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The delegates voted down the 2014 budget, largely because of Wi-Fi. sending us back to Square One: Finance Committee meetings to develop the budget all over again, more committee votes, another Delegates Assembly vote. Here are 10 reasons we should tell the Finance Committee to keep Wi-Fi in the budget.
1. De-funding Wi-Fi means we have to pay $30 or more a month for Internet service when we could be paying $3. A no-vote just cost us $27 a month.
2. Many of our lowest-income residents have computers, and there are programs to help them get them if they don't. They can't afford $30/month but they could afford $3. Let's give them the only chance they might have to enjoy the benefits of the Internet -- communicating with their families, shopping online, saving money on phone costs and increasing their personal safety with Internet-enabled lifeline pendants so they don't have to fear falling or being injured and unable to get help.
3. With Wi-Fi we can call and "see" our families on Skype and use our computerized devices anywhere in our homes or in the Village. Where else can you get the benefits of the Internet for $3?
4. With W-Fi association board members can communicate with each other via email to conduct association business when they are away. We need to do everything we can to help associations do a better job.
5. Wi-Fi is a major attraction for new buyers who want to live in a community that keeps up with the times. Ten years ago cable-enabled buildings were a huge draw for condo properties; today it's Wi-Fi. If we want to see property values rise, we have to have Wi-Fi. Condo complexes don't stand still. They go forward or they slide downhill.
6. People who said we need guarantees from vendors because they fear escalating costs may not realize that there are industry-standard 5-year warranties in the bid proposals. No one knows what costs will be five years out. There will be inevitable issues as there are in all major infrastructure projects, but we are protected.
7. Claims that we don't know enough yet, that vendor proposals don't answer all the questions or have typos in them are exaggerating issues that normally arise in the bid process as proposals are reviewed. We have the information we need at this stage of the process and we'll get the rest as we move the process forward, just the way it's done in business.
8. We shouldn't ignore the impressive number of favorable responses from the 1500 residents who filled out Wi-Fi surveys, or the letter from the president of Le Cercle Des Bon Amis representing 600 French Canadian Century Village residents who urged us to support Wi-Fi. Maybe as delegates we were too swayed by the loud and misinformed voices of a few.
9. Among the opponents of Wi-Fi were people who are suing UCO (they expected UCO to pay their legal expenses, remember?), are committed to defeating any idea championed by Dave Israel, and have never made a single proposal to improve the Village but many to tear it apart. Can we trust that their opposition isn't personal rather than based on what's good for the Village?
10. Wi-Fi is as inescapable as electricity, the telephone and the internet. Some people resisted those, too, but history proved them wrong.
If you agree, please attend the Finance Committee meetings October 8 at 11AM in the UCO Conference Room and October 10 at 11 AM in the Clubhouse Party Room. Please tell the committee that that Wi-Fi benefits all of us, from the least financially strong to those among us who know that a community that doesn't invest in its future pretty soon won't have one.
Anita
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WiFi
ReplyDeleteI am a supporter of having WiFi throughout Century Village. I am one of those people that a lot of bloggers seem to like to attack on this blog; I am only in Century Village 4 months of the year, but I pay all the UCO and WPRF fees twelve months a year! I wish this blog wasn't such a 'them' and 'us' type of discussion forum!
I just read what ElaineB wrote - 'More Info on WiFi' and she had access to:
1) Minutes of all WiFi meetings on IFFI
2) Chart of bid comparison from joint Bid WiFi meeting
3) 2 hefty proposals full of info from vendors
I guess if I was responsible for my Association (Delegate), I would need access to this info also. I have never seen one of these items and have contacted the WiFi committee several times for updates. I fully trust the WiFi Committee, but would need to have contract $$, WiFi potential contract issues and risk factors, so that I could make an informed decision.
Unfortunately not everyone can attend every meeting, of every UCO committee. Minutes of all committee meetings, as well as any relevant financial impacting issue should be made available (softcopy) to everyone as soon as possible (common location, heck if I know where IFFI is). I fully understand that releasing certain information during critical negotiations is not always possible; but one must not ask us to make financial decisions without the total picture. A full delegate briefing on WiFi would have been nice.
Briefings don't always require that those supporting and those NOT supporting certain projects be allowed to comment and/or question the viability of the project - it could be strictly a Briefing and not a Meeting.
That being said we must support this WiFi venture. It COULD save us millions of $$ over the next decade (($40 x 12) x 10 years: $4,800)) x 5,000 unit owners: $24,000,000.) Imagine if I did the math with the over 8,000 unit owners. Please allow our financial wizards to do the Benefit/Cost Analysis on the project, if they so desire. I didn't include all owners and never substracted the annual costs of the project in my example.
