Become a FOLLOWER of our blog!

Do you visit the Club La Pension blog often, but have not clicked on that little button to become a FOLLOWER? Well, you should! Throughout the renovation process, the blog will be the primary source of up to date information. This may include pictures, answers to commonly asked questions and progress updates.

If you become a FOLLOWER of the blog in the next 30 days, we will send you a Club La Pension Coolie from the Bluegreen gift shop. If you get 3 of your friends who are also La Pension owners to FOLLOW the blog, we will send you a Club La Pension Latte Mug from the Bluegreen gift shop. Once you have become a FOLLOWER, simply send us an email with your name and/or names of owners who you sent to the site. You can email our Assistant General Manager at William.Matson@bluegreencorp.com. He will have the merchandise sent directly to you! Our goal is to have 100 FOLLOWERS by January 15th, so spread the word!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE CURRENT STATE OF CLUB LA PENSION

Dear Club La Pension Owners:

This letter is to bring you up to date on major concerns your Board of Directors is currently addressing regarding emergency conditions at your resort. Over the past two years, all buildings have exhibited some or all of the symptoms of structure deterioration or failure, envelope failures and water intrusion, sanitary sewer pipe failures, lack of adequate outside air in the building, water heater failures, chilled water pipe insulation failures, and other characteristics of aged buildings. Additionally, the water intrusions, lack of adequate outside air and failed pipe insulation has resulted in deterioration of the walls and ceilings and poor indoor air quality in many areas of the resort.

Currently, twelve units are uninhabitable because of water intrusion problems and others must be monitored during heavy rains. The expense of trying to prevent further damage and having additional units closed is rapidly growing. If the building repairs are not made within the next six to twelve months, the interiors will continue to deteriorate and the indoor air quality will continue to worsen. As a result, it is expected many of the units will be uninhabitable and the cost of repairs will only continue to increase.

At the August Board meeting, your Board approved hiring a local architect/engineering company to perform a complete building assessment and recommend repair or replacement solutions. Following that, a determination of the cost of the project and funding needs will be completed, as will an evaluation of the affects of the repairs and replacements on the operation of the resort. That determination and evaluation is expected to be completed within the next thirty days.

The Board of Directors will consider, in depth, the cost of the work that is required and the effect it will have on the owners: it is probable that a special assessment will be required and that it will be necessary to temporarily close the resort while the repairs are being made.

Realizing you may have questions, the Board has attempted to answer a couple of obvious questions:

Question: Why will the resort need to be closed? Can’t the work be accomplished and owners still use the resort?
Answer: As construction and repairs begin, the life/safety systems may be interrupted and indoor air quality will continue to be an issue. Also closing the resort allows the contractors full access to complete the repairs in an efficient and less costly manner as well as additional safety considerations for owners.

Question: If the resort is closed during my week, what happens to my vacation?
Answer: This issue is still being addressed and the Board has obtained local counsel to determine what the Association may and may not do for displaced owners during a time of emergency such as these repairs are. Please know that your Board is working diligently to find alternatives so that association owners do not lose their vacation times. More information will be forthcoming on this issue.

These are very difficult and complex issues your Board is working through but they must be addressed immediately. The Board will update all owners as we progress through this process and answer additional questions as they arise. Your Association has the responsibility to provide safe vacations and we appreciate your support and understanding as we address these serious issues facing Club La Pension.

Respectfully,

Club La Pension Board of Directors

Are you spending Halloween in the Crescent City?

I hope so, because I don't think there is any other celebration as fun and unique! At Club La Pension, we are starting our own traditions. Who knows who or what you may find during your Friday check in...Bring your costume because we will have a costume party for our owners and guests from 2-4 on Saturday, October 30th. There will be refreshments,games and prizes for the best dressed! You'll finish just in time to catch the "Krewe of Halloween" parade on N. Peters and you will already be dressed for the festivities. On Sunday, our New Orleans Saints take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Super Dome. If you don't have tickets, visit Champion Square to partake in the revelry (opens 3 hours before game time). Musical entertainment will be "Bag of Donuts", a Halloween must see!

Is Fall in the air?

