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, Sidney McClendon – Pirates Beach, Jeff Southard – Dunes of the West, Clay Lewis – Sportsman Road, John Schiller – Acapulco Village, Dana Lindstrom – Pointe San Luis, Wanda Greer – Terramar Beach, and Sharon Ryan – Jamaica Beach Improvement Committee. Susan L. Gonzales – Acting Secretary (CKM Property Management).
Corporate Sponsors Peggy Zahler with Johnson Space Center Credit Union. Other members and dignitaries recognized were Juan Pena – City Council Member District 3, Jeri Kinnear – Galveston Island State Parks Board Trustees, and, Brandon Wade - Director of Public Works for the City of Galveston.
Democratic Candidate for Galveston County Sheriff, Eric Nevelow, was introduced.
Minutes were sent by email and reviewed by the Board. Upon motion duly made by Peggy Zahler and seconded by Wanda Greer, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the minutes of February 17, 2007 were approved as presented.
Financial Report Peggy Zahler gave the financial report. Total assets were $11,851. Peggy Rapp will mail the statements for the annual dues. Upon motion duly made by John Schiller and seconded by Sidney McClendon, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the financial report was approved as presented.
City Council Report by Juan Pena
On March 22 the City of Galveston plans to ask the State Legislation for the option of allowing the City of Galveston to vote whether they want gambling on Galveston Island. There will be a city wide cleanup on March 23rd and 24th. Concerning the proposed Bolivar Peninsula toll bridge, TX Dot is doing an environmental impact study. The high-density survey was sent out to homeowners only. Dune development and restoration is the responsibility of the homeowners or the Homeowners Association. The Federal Government is funding 92% of the Causeway Bridge. The Sportsman Road Bridge is to be replaced. The water tower at Jamaica Beach is going out for bids. The deadline to file to run for the position District 6 is April 11, 2007.
Program: H.E.A.R.T. – "Help Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles"
Carole Allen, Directors of H.E.A.R.T. that 2007 year will be a year of promise for Kemp’s Ridley (Named for the biologist Richard Kemp) Sea Turtles.
In 1985 the Kemp’s Ridley Sea turtles were almost extinct. There are five species of sea turtle in the Gulf of Mexico: leatherback, hawksbill, green, loggerhead and Kemp’s Ridley. The most common is the "loggerhead" and some nest in Texas. Hawksbill turtles do not nest; Green and Leatherback sea turtles do not have a hard shell.
The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle nest only in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1947 there were 47,000 nesting females and only 300-400 in 1978. In 2006 the numbers increased to between 3500 – 4000 nesting females. The US goal is 10,000.
What is being done to protect the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle? To save the Kemp’s Ridley, agencies from the United Stated federal government, the state of Texas, and Mexico have joined forces in an attempt to re-establish a second nesting beach at Padre Island National Seashore, where Kemp’s Ridley nesting had taken place. Mexico now protects its nesting beaches. The US now requires Turtle Excluder Devices on shrimp boats, which allows the turtle to escape through an exit opening in the net.
Between 1978 – 1993, under the Head Start Program, there were 2000 hatchlings brought from Mexico each year. The hatchlings were raised at the Galveston laboratory of NOAA Fishery Service for 10 months and then released. Some head start Kemp’s Ridley turtles are now returning to nest on the Texas beaches. There were 18 nesting’s in 1999; 41 in 2004; 51 in 2005; and, a record 102 in 2006 with 64 nests in South Padre National Seashore and 9 in Galveston.
The have seen more Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle nesting near the Padre Island than anywhere else in Texas. Carole Allen would like to see a marine reserve in State waters where Shrimp boats would not be allowed.
How can you help? Learn about 1-866-TURTLE-5 and website: www.seaturtle.org. Join local volunteers to learn what to do if you see a nesting sea turtle or hatchling on the beach. Become a Charter member of Sea Turtle Restoration Project Texas.
The Sea Turtle and Fishery Ecology Research Laboratory at Texas A & M, Galveston, is conducting a nesting patrol program this year on the west end by Dr. Andre Landry and several of his students. Standardized patrols will occur daily on Monday – Friday mornings from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. from April 1, 2007 through July 2007. There will be foot patrols and use of ATV’s on the beach to monitor any nesting sea turtle.
Report nesting activity immediately to 1-866-Tutrle-5. Please do not disturb the turtle, the nest or the hatchlings. Take photos and lay a visible marker to pinpoint the location of the nest.
Public Works: Brandon Wade, Director of Public Works for the City of Galveston, will be the guest speaker at the April 21 meeting. The main topic of discussion will be the sewer, water, and drainage projects for the west end. In addition, Brandon will also present the recently completed Geohazard study for the west end.
Brandon advise the easement at Terramar is now finalized and the City can proceed in laying sewer and water lines and paving the roads. Sea Isle has been waiting 35 years for sewers and the City just executed the contracts. For Sportsman Road, the City authorized expenses for an engineering study and design to replace the bridge. and
HURRICANE TOWN MEETING
City: 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.
West End: The WGIPOA and the City of Jamaica Beach will hold the annual Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery meeting on June 2, beginning at 9:30 AM at the Jamaica Beach Fire Station. Food and refreshments will be served.
General Land Office: Jerry Mohn stated efforts to increase funding are being made for the Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act, going after $30 million from Sporting Goods tax excess funds and from Offshore Oil funds.
Galveston County Beach Erosion Task Force: Political consultants are working on these issues with 14 – 15 Bills are being monitored and working on getting money for GLO on Coastal issues. We are keeping an eye on Windstorm Insurance proposed legislation and working with Otie Zapp, President of the Galveston Windstorm Action Committee. A major Bill is the Coastal Protection & Improvement Bill passed last year without a funding mechanism, we are working towards obtaining that this time around.
Expenses: Discussion was held on approval of several account payable items. Upon motion duly made by Sidney McClendon and seconded by Wanda Greer, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved to pay $500 to the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association, $420 for updates to the Website and $2353 for the Directors & Officers Liability Policy.
Discussion was held concerning paying additional money to support of the political consultants through the Galveston County Beach Erosion Task Force. Upon motion duly made by Peggy Zahler and seconded by Sidney McClendon, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved to pay the invoice from the City of Galveston for Political Consultants in the amount of. $999.
Anchor Bay: Spanish Grant on the Bay vs. Anchor Bay. Spanish Grant objected to the development. The issues were that Anchor Bay would have a negative impact on the water quality of the canals, limit boat access and use the Spanish Grant streets. Anchor Bay changed their plans and resubmitted a plan and was still denied. Spanish Grant is wanting continued support from WGIPOA. Upon motion duly made by Wanda Greer and seconded by Clay Lewis, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board of Directors supports the actions, recommendations, and objections of the Spanish Grant Bay Homeowners Association for Anchor Bay Development US Army Corps of Engineers permit application.
There being no further business to come before the Board the meeting was adjourned.