Estates at Sunrise Bay POA
Annual Meeting 2nd Attempt
Saturday, August 17 at 9:00 a.m. central
Draft
Minutes
Call to Order
At about 09:00
AM, the Estates at Sunrise Bay Property Owners Association’s President, Kip
Norcross noted the sufficient owners and members present or by proxy to call
the Annual Meeting to order.
Attendance and
verification of quorum
Secretary/Treasurer
Aled Roberts, took the roll call and noted the physical presence of the
following POA members at the meeting:
Kip Norcross, President POA
Joyce Norcross, Property Owner
Rik Allbritton, Board Member
Murraye Gordon, ACC Chairman, and Board Member
Dan Thomas, Board Member
Carol King, Property Manager and Property Owner
Aled Roberts, Secretary/Treasurer and Property Owner
In addition, a
further 63 written proxies were in hand, thereby meeting the requirements of
having 35 members present for a quorum at the 1st reconvened Annual
Meeting. (The first meeting on 3rd
August 2013 had 68 members attend or submit proxies, failing to meet the
required quorum threshold of 71).
Election of
Members to Board of Directors
The 3 year terms
for Ray Nunez, Murraye Gordon and Aled Roberts has been completed thereby
creating 3 vacancies on the Board.
Property Owner
Ethan Rafei, nominated himself to be elected to the Board.
Murraye Gordon
and Aled Roberts agreed to be re-nominated for vacant positions on the Board.
As there were
three positions all three Members were elected, and assumed their positions on
the Board, each for a new three (3) year
term. Aled Roberts appointed again by
President as Secretary / Treasurer.
The President
thanked Ray for his valuable contributions over the previous three years and
welcomed the new and returning Board members to the Board.
Updates
Status of Sunrise Bayou (the Wetlands) & Army Corp of Engineers Compliance
The President read into the Annual Meeting minutes the
summation provided in the 3 August Board Meeting minutes:
After-the-fact permit
At the request of the Army Corp of Engineers these two issues are now
being managed as a single “case” by the ACOE, although each seems to be a different
stage of resolution. The POA’s President has been in regular and frequent
contact with the ACOE’s office and we have been informed that the “Case” has
now shifted from the “Compliance Unit” to the “Evaluation Unit”. While no written confirmation has yet been
received from the ACOE, it is understood that the compliance issues related to
the “after the fact permit” have been resolved as a result of the many actions
the POA has taken, including removal of the bulkhead section in way of
wetlands, the remediation of the Sunrise Bayou wetlands, the activities of the
Beautification Day and multiple submissions of supporting paperwork.
One unexpected consequence of removal of the bulkhead is that the pier
extends over a greater portion of the States’ waters, and consequently the
associated fees due to the General Land Office have increased.
Boat Ramp permit
The boat ramp permit request has been submitted to the Evaluation Unit,
and they have requested additional information from the POA. This additional information has been
submitted. Currently the situation is
that the application is on the desk of Ms. Anne Logwood, the ACOE’s Regulatory
Specialist within the Evaluation Unit based in Galveston. Ms Logwood confirms that she has all the
information she needs at this time, and is canvassing the approvals from other
State agencies that need to sign off on this – including TCEQ, GLO, EPA and
ACOE Legal Unit.
2013 Beautification Day
Following a
suggestion from one of our Property Owners, the Sunrise Bay Beautification Day
was arranged and held on 20 April 2013.
Despite having a small turnout, this was a success with two
good-sized refuse piles of brush and debris from both the front monuments and
the wetlands being accumulated. In
addition some property owners attended and collected debris from their own
lots. Republic Services generously provided a brush truck to collect this
debris and transported it free of charge to the Lake Jackson County Landfill.
The President
stated that the Sunrise Bay Beautification Day tradition will continue in 2014.
Entrance,
common areas, ditch maintenance
The trees lining
the roadway near the entrance of the Estates were noted to be looking much
better than in the past which is the result of some pruning earlier this year,
the appropriate application of fertilizer and diligent irrigation.
