The Legends Fort Canning Members Blog

CE Oh sighted!

2011-02-15T08:07:00.005+08:00

I saw Oh Chee Eng in the locker room this morning. Hope he notices that there are no staff at reception. Or the orange construction mesh by the lift. Or scaffolding on the stairwell between 2nd and 3rd floors. Or the broken window in the gym. Or the broken strider machine in the gym. Sigh....

Also, there's a "club members' only" sign on the wall on the 2nd floor pointing to the 1st floor... Which means the 2nd and 3rd floor of the glass building are NOT members only!!!!

2011-02-10 - STB Press Event in the Glass House - WTF!!!!!

2011-02-10T10:33:00.004+08:00

So I go to the club this morning for a swim. As I go out the lift on the 3rd floor to go to the pool, I see some set up. An hour later I come back and there is a full blown Singapore Tourism Board Press Event being held in the function rooms on the third floor!

I am in my swimming trunks and I have to sneak by fully dressed business people (the press mind you!) to get to the lift to go to the changing room! I used to be in the Travel industry so I know STB people and I am currently in the media industry so I may know some press folks.

I was not happy! This is NOT a private club. This is a public gym. A very PUBLIC gym.

Pictures below. Where is the 50%???????

2011-02-08 Update... Hmmmmm

2011-02-09T00:11:00.003+08:00

Went to the Club today. Things have been progressing and this is the first time I came back since a few weeks ago.

The lift is now working so you can get to the 1st floor (Gym and Spa), 2nd floor (The Glass House Restaurant) and the pool (3rd floor) from the basement changing rooms. The Gym is the same so I am going to show you the other floors.

2nd Floor - Below is a view of the coffee lounge directly in front of the lift. It is not yet done as there are no glass on those windows.

2nd Floor - This is The Glass House restaurant (See below). I was asked if I wanted to sit down for breakfast and I saw some people in there already. I asked if this was for hotel guests, and was told it was open to hotel guests for breakfast as well. I thought this whole glass structure was for Members Only, no?

The Glass House breakfast buffet spread... Open kitchen... very Hyatt :-)

3rd Floor - Out of the lift on the 3rd floor.. the deck is now open.

3rd Floor Deck - the stairs here go down to the lower pool. I guess they will put some furniture here.

3rd Floor Deck - there is a bar at the end of the deck. There are two function rooms Jasmine I and Jasmine II on the right side (below).

Jasmine I - these rooms seem to be private dinning rooms for The Glass House restaurant. I am not sure how this is supposed to be "Members Only" either @#$@$#@$

Jasmine I is setting up for Chinese New Year dinner of some sort.
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1) Seriously, I thought this was supposed to be a member's only glass structure. Looks like:
- 1st floor gym and spa is shared with Hotel Guests (and public for the spa?)
- 2nd floor is a coffee shop and restaurant open to hotel guests (and public?)
- 3rd floor is a deck that hotel guests can probably use and private dinning rooms for the restaurants that are open to all.
- WHERE'S the 50% dedicated to members only? URA approved this? Hello? Hello?

2) Feb 14 is looking like a "soft opening". There are still much work to be done in the next 6 days. Is there a party? a meeting with members?

To Management: What's the plan?

WiFi is working!

2011-01-11T07:36:00.002+08:00

I did not see a WiFi network last week, but I see one this week. Sitting in the members lounge right now and logged into "memwifi".

Mobile phone reception spotty

2011-01-06T08:04:00.003+08:00

I am back at the club this morning working out. Just a note that my phone signal dropped a few times when I was in the men's locker room. I am on M1 using iPhone 4.

New General Manager has left

2011-01-05T14:59:00.003+08:00

I was at the Club this morning for a workout. This is my first time working out there. Facilities have not change since my last update.

The only change is that the General Manager - Anthony Oneill - has left. I think he was there for a year, though we did not know he was GM until a few months ago.

