The
View
from
www.vantagepointeast.com
Mutual 24
Vantage Point East
Vol. 12, No. 11
November 2014
the following officers:
VPE Election Results
Henry Jordan and Sid Sussan were reelected
(by acclamation) to the VPE Board of Directors,
each for a term of 3 years. The Board approved
VPE residents attend Meet the Candidates Night (Oct. 1).
Henry Jordan, President
Sid Sussan, Vice President
Earl Reba, Treasurer
Marvin Franklin, Secretary
Sid Sussan and Henry Jordan address Meet the Candidates Night VPE audience.
–Photos by Len Silver
VPE Board members address Council of Unit Owners.
Suzie Offit reports on Communications Committee accomplishments and praises the consistency of the interesting
and informative content of The View.
At left:
Cynthia Snyder, acting chair
of
Activities
Committee,
proudly summarizes activities
accomplishments
during
2014.
At right:
Joyce Susswein, Election
Committee chair, reports election results.
–Photos by Fred Shapiro
October Board Actions
President’s Message
The VPE Board of Directors took the following
actions at its October meeting:
Vantage Point East maintains a replacement reserve fund to maintain the building and purchase
replacement items when an equipment failure
occurs. When an item fails, we have saved
funds to get a replacement at no cost to the unit
owners. This is good financial planning.
Payment to Contract Furniture Options in the
amount of $141,831.04 for the hallway carpet
was approved.
The 2015 Budget was approved.
The following Vantage Point East residents were
approved as representative on Leisure World
Advisory Committees:
Audit—Marvin Franklin, Budget & Finance—Sid
Sussan and Marvin Franklin; Community Planning—Ann Ferren, Education & Recreation—
Shirley Henderson, Energy—Norman Eisenberg,
Golf & Green—Jonathan Fife, Landscaping—
Ted Snyder, Physical Properties—Joyce Susswein, Restaurant—George Pearlman, Security &
Transportation—Marvin
Franklin,
Tennis—
Daniel Blum.
The Board approved payment to A & A Water
Damage Restoration in the amount of $1,026.88
for water cleanup in the Community Room due
to an air conditioning leak.
The representatives to LWCC Board of Directors
are: Henry Jordan, Sid Sussan (Alternate),
Marvin Franklin (2nd Alternate).
The 2015 Management & Operating Agreement
was approved.
The Board approved the rescheduling of the November and December Board meetings. They
will meet on Dec. 4, which will be the last meeting in 2014.
We all recognize that someday one of the appliances in your unit will fail and not be repairable.
Whether it be a refrigerator, washing machine,
dryer or dishwasher, eventually you will have to
buy a new unit. The question that needs to be
asked is, “Have you saved funds for replacement of your appliances?” The building is almost
twelve years old. Eventually a failure will occur
that cannot be repaired.
One of the items that you may not think about is
your heating and air conditioning system. We
have a maintenance contract on these systems
in your units. However, when the system fails, as
the compressor or heat exchanger, you have to
buy a new one. Depending on the size of your
unit, we are talking about a $3,500 price tag.
This system will last from ten to eighteen years.
Since our building is eleven years old, the odds
are that some of these systems will start to fail.
Our neighbor, Vantage Point West, which is older than our building, has had a number of failures and has started to replace some systems. I
would suggest you start setting some funds
aside for a replacement system, because in the
next couple of years such a replacement will
probably become necessary.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Payment of the following invoices was approved:
An invoice in the amount of $1,163.50 from
McFall & Berry for landscaping work.
An invoice in the amount of $1,675 from Dynalectric for valve replacement on the fire pump.
–Henry Jordan
Dec. 26, the day following Christmas; and, Jan.
2, 2015, the day following New Year’s Day.
Payment of $1,382.75 to Leisure World for watering the annuals from June 1 to Nov. 1.
The Association Office will be closed on Friday,
Nov. 28, the day following Thanksgiving; Friday,
The VIEW from VPE
Page 2
–Marvin Franklin, Secretary
Condolences
The VPE community extends condolences to
Rajinder Sekhon and family upon the recent
loss of his wife, Manjit.
November 2014
How VPE Condo Fee Supports
LW Community Facilities
Residents’ Column
Response to “Acrimony”
Acrimony – harsh words; caustic language or
manner; rancorous in feeling.
