Please Patronize our Sponsors
Pelican Paulie
End of Mexican land trust is in sight, but…
(For emergency phone numbers, church services, “resident” and “gate” card forms and processes; rules for golf carts and motorcycles, pets, construction by-laws, recycling schedule and other pertinent community information and services, please click on the Puerto Aventuras Colonos icon at top right. Thank you)
(For information about and services offered by Pelican Free Press sponsors, please click icons at left to reach their individual web pages. The Pelican free Press is made possible by the support of these sponsors. Please keep that it mind.Thank you.
…Its elimination may require more patience
By Staff
If you have friends or neighbors up north itching to buy in the Riviera Maya in the event the current required land trust provisions are eliminated, tell them not to hold their breath.
Mexico’s House of Deputies – akin to the U.S.House of Representatives and the Canadian House of Commons – passed the measure 356-119 a few months ago, as reported previously in the Pelican. Such a lopsided vote would usually indicate broad support for the reform that would loosen restrictions, advance foreign investment and create jobs…and do it relatively quickly as lawmaking goes.
But perceived support could wane. The proposal now needs a vote by the Mexican Senate, which has gone on a break, plus a majority of the country’s 32 state legislatures. This will take some time without a guarantee of success while the opposition stakes out its claims that easy access to land could lead to foreign colonization of parts of the country.
Historically, the opposition, which includes the Union of Indians and Farmers Force, a farming group, has a point and the Alamo experience proved it when Texans on Mexican soil revolted against Mexico and ended up with the sizeable state.
The farming group says ending the trust provision for foreigners would encourage speculators to engage in excess profiteering and hold the potential for widespread fraud.
Supporters say however that the colonization and national defense reasons for instituting the trust provisions are no longer viable. To the contrary,they say the elimination of the land trust provisions would encourage investment, tourism and job creation.
Passage of the proposal by the House of Deputies was greeted in Puerto Aventuras with a mix of mild reactions. Longtime observers know this has been proposed before and gone nowhere. Several foreign owners of property in PA who have been paying for a trust for years say they would probably stick with a trust until they decide to sell even if the provision is eliminated.
K
evin Graham of the Costa Maya Living real estate company in Mahahual, feels the law as it is impedes the real estate market, citing cases of possible buyers who balk at the prospect of not having direct title to beach properties they want to buy and paying added costs of initial trust preparation and annual fees, the latter particularly discouraging to marginal buyers looking toward retirement.
What is obvious here is that something has propelled a rash of new-home construction in established Puerto Aventuras development phases along Bahia Chemuyil and Bahia Xaac as Phase 4 development continues to open up many more canal-front housing lots.
Residents with cat problems urged to contact
Colonos office as spaying program begins
The Colonos reports a cat spaying program will begin next week in order to maintain control over the growing feral population.
General Manager Armando Rincon said a volunteer resident will be using three humane traps for the task and will respond to residents who report a cat congregation problem to the Colonos. Also assisting will be a local veterinarian.
Animal rights groups say spaying is a smart thing to do even for house pets because it helps maintain the health of the cat population, which, as it increases, so does the number of cats that do not have a place to call home.
Many animal rescue groups use live cat traps in their trap, neuter/(spay), and release (TNR) programs. Contact the Colonos at coordinacion@colonos.org or call 984-873-5116 or 5117
Puerto sail club places five of 10 on national team
June 6 dinner here to raise funds for Bermuda trip
Five of ten young sailors chosen nationally from year-long national regattas to represent the great Mexican nation at the North American Optimist Class world championship in Bermuda are from the Puerto Aventuras Sailing Club.
This record-breaking feat means that PA’s sailors have been outperforming their peers at regattas around the nation for the opportunity to become known as world class sailors and champions.
The invitation to participate is an opportunity for local sailors to compete with the best international sailors and put Puerto Aventuras on the world sailing map.
The Bermuda regatta requires expenditures that several of the local sailors cannot afford, so to help them, a gala dinner will be held June 6 at the Omni Hotel and Beach Club in an effort to raise $4,000 USD.
Tickets on sale at the Colonos office are 600 pesos or $55 USD and includes sumptuous dinner choices with wine and drinks included.
Absent water-bottle seals prompt criticism
Officials temporarily close several
area bottling plants over health issues
By Staff
Water, the earth’s most abundant and essential liquid, caused some concern just as snowbirds were about to head north in April when the E-Pura bottling company unilaterally decided to remove one safety feature – the seals under the cap – from the 5-gallon it delivers to households.
The action spurred back-fence criticism by some residents who wanted to know if the sudden lack of protective seals was a broad oversight, a narrow act of mischief or a pre-conceived move by the company for a legitimate, non-threatening reason.
Delivery employees could only say that the company was no longer using the seals.
Unfortunately, the company’s failure to notify its customers beforehand prompted dialogue on other fronts that included complaints about too many bottles that leak and the quality of the plastic from which the bottles are made. Several residents said they believe the quality of the water bottles containing a resin code number 7 is below standard for bottles containing water for human consumption.
That complaint is branded as a misguided myth by the SPI, the Society of Plastics Industry trade association. It says the numbering, from 1 to 7 stamped in a triangle, identifies plastics only for recycling purposes.
Nonetheless, in May, the Mexican Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) suspended and fined at least five purified water bottling companies, among them Water Rose, Drop Blue, Pure Evena, Silo and others, for what officials said were practices that could compromise the health of consumers, even criticizing the condition of vehicles used to deliver the water.
Felix Montes Casanova, Solidarity coordinator, said mistreatment and handling of water invites bacteria like ecoli, salmonella and typhoid. The companies are charged with operating in inadequate facilities, use of generic labels that make the water source hard to trace in the event of an outbreak, delivery vehicles in poor condition. There was no mention of the seals, leaking bottles or the quality and safety of the plastic.
Notifying customers of changes to products and packaging, and explaining in summary why the changes are occurring, could help dampen complaints.
Commerce Corner…
‘Donna’ transitioning biz to a ‘marisqueria’
By Staff
Tiramisu’s “Donna” is one of those people who, like “Beyonce” or “Madonna” or “Peter” from Latitude 20 Restaurant does not need a surname to be instantly recognized, such is her local popularity.
The Connecticut native and owner of the now permanently closed Tiramisu Restaurant for 12 years in Puerto Aventuras’ Centro, told the Pelican Free Press that she will be opening a “marisqueria” in her building where Paparazzi Pizza is located just outside the resort’s main gate facing the Highway 307 overpass.
For the English speaking crowd, a “marisqueria” is a restaurant that specializes in fish dishes and/or raw bar. “We are designing gardens on the side of the building with a fountain and a palapa,” she said. “All of my cooks have decided to stay with me and two of my waiters. So you may see some of the old Tiramisu favorites pop up on the new menu.”
The rumor mill started churning as soon as the closing was announced, with next-door restaurateur John Timmerman of Hippo’s mentioned as an interested party along with a Mexican restaurant owner from Cancun.
Retirement is not on Donna Carey’s agenda. Besides her continued affiliation with local charities, “Plans now are to relax and spend some time in Rio Lagartos. I will also be practicing and teaching Reiki, sound healing and meditation in Akumal.
“An attorney friend has asked me to be a business consultant in his office for foreigners who want to open and operate businesses in Mexico. Also, I am following my heart’s desire and organizing tours to Bhutan and other locations while I am in the process of writing a book.
“I have asked those who would like to participate to send me their stories of memories of Tiramisu, the Reiki Bakery, Caribbean Com, Full Moon Ceremonies and other Puerto events linked to me and the restaurant to be included in the book along with some of the most requested recipes. So, you see, I still have many irons in this fire!!”
BUSINESS BRIEFS…
WORK IS CONTINUING on the new Omni Beach access walkway as shown in above photo contributed by Capt. Rick’s Sport Fishing next door. Note the flower boxes on both sides lending aesthetic improvement of the walkway that was sorely missed when it was temporarily closed to residents last year…SOLIDARITY MAYOR Rafael Kantun visited Puerto Aventuras Puebla to announce an investment of 1.3 million pesos to install paved streets and sidewalks for access to the secondary school Esparza Jose Antonio Tzuc. He said paving will be 10 inches thick and cover 120 meters of paving and 240 linear meters of curbing and sidewalk. The initial high school building in the Puebla was funded by Anat Kah and Charity Golf Tournament in the resort…HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS in Playa has been purchased by the real estate trust Fibra Inn for $11 million. The trust said the acquisition is part of its diversification plans…EASY ON THE BOOZE ADS – The Department of Protection Against Health Risks is banning outside advertising of happy-hour price reductions so as not to encourage excessive consumption by the public. It goes into effect this month…COMEDY FESTIVAL in Akumal has already set its date between May 1-3 in 2014. More details next year…ECONOMY MAGAZINE announces that Mexico slipped out of the top ten world tourist destinations in 2012…A WAR OF WORDS erupted the the area Business Coordinating Council over the hiring of foreigners in Playa del Carmen’s service and hospitality industry, noting the jobs are needed for locals and protected under the law. One union leader called for action against businesses that do not obey the rules…
In Case You Want to Know…
Our Mexican state: Pronounce it Keen-TAH-Na-Roh-oh
Hurricane season forecasters
predict a worrisome year
From Staff and news Reports
Puerto Aventuras is in the state of Quintana Roo, the easternmost state at the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula that covers an area of 42,030 square kilometers (16,228 square miles), which is a little less than half the size of the US state of Maine.
