Reduction in Monthly Fees for Golf Members during Renovation

Hey All. Good news!

This email came in yesterday from Amy regarding the Golf Member's fees for the next 6 months (or so).

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"We appreciate your feedback and understand your concern on the reduced subscription fee for Ordinary Membership during the renovation period. We are pleased to inform you that The Legends Golf & Country Resort has agreed to lower the subscriptions and we will be sending affected members an official letter informing them of this soon."
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Look in the post for those letters. Not sure what the amount will be either. I hope it will be substantial.

Interesting visitors

Yes, we certainly have had some very interesting visitors to this blog lately:

Network Location	Visits	Pages/Visit
urban redevelopment authority	21	2.333333333
singapore press holdings ltd	17	3.117647059
drew & napier llc	2	1

Apology Letter

Click the image to see a larger version.

This is in relation to this posting. (Sorry, I have pulled this posting.)

Legends Fort Canning Club's Arrangement with True Fitness

My wife contacted True Fitness at Suntec last week to register for the 6-months package at SGD99 per month. I did not want to sign up because it would cost SGD200 for the 2 of us; $75 more per month than what our monthly Golfing Member subscriptions at TLFC. I figured she can keep her shapely girlish figure and I will work on my beer belly.

Anyhow, True Fitness/Planet Fitness can't accept applications right now, because there are some contractual issues between The Legends Fort Canning and True Fitness. This should be resolved within the next few days.

My wife and I visited the True Fitness Suntec branch yesterday. We got the tour and decided to take the 1-for-1 American Express promotion instead of the TLFC Special. SGD 1,599 annual membership for 2 people. This price is about to go up to SGD 1,988 or something like that. Anyhow this works out to SGD 133 per month.

The membership allows you to use other branches and take yoga classes as well:

Great World City Branch
China Square Central Branch
Chevron House - Raffles Place
Parkway Parade Branch
Vivocity Branch

Note that this does not allow you access to the True Yoga centers at Pacific Plaza (Scotts Rd) and Ocean Towers (Raffles Place).

Good luck and stay healthy and stress free.

Ohmmmmmmmm..........

P.S. Drop me an email if you know what is the issue between The Legends Fort Canning and True Fitness.

My Legends Fort Canning Agreement

I mentioned before that the agreement from the Club does not say anything about whether you are a Golf Member or a Social Member and that since they have started with these different membership types, it has not been clear to members what they are.

Well, here are images of the two pages of my contract. You can see for yourself what I mean. What is your contract like? What does it say?

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Click on the image below to see a legible picture:


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Petition to URA sent

Hi All,

The petition that was signed last week as sent to URA earlier this week. Here is the content for those of you who have not seen it. After the text below, there are two images for you to print out and sign, if you would like to participate. Once signed, please scan and email to me @ goo.nguyen@gmail.com

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Petition to the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore
And the Singapore Heritage Society
By the Members of The Legends Fort Canning Park
15th October 2008

Description/Background:

On the 25th of September 2008, the Management of The Legends Fort Canning Park sent notices to its members (“Members”) regarding “Member’s Conference on Club Renovation”. This conference was to be held on the 6th of October 2008, and the Management plans to share with the Members “the plans for the Club, new facilities and improvements”.

At the Member’s Conference on the 6th of October 2008, the Members were informed that:

1) The current building, a heritage structure, will be converted to a 82 room boutique hotel with up-market restaurants;

2) Members’ facilities such as gymnasium, lounge, spa, and changing areas will be moved to a new 3-storey glass building to be constructed on top of the current tennis court, and these facilities will be shared with hotel guests;

3) Except for the Ballrooms and Function Rooms, the Club will be completely closed from 16th October 2008 to 1st April 2009 (save for the Café which will remain open until 31 October 2008), and members will have no access to the Club during that period. ;

4) It was also stated that one of the main factors in this decision to change the Club was a result of a survey in which one of the facilities Members wanted the most was guest rooms. Do note that this survey took place 2 years ago and no recent survey on whether Members agree to the proposed renovations was ever undertaken;

5) These plans have the approval of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Petition:

We, the undersigned Members of The Legends Fort Canning Park, hereby declare that this change of use of the current building does NOT have our endorsement or support. We have all paid joining fees and monthly subscription fees to the Club, housed in a historical building, fully furnished and with all its present amenities, historic charm, ambiance and space. We do not want to be moved to a smaller building, and we would like to have continuous use of the current facilities without any interruption due to any renovation. We respectfully request the Urban Redevelopment Authority to halt the commencement of any renovation that it has permitted or approved until the Members and the Management has worked out an agreement. All work should be put on hold indefinitely until the Management and the Members come to a fair consensus on any changes to the Club. We request that the Club remain open during the entire period from 16th October 2008 to 1st April 2009.

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An image of the petition is below along with the page for signing. Please click on each image and then print them out and sign and send back to me. Thanks!

Harry's Reply: "Trustworthy" Proprietor's Club

Ok, here is Harry's reply to the "high handed" email from the Club:

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Ms Cheong,

I attached a weblink which explains one of the reasons why I decided to take up membership of the TLFC despite the rather negative views of Proprietor's Club vs Member's Club, and this was an open statement recorded by Mr Oh Chee Eng which assured

'... prove to the members that we're trustworthy, ...'

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/cna/finance/moneymind/ep46-bigpic2002.htm

and as specified in Para 2 of the Rules & Regulations:

2. 'The object of the Club is to provide for the use and enjoyment by the Members of facilities (the “ Facilities ”) for recreation, entertainment, dining and/or such other activities as the Proprietor may from time to time at its discretion decide.'

I believe many of the Club Members would have given full support to the Plans if there were more timely engagement on the business challenges facing the Club and the actions going forward to mitigate these challenges.

