The following minutes were from our May 7th 2021 meeting. As we did not print the Changing Tides in May, they are presented here.
Meeting Minutes of May 7th 2021
Th POENB meeting was held via Zoom video conference and began approximately 7:40 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance of recited.
Roll call of officers:
Frank Bonomo, President; Ryan Cote, Vice-President; Julie Hendricks-Atkins, Assistant Vice President; Nora Beck, Treasurer(absent); Frank Pasquale, Corresponding Secretary; Steven Neuf, Recording Secretary; Bethany Pokorny, Assistant Vice President.
Minutes (Readings and Update):
A motion was raised to accept the minutes of our April meeting as printed in the Changing Tides. The motion was seconded and approved.
Membership in attendance:
There were 14 members in attendance.
Correspondence:
Frank Pasquale gave us a report on correspondence received:
Multiple emails were received regarding watercraft (to be discussed later).
John Ballow gave us a report of his interactions with Mr. Fred Uvena, Interim Director and Senior Harbormaster for the Town of Huntington. Details of this interaction were provided in the last Changing Tides and can be accessed through our archive in Eaton’s neck.org.
A member wrote to inform us that in April, 2 landscapers doing work for a house on Westview Road lit brush debris on fire on the beach and left it unattended. A few people went down and put the fire out with sand and water. Photos were provided. The board reminded all members that fires cannot be started on the beach, nor can they be started by a landscaping crew. It is both dangerous and insensitive to your neighbors.
Another member wrote to inform the board of a fallen tree from POENB property at Prices Bend which caused property damage. The board is investigating and our insurance provider has been informed.
The board received an email asking whether the board planned to put the Corcoran ZBA hearing information on the POENB sign. The answer is no. this event was publicized in three (3) previous meetings, on our website, via eblast email & in the Changing Tides. Putting it on our sign which is generally used for community announcements would be overkill.
The board received am email asking if a POENB representative would be opposing the Corcoran zoning? The POENB did speak at the ZBA with the objective of informing the ZBA
that a boundary line agreement existed. It did not advocate for or against the Corcoran application, that is the prerogative of individual homeowners. More on this in the President’s message.
Herman Lindau will be continuing their sand raking responsibilities at prices bend beginning in May. We are also having them do some minor fill work in the parking lot and re-arranging the picnic tables such that his equipment can get in-between them.
Treasurer’s Report:
Other Board Reports:
Ryan provided an update which we received from Nick Cavuoto regarding our oil buyers group agreement with Sweezys. As summary has been reprinted in this issue under the header oil buying group. The board thanks Nick Cavuoto who gives of his own time to act as a community liaison with oil companies to try to bring extra value to our community.
Julie asked for us to invite new members to Friday night grilling when & if we feel we can safely hold such events. Members at the meeting seemed overwhelmingly in favor. This is presently scheduled for June 18th at 7PM at Prices Bend. Greg Hodges offered to start the coals! A member suggested name tags. Parking passes were discussed & are in the works.
Membership Update:
Gene gave a summary of our membership drive for 2021. As of the meeting date, the number was at 209! Online membership forms have been used by 40 members. Some have registered but have not yet paid.
Wall Update:
Our contractor, Kitzen Construction, is expected to get a town permit to store equipment at Hobart & planning to start in May. We plan to section off a section of the park while this work is in progress. Promissory notes will be delivered shortly.
The Board hopes to assemble a crew of community members to repair the stairs at Valley Grove stairs while the wall project has the park closed off. More to come.
Treasurer’s Report:
See report on page 2.
President’s update:
Frank reported that he met with TOH Highway superintendent Kevin Orelli at Valley Grove to discuss our pending seawall project, drainage and the outflow pipe which the TOH plans to replace (this pipe runs through our bulkhead). The Town indicated they have yet to put their outflow pipe replacement project out for bid. However, they still plan completion by July 4th. They will watch our project closely so as not to affect the pipe or the wall to the south. Drainage improvement funding was discussed but this funding was not released ($70K) which is why, says Orelli, nothing has happened as of yet. Frank detailed some of the scope of the towns plan which includes a larger adjoining pipe which lies beneath the sand.
Frank reported on the Corcoran ZBA hearing which he attended via Zoom. The town already had our boundary line agreement which Frank requested to be entered into the record. The town board decision will not impact our agreement. Frank also stressed that the boat in the street possess a safety issue for our property. Frank reported the meeting was uneventful.
Greg Hodges highlighted the May15th beach clean-up plans. (More on what was accomplished and a thank you to our volunteers in this issue). A member asked if a new volley ball net could be provided. The existing is torn – the board agreed to accommodate this request.
After several power blips during the meeting which knocked a few participants off the zoom call, a member brought up the recurrent power blips on the Neck and suggested perhaps PSEG could explain. Greg Hodges suggested residents contact the public service commission.
A member asked if the lawn can be trimmed at Valley Grove because it is overgrown. Tom Bishop offered to mow the area himself. (Addendum: Tom Bishop and Frank Pasquale went down to Valley Grove and give it a pre-season grass cut which made the place look beautiful. Thanks guys).
