Exclusive video shot by Mike Theiss from ground zero of Hurricane Katrina’s historic 28 foot storm surge that ripped through Gulfport, Mississippi on August 29th, 2005. If weather events upset you please do not watch this video.
This video has a time stamp to give a complete and accurate timeline from the Holiday Inn beachfront hotel located directly on the beach in Gulfport. This 13 minute video will give you a sense of just how bad Katrina was on the Gulf Coast without actually putting you in harms way !!!
Jim Reed and Mike Theiss hope this documentation helps enforce a sense of storm awareness and a respect for the power of mother nature. When local officials ask you to evacuate just think of this video and ask yourself do you want to risk being put in a situation like this ?
To see the entire version of this video about 2 hours in duration please purchase the DVD “Battle at the Beachfront”.http://www.BattleAtTheBeachfront.com
No commissions are received by Cove Connections for associated video sales.
Tags: Gulfport, Gulfport MS, Hurricane, Katrina, MS
After an adjourned Working Session on Aug. 12 due to a lack of quorum, the POASC Board of Directors got down to business for a marathon two-and-a-half-hour Regular Session on Aug. 19 with all members present.
A motion to limit the work of the Rules Committee was passed by a six to four margin. Originally some members of the board wanted to place a moratorium on all work by the Rules Committee, but a compromise motion allows the committee to work on the priority list that was approved May 20, but no new rules or changes may be made without the specific approval of the board.
In defending the list, Chairman Dick Junkins asked why other committees were not subjected to similar restrictions. He pointed out that according to POASC rules, any property owner can request a change in rules and the board must send these proposals to the Rules Committee for their recommendation. After the recommendation, the board must vote to accept or reject the proposal.
Some board members and members of the audience complained there are too many rules, but others defended the work of the committee to update POASC documents to keep them current.
One such Rules Committee proposal that passed was approval of an amendment to the rules regarding the pool. When the pool was opened in 2002, a list of rules was posted in the pool area. Those rules were never inserted into any of the documents, so the Rules Committee proposed to add them to Rules and Regulations Pertaining to ByLaws Section 3.2 (d) 6. Swimming Pool.
With complaints that unauthorized persons are using the pool, the committee recommended a return to the photo identification system in use before the fob system was installed. The camera was located, but other equipment still needs to be found. No cost was included in the proposal, so it was postponed until the Working Session on Sept. 9.
Although the amendment that was passed reiterates the long-standing rules, a new provision was added to limit the number of guests to six. However, this is not a mandate, but a guideline, giving the pool attendants leeway in enforcing it.
Other information in the section includes notice that no lifeguard is on duty, no reservations of the pool by a private party are allowed, no wheeled vehicles allowed in the area except for the handicapped. Other rules on the sign include:
· Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult
· No diving, running or jumping,
· No eating or drinking in the water and eating on the pool deck is limited to light snacks at the tables provided.
· No smoking on pool deck or water.
· Children in diapers must wear “swimmies”.
· No sitting, hanging on or removal of pool ropes and floats.
· No large inflatables or non-floating toys in pool.
· Two lanes are reserved for lap swimmers.
· No persons with open sores, cuts or rashes allowed in the pool.
· No intoxicated person or person under the influence of drugs are allowed in the pool area.
The information also includes responsibilities of pool attendants, definitions, pool hours and other pertinent information.
The new Financial and Accounting Policies and Procedures developed by the Financial Policies and Procedures Committee were unanimously approved. The two documents totaling 56 pages covers every aspect of internal controls. No one person has control of any financial action. Some of the policies were already in effect before the vote.
The bidding process has begun to purchase a new vehicle for security. Due to the high mileage that security puts on the vehicle, the manager said he would like to purchase a vehicle that gets better gas mileage. The current pick up truck will be assigned to the Building Inspector who drives significantly less miles per month. The board will decide on the vehicle next month after more bids are secured.
The board accepted a bid of $22,000 from The Work of His Hands to provide extensions to the Care Force building and the maintenance building. The Care Force building will receive a 120 square foot addition and maintenance will get an additional 480 square feet.
The Communications Committee proposed paying a person to produce a Spanish Cove phone directory and to pay a web master to maintain the spanishcove.org site.
The phone directory coordinator will be paid 75% of the net profits from the advertising. The rest will go into the POASC operating account. Notification will be made to property owners through The Update and the Notice of the Annual Meeting letter that will be mailed around Dec. 1. Insertion of names is not automatic and all who wish to be listed in the directory must fill out a form. Publication is expected early next year.
The web master will be paid $75 per month. At present, the web master posts the monthly agendas from committees, monthly reports of committee meetings, POASC board agendas, the monthly board meeting minutes, calendars and The Update. As the site expands, additional time will be required.
The next meeting of the board of directors will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 9 in the Cove Clubhouse.