I am afraid that this was done very late and I would give the benefit of doubt to the Club given focus on the other more pressing matters and oversight by certain internal functions. Nontheless, I would be monitoring the development plans closely and looking forward to the use of the improved facilities in Apr-09.

Rgds
Harry
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WOW!!! I don't know how Harry found that transcript of the ChannelNewsAsia show, but there is very interesting stuff there.

Another quote from Chairman Oh:
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"If you look at all the other clubs that run into trouble, it's not because the operators of the club has run into trouble but because the money of the club was used in the ventures. The thing that we want to do is to guarantee members that we would not misuse this funds and use the clubs property to raise loans and use it for any other businesses other than the club purposes."
Oh Chee Eng, Co-Exec Chairman, The Legends at Fort Canning
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I am still waiting for a response from the Club regarding the $80 per month for golf members and whether or not the Legends Golf & Country Resort is draining Legend Fort Canning's cash. A somewhat related issue to the above.

"High Handed Manner" Toward Members

This email chain came in from Harry Law, a loyal member:-

On 15 October (last week), he wrote in to the Club as follows:
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MS Amy Cheong & Mr Herbert Hofer,

Ref the memo issued by Ms Cheong dd 9-Oct to club members informing them of the impending renovations and to seek alternative gym arrangements for an unspecified period.

I am totally disappointed that the Club Mgmt has taken this stand to deprive the very members, which account for the existance of the club, of the use of a core facility, without equivalent replacement.

I joined the club primarily to make use of the gym as it had good equipment and located near to my office.

I have been reading plans by the Club Mgmt and Owners in the newspapers to convert part of the club to a hotel, and have not had ANY formal letters or meetings organised by the Club Mgmt to keep us better informed and take our queries.

This very high handed manner of TELLING the members does not do justice to the Club. My encounters with the Club staff have always been positive and I enjoy the excellent service, esp from those manning the gym, sauna and restaurants.

Your recommendation that members should seek alternate gym memberships and pay for their use, whilst the TLFC Club undergo renovation shows clearly your lack of good sense and fair play, and as much as I do not like to speak out, I am afraid that not doing anything is a worst option.

Rgds

HARRY LAW
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I think many of us feel this way. To me, the way that members have been treated is more like a principal speaking to a primary school student than a business talking to its loyal customers. If Singapore Airlines treated their PPS members like that, their reputation would be very different.

The reply to Harry from the Club is cold and canned, - if not an outright reprimand:
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Dear Mr Law,

We refer to your email dated 15 October 2008.

The Proprietor is very serious about the viability and survival of the Club, and is unable to run the Club and keep it alive if the usage is only 10% of its optimum occupancy. On top of that, in the past 5 years, members' spending has been very low. Despite this, the Proprietor has refrained from increasing subscriptions, or imposing minimum spending these past 5 years. The only way for the Club to survive is for it to make money using whatever resources it has. As members, the heritage building will still be yours to enjoy as the 1st floor will still house restaurants like before, and members will enjoy the hotel rooms as another added facility at exclusive member's rates. Special packages for members will be created that will include fun for the whole family.

We acknowledge that in such a major undertaking, we would not be able to please everyone, and we understand that there are some members who are not happy with the Club renovation. As mentioned at the Briefing, the Club is maintaining an open dialogue with members.

When we first took over the premises of the Club in November 2002, the first renovation took almost 18 months as we did the work in phases, keeping some parts of the Club open whilst renovating other parts. We received a lot of negative feedback on the noise, dust and general inconvenience to members. So learning from that experience we took the decision to close the Club, suspend subscriptions and offer alternative Gym facilities. If we were to keep the Club open during the renovation, we would have collected subscriptions, albeit at a reduced rate. Keeping the Club open would also expose members to possible accidents as they would be using facilities in what would essentially be a construction site.

We would like to remind you that when you joined the Club, you signed an undertaking to abide by the Club Rules and Regulations (a copy of which is on the website). Please note the following paragraphs in the Rules & Regulations:

5.4 Repairs
Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, if at any time it appears to the Proprietor that any of the Facilities is congested, in need of any repair, renovations, inspection, expansion or maintenance or required for the use of the Proprietor for any purpose as the Proprietor may decide, the Proprietor may at its discretion impose conditions on, restrict, suspend or otherwise limit the rights and privileges of the Members in respect of any one or more of such Facilities. The Proprietor shall not in any way be liable for any inconvenience or loss that may be suffered or sustained by any Member or any other person entitled or permitted to use and enjoy the Facilities resulting from such conditions, restrictions, suspension or limitation.

5.5 Alternative Facilities
The Proprietor shall be entitled to substitute any of the Facilities with any other facility that the Proprietor deems appropriate in the event that any such Facility cannot, for any reason whatsoever, be made available for the use and enjoyment of the Members. In the event that such alternative facility cannot be procured, the Proprietor shall have the absolute discretion to discontinue providing such Facility and the Proprietor shall not in any way be liable for any inconvenience or loss that may be suffered or sustained by any Member or any other person entitled or permitted to use and enjoy the Facilities resulting from the Proprietor not providing such Facility.

24.1 Powers vested in Proprietor
The powers of management and administration of the Club shall be vested solely in the Proprietor whose decision on any question or matter shall be conclusive, final and binding on the Members. The Proprietor may appoint such persons or bodies of persons as it may deem fit to carry out any part of the functions of the management and administration of the Club, subject to such terms and conditions as the Proprietor may impose. The Members will not in any manner be involved in the management of the Club. Further, the Proprietor shall have the full discretion to deal with or dispose of the Assets of the Club or any part thereof and to pledge the same for any purpose which includes, but is not limited to, borrowing money for any business ventures or investments, whether related to the Club or not, as the Proprietor may determine from time to time provided that the Proprietor shall not create any security interests over the Club's assets except in relation to any indebtedness incurred in respect of the operations, renovations, upgrading and other matter in connection with, or resulting from the Proprietor's ownership and operation of the Club.

