POENB Minutes, Wed. October 9, 2024

The meeting was held in person at the Eaton’s Neck Firehouse from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  The meeting was also available via Zoom.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by a roll call of officers.

Officer Roll Call

• Tom Kehoe – President
• Ryan Schaefer-Walker – Vice President and Treasurer
• Yvonne Lambertson – Assistant Vice President (Technology, Web and Communications) 
• Steve Neuf – Assistant Vice President (Engineering and Special Projects) – ABSENT
• Sally Neal – Recording Secretary
• Nancy Regan – Corresponding Secretary – ABSENT
• Anthony Fusaro – Assistant Vice President – ABSENT

Attendance 

There were seven members physically in attendance, not including three officers.Tom Kehoe’s motion to accept last month’s minutes as published on the POENB Website was seconded.  

Correspondence –  Tom Kehoe for Nancy Regan 

1. PSEG Project Completion

POENB received a “close out” memo from PSEG that identified a list of improvements PSE&G made on Eaton’s Neck to provide more reliable electrical service.  A full copy of this memo will be published in the Changing Tides. 

On behalf of all residents, the Board would like to thank the leaders and members of the Eaton’s Neck Community Working Group (ENCWG) and, especially, POENB’s representative to ENCWG, John Ballow.  The ENCWG represented eight different organizations (listed in prior issues of the CT).  The ENCWG’s teamwork and perseverance made this long-needed change (50 years in coming) a reality.  

For newer EN residents, POENB has a threefold mandate.  It is not just a beach association charged with preserving and protecting PB and VG.  It has two other strategic missions: (1) civic advocacy for all residents (e.g., zoning and planning, public safety and security, and environmental concerns) and (2) social events for members and residents.  

Providing reliable electrical service to EN residents is very much a part of POENB’s civic advocacy mission. 

Under John Ballow, POENB recruited and organized the members of the ENCWG and then convinced PSE&G’s executives to take action.  This collective, which harnessed the power of ~2,000 individuals, achieved a faster and better outcome (burying the lines and paving the roads) than a dozen or so individual homeowners calling PSE&G’s hotline.  

The Board, therefore, strongly encourages residents to consider POENB membership even if you do not use the beaches or participate in social events. Your membership improves EN’s ability to effectively communicate with governmental and corporate leaders on quality of life issues that impact all residents.   

2. Road Paving

The TOH paved several roads in EN including parts of EN Road, Peterborough Drive, London Court, Argyle Drive and Worcester Court.  This effort was partially funded by the TOH and partially by PSE&G.

POENB would like to provide a special thanks to Andre Sorrentino and the TOH Highway Crew for their professional and helpful actions. 

3. TOH access to repair VG Overflow Pipe

The TOH requested access to VG and described their planned actions to repair the “Bulkhead and Outfall Pipe” to prevent flooding. The Board granted the Town access to VG and approved the TOH’s planned actions.

Additionally, thanks to the leadership of Tom Kehoe and other POENB members, the TOH is willing to pay for the repair/replacement of both sets of stairs at VG as part of its Bulkhead and Outfall Pipe project (as outlined in the Nelson & Pope plans, the engineering firm hired by the TOH).  

4. Bevin Seawall

John Ballow is taking the lead on POENB’s response to permanently fixing the rapidly declining Bevin Seawall.  Positive progress among the multiple parties involved (VOA, TOH, SC, NYS legislature, US Government, ACOE, POENB and other EN homeowner associations impacted by a potential Bevin Seawall failure), is happening, albeit more slowly than necessary or desired.  

Additional updates will be provided in future issues of the CT.  

5. Need to Reschedule the October POENB Membership Meeting

The Board received an email noting that POENB’s October meeting had been scheduled to start on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  As a result, the meeting was rescheduled from October 3rd to October 9th. 

6. Possible Electrical Problem at PB

A member noted that when AV equipment was plugged into a non-CGFI outlet at PB (during a movie night held on September 6th), all four outlets at PB were instantly and concurrently tripped.  Steve Neuf, AVP in Charge of Special Projects, is investigating the genesis of this problem and will take appropriate action to remedy the situation. 

