{"id":337,"date":"2026-04-25T00:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T00:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/?p=337"},"modified":"2026-04-25T00:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T00:32:13","slug":"a-note-from-the-gm-november-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/?p=337","title":{"rendered":"A Note from the GM &#8211; November 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aloha Wailea Homeowners,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the eve of Thanksgiving, I am pleased to bring you all good news in advance of the holidays. Attached you will find our 2026 Maintenance Fee update. With a 7.7% decrease in the annual budget, and a flat reserve fund contribution year over year, we were able to bring the monthly AOAO fees down by 4.4%. Our employees\u2019 health insurance did go up as expected, but the annual overall insurance costs for Ekahi were considerably less than last year\u2019s projections. On the attached 2026 approved budget file, our finance consultant Ana has provided a nice summary of our budget assumptions for 2026. These easy to download PDF files can also be accessed on the owner\u2019s portal under the financial info tab:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/owners\/Financial.php\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Barrera completed our attached 2026 reserve study, and you will notice that we do have the funds allocated in 2026 for the Pavilion pool deck resurfacing project. We have met with a few vendors interested in the job and do expect that pool closure to happen between August and October of 2026. &nbsp;Tile samples are available in the conference room at 18B, and you can share your thoughts on tile selections with our Design Committee Chair, Susan Raterman Easley at <a href=\"mailto:susan@ratermangroup.com\">susan@ratermangroup.com<\/a>. From 2027-2029, we will complete similar work at the 3 outer pools. If you\u2019re curious about what other projects we will be completing soon, you can refer to the component replacement guidelines advised by our reserve study analyst and refer to pages 22-26 of the attachment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is getting a bit more complicated managing vendors and service providers around the painting project as we are near peak season for arriving visitors. It is critical that you review the schedule, and that you understand vacancy is imperative the day before your building starts. It is important to remember people can\u2019t get back in until we have sent an all-clear email. Unfortunately, we are getting reports about housekeepers and contractors sneaking into these closed buildings over weekends and after hours. Occupancy in a closed building may present a safety and health risk, because all the exterior lights are down or covered, and it is dark. With access doors, windows, and air conditioning unavailable, it is not fair to ask people to perform or stay inside under these conditions. Please continue to align your interior services with the vacancy required for the painting schedule, so we can continue executing the approved schedule in a timely fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the Board of Directors meeting on November 19, our Board passed a motion and announced that we will continue with Vote HOA Now for the upcoming election cycle. Voting will be via electronic ballot after the success we have achieved reaching quorum, and you\u2019ll receive a voting email invitation in January 2026. Our secretary, CJ Anthony, will be circulating the nomination forms for Director positions soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, December 1, Maui Council will be meeting on Bill 9 legislation for STVR restrictions and potentially voting on the measure. We urge you to stay engaged in this matter, submit testimony, and attend this important meeting. I\u2019ve attached the agenda which provides further details, and we have been keeping the STVR tab updated on the Ekahi website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/owners\/stvrupdates.php\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our team has been busy sprucing up the Beach Pavilion to prepare for the busy holiday festive season. We have replacement strand down lights on order to enhance the lighting at our Pavilion BBQ area, preventive maintenance was just performed on our popular cardio equipment inside the fitness center, and the pool heat pumps are being repaired today. Poinsettia\u2019 and orchids are freshly planted for a seasonal feel, and we are decorating for Christmas on Monday December 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We have 2 new 36\u201d BBQ grills on order for the Pavilion site, and replacement parts arrived to get these grills fully operational while we wait for the new equipment. Our electric BBQ equipment has been temperamental, and the newest analog version of Firemagic which is less complicated to operate, has been installed at Pool 2 location by the pickleball court. Now that the lighting situation has been corrected, we have adjusted the hours, and regular maintenance is being performed, we are thrilled that these community grilling areas are popular with guests and owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With direct oversight of Pools, a renovated Beach Pavilion, and the Recreation facilities, our pool supervisor\u2019s position previously held by Chloe has expanded with greater responsibility and additional staffing. Our recent hiring efforts were successful, and we are pleased to announce that Jeff Combs has joined Ekahi as Pool Department Manager. Jeff relocated recently from West Viginia, is still involved in the family\u2019s landscape business, and is looking forward to working outside with our team. Jeff\u2019s leadership efforts are already being felt, and we are happy to have a manager hired and trained before December 1. Our professional cleaning contract for weekends will remain in place for next year to ensure early morning opening of the Pavilion is a welcoming experience for weekend visitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this week, my husband and I had the opportunity to dine at Aurum, Chef Ponte\u2019s newest venture at Shops of Wailea. I had tasted some food previously at his group events, but this recent experience exceeded my expectations with an innovative and delicious fine dining menu highlighting local produce, meats, and fish. A couple of our favorite bartenders, formerly of The Millhouse, created a fabulous craft cocktail menu. Aurum\u2019s daily happy hour menu is available from 2-5 PM, plus they are open for lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t forget there is a new Wailea nail salon located by Wailea Wine just around the tennis center on Wailea Ike drive, Oao Sushi is still making crazy good food, and Kraken is still my consistent go-to for fancy coffee. Wailea has done a lot to support small business since Covid closures, and the residents and proprietors appreciate you spending your money close by to keep these fledgling businesses viable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aloha Wailea Homeowners, On the eve of Thanksgiving, I am pleased to bring you all good news in advance of the holidays. Attached you will find our 2026 Maintenance Fee update. With a 7.7% decrease in the annual budget, and a flat reserve fund contribution year over year, we were able to bring the monthly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":338,"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337\/revisions\/338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/waileaekahi.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}