27. Dispute Settlement
Any dispute or difference which may arise as to the meaning or interpretation of these Rules and the Bye-laws or as to the powers of the officers or the Proprietor, or the validity of any proceedings of the Proprietor and/or the Club shall be determined by the Proprietor, whose decision shall be final and binding upon all the Members of the Club.

While the Proprietor may consider feedback from Members, as a private club (as opposed to a members' club), the final decision is legally the sole prerogative of the Proprietor. The most constructive form of engagement is for members to address their concerns to the club directly.

As for communication with the members on the renovation, members were notified of the decision to revamp the Club in the four issues of the Club newsletter from January 2008. On 25 September, a letter was sent to all members informing them of the date for the Club closure and inviting them to the Members' Briefing on 6 October 08. The same letter was blown up to A3 size and posted on the Club notice boards at the Gym and the Lobby.

We hope that this has made the Club's stand clearer to you.
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From my perspective, Harry made a very valid complaint to the Management and Owner and was shot back with a letter written by a lawyer. If he had wanted a lawyer's reply, he would have gotten a lawyer to write in on his behalf.

Harry had a great reply to the email from the Club above. I will put that in the next posting.

Comment by Anonymous Outsider

An interesting set of comments were left in the Forum section (at the bottom).

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Oct 17 2008, 7:05 PM
Unknown (guest): After reading the above topics, it is quite clear that the management does not take their members seriously. Especially when they know that its a propriety club and that only the management gets to decide whatever they want.

Oct 17 2008, 7:09 PM
Unknown (guest): I believe that the staff may/may not be entirely responsible for being unclear in informing the members of the changes as ultimately only the boss has the final say and they did as they were told to probably not create a big hoo-haa until the final word frm the boss himself has been said.

Oct 17 2008, 7:16 PM
Unknown (guest): Whatever it is, it seems like it's poor handling by the upper management themself and i guess i pity the staff who probably also gets bombarded by all the questions being posed coz they themselves have no say towards anything. Just a thought by the way from an outsider point of view. This matter has definitely made a heated arguement and will not blow over under the upper management give a clearer say or be truthful and not try to give excuses or a politically correct answer to shrug off the members.
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My comment on StraitsTimes

Go here and comment. Link back to this blog if you can.

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Main Issues:

1. Short notice given to members

URA preliminary approval was issued months ago but the management did not update the members at that time. URA final approval was issued in early Sept but members only got a letter on 25 Sept 08 inviting us to attend a meeting on 6 Oct 08 and stating that use of all facilities will be suspended with effect from 16 Oct (today!!!). IT IS UNREASONABLE TO GIVE LESS THAN ONE MONTH'S NOTICE BEFORE SUSPENDING ALL FACILITIES.

2. No consultation process or feedback dialogue with members

Members were never consulted on the construction of the new 3-storey glass building. Many members bought into the membership because we love the colonial architecture of the main building but under the proposed renovations, the building is going to be converted into a hotel and members are squashed into a glass building. THIS INDICATES THAT MANAGEMENT DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT MEMBERS' FEEDBACK AND ARE DETERMINED TO PROCEED WITH RENOVATIONS NO MATTER WHAT.

3. Why couldn't the renovation be done in stages?

The management obviously could not care less for the members. Members buy the membership because we wish to enjoy the facilities with our families and friends. Why couldnt the management stagger the renovation, ie build the glass building with the necessary facilities and thereafter renovate the colonial building for the hotel rooms?

4. No buy-back scheme

Members feel short-changed. It is one matter to renovate the club to spruce up the facilities but it is DRASTIC matter if members are shifted out of the beautiful heritage building and squashed into a tiny glass building. Management is however not offering any buy-back scheme for members who are aggrieved.

5. URA Guidelines – Members are entitled to at least 50% of the covered area.

Further to the meeting with URA on 15 Oct, members understand that we are entitled to EXCLUSIVE USE OF 50% of the covered area of the current development. We are not even aware of this fact! The point is that the ball rooms and functions rooms are being constantly leased out for weddings and events and members have NO priority in booking such facilities. Members have lodged a formal complaint with URA to look into this matter as we take the view that our rights have been infringed and we do not have exclusive use of 50% of the property.

Secondly, URA has told us that members are entitled to EXCLUSIVE use of the 3 storey glass building after renovations. According to the management, the 3 storey building comprise of a café on the first level, a spa on the second level and the gym on the 3rd level. Management has however told us that public can have access to the spa and that hotel guests can have access to the gym. Members need to understand from management which 50% belongs to members exclusively so we can enforce our rights, but management has been tight-lipped.

6. The misleading verbiage of a supposed survey that none of us recall pertaining to the desire for "guest rooms" by members, which is quite different than the complete conversion to a hotel. The club management misleading stated and attempted to make the public believe that their renovation in converting the main building to a hotel was favored by the members, when in fact, nearly every single member of the club DOES NOT SUPPORT turning the main building into a hotel.

7. The issue of the 2 tier subscription fees which most of the earlier members are not aware of. And the $80/- fees for the next 6 months with not even the use of the parking facilities at the club.
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Sunday Straits Times: "The Legends' members irked"

Yay! We are heard in the Sunday Times. I did ask for the URL to be posted, but that did not happen. It was just a wish in any case.