Tags: Construction, financial policies, Phone Directory, web site
For about two years a sizeable number of citizens of Baldwin and Mobile counties have been meeting and working to do something about the outrageous home-owner’s insurance premiums in the two coastal counties. They’ve gone to Montgomery to speak to the assembled legislative bodies and met with the insurance commissioner or his representative. At the general meetings held each year, sometimes with a hundred or more people present, nearly all of our state legislative delegation makes an appearance and speak to the problem. They express their sympathy with our plight; lament the secretive action of the insurance companies and state insurance department in holding us hostage to corporate greed; pledge support for our efforts to be treated justly and then declare themselves unable to do anything because they’ve been emasculated by the other 65 counties.
Move forward now to just a few months ago. It is my understanding that the legislature passed a law that regulates private sewage companies in all of Alabama to guard against improper practices, unconscionable rates and other improprieties. That is, “all” except for Baldwin county. In a legislative sense, what does that mean? Were those powerless legislators in Baldwin county somehow able to foist their agenda on the other 66 counties to the benefit of a private sewer company owner? Or does a private sewer company owner have more legislative power than our own legislative contingent. Or have the other 66 counties decided to protect themselves from the improper actions of private sewer companies but punish Baldwin county for some reason? What does it mean? It’s a puzzlement.
Wallace D. Hodge
Tags: alabama, baldwin county, insurance, legislature, private sewage companies
I was furious when i learned that Muslims were building a mosque in the vicinity of Ground Zero.
The United States has always believed in religious freedom, however, who would have imagined that the religious terrorists | zealots, within Islam, would hate America | Americans and perpetuate such a crime.
Some believe that we should extend an olive Branch to the Muslim Community and others including moderate Muslim leaders, believe that the mosque should be built elsewhere.
Is it possible to determine which Muslims support the United States when many Islamic Jihadists want to bring America to its knees?
Muslim or ‘Moslem’ means “One who submits to God”.
How would my God want me to handle this situation?
Related articles by Zemanta
- Muslim Columnist: Ground Zero Mosque Would Become Arena of Hatred (dakotavoice.com)
This morning, in the Baldwin Register Letters to the Editor, Mary Ann Hampton, Vice-President of the Lake Forest Property Owners Association Board of Directors, urged property owners to provide their support to consider and possibly hire Vision Golf and Association Management. According to Hampton "the Lake Forest Property Owners Association is struggling to meet its financial obligations, and the facilities are in serious decline, both financially and structurally. The administrative overhead for the LFPOA to run its operations and amenities is significant. In 2008 92 percent of monthly dues was budgeted for salaries. Also, the LFPOA has $500,000 of debt that matures in 2012, an operating budget that does not break even, and dilapidated amenities that require immediate repair. Contributing challenges include the absence of a reserve fund, and immediate action is required to save the association and it’s business centers from total physical and financial collapse".
Recently Vision Golf and Association Management was retained to review "everything that the association owns and controls, including, by-laws, policies, rules and regulations etc., and below are links to the:
Lake Forest-Vision Capital Plan
Unfortunately, I could not find Mary Ann Hampton’s article in the online Baldwin Register’s ‘Letters to the Editor’, however, it can be found in today’s Mobile Press Register.
It was a record-breaking POASC Working Session on Thursday, Aug. 12, not because of the amount of work accomplished, but because of the length of the meeting. It convened at 10 a.m. and concluded at 10:10 a.m. due to lack of a quorum.
With an 11-member board, since Director Dale Morsette resigned due to health problems, it takes six board members for a quorum. Only five members were in attendance, so no business could be transacted.
The next meeting of the POASC Board of Directors will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19 in the Cove Clubhouse.
The following letter from Chairman Judy Deeter is similar to what she said after the adjourned meeting on Thursday.
Property Owners of Spanish Cove,
I do feel that I need to apologize for the actions of the Board at the Working Session that was scheduled for 10 AM on August 12. We could not continue with the meeting because we did not have a quorum of Board Members. Because of the lack of a quorum, the Board was not able to work on several important issues that will be coming up for a vote at the Regular Session on Thursday, August 19, and as a result we may not be able to get to all the items on the agenda.
Those members present for the Working Session were Ben Bonnet, Dave Danson, Sue Huff, Sara Laibe and your Chairman. The members absent were Sharon Bemis, Cleo Conn, De Dickey, Dick Junkins, Tom Pinkerton and Jimmy Young. I, as the Chairman, had prior knowledge that one member was sick and one member does have a full time job. I was not given any advance notice that the other members were not going to be at the Working Session and I do feel that this is a courtesy that should be extended to the Chairman.
When anyone is elected to the Board, there is a commitment for this person to be dedicated to Spanish Cove and to give lots of time and effort in order to be a director. I am sorry to say that it seems that this Board is not showing the commitment required. I do hope that in the future we will do a better job of serving all of you who elected us to the Board.
Judy Deeter
Chairman, Board of Directors
Tags: quorum, Working Session
Just about everyone that I’ve talked to recently has predicted, despite of the forecasts, a slow hurricane season.
Unfortunately, Gulf waters are the warmest they’ve been in years and the forecasters, due to El Nina, are predicting a strong hurricane season.