It seems that the HOT days of summer may be behind us… well, at least Fall is in the air this week; humidity is low, temperatures are under 90, and there is an unspoken feeling of excitement throughout the city as another Football Season begins.
August was an action packed month for Activities at La Pen. Our company theme was “Summa Funna” Olympic Games. We offered a variety of games/activities for our owners and guests to compete in as they tried to earn the most Olympic points. Activities included hot dog and watermelon eating contests, hula hoop contests, bowling, complimentary massages, Yoga and Pilates classes were available through Downtown Fitness and Pedometers were on loan to calculate your steps throughout the week.
September is “Green Awareness” month and as usual, we are encouraging a variety of activities to compliment this theme. City and Swamp Tours booked through the Front Desk will have a special emphasis on what is happening to our wet lands, both before and after the recent oil spill. Hurricane on the Bayou is playing at the IMAX. This film focuses on our vanishing wetlands while also recounting personal stories from Katrina. On property, we are taking “Green Action” by starting a recycling program and a towel reuse option.
The maintenance team has had a busy few weeks. We are still having issues with our aging ACs and condensation. Chasing these issues prevents us from making other large improvements. However, the team did complete a makeover of the "old lobby" located at 109 Decatur. This area flooded from the street in a recent rain storm, carpet was removed, replaced with tile and the area painted. A grill and large umbrellas have been added to the sundeck for your pleasure.
Until next time..."Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler"

HOT days of summer

July has flown by and the HOT days of summer are upon us. July was national HOT dog month, so we celebrated with weekly HOT dog cookouts for our owners and guests sponsored by the maintenance team. The shade of the 4th floor deck was a perfect place for grilling dogs and making new friends. We will leave the grill on the deck for owner usage and pleasure going forward.
The maintenance team was busy again this month. The majority of their time was spent on repairing AC units and chasing leaks caused by the chilled water pipes and condensation throughout the building. Because of the amount of condensation, several units had to be placed out of order to avoid further damage to ceilings, carpets and wall finishings. We were grateful to slide by with no flooding from Tropical Depression Bonnie.
Temperatures may be at record highs, but that has not stopped multitudes of visitors from coming to our great city. The convention business is booming and several La Pension as well as Bluegreen owners have taken advantage of our property while attending one convention or another. From Essence goers to sorority reunions and worship groups, we are staying busy. Next weekend will be White Linen Night and the 10th Annual Satchmo SummerFest. This festival is a tribute to the great Louis Armstrong, “Satchmo”, and a personal favorite of mine. Several stages of music will be set up around the old US mint, listening is free of charge! Special New Orleans food and drink will also be available. You will find me at St. Augustine’s Jazz Mass next Sunday morning at 10am. Join me in a tribute to Satchmo with the Treme Brass Band and a second line through Louis Armstrong Park following the service. This event is not for the faint of heart: seats and AC are limited so get there early!

Until next time… “Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!”

June is Dairy Month!

June is Dairy Month and all resorts across the Bluegreen portfolio are participating in activities to celebrate! Owners and Guests who stay at any of our resorts this month are eligible to participate in a companywide milk mustache photo competition. The winner of the photo contest will receive a 3 night stay in America’s dairy land at one of our resorts in Wisconsin: Bluegreen’s Christmas Mountain Village or Bluegreen Odyssey Dells – Wisconsin Dells. Here at La Pension, we have put our own spin on the contest so stop on by and show us your Moo-Stache! We are also celebrating dairy month by offering some local dairy specialties in socials with our managers on Saturday afternoons in the lobby.
Another fun activity that we have added this month has been the addition of a mime to our Friday check-in process. You may catch her on busy Fridays or she may catch you! Be prepared to dance, take pictures and be adorned with beads and masks.
We also received our 2009 outside audit this month. If you are interested in reviewing a copy, you can email me directly at Zandrea.Mitchell@bluegreencorp.com. Emailed copies will be free of charge while there may be a charge to send the audit via US Mail.
Until next time, “Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler”

Where did Spring Go?

Our few weeks of "Spring Like" weather have officially passed and although there are still almost 4 weeks until the first "official" day of summer, summer has already arrived in New Orleans. This means snow ball stands are opening and snow ball trucks are finding permanent spots along the river front and Audubon Park. By next week, there will be a line around the block at Hansen's Snow Bliz on Tchoupitoulas. At La Pension, Our first week of 90 degree temperatures meant replacing the air handler and condenser in one of the townhouse units.
The month of May has been the start to many long term summer projects at the resort including: removing wall paper and repainting the hallways, updating the lobby bathroom, and designing new gas lanterns for the Decatur St. side of the building. Other long term projects have been wrapped up including the waterproofing, painting and replacement of the flashing on the Iberville side of building 7, and the replacement of all unit door locks after much back and forth with the lock company. In addition to the replacement of the locks, they have agreed to extend our warranty for an additional 2 years due to the constant issues we had after installation at the beginning of 2009.
Today is the opening day for the Wine and Food Festival in the city. Wine dinners will be available throughout the city and a wine musical at La Petit Theater tonight. Thursday will be the Royal St. stroll and Friday and Saturday will be the Grand Tastings at the Super Dome. The Grand Tastings will feature 75 chefs, 175 wineries and appearances by many celebrity Chefs including one of my favorites, Paula Deen!
There are many other great things going on in the city today including, Wednesdays at the Square, which will continue through June 9th and the long awaited opening of The Theatres in Canal Place. Many of you may remember when the Canal Place Movie theatre closed last summer and the movie area was closed behind walls for a secret renovation. Tonight, The Theatres will have their Grand Opening with a Sex and the City 2 cocktail party complete with character look alike contests and the movie premier at midnight. The Theatres is a new concept for New Orleans complete with reserved seating in high back leather chairs, in seat small plates and cocktails. This will be a refreshing activity for our hot summer days to come.
Until next time...Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Jazz Fest Part 2