This is unsolicited and clearly my opinion only. I
realize that hindsight is 20/20 so for what it's
worth and not as a matter of personal criticism:
See Resident's Column by Judy Tarr in the October edition of The View (in which the word
“acrimony” was used in describing debates on
the bylaws of VPE). Upon reflection, I think that
the use of the word "acrimony" (indeed the entire
phrase in which the word appears), while perhaps accurate as a dictionary matter (I wasn't
there but I have heard some of the stories),
should have been redacted. The thought could
have been conveyed without the word/phrase.
While I am not seeking to limit individuals' selfexpression and I understand that the letter was
an expression of personal opinion, I am sensitive
to emotionally charged words that do not necessarily achieve the overall objectives of the Association going forward. Admittedly, a close call but
I'm not a fan of bringing up "ancient history" in a
public manner, especially when there is the potential that some would take this as an "official"
statement.
I might also quibble over other wording
(particularly since the letter contained a recitation of the writer's view of what transpired at a
Board meeting which to me was not exactly what
transpired), but "acrimony" struck me as the
greatest concern.
In a related matter, perhaps the September
Board actions should have included the "bylaws
project," perhaps making it somewhat easier to
redact the letter. (If it wasn't a Board action, it
was still worthy of objective note.)
Just my opinion.
Some residents have expressed interest in the
various components of the sum paid to LW for
operation and maintenance of the community
facilities. The monthly charge for 2015 is
$159.50 per residential unit and is built into all
LW condo fees. The amount is set by LW; the
VPE Board has no discretion over this item.
2015
2014
$29.58
$28.94
Clubhouse I
11.70
11.49
Clubhouse II
10.37
9.95
Leisure World News
(0.42)
(1.02)
1.51
1.58
(2.50)
(1.47)
Physical Properties
0.86
1.03
Grounds
5.96
5.90
Refuse/Recycling
7.91
7.90
TV Maintenance
28.82
27.98
Transportation
4.82
4.72
Supplemental Transportation
2.93
2.80
19.18
19.14
Street Lighting
2.64
2.61
Golf Course
3.87
3.86
Golf Pro Shop
0.94
1.16
Community Call System
0.53
0.53
Snow & Ice Removal
1.18
1.18
Property Maintenance
20.25
19.52
Contingency Fund
0.44
1.18
Equipment Fund
0.35
0.43
Replacement Reserve
6.11
6.11
Salary Adjustment
2.47
2.48
159.50
158.00
Administration
Food Service
Medical Center
Security
Total
–Sid Sussan
Editor’s note: The writer is a Board member of
VPE.
November 2014
Page 3
Find The View
online at
www.vantagepointeast.com
The VIEW from VPE
World War II Memories
Resident’s Column
A Guest for the Night
Miracle at McDonalds
In March 1945, our Infantry Unit was chasing retreating German troops back from the Siegfried Line to the Rhine River. We crossed the
Rhine on a 1,000-foot-long pontoon bridge constructed by American Army engineers, to replace
the Remagen Bridge that finally collapsed after
being dynamited by the retreating Germans.
On Fri., Sept. 26, I lost a very special gold bracelet, a gift from my late husband for our 10th wedding anniversary. At that time I started searching
my condo and traced my steps to a neighbor’s
car, coming and going in our building, and attending services at my synagogue—no bracelet.
Traveling east, we entered the town of
Schmidtheim in Germany in the afternoon and
proceeded to occupy a home to rest. No sooner
had we dropped our rifles, backpacks and ourselves on the floor, than the order came to "go
out and secure the village perimeter." We loaded
our gear and marched down a road when it started to rain. My squad reached for their ponchos,
but I couldn't get mine out, so I stepped out and
unloaded my pack to dig out the poncho. By the
time I reloaded, my squad had disappeared
down the road into the forest. I called after them
until I saw a sign that said "Achtung,
Minen" (Danger, Mines). Going into the woods
alone didn't seem like a good idea.
I then remembered stopping at McDonald’s in
Aspen Hill on Friday. To be very honest, I did not
think anyone finding a beautiful gold bracelet
would turn it in, but I took a chance and visited
the McDonald’s on Tuesday. Lo and behold, my
bracelet was found by a McDonald’s supervisor
who had someone on the staff place it in an envelope in the office on the happenstance that
someone would come looking for it—and that
someone was me.
–Bernice Kisliuk
I walked back to town and entered the home we
had first stopped at. A pleasant man and woman
were there, happy to have the war over with
friendly American soldiers. I announced that I
would sleep in their home that night (better than
being in the woods or street). Poppa offered me
an available room upstairs, and asked, "What
time do you want to be awakened?" I said,
“Eight o'clock,” took my weapons upstairs and
said goodnight. I slept soundly.