It borders the Mexican states of Yucatán to the northwest, Campeche to the west, the Central American countries of Belize and Guatemala to the south, and the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea to the east and north. The state has eight municipalities. Its capital is Chetumal.
Quintana Roo is situated on the Yucatán Peninsula, which is low and flat. The southwestern region of the peninsula is the highest, reaching an altitude of more than 200 meters (660 feet) above sea level. The Caribbean coastline is long and beautiful, with fine beaches. One important feature of this coastline is the coral reef.
The most important river is the Hondo River, which forms the border with Belize. The state also has many lagoons. There are also underground caves filled with water that has filtered through the porous rocks. These caves are known as cenotés.
Weatherwise, the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea contribute to the climate, which is generally warm and humid. The average temperature range is 25.5°c to 26.5°c (78°f to 80°f), with maximum high temperatures between 36°c and 38°c (97°f and 100°f) and low temperatures ranging from 12°c to 14°c (54°f to 57°f).
The highest monthly average rainfall, 17 centimeters (6.7 inches), occurs in September. Annual rainfall ranges from 1,100 to 1,500 millimeters (43 to 59 inches), with the average being 1,200 millimeters (47 inches). The region is also frequently affected by tropical storms and hurricanes. In September 1989 Hurricane Hugo struck Cancún with 320-kilometer-per-hour (200-mile-per-hour) winds, causing major damage to the resort hotels there.
In that vein, the latest forecast of this coming hurricane season from NOAA predicts above normal and highly active storms with 13 to 20 named storms of which seven to 11 could turn into hurricanes and three to six as major hurricanes. Forecasters define hurricanes as Category 3 storms churning 110-mph winds and above. Forecasters do not routinely predict location of possible landfalls.
Briefly noted…
SIGNS POSTED along the elevated highway through Playa del Carmen ban bikes, other two-wheeled transportation and vehicles with trailers from using the overpasses…CANADIAN TOURIST DROWNS – Samarin Martin, 57, drowned May 17 in the Puerto Aventuras cenote Chac Mool. A guide said the tourist had been told not to enter the water because of his physical condition and pressure problems…A 12-YEAR-OLD BOY who was part of a school group was killed when he climbed the roof of a glass domed museum at the Xcaret Park and fell through the skylight in what park owners termed a very unfortunate accident…A DUTCH VISITOR drowned off the Punta Venado reef as he tried to swim to shore after feeling some discomfort while snorkeling with a group…HOT! HOT!HOT! Weather observers in Q Roo say more cars and deforestation are contributing to hotter weather in the central and southern parts of the state as temperatures reached 34 and 36 degrees Celsius, up from 30 degrees 10 years ago in the same areas…ILLEGAL INVASION of Electric Department and ejido lands in Playa del Carmen led to violence last month with fisticuffs, death threats, three arrests and a torched palapa. No wonder we are seeing guards on duty in their makeshift towers along Highway 307…Q. ROO STATE is moving toward criminalizing vehicular manslaughter cases where a guilty driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs will face four to 12 years in prison and minimum-wage fines from 31,000 to 93,000. Insurers have already boosted social insurance coverage for vehicular deaths to a maximum of $300,000USD. Driver sober, drive carefully…A DRAMATIC GUN BATTLE between police and alleged extortionists in the Colosio Luis Donaldo in Playa’s north end injured one suspect and a 2-year-old child who happened to be near the chase and shootout as the suspects, whose car rammed a chain link fence, were arrested to end the May 25 spree. The suspects had attempted to extort 50,000 pesos from a Playa business. In all, five suspects from Tabasco were arrested…NINE ACTIVE WILDFIRES were being reported in Q. Roo as the Pelican went to press this week. Some 2,783 hectares were involved…HURRICANE SHELTER preparations begin this month in the various municipalities…
Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
We are never too old to learn. “Nunca estamos demasiado viejos para aprender.”
Anyone interested in learning the language can please contact Ms. Contreras by email at nanigloria@hotmail.com or Cel: 984-108-3517.
Church Services… Please click Colonos icon on top right hand of page.
AA and Alanon meetings…
AA and ALANON meetings are held at the public library at the Colegio as follows:
AA Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m; Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon. ALANON meeting is held Mondays at 6 p.m., also at the library. Meetings are “open” and non-members are welcomed to attend.
END THIS POST 
PREVIOUS POSTS BELOW
Thank you for Reading!
Print
National regatta races set to sail here Feb. 1 – 3
Click the sponsor logos at left to learn more about them and if they can help you enjoy your stay, buy property, hire a lawyer or open a bank account. For other services, click on Service Providers page for A/C and electronic repairs, insurance or other providers you might need.
WHAT’S COOKING ?…
BULLETIN:
An Assembly planned for Feb. 16 to debate Colonos beach reclamation funding and guaranteed beach access along Fatima Bay has been postponed to March 22. No reason was given in the Colonos announcement. The possibility of a rescheduling in the event circumstances warranted was reported in a previous issue of the Pelican Free Press . Residents will receive a notification in due time according the Association Bylaws.
Four-class regatta set for Jan. 31-Feb. 3
Championship event will attract hundreds;
Finale with concert, food, fun for all Feb. 3
The Puerto Aventuras Sailing Club has landed the nation’s first of four national championship sailing regattas of 2013. It will he held from the Jan. 31 registration day through the Feb. 3 final legs on two nearby off-shore courses.
Four classes of boats are participating tallying a total of some 180 small vessels accompanied by roughly 300 sailors and their entourages helping fill hotel rooms, condos and restaurants for the duration of the regatta.
PA residents interested in competition sailing will be able to view, for a fee, the action from several of the catboats home-ported here. Residents and guests are invited to join the visiting sailors at 7 p.m. Feb. 3 in a finale concert at the Cultural Center featuring the five-piece Rhythm ‘n Blues band “Natalie and the Foxes.” Food and beverages will be available at the concert. Admission is 80 pesos. Tickets are available at the Colonos office or at the door.
The four classes of boats sailing include the Optimist Class for children, The Laser for youth and adults, Windsurfer class and the 420 two-man class sailed mostly by military cadets.
Daniele Gracis, commodore of the local sailing club, said the staging site where sailors will prepare their boats for launching is at the Phase Four Marina, on the western shore of the South Channel. It is something to watch.
Puerto Aventuras hosted its first national regatta last year toward the end of the high season and it was huge success, according to Gracis and press reports in the sports-centered newspaper “El Deportivo.”
Other regattas this year will be held in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexcio State and Acapulco. Winners of the regattas will represent Mexico on the World Championship teams.
Regatta sponsors include the PA Fideicomiso, Nissan Cars, the Colonos, the Playa del Carmen municipal council, City Club, Coca Cola and the PROA Sailing Association.
Creative theater paints “The Image of Woman”
…And slowly, darkness of night immersed the huddled bodies in sightless anticipation. Suddenly, a primordial shriek of unfettered anguish pierced the black silence as the barely perceptible “Image of Woman” emerged on stage upon a magic carpet, twisting artfully, ascending, struggling, forever soaring…
Canadian choreographer and teacher Patricia Beatty is commended for reminding us that the upward struggle of woman began in tandem with the dark ages. The cartoons of Cave Man casually dragging the suppressed gender by the hair to his lair is anime’s testimony to woman’s long, insufferable journey to empowerment and equality.
The performance was presented with grace in the accommodating space of the Puerto Aventuras Cultural Center on Bahia Akumal last Friday for a one-night stay. It was part of the Colonos’ cultural series that began in earnest last year with well-received concerts.
To say the least, Friday’s offering was not the typical fare PA had been exposed to at previous Cultural Center outings. It was neither concert nor play. It was creative theatre harnessed to a socio-political statement of woman expressing her yearnings, her value and aspirations.
