KEEPING IT UNDER WRAPS ? ….

Dear Readers …The latest on the sure to be discussed sewer “subsidy” (tonight’s Budget Meeting) kept under wraps in Town Hall from 1997 to 2010 is this… All of LBTS uses Pompano Beach for their sewer service …All …north/south and the condos… All residential customers are charged a rate per thousand gallons along with a surcharge…The Condos are also charged an “availability charge” for service to each unit …The puzzle is now coming together ….

SRC asked for their rates to be the same as LBTS once annexed in and to no longer pay the “flat fee” …”surcharge”…which is really the “availability charge” that was attached to the sewer bill per a fixed-long term contract with Pompano Beach…The Commission at their Feb 3, 1997 Special Commission meeting (prev. post) came to consensus with a 5-0 vote to offer that rate change and to have the Town Atty. go to Pompano Beach once the annexation was complete and ask them to agree to end that contract …Failure to do so would result in a declaratory judgment action from the Town …. It was then -Vice- Mayor Parker who asked about the Town being “exposed” to any  litigation arising from temporarily paying a”blended sewer rate during litigation of the contract ” that had been suggested by Town Manager Baldwin…Town Atty. Cherof is on the record for stating he did not think the Town would be….Later on Parker made it clear he did not want any offer of an aggregate rate to be in the agreement so as not to “weaken the Town’s position in court”…and again stated the Town’s “willingness” to renegotiate the rate… On Feb 4th, former Town Manager Bob Baldwin sent SRC a letter …(prev. post)…reiterating this…”The Town Commission approved several item, as follows 3. Agreed to take necessary action to reduce the condominium resident’s sewer bills to a rate charged by the City of Pompano Beach to Town residents.”…TM Bob Baldwin followed up with a Feb 19, 1997 Q & A (prev. post) which further stated ….”The Town Commission has agreed to lower the condominium resident’s sewer fees. The Town intends to bring the condominiums under the Town’s master sewer agreement wit the City of Pompano beach. This would decrease your rates (based on current rates) from $1.81/per one thousand gallons plus the additional flat fee to $1.51/per one thousand gallons with no flat fee. If neither the City of Pompano Beach nor the courts allow this change, the Town will explore other options. The Town Commission is committed to making the sewer rates the same for all residents. That means your rates will be lowered.”…

Once more Folks … “If neither the City of Pompano Beach nor the courts allow this change, the Town will explore other options. The Town Commission is committed to making the sewer rates the same for all residents. That means your rates will be lowered.”…

Readers recall from the previous posts this came up in 2007 from then- Comm. Silverstone and ended when comparisons were made by John Thompson showing SRC was paying their sewer bills and Jim Silverstone informed this writer they had been looking in the wrong place…(Pompano Beach when SRC paid Fort Lauderdale)… It came up again a week ago Monday…On Friday, Mark Brown wrote about it in the latest edition of his newspaper and this writer posted on it last Friday as well with a followup posted yesterday…

Now it appears that once SRC annexed in they paid their sewer bills to the Town…and continued until Fort Lauderdale took over the billing for the Town because the Town was doing a poor job of collecting… SRC never heard anything else after annexation …They just paid their bills…until they heard something when a phone call was made from the Town a few months ago…SRC reiterated where they paid there bill…They heard from this writer yesterday (prev. post) …as well as from the Town once again…The Town we hear has the files from the former Town Atty. and the issue grows cold from the time of annexation to now…

It appears that there was no contract discussions with Pompano Beach and no declaratory judgment action… It also appears that it never came back to the Commission for any action to take place or option to vote on to honor or not honor the consensus of the Commission at the Feb 3, 1997 meeting… It appears that a few people inside Town Hall made the decision to find an option to cover the “availability charges” for SRC and keep it quiet for all these years!…

The north end annexed into LBTS in 2001 and as far as we can tell never asked and were never offered a rate equity or to rid them of the “availability charges” for the condominiums …we are told…

As of this year and the latest sewer bill payments made by SRC the condominium of 722 units pays Fort Lauderdale $3 per thousand gallons while the Town’s rate to residents is $2.85 (I was informed)…and also pays the Town $190 “availability charge” for meters …of which SRC has three …for an additional payment of $570 dollars…

If SRC was charged the “availability charge” that would amount to $14.47 per unit …or $10,447.34 a month … which equals $125,368.08 per year…close to the $127,000 Mark Brown quoted in his article …Hmmmm….