Anyhow, in case you did not get the email from CEO last month, here the announcement that the Glass House will open on 14 Feb this year: (click to see full size)

Member Update - as of 3 December 2010

2010-12-07T00:11:00.000+08:00

I have not had a chance to get to the club recently as we just came back from a holiday. One member did update us. Here's what Keith wrote last week:

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Hi all

Let me just put in my 2 cents worth here.

What is usable today:

Swimming pool

Gym

Toilets

Changing room

Members lounge

Card room (mahjong)

Car Park

What is not convenient:

Members must walk from the changing room to pool via the entrance of the club at the basement car park, take a lift to the mezzanine floor and walk from there to the pool – it’s a long walk to go to the pool because the glass house isn’t ready. When the glass house is ready, there will be direct access from the changing room to the pool via the glass house.

What puts me off:

The whole club now looks like a German war bunker, with corridors upon corridors, it feels like a bomb shelter, or a scene from a first person shooter like Doom (if you’ve played Doom, you’ll understand). It feels unfinished, unpolished, and a real slap in the face for members who have supported the club. If this is how the management treats its members, I don’t wanna know how it’s treating its staff, suppliers, or hotel guests. I definitely won’t recommend anyone else to join this club or even stay as a hotel guest.

As a social club – it’s not ready for prime time. But if you want to have a workout or a swim, or free parking for 3 hours, it’s OK. Is it worth the monthly fee? Probably, if you use the pool and gym on a regular basis. Oh, and by the way, you need to climb a flight of stairs to reach the gym from the changing room – so it’s extra exercise right there.

The floor looks like it hasn’t dried out, and the signs on the wall (Toilet, changing room) are basically pieces of A4 paper pasted on the wall with sellotape. If you want to impress somebody, bring this person to the hotel lobby and say that this ‘used’ to be the club area which you’re a member of. Don’t bring this person to the actual club area (bunker), because it’s not impressive, in fact it’s depressing. No sunshine, no internal décor, no flash.

Oh, and there’s a dilapidated pool table covered with an ugly tarpaulin right smack in the member’s lounge. Why is it covered? Because the table is in a shite condition. I’m surprised it’s even there.

I met a member there who doesn’t want to bring his kids to the club right now because there is still construction work going on. So if you wanna swim, consider bringing a hard hat along.

=====

Legends Fort Canning Update: 14 November

2010-11-15T22:52:00.003+08:00

Hi Folks,

I did not make it on the 12th. The family and I did manage to make it on the evening of the 14th though. Here are the pics...

The new Members' "Club Entrance" on B1. Note that their are about 5 "Members Parking" spaces near this door (past the Elevator). So do go all the way in...

Upon entering, there is a Reception counter on the right and this hall way up ahead. At the end of the hallway, there is a wall. Apparently this is temporary and will be gone as this area will open up into a lift lobby. This lift will take us up to the "Glass House".

BTW, Just behind Reception is the Playroom. It is not yet ready for play, though my kids wanted to get all over the arcade games that were not plugged in.

So at the end of that Hallway, a left turn leads to this wet area (I don't think it is supposed to be wet). These are the locker and shower rooms on the right side. The left side is that temporary Lift Lobby area that is still under construction.

After passing the Men's Lockers, here is the Men's Dipping Pool and Sauna on the left. There might be a Steam Bath on the left.

Lady's Locker Room - (the only time I will be in here, I promise).

Lady's Dipping Pool and Sauna on the right. Definitely Steam Bath on the left.

Pass the whole locker area and around a bunch of dizzying hallways, we get to the Member's Lounge. Not sure if this is a temporary thing or what until the Glass House gets finished, but my wife was asking "How can we put 1,000 members in here?"

The Gym has been changed around a bit. The area that was the Studio has been opened up and the cardio machines are there. I guess this is so that runners and cyclists can watch the greenery and people watch the path.

The Studio has been moved towards the end of the Gym. All walls and pillars are glass. I got confused when I saw five of me looking at me. I will dub this the "Hall of Mirrors".

====

Well, that's it for now. I guess you can say it's "Open" since they have a staff sitting at reception, but it is not "Open for business" as there is not much you can do there as a Member. On the 13th, 17 members signed in to the Guest Book and on the 14th, 23 members did so.

