I want to start by thanking the person who sent me a positive pea. I have lived on this planet for a while now and never knew something like this existed. However, after a little bit of research, I determined that it is a positive emotional attractor. Which ultimately means that it helps one keep a positive outlook and respond positively to what life presents. This is something that I think we all could probably use, but I know I am grateful for mine. I also want to thank the people who always reach out to me every month regarding my articles. I don’t know if the positive comments outweigh the negative ones, but I value them both. If I have learned anything in this life, it’s that you can’t appreciate kind words if you don’t learn how to react to the negative ones.
I want to discuss Optimum/Cablevision as the complaints have seemed to resurface. The fiber upgrade has absolutely nothing to do with our current contract. I had thought that we had made this clear from the start, but apparently it wasn’t. Your current contract provides you with cable and internet. Along with that, you are provided one free cable box, modem, router, and 250 channels including premium channels. The premium channels were a free add-on on and we did not request them. This contract was signed as over ninety percent of the community had internet and cable through Optimum already. We are required to provide cable as per our prospectus, so we can’t just remove it and allow streaming only. To those that currently stream only, you do so through the internet that is provided by Optimum. Keep in mind that everything that is included in the contract listed above is lower than what you would pay for internet only.
As of today, we don’t have a date for when the fiber will be going active. That is something that Optimum will determine when they deem necessary. However, that being said they are obligated to provide working internet and cable. If this is not happening you should call and report it immediately. The multi-dwelling unit number is # 888-565-5785. If and when you call them let them know you live in Bretton Woods and under a bulk account. “Do not tell them that you have fiber and it’s not working” If you do not have success with them contact our account rep, Hugh Morrison # 516-988-8728. I have shared all of your complaints with Hugh and I know he is working very hard to improve the customer service. I know many people are unhappy with Optimum and I certainly have my grievances as well. However, we must do our best to work with them for the foreseeable future.
If and when the time comes that a better viable option is available, we will explore that in a very serious way. We do not have a proprietary agreement with Optimum and that allows us to explore other options. Keep in mind prior to signing our contract we did explore other options and nothing was available. So, until better options exist and we have community-wide support to change our prospectus in regards to providing cable this is our best option. I would strongly encourage and remind everyone that the overwhelming majority of you are saving money. The contract was a good deal for our community and remains the best option for us all. If and when the circumstances change, so will we. If you are unhappy with the customer service, before wasting more time calling them again; please contact our account rep. If he doesn’t get back to you, contact me immediately.
Now for the roads, I prefer talking about more than Optimum. Mainly for the purpose that I am much happier with this project. The reason being is that we oversaw this project and had much more control over how it was handled. I have noticed the lines on the main roadway have faded significantly as well as on the speed humps. This has been addressed with the company and all of the roadways will be getting re-striped in the coming months along with the speed humps. The speed humps will be painted with reflective paint which will help make them stand out more. The lights have certainly helped, but the reflective paint will do so even more. The temporary patch at the front entrance will be paved over again as well. This patch had to be cut in order to fix the power issue that we had at the gatehouse two months ago. Some drainage issues have been reported over this winter and we will be looking into viable remediation options. Considering the size and scope of this project the few nominal issues we have are to be expected.
I am writing this article in the middle of March and considering the warm weather that we are experiencing I am optimistic that the winter is over. Now with the winter coming to an end that means that we have to start getting ready for Spring in Bretton Woods. The golf course did well over the winter months and with the new pump we installed in our well last year, I think we are on track for a great season. I want to thank Neil and Jennifer Gangitano who served on the golf club for many years. Neil and Jen were my direct points of contact and it was a pleasure to work with them. I have known them for years and watched their kids grow up in the community. Both of their kids have grown up into impressive adults and are now married with families of their own.
Pickleball will be underway soon as well, although I am aware that they have been playing all winter. Last year we had some confusion with allotted times and guests. Please follow all posted signs and be considerate of one another. As is true with all of our amenities, the pickleball club has specific times reserved for them. Outside of those times, the courts are open to everyone and their guests. However, we ask that you be considerate of others and limit your play if others are waiting. If you bring guests, please do so when the courts are quiet to not take away play time from the residents.
I will address the other outdoor amenities next month as we get closer to their opening. Thank you all ahead of time for your cooperation and for being good neighbors to one another. Congratulations to our new club members and the best of luck to you this season. I look forward to working with all of you and helping make the transitions as smooth as possible for all involved.
Now, I guess it wouldn’t be a Craig article if I didn’t discuss something personal with all of you. I hiked one of the most challenging mountains of my life earlier this week and it made me think more than usual. I was out there for hours and I wasn’t prepared for the ups and downs of this mountain. Not physically as I train consistently for my hikes, but mentally. I thought that this hike based on its location and elevation would be easier than it was. After several hours, I did reach the summit only to determine the view wasn’t as good as several spots along the way. I was reminded of the following truth of my life in a big way and I know this is true for others as well. The destination in which we are trying to go is never as easy as we thought or had hoped. If we are lucky enough to reach our destination/goal it’s never as fulfilling or satisfying as we had thought either. The joy lies in the journey, you just have to remember to look for it or you will miss it on the way to your perceived utopia.
April brings us the following holidays and days of significance: April Fool’s Day, Passover, and Earth Day.
Craig Pessin- HOA Administrator
Goals are necessary and required for success, but your goals must change as you reach each one. What once gave you the drive and motivation to reach your goal, will be what destroys you if you are not careful. Always know that each goal is a stepping stone to the next goal. There is no finish line on this earth, only forward movement. Each day you must be better and do more than the day before. When you fail to achieve this and you will, I promise you. Remember to keep going as the failures aren’t failures, but life lessons and knowledge of how to do it better. The issue is most people turn around and stop climbing when the lessons become too painful or demoralizing. Don’t turn around, just find a different way to keep moving forward. Yes, sometimes you might have to go backward or do something again for a little while as you continue on your journey. When this happens, it’s just a reminder that you missed something your first time around.
“There are no mistakes, only life lessons.”