So, who made the decision to not go back to Commission and go forward as planned?… Who made the decision not to go back to SRC and explain they needed to continue to pay an “availability charge” per unit as all other condominiums were required to have (we are told)?…Does anyone believe doing so would have been a deal breaker in the annexation?…

Most importantly, we do know that the Town Attorney was  Jim Cherof…The Town Manager was Bob Baldwin…and the Vice-Mayor was Oliver Parker…who then became the Mayor…along with Finance Director Esther Colon who became the Town Manager and they had to have paid Pompano Beach a check that was much more than the check received from SRC to them and then from Fort Lauderdale for SRC  just as Interim TM Hoffmann did upon her appointment in April 2010… but they kept it under wraps!…

How to go forward….It is this writer’s opinion that the Town cannot expect or receive payment from an unknowing SRC ….As previously posted the Commission per TAtty. Cheroff also voted 5-0 to defend SRC from any litigation resulting from the annexation… Not being a lawyer…I would think although it almost 13 years after the fact…the Town will now need to go to SRC and explain SRC they need to start paying the “availability charge” per unit going forward…and figure out the “meter” charges and what that is all about…

Repercussions for those that carried out this “option” behind the scenes for all these years…that’s something supporters and voters may want to consider very carefully going forward….

more to come….

Tags: Lauderdale By The Sea's Secret Option, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, Scoops, Sea Ranch Club
Posted in Uncategorized

HEY, WHERE’S YOUR PERMIT?…..

Dear Readers…At the May 26,2009 meeting the kitesurfers were asked to come back with some ideas of how do deal with the (McIntee instigated non-existent) problem with kite surfing on our beach..The real “problem” stemmed from someone teaching the sport behind the hotel near Pine Ave. and the interference for they cause McIntee in his daily beach patrol politicizing on the the VFD-ATVs…trolling for votes for 2010…while handing out business cards and lollipops…(we hear many folks think twice before heading to the beach these days…dreading the sight of the ATV approaching with his personalized board attached!)…Just as with his and Jimmy-boy Silverstone’s past foibles…with Sea Ranch Club residents..this one…will go down in flames!…Remember these are the “2-Hats” who wanted to introduce the “sliding scale” for fire assessments and then backed off after SRC resident McGinnis put forth a petition….These are the “2-Hats” who wanted to make sprinkler installation mandatory ….These are the “2-Hats” plus their McFurth -Gang and guaranteed 3rd vote from “Clueless Clottey”  along with Town Manager Colon who are on the fast track for taking away Friday and Saturday night LBTS street events and special events with their new Town fees…for code enforcement reimbursement to cover head counts and the new “noise” ordinance  (a shoo-in with their  a 3-2 vote)…along with the McIntee introduced strong-armed “lock-box” fee for using the Town’s streets…Now they want to permit and register the kite surfers…from our beachfront…The Town is to send a letter to SRC to see how we feel about them being back behind the buildings…(This writer hears with the exception of a few CIC member residents in building C who were not happy about the teaching…the overwhelming reply…after “How ya gonna enforce it?”( another use for the VFD Sea Doo/ boat?)…was “leave them alone! We love it!”…Most would prefer to keep McIntee off the beach!…..

Waiting in the hall until long past 11 pm…the kitesurfers were all ears to see what was coming next…First the Vice Mayor spoke of a woman who contacted him to tell him about her daughter being hurt…..and the proposal focusing on the business aspect of it negatively…The Mayor then recognized a resident from town come up to speak, Mike had been at the prior meeting and had offered to help with coming up with some answers …He is a kitesurfer and said that until this year and the teaching problem by the hotel…there have been no problems…He said the rules to follow are easy…stay 100ft. away from bathers/no flying on the beach-period/ no teaching on the beach…that’s it …and he added a registration done by the town was in his opinion the way to go…He did not want to see a designated area or vendors…

Rick Iossi came forward and of kitesurfing going “mainstream” that the people in the hall had collectively devoted in excess of 300 man hours to come up with solutions to maintain the ability to kitesurf here…and as asked for at the last meeting they came up with a proposal (see below)…It included the Crandon Park plan, because that had been brought up…He said it seemed that the agreement was for the Town to be the registering agent and that this could be managed…