As you can see, from the photo, hurricane season is heating up and below please find the latest 2010 hurricane preparedness information:
Storm | Hurricane tracking websites:
The National Hurricane Center
Weather Underground
StormPulse
Baldwin County Lists, Maps and Documents:
Hurricane Evacuation Centers
Hurricane Evacuation Routes
Hurricane Evacuation Zones
Hurricane Preparedness Pamphlet
More will be following.
Related articles:
A motion to approve the proposed changes to voting procedures passed with a six to four vote at the POASC Regular Session on July 15. Director Dave Danson proposed an amendment that would have prevented a convicted felon, as defined by the Alabama code, from running for the board. It failed when a motion was made to postpone his motion indefinitely. Alabama code defines a felon as one who has been convicted of crimes such as robbery, kidnapping, rape and murder.
A written statement from Nominations and Elections Committee Chairman Bill Duncan brought up problems if the proposal were to pass. They included checking backgrounds, the costs associated and the time frame in which nominations are made and the day of election.
Director Sharon Bemis requested an Executive Session at a later date when Chairman Duncan could attend in order to discuss concerns she has concerning the March 2010 election process. That motion failed, so Director Bemis voiced her concerns.
· Family members of board members should not serve on the Nominations and Elections Committee.
· Members of the committee were “calling names” when she was trying to vote.
· Questions regarding why ballots were thrown out were not answered to her satisfaction with a clear-cut answer.
· The letter that was mailed to property owners regarding balloting was not clear and that some may not have received the blue envelope that was referred to in the letter.
Director Pinkerton said he did not receive a blue envelope and had to go to the office to get one. He said that perhaps others didn’t get one, either. Board Chairman Judy Deeter said if that were the case, property owners could have called the office to ask for one.
The ballot included the following information:
Place completed ballot in the blue envelope, seal and place in white envelope for return to POASC office. Do not put any markings on blue envelope.
It was explained that there are 21 members on the committee and that no one works alone, they are always in teams. Ballots are double checked by a second team. Procedures that have been in place for many years are followed and many of the members of the committee have been on it for a long time.
Most were housekeeping changes. The committee listed the reasons:
· The term “Absentee Ballot” no longer applies and has been deleted from the section.
· The terms “shall” and “must” have replaced “will” and “should” in specific areas to increase emphasis.
· Procedures have been revised to remove previous disparities between those for election of Directors and other types of voting. Sections have been combined to eliminate redundancy and any points of confusion that may have existed previously.
· The procedure for a vote recount needed additional clarification.
· Ballot return and processing procedures required additional clarification.
The amended rules spelled out the procedure for recounts. It says a recount request must be made in writing within 10 days of the election and will only be granted when the difference in the number of votes received by the requesting individual is within one percent of the number of votes received by the nearest elected individual.
A proposal from the Administrative Committee on procedures for hiring employees was delayed when it was discovered that the copy distributed to board members lacked some of the proposed changes. The procedures would be added to the Operating Procedures, but the proposal did not indicate the section.
Operations Manager Joe Dunkin announced that Carol Ann Braun was hired as the new Activities Coordinator. She had previously served in that capacity and was chosen from several candidates.
A new 37” Vizio High Definition TV has been added at the RV Clubhouse. The bookshelf renovation is completed and the books and games have been returned to the shelves.
Resurfacing of the tennis courts is scheduled within the next two weeks. Visitors to the pool are being asked to sign in with the pool attendant for the protection of property owners. Security has been patrolling the pool more often to help the attendants when needed.
The proposal to change to a new yard debris pickup program has been postponed while Baldwin County clears up a lawsuit as a result of Hurricane Ivan. The board is working with the county to work out a plan for the county to pick up yard debris instead of an outside contractor. It is expected to begin April 1.
The present contract costs Spanish Cove from $75,000 to $78,000 a year. The county would not charge more than the current rate of $44.85 per quarter to add yard debris to the program. It would probably be picked up on the same day. In exchange for the free service, Spanish Cove would pick up the billing for both garbage and yard debris and send the county one check each quarter for the entire Spanish Cove charge. The amount would be added to the POASC assessment charge. There are some points to work out, but the board is hopeful the plan will be completed soon.
The Treasurer reports the overall financial position is good. Income for the first quarter is less than anticipated, about half due to the slower than anticipated collection of assessments, but that should even out in the next quarter.
Due to the depressed real estate market, income buy-in fees are lower than expected. Only 31 properties have been sold in the first quarter, while 45 were budgeted. Before the collapse of the market, there would have been a turnover of more than 350. This shortage affects the Asset Repair and Replacement Fund.
Expenses are on plan for the month and the quarter. Due to the cool weather in April, propane expense is higher than budgeted because the pool was heated after the dome was removed.
The insurance bill came in several thousand dollars less than budgeted. To learn more about the budget, income and expenses, attend the Finance Committee meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18 in the office Conference Room.
Activities Committee-Upcoming events include a potluck picnic at Johnson Beach, 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18. The committee will provide chicken; attendees should bring a dish to share. Sign up at the Activities office.