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Oct 19, 2008

The Legends' members irked

By Gracia Chiang

IT BEGAN as a gripe that The Legends Fort Canning Park's colonial-style club building was to be converted into a hotel. Members would be moved to a new glass building, one-quarter the size of the original clubhouse. After a blog was started by a member, another grouse surfaced: that the management did not properly tell members that the club will be closed for six months. Now, some members have signed a petition against the temporary closure, protesting that they have been left out in the cold. The closure, from Oct 16 this year to April 1 next year, is for a $70 million renovation project to turn around the ailing club, which has a membership of 1,200 - just 10 per cent of its target. Members like regional manager Joe Nguyen, 37, protested that they were given short notice about the closure. He said: 'We feel like we're being kicked out. We were never consulted.' The club said it had sent out a letter to members on Sept 25, informing them about the closure date and inviting them to a presentation briefing on Oct 6. Its public relations director, Ms Amy Cheong, acknowledged that while the 1,200 members were not given 'exact details', they had been told as early as January in their newsletters that they should expect upcoming renovations. She explained that the club had been waiting for plans to be approved by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) before releasing details to members. Mr Nguyen was among some 250 members who attended the Oct 6 briefing. He set up a blog the same day, giving members a platform to air their concerns. Some 40 members have since visited the website and left their contact details. They also aired other gripes. 'When we bought our membership, we really liked the colonial-style architecture,' said Mr Nguyen. On the hotel project, club CEO Oh Chee Eng explained that unless members were willing to pay a substantially higher monthly subscription, the club needed the new business model to stay viable. He stressed that as a proprietary club, it had every right to make changes to the club's facilities. During the briefing, the club's management also cited a survey it conducted two years ago, in which members said they would like to have guest rooms. But member Jerry Barisano, 55, chairman of a media company, was not convinced. 'Guest rooms are very different from turning the building into a hotel,' he said. Some members also took issue with the fact that hotel guests would have access to facilities in the members' new glass building. This was disclosed to them at the briefing. When contacted, Mr Oh called this 'a mistake' and said the management had since come to an agreement on Thursday that all facilities in the new members' block would be exclusive to members and their guests. Separately, the URA also met five club members earlier last week. They had wanted to seek clarifications on its consideration of the proposed renovation work. The URA told The Sunday Times it was able to support the management's proposal to partially convert the club for hotel use as it proposed to keep the predominant floor area of the development for sports and recreation use for the club members. During the renovation period, monthly subscriptions will be suspended except for golf members who will pay a reduced fee for the continued use of facilities at The Legends Golf & Country Resort in Malaysia. Golfing members, who currently pay a monthly fee of $125 for families and $105 for individuals, will now pay $80 and $60 respectively. Social members have been paying $105 for families and $85 for individuals. Mr Barisano is resigned to the fact that the hotel conversion will go ahead, but he hopes the petition will persuade the URA to advise the club to carry out its renovation work in phases. He added that there are now some 100 signatures to the petition and he intends to submit it to the URA this week. Not all club members are so vexed. Ms Julinn Siah, a 32-year-old manager, felt that the issue has been blown out of proportion. She said: 'My main worry is that these unhappy people will push the owner too far. If this goes on, the owner might just say since people are so against it, let's just close the club. All of us will suffer then.'

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"We are making some progress"

Jerry sent in an email with an update:

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Hello All,

Some good news to report. It looks like we are making some progress.

It has come to my attention, that via conversations between the URA and the Legends Fort Canning Club Management, it is now CONFIRMED that the Management has agreed and committed to the Urban Redevelopment Authority that the new clubhouse at the club will be FOR MEMBERS ONLY, and will not be used by hotel guests.

Our next move is to work with the URA and make sure that we do receive the 50.9% of the covered space for the club members "Exclusive" use, as we still have not received confirmation as to exactly how much of the 50.9% of the allocated space will be counted in the new clubhouse, and how much would be in the main building or any other building as part of the new renovated facility. This was not clear in the drawings that we saw at the URA office, so this needs to be clarified.

We need to follow up with the URA on Monday and Tuesday of next week, to try to clarify issues that we perviously discussed. I also look forward to receiving input back from them. I will also be faxing all of the petition signatures that I have to the URA on Monday.

On another note, I spoke to Herbert Hofer last night as I was having tea in the lobby of the Legends, prior to dinner. From our brief conversation, it sounds like the Management is realizing that they could have given the members more input prior the the construction and final plans. Nevertheless, Mr. Hofer guaranteed me that all of us members will like the new facilities much better than what we now have. He insisted that the new renovations would definitely increase the value of our memberships. I told Mr. Hofer that I will believe it when I see it, that we were happy with what we had. I also told him that most of us did not join the club as an investment, but as a place of recreation, a haven from the pressures of work, not for profit. I also told him that a lot of these problems could have been avoided had the club management been more up front with us on all developments, and had us actively involved in the process. He told me that if it had been possible to do the work in stages they would have done so. I then told him that with about 2,400 members including corporate, and with all of the brilliant minds that we have, that I really felt that together we could have figured out a way to accommodate everyone, or at the very least, come up with a compromise that would prevented or at the very least, greatly reduced all of the bad feelings that are out there right now. I also told him that he should at least be happy that they had put together a club, which although was not perfectly run, was something that all of us felt was worth fighting over. At least we cared. It was a cordial discussion, and the fact that he approached me first is a good sign.

At this point, I think that barring a miracle, it is impossible for us to put a halt to their construction plans, and the renovation. What I do suggest, is that in about two weeks time, when all of the bad feelings have blown over a bit, that we investigate forming a Members Association. I would serve in the association if requested. We should have a group of six people (a manageable number) that meets with the club management on a timely basis as part of the group, to keep the rest of our members updated on the progress of the renovation, and more importantly, to make sure that our interests are protected.

In the interim, we can also have our "LEGENDS IN EXILE" group, to meet time to time at various venues throughout Singapore over the next six months. We need to start collecting e-mail addresses as soon as possible via our web site www.legendsfortcanning.blogspot.com so that we can continue keep our members informed of what is going on, and to get as many people as possible to any functions or gatherings that we may want to have over the next 6 months or more.

