10 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER January 2023
Financial
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gency reserve fund to offset future financial needs .
Other amenities are free to encourage their use by “ all residents .” The Pavilion , Events Center , Activity Center , pathways , common areas , private security and Edith Green Park are all free of user fees . So , the general answer to “ who pays ” for amenities is :
� For amenities that are free , all residents pay equally via HOA dues
� For amenities that have fees , the users of the amenities pay
In summary , the costs of Charbonneau ’ s amenities are shared between all residents and the users of the amenities .
Residents versus non-residents : The marina , tennis club and golf course are examples of amenities that have fees with a capacity much larger than the number of residents who use the amenity . If the use of the amenity were limited to just residents , the user fees for a small number of residents would far exceed the comparable fees at other nearby similar amenities , making the amenity undesirable . Getting rid of these amenities would be a significant loss to the community financially ( lower home values ) as well as to its brand as an active community . In these cases , non-residents are allowed to pay user fees to use the amenities . The user fees for non-residents are often much higher than the user fees for residents , which results in the amenity being “ self-supporting ” and not requiring any portion of the monthly HOA dues .
� The RV storage lot and fitness center are 100 % residents ( future pickleball club is expected to be 100 % residents )
� The tennis club membership and marina rental slips are less than one-third residents . The more than two-thirds of non-residents pay higher fees , leading to self-supporting status of these amenities
� The golf course is less than one-third residents and more than two- thirds non-residents . It is open to the public and does not have a discount for residents ; all users pay the same fees
This is a lot of detail and data that can sometimes make it difficult and time-consuming to boil things down to the important things you want to know and understand about the cost and benefits of Charbonneau amenities . So , I invite residents to come to an informational meeting with me and other board members to simplify and explain more about the financial aspects of the CCC amenities . Ask questions and get some answers .
The meeting will take place at 7 p . m . Tuesday , Jan . 10 on Zoom . A link will be sent via email to residents just prior to the meeting .
Martens celebrate 50th anniversary on memorable European tour
BY RICHARD MARTENS
With the COVID pandemic having at least moderated to where it seemed manageable , we decided it was time to resurrect our plans for a European trip . A planned trip to the Tuscany area of Italy in 2020 had to be canceled . 2022 also happened to be our 50th anniversary year , so we wanted to do something special . The challenge of planning a trip to Europe is selecting where to go from such a long list of equally attractive options . Given the uncertain travel environment , we opted to include as many destinations as possible in this two-week trip .
We settled on an eight-day western Mediterranean cruise with extra days before and after . Our first stop was Madrid , after an overnight flight via Amsterdam . We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in the heart of the city . On the following day we had a tour of this beautiful city which included a guided visit at the famous Prado Museum . We happened to visit the Royal Palace as a new ambassador was arriving to present their credentials to the King . This arrival by horse-drawn carriage is quite like what we had seen in London some years ago . The following day we traveled by high-speed train to Barcelona where we boarded our ship , the Viking Sky . The train experience left us wondering why we don ’ t have something like it here . With speeds at times approaching 200 mph , we were served lunch and drinks , much like being in the first-class section of an airplane .
The beautiful Viking Sky was all that we hoped it would be . With a capacity of 900 , it is considered a small ship compared to the 4,000 to 5,000 that is now the norm in the cruise industry . Viking also caters to the adult , serious traveler with shore excursions available each day . After Barcelona we made three stops on the French Riviera : Montpellier , Marseille and Monaco . We spent two days in the port of Livorno in northern Italy . From there we traveled through the Tuscany countryside for a visit to Florence . The next day we made the requisite stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa as well as the charming city of Luca . It was interesting to learn that in a region that celebrates its architects , the actual architect of the Leaning Tower is uncertain . Perhaps this is the origin of the expression “ success has a thousand fathers but failure is an orphan !”
The following day we left the ship at the port of Civitavecchia and traveled by bus to Rome for a two-day stay . We would have liked to spend more time in this beautiful city but were able to see its most notable historic sites . A highlight was a visit to the Vatican and St . Peter ’ s
St . Peter ’ s Square , as seen from the steps of
St . Peter ’ s Basilica .
COURTESY PHOTOS : RICHARD MARTENS
Richard and Gayle Martens enjoying their 50th anniversary cruise aboard the Viking Sky .
Square and the Basilica . After our visit , we look forward to this year ’ s broadcast of Christmas Eve service from the massive Basilica that will have some 20,000 people in attendance with thousands more outside in the square . Finally , we had two wonderful dinners under the stars of pleasant October evenings .
LEFT : The Leaning Tower of Pisa was actually built as the bell tower for the adjacent basilica , which is seen in the photo . RIGHT : The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona , the cathedral by the famous architect Gaudi , has been under construction for 140 years and is hoped to be completed by 2029 .