And so we wait...

Legends Fort Canning Club - NOT READY

2010-11-01T17:06:00.010+08:00

After the mail/email by the Club in mid October, I was pretty excited about the opening on 1st November. Last night, I asked my wife if we should go work out at Legends instead of Seletar Country Club where we have been social members since we became Legends-In-Exile. My wife said "What if the club was not ready? Where would we go to change and get dressed for work? Better not." Damn, I hate it when she is right...

I went to the Club before work today at around 9:30 and here are the pics...

The carpark is more or less the same.

I was getting excited. "The Glass House"

The Stairs have been done up. Black carpet ahead...

The Lobby area is now a bar.

The Hotel Lobby is nice and cozy.

Though somewhat forbidding...

Ground floor rooms get a little outside sitting area...

The Pool is nice and inviting....

Wait! What's this? The Glass House is still wrapped up like a present!

Putting on a borrowed hard-hat, I went on a little exploration...

I don't think the Glass House will be ready on 12 November as per the email from the Club today. But other parts may be ready, so I also took a wander through the area underneath the Glass House (formerly known as the Tennis Court)...

Members Entrance from Basement 1 Carpark

The New Members Lounge

The New Playroom. Lots of space for my kids.

The New Techno Gym Gym. The View is not as pretty as the last Gym. It is in the basement after all. Good looking equipment though.

The Fitness Room has a view of the greenery on the outside. You can also people watch people on the walking path outside.

The Card Rooms are all set.

Men's Lockers

Men's Showers. There's a dipping pool behind me - no water there yet.

View of Glass House from Below.

That concludes The Tour my friends. The carpark system has not been registered so you have to ask the Front Desk for a complimentary ticket. The Hotel Staff was very nice. They offered me a coffee in the Hotel Lobby, but I declined. "Hotel Guests Only" you know...

Well, I will update you on the 12th of November. Bright and early with my gym gear!

Latest Updates: 28 August 2010

2010-08-30T18:49:00.006+08:00

I stopped by the Club on Friday to check out what has been done- following the mail last month.

Here are the latest pics (click the images to see larger version in more detail!):

Not much has changed at first look. The glass on the hotel rooms are in. They must be doing the fitout inside.

Looking down the front, we see some changes. We see that it is no longer an open area; there seems to be some steps outside of the Cafe....

Closer inspection shows a series of room-like structure(?). Perhaps they are going to be small private seating areas? Private Dining room? Massage rooms? I don't recall these structures in the drawing we were shown here. and more recently here. Hmm....... I wonder if they will "belong" to the members' 51% or is it the public's 49%.

Ah Hah! That damn "Grand Marquee" is gone. The circus has left the building... That bit of revenue is gone.

Looking on the other side, we see that construction on the Glass building has begun...

Closer inspection reveals "the entire Glass Block steel structure has been completed and the concrete floors have been put in" as per the Club email on 30 July. That email also mentions that they "expect the Club to be fully open in the last quarter of the year, barring any unforeseen circumstances..." Holding my breath... NOT!

Other status updates emails from the Club earlier are here:
18 June 2010
31 May 2010
26 April 2010

Interestingly, in all these updates, there was no mention that the club has hired a new General Manager: Anthony O'Neill. Anthony is a veteran hotelier and has been GM at many properties around Asia. He has already updated his LinkedIn profile as "General Manager Hotel Fort Canning & Legends Club".

Me thinks we would like to hear from Anthony on these Club updates rather from "the Management".

Discussion Archive - 2009-06-15

2009-06-19T00:32:00.000+08:00

The Discussion Forum deletes older posts... So I am keeping an archive and posting it up:

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May 8 2009, 9:03 PM
Anonymous (guest): i thimk what the management is doing is very unfair to its members, we have no idea how long there will be a delay. We can't use the local club and most of us may not even want to go to the JB Club

May 8 2009, 9:04 PM
Anonymous (guest): there appears to be no progress in the renovation at all

May 9 2009, 3:15 AM
Linda (guest): yup, no renovation at all. guess our monthly fees goes to the club for them to use in other investments

May 9 2009, 3:18 AM
Linda (guest): imagine with the amount of money we give for the monthly fees to them and when club re-opens, I bet the fees will be double...but what can we say???

