Summerplace Improvement Association, Inc.
PO Box 700160, Wabasso, FL 32970-0160

Minutes 2018

Home Minutes 2018

Summerplace Improvement Association
Board of Directors
November 17, 2018
Minutes

Following the annual meeting on November 17, 2018, the newly elected SIA, Inc. Board of Directors met at the home of Walter Garrard Present were elected Board members Mary Beasman, Walter Garrard Bart Heikes, John Lehnhardt and Steve Melichiori.

The meeting opened with a welcome to John Lehnhardt as the newest member of the SIA Board. Walter Garrard was nominated to continue as SIA Board President and accepted this position for the upcoming year. Walter asked Bart Heikes to remain as Vice President of the Board for this term and requested that Mary Beasman continue as Board Secretary for the same amount of time.

Mary indicated she and Michael Flax had chatted after the annual meeting regarding the on-going issues he has raised at both this year’s and last year’s annual meetings. Mary volunteered to look into these concerns and report back to the Board to discuss means of addressing these situations and bring them to closure.

The subject of the new Publix was raised with varying opinions from Board members.

With no further business the meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary Beasman, SIA Secretary.

Minutes 2018

Summerplace Improvement Association, Inc.
Annual Meeting
November 17, 2018

The annual meeting of the Summerplace Improvement Association, Inc. took place at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 1820 E. Barefoot Place, the home of Frank and Annette Crowder.
1. Call to Order: The 2018 annual meeting was called to order at 10:10 a.m. by SIA Inc. President Walter Garrard who welcomed those SIA members present. New SIA members, Frank and Annette Crowder were recognized and thanked by those present for continuing the tradition of SIA annual meetings being held at 1820 E. Barefoot.
Walter noted new SIA members who purchased properties in SIA during 2018:
Gimena Caminos – 1801 E. Barefoot Place
Frank and Annette Crowder – 1820 E. Barefoot Place
Amy Hanlon -1861 E. Barefoot Place
George and Priscilla Hrabovsky – 1821 E. Shell Lane
Mark and Judy Kosiba – 1990 W. Shell Lane
Current SIA members Steve and Holly Melchiori moved to 1995 W. Barefoot Place
Peter and Vicki Nily – 1970 W. Shell Lane
Marjorie Seibold – 1861 E. Shell Lane

2. Calling of the Roll
Secretary Mary Beasman called the roll and announced a quorum to be present either in person or by
proxy and certified all proxies for voting.

3. Proof of notice of meeting
Proof of Notice of the Meeting was presented to President Walter Garrard.

4. Report of Officers
SIA 2018 Financial Statements and 2019 Budget: Walter Garrard
Walter summarized the SIA financial statements distributed with the annual mailing and
reviewed the updated income statement of expenses and income through October 31,
2018. He advised expenses were approximately $6,000 over budget due to unexpected beach access
Improvements (See President’s report for details). These unanticipated expenditures were covered by
the limited deferred fund set aside previously for unplanned expenses or emergency funding.

Discussion of 2019. Budget: Walter reviewed the 2019 budget noting the SIA roads are holding up well
and should not require major maintenance in 2019, except for a scaping following the rainy season.
Additionally. Walter advised no legal fees were incurred pertaining to the current lawsuit as our SIA
insurance covers these expenses. He noted there has not been an increase in the cost of our insurance.

2019 SIA Annual Dues: Walter advised SIA annual dues would remain $300 per SIA property for 2019
as there are no major expenditures planned for the upcoming year.

Approval of 2019 SIA Budget: Following the discussion, the Board voted unanimously to approve the 2019 budget.

Annual Dues Invoice: Walter reminded SIA members that an invoice for the 2019 annual dues was
included in the 2018 Annual Mailing, Section II (Financial information). All dues are payable by January 1,
2019. Thank you to those who have already paid their 2019 annual dues.

