Meeting Minutes 5 January 2009

BEACH ROAD ASSOCIATION, INC
P. O. BOX 4122
TEQUESTA, FL 33469

MINUTES - MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2009
JIB CLUB COMMUNITY ROOM

1. OPENING REMARKS: President John Goodland welcomed members and guests to the second meeting of the 2008-2009 season. There were 18 members present from 10 condominiums.

2. SPEAKER: Stephen Hartzen, of the Taras Oceanographic Foundation based in Jupiter, substituted for his ill spouse, Dr. Barbara Breunnick, Ph. D. giving an enlightening account of the work of the area dolphin studies the organization is presently pursuing. Hartzen, also a marine biologist, advised the Foundation is operating under a five year General Authorization from the National Marine Fisheries Service to study whales and dolphins in southeast Florida. This is the first time that Palm Beach County is the focus of a long-term effort to assess the conservation status of these animals and associated eco-systems. In particular, the Foundation is investigating the natural history of the bottlenose dolphins. The project was prompted by concerns about the population and health status of these dolphins.
Hartzen said the organization has a local radio show weekly, WJTW, 100.3-FM, and offers a seminar on the dolphin studies each month at Jupiter High School. The next program is on January 14. He pointed out the project is a non-profit status and the organization always welcomes donations. The speaker noted that dolphins are mammals who spend most of their time looking for food, swimming mostly around reefs. He said “it is important to study dolphins and make an effort to protect them in order to prevent diseases.” Another interesting fact he related to the members - 60% of the dolphins the Taras Foundation has identified in this area are between the Jupiter Inlet and Boynton Beach. The organization’s research encompasses a coastal region of about 216km. The study site also includes the Intracoastal Waterway. The Taras Oceanographic Foundation headquarters here is located at 5905 Stonewood Court, Jupiter, FL 33458. The organization may be reached at 561-762-6473, or go online to www.taras.org.

3. SECRETARY’S REPORT: Gerry Johnson, secretary, called for a motion to waive reading of the minutes of the previous meeting. The motion was made and seconded and the minutes were approved as mailed.

4. TREASURER’S REPORT: Joe Walsh, treasurer, said the association has a checking account balance of $ (redacted). A separate money market account stands at $ (redacted)

5. OLD BUSINESS:

A. Parks Project - John Goodland, president, reminded members that the Tequesta Police now have the authority to patrol Coral Cove Park and make arrests for violations.

B. Landscaping Project - The president reported that the landscaping along Beach Road was badly neglected over the summer and that the Village of Tequesta failed to properly honor their contract obligation to maintain it. He said a visit with the Village Manager, Michael Cuozo, recently, promises a better effort will be made in the future. It was noted that the president agreed to have the BRA invest further in the maintenance program. He said bids are now being requested for landscaping of areas that had not been replenished previously and to replace some 1998 plantings that have died.

PAGE TWO

(Old Business continued)

The president pointed out that once bids are received and reviewed by the BRA Board of Directors, a notice will be sent to each building president outlining the work to be done, along with a cost estimate. He indicated that a final assessment of $ (redacted) per unit would likely be necessary. That would raise $ (redacted) to do the job, he said.

6. NEW BUSINESS:

A. T-shirt Project - Dr. Jack Lighton, vice president, presented a T-shirt project to members present. The concept provides for a BRA logo to be embroidered or screen printed on the shirts. It was pointed out that this would not be a fundraising effort, only an individual interest program. Dr. Lighton said the T-shirts come in lots for $6.36 and there are also polo shirts in lots for $60. The program was taken under advisement until it can be determined how such a project should be handled.

B. Member Interest Campaign - A discussion was opened by President John Goodland regarding how to increase interest in Beach Road Association meetings and activities. Attendance has been low so far this year and it is a concern of the Board of Directors. Several ideas were introduced including launching of a BRA website for communication purposes. Ken Wohst, president of Sea Watch, said he conducted a survey of his building and found that 90% of the unit owners owned computers. No conclusions were reached and the discussion is to continue.

C. Elevators - Ken Wohst brought up the subject of elevator upgrades. He told members his building had been contacted regarding a federal mandate in which the state is enforcing existing codes requiring elevator improvements to meet present requirements for buildings constructed prior to 1988. If your building needs to meet these requirements, please contact Wohst, 741-3153.

D. Underground Electrical Services - Hassan Ghalam, president of Tequesta Towers, asked whether it was possible to have underground electrical services installed on Beach Road. He was advised that the subject had been presented before and that the Town of Jupiter Island in Martin County was having it done. Some buildings in the Tequesta part of the island had investigated possibilities, but learned the cost is very high, although the underground electrical cable runs under the Intracoastal Waterway from Martin County to a point lateral to The Passages. Anything south of there would require considerable investment to connect.

E. Future Speakers - It was announced that the upcoming speaker for February would be Roy Rood, a pioneer resident of Tequesta, The artistic director for Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Andrew Kato, is to be the speaker in March and County Commissioner Karen Marcus will address the annual meeting in April.

7. ADJOURNMENT: With no future business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:25pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Gerry Johnson
Secretary