May 9 2009, 10:12 PM
Anonymous (guest): Just received the club bill, bingo...$85. Never used the club in Malaysia and probably never will, nice charge. Love the comment of Mr Oh in the Straits Times about a club providing service with its members in mind. With Herbert Hofer gone there is no club manager so I guess our concerns need to be directed to the club CEO, Mr Oh. After all he is also the Managing Director of the Malaysia branch that is charging us with the Arnold Palmer golf course.

May 9 2009, 10:56 PM
Anonymous (guest): Think we should organised a members' meeting with the MD....at least most of our concern and doubts can be clarify direct from the horses mouth...

May 10 2009, 2:53 PM
Anonymous (guest): I definitely agree that we should ask for a meeting with the Mr Oh. What we are asking is transparency and information on what is happening. We are paying club fees to a club that is closed, we are invonvinienced by paying gym memberships, the club membership we paid for provides zero services in Singapore. If the club owner would like to run a 5 star hotel where the club is that is fine with me but we need our club facilities back. I hope that Mr Oh will understand this.

May 10 2009, 3:23 PM
Anonymous (guest): Quote from Mr Oh in The Straits Times: 'We may be a proprietary club but we are still committed to providing good service and running a good club'. Dear Mr Oh, if you, your staff or lawyers are reading this blog: how can this be when the club is closed and and there is zero service towards its members apart from a monthly bill? Please be transparent and let us know what is happening. Silence on the matter breeds dissatisfaction and makes matters worse. Please communicate with the members.

May 10 2009, 11:16 PM
Jerry (guest): I am afraid that I had these guys pegged all along. Poor Herbert was the fall guy for these characters. He had enough integrity so get fed up and walk. It wasn't easy for Herbert, as he feels that he is abandoning his staff, and that he let us members down. In the end, he had to put his family and personal integrity first. I, for one, was very hard on Herbert. Now, we need to channel our venom towards Mr. Oh as in the number "0". I suggest that us members start bombarding him with e-mails ASAP!

May 18 2009, 12:17 AM
Anonymous (guest): According to Herbert's March letter the club is to receive approval from the URA in May this year. It is May 18th I guess the URA reply should be in soon. Since Herbert is no longer with the club let's see whether the club onwers will be communicating with us soon.

May 27 2009, 2:34 AM
Jerry (guest): Still no news from the club. I am going to call over there this week and speak to the PR lady. I am sure that we will not get any kind of definitive information, just the normal stonewalling, but I will make the call anyways. I am also going to take a drive over there so see if they have done any construction pertaining to us members. I will fill everyone in on what I find out, if anything.

Jun 3 2009, 4:34 PM
Jerry (guest): At last, some good news to report. I spoke to Amy, the PR Manager at the Legends today. The club is on schedule to open in November or December. The new restaurants will open in September or October. The real big news is, they have finally started building the foundation for the new clubhouse (the glass house). I went by to check it our myself. Next time I will take some photos. So, for the time being, it looks like we will be back in action. Evidently, the URA approved the new construction plans.

Jun 5 2009, 2:31 PM
Anonymous (guest): Great to hear it!

Jun 6 2009, 1:10 AM
Anonymous (guest): Great news, hopefully the club management will officially update us this month. If the club opens in November/December it would be good, it would be good to get reduced membership or other benefits linked to the one year closure.

Jun 8 2009, 6:30 PM
Jerry (guest): Reduced membership? From Mr. Oh and his gang? You have a better chance of going to New York City and getting a French Kiss from the Statue of Liberty. I will be happy just to see the place open up again, and a good club to frequent.