This  proposal was given to the Commission before the May 26,2009 meeting…

Proposed Solutions
Three proposed approaches are presented to the Commission for discussion and
consideration in support of sustainable kitesurfing activities within a designed
kitesurfing operation area. These proposals have been the subject of multiple meetings
with members of the kiting community in the area including those that reside within the
Town. Like bicycling. boating, walking and use of public spaces such as parks and
beaches, kitesurfing is routinely enjoyed throughout the various seaside towns and
cities within Broward County and in fact, nationwide. These places are typically enjoyed
without consideration of place of residency understanding that residents may benefit
from privileges such as lower fees. Adherence to reasonable, safe and sustainable
kitesurfing practices is expected of participants. Observance of Ordinances forbidding
unlicensed commerce such as instruction should also be strictly adhered to and
aggressively promoted by the kitesurfing community.
Our goal is to request a designated kitesurfing operation area within Lauderdale By‐The
–Sea (LBTS) and to manage kitesurfing within this area in a safe, responsible and
accountable fashion in accordance with a set of rules.
Our intention is to facilitate reasonable separation of the kitesurfing activities from the
beach users. There are 2 very distinct groups of kitesurfers that currently kitesurf from
the area immediately north of the Pine Street public easement next to Damon’s. The
principle group is roughly 12 kitesurfers whose median age is 40, the second group are
local resident kids whose average age is closer to 17 years of age. As you might image
each group conducts themselves differently both on‐the‐beach and in‐the‐water. We
share this information by way of background to perhaps further enlighten you to the
unique problems of that specific area.
It is our intention to offer solutions that accommodate the concerns of the Commission,
residents, visiting tourists and kitesurfing community in that order. By way of
background it is important to acknowledge that presently; there are NO established
rules or policies in place at Lauderdale‐by‐the‐Sea Beach to our knowledge relating to
kitesurfing activities, therefore our proposal is not intended to encourage additional
resident or non‐resident kitesurfers using the LBTS beach. Instead it is designed to offer
guidelines for written policies and procedures that can be posted and enforced. We
believe this will add to the safety and enjoyment of all the beach facilities.
Some additional pertinent background points include:
• The kites parked on LBTS beach are parked high on the beach so as not to impede the
Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) vehicles or beach goers. This placement should not
interfere with the public easement or beach access and is further motivated by the
proximity of volleyball courts and tall beach signage.
• Approximately, 80% of all beach activity in this area takes place directly in front of
Damon’s or south of the beach easement towards the Commercial Pier, approximately
10% takes place within a 50 yard stretch immediately north of the easements and the
remaining 10% takes place over 1‐mile stretch north of the easement.
• Rarely are there ever more than 15 kites in the air or on the water at any time
• The stretch of beach much north of the Pine Street easement gets quiet due to the
lack of public vehicle parking and amenities. There are lots of people in front of the
Lauderdale Beach Hotel/Damon’s and south however,especially during spring break.
Another factor in lighter beach populations is that the buildings of Sea Ranch Lakes
Condos shadow the beach, preventing sunbathing by mid‐day.
• Kitesurfing in Florida is primarily a cooler month activity as the best winds come with
seasonal cold fronts. Summer is typically a quiet season for kitesurfing due to the
frequent lack of sufficient wind. Numbers of kitesurfers attending the beach will likely
be sharply reduced if not eliminated entirely by light winds for extended periods during
the calmer periods in summer.
The following proposals are intended to effectively manage kitesurfing activities on
Lauderdale By‐the‐Sea Beach. These proposals were developed from procedures
utilized in Crandon Park and proposed in discussions with Capt. Gooding of the BSO and
Town staff in 2005. It further incorporates procedures currently in‐place in Pompano
Beach and Ft. Lauderdale Beach. Nothing in this proposal is intended to speak to or
effect operation of “sport” and other varieties of kites not utilized for kitesurfing.