Joe, please place the enclosed information of this e-mail on the web site. If anyone needs to reach me, I have a BlackBerry on me at all times, and can get back to you within minutes.

Thanks folks! Hang in there. It's only been a couple of day, but I miss our club and you guys and gals already.

Best Regards Always,

JERRY BARISANO
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A History of The Legends FC Membership Types

I love the Wayback Machine from the Internet Archives. "Browse through 85 billion web pages archived from 1996 to a few months ago." So if you put in a URL (like http://www.legendsfortcanning.com/fortcanning/member.htm), the archive will let you see all the versions that they have kept of the site over time!!!

Talking to a few members who don't remember the Club having any kind of tiered membership, I started to do a little research as my wife and I also so not remember Golfing vs. Social membership types when we joined. Hence, the Wayback Machine comes into the picture...

So back in 13 February 2004 (and probably before then), there was only 1 kind of membership (no difference between Golf or Social): See Members Benefit here.

By the 25 November 2004, the Club also began offering "OCBC Titanium-Legends Fort Canning Park Membership": See the offer here. I could not find a mention of other kinds of membership, but benefits at that time are listed here.

By 23 August 2005, the Club was offering "Ordinary Membership" without any distinction between Social or Golfing. See here. Term membership with OCBC Titanium is still available. Under the membership benefit page that September, it lists "Members enjoy access to 64 golf slots daily and unlimited access to all other facilities and activities available at The Legends Golf & Country Resort. Rewards Points can only be earned and redeemed at the Club (The Legends Fort Canning Park). For the golf rates and bookings at The Legends Golf & Country Resort, please call..."

By 27 April 2006, the Club introduced the new "Ordinary Golfing" and "Ordinary Social" membership tiers. Did anyone get the memo? Did any existing members get a letter to them that tells them what they are? I didn't.

Membership Types	Entrance Fee	Transfer Fee	Monthly Subscription
Ordinary Golfing	$7,988	$1,000	$105 (S) / $125 (F)
Ordinary Social	$5,888	$1,000	$85 (S) / $105 (F)
Membership Redemption Scheme Golfing (MRSG)	$2,500	Pls refer to Terms & Conditions below.	$105 (S) / $125 (F)
Membership Redemption Scheme Social (MRSS)	$1,500	Pls refer to Terms & Conditions below.	$85 (S) / $105 (F)
One Year Term	$3,188	Non-Transferable	N.A

By 23 November 2006, the membership chart looks as follows:

Membership Types	Entrance Fee	Transfer Fee	Monthly Subscription
Ordinary Golfing	$9,888	$1,000	$105 (S) / $125 (F)
Ordinary Social	$6,888	$1,000	$85 (S) / $105 (F)
Membership Redemption Scheme Golfing (MRSG)	$3,000	Pls refer to Terms & Conditions below.	$105 (S) / $125 (F)
Membership Redemption Scheme Social (MRSS)	$2,000	Pls refer to Terms & Conditions below.	$85 (S) / $105 (F)
One Year Term Golfing	$3,188	Non-Transferable	N.A.
One Year Term Social	$2,188	Non-Transferable	N.A.

On 23 January 2008, the last entry into the Archive lists the same as the above. (Anything after 1 April 2008 is still being processed).

Note that all this while, the Membership Benefits page archive does not mention a distinction between "Golf" and "Social". See all the versions here. EVEN the current live version on at legendsfortcanning.com does NOT have this distinction!
- "Ordinary Members are entitled for the following benefits: ...
... Members enjoy access to 64 golf slots daily and unlimited access to all other facilities and activities available at The Legends Golf & Country Resort... For the golf rates and bookings at The Legends Golf & Country Resort, please call..."

So are the current members clear on the difference between "Ordinary Golf" and "Ordinary Social"? Letter?

So somewhere between January and September 2008, the packages, listed on the current site, suddenly became:

Membership Types	Entrance Fee	Transfer Fee	Monthly Subscription
Ordinary Golfing	$15,000	$1,000	$105 (S) / $125 (F)
Ordinary Social	$6,888	$1,000	$85 (S) / $105 (F)

What does that mean? Do any members who have joined before 2006 know what is the difference between Golfing and Social membership? We know that we are both "Ordinary".

Misuse of Ballroom & Other Areas?

For those members who were not on the email list, we were informed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday that the Ballroom is designated for use as a Member's Only area. On the same day, we wrote to the URA with the following:

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Dear Mr. Han,

As per our meeting today, we would like to formally report that the Management of the Legends Fort Canning has been misusing the Ballroom facilities.

As you told us today, that Ballroom is supposed to be for member's use only. However Management has ALWAYS used this Ballroom for the public to hold weddings and events. Members do not even know that this was supposed to be for members only. Also even if members want to book this space, they have no preferences over the public and must compete with the public for the space.

Please check into this misuse and also request that they also stop using that facility during the next 6 months when they are planning to shut down the rest of the club.

Regards,

Members of the Legends Fort Canning
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I further quote the Club's own website:

"Park Level Function Rooms - Legends Ballroom / Lavender 1 and 2 / Bridal Rooms

The Grand Ballroom can accommodate a banquet of up to 500 people of 50 tables. These rooms can be booked by members, their guests as well as the public for a wide-range of social and corporate events."

What about the Function Rooms on second floor? Essentia Spa (formerly on the 3rd Floor) - was that also in space that was designated as Member's Only? And the area that was formerly rented out to Savaskool Enrichment on the Ballroom floor next to the Management Office? Member's Only?

Misuses aside, what really annoys me is that we are not treated with respect as partners and members. And there has not been transparency to the membership from the Management and Owners. The message has always been: "It will be done this way. Take it or leave it."

Why do we have to resort to speaking to the URA to find out the truth? It did not have to go down like this.