Jun 8 2009, 8:59 PM
linda (guest): I was there on Sun afterday, yesterday and the tennis court still is standing there without a trace of construction. Both the pool is filled with green dirty water. Best of all - I saw staff getting ready for dinner/wedding function. Joe took some pictures and probably will upload them this week for all to view. Jerry hope you are right that they will start the clubhouse reno soon

Jun 11 2009, 1:23 AM
Anonymous (guest): No point hearing it from the PR lady....

Jun 11 2009, 1:26 AM
Anonymous (guest): No point hearing it from PR lady....as she is from the same "herd"...if the tennis court is still around, chances are, don't think they can make it in Nov/Dec. Think we should ask for latest update from the management since the last time we gotten the mail...shit!

Jun 13 2009, 1:52 PM
Jerry (guest): I may not have been clear in my report on the construction. My fault. Under the tennis court, there is a hollow storage area, or an old open room. They are shoring up the base underneath, including the pylons and the base, to support the foundation for the new clubhouse. If they do not strenghten the support as they are doing now, then the area around the tennis court will not support the foundation and the new structure. If the area at the tennis court was solid underneath, then this wouldn't be neede

Jun 13 2009, 1:54 PM
Jerry (guest): I did witness this contruction myself under the tennis court, so it is actually happenning. They should be able to get it done by the end of the year, as long as there are no further delays.

RENOVATION UPDATE: 2009-June-09

2009-06-15T08:41:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone,

I stopped by the club two weekends ago to see "What's up?". Well, "not much" is the answer.

Took some pictures....
====They are still holding weddings and events there. There was a wedding in the ball room when I was there. Looks like Legends Fort Canning is now solely used for events and catering.
=====

The tennis court is still there and nothing has changed. The net is still up, though it could use a bit of tightening and the court could do with some sweeping....
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The pools have seen better days. The water is green instead of blue and there are leaves everywhere inside. I would not go swimming there though I think there are probably things living in there.
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The inside - where the old Cafe was - is still what it was when I last photographed.
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The only real change is the little foyer next to the main entrance from the tent. The club did it up nicely for those people who are using the tent for events.
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View from the main car entrance as you drive up.
====
Stuff out there, but it does not seem that much is being done in the last few months.
=====

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Anyhow... where is that update that we are supposed to get from the Chairman back in May?

Discussion Archive - 2009-04-27

2009-04-27T08:46:00.000+08:00

The Discussion Forum deletes older posts... So I am keeping an archive and posting it up:

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Apr 8 2009, 9:49 PM
Tom (guest): So, what are the odds that the club will reopen at all? I do not understand how the concerns raised in Herbert's letter translate to a delay and not a termination of the project.

Apr 13 2009, 4:25 PM
Anonymous (guest): Herbert is the scapegoat! The Eng Wah Organisation has been rather despicable in its dealins not only with this club but in its handling of its business at Eng Wah!! Such unethical conduct calls for shorting of its stocks!!!

Apr 13 2009, 4:25 PM
Anonymous (guest): haha

Apr 13 2009, 4:26 PM
Anonymous (guest): They simply do not understand that in business trust and confidence carries a lot of weight in terms of credibility and reputation. As an investment adviser, I will not touch this company for as long as I stay in the business of advising people how to invest!!!

Apr 13 2009, 4:27 PM
Anonymous (guest): Wonder what Warren Buffett would say about this sort of management?

Apr 13 2009, 4:28 PM
Anonymous (guest): BTW, it is our duty to spread the word about this sort of conduct for as long as they seek to delay, hide and lie!

Apr 13 2009, 4:37 PM
Anonymous (guest) posted a new discussion:

It will take forever to finish

Apr 13 2009, 7:35 PM
Anonymous (guest): Just thought everyone should know Herbert has tendered and has left Legends

Apr 13 2009, 9:35 PM
Linda (guest): No more club and not knowing when it will re-open and YET we still need to pay for the monthly fees....

Apr 13 2009, 9:48 PM
TOM (guest): Correct me if I am wrong -- From reading everything, it seems they need to allocate 50% of the space to the exclusive use of members - and, they had set aside the Ballroom as part of this space. So, if the URA calls them on this, they are jammed up cause the Ballroom is a big source of income (and what do we members really need it for), so, I would propose they change some of those hotel rooms for a nice whirlpool and steamroom like we had before. Also, maybe a nap room like before - that was the best!