What kitesurfing problems that have been historically reported, typically have occurred
in the more crowded beach areas around Pine Road and southward to the southern
boundary of the Town. Few if any complaints have been noted north of Sea Ranch
Condominium within the Town. We recommend that limitations proposed on kitesurfing
activities proposed herein not be applied to these northern areas of the Town,
frequented by some resident kitesurfers. We recommend that the proposed “Kitesurf
Operating Area” serve for kiting ingress and egress and that kitesurfing within 100 yards
of shore along with normal launching and landing not be permitted on the beach to the
south of this proposed area. We recommend following discussion and finalization of
the approach, that an ordinance be created to formalizing kitesurfing criteria and
enforcement. We propose the following for the Commission’s consideration:
1. Create an area approximately 200+ yards north of the Pine Street (Damon’s) public
access path as a kite launch/recovery area that is a minimum 200 yards in width
referred to as the “Kitesurf Operating Area”.
2. The area will be properly identified with either posted signage or safety cones to warn
& advise the sunbathers of the “Kitesurf Operating Area.” Example requested signage
will be provided to the Town for consideration.
3. Similar to Crandon Park in Miami and 16th Street in Pompano normal water entry and
egress will take place only in the designated “Kitesurf Operating Area”
4. Any kitesurfing outside the designated “operating area” will be outside the existing
buoys. The goal of this is to avoid kitesurfers riding inside the buoys and away from
swimmers. This will also increase the viable number of kiteboarders that could use this
area without negative impact on other beach users.
5. Kitesurfing in the LBTS “kitesurf operating area” will require an International
Kiteboarding Organization (IKO), equivalent certification similar to Key Biscayne’s
Crandon Park or written endorsement by kiteboarding committee members once
established. This certification and/or endorsement is awarded only after demonstrating
competence in controlling the kite and rider in a safe manner. A nominal registration fee
is proposed to be charged and remitted to the Town for this authorization.
6. We recommend that the proposed “Kitesurf Operating Area” serve for kiting ingress
and egress and that kitesurfing within 100 yards of shore along with normal launching
and landing not be permitted on the beach to the south of this proposed area.
7. We recommend following discussion and finalization of the approach, that an
ordinance be created to formalize kitesurfing criteria and to facilitate enforcement.
8. We recommend that limitations proposed on kitesurfing activities proposed herein
not be applied to these northern areas of the Town, frequented by some resident
kitesurfers.
Proposal “A”
9A Registration is proposed to be performed by a private, insured, not‐for‐profit
corporation/entity, charged with registering and tracking kiteboarders, issuing
registration cards and kite streamers designating registration, subject to suspension or
forfeiture if guidelines are breached per set criteria. Guidelines will be drafted by the
entity in concert with Town and BSO representatives with the intent of promoting safe,
sustainable kitesurfing practices and in consideration of other beach users. Self‐policing
of kiteboarders will be performed by kiteboarders and problems reported to the entity
for enforcement. If necessary, the BSO will be notified (and Town representatives if
desired) if legal enforcement is indicated. No kitesurfing instruction in the kitesurfing
operating area is contemplated or requested under this approach.
Or
Proposal “B”
9B. Registration will be performed by the Town of LBTS, with a database of kitesurfers
maintained by the BSO under Captain Gooding as previously discussed in 2005. Fees will
be paid for registration on an annual basis. Registration cards and kite streamers
designating registration will be issued by the Town and be subject to suspension or
forfeiture if guidelines are breached per set criteria. Guidelines will be drafted by the
entity in concert with Town and BSO representatives with the intent of promoting safe,
sustainable kitesurfing practices and in consideration of other beach users. Self‐policing
will still be actively pursued by the kitesurfing community with the BSO providing
ultimate enforcement of the guidelines.
In time after establishment of a supportive track record of kitesurfing with the Town, a
subsequent approach may be pursued, subject to the wishes of the Commission and

