Annual Meeting Minutes May 23, 2020
NORTH SHORES ANNUAL MEETING
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Call to Order and Quorum
The North Shores Homeowner Association Annual Meeting was called to order by President Bruce Wilson at 10:39 a.m. In compliance with the Delaware State of Emergency, the meeting was held by audio-teleconference. President Wilson welcomed homeowners attending the meeting and thanked them for their patience with the check-in process. Mr. Wilson instructed homeowners how to be recognized by the operator using their phones, for voting and question and answer sessions, during the meeting.
He introduced the members of the current board; Debbie Director, Helen Hoart, Louisa Hollman and Evan Thalenberg. Secretary Debbie Director confirmed a quorum was established for the meeting, with 91 voting attendees participating in the call and the remainder by proxy, allowing business of the community to be conducted.
President Wilson welcomed James Allen, the North Shores Community Executive, recognizing his valuable contribution and efforts managing this community over the past several months.
Minutes
President Wilson asked for a motion to approve the 2019 Annual Meeting Minutes. Mr. Wilson noted, as a reminder, a footnote to the minutes subsequent to the annual shareholders meeting the previous year. On March 27, 2020, the Delaware Court of Chancery entered an order dismissing all counts of the homeowner’s lawsuit against the community and the Board. Commenting further on the footnote, on April 22, 2020, Mr. Wilson informed the Board and homeowners, the plaintiff served the community with notice that an appeal of the dismissal to Delaware Supreme Court is planned. Draft minutes of the May 25, 2019 homeowners meeting were made available on the community’s website and mailed to all homeowners in April as part of the Annual Report package. The floor was opened for comments on the minutes. Following a test question from the operator administering the meeting, homeowners were asked to vote on the 2019 Minutes as submitted. The operator indicated that all voting participants to the meeting had responded, voting to approve the minutes unanimously.
President’s Report
President Wilson announced to homeowners that summer operational plans for the 2020 season, in compliance with State of Delaware COVID-19 emergency restrictions, would allow the beach to open with limited operations. Mr. Wilson assured homeowners that the safety of residents and staff is paramount to the Board. The “new normal” of the public health emergency – coupled with the guidance around disinfecting and physical distancing, requires thinking about our community in very different ways. Operational decisions will continue to be informed by scientific and medical guidance on public health and safety issues related to the pandemic. Sources used for the evolving guidance include: Governor’s Carney Office and task force; CDC; Delaware Department of Health and Social Services; The Beebe Medical Center; Association of Coastal Towns Delaware; OSHA; neighboring towns of Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Henlopen Acres; and an independent occupational and health consultant. Key points on modifications to the summer season:
- Beach service would only include umbrella set-up complying with social distancing requirements, without the use of chairs that are normally available for rent.
- Mule service, normally used to assist those with mobility difficulty onto the beach, will not be available. Following the State of Delaware guidance on golf carts, occupancy is limited to one person.
- The new playground, installed this spring, will remain closed indefinitely to comply with emergency restrictions.
- The opening of the pool would be delayed to comply with State of Delaware emergency orders, with an expectation that an opening might take place in the next few weeks.
President Wilson reminded homeowners that travel and quarantine restrictions were in place, and use of community amenities required compliance with those emergency orders.
President Wilson applauded Community Executive James Allen and Bath and Tennis Manager Maureen Brown for their work developing a comprehensive plan to manage community amenities and equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Helen Hoart reported the finances of the community remain strong, and the annual assessment will remain at $2400 per household in 2020. Treasurer Hoart indicated there are substantial reserves available, with a budget goal to keep approximately one-year of expenses in reserve. 2019 finished the year with a slight surplus, while undertaking a number of projects to benefit the community, including drainage and paving. Financial flexibility will be key this year for both income and expenses, which may be affected in ways that are still unfolding. Treasurer Hoart indicated close and continued to monitoring is planned with adjustments to the budget as needed. Some capital projects may be postponed this fall to manage cash flows if it becomes necessary. The 2020 budget anticipates continued community improvement projects and will be evaluated as the year progresses.
Treasurer Hoart thanked Phyllis Donovan, the long-time bookkeeper for North Shores, for her dedication and hard work.
President Wilson advised homeowners that many iterations of the budget were considered to include various scenarios for the impact of the pandemic. Mr. Wilson asked if there were any specific budget questions. There were no questions or comments. The conference meeting operator instructed homeowners on yes/no voting options for the budget. All votes were completed and the budget was passed unanimously.
Bath and Tennis
Club Manager, Maureen Brown, greeted homeowners and welcomed everyone back for the summer. Following the State of Delaware phase openings, Mrs. Brown explained to homeowners the operation of the beach and pool would be modified for the summer of 2020. She requested homeowners practice social distancing, follow official state guidelines, and wear a mask when within 6 feet of another person. Use of the pool and beach will be for Delaware residents and non-residents that have completed the 14-day quarantine period.