Apr 14 2009, 9:54 PM
Anonymous (guest) commented on:

It will take forever to finish

"Don't anyohow said - Money No enough!. How can, I read in the news, that Eng Wah won legal case and awarded huge amount."

Apr 15 2009, 4:23 PM
Joe (guest): Herbert Hofer has resigned as GM of Legends Fort Canning Club.

Apr 15 2009, 7:16 PM
Anonymous (guest): The Legends Battle Box is now in VR: http://www.singaporevr.com/vrs/BattleBox/GunOpsRoom.html

Singapore VR - Battle Box - Gun Operations Room

Apr 19 2009, 2:40 PM
Anonymous (guest): It's understandable that the management should try to blame the members who met with the URA for the current situation. The Club management had operated the club since they started without complying with the lease terms that more than 50% of the enclosed space was to be for club members use only. Obviously they thought they could continue to operate outside the terms of their lease with the plan to convert the building into a hotel and were caught out as a result of this meeting

Apr 19 2009, 9:52 PM
Anonymous (guest): Herbert Hofer recognised that the club's management failed in regards to both providing good customer service and transparency to members. Now that Herbert has resigned it is time to contact the chairman. Time for a meeting with the members Mr Chairman, enough is enough.

Apr 20 2009, 1:24 AM
Jerry (guest): I spoke to Herbert today (Sunday). He feels very bad about what happened,and the club not being ready for the members on time. We had these guys from the Eng Wah group pegged from the start. The last thing management wants right now is to talk to us. Once the club does re-open, we will have better facilities then we would have had we not met witht the URA and caused the commotion that we did. Perhaps those members that were apathetic, sat on the sideline, will one day appreciate our efforts.

Apr 20 2009, 4:43 PM
sally (guest): I wonder what's gonna happened to out favourite waiters & waiteresses in the club...and all the other nice staffs..?are they also gone??/

Apr 20 2009, 4:45 PM
sally (guest): I'm not so optimistic abt the Club now...preparing for the worst! sigh!!!

Apr 22 2009, 3:26 PM
Jeremy (guest): What if the club came up with reasons for extended renovation delay? For those not using the affiliated resort in M'sia, wouldn't we be giving "charitable" subscription monthly.....
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Herbert Hofer has resigned as GM of Legends Fort Canning Club

2009-04-15T08:19:00.000+08:00

I have heard that this was going to happen. It has been confirmed by several members now that Herbert has resigned. His last day was last Monday 13th April 2009.

He had a tough job. I hope he has found a better home.

So now the question is: what do we do? There is always the Chairman. Anyone know his email address?

Sunday Straits Times Article - 5 April 2009

2009-04-12T14:39:00.000+08:00

For those of you who missed the Sunday Times article the other week, I have scanned it down and attached above. Click it to see a larger version.

I could not find an online version at asiaone.com or straitstimes.com

Club needs new PR agency

2009-03-22T18:32:00.004+08:00

I am going to respond to the awful letter by Herbert last week. I have been on vacation with the family since it is school holidays and did not want to ruin it by thinking too much about it. But vacation is over... Time to rip the letter apart.

"Several members voiced their opposition and took it to the URA and the Press. As a result, we have to make some changes to our original plan and we hope to receive final approval from URA by May this year."

1) The "original plan" was to make members share the gym and other facilities in the glass building with hotel guests and probably the public. Let's not lose focus on the issue here, shall we?

2) "some changes" - So we are blamed for these changes. What are these changes? If you all recall from the Sunday Times article on October 19 last year, here's a direct quote: "Some members also took issue with the fact that hotel guests would have access to facilities in the members' new glass building... 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."

Blame US for calling the Management out on their MISTAKE!?!?!?!

BLAME YOURSELVES for making the "mistake". Even the newspaper put the quotes around the 'mistake'.

