Wilma Update - Sunday Oct. 30

Good news! The power is back on. As of Sunday night, we have power again. Mimi and John Rozek report that the power is now on, although the air conditioning is not working yet. Here's their report:

The cooling towers on the roof were damaged--so no Air Conditioning until the repairs are complete. Don't know when. Weather is very comfortable, so this is not much of a problem. Cable is still not working. Aside from the hurricane, we are losing our tennis pro--Carlos. He has decided to take a job selling insurance. He is a big loss to those of us that enjoy tennis. His last day is tomorrow.

Thanks Mimi and John for the report. It's very helpful for those of us who are thinking of visiting.

Wilma Update - Friday Oct. 28, 2005

Still no power for the buildings, and no update from FPL as to when we might get power.

There's a good picture of our complex on the TCPalm website. Follow this link:
http://web.tcpalm.com/photos/2005/10/28/readersphotos/

and look at picture #12

Wilma Update - Wednesday Oct. 26 2005

Here we go again. I have some news from Barbara today. Many of the units have water penetration due to the wind-driven rain. Units have been checked, and those with serious water penetration are being contacted. Many units are only a little damp, and owners are not being contacted if that is the case.
There is no power on yet, and there are some indications it may be as long as two or three weeks before it's back on.
There was damage to the landscaping, but not as severe as last year. The dunes seem to still be in place.
That's all I know for now. If anyone knows any more, or has pictures, please contact me

Update - Island Dunes Oceanside I-- Thursday, Oct. 28

For those who may not have gotten the email from Barbara, here's the text of a message from association president Gerry Long:

Dear Unit Owner,
This is another update on the condition of the property and our restoration efforts. Significant progress has been made in the past few weeks. Major cleanup efforts of both the building and grounds are completed, and demolition of the damaged common areas of the building is almost complete. Blowing sand continues to be a problem.
New water pumps and temporary roof vents have been installed, a temporary dunewalk is in place, the fire alarm system and mailboxes are on order, a line of credit has been established, and progress is being made repairing the individual units that were damaged.
The board has approved North American Resource Group, Inc., as our general contractor. They have had an engineer and representatives of their various subcontractors on site within the past few days, and detailed cost estimates are being developed.
The dune has been rebuilt, but will be vulnerable until vegetation is in place. No firm date for planting has been set because water cannot be provided by the country club for at least two weeks. After that, the irrigation system will have to be tested and repaired. The POA is pursuing alternative methods of providing water to the dunes. As I stated in my last letter, no ground floor building restoration will begin until protective vegetation is in place.
Good news – the golf course will open on Monday, November 1st. It will play quite differently because of the loss of trees and other vegetation, and no irrigation is available. However, it will be great to have it back. The country club pool may also open within a week.
Our staff continues to perform exceptionally well under difficult circumstances. I will keep you informed as more information becomes available.

Sincerely,
Gerry Long

Update - Oceanside I-- Friday, Oct. 22

Some updates on Oceanside I:

Most of the demolition work in the common areas has been completed. The damaged equipment and wallboard has been removed. Areas exposed to the outside have been boarded up, and the interior work areas are also boarded up. The storage rooms have been completely gutted, and are cleaned and ready for rebuilding. However, no rebuilding will be started on any of the lower areas until the dunes are stabilized and we can have some assurance the areas will not be flooded again (see the related posting below). Repairs are, however, in progress for all units that were damaged in the storms.

There will be a board meeting next Tuesday night to approve a general contractor for the building for all future repairs. Please plan to attend if you are in town.

Oceanside I -- View from the lobby into the social room 

Oceanside I -- The social room kitchen 

Oceanside I -- View of the South storage room, from the social room 

Oceanside I -- North storage room 

Oct. 21 -- Parking lot in front of Oceanside I 

Island Dunes Update -- Friday, Oct. 22

Some general updates:

The POA has made good progress getting the grounds cleaned up as much as possible. The dirt and sand have been cleaned up from the parking lots and common areas. A temporary dune walk is being built and will be completed in a few more days.

The pools will not be ready for some time. One pool needs some repairs, and sand from the exposed dunes continues to blow into the area, so the pools cannot be refilled at this time. The board is looking into the possibility of some fencing or netting that could keep the sand from blowing into the area.

There are plans to re-vegetate the dunes, but this work can not be started until the irrigation system is in place. The irrigation system, is turn, is waiting for repairs to be made to the water reclamation plant which is on the country club property. Some bad news -- we are expecting rough seas with 5 to 6 foot waves this weekend. Let's hope our barren dunes can withstand the onslaught!

Island Dunes Country Club - Friday, Oct. 22

Here's a brief update on the situation with the country club:

The paved tennis courts and the Fairways restaurant are the only facilities open at this time. The restaurant is open daily for dinner.

The clay tennis courts, swimming pool, and golf course are still closed while restoration plans are being worked on.

There will be a board meeting and workshop next Thursday to discuss plans and a timetable for all the work that needs to be done. Expect a formal communication to all residents from the board in early November.

Restoration News -- Sunday, Oct. 17

Two interesting articles on condominium and beach restoration:

> Loss of sand leaves beaches, homes at risk

> Owners assess condo repairs

We still have our sunsets! 

Update - Island Dunes -- Sunday, Oct. 17

To all:
Sorry if my updates are getting fewer and farther between. We have returned to our home in Colorado, so I'm relying on input from others to get the latest news. Most owners probably have their own sources of information by now anyway, but I'm glad I was able to fill a gap for those didn't during the early days of these hurricanes. I'll continue to post updates on the progress of restoration activities as often as possible, so stay tuned. I'm also going to have some follow-up information on what's being done to try to get "permanent" dune restoration going, as well as beach renourishment.

Here's some news from Cindy Flood:

The POA at Oceanside I and II got a lot done this week. I don't know all the details, but I noticed that there was lots of scraping and cleaning of the parking lot. The car wash was turned on at the south end of the parking lot. A stop sign was posted at the exit by the guardhouse. We are all lucky to have Doug Smith and the POA board doing such a great job for us.

Oceanside II: Plywood doors were put up to block off the social area. Now the workers can work without worrying about the safety of the residents. All of the cages have been dismantled and removed. The walkway to the bike room was shoveled out. The bike room survived in great shape.

Some good cleanup progress at Oceanside II

Update - Oceanside II-- Wednesday, Oct. 13

Update from Cindy Flood:

Oceanside II now has all of the trash and debris removed from the portico. The sand has been shoveled out and the area has been swept and hosed down. The crew also cleaned the catwalks on all of the floors today. The POA had crews cleaning the parking lot. Joanne was back in the office, but she still does not have phone service restored. Hill/York worked on the A/C units again today and we will reset A/C units Wednesday morning.

Important Notice From Marian Ream!!

Due to all the hurricane damage, the storage lockers on the ground floor both in the North and South Locker areas will have to be removed and replaced when renovation takes place. Anything that is in or above the lockers must be removed by this Friday, October 15. Unfortunately, most of the items in all of the storage bins will or has been discarded because of mold and mildew as a result of the water damage. We are planning on having a storage bin for some of the salvageable items but there is no guarantee what the items will be like as a result of being stored.

All of the work in the storage locker area must be completed before we can finally power wash and sanitize the ground floor. Please bear with us regarding this work as it is necessary before we can proceed restoring our building.

If anyone is removing items for friends, please do not place them on the balconies as we are having the balconies cleaned and this will only create more sand and dirt on the walkways and in the elevators.

Thank you for your cooperation.

*Please note that mold and mildew can be very infectious to some people. Please take special care when dealing with the exposed items.