prospective bidding vendors.

Or
Proposal “C”
9C. Similar to Crandon Park, a concession will be advertised for public bidding. The
successful concession ideally should be established to oversee the kiting activities within
the kitersurfing operation area. This concessionaire, would be licensed, insured and will
be responsible to ensure that all kitesurfers are properly trained and accredited prior to
using the “kitesurfing operating area”. To ensure safety and continued enjoyment of the
sport the concessionaire will be responsible for providing lessons to beginners using an
accredited teaching method and issuing IKO certification cards. The concessionaire will
be the direct link with the Town and the entity in charge of enforcement. If someone
gets out‐of‐line he will be the entity responsible to notify the local authorities for
enforcement. No kitesurfing instruction in the kitesurfing operating area is
contemplated or requested under this approach. It is proposed that concessionaire will
contribute 10% of his teaching & certification revenues to the Town to offset the
“operating area” sign maintenance and concession stand. This should be subject to
discussion with prospective concessionaires prior to bidding. Unlicensed, unpermitted
instruction is prohibited and instances of this observed will be aggressively discouraged
by the concessionaire, kitersurfing community and reported to BSO as necessary. The
concessionaire will endeavor to assist the VFD with distressed swimmers and be on the
lookout to assist bathers.

The Commissioners …

Comm. Clottey – spoke about the resident’s suggestion for a $150 permit…(he was for a fee $100 …to cover signage and administration costs…not to be paid for by the taxpayers)…”Last time when one of the commissioners asked about teaching , we didn’t get an answer.It was like closing ranks. The person that teaches obviously is the one causing some problems and if you guys are not gonna tell who it is um, that’s gonna cause problems. So how do we identify this person and keep him off our beach?”…HUH?…

BC- Comm. Clottey, who had called for a special meeting on dais decorum and often refers to herself being an “expert” in marketing, needs to start “marketing” herself…By referring to those who stand before as “you guys”…she does herself and the speakers a great disservice!…

The resident said that if there is no kiteflying allowed on the beach as he stated before in the 3 rules…there would be no teaching…that’s the solution and it worked for 6 years that way with no problems…

Comm. Clottey- wanted to know about certification for kiteflying and photo I.D.s ( none required)…

Rick Iossa replied that there were 3 options that could be used for certification….

Vice Mayor McIntee- ” Let me clarify some things. People at home have no idea what you’re talking about walking on the beach. What he’s referring to. the beginners walk along the beach with the kite in full flight and they aren’t in the water (HUH?) and if they lose the kite. What’s the span of the kite? (25 meters) 75 feet close to 80 actually. If that kite comes down there’s 80 feet of potential danger area in where those lines are coming down at a high rate of speed.”…He liked the streamer idea and thought the designated area was unfair for residents who wanted to use the beach further north…

Rick Iossa said there have been no problems north of SRC…whatsoever…

VM- said “That’s absolutely untrue, two people came up to me to say they were struck by kites.”

Rick responded again “North of Sea Ranch condos”..(VM realized he was wrong)…Rick went on to speak of lack of access up north for parking and it would not be a concern for visitors using that area…saying to the commission..”I submit if it ain’t broke don’t attempte to fix it. Focus on the area where there are issues.”…He went on to say he proposed north of Pine Ave. (SRC)  and do not impose any requirements on nrth of SRC other than registration and srteamer for the kite…

VM- (In election mode)…said that SRC was the biggest condos in town…the proposed area was “dead center” in the middle of “their beach “…and unless the board calls him and says fine he has to get their approval before he considers that a launch point.

Rick said he was looking for 200 feet and called to the Vice Mayor’s attention the afternoon shade in those areas…adding if their it was a problem for the condos he understood (It’s not!)…

Comm. Clottey- said she agreed with Commissioner (demoted again) McIntee about the SRC being asked because even though many people she has heard from like it …it could be a case of “It’s fine as long as it’s not in my back yard”…..(HMMM…like music/ events in the south end of town, Comm?)…She wanted to “poll” them….(HMMM…why no “poll” for noise, special events etc…Comm?)…

Comm. Clottey then asked the Town Atty. about residential preference for permits…(Did she not read the backup material?)…and the Town Atty. repeated what the backup material included and what was previously advised that it could present a problem…it could not be regulated on safety and the reason for this item being on the agenda was for the commission to give input for the Town firm and staff to get  a more definitive proposal to see what could be enacted…adding as the backup stated they were still awaiting a response from the state…the beach is not out beach it is a state beach!…

Comm. Clottey asked how many residents kitesurf and the resident at the podium answered 10-12…She responded it was not really an issue then. …ARGHHH….

Comm. Dodd said he had done a certain amount of reading on this and was not for concessions…was for self policing…in favor of a permit fee perhaps $75 ..and registration…no streamers and 2 launch areas….

BC-How about $20 annually …if it’s good enough for the CIC beach permit people…why not this?…

The Mayor then read from the memo, the Town Attorney had provided in the backup…she thanked them for staying…and added her points …admiring the beauty of it…while cognizant of the weight  (500-600 lbs.) and the safety implications of it…She was not in favor of streamers or concessions..and reminded all it was a state beach..

Comm. Silverstone…said he wished he was a kitesurfer (umpteenth time said)…and wished he was younger taller (smarter..independent?)…liked the 3 simple rules saw where they launched not being a “big issue”…and wanted them to form a committee ..HUH?…

VM McIntee…in his usall style said kitesurfing had gotten out of control in the last 2 years and the “in-towners” should form a committee…

It was deferred to the 2nd meeting in July with the Town Manager directed to send a letter to SRC…passed 5-0…

BC- Rick Iossi said when he began this evening this was a “seasonal pursuit” …the “wind Gods turn the wind off”…unfortunately the Vice Mayor…is not seasonal ( but may be 1 term!)…and this item will continue on……SRC needs to hear from the kitesurfers…as well as the Town…in order to maintain the only “show”we have left right outside our condos….We no longer have the 4th of July fireworks display barge…and the Air and Sea show!…

more to come……..