A Continental Breakfast is planned Saturday, Oct. 16 to welcome back our Snowbirds. November is an Arts and Crafts Fair and a Thanksgiving Dinner is planned for Tuesday, Nov. 23. The next meeting of the committee will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3 in the poolside room of the Cove Clubhouse.
Administrative Committee-The next meeting of the committee will be held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4 in the office Conference Room.
PDM Committee-The committee will be discussing the storage-building project at their next meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3 in the office Conference Room.
Rules Committee-The committee is in the process of discussing pool rules and ways to limit pool access. It was noted that the pool rules as posted at the pool are not included in Section 3.2 (d) Paragraph 6 of the Rules and Regulations as to the Bylaws. An amendment adding them to the section will be brought to the board in August.
The committee is also recommending a return to the photo ID system in lieu of the current fob system. They also recommend changing the vehicle sticker and visitor pass colors and issue new ones Cove-wide. These recommendations will also be brought to the board in August.
A discussion regarding pool guests was begun, involving limiting the number of guests, establishing and enforcing sign-in and ID validation procedures, charging a fee for guests over a certain number and providing additional pool staff for improved control.
The committee is looking for an additional member, one who will be an active participant, who will to participate in committee business and who will be willing to familiarize himself or herself with the Covenants, Bylaws and related Rules and Regulations.
The next meeting of the committee will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 2 in the office Conference Room.
Safety Committee-The committee reminds property owners that no one under the age of 16 may operate motorized vehicles meant for personal conveyance on POASC property. This includes golf carts on roadways. Director Danson requested the committee to discuss the use of kiddie motorized vehicles on roadways. Committee Chairman De Dickey said they would also be reviewing street signs throughout the Cove. Many of the street-name signs have missing letter and/or are no longer reflective and are difficult to read at night.
The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be a Working Session at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 12 in the Cove Clubhouse.
Tags: Board Meetings; Rules;Committees, Voting procedures, Yard Debris
Several months ago I made a reservation for the long awaited visit of my daughter, Tara, and my grandchildren. We stayed in the Orange Beach, AL condo from June 23rd, through June 26th, 2010, and weren’t prepared for what ensued.
The beach deteriorated for four days and oil washed in destroying the beach. What started as a small 5′ strip of oily sand became as much as 20’ wide in some areas. The sand was dark brown instead of white and the smell was overwhelming.
At night the oil sheen could be seen from our 14th floor balcony. During the day large orange and brown shapes washed in to shore with the tide. The waves that were once blue green were dark brown and orange and sand, along the wave line, was black.
Oil permeated the sand by several inches.
Oil spill workers and boats arrived daily but their attempts were futile since each wave carried more oil.
It’s been 77 days since the oil spill and, according to news sources, relief wells won’t be ready until August.
One can only imagine what the damage will be then.
Tags: gulf oil spill, Oil, orange beach, Spill
I was itchin’ to do something this holiday weekend. I thunk and thunk and then remembered I wanted to visit Johnson Beach to see what’s up with the oil spill.
So we stopped at Subway in the Winn Dixie Shopping Center on Sorrento Road, picked up our favorite sandwich and headed for the beach.
Whoa, I thought, as we approached our usual parking lot at the pavilions. The large lot was filled with buses, tents, storage trailers, cars and people. Where will we park? Is the beach closed? Surely they would have stopped us at the ranger station. To my relief, the smaller lot behind the hexagonal pavilion was available for parking for visitors. We pulled into a spot and, to my amazement, there were empty tables in the pavilion. The newer pavilions were completely empty at noonish.
We grabbed a table and sat down just in time to see dozens of workers head for the larger lot. I guess it was lunchtime. Later, when we drove down the peninsula, we saw them all sitting at tables in front of a giant white tent.
I walked down to the water and I’m happy to report the beach is just as beautiful as it always was, albeit “littered” with white canopies and plastic bags for cleaning up any mess. I stopped one of the supervisors and asked about the conditions there. He said although the beach was clear then, after high tide a mess appears. The crews work a 14-hour day, so they are able to get it cleaned up to make it usable during the day.
Kids and adults were playing in the sand, some were playing the age-old Frisbee toss, others were enjoying the edge of the water, as the surf was rough and the red flag was warning of dangerous conditions.
So, if you were planning a trip to the beach, I’d say, “Come on down!” Remember, there’s a lot more to LA than the beaches. The beautiful golf links are still here in pristine condition. The restaurants still serve the best food. Shopping is great and the people are friendly. What more could you want for a vacation location?
And of course, you can scoot over to Pensacola to see the Blue Angels soar into the wild blue yonder at a bazillion miles a minute and then stop at the wonderful Museum of Aviation. While you’re in the museum mode, don’t forget the Baldwin Heritage Museum in Elberta. Take the kids to the zoo in Gulf Shores or to Alligator Alley in Summerdale.
Visit the Exploreum and the Battleship “Alabama” in Mobile.