5. President’s Report: Walter Garrard
Appreciation:
Walter reported Craig Colligan decided to retire from the Board. Craig was acknowledged for his support and service on the Board during his term.
Walter thanked Teri Colligan for volunteering to assist with minutes of SIA Board meeting and SIA mailings.
Walter expressed appreciation to Phil and Carol Glade for their continued assistance with attendance and roll call at SIA annual meetings
Additionally, Walter thanked former SIA resident Dave Courage for his assistance in arranging the SIA annual trimming and in contacting other SIA contractors as needed.

Legal Update: Walter advised the lawsuit filed against SIA and several SIA members by an SIA property
owner remains ongoing. Additionally, our attorneys continue to remind us in the strongest terms
against individual SIA members having contact with the plaintiff and to avoid conversations
other than return of greeting, if necessary, with workers at the plaintiff’s residence. Our lawsuit
could be seriously jeopardized by anyone from SIA not following this counsel.

Walter thanked all SIA members for their understanding and patience regarding this situation.

SIA Beach Stairs: As reported in the 2018 annual mailing cover letter, Walter advised following an anonymous compliant, the Indian River County Building Division issued a Notice of Violation to SIA requiring permits, engineered plans and construction of the beach access stairs to meet updated Indian River County Code, or be demolished. The naming of a contractor and contact with the Building Division by that contractor was to take place within 30 days of the February 5, 2018 notice. Construction or demolition was to begin immediately after permit issuance. The notice was received by the Board February 26, 2018. An extension to March 18, 2018 was obtained. Our established stair contractor, Island Dock, responded at first, but then did not follow up in obtaining the necessary permits for this project. The Board found a suitable contractor (Thomas F. Accario Quality Home Repairs, LLC) experienced with Summerplace seawall stair permitting, engineering plans, production and installation experience. The work on all three stairs was completed within the Building Division timelines. Numerous SIA members have remarked on the quality of the work on the stairs, especially noting the addition of the required railings.

E. Barefoot Beach Access Privacy Fence: The Board approved installation of a shadow box fence along the East Barefoot Beach access on July 1, 2018 to provide privacy for the adjoining property. However, once the fence was installed, a discrepancy was reported in the surveys. To correct this, a portion of the privacy fence was adjusted. Following this, the privacy fence was inspected and approved by the county.

County Lawsuit: The County is bringing a lawsuit against the private beach area east of the Summerplace seawall. It is anticipated this lawsuit will be filed in early 2019. At that time, the County will once again be seeking support from SIA members regarding the customary usage of the beaches along the Summerplace seawall.

6. Committee Reports:
Architectural Review Committee: Walter reported for Committee Chair Van Garrious that the ARC approved construction and landscaping plans for the Lawn residence at 1971 W. Barefoot Place. This new home is on scheduled to be completed in the first part of 2019.

The ARC also approved the addition of a front deck at the Connelly property at 1900 W. Shell Lane.

7. Maintenance Committee: Walter reported the SIA annual trimming was completed last month, pending the area on the corner of E, Shell Lane where the trimming will be completed soon.

Michael Flax brought up the issue of public use and trash left under the E. Shell beach stairs, on the stairs themselves as well as on the benches. This has become a growing problem, especially during the summer months when area teens frequent Wabasso Beach and a small number use the E. Shell areas as if the stairs, benches, etc. were public use areas. It was suggested wooden slots be added under the stairs, a no trespassing sign be placed at the bottom of the stairs and the gate reinforced to deter trespassing. The Board will follow up on this issue.

Additionally, the E. Shell cul de sac was discussed including the growing problem of the railroad ties impinging on the ability of major trucks being able to drive around the cul de sac. There was also a question about the proposal sought from Busy Bee last spring to provide landscaping for the E. Shell cul de sac. It was noted that after review by the Board and further discussion with Busy Bee, several of the suggested plantings were either not salt or draught tolerant, or neither, making them impractical for the E. Shell cul de sac. Additionally, the long-held tradition of SIA residents being responsible for the cul de sac on their individual streets was discussed. This continues to be the norm with only the annual trimming being the responsibility of maintenance by the Board. It was decided the Board would take the East cul de sac issue under advisement.

Nominating Committee: Nominating Committee member LeeAnne Philips thanked the Committee for it work and the Board for its service.

