Annual Meeting – 05/26/12
NORTH SHORES ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Call to Order and Quorum
The Annual Meeting of the North Shores Homeowners Association was called to order by President Margot Anderson at 10:07 a.m. President Anderson welcomed everyone to the meeting, thanking them for their interest in our community. It was established that there was a quorum present (76 represented in person, 55 by Proxy) so business could be transacted.
MINUTES
Draft minutes of the 2011 Annual Meeting had been distributed, and there was one important change: Regarding the lawsuit, the Minutes should reflect that, “The Plaintiffs have dropped the suit with prejudice, which means they can never revisit this issue.” A motion to adopt the Minutes as amended was made, seconded and duly adopted.
REPORTS
President Anderson expressed her praise and appreciation to the staff members and the Board members for their diligent service. She said it has been a very good year, and that the Board has spent a lot of time looking toward the future of the community. She reported that the Board had hired a new attorney, Glenn Mandalas, who has much experience working with homeowner associations. She also wanted to alert parents and grandparents that a new tennis camp will begin in late June. This is a joint effort with Henlopen Acres.
President Anderson confirmed that she would be stepping down following the meeting. She said serving of the Board has been challenging, rewarding, and that she felt she had made many new friends during her tenure. She has every confidence in those taking over from here.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Treasurer Donnee Ramelli reported that the Board has worked to maintain the assessment at the same level for three years. Their objective is to try to keep costs down and keep the assessments at this level, or very close. He said that Phyllis Donovan has done a wonderful job, making recommendations on cost savings which the Board felt were good. At the present time we have about $450,000 in reserve for unexpected expenses and capital improvements.
An owner questioned why the tennis court resurfacing went so far over budget. The answer was that the Board was made aware of a new surface treatment which had a 30 year guarantee, and decided that would be the most cost effective.
SECURITY – Lee Stewart, Security Supervisor, said we have had a quiet winter, with no break-ins. He said it was nice to be able to say that, but that he wanted to remind everyone to lock their cars while in the driveway, and their doors when not at home. He also reminded everyone that motor scooters are to be parked in the spots used by all motorized vehicles, and that the owner stickers or parking passes must be used. He displayed a security sign that homeowners may want to display on their properties as a deterrent.
An owner asked about the enforcement of parking tickets. Mr. Stewart said that after three or more tickets, the car could be towed at owner expense. We do not have the power to assess fines against non-residents. Another owner asked if the crosswalk signs could be left up after Memorial Day. Security will look into this.
BATH & TENNIS – Elise Seltzer, Assistant Manager of the Bath & Tennis Club was introduced. She said that pool hours will be 10-5 daily. Adult lap swim hours have been extended, and will now be from 9 a.m. -10:30 a.m. daily. The shallow end of the pool will be opened at 10 a.m. for other swimmers. By request, beginning mid-June until mid-August, the pool will remain open until 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
She reported that many of the lifeguards have returned this year. There was work done on the pool and it really looks great.
Once again she reminded everyone to use the web site or call the office to let the staff know when you will be in residence so they can be sure to have your umbrellas and chairs placed for you. There will again be assistance getting on and off the beach for those with mobility problems. Just call the pool and let them know what time you will arrive and they will have one of the staff transport you by ATV to the beach and back.
There was a question about changing the hours during which dogs are permitted on the beach, to permit dogs on the beach at an earlier time. Ms. Seltzer responded that the Board had not wished to allow dogs on the beach earlier out of concerns about young children who remain on the beach during the afternoon hours, and out of concern that pets could interfere with the process for daily removal of beach equipment.
BEACH & ROADS REPORT – Dan Anderson, Chairman of the Beach & Roads Committee, gave a brief report. Our beach is in excellent condition, due mainly from the fact that sand from the large Dewey Beach/Rehoboth Beach replenishment project over the winter has migrated to our beach. We have installed DNREC approved sand fencing and beach grass to stabilize the dune. We did not have any major storms over the winter, which helped a great deal.
