Board of Directors Meeting

July 5, 2009

Board members present were George Kivett, Lynn Ketner, Earl Bunting, James Taylor, John Tew, and Mary Bryan Carlisle. Ted Thompson was absent.

The first topic of discussion was the detonation of fireworks in the area of the boat ramps. A large explosion was heard just before midnight on July 4. Witnesses said it was much larger than a normal firecracker explosion. Law enforcement was called and several deputies responded. It was determined that a guest of Dale Register had brought the fireworks into GCL but it could not be determined who actually lit the fuse on the fireworks.

It was reported that the security guard had asked to use a gate card in order to let a non-resident into the park. He had been instructed not to do this. Janie Bushkar was asked to speak with the guard about this.

A homeowner had reported a malfunction of the entrance gate. They said that the gate came down before they had a chance to drive through. They put their gate card in front of the card reader again and the gate worked properly the second time. DEPS, the security gate contractor, was asked to check the system to try and determine if the malfunction can be prevented from happening again.

The Managing Agent reported that the seawall in the boat basin was continuing to wash-out and it was becoming difficult to keep filling the holes in the ground that resulted from the wash-out. She said it was becoming a hazard for people walking along the seawall in that area. She was asked by the Board to contact a seawall contractor and ask for suggestions for a short term repair. It was agreed by the Board that permanent repairs may be less expensive if they could be done at the same time as the waterfront seawall construction. It was also noted that the boat basin and the channel along the pier will need dredging in the near future. A motion was made by John Tew and seconded by George Kivett, to have Janie contact Brooks dredging and get a cost estimate and tentatively schedule the dredging for next winter. The motion passed unanimously.  It was noted that Goose Creek Resort usually paid half the expense for the dredging.

Earl Bunting discussed the plans he had received from homeowners wanting to construct additions to their homes or do remodeling on their homes. He reported that all submitted plans had been approved except one. Janie, the managing agent, was asked to speak with the building inspector’s office and re-affirm that GCL homeowners must have a letter of acceptance, from GCL, for their plans before the county can issue them a building permit. In some cases, the GCL rules and more restrictive than the county guidelines.  Lynn Ketner made a motion, seconded by John Tew, to discontinue discussion of the requirements for building permits until the Board members have had an opportunity to review the county requirements. The motion passed unanimously.

The steps leading from the seawall to the water were reported to be in need of repair. Janie was asked to have them repaired.

The Board discussed a letter from attorney Neil Whitford. In the letter, Mr. Whitford made recommendations for improving the Rules and Regulations of GCL. The changes he recommended would aid in the legal enforcement of the Rules and Regulations. Earl Bunting was asked to meet with Mr. Whitford and ask his assistance in wording any changes that need to be made.

At the Annual Homeowner’s Meeting in June there was discussion of limiting the terms of Board members to two consecutive terms. If a Homeowner served two terms on the Board they would not be allowed to serve a third term. If, after not serving on the Board for a two year term, they wanted to run for election again, that would be allowed. A Homeowner can serve as many terms on the Board as they are elected to, but no more than two consecutive terms.  At the Homeowner’s Meeting, Ken Banks was asked to send  a ballot to all Homeowners so all Homeowner’s could vote on whether to make the two consecutive term limit a rule. Earl Bunting was asked to contact Ken Banks and get a status of his progress on mailing the ballots.

There was a short discussion on the amount of property taxes paid by GCL. The work of James Godfrey in getting the property value was noted with appreciation. Godfrey’s efforts resulted in a significant annual savings for GCL.

The Board discussed a bill from attorney Neil Whitford for $92.50. The bill was for speaking with homeowner Vicky Smith. Mrs. Smith called Mr. Whitford to discuss the qualifications of Homeowners who were running for election to the Board of Directors. The bill was paid by the managing agent. Since the phone call was initiated by a Homeowner and was not official business of GCL, the Managing Agent, or the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors instructed the Managing Agent to send a letter requesting that Mrs. Smith reimburse GCL for that expense.

Janie reported that she had bought ten new chairs for the swimming pool at a cost of $46.00 each. One of the chairs had already been broken but had been replaced. She said that some Homeowners had requested she purchase more chairs for the pool area. The Board instructed her not to buy additional chairs.

Board member Mary Bryan Carlisle reported several instances of theft of gasoline from Homeowners, including herself. She said she thought that golf carts coming from outside of GCL may be a contributing factor. She also noted that the entrance gate was being left in the up position during week days and this may also contribute to the problem of vandalism and theft. During discussion of this it was noted that, in the past, this had been put to a vote of the Homeowners and it had been decided to leave the gate open during weekdays until five o’clock in the afternoon. Ms. Carlisle made a motion that the closure of the gate during weekdays be put to a vote of the Homeowners. James Taylor seconded her motion. During discussion it was noted that if the Homeowners voted to close the gate during the day it would be each Homeowners responsibility to provide access to GCL for any repair workers, contractors, or deliveries. The best way for this to be done would be to include a ballot for the gate closure vote with the ballot that Ken Banks will be mailing for the term limit vote. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Ms. Carlisle was asked to provide the ballot to Ken Banks.

The Managing Agent informed the Board that she was unable to locate replacement locks for the mail boxes. The vendors she had purchased the locks from in the past did not have them. Earl Bunting and John Tew volunteered to help locate the correct locks.

The meeting adjourned at 5:50 pm