Note: Nominating Chair John Lehnhardt had recused himself from the nominating committee when he became a candidate for the SIA Board.

7. Old Business
Several residents of E. Barefoot Place noted parking had become an issue with trucks and commercial vehicles blocking driveways, parking in the cul de sac. Board members reiterated E. Barefoot residents should call a Board member when this happens so the issues can be addressed with those blocking driveways and parking in the cul de sac.

8. New Business
Proposed Publix: Several SIA members expressed concern about the new Publix proposed for the area of Rt 510 along the north side of the road and adjacent to the Jungle Trail. A show of hands of members present indicated divided support for this plan. Those members who are opposed to this project will engage others in SIA and the surrounding communities who do not favor the construction of this Publix to make their view known to the Orchid Town Council.

Annual Meeting Refreshments: Walter thanked Patty Garrard for providing the refreshments at the meeting and Kathy Lehnhardt for her assistance with setup.

Ballot Count: A ballot count was conducted, and the following 2019 SIA Board Directors were elected:
Mary Beasman, Walter Garrard, Bart Heikes, John Lehnhardt and Steve Melichiori.

With no further new business, the meeting adjourned at 11:35 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary Beasman, Secretary

Minutes SIA Board Meeting July 1, 2018

SUMMERPLACE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION, INC

Minutes of Board Meeting

July 1, 2018

Attending:  SIA Board President Walter Garrard, Board members Mary Beasman, Craig Colligan, Bart Heikes and Steve Melchiori

Note: Notice of this SIA Board meeting was posted on the SIA community bulletin board 48 hours in advance of the meeting as required.

SIA President Walter Garrard called the meeting to order at 4::00 p.m.

Walter advised that due to Board members being away for vacation last month and other Board members leaving for vacation this month, this meeting was called for the Board to confirm and  finalize details of two upcoming projects. These are the repair and upgrading of all SIA beach stairs as mandated by the County Code Enforcement and plans to provide additional privacy and security for 1802 E. Barefoot Place by installing a fence along the north side of the beach access pathway adjacent to this property.

SIA Beach Stairs: Following notification by Code Enforcement regarding the SIA beach stairs, the Board has taken steps to repair and upgrade each set of beach stairs to bring these up to code as per the County. The County sent a Notice of Violation to Walter with a deadline of 30 days for SIA to advise the County how this work would be accomplished and secure a permit to do so. Walter immediately contacted the contractor who had done the previous work on our SIA stairs. Unfortunately, it took approximately two weeks of repeated phone calls from both Walter and Mary to contact the contractor regarding this situation before Walter received a return call. A date was set to meet with the contractor to discuss the details of the work required. At this meeting, the contractor advised he uses an engineering firm to secure permits. He said he would make these arrangements within the next several days, especially important given the deadline from the County. A week went by without a response from this contractor. After giving him 24-hour notice to reply, the Board faced an emergency to secure another contractor to do the work and to submit the paperwork for a permit to the County within the week in order to meet the 30-day deadline stipulated by the County.

The Board contacted another contractor whose quality of work was substantiated by recently installed beach stairs he had done for two SIA property owners. This contractor was available to secure the permit from the County and perform the necessary work on the stairs. This contactor provided the Board with a reasonable estimate to accomplish the specific work the County required. With only a few days to meet the County deadline, the necessary paperwork was completed and the contractor submitted this information to the County. Following the County’s review of these materials and their confirmation of the contractor’s license to perform the required work, a permit would be issued for the repair and upgrading of the SIA beach stairs to conform with current County code. Per the County, this work would have to be finished and inspected within 90 days of issuing the permit. Walter noted the County was not receptive to the suggestion of holding off on doing this work until after hurricane season. It should also be noted Florida Statute 720 allows the Board to move forward in an emergency, such as this turned out to be, without securing three bids as is usually necessary.