Our roads have been carefully inspected and appear to be in excellent condition. It is anticipated they will not need resurfacing for another five years. However he pointed out that it is important for the Board to continue their efforts to maintain a strong reserve for this future, potentially major expense.
The Board is in the permitting process for dredging the canal entrance to the marina. He reported that the entrance should be passable this summer, but that the Board hopes to do a major dredging project in the fall to make navigation easier in and out of the marina.
Mr. Anderson closed by complimenting the Board of the way they are taking care of our community. This drew a round of applause.
A homeowner asked how the dredging project would be funded. At this time the Board is unsure, but is hoping to be able to fund this through the current reserves. Further consideration will be required when the estimate is finalized.
It was reported that there is a submerged timber at the entrance to the channel. Dion Johnson and Dan Anderson will look at this to determine what can be done to remove it.
BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE – Beautification Chairman, Pat Stallings, was unable to attend the meeting. However it was reported that all the spring planting has been completed and that an anonymous donor paid for the new planting around the entrance sign to the community.
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW – Paul Salditt, Architectural Chairman, reported that the Covenants are working and thanked everyone for not giving him a hard time.
An owner stated that the house behind his had been razed, and wanted to know if he would be given an opportunity to comment on new plans. Mr. Salditt said that at the present time there are no regulations about tearing down a house. The Board may adopt some regulation in the future since there have been a couple of instances that caused some concern this past year, but there is recent Delaware case law that may limit the ability of the association to regulate removal of structures where the resulting land is not a legal nuisance. The Board will evaluate further options. Mr. Salditt added that when the Board receives plans for new construction or major renovations, they do provide an opportunity for neighbors to view the plans and make comments, which the Board will take into consideration in the approval process.
There was no Old Business.
New Business
This year the Board decided not to hold the Memorial Day Party at the pool. Sara Simon, who graciously chaired this event over the past few years, has decided to step down. There were negative comments following last year’s party regarding the limited availability of “good” food, warm wine, etc., so the Board felt they should get input from the community about continuing to host the Memorial Day pool party, or perhaps contemplating a different event.
Mrs. Lane graciously volunteered to Chair this type of event in the future, and we all look forward to her thoughts and ideas.
The meeting was then turned over to Board member Bruce Wilson to discuss the proposed renovation and/or revitalization of the bathrooms and community room at the Bath & Tennis Club. He asked Dion to distribute a booklet to each family present, and reported that anyone not in attendance today will be mailed a booklet, along with a comment form. The Board is very interested in the comments of the community.
Mr. Wilson explained that at this time the Board has three conceptual options to propose: for (1) Renovation; (2) Raze and Replace; and (3) Expand into a real community clubhouse.
Mr. Wilson then introduced Robert Miller, AlA. Mr. Miller is the son of outgoing Board President Margot Anderson, and a long-time resident/visitor to North Shores. For purposes of disclosure, Mr. Wilson reported that Mrs. Anderson did not vote on the hiring of Mr. Miller or his firm.
Mr. Miller presented a slide show which summarized the three different conceptual options and the advantages and disadvantages of each program.
Following Mr. Miller’s presentation, Mr. Wilson entertained questions and accepted verbal comments. He encouraged everyone to write their comments down and send them to the Board for their review. By knowing the sense of the community on the proposed function(s) and size of the pool house facility, the Board can best weigh the options.
The Board’s plan is to accept comments through June 30, and thereafter to consider community comments and decide based on those comments which program option to pursue. The Board will then move to the construction design phase. The hope is to complete design, bid the job, and start construction immediately after the Labor Day closure of the facility. Mr. Wilson indicated that we want to have the job completed and ready for opening next Memorial Day weekend 2013.
Questions concerning the pool house program ranged from proposed usage, including a kiddie pool, funding, whether a snack bar would be included, hurricane protection, etc. These are all things the Board will take into consideration.
The next order of business was the election of Board Members. Residents Debbie Director and Mary Haverback were introduced as candidates. A motion was made to accept the slate as nominated. The vote was unanimous in favor.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.
Respectfully submitted,
Bruce Wilson, Secretary