To the Management and Owner: You have our email addresses, contact numbers, and billing addresses. Would you care (or dare) to hold another Members' Conference? The Ballroom should be available for member's use - unless of course some non-member has already booked the space. They are more importantly than us lowly members, since the Ballroom remains open in the next 6 months while we are in the streets.

Peace. Out.
---
Joe Nguyen
A Loyal Legends Member in Exile without a Gym, Pool, Lounge ...

TODAYOnline: " Some members unhappy about renovations"

Ong Dai Lin, the Today Reporter, came to the Club last night during the Bin Sale to interview us as well as the Management. The article came out this morning here. A member has commented that it seems tame considering that Mr. Hofer was bombarded with questions by one member after another. The poor General Manager was left by himself to deal with us as Mr. Oh had to take a call when the questioning started. Having said that, I would like to know who is Mr. Hofer's tai chi master as I could use some lessons.

Click on the image below to see a larger version of the story (with picture!).

Membership Type Confusion

Members have been asking about what type of membership they have. Golf Members (Family) are supposed to pay $125 per month for subscription and $80 per month during the renovation. So members have called in because they were not sure if they were considered "Golf" Members. See my earlier post "What kind of membership do YOU have?"

Well - Sally, a member, has called the Club to figure out her status. Here is what she told me in an email:

===
As at now, my club status is still a big question; I just called the Club and they can't tell me what type of membership I'm having! Reason: I paid $6xxxx+ for the membership(which the club said with this amt it should be Social membership) but monthly subscription fee is $125++ (which the club is now confused for with this amt, it's for Golf membership)!They can't tell me anything!

Think this is quite absurd. Am still waiting for their call to clarify this matter.
===

This is quite interesting indeed. So if you are like Sally who is apparently a "Social Member" who has been paying "Golf Member" subscription fees. GO GET YOUR MONEY BACK!!!!

I am going to have to check on my status as well. $20 per month over 24 months is $480! What is going on?

UPDATE - Sally posted in the comment section:
===
to add what has already posted here...I've been a member since 2004! That's 4 years ago...as i've been very busy with my work, i'll definitely find time to meet someone from membership dept to find out my exact status.And of course, i better bring along my contract signed 4 years ago!
===

This website has been blocked my Management!

Last Friday when I was in the Club, I had trouble accessing the blog and other google sites. I thought that they were just having normal connectivity issues.

Just found out today that this blog HAS BEEN BLOCKED at the club and from all staff except management.

As one member has written to me: "Are we in China, North Korea, or Singapore? What are they trying to hide?"

If you really need your fix of this blog, go to www.anonymizer.com and enter this url: http://legendsfortcanning.blogspot.com/

CORRECTION: They have blocked access for their staff and their PCs. The public wifi for members is not blocked. Must have just been a glitch last week.

Meeting with URA today!!!

A big "Thank you!" to all those members who have contacted the URA to tell them about our displeasure at what is happening to our Club. URA has heard us!

They are meeting us today. See below from Lyn:

=====
ALL LEGENDS MEMBERS,

URA has finally heard our voice and is inviting us to attend a meeting
this afternoon (15 OCT 08) AT 3PM.

1. If you are interested in attending the meeting, pls call Siok Kheng
from URA at 6329 3308.

2. The meeting is held on the 7th floor of URA Center at 45 Maxwell Road
(next to Maxwell Food Center).

3. This is very last min (I got the call only this morning) but do try
to attend if you can.

4. A director from URA will address our queries and we will have a
chance to look at the plans.

5. An update from Jerry - The Historical Society is against the
renovation works proposed by management and Jerry will update us with
the details in due course.

6. For those with friends in the press, pls highlight this matter. We
will need all the support we can get. Thanks
=====

Survey? Staff? Phases? EBIT!

Sorry, Jason, I missed your comment from a few days ago. He mentioned many of the things I have posted even before I posted them!

=====
During the member meeting, rep from Club mentioned about the survey.

1)As a member, I do not remember any survey post to me.

2) From the comment, there is a few memberships scheme, which i was not aware, If i have being told , I would opt for the social members, because the club at over the causeway is poorly manage.

To Owners & Mgts of the Club.

In your letter dated 25 Sept 2008.

"From 16 Oct 2008 to 1 Apr 2009,member subscription fees will be waived"

1) Am I right to say that my monthly subscription $125 before GST will be waived.

2) I had talk to a few hospitality experts, what is the percent of looking for a job in this industry for the next 3 months.

All agree that from now till end of the month, it is difficult to look for a job both in F&B and the hotel industry, as the current staffs is waiting for their AWS and bonus.

As such, the layoff staffs from the club will be greatly affected. On top of that, with the current world economy affected by financial sector, it going to be worse. The Finance Minster have also highlighted that Spore economy will not be spare. It will likely be a few qtr.

Based on the what was communicated to members during the meeting, the projected completion date was about 6 months , assuming there is a overrun. Let assume to be 8 months.
I propose to the owner of the club.

Phase 1, Build the glass house. When the new glasshouse is ready. Phase 2, Renovate and upgrade the existing club house. With this, we can achieve a few objectives.

1) Members get to use the facilities and continue to pay the sub fees. Let assume all 1200 members is paying at S$80, 1200 members, $96,000 before EBIT

2) Cafe continue to bring in, assuming S$20,000 EBIT

3) Chinese restaurant get to bring in, assuming S$30,000 EBIT

4) Bar continue to bring in assuming S$10,000 EBIT

Total is S$156,000 EBIT, although this may not be the significant amounts to the owners
Staffs that are going to be layoff will not be affected, although I do not know how many in total. When the glasshouse is ready, staffs that are supposed to be layoff will be will reassign to the new glasshouse.

As I misplace my membership contract,if any of the members can email me jasontay72@yahoo.com, we can explore if we have other alternatives from the legal points of view.
=====

Things do get lost in the Comments section. Drop me an email if you want something on the front page (goo.nguyen@gmail.com).

