AW Beetle Problem

The AW Beetle has hit Covered Bridge like the plague. Approximately 433 Units have been infested by this horrible insect. But instead of treating it immediately, the Board of Trustees, as usual, tried to hide the fact. They even spread the rumor that people who reported it, were crazy and just imagining it. As a result, it will cost us over $4000 per apartment to eliminate this horrible creature. And the Board wants the Individual Unit owners to pay for the treatment.

Led by Paul "Pathetic" who seems to have taken over from the current President Carolee "The Cheerleader" Trifon, the Board has decided to bully the Individual Unit owners into paying all of the costs associated with the creatures removal. And to make matters worse, they have threatened to put Liens on the Owner's apartments if they don't pay. This is for a creature that is really causing no problems. But the Board wants it eliminated, since this is an "Active Adult Community" and active adults may swallow them. Actually, the real reason is because the Insurance Companies are threatening to raise their Premiums by 70%. This is partly because the Board lied to the Insurance company 2 years ago by saying the problem would be remedied as soon as possible.

What a mess this Board has created. Isn't it about time this Board resigned their office. Covered Bridge would be far better without them.

.........And that's the Truth(We think, It could be!! Who Knows!! with this Board you Never know)

The Last Issue of This Blog - Not on your Life

It is with great sadness we announce that this is the Last Issue of this Blog. We asked Bob Yacknowitz AKA Cabbage Head to write this issue but he declined. Since he is running for a seat on the Board, he felt it would be unfair to the other candidates. We wish him well.

But there is good news. This Blog has been replaced by our new website >>>> www.TheUncovered Bridge.com. And hopefully it(the website) will meet it's demise after the Election in May.

The people of Covered Bridge spoke loudly at the March 25 Open meeting. The Ignorance of the Bylaws and the contempt for the people must stop now. And when Our Candidates are elected, Covered Bridge will be returned to the people. We believe Democracy will also be restored to the community. And we can get back to the business of making Covered Bridge the jewel of Monmouth County.

We have a tough road ahead. There are serious infrastructure issues that have continued to be hidden and ignored by the present Board for the last 3 years. By some estimates, we are 1,000,000 dollars in the whole and climbing. The Landscaping alone must be 500,000 dollars in the hole and every year we lose more and more lawn. And the Recreational facilities are a disaster. Can we continue to hide everything with MULCH. Our mulch bill this year must have tripled. And by next year at this time most of it will have washed away.

There was even a rumor going around the Board ordered a 100 Tons of Mulch to bury 32 Meadow Green Circle. Everyone knows what they want to hide there!!!

It's time for a Real change in Covered Bridge. We need more than just the Saturday night parties. By electing our candidates, we believe Covered Bridge will finally start on the road to restoration. We believe our candidates have the knowledge and the vision to help pave a new road to the future.(Instead of just paving Parking Lots that don't need paving). And we believe they can do it, without raising maintenance significantly over the next 5 years. Instead of holding maintenance down by ignoring or hiding everything.

So vote for our candidates on May 19, 2009. And thanks for watching. It's been fun!!!! And visit us in our new home >>> www.TheUncovered Bridge.com.

$500 Dollar Per Month Electric Bills, What's Next??

Could the $150 cable Bill be right behind it??

Yes it's true, some people in Covered Bridge received $500 Electric Bills for the month of January. Now there is some good news here. Next month's bills should definitely be lower. JCP&L decided to change the billing cycle in Covered bridge. The January bills were for a period of 36 days. Next months bills will be lower. However, it will not ease the pain much.

What should be done in CB to ease the pain? One thing for sure, Solar Energy is not the immediate answer. Yes, Solar Energy is on everyone's mind, but to make Solar Energy effective, we need to cut consumption first. We have this bad habit in America of trying to get everything as cheap as possible without compromising our needs first.

What can we do to cut Electric consumption? The group that makes up TheUncovered Bridge has created a plan. By utilizing the latest in heating and cooling technology and some of the old tried and true techniques, we can cut consumption by 40%. And if the plan works, it may even allow us to qualify for a 33% rate cut during the cooling season. And that's not a mistake.