These emotions were reflected in the opening scene by vocal artist Jani Lauzon’s high-pitched native-like chant, deftly employing stepped scales and octaves rather than flowing melody to express the gender’s social evolution. But few words were spoken, and even those were a blend of native mono-syllabic gabble devoid of verbal sense but weighted with meaningful declaration…if that’s what an artistically sensitive audience derived on its own.
A nice touch was the fast-forward treatment of time, skipping through eons from the ancient mantra to the ongoing rhythm and blues age where the vocal baton was passed on to singer Natalie Novak de Perez of Akumal, another talented voice, to wail familiar melody and riffs in the language of the audience: “I don’t need your help, baby. I’ll do it myself or find someone else. I am your help. I am your dream.”
The finale informed us there is more work to be done by “woman” if she is to balance the scale. It cast a young Morgana Peterson of Tulum as the new generation of hope by having her lead the stage exit trailing the red carpet and uttering a curt but convincing “Follow me” to a gilded era of woman before rising even further to the Golden Gate.
Rare is the unflawed production, and this one was no exception. There were technical difficulties, the aerial dance being barely visible and the recorded accompaniment short on quality control and volume. But in theatrical fashion, the performers did not skip a beat.
The show was choreographed by Beatty, who conceived the production with Lucia Perrotta of Puerto Aventuras. Members of the Colonos board manned the ticket booth and beverage concession for the nearly 200 members of the audience that, incidentally, expressed their appreciation of the effort with generous applause.
Letters…
…About going to the dogs…
Dear Editor:
We have a severe issue with a tenant in the next building. The entire neighborhood is upset. Our neighbor, who lives on Blvd. Puerto Aventuras, Building 50, Condo 202, is the issue. She works for a realty company here in Puerto Aventuras. The reason I am giving all this information is because we just can’t care anymore about her feelings something has to be done
Things came to a head this morning (Sunday). She has four dogs.She let the dogs bark, which woke people out of bed this morning. People were actually standing in the street to see what was happening. I was working on the computer and after 10 minutes of this barking couldn’t take it anymore.
The dogs bark many times during the day when she is at work. If we are sitting at the pool or visiting on the terrace, we can’t hear each other. Also, the dog owners in the rest of our building are very vigilant about picking up after the dogs but I have never seen her pick up any poop yet.
The neighborhood is going to put a petition together that we all sign so that something can be done about this situation. She is impossible to talk to and says the dogs are not a problem. We have called security but they don’t write anything down and most of the time don’t understand us.
Signed/Lenny Lipis
Dear Editor:
I read your article in the Pelican Press. We own a condo in which a full-time owner has dogs which howl many times per day for various reasons. When the owner is home, she stops them but when she is away at work, they howl until they decide to stop.We have spoken with the owner and she states that they are dogs and dogs bark and howl. The other condo owners consider it a noise disturbance as well.
Puerto Aventuras should have a rule that deals with dog noise the same as loud music. The pet owners should be warned and fined and if the noise doesn’t end, the dogs should go!
Signed/Caroline Hillkirk
…on beach reclamation
Dear Editor:
Like everyone else, I would like to see the beach reclaimed. However when you look at the sea wall by the second inlet one wonders what was the real need and purpose to build it there.
It may in fact be the cause of the erosion itself. Aside from the possible enormous savings to the developer in disposal costs, it’s purpose is questionable. It is quite possible that the new proposed cure is just an opportunistic attempt to reduce disposal costs for material excavated to build the new canals. The Colonos should hire its own professionals to evaluate any proposal for remediation from the developer and not rush to acceptance based on studies paid for by the developer.
Signed/Michael Savage
…and impotent security policy
Dear Editor:
Seems like nearly everyone in PA is asking questions about Security.
How many residents actually know what the Security company has been hired to do and what their powers are? Why does PA legislate what no one can enforce? Why can’t Security enforce the speed limits? The speeding of not only white tourist vans and busses, as well as by residents and visitors, goes unnoticed and unpunished.
There is alleged to be a rule that prohibits minors from driving golf carts, yet careening carts with young children not only hanging off the sides, but operating at whatever top speed they can achieve, is a common sight. Is it going to take a bloody and possibly fatal accident to wake up the powers that be? Huge amounts are spent for the Security that is important to all residents of PA, yet they do not have the power or capability to stop a boat leaving port under questionable conditions at 3 am.
With the number of robberies reported for the past year, how can PA continue to tout the unconfirmed fact that this is the safest community on the Riviera Maya? What, if any, training has been given to our existing security force regarding robbery investigation, beyond filling out a form?
How much is spent annually for a security force that has no power? The lack of inspections performed on cars being driven by “gringos” is embarrassing. How many of America’s Most Wanted have made their way to Mexico in recent years?
If our Security company can’t control speeders and crime, should they not be replaced by cameras and street lights? Visitors and owners have the responsibility to practice their own common sense security…even to bars on windows.
Signed/ Judith Labrozzi
The Pelican Pulpit…Staff opinion
The Pelican has received two messages, one from recent theft victims who understandably criticize the Colonos security system’s apparent lack of enforcement (refer to full letter above) and another from an interested individual who believes the Pelican Free Press “does not accurately portray the true PA.”
Theft victims Judy and Bob Labrozzi, Linda Brestar and Paul Bussoli who lost in the aggregate $100,000 in jewelry and cash when thieves took two safes from the Brestar-Bussoli condo on New Year’s Eve, have lashed out at the Colonos’ seemingly impotent rule enforcement.
Mrs. Labrozzi writes: “Why does PA legislate what no one can enforce?” It is a good question and one that Colonos General Manager Armando Rincon agrees has a modicum of merit despite being somewhat misdirected.
Rincon infers lax enforcement has less to do with security personnel per se than with the desires of the general community to tolerate so-called misdemeanors via General Assembly policy, and by residents who refuse to abide by simple rules designed to improve safety, security and the human condition here.
One good example cited by Mrs. Labrozzi is the general rule that prohibits unlicensed children to operate golf carts. The rule is clear but is regularly ignored by parents who are complicit in this particular infraction that is obviously tolerated by the general community. In brief, we live in a society by agreement to the rules…but some agree more than others.
The aggrieved and frustrated victims might be better served raising these matters where the heart of policy-making beats…at the Colonos General Assembly.
In another message, passed on to us by the Colonos management, Lee Knudtson, who lives here two months a year and rents his condo the rest of the time we are told, has an issue evidently with the Pelican Free Press publishing crime stories. He offered a handful of crime reports as evidence among the hundreds of stories published about many good things and events. It’s another case of shooting the messenger.
The Pelican news blog insists on fair presentation of events that impact this community. It isn’t about to change that approach only to help create the illusion of Paradise for the profit of the rental industry.
We agree with Mr. Knudtson on two points however: This community probably is one of, if not the safest, comparatively speaking, on the Riviera Maya. And if he wants to create the illusion of Paradise for profiteers by censoring legitimate but unfortunately negative news reports, he correctly should bring his appeal to any other organization – except the Pelican Free Press.
Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
It has been colder than usual here. “Está frío de lo habitual aquí ” Anyone interested in learning the language can please contact Ms. Contreras by email at Gloria Contrerasnanigloria@hotmail.com or Cel: 984-108-3517 so she can prepare materials in advance.
(Classes are from 2;30 to 3;30 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is $150 pesos per session.
