MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Jerry Mohn, President, called the Board of Directors meeting for the West Galveston Island POA to order at 9:05 a.m. Directors making up the quorum were Jerry Mohn, Peggy Zahler - Spanish Grant Beach, James DeFord – Spanish Grant Bay; Steve Magee – Isla Del Sol, Tom Boothe – Condominium, Marie Garrett – Bermuda Beach, John Schiller – Acapulco Village, Sidney McClendon – Pirates Beach, and Mike McCully – Pointe San Luis. Susan L. Gonzales – Acting Secretary (CKM Property Management).
Corporate Sponsors Peggy Zahler with Johnson Space Center Credit Union; Marie Garrett with Beach Restoration; Mike Brown with Silverleaf Resorts; and, David Murphy with CenterPoint Energy. Other members and dignitaries recognized were Juan Pena – City Council Member District 3, Jeri Kinnear – Galveston Island State Parks Board Trustees, Gordon Morris – GARM, and, Brandon Wade - Director of Public Works for the City of Galveston.
Minutes were sent by email and reviewed by the Board. Upon motion duly made by Peggy Zahler and seconded by Sidney McClendon, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the minutes of January 20, 2007 were approved as presented.
Financial Report
Marie Garrett gave the financial report. Cash on hand $6,355.60, total assets: $11,851.69. Dues will be mailed in April 2007. Upon motion duly made by Tom Boothe and seconded by Mike McCully, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the financial report was approved as presented.
City Council Report by Juan Pena
Under the 2003 Sewer Bond Fund the project status is as follows:
Terramar Plant Trunk Main and Plant Lift Station- the contractor is EP Brady, the Lift Station structure is complete, waiting on electrical, a 36-inch gravity sewer has been installed, Drainage culverts set under access road, there is a power pole located in the middle of the access road that must be moved, currently waiting on CenterPoint to relocate power pole located in access road right of way, grading for access is currently being done and completion of project is currently being done.
Terramar Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant, Phase 1 - contractor—Allco Construction, 500,000 gallon per day replacement Wastewater Plant, plant has been started and trials are going well. There is an issue with power coming from CenterPoint that must still be resolved, final Change Order was approved by Council on 12/28/06, complete acceptance of plant expected in April 2007 and old plant is expected to be removed April 2007.
2006 Water Bond Funds
Jamaica Beach Elevated Storage Tank and Pump Station - TCEQ has issued the OK to begin the project, advertise for bids in February 2007 (final changes being made to plans and specs), award contract in April 2007 (estimated) and construction likely to begin in June 2007—18 months (est.)
West End Water Pressure Control Valves - design is complete and has been approved by TCEQ, advertise for bids in February 2007 (final changes being made to plans and specs), award contract in April 2007 (estimated), construction likely to begin in June 2007—6 months (est.)
Development Capacity Enhancement—Design Only
2006 Sewer Bond Funds
Terramar East Trunk Main (to east of Sea Isle) - council approved the contract on September 28, 2006, pre-construction meeting was held on November 17, 2006, bore under 3005 complete, approximately 200 feet of 30" sewer line has been installed and estimated date of completion is September 2007.
Sea Isle Subdivision Sewer and Fire Lines Status - the easement issue on Kennedy Drive between Mason and San Jacinto is ongoing, north side of 3005 between Ector and San Jacinto has congestion issues within the TXDOT ROW, above listed items have been removed from this portion of the project and will be addressed once the easement issue has been resolved. bid opening January 25, 2007, estimated award of contract February 2007, estimated start of construction May 2007.
Terramar Beach Subdivision Sewer and Fire Lines - design is nearing completion. estimated bid date is March 2007. and estimated construction date June2007.
Bay Harbor Sewer Projects -
FY 2006 Drainage Improvement Account
West End Drainage Preliminary Engineering (In-House)
· TxDOT has formally rejected a plan to close a crossing pipe under FM 3005.
West End Drainage Preliminary Engineering (Consultant)
Searching for Capital Construction that can be primarily done with in-house forces and that are environmentally sensitive.
FY 2006 Streets and Drainage Industrial Development Corporation
Antascosa Key (Sea Isle) Raising / Reconstruction
11-Mile Road—FM 3005 to Steward Road Widening
LONE STAR BIKE RALLY
Representatives of the Lone Star Rally have asked the city to provide a letter stating that the City of Galveston is planning to issue them a permit to host the 2007 Lone Star Rally in Galveston, the first weekend of November 2007, to begin on Thursday, November 1st through Sunday November 4th. They basically want to use the same "footprint" for the event as they had for the 2006 event. In addition they would like the city to allow them to sell beer in the Seawall Entertainment District as they did during the 2006 event.
