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| OHCC LIVING | AUGUST 2022 | 3 President's Message By Greg Kusiak, President (2021-2022), Board of Directors First, please join me in welcoming our new General Manager, Gloria Todisco. Gloria comes to us with a wealth of experience in HOA management. Your Board looks forward to working with Gloria to continue to make Ocean Hills Country Club the premier senior living community anywhere. And we want to again thank our interim General Manager, Karen Thompson, for her tireless commitment to working with us during this period. July has brought us unusually humid weather, but generally mild days. Meanwhile, further inland and in many other parts of the nation the heat has been oppressive. It is not a coincidence that many of us bought these homes on these "ocean hills" close to the coast but beyond the most common coastal layer area. The topography between here and the Pacific is such that the prevailing southwesterly breezes funnel up a valley and bathe our community in fresh ocean air. The weather matters. As we are watering-in our golf course, we are forced to use expensive City water. The hotter and drier the weather, the more water is required. Fortunately for us, conditions have been very good for the last several months, reducing our costs and speeding the growth of grass. What is missing, of course, is natural rainfall which washes down the harmful minerals from the grass roots and reduces the amount of irrigating water needed. Our grass requires around 40 inches of water per year, and our natural rainfall recently is in the range of 6 inches. Every inch of rain dumps about a million gallons of water on the course and saves us about $8,000. Many will wonder why, if the growing conditions are so good, the course is still not ready to open. To paraphrase Elizabeth Barret Browning "How have I been delayed? Let me count the ways!" • The start of the project was delayed by Covid-19. • In the summer of 2020 Hurricane Laura hit the Texas coast and knocked 15% of resin pipe manufacturing offline. In February of 2021 the contract was signed and simultaneously came the great Texas freeze, damaging the heartland of pipe production facilities near Houston. The Board authorized a pre-emptive purchase of pipe while it was available before prices went completely through the roof. Pipe availability in various sizes has been an issue throughout the project. • Sprinkler heads and fittings have been similarly affected by the resin industry problems. • The project was interrupted when we discovered asbestos pipe that had to be removed and replaced by a qualified hazardous material contractor. • Due to the asbestos pipe replacement, we had to supply construction water for several months by renting a water truck. • Pumps were not inventoried by distributors, but rather had to be manufactured to specifications, resulting in lead times of several months. • Electrical components currently have lead times of six months or more. • Pumps have repeatedly malfunctioned and have only recently begun performing consistently. This has resulted in interruptions to our watering that have slowed the grow-in. • Irrigation controller malfunctions have been ongoing, and the circuit board brains of the system have been replaced twice. • Contractors throughout the world have been put in an extremely difficult position by having agreed to fixed price contracts and then being squeezed by huge increases in their underlying costs that can't be passed on. In the ordinary course of a construction project, this atmosphere has turned what used to be molehills into mountains. • The Board elected to use a design-build approach due to the frequency of modifications anticipated with various unknown conditions such as rock, underground utilities, etc. However, the contractor has had continual problems complying with the terms of the agreement. I am not at liberty to say more at this time due to the possibility of legal action. • There have been lengthy delays in the design processes; engineering firms are often backed up with months of work. Continued on following page

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