What’s Playing…
See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
Centro Maya: http://cinemex.com/
Las Americas: http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215
Briefly noted…
Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports
DENTIST MOVING – Puerto’s only dentist, now located on the ground floor of the Colonos office, will be moving to the Bamboo building across from the Colegio in the near future. Stay tuned…PUERTO MAYA just across the highway is one of four developments receiving approval from the Solidaridad city council in Playa to build more housing….FOUR MONKEYS, no see, no hear, no say and no kidding were spotted by Dory Poritz on Bahia Yalku while on a late afternoon walk. “I couldn’t believe seeing four of them. Three were babies, I think. I was in total bliss.”…PA’s OWN JOHNNY APPLESEED is back and he’s planting more trees along the south beach of Fatima Bay. If condo residents there see light-haired Jan Oliszewicz quietly helping mother nature, say “thank you” for being a “greengo” (You can find a full story about Jan in our last August issue in the archives at right) … RESIDENT ROBERT ROADWAY is back to his digs on Bahia Chemuyil and relating his experiences with the 3-month-long Colorado forest fires that kept him sniffing smoke most of the summer…TWO DEAD IN PLANE CRASH last week on the island of Cozumel. It was a small acrobatics type aircraft that had just finished a tour of the island before crashing near a private air base and reportedly killing the American acrobatic pilot…SLAYING THE DRAGON – The Mexican Center for Environmental Law has filed a suit against the state’s (Q. Roo) Institute of Environmental Impact for allegedly violating rights of public information and participation in approving the Dragon Mart project. This comes just a few days after mart officials said construction would begin next year… A ROUTINE PATROL of an isolated area south of Tulum and near Punta Allen discovered a stash of cocaine believed left there by drug runners using fast boats for routine deliveries there from Colombia. Is that why boats were stolen from Puerto Aventuras?…BEACHGOERS in Playa showed up with jackets to fight off the cold wave that came by over the weekend…
END THIS POST
Owners mark 10th year at Capt. Rick’s helm
SEE ALAN for electronics help; click on Service Provider page
GET COLONOS INFORMATION by clicking Colonos icon at right
CLICK SPONSOR ICONS for lots of information, help
NEXT ISSUE will be in June. Stay tuned
Bob and Glenna Uecker observe a decade
serving an estimated 135,000 fishermen
As snowbirds leave,
more fishermen arrive
By Staff:
If you’re hooked on surprising facts, reel this one in: Bob and Glenna Uecker, who marked their 10th year as owners of Capt. Rick’s Sportfishing Center last week, estimate they have attracted 135,000 fishermen to Puerto Aventuras during their stewardship.
“We average 4,500 trips a year on our 15 boats with an average three people per trip. That’s 13,500 fishermen per year or 135,000 over a decade,” Uecker said during a time-out from the busy season. “I’d say we attract about half of them who come here specifically to fish.” The rest are visitors who sign up for a fishing adventure while touring here or here for pleasurable events like weddings.
Doing big business from a small store in the Centro area, Capt. Rick’s busy season – from late March through July when the migrating bill fish like marlin and sailfish are running – roughly coincides with the end of the snowbird high season. The big fish arrive at the snowbird exodus, thus sustaining a consumer level to help feed other local businesses.
Another new factsurfacing is the discovery of Capt. Rick’s and Puerto Aventuras by Russian fishermen, Uecker said. “The largest national group doing business with us is from the United States followed by Canada and Germany. Then it was Mexico but in the last two years, Russians have displaced Mexico in fourth place.”
Then comes Mexico, South America, Dutch (“they love to fish”) France and Italy.
Netting a good share of the fishing visitors is quite an accomplishment for a man who started his working life in the U.S. as a pharmacist, then owning a marketing company that he sold, enabling him to retire at age 45 to find something new. “Being in this business was the farthest thing from my mind – until (former owner) Andy Beltran invited us down here. Glenna was reluctant, but fell in love with the place and we bought the business.”
The Ueckers didn’t speak Spanish then, nor did Bob have extensive sport fishing experience. “I’m from St. Louis. No ocean there. But as a kid I did canoe and use jon boats on rivers until moving to Virginia where I got a good taste for deep-sea fishing for three years.”
Capt. Rick’s was pretty much running itself when he bought it, Uecker said. “Glenna took over the office routine and I managed the crews and boats.” They employ 40 people and the fleet ranges from 23- to 48-foot boats. “In 10 years not one captain has left,” Uecker said. “The crews made it easy for us.” It is testimony to how well the business developed as the Ueckers folded into the social and business life here and becoming concerned citizens. Their success makes Capt. Rick’s an important feeder to the local economy.
“Glenna’s the heart of the business,” Uecker said, then paused, and added “the brains too.” The Ueckers have forged a close relationship with the crews. “We argue like any family does, but when adversity strikes, we come together.” They have also provided an adventure that keeps many of the clients coming back yearly.
Over the decade, the Ueckers have volunteered on charity golf committees and Bob has involved himself and others supporting baseball for youth in the Poblado by providing uniforms, equipment and moral support for the players.
So how do they feel after 10 years? “We’re here to stay,” they agree.
(Learn more about Captain Rick’s and Caribbean fishing adventures by clicking on the company logo in the left column of this page. They have a really extensive website.)
Commerce Corner…
His business is keeping area buildings dry
and protected from damage by the elements
By Staff:
Here’s a business that delivers environmentally clean dryness in an otherwise soggy climate.
Not only does Ing. (Engineer) Alberto Rivera Arguelles of “Definitive Solutions” distribute impermeable products, chemicals and paints to waterproof and maintain any size building, roof, road or wall,, the company alsoexcels in skillfully applying the products to new construction or older homes and commercial buildings.
“Half the success of a job is in the application process,” he said.
Although the bi-lingual Rivera has been operating the distributorship and service company delivering dryness to the Riviera Maya and Cancun for nearly five years, the resident of Puerto Aventuras has been keeping water and mildew at bay since 1999.
That was when the graduate of Monterrey Technical college joined the Johns Manville Co., of Denver, CO., manufacturer of premium-quality building insulation, commercial roofing and specialty products.
He cut his teeth there and in 2005, Rivera and a brother formed their own company in Tabasco, where he was raised, to distribute and apply improved products designed to protect and preserve basic building materials like concrete and tile from the ravages of water, mildew, cracks, time and other damage.
While his brother remained at the Tabasco distributorship, Rivera ventured to booming Playa del Carmen where he saw a need for another branch of the business.
The brothers had formed an early relationship with “Imperquimia” a leading Mexican manufacturer of “the most durable waterproof cloak” on the market and a SEMARNAT-approved “green” company. SEMARNAT is the federal cabinet-level department responsible for environmental policy and legislation.
The relationship with “Imperquimia” matured when Rivera became certified as a master distributor and applicator of the products he sells to contractors, homeowners, hotels, condo administrators and others seeking one-stop shopping to waterproof a new roof or repair and protect older leaking roofs, pools, cisterns, walls, stamped-concrete streets and add a protective paint job.
Importantly, Rivera was also certified to train other contractors to properly apply the products he distributes, which he does at classes-on-demand. “I want them to be successful applicators so I can be their supplier forever,” he quips.
Rivera’s expansion to Playa del Carmen helped Definitive Solutions earn recognition from “Imperquimia” as a No. 1 distributor in Mexico.
“A small house or big business, no job is too big or too small, ” for his crew of eight to 10 application technicians. They get around in four company vehicles hauling materials from his well-stocked “Imperquimia” distributorship which also includes products from major suppliers like Curacreto, for coatings, joint sealants, paints and Thermotek impermeable products ordered through Rivera’s company.
The company has structure maintenance and repair contracts with major hotels such as Royal Solaris in Cancun, the Palladium on Highway 307, Sandos Playacar and Caracol, and worked on the Liverpool project among others. It is currently engaged in a project for the nearby international Calica company.
Rivera lives in PA with his wife and their two children who are being schooled at the Colegio here and enjoy tennis and being towed by their father’s watercraft.
Rivera invites any business or homeowner needing advice on waterproofing, protective painting or plugging leaks to click on the company logo in the left column for a comprehensive list (in Spanish and translated English) of products and services on its website or call 984-110-5037 or e-mailalberto@solucionesimperquimia.com .
(The Pelican welcomes Definitive Solutions as a sponsor helping to disseminate news and information to Greater Puerto Aventuras’ English-speaking community.)
BUSINESS BRIEFS …
EVEN BEFORE Centro’s only internet cafe shut down suddenly last month, another one had popped up in Centro right next to the CEDAM Museum entrance. It also sells minor office supplies..NEW CITY HALL – We didn’t know one was being built in Playa del Carmen at a site “west of the city” –which would mean the ejido lands. Will it replace the municipal palace?…PRESIDENTS PENA NIETO AND OBAMA met this week in Mexico City and promised more cooperation developing the two economies. The drug war played second fiddle…
In case you want to know…
Lawyers pitch services at tax meeting
More solid questions
than answers at parley
About 35 people attended a Spanish language meeting with two lawyers last week to discuss what was evidently an unexpected action by the federal government to collect taxes from properties bordering certain inland waterfront, such as canals, as extensions of the shorefront federal zone.
Bi-lingual sources told the Pelican Free Press, which was represented at the meeting, that the Colonos-sponsored parley apparently sought to get agreement from land owners present to select one of two lawyers bidding to represent them as a class-action group. Another bid is to represent each owner individually since each parcel has different parameters upon which the tax reportedly is calculated.
At least one owner referred to the government’s claim as “expropriation” of private property.