Tags: kitesurfing, LBTS Agendas/Meetings, local government, Local Politics, Scoops, Sea Ranch Club
Posted in Uncategorized

SEA RANCH CLUB…

Holidays are over and  SRC meetings will resume on Wed. Jan 7th…9 am in the Ocean Room… with the second meeting to see if we have the necessary votes to amend the bylaws and adjust the new mandatory 1 year terms the state threw at us if we do not usurp them …by having “staggered” terms…

And this one should be discussed…

‘Law will require proof of interior-structure insurance

for condos

By FALLAN PATTERSON |Forum Publishing Group

January 1, 2009

Condo owners asking themselves whether they have the mandatory insurance to protect the interior of their units aren’t alone. Starting Jan. 1, every condo unit owner will be required to have interior structure coverage, also called an HO-6 policy. And a new law has given associations the power to enforce it.’

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/fort_lauderdale/sfl-flhrbinsurance0101hrbjan01,0,7818545.story

The regular meeting of the Executive Areas Association Board should follow…on the horizon for 2009…the cabanas…gas grills…and ongoing small and large projects…

Building B…now has some  new “streamlined” services…for the new year…per the mailers we all received…a booklet for maintenance payments…with a variety of ways to pay…leaving the building’s office…out of the process…. pest control will take a step into the future with forgoing individual unit monthly visits…killing the little critters from the outside …saving on personnel time..and upping the reliability of the treatment…fire alarm is finally at the end…despite the “hoops” the management had to jump through and the uninvited”menace” she endured for trying to get it completed…along with all this…Wi-Fi is in the common areas…and extends to a point outside…garage work is ongoing…..and the change of light bulbs and other cost cutting energy projects…have made this writer and others say many thanks to the Board of Building B for the 1st rate choice of our new Manager Brenda Callahan!….

more to come….

Tags: insurance, Sea Ranch Club, Updates
Posted in Uncategorized

GETTING ANSWERS……

4 phone calls…in 2 hours…gets the ball rolling…

Thanks to an intervention by Comm. Dodd…problem solving has begun for SRC Building B…on 1 issue…

After getting in touch with the Assistant Town Manager….they both determined that all the pieces of this puzzle…were not in place for the Fire Marshall to come…..as requested…

It seems at this point that the hold up is a final inspection building permit from Broward…..

Why with  all the inquiries made …did the VFD/Town not inform the Manager or the alarm company representative that this was the problem…if it turns out to be the fact of the matter?…

All they were told up until now was a fee was not in place….thus the no-show that ensued…

It really is the duty of the VFD/Town to work hard to find out what the problems are and lead the problem solving…rather than have that problem reach the 11th hour …when someone needs to intervene….

The ball was dropped on many levels in this case….and  requires some fast attention…to preclude this from happening again….

Now what about that fire inspection cabana report?….

more to come….

Tags: Public Safety, Sea Ranch Club, update, Updates, VFD
Posted in Uncategorized

LBTS…WE HAVE A PROBLEM…

Here in Building B in Sea Ranch Club….we are essentially not protected by our fire alarm…and we are sitting ducks …due to an ineffectual…VFD and Town Administration…

We have been waiting months for the VFD/Town ……Fire Inspector/Fire Marshall to come and do an audible sound test…and a final on our fire alarm system so we can finally hook up to a command center and be guaranteed of an efficient 911 response in an emergency!…

The new  Building B Manager and the company for the alarm have spent months of calls and e-mails with one department handing off the responsibility to another…ridiculous excuses for the holdup…such as no one knows what the fees would be…or no response at all…including e-mail to VFD de-facto Chief/VM McIntee!…

As previously posted…we had an incident months ago with BSO and a problem with 911 and response time…WOW…the VFD waiting to take over at the time were all over the debacle.. from the podium the “2 Hats” expounded….how things would be different with them taking over in October…NOT SO FAST!…

We have had 3 incidents of less than steller service from the new VFD…this alarm business…the training night…and the cabana fire that still has not produced a final visit or report from the VFD Fire Inspector or the Town Fire Marshall…the only report..being used for the insurance company….BSO Police!…YIKES!…

We hear the VFD Fire Inspector and the Town Fire Marshall are here and working directly for the Town Manager…from the  Vice Mayor’s recent Mc-BTSTimes Commissioner Comments…so what gives?…

We hear a town wide fire inspection is going to be sweeping through with these new “under the eye” of the Town Manager Fire personnel…with fees …so where did those Town revenue producing  fee prices come from?…

This writer was told a month back by VFD Chief Perkins that the fees would be the same as BSO used unless the commission changed them…so what it happening here?…

After hearing this continues on this morning…this writer contacted Comm. Dodd…who has spoken the the Manager of Building B…and we hope we now get some answers …some service and we can be assured we are protected….

