IRISH BEACH IMPROVEMENT CLUB

44th ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

 Saturday, May 7, 2011 – 1:00 P.M.

Greenwood Community Center

MINUTES

 

I        CALL TO ORDER

President Drolet called the meeting to order at 1:05pm.

Directors present:  President Leon Drolet, Vice President Richard Sequest, Secretary Pam Harley, Treasurer Paula Gann, Maintenance Directors Gene Cady and Jerry Trujillo and Director RJ Dial.

Director Harley reported that IBIC has 160 current members.  Forty-two members are registered either in person or by proxy and a quorum is present.

 

II       APPROVE MINUTES of May 1, 2010

Director Drolet moved to approve the minutes of the 2010 Annual Meeting.  Director Harley seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

 

III     REPORTS

Status of IBIC:  Director Drolet reported to the membership about the Board’s activities in the past year.  Pomo Lake: In 2009, the Board hired Bill Maslach to conduct a study of health and status of Pomo Lake and create a maintenance plan.  The result of the study was presented to the membership at the 2010 Annual Meeting and the Board received the complete, written report in October of 2010.  The full report is available on the IBIC web site.  Pomo Lake is filling in with silt and will begin turning into a marsh in about 20 years if no action is taken to control the sediment build up.  The lake is still a healthy environment for plants and animals and no endangered species have been found in the area.  In January of 2011, the Board resolved to proceed with and budget for the least expensive maintenance plan option offered in the report that will address the sediment problems and preserve Pomo Lake as a lake.  This option will require the fewest number of permits from State and Federal agencies and all work must be done manually.  The sediment catchment basin just east of the upstream dam must be cleaned out.  Cattails are restricting the flow of water in and out of the lake and will be manually removed at a rate of 5% per year.  In order to decrease the amount of organic matter going into the lake, mowing will be restricted to the picnic area only and property owners around the lake are asked not to mow beyond their property line.  Barren areas will be planted with native species to reduce erosion and runoff.  The Board has budgeted $8000 for this fiscal year to obtain permits and start implementing the plan.  Website:  Several new publications on the IBIC web site provide useful information to property owners and visitors.  Topics include beach safety, do and don’ts for property owners, a visitor and guest guide and a condensed version of the Irish Beach CC&Rs.  Budget:  In the coming year, the Board will work on developing a long-range budget and plan for capital expenditures.  The Board is concerned about the eventual failure of the up beach road due to slides and erosion and may have to hire an engineer to make an assessment.  Director Drolet would like to see the trail around Pomo Lake improved for safety reasons.  Fiscal: The IBIC and Architectural Design Committee (ADC) books are merged and all income and expenses for the committee will be included in the IBIC financial reports.  Items that were incorrectly designated as capital expenses, such as wine glasses, have been re-categorized and the IBIC financials have been brought back into compliance with standard accounting practices.

Maintenance:  Director Cady reported that the beach gate was repaired recently.  Director Trujillo and he have been cutting up a large tree that fell in Gazebo Park this winter.  Director Drolet reported that two professionals (one retired) have looked at the other trees in Gazebo Park and determined that they are not a threat to anyone’s house.  Director Cady has made several picnic tables for the parks from donated deck wood. 

Membership:  Director Harley reported that IBIC has 160 current members and there were two new members in the past year:  Jonathan and Susan Bauer and Joe Bernazzani.  Twenty-six members pay the $75 voluntary renters surcharge in addition to the $200 dues membership.  Twenty-one members have not yet renewed and it is expected that most of them will do so.  

Architectural Design Committee:  Director Drolet reported that in the past year the Committee heard one Major Exterior Modification permit for the construction of a garage and one Minor Exterior Improvement permit.  The Committee discontinued the requirement for applicants to pay a refundable Performance Deposit after they determined that it is not allowed by the CC&Rs.  Instead, the Committee is seeking a different solution for ensuring that construction is done according to the CC&Rs and as approved by the Committee.  One option is to require applicants to get a surety bond; a second is to rewrite the construction permits to include a monetary penalty for not adhering to the conditions of the permit, which would allow the ADC to seek relief in small claims court.  Implementing either option will require the services of a lawyer.  Director Drolet asked all property owners to make sure their exterior lighting is shielded and downcast.