Don’t forget Waterville and the miniature golf spots. And last, but not least, our grandkids’ favorite, “The Ticky Tacky Shell Shop”, better known as Souvenir City, I think. It’s been so long since we’ve called it that.
We’re looking forward to seeing you.
Tags: johnson's beach, Oil, Oil Spill
I am not normally one of the residents who actively participates in the governing of our community. However, while at the pool on Sunday, June 27th, I witnessed a gross display of ignorance so offending it has prompted me to write a letter.
A female resident, part-timer from my understanding, in the range I surmise of her early sixties, took it upon herself to be the ‘pool nazi’ for the day. Now, I understand we have a lot of children on the weekend, and from time to time elders do get involved in the maintenance of our children’s behavior. I do not see anything wrong with this, as we all know, ‘it takes a village’. This particular woman, I honestly do not know her, took residence in her lounge chair, right next to the children’s stairs I might add (no she did not have a child with her), and upon incidence of a child offending the rules, would scream at the top of her voice startling literally every person in attendance at this pool and prompting all attention to be paid to her and the infractee.
This ‘startling’ occurred several times throughout the day. The first time in particular was of great disgust not only to me, but clearly to if not all, nearly all people at the pool at the time. An elderly couple on the other side of the pool (where the swim lanes would usually be by the ladder), were playing with their two granddaughters. The small child under the age of two, and the other approximately the age of seven. The grandfather was in the water holding his hands out prompting the little child to ‘jump’ to him so he could catch her. These grandparents were both actively playing with these children and within three feet of them at all times. There were no people in the general vicinity of them as the pool was not yet very full. The oldest child jumped into the pool toward the grandfather as well. The woman in the chair I spoke of earlier shouted in a most alarming and demeaning manner, “Can’t you read the sign?? It says no jumping!!!” The expression of horror and humiliation on the faces of this elderly couple was absolutely heartbreaking! This woman was no where near these people and frankly proved to be far more of a nuisance than any child I have ever witnessed misbehaving at the pool. The manner in which this woman conducted herself was completely counterproductive. If she was truly that annoyed with the child, getting out of her chair and walking over to address the child and her grandparents would have been a far more tactful manner of addressing the situation.
This was but one of the several occurrences throughout the day. Ironically, in her quest to ‘police’ the children of their jumping and horseplay, as she so arrogantly enforced the rules, she herself was breaking rule number eight which states, ‘no horseplay, excessive noise, or boisterous behavior’.
As members of a community we all have to overlook the idiosyncrasies of others from time to time. However, even though my child was not a target of the reprimanding of this woman, using intimidation and bullying tactics to mold the behavior of children should not be tolerated. Patience and repetition are needed with children, as it seems some members of this community have forgotten.
We live in a beautiful community. We all want to preserve the safety, integrity, and well being of this community. We are all in this boat together, and it is about time that the young and old alike adopt an attitude of acceptance, compromise, compassion, and even assistance toward one another. In light of the devastation of the oil spill, the struggling economy, the sweltering heat, and the looming fear of hurricane season, what a miracle it would be if we could actually learn to take care of each other and our community…because this is the only small slice of heaven we have here on earth. The young people could learn so much from the elders with their guidance. And believe it or not, the young people could be of assistance to the elders as well. It seems as if these two groups are so very closed off from one another and a sense of volatility fills the void between them.
With the volatility I witnessed at the pool yesterday, it seems we are inching ever farther from the unification of each other as a community and steering more toward separation and lack of understanding.
Such a shame.
Respectfully,
Lisa O’Hara
1128 Ridgewood
Tags: pool, swimming pool, volatility
Fly Forever in My Heart
for the Brown Pelican and all wildlife in the Gulf
benefiting the National Audubon Society
by Kenny Woods
Tags: gulf coast birds, Oil, Oil Spill, pelicans
Joe Dunkin of Foley has been hired as the new Operations Manager for Spanish Cove and will start Monday, June 21. The Search Committee reviewed more than 100 resumes, narrowed them down to 30 and then chose 15 applicants to interview. From that group three were presented to the Board for their choice.
Dunkin is an Auburn University graduate and has recently been the on-site Resort Manager/Director of Owner Relations and New Business Development for a luxury time-share resort in Pensacola Beach. His duties included management of every facet of the financial and physical functions of the resort, including working with owners, vendors and board of directors, personnel management and preparing reports. He was in charge of security operations, evicting unruly or non-paying tenants. Dunkin is a Florida-licensed Community Association Manager. He also has a background in commercial and residential real estate.
In addition to the new manager, Ken Barksdale, a Cove resident, has taken over as Security Supervisor, upon the retirement of Ron Hafer. POASC Chairman Judy Deeter praised Hafer for his dedication to Spanish Cove. She also commended Marcy Lake for her green thumb in lovingly beautifying Cove amenities. Jill Ruiz received praise for volunteer efforts in the inside decorating of the Cove Clubhouse.