Property Manager Report
El Campo Lawn Services completed the yearly mowing of the drainage
ditches. In addition El Campo Lawn
Services will evaluate maintenance requirements on the pier and boardwalk, and
submit a bid for current maintenance
needs.
Property Manager is also soliciting
bids from alternative landscaping services in the area, prior to the next Board
of Directors meeting at the end of September, when the 2014 budget will be
decided.
Mr Stites has still not started the baling, but he said they
should be out in the next week or two. There was some rain on the night of 16th
August, so everything should "green-up" and hopefully there will be
enough to bale.
Communication Committee (purpose and goal)
The POA blog site
(http://sunrisebayestates.blogspot.com/
)was set up at the end of 2012 by our President’s daughter in law (thank you! ) however it has not been optimized since its
creation. After discussion, a Communications Committee has been created to
manage and administer the site and determine if the current site will serve the
needs for a POA site.
The new Communications Committee is chaired by David
Johnson, Vice President, and currently has two committee members - Ethan Rafei - the site’s Administrator, and
Lynn Allbritton - site contributor/ editor – both graciously volunteering. Dan Thomas immediately offered to provide
information on fishing opportunities on Carancahua Bay.
All owners are encouraged to submit appropriate
contributions to either Lynn or Ethan.
Financial
Report
As of 14 August 2013 the POA had a total of $47,500.69
distributed between the Checking account ($18,461.06) and the Savings Account
($29,039.63). Further more accounts
receivable for two outstanding Property Dues plus late fees amount to $616.46.
There were no outstanding liabilities at the time of this
meeting.
Adjourn
There being no
further business, the Annual Meeting was adjourned at 09:20 a.m.
Respectfully
Aled Roberts
Secretary/Treasurer
_________________________________________________________________________________
2nd
Quarter 2013 BOARD MEETING DRAFT
MINUTES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 at 112 WINDSWEPT DR
9:05AM: CALL TO
ORDER
Noting the presence of a
quorum of the Board of Directors of the Estates at Sunrise Bay Property Owners’
Association, the Board President called the meeting to order with a request for
a moment of silence to reflect on those that we have lost if recent months.
RECORD ATTENDANCE
Following
was record of attendance for Board Members:
Present
|
Apologies received
for being absent:
|
Kip Norcross, President
|
Ray Nunez, Director
|
David Johnson, Vice
President
|
Rik Allbritton, Director
|
Dan Thomas, Director
|
|
Murraye Gordon, Director
|
|
Aled Roberts, Secretary,
Treasurer
|
Carol
King, Property Manager, graciously hosted the meeting and prepared meeting
materials.
Also in attendance were
the following Property Owners:
Lynn
Allbritton
Ethan Rafei
APPROVE MINUTES from PREVIOUS MEETING
The
minutes of the previous Board meeting dated 02 March 2013 having been
previously reviewed, some minor typographic adjustments made, were accepted
without further comment.
REPORTS:
1.
Subdivision
Compliance with Corp of Engineers—Kip Norcross
a.
After-the-fact
permit
At
the request of the Army Corp of Engineers these two issues are now being
managed as a single “case” by the ACOE, although each seems to be a different
stage of resolution. The POA’s President has been in regular and frequent
contact with the ACOE’s office and we have been informed that the “Case” has
now shifted from the “Compliance Unit” to the “Evaluation Unit”. Whilst no written confirmation has yet been
received from the ACOE, it is understood that the compliance issues related to
the “after the fact permit” have been resolved as a result of the many actions
the POA has taken, including removal of the bulkhead section in way of
wetlands, the remediation of the Sunrise Bayou wetlands, the activities of the
Beautification Day and multiple submissions of supporting paperwork.
One
unexpected consequence of removal of the bulkhead is that the pier extends over
a greater portion of the States’ waters, and consequently the associated fees
due to the General Land Office have increased.
b.