The plan includes the following items:

1. Install triple pane windows.

2. Install R30 insulation in the Attics.

3. Insulate outer walls to R33 and make them LEEDS compliant.

4. Install the latest Heating/Cooling technology. Some of the cooling technology has a SEER of 20. And the electric based heating technology has a COP over 3. Our existing air conditioners are lucky to have a SEER greater than 10. And the COP for Electric baseboard heat is 1.

5. Install Point of use water heaters.

6. Install the new high efficiency washers and dryers.

What will all of it cost up front? We believe it it can be accomplished with NO upfront costs. In other words, the changes will be financed solely by the savings we incur. In fact, if we qualify, everyone should receive a check for $300 courtesy of good old George the II. And finally, if all goes as planned, we'd plan to use some of the savings to finance a NEW CLUBHOUSE. Yes, you read it here first. We can finance a new clubhouse by combining a small part of these savings and the Energy and Maintenance Savings a new clubhouse would bring us.

What are we waiting for? You tell us!!! We decided to keep the politics out of this issue. Maybe it will bring us all together to build a better Covered Bridge.



And that's the truth................

Is Frank Donofrio as Selfish as He Appears?

Is Frank Donofrio as selfish as he appears?

Frank has done it again. The article in the Asbury Park Press

"Seniors tell horror stories about bus service" Thursday Dec 11, 2008 is a classic example of life in Covered Bridge Manalapan under the Frank Donofrio dictatorship. Or is it the Frank the Great Empire?

Frank's quote in the article "These are just old people who don't like change" says it all. One of the best comments in the community was " He made a fool out of himself". After all 81 years old is not exactly young. How would he act if he was confined to a wheelchair or could barely walk. Perhaps his tune would be a little different.

Our country just went through an energy crisis and is finally waking up. At a time when the nation is promoting mass transit, energy conservation, and alternative energy sources, the Covered Bridge Board is dismantling what could be an asset to Covered Bridge. Did anyone stop and think that if we used the "Contract Savings" to enhance the Covered Bridge Transportation system, we might be able to eliminate many private cars in CB and provide a BETTER service?

Darn, we forgot, this is Covered Bridge. And if it isn't Frank's idea, it doesn't stand a chance.

And where was the rest of the Board while Frank and the Board were destroying the bus system? The article quoted Frank as saying "the board unanimously approved the change". Doesn't everyone realize, the vote in Open Session is almost always unanimous.

And his response to the article in the January Newsletter was equally pathetic. Doesn't Frank realize that the Condominium form of Ownership is referred to as "Cooperative Living"? And the whole basis for "Cooperative Living is to work together to achieve common goals. Is this the kind of Leadership CB needs? We seriously doubt it!!!!


And that's the truth..................

The Covered Bridge Board

Like all Condominium and Homeowner Associations in the State of New Jersey, Covered Bridge in Manalapan NJ is governed by a Board of Trustees. In this case, it is a group of 7 residents who are elected to 3 year terms. The officers of the Board are elected by the Board members after the annual election. The term election is used loosely because only 300 unit owners show up for an election. The apathy is that bad.

There is a President, 2 Vice Presidents, and a Secretary of the Board..

The President of the Board is Frank "Italian Napolean" Donofrio. Since Hitler is too harsh Napolean fits the bill. But we also like to call Frank "Huff and Puff' He Huffs and he Puffs and then does nothing. As his main buddy states every day... "Frank has no b.lls"

The Vice President and Newsletter Editor is Sid "Knows Nothing" Leveson. The name was coined by a former Trustee "The Judge" after KnowsNothing manipulated the last election. HuffandPuff originally brought in KnowsNothing as a financial consultant to the Board. This is a financial consultant that Knows Nothing about finances. How can anyone who believes a Capital Budget is the wrong thing for CB know anything about finances.

KnowsNothing was supported by HuffandPuff when he ran for Trustee. Many people in CB thought he was part of the future of CB and would help turn it around. Everyone was fooled by him. He is the most arrogant, obnoxious, self-centered, egotistical person ever to serve as Trustee.. Everything he touches he screws up. The MSA, The Tennis courts, the Paving Contract , The Harry Edwab ramp. You name it....he screws it up. TheJudge is correct. He really does know nothing.