7. Insurance renewal

Under Nancy Regan’s leadership, the Board received and reviewed a proposal for POENB’s annual property, general liability, D&O, hired and non-owned auto and umbrella/excess premiums for the period October 30, 2024 to October 20, 2025.  After conducting due diligence, the Board anticipates that the 2024/2025 premium will increase by approximately $1,000 or 8%.

8. Tick Lecture 

Members enjoyed an interesting and informative lecture by Moses Cucura (entomologist) at SC Dept of Public Works, Division of Vector Control during POENB’s September 5th monthly meeting.  Several members stated “I could have listened to Moses for another hour.”  

9. Update on the results of the survey that was distributed in Q1/Q2

A member inquired about the results of a survey that was distributed earlier in the year.  This survey asked members and non-members about their perspectives and priorities on a variety of issues.  As discussed at an early member meeting, the Board decided not to share the results.  Given the extremely low response rate (x<15), the feedback was not deemed to be representative.  The Board is contemplating using other communication methods to obtain a statistically meaningful number of responses. 

Treasurer’s Report – Ryan Schaefer-Walker

The Treasurer’s Report (see details on page 2) includes the Income Statement for the period January 1, 2024 to October 3, 2024 and a partial Balance Sheet as of October 3, 2024.

Revenues for the period were $67.4K of which $56K was received from membership dues. The remaining revenue was attributed to watercraft fees, Changing Tides ads, social fees, and beach rentals.  Expenses were approximately $56.3K. The majority of these expenses were spent to clean and maintain the beaches.  Net income for the period was approximately $11.2K

As of October 3, POENB had approximately $37K in all of its bank accounts.  

Social Report – Yvonne Lambertson and Ryan Schaefer-Walker

1. POENB Dinner – Sara Coddington-White has organized a dinner at Britannia Yacht Club at 7 pm on Saturday, October 19th.  Net proceeds will be used to beautify the beaches.  Tickets are $75 per person.  Sara and Bill White have donated two tickets to EN volunteer firefighters.  Eligible persons should contact Sara to claim the tickets.   If you’d like to donate a raffle item or have other questions, please contact Sara at saracoddington@hotmail.com.

2. ENFD “for hole” fundraiser – was scheduled for October 19th at 11 am. However, it has been rescheduled in the spring (date TBD).

3. Halloween Parade – The annual Halloween parade will take place on Saturday, October 26th starting at 12 noon.  The parade will begin at the Firehouse, progress down Essex, turn back up Essex, cross Middlesex, go up Carlisle and return to the Firehouse.  At the Firehouse, the ENFD will provide a fire safety lesson for the children.  Pizza, drinks and candy will be served.  All are welcome to enjoy this traditional and fun event.  The festivities are expected to end around 2 pm. 

4. Movie Night – Following the success of “IF” on Friday, September 6th, Michael Cohen has generously offered to host another movie night.  On Friday, October 18th, Hocus Pocus 2 will be shown on the ENFD lawn. Please bring chairs and/or blankets.  Cartoons will be shown at 7:00 pm and the movie will start at 7:30 pm.  POENB will serve popcorn and candy.  This free event is open to ALL residents of EN.

5. POENB Sweatshirts On Sale – To raise funds, POENB is selling Carhartt sweatshirts.  These hooded, dark gray colored sweatshirts have the POENB logo on the front left hand side and Eaton’s Neck LI on the back.  Adult sizes are $60 while kid sizes are $35.  

Please order no later than October 31st.  The sweatshirts will be delivered to your home in mid-November.  The order form is found on the back of the two-sided, colored movie flyer delivered to each EN resident’s mailbox.

Beach Report – Ryan Schaefer-Walker and Yvonne Lambertson

1. Since the beach season runs from mid-May to October 1, the two beaches are officially closed.  The PB swim lines have been removed (thank you Greg Hodges and Dane Nau), the water at both beaches has been turned off, and the dumpster at PB has been locked.  Please refrain from putting anything ON TOP of the dumpster. Any garbage “resting” on the dumpster is unsightly, will NOT be picked up, and will attract vermin.  

2. During the off season, members are invited to walk on the beaches and enjoy the water views.  However, POENB’s Beach Rules PROHIBIT animals on the beach, leased or unleashed during both the on and off season.  

Animals can cause several problems including:  (1) health issues (dogs transmitting dangerous diseases via human contact with their feces), (2) human safety issues (aggressive/biting dogs), (3) beach environmental issues (dogs harming sea creatures), (4) civility issues (noisy, loudly barking dogs) and (5) financial issues (POENB spending funds to clean up dog waste).