Common knowledge has been that the federal zone was limited to shorefront extending 20 meters – or 65.7 feet – from the water line. Last high season, beachfront HOAs on Fatima Bay complained of receiving tax bills in the thousands of dollars because beach erosion had brought the water line much closer to the private properties. This meant private properties were then within the 65 feet, that is, partly in the federal zone and therefore subject to added taxation.
But the latest twist is apparently more befuddling and complex. as many questions from the floor indicated, and as the lawyers lifted eyebrows while responding to complex questions with “es que es” – it is what it is.
A letter sent to Puerto Aventuras owners of private homes, condominiums and commercial properties bordering the man-made canals and other inland waterways of Puerto Aventuras (and elsewhere we presume) lays claim to a 3-meter – or 9.10 feet – federal zone on what heretofore had been considered private land or docks by owners.
There were more solid questions than there were enlightening answers and at this time it appears that if a disagreement with the government claim is pursued in the courts, a settlement could be a long way off. Meanwhile, the plan seems to be to get a “stay” from the tax collection until the disagreements are legally settled or the legitimacy of the government’s claim proven at the altar of law.
Another meeting, by invitation only, was scheduled for 9 a.m. May 2 for further deliberations. As of this writing, no decision had been released for public consumption.
Letters…
Writer takes water company to task
for questionable billing practices
Dear Editor:
|
(Ed. Note: This letter is in reference to the above letter on water usage.)
Dear Editor:
Usage per unit Price per liter: 0 – 15 liters, 10 pesos per liter; 16 – 30 liters, 15 pesos per liter; 31 – 39 liters, 20 pesos per liter; 40+ liters, 28 pesos per liter.
This is water, not gasoline. Price is per cubic meter (1000 liters) and not by liter. If it was by liter we would all be broke in Puerto Aventuras.
Signed/ TDF Casino
Shine some light on Colonos expenditures
Dear Editor:
Just curious where our Colonos fees are going with the following problems: 1. At least a third of the light bulbs are out in the walkways, side of road etc. If we are trying to catch thieves… don’t we need light to see them and for the cameras to see them?
2. At the visitor center there was a beer bottle sitting there for three weeks and the grass has not been cut, it’s calf high. The grass is not cut in many of the public areas. Is there someone overseeing the maintenance?
3. Not sure if this is Colonos or Federal but why are there no more colored lights on the overpass?
Why also are there no lights on the highway outside of Puerto Aventuras? Assuming this is not Colonos responsibility – I only hope that Colonos would be concerned with the safety of everyone that lives, works or visits this area.
Thank you in advance for posting this and hopefully getting some answers or motivation for a resolution.
Signed/Eduardo Colin
Church Services…
STA. TERESITA del NINO Jesus Y la Santa Paz (Roman Catholic)
Puerto Aventuras Poblado Masses: daily/Mondays through Sundays, 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sundays, 9 a.m. (Spanish) . Church office Tel. 984-206-6245 (daily, 9 a.m .- 1 p.m. and 4 – 8 p.m.) Contact: The Rev. James Hogan
CORPUS CHRISTI (Roman Catholic)
Calle 110A entre 25, Playa del Carmen (near Soriana);Mass: Saturdays, 11 a.m. (Spanish)
Church offfice: 803-0600; Contact: The Rev. James Hogan
FELLOWSHIP CHURCHPAAMUL- Non-denominational English worship Service is at 9:00 a.m Sundays in Paamul at the Palapa Church and at 10:45 a.m.at the Hacienda Real Hotel, Avenida 10 and Calle10 in Playa del Carmen.
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH IN TULUM – “Lighting the way to Life” English worship Service is non-denominational, 10:00 a.m. Sundays with continental breakfast at 9:30; located on Highway 307, 1.2 miles past San Francisco grocery, hospital and Subway, next door to fruit stand. IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN:English speaking, non-denominational Christian Worship Service begins April 21 and meets every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. For more information and directions:www.lighthousechurch.mx
Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
I’ll be back next winter. “Regreso el próximo invierno”
Anyone interested in learning the language can please contact Ms. Contreras by email atnanigloria@hotmail.com or Cel: 984-108-3517 so she can prepare materials in advance.
(Classes are from 8:30 to 9:30 a..m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is 150 pesos per session.
AA and Alanon meetings…
AA and ALANON meetings are held at the public library at the Colegio as follows:
AA Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m; Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon. ALANON meeting is held Mondays at 6 p.m., also at the library. Meetings are “open” and non-members are welcomed to attend.
What’s Playing…
See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
Centro Maya: http://cinemex.com/
Las Americas: http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215
Briefly noted…
Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports
FEDERAL POLICE PRSENCE is being felt on Highway 307 from Cancun to Tulum with more police filters in random areas stopping cars for general inspection of papers…BREAKDOWN OF EQUIPEMENT hampered military personnel fighting forest fires 40miles west of Puerto Aventuras near a village of Tunich Ha. Some of the smoky smell reached the PA resort and wafted through open windows…BETTER TRANSPORTATION of workers within sprawling Playa del Carmen is the goal of a new public transportation study being launched…SQUATTERSoccupying private land in Puerto Morelos were told by the mayor there to leave or face possible jail. We have noticed guards in makeshift towers along Highway 307 with signs below them saying it is private property. Now we quite possibly know why they are there…to keep squatters, some of whom have invaded electric power line lands in Playa, off private property…SEASONAL LAYOFFS in the tourist industry already has families heading for the pawn shops to trade items for needed cash…A FIREFIGHTER SCHOOL could be up and running next year in Playa del Carmen…SPEAKING OF WHICH, area hospitals have been receiving some walk-in patients having trouble breathing because of the wildfires at the Solidarity-Lasaro Cardenas border…ON THE OTHER HAND, fewer cases of heat stroke are being reported because people are taking more protection from the sun and drinking more fluids, the hospitals report…
END THIS POST
‘Waterfront’ tax expands inland; skips pools
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Pelican Free Press and the Colonos web site are endeavoring to work closer together to assure the most information reaches the most people. We begin by alerting residents that the form to renew gate passes is now available on the Colonos web site. Click on the Colonos icon at right to find the form. Print it, fill it out and bring it and a photo I.D. (passport or driver license), to the Colonos office when you can after May 1 to recertify your gate and resident card. Thank you for your cooperation. For more details, read our previous issue or find details on the Colonos site.
Usual transition to monthly issues begins
Dear Readers:
As usual, the Pelican Free Press transitions this week from a weekly to monthly publication schedule for the summer season. Our next issue will be June 1 and monthly thereafter.
Weekly publication will resume in November. Special summer publications will be issued when dictated by news events deemed important to our readers. We thank you for your interest and are particularly grateful to our sponsors for their continued support.
If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do so now, enabling us to e-mail you when we publish. It’s free. We trust you will stay tuned during the summer as we monitor developments in Phase 4, replenishment of Fatima Bay beachfront, the ongoing efforts to create a Dragon Mart and ferry routes from Tampa to Calica and Progreso; Colonos and Fideicomiso projects such as beach-pass progress, roadwork and lighting, the booming development of Puerto Maya and the Red Cross clinic in the Poblado, hurricane watch, business news and more affecting Greater Puerto Aventuras.
Meanwhile, enjoy the northern climate and rest your wings for a well-informed return flight.
Tax letter vexes canal-front homeowners
By Staff
It is no secret that the federal government of President Enrique Pena Nieto has an appetite for new taxes to underwrite his aggressive social and infrastructure agenda. Mr. Pena Nieto’s administration is even looking at taxing food and medicine, something his PRI party has never supported.
There should be little surprise, then, that owners of homes, businesses and condos fronting the canals and other inland water bodies in Puerto Aventuras have been receiving letters from the government concerning the payment of taxes for fronting on a federal water zone.
Common knowledge has been that the federal zone along a beach extends 20 meters – or 65.7 feet – from the water line. Last high season, beachfront HOAs on Fatima Bay complained of receiving tax bills in the thousands of dollars because beach erosion had brought the water line much closer to the private properties. This meant private properties were then within the 65 feet, that is, partly in the federal zone and therefore subject to added taxation.
But the latest twist is apparently more befuddling and complex.
A letter sent to Puerto Aventuras owners of private homes, condominiums and commercial properties bordering the man-made canals and other inland waterways of Puerto Aventuras (and elsewhere we presume) lays claim to a 3-meter – or 9.10 feet – federal zone on what commonly has been considered private land or docks.
One such owner, who is well-versed in the ways of the Mexican government, said he has been told by a privately-hired biologist that the government assertion is bogus. Paying taxes on what is suddenly claimed as federal land is nothing short of what is arguably the expropriation of private property, he said.