Fence Installation on the North Side of the E. Barefoot Beach Access: The Board discussed installing a shadow box fence along the north side of the E. Barefoot beach access to provide the property owner at 1802 E. Barefoot Place with the additional privacy and security he has repeatedly deemed as necessary. The Board had secured a quote for this project from an established SIA contractor (as is allowed by Florida Statute 720), He would also work on the permitting process with the County. Additionally, the Board discussed the importance of having Carter and Associates survey the area along the north side of the E. Barefoot beach access, re-staking the SIA boundary to ensure proper placement of the fence. A suggestion was made and accepted by the Board to hire sheriff deputies as a security presence while SIA volunteers trimmed this area along the E. Barefoot pathway and during installation of the fence. A motion was made and approved by a unanimous vote of the Board to proceed with installation of a fence along the E. Barefoot Beach access once the permitting process and the survey were completed and the sheriff deputies were hired. 

ARC Recommendation: The Board voted to accept the recommendation of the ARC and approved the construction plans submitted by Ronnie and Sharon Lawn for their home to be built at 1971 W. Barefoot Place.

With no further business, a motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Beasman, Secretary

 

 

Minutes SIA Board Meeting on February 21, 2018

Minutes Summerplace Improvement Association, Inc. Board Meeting

February 21, 2018

A meeting of the Summerplace Improvement Association, Inc. Board was held on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. The meeting took place at 1820 E Barefoot Place, the home of SIA member Dave Courage.

Attending:  SIA Board President Walter Garrard, Board members Mary Beasman, Craig Colligan, Dave Courage, Bart Heikes and Steve Melchiori.  Also attending: SIA property owner Joel Graff

SIA President Walter Garrard called the meeting to order at 3:35 p.m.

Discussion of  Graff residence 1841 E. Shell Lane:

Walter opened the meeting by noting SIA property owner Joel Graff was in attendance after requesting to meet with the Board to discuss the lack of a required wood or a wood-like exterior on the house he constructed at 1841 E. Shell Lane.  Walter provided the following summary of this situation:

  • Due to an issue regarding the setback for his house, there was a Court Ordered Mediation between SIA and Mr. Graff in 2011. The Court Order, resulted from the Mediation dated May 11, 2011 allowed the setback. It also required the Association to approve for “construction of the (Graff) residence be consistent with the Guidelines of the ARC.” The construction plans submitted to the ARC by Mr. Graff per ordered court mediation showed wood-like wrapping around the entire house he planned to build. These plans were approved by the ARC. However, the residence was constructed without the wood-like appearance or an approved amended plan.
  • It is the SIA Board’s legal responsibility to insure the May 11, 2011 Court Order is complied with by both parties. In previous communications, verbal and written (December 2016) with Mr. Graff regarding this, the Board offered several options to settle this issue.
  • Following this summary Mr. Graff aired various grievances regarding his dealings with SIA boards in the past. Several Board members present stressed that these issues had been with previous Boards and the current Board was interested in resolving this issue to comply with a wood-like exterior. An amendment to the original construction plans was suggested to Mr. Graff. He advised he would take this under consideration and get back to the Board regarding his decision.

Discussion of E. Shell cul de sac

At the SIA Annual Meeting on November 18, 2017, Michael Flax expressed concern regarding the cul de sac on E. Shell that was replanted following the removal of an invasive Australian pine in the cul de sac. As noted in the minutes of that meeting, “the Australian pine was taken down, as were several others throughout SIA, due to the state-wide requirement to remove any invasive species already growing on properties”. F

Following the removal of the invasive Australian pine in the E.  Shell cul de sac, this area was replanted, and railroad ties added around the border by residents of E. Shell Lane. The Board was not consulted on decisions regarding this area, including a decision to reject the donation of three cabbage palms from Jim Lewin to replace the Australian pine.

