MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
The West Galveston Island Property Owners Association held a Board of Directors Meeting on June 18, 2011. Jerry Mohn, President called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. A quorum was established by the attendance of Boyd Carr Isla de Sol, Lee Slataper Pirates POA, Ron Coker- Bermuda Beach, Lee Petros Point West, Kimberly Rense Beachside Village, Carl Sims Spanish Grant Bayside, Tom Boothe Condo, Peggy Zahler Spanish Grant Beach, and Susan Gonzales Secretary Pointe San Luis Playa.
Minutes: The Minutes were emailed to the Board and reviewed. Upon motion by Tom Boothe and seconded by Peggy Zahler, the Board by unanimous vote approved the minutes of the May 21, 2011 meeting as presented.
Treasurers Report: The Treasurers report was emailed and reviewed by the Board. Upon motion by Ron Coker and seconded by Tom Boothe, the Board by unanimous vote approved the Treasurer report.
Jerry Mohn recognized Corporate Sponsors JSC Federal Credit Union, Sand N Sea Realtors, Coastal Solutions, and Moody National Bank.
Mayor Vic Pierson and Alderman Pro Tem Eddie Burke of Jamaica Beach were introduced.
GARM: Clare Reiswerg from GARM (Galveston Association of Rental Managers) gave a report and introduced Officer Joel Caldwell. There are many communities who have joined GARM, just to name a few: Castaway Resort Properties, Century 21 Bay Reef, Prudential Gary Greene Realtors, Realty Executives Advantage, Sand N Sea Properties, and The House Company.
Officer Caldwell stated that GARM is on duty 24-7 and is here to resolve any issues concerning rental properties. GARM engages the Galveston Police Department and they work an average of 30-40 hours. These issues could be too many cars, too many people, loud noise, etc. If you see or hear of a problem at a vacation rental home managed by a GARM member, call GARM. Call telephone: 409-682-3603. There still are many individual rental homes that are not members of GARM but call GARM anyway and they will stay there until the City of Galveston Police arrives. Again, to contact GARM call 409-682-3603 day or night.
Newsletter: Peggy Zahler gave a report on the new Newsletter for WGIPOA. We have published our 2nd issue which will be going out soon. To sign up for the newsletter go to: www.galvestonwestender.com.
Windstorm Insurance: Otie Zapp, Windstorm Insurance The legislative Session ended without a Bill, the Governor has called a Special Session to review windstorm. It appears those involved have their own agenda. The TLR is backed by the Governor. It is important to review SB3, SB44, which is in the works and a hearing is set for Monday. It is expected that CS HB3 to be the ending Bill. The main purpose of this bill is to stop the lawsuits for triple damages like what happened after Ike. The organization Texans for Legal Reform (TLR), which is backed by the Governor, supports this bill whereas the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) is against it. For more information go to: www.dontkillthetexascoast.com and sign up to be on the list to receive information.
CenterPoint Energy: Keith Gray CenterPoint Energy Storm Preparation and Smart Meters. Email him at keith.gray@CenterPointEnergy.com
Smart Meters: Smart meters are coming "Energy Insight", is CenterPoint Energys system of integrated; technologies designed to transform the purchase, delivery and use of energy. Smart meters are used in in 8 states, smart meters help show you how much electricity you are using as you use it and more efficient use can protect our environment. If power goes out, the meter can still talk to a relay station. Benefits include remote reading, remote connect & disconnect, even on blackberry or other phone system, remote control of thermostats and appliances in a home area network, including automatic outages notification. Most of the meter readers will go away. Less usage can save consumers money; less power generation is good for environment; and, consumers can view electricity usage history at 15 minute intervals at www.smartmetertexas.com, generally, high energy bills are caused by increased usage with heating and cooling. After installation which takes less than 10 minutes, the meter acceptance period takes up to 60 days, which will result in no more manual reading of electric meter and you can view your usage history in 15 minutes at www.smartmetertexas.com.
Storm Preparation: Storm Preparation Emergency Operation Plan. CenterPoint Energy is responsible for restoring service no matter from which company you buy electricity. CPE is the only company that can restore service during power outages,
Pre-storm electric service tips, unplug sensitive electrical appliances. As the storm approaches, CPE obtains and evaluate predictive weather data, tracks of the storm, expected wind speeds and wind gusts and drain-fall amount. Based on damage predicting algorithms and historical data, determinations are made of the number of resources that will be required to repair the damage and restore power to the distribution system. CPE has many resources (10,000) to contact during the storm to include 20 clearing contractors. Will have 3 staging sites on the Island electric operations will manage power restoration out of the staging sites. 52 circuits in Galveston County footprint, start with the highest priority circuits, cut and clear areas of damage, allow energizing undamaged portions of the circuit, thereby restoring power to a significant number of customers. In addition, simultaneously assessing and documenting damage on each circuit will help to create a work plan for each circuit. Appraisals of actions are given to Public Utility Commission of TEXAS, ERCOT, Department of Energy, REPs, and appropriate local utilities. Local government officials are kept apprised of restoration and government liaison personnel are appointed to offices of emergency management of the State of Texas, Harris County, Galveston County, Brazoria County and the City of Galveston. CPE maintains a 24 hour service. We have an online customer outage tracker that displays current outages locations and estimated time to restore power and this can be viewed on www.CenterPointEnergy/outages. In the event of a severe weather emergency with a hurricane, CPE will use Twitter and Facebook to communicate. http:/twitter.com/CNPstorm or facebook.com/CenterPointenergy
Three substations were wiped out during IKE, they have been rebuilt and this wont happen if there is another storm. If your electric outlets were submerged, the outlets must be replaced. Unplug all major appliances and turn the air conditioner off. Food in the freezer is good for 36 hrs; turn on a porch light, which will help in identifying restoration area. When power is restored, plug in appliances then the air conditioner. Stay away from standing water, power lines, etc. Make sure your circuit breaker is in the on position; leave air conditioner and appliances off until power is restored. Do not connect portable generators directly to a building wiring without a licensed electrician first disconnecting the house wiring. Check homes weather head if broken contact electrician.
Other: The Erosion Response Plan (ERP) from the City of Galveston is due July 1st in draft form to the General Land Office (GLO), with final plan due December 31. An Ad Hoc Committee has been formed to look at the proposed requirements and to make recommendations.
Sidney McClendon: Friends of Galveston Island State Park raised funds to purchase and then to donate six (6) kayaks (2 seaters) with all the equipment plus a trailer, for the memory of Sidney McClendon, who was a founder and Board member of the WGIPOA and FOGISP, and to mark on maps a designated a kayak trail to Sidney McClendon.. The formal dedication will take place with the McClendon family at the annual FOGISP meeting, August 20, 4:00 PM.
Texas Coastal Expo: Being held today at Moody Gardens Hotel. It is free and there will be booths, kids, games, etc.
The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Susan Gonzales - Recording Secretary