STATEWIDE HURRICANE CONFERENCE
The State of Texas will be holding their Annual State of Texas Hurricane Conference in Galveston May 8-10, 2007. The State is also considering signing a three-year agreement with the Convention Center. If the agreement is signed, the City of Galveston would be the site of the conference for the next three years.
STATEWIDE HURRICANE EVACUATION AND SHELTERING EXERCISE
The City will be participating in the Statewide Hurricane Evacuation and Sheltering Exercise to be conducted June 4-8, 2007. The purpose of the exercise is to improve the ability of the State to respond to hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. Certain focus areas will be emphasized in specific evacuation areas. The focus task for Houston-Galveston is traffic management and fuel plans.
HURRICANE TOWN MEETING
The Annual Hurricane Town Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 30th at the Island Community Center. The first monthly meeting with the stakeholders will be on Tuesday, February 27th at 9:30 A.M.
HEIGHT AND DENSITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN
The Planning Division has completed the development of a Request for Proposals for a Height and Density Development Plan. As noted in the attached RFP, the City is asking for responses from consultants, quasi-governmental agencies, non-profit organizations and educational institutions.
The Height and Density Development Plan includes a "visioning" task, which will require public involvement and associated meetings. Staff anticipates changes to the Zoning Standards as the Height and Density Development Plan is finalized. As certain tasks are completed, data will become available for use in the review of Comprehensive Plan steering committee. Additionally, the Planning Division is completing a recommendation for zoning amendments associated with the recently annexed areas of MUD 1, which will need to be included in the update to the Comprehensive Plan. In conjunction with the described projects, Staff is nearing completion of the Accela Software implementation, which is expected to warrant procedural changes, as well as provide useful statistical data relating to growth within the City.
Therefore, in order to allow the above-described projects to be included in the update to the City's Comprehensive Plan, Staff anticipates scheduling the first meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee for June 2007. Staff will be notifying all appointed members of the projected schedule and encouraging members to review the current 2001 Comprehensive Plan prior to the first meeting.
POLICE DEPARTMENT UNIFORM CRIME REPORT (UCR)
Crime is down in the City of Galveston. It is the lowest since UCR records began being kept in 1979. Attached are figures from 2005-2006.The overall total is the lowest since UCR record-keeping began in 1979.
| Uniform Crime Report | 2005 | 2006 | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Murder | 9 | 4 | -55.5 |
| Rape | 91 | 123 | + 35 |
| Robbery | 173 | 168 | - 2.9 |
| Agg Assault | 227 | 283 | + 24.6 |
| Burglary | 694 | 636 | - 8.3 |
| Theft | 2590 | 2322 | - 10.3 |
| MV Theft | 420 | 344 | - 18 |
| Total | 4204 | 3880 | - 7.7 |
| Other reports | 2005 | 2006 | % change |
|
Narcotic |
838 | 723 | - 13.7 |
| Prostitution | 60 | 35 | - 41.6 |
|
Financial Crime |
346 | 322 | - 7 |
|
DUI |
82 | 91 | + 11 |
|
Drunk |
750 | 650 | - 13.3 |
|
Disorderly C |
467 | 421 | - 9.8 |
|
Runaway |
267 | 253 | - 5.2 |
|
Missing |
158 | 134 | - 15 |
|
Assault |
1447 | 1274 | -12 |
To contact Mr. Pena email JuanPena@CityofGalveston.org.
Galveston Association of Rental Managers (GARM):
Officer Gordon Morse with GARM stated he is gearing up for Spring Beach and handling the Mardi Gras. At this time they are being watchful of rental property and any issues.
CenterPoint Energy – David Murphy report
Pointe West will have a new sub-station, plan is to be completed by March and the temporary station at Jamaica Beach will be removed. All replacement poles have been set with concrete poles; the casing is 30’ deep and encased in concrete. The wiring is being changed out for one with a steel core with two circuits. This $12 million project will make a significant difference in outages and control voltage. The cost of the poles if between $75, 000 to $80,000 per pole. All poles replaced will be concrete.
CenterPoint is the delivery of power. For selecting the provider go to powertochoose.com. For service problems call 409-765-4086. Also for the City of Galveston contact: publicworkscityofgalveston.org for Brandon Wade.
Silver Leaf Resorts – Mike Brown
Seaside Resorts is installing a sand sock, all the sand excavated will be placed on the beach, and the sand for the sock will be imported. The dunes will be re-seeded and vegetated. Construction will involve 600 linear feet of beach and the cost is approximately $250,000. There are future plans to build three buildings on the beach, total 38 units. The new buildings just completed on the bay side are classified as Presidential Buildings and more luxurious than the current buildings. There are no plans for a marina on the bay side.
