in the mountains, although not a lot in Ruidoso so far.  Some of the units have received new exterior and interior paint, and when the weather warms up the remaining units will be painted outside.  There still remains a lot of work to do on both the inside and outside of our units.  The members of the Board want to thank the owners for their patience as we work to upgrade more units.  I hope every one has a great spring and summer enjoying the facilities.

The terms for two members of the Board of Directors will expire this year, and I encourage all owner-members to vote.  While both current incumbents are willing to continue serving another term, other members who would also like to run for the Board are encouraged to submit a short resume and reasons they’d like to serve on High Sierra’s Board.

The staff is looking forward to making your stay a pleasant one whenever you visit High Sierra.

Raymond L. Peabody, HSOA President
 

Mark your Calendars!

The
Annual Owner's Meeting
will be held  on May 17, 2008, at 10 AM at the High Sierra clubhouse.

Policy changes are made periodically by the High Sierra Board.  Such important policy changes are announced in this news-letter, and they’re also posted on High Sierra’s website.  Go to: www.highsierracondos.com

WINTER  HOURS
High Sierra has moved to winter hours.   During the winter months office hours
are 9 AM to 8 PM Sunday through Thursday and 8 AM
to 9PM Friday and Saturday.

 Pool hours are from 9 AM until half hour before closing every day.

NOMINATIONS SOLICITED For Board of Directors

 In 2008, the current two-year terms will expire for two of the five positions on the Board of Directors.  While the current incumbents have indicated their willingness to continue serving another two-year term, additional nominations are solicited for candidates from among owner members.   Board members serve the general membership without payment of any kind, and since 2004 they’ve received no reimbursement for travel costs to meetings.

If  you are interested in serving, please send (1) a brief resume along with (2) a brief summary of why you’d like to serve on the Board of Directors and how you feel your experience and qualifications would enhance High Sierra’s progress.  Nominations can be mailed, faxed, or e-mailed to High Sierra.  To allow time for subsequent balloting, ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT HIGH SIERRA OR MUST BE POST-MARKED NO LATER THAN MARCH 31, 2008, to be considered.  For additional information, please contact the General Manager.

SECURITY DEPOSIT PROCEDURES FOR OWNERS, GUESTS, and RENTERS

Unlike all other known hospitality facilities, prior to May 2005 High Sierra collected NO deposits from non-owners visiting High Sierra…not from guests of owners, nor from walk-in renters. As a result, High Sierra’s resources were often treated poorly because there was no recourse for recovering damages. Since May 2005 we have tried various options to correct this, and the following are current procedures (used universally throughout the resort industry):

Owners…those parties who are listed by-name on a unit’s deed…are never charged a deposit. There’s a reason for that; High Sierra’s Bylaws clearly provide authority for owners to be billed for damages, and if not paid, a lien can be placed against an owner’s unit to satisfy those charges. As a practical matter, High Sierra experiences very little damage or theft by owners.

Non-owners…guests of owners, whether they’re family members, friends, or private renters, present a different situation. Prior to the arrival of non-owner guests or renters, we require written authority from the owners to give keys to such guests. Such authorization can be done by a fax bearing an owner’s signature, or by an owner-signed letter; e-mails are NOT sufficient because they aren’t signed and e-mail addresses can be electronically falsified (or “spoofed”).

HIGH SIERRA WILL COLLECT A $200.00 DEPOSIT FROM ALL NON-OWNER GUESTS; this deposit can be in cash or done by credit card, but NOT by check. The Board of Directors wants non-owner(s) staying in a unit to know they have some financial risk so they’ll take care of the unit. Owners will still remain liable for damages or theft resulting from their guests, or any private rental arrangement, where (1) the deposit proves non-collectable, or (2) damage or theft exceeds the $200 deposit UNLESS the owners rent through High Sierra’s office.

When owners rent their units through High Sierra or exchange their week with RCI, High Sierra will collect a deposit from the renters or RCI guests and the owner is then free of liability for any damage. For any unit rented through High Sierra, the rental proceeds are split with 70% going to the owner and 30% to High Sierra. There’s cost involved in collection of deposits by High Sierra staff (most done on credit cards), and removal of liability from the owner for any damage or theft is some of the value an owner receives for High Sierra retaining 30% of the rent collected.

