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Message from Management: June 2010

Nick Halverson
CEO of Nick Halverson

Having spent almost three months in Costa Rica through the first half of 2010, primarily at The Village of San Buenas,I can best sum up the first 1/2 of the year in Costa Rica as “progress”. Costa Rica continues to successfully move forward with their balance of increasing their economy through private sector growth,

Nick & Duane Halverson
Nick & Duane Halverson at San Buenas Golf Resort (next door to Village of San Buenas development)

increasing education and protecting their natural resources. They have elected their first female president and are increasing their trade with more countries of the world than ever before.

Here are some of the more visible changes that have taken place this year:

a) New highway from San Jose to Jaco (Caldera)

This highway is now an easy, “North American stye” highway that is a great improvement from the previous, twisting/winding/corkscrew highway. The new highway has had a couple of “hiccups” so far as heavy rains have forced its closure but as with anything, it will take some time to work out the kinks.

I have spoken to people who have lived and worked in Costa Rica and this project has been in process for over 25 years. It is great that it is finally complete.

I have driven it several times and it is a great improvement.

b) New highway from Quepos to Dominical

After 47 years and several starts and stops, this highway is now complete. My first trip down to Costa Rica over five years ago involved flying into Quepos and heading south. I looked at a map and figured, “Heck. Only 23 miles +/- to Dominical? No problem!” We landed at the end of the day and by the time the rental car was ready it was dark. Well, the drive to Dominical took two-and-one-half hours!! From then on I flew into Palmar Sur.

Those days of bumpy roads and kidney slamming driving are over! The drive between Dominical and Quepos is as easy as the drive from Dominical to Palmar Sur – flat, easy curves, smooth…The drive now takes about 30 minutes +/-.

With the finishing of the two highways it is an easy 3 1/2 hour drive from San Jose to The Village of San Buenas in the southern zone. Here’s some photos of the completed intersection in Dominical:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/solpropertygroup/sets/72157624256899829/

c) Increased coverage of 3G cellular network

ICE continues to install more 3G towers in the southern zone including one in San Buenaventura.

d) Tourism is up over 10% in 2010 vs. 2009

e) More communications.

Cable Tica and ICE continue to install more high speed internet services throughout the country. We met with an engineer and a member of management from ICE at the project early last week. We are cautiously optimistic that the first house will have phone service by the end of 2010 and with the right hardware we already have internet access (via 3G network). I will be pushing them to put in a dedicated high-speed internet line soon.

This is great for the whole project. They are aware of our plans and have been very helpful. We will also be meeting with Cable Tica in the next month to discuss communication solutions.

Within the project I am proud to announce a new masterplan that was designed by our award winning master planner. More details to come in the next couple of months. If you would like a sneak peek, please contact me directly. There are more parks, green spaces and walking trails than any other development that I know of in the area.

Costa Rica in May and June is a great time to visit. The temperatures are cooler than in December/January with gentle winds. Don’t let the “rainy season” name keep you away. I will have my recap from June/July in a couple of weeks. Keep your eyes open for it.

If you are planning a trip to Costa Rica please let me know – I would love to meet for a cup of coffee or Imperial. We can also assist you in your trip planning.

Best regards,

Nick Halverson