At the 2017 Annual meeting of the E. Shell Lane cul de sac “Haidee Williams advised all SIA cul de sacs were established by the residents who live on the cul de sacs. Additionally, these residents maintain their cul de sacs year- round except for any major trimming which is done during the SIA annual trimming each fall. A motion was made, seconded and approved for the residents of the E. Shell Lane cul de sac to propose a plan to the Board regarding the landscape and the tending of the cul de sac. Discussion included the importance of using only drought and salt tolerant plantings in this area. “

Subsequently, Michael Flax secured a proposal from Busy Bee Lawn and Garden Center to replant the East Shell Lane cul de sac. This proposal from Busy Bee totaled approximately, $1,950. Additionally, of the five plantings suggested in this plan, three of the these, an arboricola, a Geiger tree and a hibiscus tree, are problematic during dry spells. This was confirmed by the Busy Bee employee who provided the plan for the E. Shell Lane cul de sac. He reviewed this plan for the Board and explained Busy Bee would install the various plantings and make sure they were off to a good start. However, once successfully planted, several of the plants, as indicated above, would require ongoing maintenance, with daily or every other day watering, especially during dry periods, for 3-5 years until they were well established.

In considering the E. Shell Lane cul de sac proposal, the Board focused on the example of the other four cul de sacs within SIA. Each one of these areas was planted originally by SIA members living on these cul de sacs. These areas are maintained now by the SIA members who currently reside in each of the cul de sacs. The plantings in these four cul de sacs are drought and salt resistant, requiring little or no maintenance other than trimming.

Based on this historical precedent, the Board unanimously agreed that the proposed plan for the E. Shell cul de sac could proceed only with a vote by the residents of E. Shell Lane to approve the plan, to pay for installing the plantings and then, to maintain the E. Shell cul de sac themselves, as is done with the other cul de sacs in our community. The Board is responsible for the annual trimming each fall which includes all of the SIA cul de sacs. Additionally, if the residents of E. Shell Lane approve removing the railroad ties from their cul de sac, the Board will hire and pay a contractor to take care of this.

With no further new business, the meeting adjourned at 4:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Mary Beasman, Secretary

 

 

 

 

Minutes SIA Board Executive Session February 21, 2018

SUMMERPLACE IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION, INC.

Executive Session of the Board

February 21, 2018

Minutes

 An Executive Session of the Summerplace Improvement Association, Inc. Board was held on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. The meeting took place at the home of SIA member Dave Courage.

Attending:  SIA President of the Board Walter Garrard, Board members Mary Beasman, Craig Colligan, Dave Courage and Bart Heikes

The SIA Board of Director met in Executive Session to appoint a new director to the Board to fill the current opening on the Board per the SIA By-laws that state the SIA Board is composed of five Directors and a President. Walter Garrard will continue to serve as President of the Board and Ex-Officio Chairman of the Board opening a vacancy on the Board.  Per Article IV Section 2 of the SIA By-laws: In the event of a vacancy occurring in the Board of Directors for any reason whatsoever, the remaining directors shall appoint a member to serve as director for the unexpired term.

Executive Session 

  1. Walter opened the Executive Session of the SIA Board at 3:20 p.m.
  2. Walter reviewed the list of several SIA members who have expressed interest in serving o the SIA Board
  3. Bart Heikes made a motion to nominated Steve Melchiori to fill the current vacancy on the Board. This motion was seconded by Dave Courage. Discussion followed regarding Steve’s qualifications to serve on the Board.
  4. Following this discussion, Walter asked if there were any additional nominations from the Board. With no further nominations, Walter called the vote.
  5. Walter announced the vote stating the minutes show that Steve Melchiori was appointed to the Board by a unanimous vote of the Board members.*

Adjournment

With no further business, the Executive Session of the Board was adjourned at 3:35 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted

Mary H. Beasman. Secretary SIA

*Note: Steve Melchiori – 1930 W. Shell Lane: Steve and his wife Holly have a home in Vero Beach and purchased their second home in Summerplace in 2015 but now live here almost full time. They attended their first annual meeting in 2016 and Steve joined the SIA Architectural Review Committee last year. Steve has served on a number of Home Owners Association (HOA) boards including the Collier Club, Pointe West and Arbor Trace. He currently holds licenses as a Florida Community Association Manager and as a Florida Professional Surveyor and Mapper. Steve has been involved in civil engineering, surveying and land development in Indian River County for the last 35 years and is very familiar with HOA board functioning and documents.