He wants chapter and verse of the law spelled out for him before he surrenders to the request for payment, which generally is calculated by multiplying a property’s width by three (meters), according to some sources. “It’s not big money,” said the source, but noted it could increase yearly thereafter once landowners are listed in the system.
But another view from an official of the Colonos notes the law creating a federal zone along canals – particularly those drawing water from, and open to, the sea – was passed more than a decade ago and evidently just now beginning to be enforced.
The Colonos itself, inside the Centro Comercial, reportedly received a letter because it evidently is part of the complex that borders the dolphin pools and marina.
As in so many cases of Mexican legislation, the law is couched in sufficient confusing nuance and complexity as to make deciphering it an intellectual sport with the twists and turns of a good mystery novel.
For the moment, it is each landowner vs. the government.
COMMERCE CORNER…
Bill abolishing residential bank trust requirement
passes lower chamber as Senate awaits its turn
By Staff
The Mexican press predicted it last week and on Tuesday it came true: Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies, akin to the U.S. House of Representatives, decisively passed 356-119 a measure abolishing the “bank trust”requirement for foreigners in what was formerly the “restricted” zones such as Puerto Aventuras and the entire coastal Maya Riviera. Trusts will still be available for those who might want them.
The measure would allow foreigners to own land for residential purposes only without having to go through the expensive “bank trust” (fideicomiso) arrangement that many buyers viewed as an unfair requirement and burden on foreign investors – a “rip-off” fattening the banks, to put it in the vernacular.
Representative Hectar Gutierrez de la Garza noted there were 60,000 bank trusts issued in the past 12 years that in his opinion represented 60,000 situations “that we are trying to avoid.”
Now the bill goes to the upper chamber, the Senate, where anything could happen, as is usually the case when the two chambers try to effect compromises to please a variety of constituencies. But if Tuesday’s voting numbers are any indication, it is quite possible the end of the fideicomiso era could be in sight.
It is probably too soon to tell what all this means to current owners who bought under the trust rules, since debate on the measure isn’t over until the Senate votes. Will all the existing trusts be voided as well?
Ending the trust requirement is a boon to Puerto Aventuras and all other developing areas within the 30-mile coastal and 60-mile border zones where the bank trust is required. Foreign buyers will be able to accomplish their deals faster, Mexican property owners will be able to sell faster. Buyers will save dollars on the trust creation and be free of yearly trust costs, thus eliminating bank charges for doing what amounts to nothing.
Less expense and less hassle should be another enticement to buy and retire in what most snowbirds, x-pats and Canadians from the frigid north see as “Paradise.”
This puts Puerto Aventuras, where another phase is being developed in a prime position to hustle sales, provided land speculators do not glue themselves to the altar of greed. To repeat: As passed by the Deputies, elimination of the trust is for residential property only, not business. Abolishing the trust process makes buying a house look less daunting and will better accommodate current owners with property for sale.
Tie this in with recently announced movement in Riviera Maya toward medical tourism
(see story below) and the future for x-pat population and job creation looks brighter.
The bank trust idea was a legislative artifice to change the 1917 Constitution’s ban on foreign ownership without having to jump through the many hoops of actually changing the Constitution. But 50 years ago the residential trust idea was no longer politically necessary and it has taken this long to attempt to eliminate it.
Representative Raul Paz Alonzo Yucatan of the PAN party said it best in backing the bill: The intent, he said, “is to end the pretense that exists today that allow foreigners to acquire property in the restricted zone by holding trusts, corporations or other legal tricks.”
Now to wait for Senate ratification.
BUSINESS BRIEFS…
FISHING’S GREAT with Capt. Rick as photo below attests. This beauty was caught by Sabrina Moak on the Reel Stripper. Now is the season for sailfish, blue and white marlin, and Mahi-mahi… SEAL REMOVAL from water bottles being delivered by E-Pura here is questioned by
some health activists who say a move like that would never be sanctioned where there is government health oversight. More later…WRIST RESTED – Gaylita, owner of Cafe Ole, has recovered well from a broken wrist and is back helping out needy children with horse therapy, which is how she broke her wrist…DRAGON MART Cancun is going to court in Chetumal to force a decision by Cancun officials that have not yet approved the mart’s bid for a building permit…EMERGENCY CALLS in Riviera Maya grow with the population. Figures released last week show emergency numbers in the area receive from 600 to 2,000 calls daily depending on the season. Most are for domestic problems…FLY EASY – The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has postponed its earlier plan to allow certain small knives aboard flights. The flying public rejected the idea by 54 percent in a recent poll…
In case you want to know…
‘Medical City’ said coming to Playa, Cancun
New facilities would service ‘medical tourism’
By Staff:
The Pelican Free Press has advocated in previous editions that this area consider investing in the blossoming “medical tourism” industry to attract additional visitors from the U.S., Canada and ultimately other countries.
We reported on the story that President Obama’s administration and that of the previous Mexican president, Oscar Calderon, had quietly agreed to cooperate in an endeavor to extend U.S. accreditation to medically qualified Mexican hospitals. This would qualify the hospitals to receive payment from U.S. insurers.
The Pelican also suggested this area could be ripe for long-term care facilities to service foreign elderly with insurance coverage and individual ability to pay for care over the long haul at less expense than in the more advanced countries.
The thinking is that the northern countries need relief from high-cost medical care and Mexico needs businesses to employ its increasing middle-class population, creating what appears to be, on paper at least, a win-win situation.
There now appears to be an awakening to these possibilities in the Riviera Maya where a population of 1 million is expected to be reached before the decade is out. There are reports saying construction of two such facilities, one in Cancun to cover from Cancun to Puerto Morelos and another between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, are now in the planning pipeline.
Word of these possibilities comes as Serevanda Acuna, president of the medical tourism association, prepares to construct the first tertiary and internationally certified hospital in Playa del Carmen.
A requirement of U.S. citizens to have a hospital within 10 minutes of their home is what has propelled the notion of two rather than one medical city.
The history of Rome applies here: Rome was not built in a day and medical tourism won’t develop overnight, but the more agitation for it, the faster it may happen.
The Pelican Pulpit…
Score one for inconsiderate noisemakers
By Staff
The neighbor said he actually got out of bed one night last weekend , dressed and went outside to find out where the heck the loud music (noise) was coming from. It could have been from one of the hotels, but, he decided, hotels in P.A. are generally considerate enough to shut down the noise by 11 p.m. This crass cacophony was still raging at 2: 30 a.m. thundering in the wind over the golf course like a monster nightmare.
This neighbor, by the way, shuts all windows and doors before retiring and still, the music was so loud it seemed it was being fired out of a battleship’s big guns. It awakened him.
Unlike some families, this writer generally refuses to turn his hard-earned condo unit into a bunker and deny himself and his family the fresh and quiet evening breeze that is the Caribbean’s caressing gift to mankind. It is why we purchased here, for nights of peace after a lifetime of work, war, raising a family and overcoming the myriad problems of existence that tests us all. It is precisely a good night’s sleep that helps sustain us through all of that and older age.
Curiosity being what it is, a call was placed to Security. Granted, gringos are guests in Mexico and while some of us strive to learn Spanish, it doesn’t happen overnight. With an apology for our language deficiency, and in deference to the reality of PA’s large English-speaking community, it was disheartening that Security, usually reliable on such occasions, had no one available who spoke English. This has already prompted a suggestion to Colonos that it hire a bi-lingual night-staffer to handle complaints and emergencies for all fee-paying residents.
Had we wanted to punish our sensibilities with booze, noise and incomprehensible drunkards, we would have chosen Playa del Carmen, where we first shopped for a retirement shanty and where, we learned, the nightlife is expected and embraced by transient tourists and local night-lifers. We were told we could expect a night’s sleep in family-friendly Puerto Aventuras. Unfortunately, as is always the case with man, we have to keeping fighting for it.
There is no reason for resident owners to deny themselves the peace they seek after 11 p.m., no reason to imprison themselves in a dark and stuffy cement cocoon or stick their heads in the sand to find solace. Noisemakers just need to be considerate of the 11 p.m. compromise rule.
A good example to follow is Centro Comercial where 98 percent of the businesses and the upstairs condo owners strain and usually succeed in noise abatement as the result of a compromise that both sides generally adhere to. Really, that’s all it takes. Compromise. Sleepers suffer the noise until an agreed-upon hour, businesses endure the silence afterwards.
It is incumbent upon the late-night noisemakers, particularly those who profit by doing so, to assure some of their income is reinvested in noise abatement, assuring their noise does not escape their walls or territory. It’s the considerate thing to do in the interest of peaceful co-existence.
