Meeting – 01/31/16
The meeting was called to order by President Wilson at 4:02 p.m. and a quorum was declared. Due to the short notice given in arranging the meeting, notice of the meeting announcement was waived. President Wilson motioned to approve the minutes from the last meeting and voted on by email. They were approved by all.
President Wilson reported that construction at 24 Ocean Drive had generated a comment of concern by an immediate neighbor. It was reported that some demolition of that ocean villa unit had resulted in water damage to the adjacent unit. The homeowner indicated they had not been included in the normal North Shores review and comment period by the immediate neighbors of the proposed construction plans.
Although construction had been observed at the site, North Shores had not received an application or a copy of the plans. President Wilson reported that he had exchanged emails with the builder to determine the scope of work involved. He reported that the construction originally started as a renovation of the second and third floors, but had expanded substantially. An agreement was reached to stop work on the project until the scope of work could be determined and construction plans could be reviewed by ARC Head, Paul Salditt. The Ocean Villas are covered by the North Shores Covenants, like other North Shores properties are by their deeds subject to the North Shores Covenants as amended in 2005, including the Architectural Requirements adopted and amended in 2005. President Wilson explained that the North Shores covenants state that modification or voluntary destruction requires a North Shores permit. Oceanfront townhomes rely on a “shared piling” system as support for the party walls between each adjacent townhome, such that the common walls on the north and south of each adjacent unit are supported by a single piling line that supports the party wall serving both adjacent homes. Any interior changes that required engineering advice, consultation or drawings, require an application and are subject to the permit approval process.
It was agreed that Secretary Director would send a letter immediately to the homeowners explaining the need for review of their construction plans for compliance with the North Shores Covenants. Included in the letter will be an explanation of the penalty for construction without a permit and the associated fine of up to $1000.00 per day.
The next item of business discussed at the meeting was the damage to the beach and dune caused by Winter Storm Jonas over the weekend of January 22-24. There was significant damage to the dune, loss of the sand fence the entire length of the beach as well as sand from the beach. The North Shores walkway crossovers received only minor damage. Secretary Director recommended a meeting with DNREC to assess the damage and obtain repair recommendations for the beach and dune. Although the North Shores permit for scraping is in place, DNREC must still define the scope of the scraping and additional permits from DNREC may be necessary before repairs may begin. Property Manager Steve Houston will recommend contractors and obtain cost estimates for the necessary repairs. The Board designated Secretary Director as the primary contact for DNREC to evaluate potential approaches and recommendations. Secretary Director will also review prior input from the community’s previously engaged beach consultants, and solicit their input as well.
Treasurer Helen Hoart reported that the budget for this year is complete with the exception of the beach and dune repair costs.