We made it through the first wet weekend of Jazz Fest and we are well on our way to the second weekend. The weather has been spotty. Last Friday and Saturday were very wet and stormy; we even had hail at some points. We heard through the Grape Vine that Lionel Richie was shocked that so many festival goers stayed at the fairgrounds through the storms. A little rain doesn’t deter us in this city!

By Saturday morning, we did have some water intrusion into the building. After an inspection of the side of building 7 via the neighboring hotel’s roof, we discovered that there was quite a bit of stucco damage and even shingles stuck into the side of our building that must have been the result of hurricane force winds at some point. By mid-week, we had new metal flashing on the roof line vertex between us and Chateau Dupre. This should keep up dry through the weekend. Contractors will start repairing the stucco, applying an elastomeric waterproofing coating and then 2 coats of paint to the side of the building on Monday, weather permitting. I have posted some "before" pictures and will post the "afters" when the job is complete.

In the mean time, we will welcome our guests through another rainy weekend, supplying extra towels in the lobby for muddy shoes and dripping ponchos. The party will go on and some owners have even said they like the rain because it makes the weekend crazier!
I know some of you may be concerned with how the recent oil spill is affecting us and so far it is business as usual. We will keep you up to date as we receive new information and in the mean time, we recommend the New Orleans Convention and Visitor Bureau website for the most up to date news.

Until next time…Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

April

April is my favorite month of the year in New Orleans. This year is particularly special because it actually feels like spring. The weather has been sunny and pleasant and the blooms are starting to peak through the flower boxes throughout the French Quarter. Azaleas and Camellias are blooming uptown and an afternoon ride on the streetcar feels like a drive across the cover of Southern Living magazine. Festivals are a plenty this month with two weeks of Jazz Fest (my favorite event all year) at the end of the month and French Quarter Festival just behind us. French Quarter Fest was bigger than ever this year. Free music filled the French Quarter from Woldenberg Park on the river, to the US Mint on Esplanade and up and down Royal St. The smell of festival food that you can only get at these types of events filled the air. I indulged in a Cochon du Lait Poboy, Crawfish Pasta and Mango Sherbet. I am saving the one and only Crawfish Bread for my Jazz Fest treat.

Even with a full house and busy streets, the new Maintenance Supervisor has hit the ground running with his team. They have crossed many items off the “To Do” list in just a few short weeks:
-UV film was placed on the 7th floor hall windows to reduce the heat from the sun in the hallway.
-The sink in the guest laundry area was replaced and the sink in the vending area removed.
-Thermostat for Phase 1 common areas was moved to the 3rd floor to provide a more accurate temperature gage in the hallways.
-Ceiling tiles outside of the guest laundry were replaced and walls repainted.
-Balcony lights on the front side of building 7 were fixed; glass was removed and cleaned from the lanterns on the sundeck in this building.
-Additional patio furniture was added to the 7th floor sundeck.
-A new sofa bed was installed in 411.
-Old satellite and cables were removed from the rooftops.
-Many unit doors received new hinges and were planed in preparation for new locks.
-Hallway outside of 401 and 402 was painted; new lighting was added, new crown molding and a new door to the sundeck.
-All electric panels were identified and labeled.

Keep up the good work guys…Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Going to the Chapel

Well this will be my last blog as Zandrea Mitchell. I will be getting married this weekend and will soon be Zandrea Pfeiffer! I will be out of the office returning April 8th, but you can contact Dennis Lomonaco, our Front Office Manager, if you need anything during my absence. We have planned several projects that will take place over the next few weeks in hopes of wrapping them up before French Quarter Fest. The lobby floor will be polished next week and new shoe molding will be added. The carpet will be changed the following week in the luggage storage room and offices. We have recently increased our staff by two in the Maintenance department. We have welcomed a new Maintenance Supervisor and an additional Maintenance Technician. Both bring much experience from the construction industry. Jace, our Supervisor has already gotten the department more organized and made schedules of “quick fix” projects and major projects. With the addition of the extra technician, we will be creating a 3-11 shift so that our owners and guests will have the availability to contact Maintenance until 11pm. This will also allow us to complete more projects in the evenings. With these two extra team members, I look forward to lots of progress on my return. Until then…Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Has Spring Sprung?