Letters…
Pay some attention to Canadians, A?
Dear Editor:
I would like to commend you on the wonderful job that you are doing by covering very relevant and topical issues pertaining not only to Puerto Aventuras but also the entire Mayan Riviera and Cancun.
However, as a Canadian I have noticed that many articles refer only to American residents. If and where possible could you kindly include Canadian references also?
Thank you
Signed/Cedric Thompson
(Ed. Note: Sure. Let this be the first. Maybe Canadians in Puerto Aventuras and their c0nsul will help you by letting The Pelican know what’s up with them like you just did?)
Check our new link with the Colonos web site
Dear Editor:
Many of us come back to our PA home and many may not have all the required identification the Colonos office may need to issue passes. Would you please be so kind as to do a little background work for us all so we will have what we need when we go to apply for those passes (car passes and passes to allow foot traffic though approved points in the future to the sea).
Many of our accounts are set to pay automatically so we don’t always have copies of electric bills, telephone bills, etc. that may (or may not) be needed to apply for these Colonos entry passes.
Thank you for the excellent source of ongoing information. We ALWAYS tell every new person we meet to check out your fine piece of press if they really want to know what is going on in PA.
Signed/Mary and Bernie Strojny
(Ed. Note: See “Important Notice” above and check out the Colonos web site. Thanks for the kind words too.)
Church Services…
STA. TERESITA del NINO Jesus Y la Santa Paz (Roman Catholic)
Puerto Aventuras Poblado Masses: daily/Mondays through Sundays, 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sundays, 9 a.m. (Spanish) . Church office Tel. 984-206-6245 (daily, 9 a.m .- 1 p.m. and 4 – 8 p.m.) Contact: The Rev. James Hogan
CORPUS CHRISTI (Roman Catholic)
Calle 110A entre 25, Playa del Carmen (near Soriana);Mass: Saturdays, 11 a.m. (Spanish)
Church offfice: 803-0600; Contact: The Rev. James Hogan
FELLOWSHIP CHURCH PAAMUL- Non-denominational English worship Service is at 9:00 a.m Sundays in Paamul at the Palapa Church and at10:45 a.m. at the Hacienda Real Hotel, Avenida 10 and Calle10 in Playa del Carmen.
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH IN TULUM – “Lighting the way to Life” English worship Service is non-denominational, 10:00 a.m. Sundayswith continental breakfast at 9:30; located on Highway 307, 1.2 miles past San Francisco grocery, hospital and Subway, next door to fruit stand. IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN:English speaking, non-denominational Christian Worship Service begins April 21 and meets every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. For more information and directions: www.lighthousechurch.mx
Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
My order is a take out “Mi orden es para llevar”
Anyone interested in learning the language can please contact Ms. Contreras by email atnanigloria@hotmail.com or Cel: 984-108-3517 so she can prepare materials in advance.
(Classes are from 8:30 to 9:30 a..m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is 150 pesos per session.
AA and Alanon meetings…
AA and ALANON meetings are held at the public library at the Colegio as follows:
AA Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m; Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon. ALANON meeting is held Mondays at 6 p.m., also at the library. Meetings are “open” and non-members are welcomed to attend.
What’s Playing…
See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
Centro Maya: http://cinemex.com/
Las Americas: http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215
Briefly noted…
Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports
IMPROVED POWER was instituted in the Centro Playa del Carmen area Saturday when service was closed down to complete the work by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE.) Now, what about those lights along the highway from Playa to Puerto Aventuras? Why are they no longer on to improve safe passage?…LOT OF CHATTER going on about the influx or “guards” sitting in homemade guard towers along the highway protecting – what? Anybody have an answer? – or do we just have fun with rumor mongering?… MORE SEATS and benches are being sought for placement around Playa’s 5th Avenue for tired tourists. Is there enough seating in PA’s Centro Comercial? …A MOTORCYCLIST was killed when the bike collided with a bull running out from some bushes along a highway in Jose Maria Morelos. The passenger was injured…WILDFIRES caused partly by the current drought floated smoke to some parts of Playa del Carmen this week while some residents of Puerto Aventuras got a slight whiff of it too. The largest fire was reported northwest of Xpu-Ha, engulfing some 980 acres…
END THIS POST
Main gate resident pass renewals required
System will penalize owners
in arrears, improve security
By Staff
Residents with main gate passes will have to confirm them for this and succeeding years under a plan revealed this week by the Colonos, which is the property owners’ association and the closest thing to resort government.
Residents have the month of May to go to the Colonos office to verify the continued viability of their gate pass(es).
By June, however, any owner who has not verified his or her pass(es) will not appear in the system and will need to recertify. By July 1, uncertified pass holders will be unable to gain access or egress through the automated gates. Those drivers will have to filter through the checkpoint lanes and leave identification with the guards until they leave the resort and/or until such time as they reapply for a pass with the Colonos, which can be done at any time of the year.
The gate pass verification process will be an annual event and owners in arrears are alerted that fast-lane cards will not be re-certified until payment is made.
The Colonos is updating the gate system and needs to eliminate “ghost passes,” that is, passes that may no longer be viable. “For example,” said Colonos general manger Armando Rincon, “some owners may have two or three passes to accommodate a spouse, or workers that are no longer working for them.” Also, the passes need to be renewed for workers in general as well, Rincon added.
Condo owners affected
A new wrinkle added to the rules could penalize condominium unit owners who are inarrears in their condo fees. A portion of the condo fee goes to the Colonos assessment every year. After the verification period, the fast-lane passes of condo owners who are in arrears incondo maintenance fees could be revoked upon notification to the Colonos by condo administrators. “This was offered to the administrators as a pressure tool to collect maintenance fees from delinquent owners. Administrators will only have to request the cancellation,”Rincon said.
He met for the first time in two years with condo administrators last week to explain the new system and to request the names and email addresses of all individual unit owners.
“As it is now,” Rincon explained, “the Colonos office does not have names and email addresses of individual condo unit owners because the Colonos assesses the condo homeowners association/administration rather than individual unit owners.”
He said not being able to communicate directly with condo owners perpetuates the recurring problem of people who tell the Colonos they “didn’t know” about this or that rule or deadline.
Some administrators balked at releasing e-mail addresses of unit owners. They wanted express permission from vigilance committees and/or a written agreement e-mail addresses will be kept confidential and never sold or otherwise distributed. The Colonos is preparing such an agreement.
Gate passes will have to be recertified annually. Snowbirds who have already departed, and those about to depart before May 1, will be able to recertify or re-apply upon their return.
Speaking of passes, beach passes are being planned for distribution to property owners. In the case of rentals, Rincon said, the Colonos is working on a system whereby it is hoped owners will be able to leave beach passes with administrators for use by renters.
Saying that people want more security and efficiency, Rincon noted the new gate system and its equipment and cameras is intended as a step in that direction.
Forecasters agree: Busy hurricane season ahead
While the accuracy of early April hurricane estimates is in question, four major forecasters have already agreed that – averaging their own predictions – the 2013 season will generate 16 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes. That’s more than usual.
It may be early, but forecasters at Colorado State University anticipate a warm, tropical Atlantic and low likelihood of El Nino, which usually suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity, to general more than average storms.
With six weeks to go before the hurricane season starts, there are predictions that at least one storm will hit the Gulf or U.S. shore. Later forecasts should be more accurate. Stay tuned.
Commerce Corner…
‘We R Water’ celebrates first year of business
By Staff
They didn’t just dive into the entrepreneurial pool on a sudden, whimsical urge. They walked around it. They watched the pool guys maintain it. They took note of the chemicals and equipment being used to keep the pool fresh, clean, safe and inviting. They asked many, many questions. They opened books, scoured the Internet, studied the labels and claims of manufacturers. They discussed and debated at every turn over a period of eight months.
Then Leliet Duschkin and Lucie Wedge, friends for more than 13 years and both bi-lingual, studied the lay of their environment before fulfilling their shared ambition to become entrepreneurs, have a business of their own. “There were already too many restaurants and small retail shops.” Then they thought, “…there are a lot of pools in the area but no local supplier.” Now there is one.
What was missingfrom this Greater Puerto Aventuras quarter of Paradise was a retail outlet for “all things water.” So they decided to fill that void, to save residents and businesses using chemicals and equipment to maintain pools and improve the domestic water supply, from having to travel a distance for their needs.
“We want to be the connecting point for all things water, from supplies, pool toys, tiles, lights, pumps and other equipment for the purification and softening of household water to arranging, when requested, for repairs and maintenance of pools and Jacuzzis though our network of qualified tradesmen and technicians,” they said.