Enterprise Fund:  There was no report. 

Road Improvement Ad Hoc Committee:  Director Dial reported that because of emails, letters and phone calls to the County regarding the condition of roads within the subdivision, the County used federal stimulus money to repave roads in Unit 3 (Sea Cypress Dr., Cypress Pkwy, etc.).  This year the Roads Committee will focus on repairs to Pomo Lake Drive,  O’Rorey’s Roost and the culvert under Forest View Road at the east end of Pomo Lake.

Water Board:  Steve Whitaker, President of the Irish Beach Water District (IBWD) Board of Directors, gave a synopsis of the long and complex events that led to the decision by the California Water Resources Control Board to pull the permit for development of the Mallo Pass water resources.  This decision forces the IBWD to drill wells in order to provide water for future development.  The district owns very little land and therefore must come to agreements with property owners in order to drill.  The district is now dependent on water from the upper and lower diversions on Irish Creek.  The rights to the upper diversion are secure but the State could restrict the amount taken from the lower diversion, which is currently used only during the summer months.  At this time, the district can only supply six new houses with water at a rate of 300 gallons of use per day although the 300 gallons per day number may be amendable.  It is imperative for the district to drill more wells and secure the right to use a reasonable amount of water from the lower diversion.  The district is currently being sued by William Moores regarding a well they drilled in 2009.  Ballot Proposition 218 proposes increasing the monthly charge for water by $6 to pay for legal expenses.  More information is available on the IBWD web site at www.ibwd.org.  Meetings are held on the second Saturday of every odd month, at the Fire Station on Forest View Road, beginning at 10:00am.  

NEST:  Vera Lee Carter explained that NEST is a community organization that was formed to help members in the event of a major disaster such as an earthquake.  They have 29 member households, emergency supplies and $2000 in the bank.  NEST will send out a letter to members this year to update information.  NEST encourages all homeowners to learn how to shut off their propane tanks in case of emergency.  Please contact NEST if you need help locating the shut off valves on your property.  Propane tanks can also be fitted with automatic seismic shut off valves.

Treasurer’s Report 2010-11 Fiscal Year/2011-2012 Budget:  Director Gann reported that IBIC ended the year $2296 in the black and the budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year projects ending the year with $660 left after expenses.  Both reports are available on the IBIC web site.  The budget includes $8,000 for Pomo Lake maintenance, $750 for ADC legal council (see ADC report above) and a $2,000 contingency fund.  With the exception of Pomo Lake and the legal fund, revenue and expenses are the same as last year.  IBIC currently has over $90,000 in assets.  In the coming year, the Board will work on developing a long-range budget and plan for capital expenditures.  The Capital Fund and Operating Fund budgets are merged which will simplify the financial reports and allow the membership to have a clearer picture of IBIC’s finances. 

 

IV     NEW BUSINESS

Election of Board of Directors:  Three Directors seats are up for election and Board members Leon Drolet and RJ Dial are seeking re-election.  Director Paula Gann is not running for another term.  Lu Vickery nominated Leon Drolet for another term and Diane Taylor seconded the nomination.  Lu Vickery nominated RJ Dial for another term and Jon Heinzer seconded.  Lu Vickery nominated Sandra Moores for a term on the Board and Joel Kauffman seconded.  All three nominations were passed by a voice vote of the membership.  There were no votes in opposition.  Board members serve for two year terms.

 

V       ANNOUNCEMENTS

Labor Day Weekend Picnic-September 3, 2011 at Pomo Lake Park.

                  

VI     ANY OTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE MEETING

 

VII    ADJOURNMENT

Director Drolet moved to adjourn the meeting at 3:05pm.  Director Cady seconded and the motion passed unanimously.

 

The board will meet immediately after adjournment to elect officers.

The next quarterly board meeting is scheduled for July 23, 2011

 

 

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