See you all tonight!

Meet and sign petition

Dear Members-at-large,

There has been much going on in the last few days. Several members have spoken to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and have expressed our views concerning the renovation plans. It seems that the URA was under the impression that the renovation plan submitted to them had the endorsement and support of the membership. We have told them that it definitely does NOT.

We are putting together petition to URA to state the above and request a halt in any further work.

We are organizing a meeting at the Bin Sale tomorrow 5-9pm to finalize this.

PLEASE COME AND SHOW URA THAT WE DID NOT AND DO NOT SUPPORT THIS RENOVATION PLAN IN ITS CURRENT STATE!

Please tell other members and get them to come. If you can not come, please let me know (goo.nguyen@gmail.com) and I will get the Petition to you for your support.

The time is now, and this is the last chance you will be seriously heard on this matter. Act now to protect the rights and privileges that YOU HAVE PAID FOR! ... Be 'kiasu'!

Best Regards,

Joe Nguyen

"Legends Fort Canning has been my Oasis"

Here's a wistful letter from Diana Ng. I think her sentiments echo what many of us feel about the Club and how many of us are beginning to realize what is happening and how it affects us individually:

===
Dear Fellow Members of the City Oasis

There are obviously bigger, more complex issues at hand which are best handled by the knowledgeable, competent and more importantly, committed…members like Joe, Ken and Jerry. I am so thankful for having them here. Being inexperienced in matters such as these…okay, I’ll throw in “gullible” too…I may have just accepted my “fate”…yes, just like that. After all, a club membership to me is a passport to relaxation; it should never become a source of unhappiness and stress.

I had come to the meeting last Monday with the thought “no usage of club, no fees – a sacrifice liveable with for a few months in return for new and renovated facilities which hopefully bring in more revenue for the owner”. Lots of revenue and a great bottomline for the owner is good…he has the guts to invest and he should be rewarded. Being handsomely rewarded, he would be even more motivated to make the club ever better and we members would be even more supportive of his future ventures. Over time, the identity of the club will be grounded in a history of having “arrived at where we are today together, undergoing major changes while weathering the 2008 economic uncertainties to emerge a most unique club, a club in a class of its own”.

So when it was announced that for S$105.93 per month (all prices quoted here are inclusive of GST), members can join True Fitness, I was smiling away. No, I do not mind at all exploring a new fitness club temporarily. Temporarily only because Legends Fort Canning has been and I desperately want it to continue remain my first love. Never mind that group exercise classes are almost “mission impossible” here. Never mind that I will have to incur car parking charges at whichever True Fitness outlets I choose to sign on because obviously, none of the outlets will be providing free membership parking to us. Now, since the monthly subscriptions I am paying is S$133.75, I will even enjoy some “savings”, perhaps S$25 after deducting car park charges. It came across to me as a token compensation for the inconvenience I did not ask for. I was feeling warm and fuzzy inside. Businesses should be conducted with a heart and here is an example. I have joined the correct club.

It only dawned upon me later, as it did on many of the other Golfing members, that I am in fact holding a Golfing membership. This means that during the “suspension period”, a monthly subscription of S$85.60 will apply. Now, the mathematics is not so right after all. The overall monthly impact on me will be a total of S$191.53 monthly (S$85.60 to Legends and S$105.93 to True Fitness) plus parking charges at the premises where True Fitness is located plus the inconvenience I have to put up with.

Further, in addition to the requirement that the first two months’ subscriptions to True Fitness must be paid upfront, I will also have to commit myself to them for 6 months. Naturally, I asked if there would be any trial period before I sign up. The answer is a resolute no. End of discussion.

Alone, the above is not a major issue. It is in fact inconsequential if the bigger complex issues are resolved satisfactorily. After all, we members have put up with leaking roofs, leaking windows, internet access downtime when it rained, a car parking system that did not work when there was downpour and lightning, and once, stench from a burst pipe in the car park. Many of us must have just shook our heads and regarded these as the temperaments of a grand old dame. I, for once, had proudly explained this to someone at the carpark lift lobby who was frowning in disgust at the unsightly watermarks and towels laid around to absorb water that had leaked through.

Legends Fort Canning has been my Oasis. I escape to it when I need to make peace with a rumbling tummy which I then try to flatten in the gym. I escape to it just to suspend myself like a hammock at a corner of the pool, looking up at the skies and trees and the colonial structure. I thus enter another world, albeit temporarily. And when I leave the club, I leave knowing I am rejuvenated and strong again to tackle what life throws my way.

Yours sincerely,

Diana Ng
===

There's only one way keep the Oasis. Speak your mind. Hope to see you all on Wednesday.

Why Is The Management Closing The Club For 6 Months?

Having spoken to a number of members over the last week, one question that keeps on popping up is, "Why does the Club have to close down for 6 months?"

Why does the Owner/Management not build in phases? If they build the new glass building first, move the members over, and then renovate the existing building -

1) Then we, the members, would know what we are getting. We may even like it. But at this point, artist impressions, powerpoint presentations, and gym equipment just don't do it - at all. They hardly make up for the fact that we are getting kicked out of our Club for at least 6 months, with no where else to go and no say whatsoever,

2) Then the Management would be lowering their overall cost as well. For example, during this 6 month glass house construction period, the 1,200 members would still be paying subscription fees. If the average sub fee is $100, then the management would still be collecting $720,000. With additional F&B revenue from members and the public, the revenue should total at least between $1.5 to $2.0 million. This is money that they are never getting back; this is mostly services revenue and can't be stored away for 6 months to sell later.

3) Then the staff would keep their jobs during these hard times, and there would be continuity in the operations of the club.

Shutting down the Club for 6 months may be convenient for the Management and Owner, but they have completely disregarded their obligations to the Members, the Staff, the Public, AND the EngWah shareholders.