Mrs. Brown outlined the new beach equipment set-up for this season, explaining that a member of the beach crew would be stationed at each entrance to assist with umbrella set-up. Beach umbrella rentals can be arranged by email or calling the pool office, in an effort to reduce the number of people at the pool office. House charge and credit cards will be the only forms of payment accepted this year. Seasonal umbrella set-up is available on the North Shores website. The beach crew staff will sanitize umbrellas after each use and every evening with a disinfectant. Mrs. Brown encouraged homeowners to supply their own chairs for the beach this year. Homeowners that choose to use their own umbrellas will have an area near each lifeguard stand again this year. Umbrellas will be set-up in multiple rows with a distance of 20 feet between them. Personal umbrella rules will still apply.
Modifications to the pool operations were explained to the homeowners by Mrs. Brown. When the pool is able to open, occupancy will initially be limited to 20%. Reservations can be made for the available time slots on the North Shores website. Some areas of the pool house will not be open this season and additional cleaning protocols have been added this year to comply with state guidelines. Beach and pool staff will be screened each day in compliance with COVID-19 related employee health guidance.
Tennis courts are available for use, reservations must be made by calling or emailing the pool office. The staff will sanitize contact areas after each use. Tennis balls are available for purchase at the pool office. North Shores merchandise is also available for purchase at the poo l office.
President Wilson thanked Mrs. Brown for her efforts in preparing for the 2020 season. He reminded homeowners that masks were required on crossovers and on the marina boardwalk.
New Business
President Wilson opened the floor to homeowners for questions of a broad nature. Homeowners asked several questions related to beach and pool service changes as well as the current quarantine restrictions in place by the state. Mr. Wilson assured homeowners that staff assigned to each crossover would limit intrusions and use of North Shores beach equipment reserved for homeowners and guests. DSP will be used, premised on the level on intrusions, to enforce trespassing and COVID protocols. Quarantine questions were also fielded for participation in tennis and pickleball. Guest must meet the current quarantine requirements to use the pool.
A homeowner inquired about the style of the new street lamps that are planned. President Wilson reported that DP&L postponed the trial temporarily. Another homeowner thanked the Board for its efforts and requested people with pets comply with leash requirements and the hours of 10 a.m-6 p.m., when pets are not permitted on the beach.
Old Business
President Wilson reported that a survey of homeowners indicated interest in a community wide trash service. Pricing would be less expensive for year-round service and would improve safety, road wear and tear and reduce noise.
An information request about the settlement of the recent lawsuit was made by a homeowner, who applauded the Board’s management of the issue. President Wilson stated that on the advice of counsel the Board would minimize the amount of time it would be spending on the issue.
Architectural Review
President Wilson gave a brief report, prepared by ARC Head Paul Salditt. The majority of the North Shores applications for construction in 2019-2020 were teardown/replacement houses. In most cases, these houses pushed the covenant limitation on finished floor area, eave height and building height. Larger replacement houses continue to be a drainage challenge with more roof runoff and less permeable lot remaining to absorb rain. Several inquiries have been made about the new homes currently under construction. North Shores has retained a community engineer to evaluate new houses under construction for compliance with the approved plans. The structures were reported as covenant compliant. Mr. Wilson continued that some nearby neighbors have tolerated with a lot of grace and equanimity far more than they should have been forced to tolerate. He conveyed his personal apologies to a North Shores family and noted to homeowners that constructive suggestions about additional building process regulations that put more obligations on building owners to protect their neighbors had been submitted by one owner.
Election of Directors
The next item on the agenda was the election of officers. The terms of President Wilson and Treasurer Helen Hoart expire this year and both have agreed to serve another term. President Wilson strongly endorsed Helen and thanked her for her work as treasurer, working with bookkeeper Phyllis Donovan on the financial reporting.
President Wilson opened the floor to questions, and there were none. Voting instructions were given by the operator, all participants completed voting with none opposing. The election of Helen Hoart as a director to the Board was approved unanimously.
President Wilson, as part of his reelection, explained his commitment to manage the community by a defined set of objectives and goals that balance the long-term interests of the community. There were no questions from the floor. Operator instructions were given to the homeowners for the election of Bruce Wilson as a director to the Board. The election was approved unanimously with none opposing.
President Wilson, closed the owners meeting with the tradition of remembering U.S. troops killed in the line of duty and reminding everyone of the observation of Memorial Day holiday.
Remembered for their service when they were killed in a rocket attack on Camp Taji in Iraq on March 11, 2020 were:
Army Specialist Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, 27, of Hanford, California
Air Force Staff Sgt. Marshal D. Roberts, 28, of Owasso, Oklahoma
President Wilson asked homeowners, instructing them to use their phones, vote to adjourn the meeting. The motion was carried and approved by all unanimously.
Meeting was adjourned at 11:54.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah M. Director
Secretary