Boat Ramp permit
The
boat ramp permit request has been submitted to the Evaluation Unit, and they
have requested additional information from the POA. This additional information has been
submitted. Currently the situation is
that the application is on the desk of Ms. Anne Logwood, the ACOE’s Regulatory
Specialist within the Evaluation Unit based in Galveston. Ms Logwood confirms that she has all the
information she needs at this time, and is canvassing the approvals from other
State agencies that need to sign off on this – including TCEQ, GLO, EPA and
ACOE Legal Unit.
2.
ACC—Murraye
Gordon – Chairman, ACC Committee.
a.
New Projects
No new building project notifications received since
the last meeting.
b.
The Architectural
Control Committee
The
sub-committee is now made up of 6 members inclusive of the POA President.
3.
Property
Management—Carol King
a.
Entrance, common
areas, ditch maintenance
The
Property Manager (PM) discussed the complexities of managing the mowing and
landscaping of the entrance gateway, common areas and ditches. The PM works closely with the landscaping
company, El Campo, to arrange timely attendances to manicure the common
areas. The ability to execute these
landscaping activities is greatly influenced by the weather conditions
experienced, especially if it has been raining, and the ditches can be filled
up with standing water. This renders the
mowing of ditches very difficult and hazardous.
The
trees lining the roadway near the entrance of the Estates were noted to be
looking much better than in the past which is the result of some pruning
earlier this year, the appropriate application of fertilizer and diligent
irrigation.
Some
of the major repairs undertaken following the last meeting included repairs to
the water main and to a leaking fire hydrant valve.
b.
Mildew on homes
An
observation submitted to the POA board regarding the growth of mildew on some
of the properties was discussed. It was
noted that the growth appeared to be affecting mostly the northern facing sides
of properties, or around air conditioning units. Property owners are gently reminded of their
responsibility to maintain their own properties.
c.
Dead trees,
limbs, other debris on individual owner property
Following
a suggestion from one of our Property Owners, the Sunrise Bay Beautification Day was arranged and held on 20 April
2013. Despite having a small turnout,
this was a success with two good-sized refuse piles of brush and debris from both the front
monuments and the wetlands being accumulated.
In addition some property owners attended and collected debris from their
own lots. Republic Services generously provided a brush truck to collect this
debris and transported it free of charge to the Lake Jackson County Landfill.
The current dry period has stunted the growth of
grass on the property and there has not yet been a full mowing and baling
undertaken by Mr Stites. The PM did
advise however that Stites has deployed his baling machine, which is taken as
an indication that mowing and baling is imminent. For those property owners that signed the
agreement with the POA, we take this opportunity to remind you that the mowing
and removal from your property of the baled hay is free.
Property Owners are respectfully reminded of their
own responsibility and accountability to maintain their properties with respect
to the removal of dead trees, limbs and others debris.
d.
Actions taken and
status on past due accounts
As
of 3 August 2013 there are only two properties that are delinquent in
submitting their 2013 POA dues, for a total of $574.00 pending.
The
Board respectfully requests all property owners to submit all payments in a
timely manner, so that the POA’s business can be managed as efficiently and
effectively as possible.
4.
Financial Review
—Aled Roberts/Carol King
As
of 3 August 2013 the POA’s Checking Account has $25,161.64 balance, with 3
un-cleared transactions totaling 2,750.24, and $29,039.63 in savings account.
OLD BUSINESS:
1.
POA Website
a.
The Board reminds all Property Owners that a
site - http://sunrisebayestates.blogspot.com/ has been up and running
since the end of 2012 and needs valid and constructive contributions to make
this a viable site. To that end, a
Communications Committee has been put together currently comprising of David Johnson
as its Chairman, along with Lynn and Ethan Rafei as members. All owners are encouraged to submit
appropriate contributions.
b.
The site is free and was set up at the end of
2012 by our President’s daughter in law – thank you!
c.
As a result of some of the new business items
below, a new Communications Committee chaired by David Johnson, Vice President,
has been created and currently has two committee members - Ethan Rafei - the site’s Administrator, and
Lynn Allbritton - site contributor/editor – both graciously volunteering.
d.
Any web site or blog site will require current,
topical, valid and
constructive contributions to make it a viable site.
e.