I. Just. Don't. Get. It.

"It is time we hit back hard"

Below is from Ken Low - who was the other member interviewed by Today earlier this week:
======

Ladies and Gentlemen, honorable members of the Fort Canning Town Club,

Following our call-to-arms, it is time we hit back hard after they fired the first salvo at us.

The Fort Canning Town Club is a designated Conservation Property under the URA Conservation Properties Act. It is a historical building. The first lessee, the defunct Singapore Town Club, was granted the right of use the premises to operate a social club, recruit members of the public to join as members and to provide all the relevant activities pertaining to functions of a social club. The Legends Town Club bought over the lease under these premises.

We have joined into a Club, housed in a historical building, fully furnished and with all its present amenities which the Legends Town Club offered to us. We have purchased the bundle of rights of use from the operator's, The Legends Fort Canning Park, to its facilities for a fee and pay a monthly due to continue as legitimate users. You can check the joining fees published by the Club on its website.

After last Monday night's members conference, we will all lose these by 31 October,2008.

The issues here are:

1. Do they have the right to the change of use of the building from a Social Club Operator to operating it as a Hotel cum Social Club?

2. Do they have all the approval from the relevant government statutory boards to convert the heritage building into a “boutique” hotel?

The questions we have to ask ourselves are:

1. Do we want to stay as members or not? Some of you may or resign as a member?
En Masse Resignation – consider, if we all resign en-masse, it would save Mr Oh Chee Eng and the owners, the cost of building a new Club House, i.e. millions of dollars;

2. Sell our Membership - however, the Club, according to Ms Amy Cheong, P R Manager, replied to Lyn's letter, a member, that the Owners do not have a Membership buy-back scheme at the moment;

3. Keep our Membership – if we remain as members, we want to stay in the present building. Please consider, the new “Glass Club” house, it will be smaller and characterless. The gym will be small and with less gym equipment etc. In fact, we will have less facilities. All the facilities will be reduced. Will the Club consider to reduce the monthly subscriptions then? At the last Members' meeting, they said we have to share the Club's facilities, gym, spa, swimming pool with the “hotel” guests who are strangers. That means our Membership status is not “exclusive”;

A penny for your thoughts. See you all in the Billiard Bar next Wednesday for a chat.

Ken Low
======

What kind of membership do YOU have?

Many of us are still wondering whether or not we are "Golf" Members and we are looking at our original membership documents to see where we were told such such terms.

From The Legends Fort Canning official website, it says:

Individual Membership

Membership Types	Entrance Fee	Transfer Fee	Monthly Subscription
Ordinary Golfing	$15,000	$1,000	$105 (S) / $125 (F)
Ordinary Social	$6,888	$1,000	$85 (S) / $105 (F)

http://www.legendsfortcanning.com/fortcanning/member.htm

==============

When did it become "Ordinary Golfing" and "Ordinary Social"? I don't remember that distinction. And I definitely do not remember a $15,000 entrance fee - which just seems like a ploy to keep people from joining. Anti-membership.....

Let's Meet! at the Bar & Billiard Bin Sale - 15th October 2008

During the Members' Conference on Monday, they announced that there would be a Bin Sale at the Bar and Billiard on Wednesday 15th October. It is scheduled to be from 5-9pm, so perhaps 6:30ish would be a good time to aim for.

Let's use this event to meet and discuss what we want to do. We need to prioritize our issues so that we can have a concerted voice with which to speak to the Club and its owners. From what I have been hearing, here are some main points:

1) Most if not all members do not want to move to the new club house and prefer the current ambiance and charm of the existing building.

2) Why don't they keep the club open and build the glass building and then move us over? I will expand on this more this weekend.

3) Why isn't there a buy-back scheme for those who do not wish to remain members? There are already members who are speaking to their lawyers to review this option.

4) The $80 fee for Golf Members who don't even know that they are Golf Members much less play golf. This is roughly 40% of the membership.

Anything else?

Lastly, please bring in any member that you know or run into.

UPDATE: You may have gotten this email for "Pre-Makeover Party"

The Poor Staff, Membership drive and Subscriptions

More Member Feedback and Support!!!! I just got another email from a member who offers her support as follows:

====
Hi Joe,

Although this is OWNER'S Club (which the management always claim) and not a Member's Club. You may have a fantastic building, but no members is no good. We must learn to live for one another. By closing down the club for 6 months is definitely do not take the members usage of the club facilities into considerations at all. The new extension to house the facilities is on the exterior of the building, why can't that be built first? Transfer the facilities, eg. the GYM before renovating the Rooms. Don't just think of making MONEY, MONEY. Nevertheless, that is only between the Owner and Members. Have the owner & management ever give a thought to the employees??? At this recession time by terminating their services, except for a lucky few, means no income.

It is not just affecting the employee but also to their families. Where is the humanity???

Talk about the lack of memberships???

Isn't it the responsibilities of the marketing department? When was the last membership drive??? You penalize your members for the inefficiency of your management???

My family and I joined this club is because of the location which has historical value and so much for their F&B. If its is for F&B and Hotel Rooms, then we would have invested with the any of the Hotel Group which is cheaper and no monthly subscriptions.

Talk about subscriptions, I was just been enlightened that there is a 2 tier membership's fees, golfing and non golfing. We only know that subscriptions fees of $125 entitles you to use the Legends Golf Course in JB. We do not know that you will pay less if you do not need golfing. The management can argued that information is listed on the web but then again, if you are already a member for so many years do you go the site to search for such info.

Sincerely hope that the Owner and the Management will look into the process of this project into greater thoughts. We do not want to lose this Club!!!

Joe, we will support your petition.

HL
====

If anyone would like me to publish their feedback, please leave a comment or email me at goo.nguyen@gmail.com

- Joe