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM…http://video.aol.com/video-detail/apollo-13-houston-we-have-a-problem/2727769753

more to come….

Tags: BSO, Local Politics, Public Safety, Scoops, Sea Ranch Club, VFD
Posted in Uncategorized

Remember the telephone game…you played as a child?…A group of kids would stand in a line…..the first in line would whisper something to the next in line…and that child would whisper it to the next in line and so on and so on…until it was received by the kid at the end …who would then yell it out…and 9 out of 10 times…it was nothing like the first in line had said!…

That may be the case here in Sea Ranch Club…

Here we go…

On the night of Nov. 7th…at approximately 5:50 pm…there was a fire call that went out for a fire in the pool C cabana…previous post…VFD category..

This writer/ SRC homeowner …. first became aware of it as I exited B building…to see 2 fire trucks…an AMR truck…and asked an AMR -VFD driver what was up…he said there was a fire in the pool house…

Returning back to the building at approximately 7:00 pm …the VFD was still here…and getting ready to depart…

My building manager thought the problem arose from either a roof repair to the cabana or the newly installed ceiling fan…

The following week on Wed. 12th…at an evening SRC full board meeting…an update came with the news it was not either …it was a “smoldering” pipe in the wall of the mens bathroom…never any flames…and the damage made by the VFD was more than the cause itself…there were pictures showing it…

On the morning of the 19th…at the SRC Areas Association Board Meeting…the topic arose once again…with pictures of the damage and much talk about the extensive additional damage done by the VFD in their pursuit of the source of the call…talk of broken doors and broken door frames due to the VFD breaking them down instead of using the keys…available from the guard….with nodding heads of disbelief and acknowledgment …there were a few who said the VFD were overzealous in their actions…and others who said they did what they had to do……with the final few comments…after hearing a first bid to repair the 3 rooms involved…the mens and womens bathroom along with the utility room to the tune of $21 thousand …that maybe the bill should be sent to the VFD!….Also discussed was the involvement of the State Fire Marshall ….the Town Fire Marshall..the VFD …. the BSO…and the insurance adjuster…

Upon returning home…this writer contacted a person who has experience in fires…and asked about the story I had just heard…the idea that the VFD said they were operating under SOP…(standard operating procedures) and not going to use the keys to open the doors…even though they were available…

This expert said the following…In fire school…the first thing they teach you is to not do more damage than the fire…if you have the keys…use the keys…unless it is a matter of saving human life…another example was the use of water …use a little as possible to put the fire out…careful not to extend the damage further..

With the information above…thinking the story was over…I wrote it up…and put it in the save posts to post at a later date…

In a conversation with a friend…I relayed the story of the meeting …. the fire…the damage and the follow up on the SOP story related in response to turning down the offer of using the guards’ keys by the VFD…

Hours later…the telephone game continued on…unbeownst to me….with new players standing in line…

A call was made to the Manager of building C (#1)….to ask about the incident…by this friend…curious after our conversation…asking if there had been more damage than was necessary made by the VFD…the Manager responded there was not…that the VFD needed to make sure where the source of the smoke was …and the only area of extra damage was the doors….saying the guard did indeed have the keys..

Second in line was a member of the VFD ( #2)…was also asked about the incident…and he said the guard was there…had the keys but did not have the key to those doors….

The guard (#3)… who was present.at the incident …..was next in line…and after the questioner related the two versions he had just heard ….inquired of the guard which was so….the guard said neither…he had the key…opened the doors …did all he was asked to do….

ALERT…GAME CHANGER….

A return call to the VFD member (#2) who answered the key question prior to the guard……to inform him of the guards response…(no points lost…for those keeping score)…was met with news that player #2… the VFD member saying he decided to check out the incident further with a fire fighter ( could be considered player # 4….ala a phone line buddy)…who was actually on scene..that VFD member ( #4)… said the guard (#3) had indeed opened the doors with the key…and left…but…the doors are spring loaded and they shut!…The VFD then needed to force the doors open without the keys….