Mike was asked to be sure to shield all lighting as it is blinding on FM3005. Mike stated they do place shields and timers on the lights. A question was asked the source of the sand for the sand socks and it was later reported to be Sunset Coe at a final cost of $25 per cubic yard.
Windstorm – OttieZapp
Galveston Windstorm Action Committee works with other organizations such as Texas Association of Realtors and Texas Independent Agency. There are several Bills filed that will have an impact on Windstorm Insurance costs. We do not want a funding shortage to affect our coverage and cost. We want to give Insurance Companies the right to write policies and have a larger pool to draw from.
Sunset Cove:
Located across from Sandhill Shores is installing an 18000-gallon propane tank since the Gas Co. could not install gas lines. It will be buried ¾ in ground and landscaped. The WGIPOA Board met with Sunset Cove and Sandhill Shore residents, and the propane company on January 25 to discuss the options and project. Some assurance was received based on its location and safety of the installation. The residents and WGIPOA were satisfied with the efforts Sunset Cove is making in assuring the safety and attractiveness of the site and installation.
WGIPOA – Annual Election
Tom Booth chair of the Nominating Committee stated Pirates Beach & Cove and Isla Del Sol’s term expired and the Committee recommended that they be re-elected for a term ending February 28, 2010. Jamaica Beach was also recommended for a position on the Board. A call for Nominations from the floor was made. Jeff Southard of Dunes of the West Beach subdivision requested to be on the Board. Clay Lewis – Sportsman Road Association also requested to be on the Board.
A Call to vote for election of Directors was made. Upon motion duly made by Sidney McClendon and seconded by Marie Garrett, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the members elected to the Board of Directors the following:
Pirates Beach & Cove subdivision, Isle Del Sol, Dunes of the West Beach, Jamaica Beach and Sportsman Road Association.
Jerry Mohn stated that Peggy Rapp has volunteered to do the financial reports and will file the tax forms.
Upon motion made by Peggy Zahler and seconded by Tom Boothe, the following resolution was adopted:
RESOLVED THAT, Peggy Rapp shall have signature authorization in preparing and writing checks with the banks used by the West Galveston Island Property Owners Association.
General Land Office Meeting
Jerry Mohn & Sidney McClendon met with two Lobbyists for the Galveston Erosion Task Force and the GLO on March 1st, Jerry Patterson was also in attendance. The reviewed the Windstorm issues and Open Beaches Act. The GLO is seeking $20 million/year for funding, $10 million from sporting goods tax. The Parks & Wildlife is trying to get some of the $10 million and we want the GLO to get all of the funds. Of the $110 million, half comes from coastal region and half comes from CEPRA. We are in support of the Glo received all the funds.
Special Topics of Discussion
· The Pirates Beach sand renourishment and sand sock repair will be under way soon, prior to the turtle season. There is no sand source at this time.
· It was recommended that members check the House and Senate Bills files to see which have and impact on the Beach & Bay issues.
· It is in our best interest to support Ottie Zapps efforts with the Galveston Windstorm Action Committee.
· The meeting with the City Manager was held on February 15th and the report will be on the WGIPOA website, www.wgipoa.com, in the near future.
· There was a study done by the Independent Insurance Committee on the importance of the Texas coast and how it affects the financial, commerce of Texas. This study would help with the issues facing the west end.
· Elevation of FM3005 – TexDot authorized a study west of the seawall to San Luis Pass. There is a problem with funding the project and TexDot recommended we go to Legislators to the money for the elevation.
· MUD 1 building now houses the City of Galveston office and staffing. Questions concerning water and sewer can be answered at this office.
· Marie Garrett of the Texas Chapter of the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association recommended that the Board adopt a resolution. Marie Garrett encouraged members to become members of ASBPA. The Board reviewed the resolution. Upon motion duly made by Marie Garrett and seconded by Sidney McClendon, the attached resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
Voter registration
It is recommended that one spouse vote here in Galveston one at the main residence since a vote means more here than in a large City like Houston.
There being no further business to come before the Board the meeting was adjourned.
Officers:
In accordance with the Articles of Incorporation, the Board of Directors reconvened after the meeting to elect Officers. Discussion was held concerning the slate of officers. Upon motion by Peggy Zahler and seconded by Tom Booth, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved the following slate of Officers.
President – Jerry Mohn
Vice President – Marie Garrett – Bermuda Beach
Treasurer – Peggy Zahler – Spanish Grant Beach
Secretary – James DeFord – Spanish Grant Bay
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 11:08 a.m.