Shelter Bay News Archive

This page contains items that remain of interest, but no longer timely.

VoIP Telephone Service

from Hermann Wolz

Many of you have contracted for your telephone service using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which is readily available if you have a high speed internet service. This can be via your cable provider, over DSL service, or a stand-alone system such as Vonage or Magic Jack. There are many advantages to VoIP, and the biggest of these is the fact that VoIP is considerably less expensive than conventional hard wired telephone service, especially taking into consideration that most services such as Call Forwarding, Call Waiting, and Caller ID etc. are in the base price.

However, there are a few disadvantages and cautions that one must consider when using VoIP. First and foremost is the fact that should your high speed internet connection fail, you have no telephone service. This failure can be due to a failure at the ISP (Internet Service Provider) service or because of a power outage. Conventional wired telephone service remains active during a power outage as the power for hard wired telephones comes from the central office and not your home electrical system. The second caution in using VoIP is “911” calling. Unlike hard wired telephones, VoIP needs to know physical address in order to route your 911 call to the nearest emergency calling center. You should insure that the “911” service information (your address) is properly registered with the VoIP provider.

There are many articles on the Internet pertaining to VoIP. All you have to do is Google “911 and VoIP.” One other note: remember that if you have all cordless phones in your home and you loose electrical power, these phones will not work regardless of the service.

Security Alert

On Friday, September 11th, we received reports that four Shelter Bay homes were ransacked and burglarized. The incidents occurred during the daytime hours. The Swinomish Police were notified and are investigating these cases.

The Swinomish Police have indicated that these break-ins are very similar to some recent break-ins in Mount Vernon. The Tribal Police are coordinating with the Mount Vernon Police on these incidents. The police have very broad descriptions of vehicles that may have been used in similar burglaries, and Tribal Police advise us to call in and report if residents see these or other ’suspicious’ vehicles:

This notice is intended to make our Shelter Bay residents aware of these activities, and to remind all of you to take the necessary precautions.

If you see suspicious vehicles or any suspicious activity, contact the Tribal Police at 466-7237.

The Board of Directors will be discussing the topic of security in this Wednesday’s Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., in the clubhouse. Members are encouraged to attend.

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Judge Issues Decision in Lease Rental Adjustment Arbitration

The arbitrating judge has decided on the matter of determining a fair rental adjustment under the lease between the Tribe and Shelter Bay Company. The rental adjustment covers the ten-year period from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2013. The judge arrived at a $19.4 million market value of the leased land as undeveloped.

This is a copy of the Arbitration Award.