Promptly at eight o’clock, a knock on my locked
door was followed by poppa announcing that
breakfast was ready! I was treated to fried eggs,
buttered toast and coffee with milk. I thanked
them and loaded up my gear and walked down
the same road, looking for my buddies. My sergeant spotted me on the road and angrily asked
where I was all night. He said they had spent a
miserable night in the woods and it had rained
all night. I told him that I had lost them at the
woods and went back to town. I didn't dare tell
him where I had slept comfortably all night.
–Ted Snyder
The VIEW from VPE
Bernice happily displaying her bracelet.
–Photo by Fred Shapiro
VPE residents remember and
honor the service of the many
veterans living here.
Thank you.
Page 4
November 2014
Activities Committee Report
Singles Circuit
Floor Parties on November
Horizon
Singles will enjoy the November luncheon at the
Hunan Delight in Olney. A short meeting will take
place at the restaurant at the time. Co-chairs
Bernice Kisliuk and Sandra Sager have arranged
for us to be able to select individually from the
menu and receive separate checks. For information and reservations, please call Sandra at
301-598-5189. Don’t forget to mark Thurs.
Nov.13 on your calendar for 12 noon in the lobby. Bernice and Sandra will try to provide rides if
needed. When making your reservations, please
let Sandra know if you will drive.
Dates to remember in November
Yoga – Every Friday – 9:00 a.m.
Chair Yoga – Every Friday – 10:30 a.m.
Floors 1, 2, 8 party – Wed., Nov. 5, 5:00 p.m.
Floors 3, 5, 9 party – Thurs., Nov. 6, 5:00 p.m.
Floors 4, 6, 7, 10 party – Mon., Nov. 10, 5:00
p.m.
Matinee Theater – Tues., Nov. 11, 1:00 p.m. –
Lost in Yonkers with Richard Dreyfuss, Mercedes Ruehl, Irene Worth (114 min.).
Activities Committee – Wed., Nov. 12, 10:00
a.m.
Singles – Thurs., Nov. 13, Noon – Hunan Delight
Crafts and Conversation – Thurs., Nov. 13,
2:00 p.m.
Book Club – Mon., Nov. 17, 9:45 a.m. – Girl in
Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
Salon Discussion – Tues., Nov. 18, 2:30 p.m.
Birthday Party – Thurs., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Movie – Sun., Nov., 23, 7:00 p.m. – 12
Years a Slave with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael
Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch (134
min.).
Bingo – Mon., Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m.
Whew! October couldn't have been busier. Halloween and Deli was a haunting hoot and the
return of Trivia a blast! We are thankful for
Eunice Kahn, committee members and volunteers for their wonderful kitchen management;
and Sandy Margulies who brings Trivia to us
Thanks to Nan Vincent and Sonny Gerber for cochairing the October meeting, which was held at
the Mosaic Café in Rockville. All had a good
time.
The singles are not planning a separate event in
Dec. but will support the Holiday Party planned
by the activity committee for the building.
–Althea Steinberg
“without cost.”
Those of us who joined in on the travel/theater
trip to New York had a very good day—excellent
theater seats, a beautiful NY day with empty
streets, and generous amounts of food and
goodies on the bus—both coming and going.
Some of us met with old friends or relatives or
went shopping (looking) at Saks before theater
time. Again, thanks to Lynn Cooper for bringing
this opportunity to us.
REMINDER: remember to put the VPE Holiday
Party on your calendars. Sun., Dec. 14, 1:00
p.m. at Clubhouse I. This merry event will be
enhanced by entertainment provided by performers from the Fun & Fancy Musical Theater
Club. Details will be provided by flyer.
–Judy Tarr, for the Activities Committee
–Cynthia Snyder, Acting Chair
John Fife snapped this photo of some of the
stragglers after the trivia game.
November 2014
Please let the VPE Sunshine Committee know
of any ill, bereaved or new residents who
should be acknowledged. Call Marylin Jordan
(301) 598-0174 or Marilyn Funk (301) 5988047.
Page 5
The VIEW from VPE
All in the VPE Family
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! I am talking about the surroundings with the beautiful fall foliage. This is
the one season when all VPE residents can look
in wonder at the spectacular view of nature’s
work of art. Even though the views are different
in the front of the building and the back, we all
have a view of trees in their fall colors. I encourage all of you to save some time to admire the
striking vision that will be gone all too soon.