As this is a new site, the content of displayed
information will be managed by submission to Lynn and Ethan. Immediate additional
volunteers appeared with Board member Dan Thomas offering to provide
information on fishing opportunities on Carancahua Bay. We look forward to a vibrant and
collaborative virtual community space.
NEW BUSINESS:
1.
a.
Election for 3 Board positions.
i.
There are three vacant positions on the POA’s
Board. Despite a general request was
promulgated to all Owners requesting volunteers to step up and assist in the
management of our Property Owner Association, only one new volunteer came
forward. Two of the existing Board members
agreed to step up again and volunteer services for the next term.
ii.
As there were insufficient proxy votes for the
Annual Meeting, the President nominated the retiring Board members to retain
their positions until the next meeting is convened. At that time, since there are no other
volunteers, the three nominees will be voted onto the board.
b.
Response to proxy ballot mailing.
i.
As per the By-Laws, 71 Proxy Votes are required
to meet the 60% threshold to hold a valid Annual POA Meeting. At the time of the 2Q Board meeting 68
proxies had been received from the registered owners.
2. Common
area maintenance
a.
Bids for landscaping maintenance services of
common areas are still being collected, and will be finalized before the next
meeting for consideration during the 3Q Board and Budget meeting.
3. Owner
Presentation:
a.
Mrs. Lynn Allbritton had formally requested to
make a presentation to the Board for their consideration at the next meeting on
future actions and opportunities for improvement (OFI) within the
community. The Board thanked Mrs.
Allbritton on the obvious hard work put into preparing this presentation, the
key points of which are summarized below:
OFI 1: Build and strengthen the notion of working
together to establish a sense of place and belonging.
Amongst the suggestion for
resolving this OFI are:
(i)
Website and newsletters to share information on
wildlife sightings, fishing, wetland habitats, posting of all Board and
Committee meeting minutes, action tracker, FAQ .
(ii)
Increase transparency and build trust amongst
stakeholders by reviewing by-laws, checks & balances, responsibilities and
accountabilities of board member and Owners.
(iii)
Improve clarity around sharing timelines for
completion of action items raised during Board and Committee meetings. Create an action tracker that will include due
dates, volunteers, and estimated resources required.
(The Board considered this
suggestion to be immediately actionable, and to that end the Communications
Committee was set up – see OLD BUSINESS #1 above. )
OFI 2:
Promote Value of property to attract sales, construction and new residents.
Some suggestions for
consideration of this OFI included:
(i)
Evaluate cost benefit analysis of hiring of a
single maintenance man for part time work in lieu of using landscaping
contractor.
(ii)
Duties of maintenance man to include washing
fences, washing pier, weeding, collecting trash, alert PM when in need of
additional services eg plumbing or electrical.
(iii)
evaluate renting lawn mower or buying lawn mower
in support of maintenance man activities.
(iv)
Re-landscape entry way and include replace
existing trees/shrubs, with oleanders,
lantanas, crape myrtles
OFI 3: Exhibit and display
community values.Over the course of time, the suggested OFI’s included:
(i)
Creating a community slogan
(ii)
Garner support for special event in the
community
(iii)
Provide tools for community enjoyment. A tiered approach was suggested:
a. Phase
1 – gated boat ramp; keys may be distributed for a fee.
b. Phase
2 – provide park benches, picnic tables, trash cans and shade structure at pier
area.
c. Phase
3 – provide light and water at pier
d. Phase
4 – establish boat and trailer parking space
e. Phase
5 – build a small community building for meetings and events. Pending community building, rent a locally
available room with kitchen for annual meetings.
OFI 4: Community is something
we do together.
(i)
maintain momentum through sustained involvement
and campaigning for support.
(ii)
Communication, accountability and continuous
improvements are key.
(iii)
Set goals and specific objectives in yearly plans,
including timelines, required resources and fundraising activities.
4. Set
date, place and time for next board meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for 9 am on 28 September 2013,
location to be confirmed.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business
to discuss at this meeting, the President adjourned the meeting at 12:06.
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