Treasurer Dave Danson reports the financial operations are working well. Two new reports are available, one shows the cash position by bank and by fund, showing just over $900,000 in cash, most of which, $600,000, is in the Asset Repair and Replacement Fund.
Because of the new budgets and reporting format developed in the budgeting process, the second report shows expenses by amenity or cost center, showing monthly costs for the pool, the clubhouses, The Update and Security. The only significant variation in spending vs. budget estimates is with the pool. Part of the extra expense was due to the decision to continue to heat the pool after the dome was removed. The decision was made because of the unusually cold April.
Finance Committee Chairman Ben Bonnet added that the manager would be placing liens on three delinquent properties. Some corrections were made to the April financial report to straighten out expenses that were placed in the incorrect account center due to the new format.
On Monday, June 21 Bonnet and the Treasurer will meet with United Bank personnel to discuss the installation of a new process in depositing checks. A scanner will be used in the office when a check is presented and it will immediately be deposited to the POASC account. The process that is scheduled to begin Aug. 1 will save time and help prevent errors.
Director Bonnet told the audience that the board is talking with Baldwin County to take over the yard debris pick up. Currently Spanish Cove pays $75,000 per year to an independent contractor to do the job. The county would include the pick up at no additional charge to property owners. If an agreement can be made, the new system would take effect Sept. 1, 2010. The audience and board agreed the current vendor was doing a good job, but the new system would save Spanish Cove money, causing a reduction in operating expenses.
All the changes to the proposed amendments to the Bylaws regarding committees were approved and the one amendment to the Covenants will be presented to property owners for approval at the Annual Meeting in March 2011.
One amendment places a limit on the number of members for committees to 12 and limits the number of board members on a committee to three. The number of non-board members must be more than the number of board members. This applies to all but the Activities and Nominations and Elections Committees whose mission requires a larger number of participants. Committee chairman are encouraged to appoint members from all areas of Spanish Cove.
Notice of board meetings may now officially be made by e-mail. Board members are required to acknowledge receipt of the email by phone, in person or by return e-mail.
Robert’s Rules of Order is still the “bible” as far as parliamentary procedure is concerned, but instead of specifying the edition, the new wording uses the words “current edition”.
The lone Covenant amendment concerns updating the wording of the definition of “Manufactured Home”, Mobile Home” and “Modular Home”. This was overlooked when the new wording was added to the Covenants regarding units placed in Land Harbor that allowed 1,000 square feet of livable area on a single RV lot and 1,250 square feet when placed on two or more RV lots. Property owners will received a ballot for this measure when ballots to elect board members are sent next January.
Information regarding changes to the Rules and Regulation pertaining to the Bylaws regarding Voting Procedures will be published in the July issue of The Update and will be discussed at the next Working Session of the board on July 8, and voted on at the Regular Session on July 15. The next meeting of the Rules Committee will be devoted entirely to rules regarding the pool. The Operations Manager has asked the committee to review rules regarding parking, use of the pool and tennis courts, Spanish Cove decals and visitor passes and the illegal use of fobs and Cove amenities. He requested the board put “teeth” behind the rules and assess fines and take other methods to insure compliance. The Rules Committee meeting will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, July 5. The Administrative Committee will be discussing the fines at their next meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the office conference room. Wednesday, July 7.
The Activities Committee is hosting its first ever Summer Solstice Party at 7 p.m. Monday, June 21 on the beach and pier. Wine, lemonade and light snacks will be provided.
A potluck supper is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18 at Johnson Beach. The Activities Committee will provide the chicken. Those attending are asked to bring a dish to share. Look for the group in one of the pavilions.
Other activities on the schedule are a Welcome Back Snowbirds Party on Oct. 16, a Nov. 13 Craft Sale and Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 23. There will be no meeting in July. The next meeting of the Activities Committee will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 3 in the poolside room of the Cove Clubhouse.
The Communications Committee is discussing the publication of a new phone directory to be available next spring. They will decide whether it should be property owner information only or to include advertising. Who would do the actual work is also on the agenda.
The committee agreed to add a “Members Only” page to the www.spanishcove.org website. This page would require a password and would contain forms for poll taking and submitting vacation notices. The website also requires the ability to process forms, so the committee has agreed to pay up to $500 to install the necessary information on the site. The committee also agreed to make the website maintenance position a paid one. The committee recommends the telephone number of the Property Inspector be posted in The Update. The next meeting of the committee will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 7 in the office conference room.
Regional Concerns Committee Chairman Tom Pinkerton said he hopes no damage will be incurred in Spanish Cove due to the oil spill. BP has a claims office and claims may also be made on line. Contact them 24/7 toll free at 1-800-440-0868 or on line www.bp.com/claims. Chairman Deeter said she is talking with Baldwin County regarding clean up and disposal of the oil should it come to Spanish Cove.
The Roads and Drainage Committee is still collecting bids for road and drainage work. Two bids, on for $5,000 and one for $11,000, have been received for the drainage problems listed in a comprehensive report at the June 10 board meeting. The committee will be discussing the bids at 4 p.m. Monday, July 5 in the office conference room.