No Official would be complete without a Confidant, a partner,an Attack Dog a gofer etc. HuffandPuff and KnowsNothing are no exception. HuffandPuffs Attack Dog and Gofer is Jimmy "Chief Bungler" Zafarano. Don't forget Chief Bungler replaced "The Big Guy" after HuffandPuff was through using him and forced him off the Board.

Based upon his performance, you might say "Chief Bungler" knows a lot more about Construction than KnowsNothing knows about finance. But remember, KnowsNothing really knows nothing. In defense of Chief Bungler, he is the hardest working volunteer in the community. It's sad that he continues to allow HuffandPuff to manipulate and control him.

KnowsNothing's sidekick is Sally "KnowsEvenLess" Herman. Sally is also a Trustee. When she was elected to the Board everyone assumed being KnowsNothing's girlfriend she had some degree of intelligence. It's became obvious she KnowsEvenLess than KnowsNothing. And she is just as arrogant as KnowsNothing. She is such an embarrassment to CB everyone would like her impeached along with KnowsNothing. Her latest speech about using your car alarm as a personal safety alarm from your bedside had everyone ROFL. When will they resign?????

Carol "TheCheerleader" Trifon is the other Vice President. A more dedicated individual in Covered Bridge you will not find. Unfortunately, HuffandPuff and KnowsNothing work hard at deceiving and manipulating her and it can be very difficult for her to accomplish things.

Estelle Freehoff is the Secretary. Estelle is very competent and is very dedicated to CB.

Hal Lessner is very new to the Board. He certainly means well. But he continues to be fooled by HuffandPuff and KnowsNothing.

Sy "TheAnswerMan" Smolin completes the team. Sy is a former Trustee and probably knows more about CB than any two Trustees. And his answers are often quite accurate. Unfortunately, to keep the peace, he continuously patronizes HuffandPuff. I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.

There is no question that the current Board has begun to turn things around in CB. However, it tends to use that as an excuse to exclude people who want to see an even bigger transformation.

1. The Board says it answers every letter, it doesn't.

2. The Board states it follows the rules and regulations, it doesn't

3. The Board says it follows the by-laws, it doesn't.

4. The Board says it votes on everything in public, it doesn't.

5. The Board hides everything it can. The fire alarms, the aluminum wiring,the Profetta apt fiasco,the Harry Edwab lawsuit, the Deferred Compensation Lawsuit results are just some of the issues.

The biggest problem CB faces is the fact that no one on the Board, has experience managing a facility like CB. And the Board refuses to settle the lawsuit with the existing management team, refuses to get outside help and more often than not does not take the advice of the Land and Building committee. All of this is counter-productive, wastes enormous sums of money and clearly violates the By-laws.

Why hasn't the lawsuit with the property management team been settled??? HuffandPuff has no b.lls and HuffandPuff has tried to play Hero. Instead of settling the Lawsuit a year ago like he should of or firing them on the spot after they filed the lawsuit, we are still in court and running up HUGE lawyer fees. We'd like to say more in this document, but cannot for obvious reasons. However, isn't a settlement finally in order. Instead, HuffandPuff continues to Huff and Puff. His attempt to prosecute the management team Criminally failed miserably. The DA rejected it. And we are positive KnowsNothing had a hand in screwing this one up, since he tends to handle legal matters.

But there is hope for the future. When HuffandPuff leaves the Board and "TheCheerleader" takes over as President there will be a new beginning. Oh you say doesn't KnowsNothing have a chance at being President? When Pigs fly? Not even then. Yet to show you how arrogant he is, KnowsNothing thinks he has a chance!!!!!. Lets hope KnowsNothing and KnowsEvenLess resign soon. Since that is what everyone in CB would like to see!!!!!



And that's the truth.....

IN THE BEGINNING

Frank Donfrio is the Board of Trustees at Covered Bridge. He rules it with fear and intimidation. And no one knows better than his VP Sid Leveson. Sid should have been thrown off the Board after manipulating the last election due to ethical misconduct. But Frank saved him so Sid could help him manipulate the current Board. And they have been doing a great job.