Please support this project for all of todays owners and those of the future, think further than tomorrow - have a Vision even if you don't like one another. $$ aren't the only benefits of this project - read throughout this Blog and read anything you want and you will see the benefits! It could even save and probably would save the lives of some of our financially strapped owners!
Hi Paul I recently posted this in Blog Part 2:
ReplyDelete'Every Sunday Dave Israel packages and emails up to 10 sets of minutes and other information often with multiple attachments. Remarkable effort spending his weekend time to keep us informed through IFFI.'
IFFI is Information Forward Initiative just send your email to Dave ucopresident@gmail.com and he will add you to the list of hundreds of involved villagers.
Dave will continue this service and keep emails confidential, unless the pair suing UCO spoil it.
ps the WiFi proposals may be proprietary, later.
very informative what programs avail for computers "free""???hx
ReplyDeletevery informative what programs avail for computers "free""???hx
ReplyDeleteThanks Elaine, I will contact Dave.
ReplyDeleteYou're right , I don't know why Dave puts up with this rubbish! Give the man a break, he works so hard.
It's so easy to critisize, but so hard to be perfect! We are all human, just trying to get through life all while enjoying the time we have! Some give and some take!
WIFI IS A GREAT IDEA
ReplyDeleteIn principle we should all have the ease of communication. WIFI capability helps....it is not the end-all. Most condo units in CV are less than 1,000 sq. ft. even less usable area after deducting the bath and kitchen.
The point is how necessary is it to have WIFI. Is it required or is it desired?
Boca CV we have been told has WIFI for a modest monthly cost to the residents of $1.36. WHAT DID THE PROJECT COST AND HAVE ALL COSTS BEEN PAID. Why do we need to build a bank account for WIFI exploration when we have almost $200,000 now.
Let CV and the UCO officers continue to find the best product for the best price and then make a proposal to the residents and DELEGATES before sending out Request for Bid...remember the RFQ comes first...the Right Fine Questions.
As a member of the Wi-Fi committee, I can say that all information about the Wi-Fi can be gotten and questions addressed at the UCO office or via the UCOWiFi@gmail.com e-mail. A town hall meeting was held several months ago and another will be planned soon when more of the snowbirds have returned. Nothing is trying to be hid. No one has been restricted form attending any meetings or informational town hall meetings.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to my articles in the services area of the UCO Reporter, the savings for an individual person was calculated in one of the articles.
Also, knowing the intricacies of the proposals that came in, they are asking for a large portion down on the cost of the equipment. The larger the down payment is that we give them, the more we can bring down the cost of the monthly fee in the future.
When basing our original expense of $2.00 we were looking at what Boca was paying, we did not think of insurance that will be needed in case of a hurricane or other natural disasters.
Everyone talks about Wi-Fi for computers but do not look at the other uses. It was recently released on a local TV station during the news that there are now attachments for the computer and programs that allows the computer to take blood pressure and send them to your doctor. Also, I use the computer to access my mother-in-laws medical records and I know when she is getting ready to make another trip the hospital as she has multiple health issues.
I was recently in need of visiting nurses and they were able to access my records and make their notes via their I-phones because of the wireless connection in my condo.
Also there are the life-alert buttons that work on Wi-Fi. The cost of the life-alert would go down because our Wi-Fi would handle it instead of paying for theor modem for connecting.
Also, there are telephones costs can be reduced using Wi-Fi.
People are arguing that the small cost of Wi-Fi is hurting the less fortunate in the village. But there are other increases in the budget such as raises to the paid employees at the UCO office that supposedly do not hurt the same people. I am sure there are other areas in the budget that where things could possibly be cut if they were looked at closer but a small group of people want to attack the Wi-Fi.
Howie, The most knowledgeable techies in the village have worked seriously for a year to find us the best WiFi deal, along with a County expert and the testers in Boca. What makes you think UCO Officers (with one exception) could improve on it, they do not even want to read summary info provided. We are improving on the Boca experience and looking forward to savings on internet connections and phones, $50/month+. Sounds like a requirement to me, try reading all the other reasons above.
ReplyDeleteI already have wifi in my condo and it is great. I think the village should have wifi and hopefully it will help to raise the value of the village condos. This was built as a middle class village. I would like to see it kept as that. I am disgusted by the officers who did not vote for wifi at yesterday's finance meeting and I think at next election they should not be voted back in. We need forward thinking people in office who have a good vision for the village and it's future.
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