This month our VPE
spotlight shines on Kay
Kohout, a new resident
on the 6th floor. Kay says
that her childhood was
spent in many locations
in New York. Her dad
owned a flower shop in
Scarsdale, so the family
moved to be closer to his business. Kay was
born in the Bronx, a borough of New York City,
then moved to White Plains, and then on to Yonkers. Kay was 14 years old when the shop started to lose business. So her dad sold it and the
family moved to Maryland, where there were
fewer flower shops. They lived in Bowie for 12
years. The new shop was opened in Lanham,
MD. During that time, Kay attended the University of Maryland and received a degree in early
childhood education. That is when she met and
married her first husband, who unfortunately
died at the age of 24. After some time, Kay met
and married Steve Kohout (the “love of her life”).
When he graduated from the University of Maryland, he was employed by the USPS in a management position. They had four children. After
12 years, they purchased a home in Olney. During that time, Kay wanted to be at home for the
children, but also felt the need to pursue her
own career. She opened a small day care center
at home and hired an assistant. Kay provided
cooked meals for the children as well as a day
care curriculum. When their own children were
older and attending college, Kay saw the need
for infant care. She was offered a grant to help
The VIEW from VPE
build a lower level in the house that would satisfy all the requirements to begin an infant program and become certified as a school. The
school expanded as much as was possible within the space that met state guidelines. Kay had a
waiting list, since the quality program she provided appealed to all the professional parents in the
vicinity. When Kay’s husband retired from the
position of technical engineer for the USPS and
the family was out of the house, Kay decided
she wanted to enjoy retirement with Steve. They
closed the day care, sold the house and moved
to a retirement community in Delaware, where
Kay’s identical twin sister lived. They did not get
to enjoy retirement for very long. Steve was diagnosed with kidney disease. His treatment included dialysis and finally a kidney transplant.
He suffered and passed away in April 2014 at
the age of 66. They were married for 48 years.
Kay felt that she wanted to be nearer to her children and five grandchildren, all born before her
husband passed away. Now Kay is a resident of
VPE. Her mother, Stella Clark, lives in VPW.
They love being neighbors.
Kay spends as much time with her five grandchildren as possible, helping often as babysitter.
She also uses her artistic skills to make the
teaching materials for her daughter, who serves
as head of Child Health Care in the Regional
School System in addition to teaching full time.
Kay is passionate about child development and
education. Her own children are all college graduates and hold advanced degrees. Three sons
are engineers.
Kay hopes to have some time to pursue painting
and to travel. I hope her busy schedule allows
her the opportunity.
I know you all join me in wishing her many years
of health and happiness in VPE.
–Althea Steinberg
Crafts and Conversation will be
meeting in the Community Room
at 2:00 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 13.
We hope you can join us. For
questions call Linda Reba (301438-0099) or Mary Telford (301598-8480).
Page 6
November 2014
On the Lighter Side
November Book Club
Talking Turkey
Tracing a “Vermeer”
Through the Centuries
Did you know that turkeys are living, feeling beings and just want to be loved like any other
pet? They like to have their feathers stroked and
make soft, cooing sounds when you pet them.
Turkeys are curious and follow people around.
Some will even sit on your lap. After having an
opportunity to meet turkeys and see that they
are feeling-animals, many people decide to
switch to a vegetarian Thanksgiving and feast
on “tofurkey.”
There is a tree that grows in Brooklyn, but when
I was no more than eight years old, living in Williamsburg (a small neighborhood in Brooklyn,
NY) we had chickens and turkeys growing next
door to us. I would sometimes put a small pillow
on the fire escape of my tenement house and
watch all these birds running and strutting in the
back yard. At that time Williamsburg was a
neighborhood seemingly untouched by the busy
dizziness of life in the 1940s.
The week before Thanksgiving, Solomon (our
neighbor) gave us one of his turkeys to feed and
take care of for our family feast. In one week,
Millie (we named it) grew much bigger. We
loved her like our dog. The day before Thanksgiving, Baba (my grandmother) took the bird to
the butcher. I had tears in my eyes, but the stern
look from Baba meant she was determined.
However, before she arrived at the butcher, she
turned around and took Millie back to Solomon
and ended up buying a “prepared-to-put-into-the
-oven” turkey. Solomon took Millie to a local
farm in New Jersey, because some neighbors
had ratted him out to the local municipality for
zoning violations. Our biggest mistake was naming the turkey. It made us feel more attached to
her. On Thanksgiving Day, the “prepared turkey”
was stuffed and roasted. Most of our guests indulged in enjoying the turkey, but our small family of five were not in a “turkey-eating mood.”