How did Frank get started? He was brought in by the person we call affectionately "The Big Guy". "The Big Guy" was tired of the lack of performance by the "Property Management Team"(The team is still in place and is currently suing Covered Bridge for hundreds of thousands of Dollars) and brought in Frank to fire them. The then President's health was failing and he needed to step down.

Once the former president stepped down and Mr. Donfrio took over as president, "The Big Guy" assumed he(Frank) would fire the Management Team. Instead, he let them stay because to quote his current friend, attack dog and gofer, "Frank has no B..ls". In addition. he spent the first year accomplishing nothing. He wouldn't listen to and frustrated "The Big Guy". And the rest of the Board was a bunch of bungling idiots. After all, they brought us the Deferred Compensation Lawsuit.

Mr. Donofrio knew he needed a new Board. He proposed a slate of Sid Leveson and the other two Senior elected members of the current board. He used "The Big Guy" to attack the existing members of the Board at candidates night. This was, incidentally, totally unethical by Covered Bridge standards, but to paraphrase Mr. Donofrio's own words, "The means justified the end". As a result, the current Senior members of the Board were elected overwhelmingly. And what a disappointment this Board has been.

And what happened to "The Big Guy"? Once Mr. Donfrio was through using him to do his dirty work, he forced him off the Board. The public version was that he resigned from the Board for health reasons.(It was coincidental and we wish him the best). But of course it was not the real reason.

Not content with controlling The Board, Mr. Donofrio also controls the Condo Reps since he installed the existing Chairpersons. Under the guise of "Cooperating with the Board" they rubber stamp all Board Proposals and fight any discussion about difficulties with the Board. And they have the only possible control over the Board since they must approve all expenditures over $50,000.

To highlight their incompetence, their was recently an unnecessary paving contract awarded in the amount of $275,000. Instead of bothering to read the contract, they immediately returned it to Mr. Donofrio(on the spot). The implication was that they didn't understand it anyway so why bother to read it? What a farce.

Another example, when asked to support the petition against the WMUA, the Chairperson responded with "I can't climb the stairs in the buildings so the Condo Reps shouldn't help". And where were they at this years budget meetings? A more camouflaged budget, Covered Bridge has never seen!!!!

This is how the Board began it's rule. A recent article in the Asbury Park Press titled " Seniors relay "horror stories" about bus service" highlights the incompetence of Mr. Leveson and Mr. Donofrio. While it's true the Board approved the new bus service, this was their doing. When Mr. Leveson was asked how we wound up with this mess, his response was "We didn't get what we expected".

If you read the article, it underscores the fact that Mr. Donfrio cares nothing about seniors in Covered Bridge". And he is one of them. He was quoted in the article saying "We are not required to provide bus service". Just because we are not required to provide bus service does that mean we shouldn't provide it?

The irony of the Bus Service mess is unbelievable. At the public hearings in Covered Bridge about the bus service, a past President led the fight against the change. Instead of engaging the past President's help, Mr. Donofrio spread rumors about why he was fighting the changes. Instead of listening to anyone with knowledge of bus services and schedules, Mr. Donofrio forced it through.

Now that they have failed us miserably with a horrible bus service, they have engaged that same past President to fix the mess. They are incapable of fixing the problem, because they have lost all political clout in Monmouth County, due to Sid and Frank's attempted assassination of our beloved Mayor, Michelle Roth.

Is this the kind of leadership we need in Covered Bridge? We don't think so. The Board continues to answer to itself and to no one else. Should we continue to accept their Blue wall of Silence" or their "Circling of the Wagons".?

The only person who has had any success with Frank is Mary Neglia, the retiring President of HOCB. Unfortunately, Mary is being replaced by Irving Reif. He was part of the prior Board of "Bunch of bungling Idiots", Mr. Reif served his purpose on this Board. His assumption of the HOCB Presidency will complete Mr. Donofrio's envelope of control. And it will lay the groundwork for Mr. Donfrio's plan to control Covered Bridge and it's Board after he retires from the Board in May. But then again, it may not.

And who is Mr. Donfrio grooming to take his place on the Board? To be continued........



And that's the TRUTH.............