3. As discussed previously, watercraft assignments are made every two years.  Members may keep their watercraft in their assigned space all winter (if they have paid their watercraft fee).  Sail craft, however, must be removed no later than November 30th. 

Membership Committee – Gene Caputo

As of October 9th, 243 of the 419 (58%) eligible households have elected to become POENB members.  2024 membership numbers were down from 2023 (258) but were similar to 2022 (244).  

As of October 1st, POENB has stopped taking online memberships.  Residents who wish to become members in 2024 may submit their contact data and check (made payable to POENB) to PO Box 129 Northport, NY 11768 or put the documents in an envelope and place the envelop in the POENB mailbox near the firehouse.  

Nominating Committee – Tom Kehoe

Per the by-laws, POENB’s board positions run from January 1 to December 31. Having served for four years, Ryan Schaefer-Walker and Yvonne Lambertson are stepping away from their current positions as of December 31, 2024.  Both officers have implemented significant modernization projects to make POENB’s operations more efficient and effective.  More importantly, both have cheerfully and expertly performed myriad duties to “make things happen” well beyond their titled roles of VP and Treasurer for Ryan and VP Technology, Social Media and Watercraft for Yvonne.  They both leave big shoes to fill and will be missed. 

Several members have volunteered to serve on the 2025 Board but additional help is always needed.  If you’re interested in serving, please contact Christine Ballow, the Chairperson of POENB’s Nominating Committee, at C.Ballow@yahoo.com. 

Infrastructure and Public Safety – Tom Kehoe

Several members identified activities occurring at Hobart Beach that were against TOH, SC and NYS rules.  These activities included persons:

• Allowing dogs to run on the beach (both leashed and unleashed)
• Entering and walking in the bird sanctuary
• Fishing in non-designated areas
• Engaging in night fishing – which is never permitted at Hobart and is only allowed at Crab Meadow. 
• Non-TOH residents using Hobart. Knowledge of the user’s residence was based on (1) license tags of cars in the parking lot (TX, MD, NC), (2) the church location listed on the side of church buses, and (3) direct discussions with persons availing themselves of Hobart’s amenities.  Per conversations, many non-TOH Hobart users are from the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau County and other towns in Suffolk and learned about Hobart and its lax security on social media.

Members also noted 

• The ineffectiveness of the new “sticker” system for TOH beach access. Cars parking at Hobart are rarely scanned by TOH and a Newsday article noted the sticker system had not been viability tested by the TOH prior to roll-out.
• Multiple non-TOH residents walking through the tidal wetlands to fish, clam, play, and picnic at PB – with children and unleashed dogs in tow. 
• Increased road traffic and road noise on EN Road as cars headed to Hobart
• Cars driving very fast along EN Road, Tudor, and Birmingham
• Limited responsiveness by TOH officials and TOH Park Rangers to enforce Town, County and State rules  
• A perceived recent lack of speed limit enforcement by VOA police

Other members stated that while they agreed with issues at Hobart and PB, in their experience, VOA police are closely monitoring speed limits.  

One person noted that activity at VOA traffic court was “robust.”   In August, VOA police issued 66 summons.  Another noted that while EN is patrolled by SCPD (2nd Precinct), VOA police, as a courtesy, often serve as first responders for EN residents

Tom Kehoe encouraged persons who are interested in public safety and security issues to contact Phil Cuiffo Sr and Regina Grosso who lead POENB’s Public Safety Committee.  These leaders and members of this Committee are in regular contact with VOA and SC police (car 216) as well as TOH Park Rangers and Maritime Officials.  

Tom also stated that prohibiting entry into the bird sanctuary is difficult to enforce since there are multiple organizations who “oversee” the property including the US Fish and Wildlife, NYS DEC, and TOH Harbor Master. 

Tom stated that SC police have repeatedly encouraged EN residents who see something illegal or unusual to call 911.  The 911 dispatcher will direct the call to the appropriate unit at SC 2nd precinct. 

Finally, as the days get shorter, runners, walkers and bikers are encouraged to wear reflective clothing so that they can be more easily seen by vehicle drivers.  

Next Meeting

Next month’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 7:00 pm.