That memorable year, in a moment of complete
lunacy, mama quickly mashed up six cans of
tuna fish. Of course, presentation was important
to her; so out came the large dish shaped like a
turkey that she had filled with tuna salad and
decorated with turkey features. With all the exNovember 2014
With only 35 known paintings by Johannes Vermeer in the world today, author Susan Vreeland
imagines a 36th: Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Vreeland
traces the painting’s provenance back through
time from the guilt-ridden son of a Nazi whose
father looted it from the home of a deported
Jewish family to a farmer’s wife, a Bohemian
student, a loving husband with a secret, and finally to poverty-stricken Vermeer himself, painting his eldest daughter Magdalena in 17th century Delft. The series of vignettes and descriptions of the painting by its various owners illuminate different historical periods and locales and
shed light on Vermeer’s technique. The VPE
Book Club will discuss the historical novel at
9:45 a.m. on Mon., Nov. 17. All residents are
welcome.
–Ruth Gutstein
Costume winners at Halloween Deli Party (right to left)
Barbara and Don Eisen (#1), Bert Stoller (#2) and George
Pearlman (#3).
–Photo by Len Silver
tras and side dishes, we had lots of pleasures
and 100% indulgence!
Bert and I wish all our VPE friends a most happy
Thanksgiving holiday!
Page 7
–Zena Stoller
The VIEW from VPE
Mark These Dates!
Budget and Finance:
Quarterly Report
ACTIVITIES
Following is the unaudited VPE financial report
through the third quarter (3Q14):
Actual
YTD Total Revenue
Less: Transfer to ReNet Revenue
$1,100,342
$1,028,187
158,599
159,120
$ 941,743
$ 869,067
Less: Total OperatYTD Surplus (Deficit)
Budget
899,632
965,685
($ 23,942)
($ 30,565)
The overall financial condition of the Association
remains sound. The Association has been returning accumulated surplus to unit owners
through lower condominium fees. This has resulted in a planned deficit but has not, to date,
significantly affected the financial condition of the
Association. Through the third quarter, the Association experienced a deficit but remained ahead
of budget largely because of lower than budgeted utility expenses and community facilities
charges.
Additional information may be obtained by attending the monthly Budget & Finance Committee meeting. Also, financial statements are available for examination in the Association Office by
appointment with the Property Manager.
–Sid Sussan, Chair
EVENT
Editors/Writers
Ruth Gutstein
Bernard Patlen
Ted Snyder
Zena Stoller
Carol Koendarfer, Production Manager
Contact the Vantage Point East Office
Renee Steward, Property Manager
[email protected]
Carol Koendarfer, Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
(301) 598-1075
The VIEW from VPE
TIME
Hatha Yoga
Fridays
@ 9:00 a.m.
Chair Yoga
Fridays
@ 10:30 a.m.
Floor Party—Fls. 1, 2 & 8
Nov. 5
@ 5:00 p.m.
Floor Party—Fls. 3, 5 & 9
Nov. 6
@ 5:00 p.m.
Floor Party—Fls. 4, 6, 7, 10
Nov. 10
@ 5:00 p.m.
Matinee Theater
Nov. 11
@ 1:00 p.m.
Singles Lunch @ Hunan
Nov. 13
@ Noon
Crafts and Conversation
Nov. 13
@ 2:00 p.m.
Book Club
Nov. 17
@ 9:45 a.m.
Salon Discussion
Nov. 18
@ 2:30 p.m.
Birthday Party
Nov. 20
@ 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Movie
Nov. 23
@ 7:00 p.m.
Bingo
Nov. 24
@ 7:30 p.m.
COMMITTEE/BOARD MEETINGS
EVENT
DATE
TIME
Activities
Nov. 12
@ 10:00 a.m.
Building & Grounds
Nov. 12
@ 1:30 p.m.
Communications
Nov. 12
@ 3:00 p.m.
Office Closed
Nov. 27
Thanksgiving
Office Closed
Nov. 28
Thanksgiving
Budget & Finance
Dec. 2
@ 1:30 p.m.
Board of Directors
Dec. 4
@ 1:30 p.m.
The View Crew
Suzanne Offit, Chair, Communications Committee
Althea Steinberg, Vice-Chair
Florence Golomb, Recorder
Len Silver, Editor
Tom McGrath, Layout Editor & Webmaster
Gloria Pearlman, Editorial Coordinator
DATE
Residents’ Column
Attention!
Recently, ambulance medics could not get to
the ambulance conveniently, with the patient on
a cart, due to the fact that someone was picking
up a person and covered the crosswalk which
led directly to the ambulance. They had to circumvent the car for access. Please be considerate of others who need a free crosswalk for
safety purposes.
–VPE resident observer
Page 8
November 2014