A member mentioned the firehouse may be planning a small 4th of July parade & barbeque for Neck residents only, and asked if we intend to join. Ryan indicated that POENB had not official word from the Fire Department but that POENB’s plan to continue the tradition of having a July 4th parade. Likely it will be down Eaton’s Neck Road, but more to come on that.
Beach Rules/ Watercraft Discussion:
The discussion turned to watercraft. The board, in its efforts to create an organized and fair watercraft storage system, is finding it necessary to review and refine the beach rules. There are too many instances where the actions of a few individuals are coming at the expense of the membership. In some cases, this refers to leaving craft where they don’t belong, dumping old craft, doubling up on craft, failing to maintain craft, not marking ones’ craft with a name. Not a day goes by that this board does not receive complaints about someone. Residents must understand that receiving a watercrafts spot with membership is a privilege and not a right; one that only works if everyone is respectful of everyone else. The rightful storage location of any and all watercraft must be the owners own home, not the beach.
Keeping this system organized is a necessary but time consuming but this board plans to empanel a watercraft committee to help. One area long overdue to be addressed is the issue of sail craft left down at the beach. The area has become unsightly as some derelict craft have remained on site for years. In an effort to balance the natural beauty of the beach for all (i.e. not allowing it be a place to dump boats) with sailors’ desire to enjoy the water, the board has drafted a few ideas. One of these is a pilot program that builds 10 slips for small sailboats owners who would enter a lottery and, if granted, pay an extra fee for a few months of seasonal storage. The board continues to discuss catamaran sailboats, which have a much larger visual profile and a mast that remains up. For the moment, pending further discussion, the board would move them father down the beach and limit the number to (5) by lottery.
Due to their longer length and width, sailboats are normally trailed to the beach for use. When left on the beach, the real estate needed to accommodate them serves one family whereas a rack build in the same square footage could serve many. As such, these are considered premium spots. They are not part of the watercraft storage that comes with membership but are considered convenience spaces and would thus be assessed a seasonal rate. We are looking to dedicate approximately 150 linear feet on the west side of the property in a pilot lottery program.
The conversation continued with a discussion of beach cleanup. During that cleanup, we plan to install posts to which small sail craft can be secured. Historically these craft are jostled in storms and in some cases have damaged neighboring craft. We view these improvements as mitigating a safety issue and helping to maintain orderliness. These plans are not yet completed but we hope to finalize the registration roster and post to the website to automate the process in years to come. At this point, the issue was opened to the floor for discussion.
One member commented that owners of these craft should have been paying for years. Sticker systems were discussed. Someone commented that dollies left on site have been used by others without authorization. Dave offered help in moving craft as needed.
A member inquired about the fees and equated the small sailing boats as similar to kayaks. The board discussed that the assessment could be based on beam size. Frank commented that the new sail spaces will likely incur costs, i.e., additional maintenance and not presently not budgeted for. He also made the point that the POENB is tight on funds. Monies brought in could help pay for the additional required maintenance or maybe the building of new racks.
A member questioned the tight on funds comment and voiced how if that was the case, assessing fees on the limited few with sail boats doesn’t sound fair. The board’s view is that the fees should be based on required area of beach required to accommodate these craft. Kayaks can be stacked, sail boats cannot. Dinghy’s are about equal width but much shorter and required as launches. Sail boats are recreational craft, not launches and traditionally reside on trailers. Based on this they are not considered part of our water craft system.
Frank P further went on to make an example, saying that in the space required for one sail boat we could in fact store 4 kayaks. Conversation went to say that if one assesses the current value of a POENB kayak space at approx. $40 each, then one sailboat in that same space should cost (4*40) = $160.
Frank discussed dinghy storage plans which would free up some available real estate. He also posed several worthy questions: What is the right amount of sail boats to be stored? Who is responsible to make sure the boats are only stored seasonally? Members are also approaching the board to ask what we are doing about that junkyard down there! Obviously, some middle ground needs to be reached.
A member asked if their valley grove kayak needs to be moved. We will advise and help as needed. Carmella was approached about giving up her dinghy spot.
Susan described how her trailer was stolen & emphasized how the posts are a good idea. She also recognized the need for the boards suggested fee structure and controls in light of a large influx of new residents.
The watercraft discussion concluded with the comment that this year, due to a jump in new residents and residents being home due to the pandemic, there were an abundance of water craft requests. Last year POENB was able to accommodate many 2nd requests. This year we will have to rescind most, if not all, of the 2nd locations.
Social:
It was discussed that there would be no Parti Gras in May but, maybe, later in the summer. Folks expressed a desire to get together, especially in light of there being so many new residents out here. A Friday Night Grilling to greet new members was discussed and enthusiastically received. (addendum: since the meeting the date agree upon was June 18th at 7 pm at Prices’ Bend. Please see the ad in this edition for details.)
New Business:
Susan brought up security & would like signage at Prices Bend similar to that which is installed at Valley Grove. Sign & parking tags are planned.
Sat & Sun volunteer at PB entrance was discussed. Our concern is safety; we don’t want to ask a community member to willing put themselves in harm’s way.
We adjourned at approximately 9:10 PM
Our next meeting is scheduled for June 4th.