Tags: Board, board meeting, Manager, Meeting, Security, Technical
Committee structure was the main topic of discussion at the June 10 POASC Board of Directors meeting. The Rules Committee has proposed several amendments to the Bylaws pertaining to committees. The amendments will be read at the Regular Session on June 17 and the board will vote on them. None of the amendments to the Bylaws require a vote of the property owners. However, the one change to the Covenants will require a vote at the 2011 Annual Meeting.
Standin g Committees provide input to the board about the business and activities in the community. The current committees are Activities, Administrative, Communications, PDM, Roads & Drainage, Rules, Safety and Regional Concerns. Property owners are encouraged to join these committees to help in making decisions that may impact their lives.
The Rules Committee feels the majority of the members of committees should be non-board members and that the total number of board members on a committee should be limited to keep the process as democratic and representative as possible. If board members serve on a committee, non-board members must be in the majority.
Currently the minimum number required to serve on a committee is five. The proposed changes would also set a maximum of 12. Committees may function on a temporary basis with fewer than five, but only for two months. Three members of the committee must be present to conduct business. Two committees are exempt from the maximum, Activities and Nominations and Elections, as a greater number of volunteers are needed for them to function properly.
Although the chairman of the committee must be a board member, the Vice Chairman may be a non-board member. The only exception is the Nominations and Elections Committee where no board members may serve. However, the Secretary of the board serves as liaison with the committee.
Committees normally meet monthly, but the new rules say no less than every other month. The chairmen of committees are encouraged to appoint members from a cross section of the community.
These changes, two other Bylaws amendments and one Covenant amendment will be brought to the board for a vote at the Regular Session on June 17.
Board members will be asked to approve a change in the Bylaws regarding Robert’s Rules. The current version requires the use of the 9th Edition. The new version would state only that the current version be used. At present the most current version is the 10th Edition and in the future others may be published. This amendment will prevent the necessity of future changes in Section 13.4 regarding the edition of Robert’s Rules.
The final Bylaws amendment is to Section 7.3 Notice of Meetings. The current version refers to notification to board members by mail. Bringing the board into the 21st Century, the Rules Committee recommends the addition of electronic mail (e-mail) to the notification process, deletes snail mail and requires board members to acknowledge the notification by return e-mail, telephone or in person.
When property owners approved the changes to the Covenants regarding the square footage of homes in Land Harbor, there was no amendment to the definition of “Manufactured Home”, “Mobile Home” or “Modular Home”. This amendment will add the verbiage that was added to Section 8.38 in 2009.
Board members will review proposed amendments to the Rules and Regulations Pertaining to Bylaws regarding voting and election procedures. The proposals will be discussed at the June 17 meeting. Due to some confusion during voting at the last Annual Meeting, some clarification has been suggested.
· A nominee for the board must have established his or her principal residence in Spanish Cove for at least one year prior to nomination.
· A committee member will personally contact the nominees to determine their acceptance or rejection of the nomination.
· A qualification statement of not more than 150 words written by the nominee will be published in The Update.
· Absentee ballots have been deleted and mail-in ballots are now being used, but requirements for the ballot have been added, specifying the types of envelopes to be sent to property owners. No other envelopes will be allowed and if used, the ballot will be invalidated.
· Recount procedures have been cleaned up, deleting references to Channel 11 and The Update and adding www.spanishcove.org, the official website. Channel 11 no longer exists and the recount date may not be compatible with The Update publication date.
The Road and Drainage Committee will be reviewing bids for repairs to drainage areas and presenting the recommendation to the board. They are also seeking bids for hot tar placement for cracks in pavement. The cracks allow rain to undermine the pavement and may cause cave ins.
The board voted a donation totaling $300 to the Lillian-Perdido Bay Library and the Lillian Volunteer Fire Department in memory of former board member Bill Campbell.
The manager’s report expressed concern with those who do not follow the rules. He said that by the purchase of property in Spanish Cove, property owners agree to abide by the rules. He asked the Rules Committee to review rules regarding parking, use of the pool and tennis courts, Spanish Cove decals and visitor passes and the illegal use of fobs and Cove amenities. He requested the board put “teeth” behind the rules and assess fines and take other methods to insure compliance. Rules Committee Chairman Dick Junkins said the committee will be discussing pool problems at their next meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, July 5 in the office conference room.
Weather Underground: “An unusually large and well-developed African tropical wave for so early in the season has developed midway between the coast of Africa and South America. The storm was designated Invest 92L by the National Hurricane Center yesterday, and has a good chance of becoming the first tropical depression of the Atlantic hurricane season.”
Tracking information can be obtained from Weather Underground:
http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at201092_model.html
and to continue reading the article from Dr. Jeff Masters’ blog click on the following link:
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1505
Fortunately it’s a long way from Lillian, AL.
Tags: Invest 92L, tropical storm
Tags: sarah, sarah palin, sarah palin network, video
How big is the oil spill really?