To sum it up…if an owner gives High Sierra written authority to rent their unit, then High Sierra is responsible for
collecting deposits from renters and the owner is free of any liability. However, if any owner rents their unit out
privately without going through High Sierra, then the guest will have to provide a damage deposit and the owner
will ultimately remain liable for damages or theft resulting from their guests or any private rental arrangement.
 

FROM YOUR MANAGERS — Badly-needed repainting of building exteriors is now underway.  We got as much done as possible before Ruidoso’s annual snow & ice season began, and the project will be completed in the coming spring months.  Several units will get bathroom renovations this spring and fall.  We’ve begun replacing deteriorating linoleum tile in some laundry room floors.

We want to thank the owners who take the time to fill out the comment sheets and turn them into the office at the end of their stay. Your input helps as we strive to improve the condition of the units.

We encourage all owners to visit High Sierra’s website www.highsierracondos.com - where we’ll increasingly be posting important information so you can get news quickly.  As just one example, there’s a link posted now on the Owners Page for an RCI “weeks calendar” through 2011. Owners can also initiate some actions on-line, and there will soon be more on-line actions available.                                                

                                                           Rob Huff (Member, Board of Directors) 
                                                                  & Margana Huff, General Managers

 IMPORTANT NOTE FOR OWNERS
and THEIR GUESTS

For your security, keys for “after-hours” arrivals are now left in a metal mailbox with a changeable combination lock on it.  Any owner or guest arriving after the office is closed MUST know the current combination to obtain keys. 

IF YOU ANTICIPATE ARRIVING AFTER 8 PM ON ANY NIGHT, PLEASE CALL THE HIGH SIERRA OFFICE BEFORE 8 PM TO OBTAIN THE COMBINATION FOR THE LOCK. 

 Again, this procedure is to protect YOUR High Sierra resources and provide better security for our owners and guests.  If all fees are not paid current, keys cannot be left out.      
                              

WE NEED AN E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR EVERY HIGH SIERRA OWNER !!!

Please send yours to: info@highsierracondos.com

(And please remember to notify High Sierra of any changes to your mailing address, phone numbers, or e-mail address.)

DVD/VCR COMBO PLAYERS IN UNITS

We now have combination DVD & VCR players in all units.  We’ll keep our existing library of VHS tapes, but we’re now building a collection of movies on DVD also.  If you have any DVD or VHS movies you’d like to donate, we’d welcome them to our new combined DVD and VHS collection for use by owners and guests.  (High Sierra is one of the few resorts in Ruidoso that lets guests view movies at no cost.)  Also, if you have any usable sports or recreational equipment that you no longer use...items such as tennis racquets, board games, or etc...High Sierra would welcome any donations of such items for guest use.

Maintenance fees are now past due. 

If you have not sent your payment, you are being charged a $10 late fee for February, and if not received by March 1st, a late processing fee of $45 plus the monthly $10 late fee will be added.  Please send your payment now to help us budget for the year and to avoid incurring additional charges.

IN-HOUSE EXCHANGE (OR “SWAP”) POLICIES
If you know in advance that you won’t be able to use your regular unit-week(s) for any reason, we can do an “in-house” exchange with you for another unit-week at High Sierra. (We can NOT, however, exchange your week for one at another property...one must go through RCI or a similar timeshare exchange company for that.) There’s a $75 cost to do an in-house “swap,” but that’s less than one-third the cost of doing the same exchange through RCI. Here are the policies & procedures you need to know:

1. All annual maintenance & reserve fees must be paid current.

2. To the extent possible, we’ll try to “swap” your unit for an equal unit (same number of bedrooms & the same RCI “season”...red, white, or blue). However, that may not always be possible so please be flexible as we try to accommodate.

3. Any in-house exchange MUST be initiated a MINIMUM of 15 calendar days PRIOR TO the start of your week.

IMPORTANT NOTE — NEW TELEPHONE AREA CODE FOR HIGH SIERRA CONDOMINIUMS

In the past, the entire State of New Mexico has had only one area code (505).  However, effective October 7, 2007, there’s another area code (575) that will apply to part of New Mexico, and High Sierra is included in that new area code.

High Sierra’s correct phone and fax numbers with the new area code effective October 7, 2007, are shown above on the left in this newsletter.

For nearly a year, callers will be able to use either the new 575 or the old 505 area code to complete calls. This period is called a “permissive dialing” period. However, mandatory use of the new 575 area code will begin October 5, 2008.  Please begin using the new area code right away, because calls using the old area code will not be completed after October 5, 2008.

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