3) "receive final approval from URA in May..." - we have been asking Herbert regularly for the last few months on the status of the glass building since no work has been done. Herbert has been telling us that as far as he knew there were no delays - until March when we pushed further.

NOW he is saying that they had to submit some kind of approval to URA. This would have been submitted back in November last year some time. And he would have known back then that things would be delayed. But are waiting until now to tell us all?????????

"In addition, the Banks that we have been talking to are very worried about the situation with the members. They do not want to be entangled in potential problems between owner and members."

1) "the Banks" would have already approved the loan before any work was started. Are they saying that the "banks" are holding back money from them? No, they are not saying that. They just want to throw some blame around. If the "banks" already released the money for the renovation, where is the money right now? That's what the "banks" should be worried about.

2) "situation with the members" - Ok.. if they are worried, what is Management and Owner doing about the relation with members? We have not had any communication from the club until this month (except for the monthly billing for "Members with Golfing Privileges" and some spam mail).

Have they engaged any of us at all? We are loyal members and care about the Club, which is why we speak up. We can help change public opinion, bring new members in, and bring in cash to the owners - IF they reach out to us with a carrot and not with a STICK (which Herbert's letter is).
====

The letter from Herbert is a PR fiasco. Everyone knows it contains lots of verbal diarrhea. They are making themselves look worst and loosing whatever shred of credibility they have left with members.

If Management is actually concerned about the Banks and the situation, then HOLD ANOTHER MEMBERS MEETING and:

Treat members as partners who can help you.
Tell us what the plans you have changed are.
Be open and transparent.

Finally, Herbert send a letter...

2009-03-15T10:30:00.002+08:00

Click to view

Renovation Update, PLEASE?????

2009-03-03T22:48:00.003+08:00

I sent the following email to Herbert on Monday 2rd March:
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Dear Herbert,

I stopped by the club 2 Sundays ago to see the progress.

There was an event going on there, but nothing has been done to the Tennis Court. The net is still up and you can play on it.

With less than 1 month left until the club is supposed to be re-opened to members, the new building has not even started yet. As far as I can tell, there are not even any building materials on site for construction. As GM of the club, I think you know what is the progress and I think it is your responsibility to inform the members as soon as you know that the delays are imminent. We barely got one month's notice when the club was going to close last year. Are we are not even going to get that kind of courtesy that the club will not open on time?

Best regards,

Joe Nguyen
===

I received the following email reply:
===

Dear Joe,

Thank you for your email.

There has been some delay in the redevelopment and an official update will be sent to all members shortly

Thanks

Herbert

===

All I have to say is:

"WE TOLD YOU SO, MR. GM & MR. OWNER!!!"

2009-01-28 Renovation Update

2009-01-29T08:06:00.001+08:00

I hope you all had a good long Chinese New Year celebration (that is still going on for many people.)

I stopped by at the club yesterday. Not much has changed. The hole in the parking area is gone so I guess they had to do some work there. Pictures below.

No Formal Updates from Management

2009-01-06T10:29:00.002+08:00

I have received a couple of emails asking me if I had any updates from the Club on the renovation. Unfortunately, I do not.

Jerry wrote to our GM inquiring about the status and received the following email response from him on the 30th of December:

"In answer to your questions, we are in the midst of the renovations and should the plans differ from what was presented at the Members’ Briefing held on 6 Oct 08, we will inform members accordingly."

Anyhow, Jerry sent some follow up questions on the 31st and is awaiting a response.

2009-01-05 Renovation Update

2009-01-05T19:04:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year Celebration. We did miss the Club as we celebrated New Year's Eve 2007/8 at Legends Fort Canning with the kids last year.

There's been some emails between some of us concerning the fact that there has been no work done on the future member's building and it is less than three months from the 1st April re-opening date that was told to us by the Management. So I went to take a look and here are some pictures I took today (click on the pictures to see a larger image):

1) The exterior is the same as expected:

2) There is much work going on in the building. The second floor is gutted and you can see the huge piece of glass on the balcony.

3) There is no change at the Marquee. I see the sales person showing some prospects around.

