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

High Sierra rents units for owners — ask us how!

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

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.  If any additional information is needed, please contact the General Manager.

Mark your calendars
The Annual Owners Meeting will be
held on May 17, 2008,  at the
High Sierra clubhouse.

WINTER HOURS

High Sierra’s winter hours are: 
Office hours are 9 AM to 8 PM Sunday thru Thursday, and
8 AM to 9 PM on Fridays &
Saturdays. 

Pool hours are 9 AM until
one half hour before the office closes, 7 days per week.

INTERNAL EXCHANGES

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.

   1. All annual maintenance & reserve fees must be paid in full.

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

Please give us as much notice as possible and two or three dates to choose from - the more notice you can give us the better your choices will be.  When we’ve set the exchange date,  we will need to receive a note from you with your signature either by mail or fax acknowledging the exchange along with the $75 fee.

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 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 & Margana Huff, your General Managers

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.

Unit-Weeks for Sale— Stay FREE if you buy

Rent a week or weekend at High Sierra, and if you purchase a unit within 60 days of that rental, half the rental cost  (minus tax, of course) will be applied toward purchase price. (Does not apply to holiday weeks)

 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.)

Maintenance fees are now past due. 

If you have not yet sent in your payment, you have been 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.

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