Type ‘Lillian, AL’ or ‘Pensacola’ or any other city or country in the field provided to see an overlay of the oil spill.
You will see how big the oil spill really is.
Click on the above picture or But how big is the spill, really? to go to the website.
Baldwin County Treasurer Kim Creach told commissioners Tuesday that BP PLC is refusing to pay a $37,000 invoice for county labor costs related to oil spill response. Commissioners were assured by a BP representative during a meeting about two weeks ago that such costs would be covered in full.
"They don’t know how to handle your claim," Creach said during a Baldwin County Commission work session. Click here to read the full article
Tags: Baldwin, baldwin county, Gulf, Gulf of Mexico, Oil, Oil Spill
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The city of Orange Beach will hold the fourth in a series of town hall meetings at noon Wednesday to discuss the city’s course of action regarding the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill crisis in the Gulf.
The May 26, 2010, meeting is at 12pm and will be held at Orange Beach City Hall [4099 Orange Beach City Hall]
Representatives from BP will be on hand and prepared to answer questions regarding the Vessel of Opportunity Program, the claims process and other questions about the clean up efforts. Also attending will be representatives from the Small Business Administration to discuss the federal government loan program.
All people with questions and concerns are welcome.
Tags: Gulf, Oil, Oil Spill, orange, orange beach
The expanded audit requested by Treasurer Dave Danson fell by the wayside at Thursday’s Regular Session of the POASC Board of Directors.
The additional services in his motion would have added a review of cash receipts and cash disbursements during Fiscal Year 2009-2010. It would have determined whether procedures had been followed, whether the Operations Manager and Treasurer signed checks and that cash disbursements had the proper supporting documents. It would also have examined time cards and compared them to annual totals on payroll reports regarding the hours worked and vacation and sick time taken.
The additional audit would have reviewed the new procedures begun after discrepancies were found and led to the dismissal of the former Operations Manager. It would also suggest additional procedures to safeguard POASC funds.
The additional reviews would have cost an extra $6,000 and some board members thought the extra amount should not be spent. The motion was amended to provide the same kind of audit as previous years and postpone a decision on an expanded audit until Sept. 1, 2010. The vote passed by a seven to four vote. The regular audit to be done by Gruenloh & Associates will cost approximately $5,000.
A CD will be purchased at United Bank in the amount of $35,000. The funds will be transferred from the Operating Account to the Asset Repair and Replacement Fund (AR&R) in compliance with financial procedures.
Another close vote came regarding the replacement of shelving in the RV Clubhouse. The vote was six in favor, five against and one abstention. The proposal includes $800 for materials and $1,000 for labor. A previous offer by a volunteer to build the shelves with the only charge for materials, was rejected because POASC liability insurance does not cover volunteers.
After at least two years of discussion, the tennis courts will be rejuvenated. They will be cleaned and pressure washed, cracks will be leveled and filled, low areas will be leveled and filled and then they will be painted and lined. Net posts will be sanded and painted. Cost for this part of the tennis court project is $7,628.
The fence around the courts will be replaced with a 10-foot high green vinyl fence and a windscreen for a cost not to exceed $13,000. The repairs and replacements will come from the AR&R Fund. New nets will finish off the project. That cost will come from the Operating Fund.
A comprehensive report by Roads and Drainage Committee Chairman Cleo Conn was approved and as a result, bids will go out for the repair of 12 areas that need attention. The committee continues to research areas with drainage problems. Property owners may contact him or the office to notify the committee of problem areas.
The agenda for the Rules Committee was approved after one item was removed from the list. Number 14 is Bylaws Section 6.6-Disciplinary action up to and including removal of a Director by the Board for cause in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. Director Danson, who made the motion, said only property owners should be able to remove a Director. He said it made no sense for the committee to spend time on the item if the board does not want to address it.
Four amendment proposals were read for the first time and will be on the Regular Session agenda on June 17. They address amendments to the Bylaws and Covenants.
· Organization of Standing Committees-Bylaws Section 6.9.1
· Notice of Meetings-Bylaws Section 7.3
· Parliamentary Procedure-Bylaws Section 13.4
· Manufactured Home definition-Covenants Section 1.26
The amendment to the Covenants will require a vote of the membership, if approved by the board of directors. The Bylaws amendments do not require a membership vote. Complete text of the amendments will be published in the June Update.
On the recommendation of the Chairman of the Nominations and Elections Committee Chairman Bill Duncan, another agenda item will be discussed out of sequence. Item #5 on the Rules Committee agenda deals with the clarification of Voting and Ballot Procedures. It will be discussed at the Rules Committee meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, June 7 in the board conference room.
The purchase of two new fireproof file cabinets was approved. These cabinets will replace existing ones that hold personnel and property owner records.
The Treasurer reported revenues for April are down due to late payment of assessments, but May receipts are compensating for it. Expenses are above budget figures, mainly due to three pay periods in April.
Reports of the committees may be read in the May 13 Board meeting report on this site.
Tags: Audit, Roads & Drainage, RVCH Shelving, Tennis courts
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