What a beautiful weekend. I had my first taste of Crawfish and Abita Strawberry for the season. That’s a combination to make it feel like Spring! The bugs were small to medium, but that didn’t stop me from finishing off two and half pounds. It was a great way to whet my appetite for the prime bugs that I imagine will be available by French Quarter Fest.
The resort was busy through the weekend as we had the American Academy of Orthopedics Surgeons conference in town. This was the biggest conference of the year and New Orleans was glad to welcome its participants with open arms. We booked available rooms to help out some of our oversold neighbors. Most that we accommodated were pleasantly surprised to be relocated to a property with more room than they are used to and a prime location where they could still walk to their meetings in the beautiful Spring weather.
We expect the next few weeks to be calm as we prepare for French Quarter Fest and 2 weekends of Jazz Fest. We still have some rooms available so book your trip if you haven’t already!

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler…

Refreshed

I have just returned from a fabulous long weekend at Solara Surfside
Resort in Miami. I needed a girls get away and the team at Solara was happy to oblige. They certainly are at the top of the list for customer service providers in my book! The resort is located right on the beach in Miami Surfside. Volleyball courts, grills, shuffle board and beach chairs are all available for your enjoyment. The location is a short cab ride from the high-end shops and sophisticated clubs in South Beach, but far enough away to provide a relaxing get away for even the most stressed souls. The rooms are spacious with full kitchens and comfortable beds and the view of the blue ocean simply transports you to another place. I have returned refreshed!

Now, it’s back to the grind of continued progress at La Pen. We wrapped up the month of February by completing a six month project of transferring all of our paper owner documents into an electronic system. This should make it much easier for us to access your file at the resort and in our Owner Services departments throughout Bluegreen as all of your information is right at our fingertips. We also completed a waterproofing process on buildings 6 and 7. This included making stucco repairs, applying two coats of an elastomeric product to all walls and then painting the stucco and trim. The cosmetic difference from the street is incredible and so far we have not had any more water intrusion through the walls in these buildings.

In March, we look forward to warmer weather, adding to our maintenance team, “wayfinding” activities throughout the resort and our city, and the start of crawfish season!

Until next time…Laisssez Les Bons Temps Rouler!

Lenten Season Begins

Each afternoon when I walk out of our front doors there is a constant reminder of how lucky Bluegreen is to have such a prime location in New Orleans: the smells of local cuisine (especially on Mondays when the whole city smells like Red Beans), an impromptu jazz band around the corner and the flashy lights of Harrah’s Casino across the street. Carnival Season and Mardi Gras day are the embodiment of the value of our location. This year was colder than ever and unfortunately rain was present for many parades. However, that did not stop our owners from participating in the Mardi Gras revelry. The majority of parades make their final turn off Canal directly in front of our resort (corner of Canal and Decatur). For many of our owners this means watching parades in the comfort of their unit or from their balcony.

The spirit of Carnival was alive as ever at La Pension this year. We had individual sized King Cakes made for all of our owners and their guests and placed them in their units upon arrival. A door and balcony decorating contest filled the halls with competition. Winners from Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras week received a 2 night complimentary stay at Bluegreen Club 36 in Las Vegas. Second place winners received gift certificates to our neighboring restaurants and third place winners received gift baskets from Southern Candy.

The Spirit and commotion of Carnival Season is starting to wind down this week. The streets are quieter and hoteliers and restaurateurs throughout the city are worn out. It is the beginning of the Lenten Season. The Spirit of the Saints however, is still alive and boisterous throughout the Big Easy. In fact, there was a Second Line last Saturday night in celebration of the death of the “Aints”. This is a relief for me as I am never quite sure what to do with myself as football season comes to a close…until next time…

“Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler"

Welcome to my blog!

Welcome Club La Pension Owners and Friends to the first ever Bluegreen Club La Pension blog! I created this blog in hopes to keep you up to date on the every day events at La Pension and to keep you in the loop on the constant progress we are making to your investment.I look forward to interacting with you all through this blog on a regular basis. I will use this blog as a tool to post improvement pictures, update you on maintenance projects, city events and anything else La Pension. However, this will be my first attempt at “blogging” so bear with me…



“Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!”