Their business, “We R Water” is now ensconced in a retail stall on the Dolphin Walk in the Centro Comercial area of Puerto Aventuras, just across from the Omni Hotel. Inside are all the ready-to-load supplies for pool and Jacuzzi maintenance and various brand name items of equipment having to do with water. (Fore more information, click on the WeRWater icon on this page to access their website.)
Christening of the website and sponsorship of the Pelican Free Press celebrates the company’s first year in business here on May 21. “We are happy with the response so far,” the owners said. “Hopefully, we’re here to stay.”
Besides being a businesswoman, Leliet Duschkin is a former teacher and now a freelance language instructor, translator and interpreter. She is the mother of two boys and lives in Puerto Aventuras.
Lucy Wedge is the mother of two girls and handler of six horses where she lives in Rancho San Martin just off Highway 307 on the Akumal-Puerto Aventuras border. Her youngest daughter, at 12, competes in Yucatan equestrian events.
They invite anyone with pool, Jacuzzi, household water problems or water-related questions to stop by the business or call them at 984-873-5283 during business hours, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,or email lucywerwater@gmail.com or lelietwerwater@gmail.com.
BUSINESS BRIEFS - Cafe Cafe, Centro’s only Internet cafe, is no longer in business at its location near the Dolphin Adventures store. The place was emptied and doors were closed without notice over the weekend. A source said the property will be occupied by a Cuban restaurant.
FUN WAY TO ENJOY A DAY – More than 200 visited the Latitude 20 Restaurant’s Food, Fashion, Art and Music Fair Sunday along the idyllic Lagoon of Dreams. At top, artists and craftspersons display their wares and converse with strollers. At right, Pamela Sanvincent spreads coconut over her homemade flan. It that was a hit with dessert lovers out to please the palate following a fine assortment of lunches. Pamela, a chef in her own right, is the wife of Latitude 20 chef Danny Sanvincent.
.
In case you want to know…
Questions to ask your health insurer
Presented by the local U.S.Consular agency
Q: Why should I be concerned about medical coverage abroad?
· The Social Security Medicare Program does not provide coverage for hospital or medical costs outside the United States; Many health insurance plans do not provide coverage overseas. Those that provide “customary and reasonable” hospital costs abroad may not pay for your medical evacuation back to the United States which can cost $12,000.00 and up depending on your location and medical condition.
· Many foreign doctors and hospitals require payment in cash prior to providing service;· Uninsured patients may be refused service; · Countries with socialized medicine may not provide full services to non-residents; Payment of hospital and other expenses abroad is the responsibility of the traveler;· Some countries require tourists to carry accident or travel insurance. Check the Country Specific Information for the countries you plan to visit for detailed information.
Q: What questions should I ask my health insurance company?
· Does this insurance policy cover emergency expenses abroad such as returning me to the United States for treatment if I become seriously ill?· Does this insurance cover high-risk activities such as parasailing, mountain climbing, scuba diving and off-roading?· Does this policy cover pre-existing conditions?· Does the insurance company require pre-authorizations or second opinions before emergency treatment can begin?· Does the insurance company guarantee medical payments abroad?· Will the insurance company pay foreign hospitals and foreign doctors directly?· Does the insurance company have a 24-hour physician-backed support center? · Senior citizens may wish to contact theAmerican Association of Retired Persons for information about foreign medical care coverage with Medicare supplement plans.
Letters…
Writers applaud noise abatement negotiations
Dear Editor:
As a condo owner 50 meters from Cantina Gringo, and after years of complaint to the Colonos, I am glad to see that the noise problem is being addressed. However, the federal law trumps municipal law, and the federal law prohibits excessive noise at all times, not just after 11 p.m. Amplification is the problem. The music should be limited to customers and not the surrounding community.
Signed/ James Pavlakis
Dear Editor:
Clubs in the marina are not the only sources of noise pollution above and beyond reasonable levels in PA. Dreams Resort is a particular offender for those of us living around the caleta or Bahia Kantenah. Loudspeakers that face the beach waft annoyingly loud music and recreational games into the peaceful environment sought by condo owners. Hopefully the negotiations under way between the Colonos and various establishments will include the large hotels.
Signed? Kerry Novick
Dear Editor:
I live at Marina Mia far from The Marina,but I still hear “noise pollution” from the hotels on either side of me and too top it off that “noise pollution” from the sea.No wonder the merchants in P.A. have a hard time keeping a business open with the attitude that seems to be prevalent.
Signed/Jimmy Don
Dear Editor:
We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site provided us with useful info to work on. You’ve done an impressive process and our entire neighborhood will probably be thankful to you.
Signed/ Kristofer Willis
Church Services…
STA. TERESITA del NINO Jesus Y la Santa Paz (Roman Catholic)
Puerto Aventuras Poblado Masses: daily/Mondays through Sundays, 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sundays, 9 a.m. (Spanish) . Church office Tel. 984-206-6245 (daily, 9 a.m .- 1 p.m. and 4 – 8 p.m.) Contact: The Rev. James Hogan
CORPUS CHRISTI (Roman Catholic)
Calle 110A entre 25, Playa del Carmen (near Soriana);Mass: Saturdays, 11 a.m. (Spanish)
Church offfice: 803-0600; Contact: The Rev. James Hogan
FELLOWSHIP CHURCHPAAMUL- Non-denominational English worship Service is at 9:00 a.m Sundays in Paamul at the Palapa Church and at 10:45 a.m.at the Hacienda Real Hotel, Avenida 10 and Calle10 in Playa del Carmen.
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH IN TULUM – “Lighting the way to Life” English worship Service is non-denominational, 10:00 a.m. Sundays with continental breakfast at 9:30; located on Highway 307, 1.2 miles past San Francisco grocery, hospital and Subway, next door to fruit stand. IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN:English speaking, non-denominational Christian Worship Service begins April 21 and meets every Sunday at 6:30 p.m. For more information and directions:www.lighthousechurch.mx
Phrase a week … By Gloria Contreras, state certified interpreter
How many workdays for my document to be ready? “En cuantos días hábiles esta mi documento?”
Anyone interested in learning the language can please contact Ms. Contreras by email atnanigloria@hotmail.com or Cel: 984-108-3517 so she can prepare materials in advance.
(Classes are from 8:30 to 9:30 a..m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Tiramisu Restaurant and all are welcomed to attend. The fee is 150 pesos per session.
AA and Alanon meetings…
AA and ALANON meetings are held at the public library at the Colegio as follows:
AA Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m; Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at noon. ALANON meeting is held Mondays at 6 p.m., also at the library. Meetings are “open” and non-members are welcomed to attend.
What’s Playing…
See for yourself what’s showing at the local movie houses in Playa del Carmen at the links below.
Centro Maya: http://cinemex.com/
Las Americas: http://www.cinepolis.com/_CARTELERA/cartelera.aspx?ic=70#Cine215
Briefly noted…
Compiled from staff, contributor and media reports
OUTDATED FOOD products were discovered during a check of a distributor on Cozumel. The Ministry of Health has sealed the establishment and is considering fines…BE CAREFUL IN CANCUN – A 47-year-old driver who pulled into a gasoline station at the entrance to the hotel zone shortly after 5 a.m. was shot in the leg by a thief who stole his car. The victim was transported to a local hospital by the Red cross…BAD WEATHER
AND ROUGH SEAS have been keeping fishing boats in port, meaning that restaurants have been running out of locally caught fish…LACK OF BEACH SAND is not only an affliction for Fatima Bay in Puerto Aventuras but also some eight hotels on Cozumel that began receiving sand allotments from another island location last week to replenish their artificial beaches…A MEXICO CITY HOTELIER was arrested there and returned to Playa del Carmen to face a judge on charges of theft of real estate involving the resort Puerto Chile on the highway between Puerto Aventuras and Tulum. The suspect is accused of transactions on the property using false papers… SOLIDARITY’S NEW MAYOR Rafael Kantun and a delegation of environmental and health officials toured the Puerto Aventuras Poblado and Puerto Maya neighborhoods Saturday as part of “Clean Avenything Solidarity” which includes sweeping streets, reforestation and recycling. The mayor visited the sports dome, parks and playfields…PLAYA’S COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTS says the incursion of foreign contractors has brought unfair competition to the Riviera Maya…
END THIS POST
PA Colonos Information
Pelican Free Press Newsletter
sending...Translator
Mexican Peso Converter
Mexican Peso Converter| Today | 06-20-13 |
|---|---|
 Chance of Rain 64°/45° |  Partly Cloudy 64°/43° |