IRISH BEACH IMPROVEMENT CLUB

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING MINUTES

Saturday, October 27, 200710:00 A.M.

Rex Dunning Fire Station

Board Approved January 26,2008

 

Open meeting beginning at 10:00AM at the Rex Dunning Firehouse, 15401 Forest View Road.

 

I           CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

President RJ Dial called the meeting to order at 10:10AM. 

Directors present:  President RJ Dial, Directors Brian Carter, Leon Drolet and Sandra Moores.  Directors Gene Cady, Paula Gann and Susan Rush were absent.

Others present:  Nancy Epanchin, Fred Seaman, Steve Whitaker, Su Whitaker and Bettye Winters.

 

II          APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes of 7/28/07: No comments were received.  Director Dial moved to approve the minutes.  Director Moores seconded and the motion passed without opposition.  Director Drolet abstained.

                 

III        REPORTS

Treasurer’s Report:  Director Moores reported that the Operating Fund has year to date revenue of $33,635.00 and expenses of $16,481.60 and is well within budget.  Total Operating Fund monies is $29,739.64.  The Capital Improvement Fund has a balance of $66,887.34.  Directors Dial, Drolet, Gann and Moores will make up a committee to produce a draft budget for the January 26, 2008 meeting.  Director Dial moved to approve the report.  Director Carter seconded and the motion passed with no objections. 

Maintenance:  Director Carter reported that two of the Highway 1 fence posts are marked for replacement but otherwise the fence looks good.  The beach road ditches need minor clearing before winter and he will call Francisco Gonzales to do it.  The work is outside the scope of the current landscaping contract.  A discussion followed about the merits and problems of removing the pampas grass growing along the beach road, which has erosion control benefits but is also a fire hazard and an invasive species.  The Board decided to remove the plants and Director Dial will research suitable replacement plants for erosion control.  The Capital Improvement budget includes $10,000 for beach road maintenance but that has not been accomplished this year.  Director Dial will contact Tom Swengle of RCX Construction to get a true estimate of the cost of repairing and repaving the bottom portion of the beach road.  IBIC still needs a bid for rebuilding the gazebo and constructing port a potty screens for both parks.  Director Moores will contact some contractors who might be interested in the job. 

Technology:  Director Drolet reported that the web site is being updated with the goal of making information more accessible.  A FAQ section will be added to the Architectural Design Committee (ADC) page.  New mediation forms have been published.  Future agendas will include links to handouts and documents related to the meeting.  The Water District page is current.  Director Drolet is concerned that the 100MB of space available with the current web site host, Mendocino Community Network (MCN), is insufficient.  After discussion, the Board gave Director Drolet approval to switch to a web host that will provide more space for the same cost of about $15 per month.  He will work with Jean Selk to send email notification of upcoming meetings.

Architectural Committee:  Director Drolet reported that Walt Rush has resigned from the Committee for personal reasons and Nik Epanchin has been appointed to head a committee to find a replacement.  The Committee will be publishing more of its decisions and policies on the web site.  The agenda for the upcoming meeting on November 17 will include a New Home Construction application by Vipperman/Cohen (1/998) for a two-story house and a Minor Exterior Improvement application by Allred (1/050).  The Committee will also discuss a policy to address requests for copies of documents, the creation of a form for building location and height verification that can be used by a contractor or owner/builder and the addition of a requirement that applications include an electronic copy of all documents.   

Membership:  IBIC currently has 194 members.

IB Road Improvement Committee:  Director Dial will continue to try to contact Margaret Ballou, who volunteered to work on the project.  He asked people to get the word out that volunteers are needed to contact and put pressure on County agencies and the County Board of Supervisors to repave Cypress Point, Cypress Parkway and Cypress Circle, all of which are badly degraded.  

Trail Development:  The goal of the project is to develop a hiking trail from the beach using the  recreational easement along Irish Creek and going to the ridge top property owned by Gordon and Sandra Moores, who have offered to allow the trail development on their land.  People are needed for design and groundwork, which includes getting the proper permitting and establishing rights across the Moores property.  Volunteers will also be needed to do the physical work of building the trail.  Nik Epanchin has already volunteered to help.

 

III        COMMUNICATIONS:  No communications were received.

 

IV        UNFINISHED BUSINESS

 

V         NEW BUSINESS

General policy for tree removal and pruning requests in IBIC easement areas:  IBIC has received two requests for tree removal and pruning and the Board recognizes the need to have a stated policy for responding to such requests.  Discussion at the July Board meeting (no members of the public attended) resulted in a preliminary proposal to make tree removal and pruning decisions based on two criteria:  threat of hazard from falling and the health of the tree or surrounding area.  The discussion continued at this meeting with the participation of the public and consensus was reached in agreement with the preliminary proposal.  Director Dial will draft a policy accordingly which shall be placed on the agenda for discussion and a vote at the January 26, 2008 meeting.  If passed, the policy will be posted on the web site for no less than 30 days and public comments will be accepted.  A vote for final approval can potentially be taken at the April 26, 2008 meeting. 

 

VI        ANY OTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE MEETING

 

VIII      ADJOURNMENT/ NEXT MEETING DATE

 

Director Dial moved to adjourn the meeting at 11:40AM.  Director Carter seconded and the motion passed with no objections.

 

The next meeting is scheduled for January 26, 2008