4) The area in front of the tennis court and the golf driving cage remains unchanged.

5) The tennis court shows no signs that it will be converted to a 3-storey building in less than 3 months. The net is still up. Game, anyone?

6) The main front area is unchanged and the outdoor furniture are all there.

7) The Cafe is completely gone. Here is what it looks like now... :-(

8) View of the former-Cafe from the still-open Lobby.

9) View of the Lobby/former Cafe. Note the sign "Luxurious Boutique Hotel & Fine Dining Restaurants Opening Soon!" There are a few of these posted around.

10) There is a big Hole in the parking area next to the guard post. A fountain coming may be? I wonder if this means the members parking there will be gone.

11) Another view of the Hole. I still can't figure what it is for.

12) The carpark on B1 is still full. There was an event on this morning (10+am). So the catering business must be good.

=====

There does not seem to be any development to the members building since I took pictures on December 3rd.

You will also note that I have put a count down timer at the top of this page ... "Until Fort Canning Re-Opens To Members".

2008-12-03 Renovation Update!

2008-12-03T23:49:00.000+08:00

Hey All, Yes it has been a while....

I just went to the club today to have a look around. Here are some pictures (click on the pictures to see a larger image:

1) The driveway is pretty busy with containers and such. I was told to park downstairs.

2) The pool is fine but the water level is about 1.5 feet below normal.

3) During my walk, I see that the ballroom is still functioning and was setting up. The tent is still up and ready. The Tennis Court is still the same so no work has commenced on the glass building at all.

4) Legends Garden has been completely gutted. Check out the attached photos.

More update sooner or later....

Joe out.

Ordinary Golf Membership Status - More 3

2008-11-19T20:20:00.001+08:00

We have a reply:

===
Dear Linda,

I refer to your email dated 17 Nov 08.

We confirm you are holding an Ordinary Membership with golfing privileges. We do not have a category called Ordinary Golfing Membership, and no members hold a membership called Ordinary Golfing Membership. Even after we introduced the Ordinary Social Membership, the membership with golfing privileges continued to be referred to as Ordinary Membership in all our official correspondence. As mentioned in our earlier correspondences, when we referred to “Golfing” Members in our letter on the reduced subscriptions and in the website, we did so to differentiate them from “Social” Members – we apologise if this has led to some confusion. We have taken note of this and will refer to the various memberships by their proper names in all future correspondences.

As for the website, we have removed all types of membership as we are currently not selling memberships, and are preparing to completely change the website to reflect the new Club facilities.

Yours sincerely
===

"We apologise if this has led to some confusion".....?#!@#$@#$%@#$%

So it is our fault that we are confused. That they have been "confusing" prospect members with "Ordinary Golf Membership"? That they have used "Golfing Members" in their correspondences to us? Isn't this just a case of "over-marketing" with overstated exaggeration, embellishments and double-speak?

"we did so to differentiate them from 'Social' Members" - I agree. It is better distinction than "Ordinary members with golfing privileges". So just change it to "Golfing Members" then. What's the matter with doing that?

Membership Buy-Back Scheme - Update

2008-11-19T01:29:00.000+08:00

Ms. Ng has been corresponding with the GM on this issue. (See last week's posting on this)

Below is the latest chaser.

==
Dear Herbert,

Below is your reply in blue.

"We have explored your recommendations thoroughly and the
management has concurred that, since there are agents who have
interested buyers, excited by the new developments in the Legends
Fort Canning Park, and willing to purchase the memberships in the
open market currently, we need not implement a buy-back scheme and it
will be more beneficial for you to sell it through this existing
channel. Please feel free to let us know if you wish to sell your
membership and we can make the necessary introduction. "

I'm afraid that your reply simply informed members to sell it at open market. Will the management help the members to sell at reasonable price and waive the transfer fee?

Otherwise, please give the members Buy Back Scheme as an option.

Regards
==

Will the Management and Owner offer a Buy Back Scheme?
Will they instead waive transfer fees?
Will they have another higher membership level?

Enquiring minds what to know.

Stay tuned...