The interested party decided to return to the guard…(#2)…in a sudden game “pirouette” …to let him know…his was account was cooberated by the VFD ( #4)..thinking player #2 would be happy to learn the outcome…..but instead was met with a sudden coldness…and no further comment…(perhaps he was tiring of the game…..thought his “turn” was over….or heard there was no million dollar briefcase prize?)…

My curious friend …who took it upon himself as a supporter of the VFD…SRC…and LBTS…finished up with a call to this writer…to give me the play by play …….. I thanked him profusely for his surprising participation….in the SRC “telephone” Game….

more to come….perhaps?….

Tags: Scoops, Sea Ranch Club, VFD
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Sea Ranch Club …Full Board meeting 11/12/08…

7 pm meeting…to approve the 2009 budget…

One resident from Building B questioned the 10% increase in these hard times…and gave his opinions on the costs of services …insurance and other increases he had calculated had risen over the past 3 years anywhere  from 20-50%…covering specific examples..

He was respectfully informed of the recent renegotiations…previously posted for insurance…with our new company…as well as Comcast and in-house landscaping…and the current research into energy savings including changing lighting…solar panels…

The Association had an increase of 9.9% to have a cushion…after last years “hatchet job”…left the condo under funded to make through the year…

Other questions on renegotiations were answered with cold hard facts…beyond our control…such as Waste Management which is done through the Town…and price increases from FPL and appraisals over the last few years…

At 20 past 7 the Board unanimously approved the budget …

Following the approval a vote was taken to send out resident waive the reserves ballots……SRC residents have historically voted …for no reserves…this also passed unanimously…

Meeting Adjourned…

Special Meeting 7:30pm….

This was the first meeting to see if SRC would have a quorum and produce a vote of 50% + 1 to pass the new Board of Directors rules to elect members every 2 years…staggered…

The State passed new condo laws on Oct.1st for 1 year terms…unless it has been voted into the condo by-laws to do otherwise…out of 722 …362 votes were needed…this evening…a total of 270 were produced…A-113/B-64/C-93….which means a second mailing will go out…and the Board will reconvene to address this on Jan 9,2009 at 9 am…

Adjourned…

After the meeting…

This writer spoke to one of our Board members who is a Doctor and informed me that he took care of the 15 year old Dillard High School girl who was shot and killed this morning…so sad…

A Building Manager…corrected the previous information provided…on the Cabana C fire last week…saying it was not the newly installed fan…it was a smoldering pipe…and there was never any fire…in fact more damage came from the firemen… who had to cut into the inside and outside walls…expected procedurally by the firefighters…also informed we are still waiting for the Fire Chief and /or inspector to return…the Manager also commented how many firefighters there were in response to the incident…

Welcome Back to our Season Residents…

more to come…

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APPROXIMATELY 5:40 pm…Sea Ranch Club Cabana C small Electrical Fire…

Was it the new fan…or the work on the roof.?..previous SRC post…

2 AMR ambulances…3 fire trucks…

Still out front at 7:24 pm….

Haven’t we reached the LBTS yearly cap of 3-4 fires ….we told are the in LBTS?….

Sea Ranch Club…Building B is trying to get our fire alarm up and running….and instead of the finish line…it seems we are running in circles….because of the fees…

We need to get a test…so a call was made to LBTS-VFD Chief Perkins by our Manager…( he received high marks for his prompt responses from the Manager)….he told her to call the VFD Fire Inspector…(guess there is one )…who told her she needed to call the new LBTS Fire Marshall … (we have a Fire Marshall now)….all well and good…but a fee is required before we can complete the alarm testing…but…no one knows what the fees are…no one…in the VFD or in the Town….so the company can’t pay the fees to get the test …to get the final on the fire alarm…going round and round!…

more to come….

Tags: Scoops, Sea Ranch Club, VFD
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Areas Association Executive Meeting…11/5/08

Short and sweet…over by 9:30…

Jonathan…Landscape Foreman…got word from John Deere Company…SRC now has a line of credit and Jonathan can now use them for purchasing plants and palm…and mulch…delivered…no mention on how this ties in with the recent purchase of a trailer…for pick-ups?…He is continuing on with getting annuals planted around the property….and in pots around the pools…and now is easier to reach by the Managers …having received a new cell phone….also he will set traps for pesky annual plantings chomping iguanas…

Work Projects…

Cabanas…progress is being made…C should be done…onto B…then A…with  plumbing…new shingles…painted doors…installed copper plates…and new fans…

Leaks in B garage…start date ….next week…

Expansion joints….C has begun…full time work …on Mon. finishing up in A…B hopefully to start by 11/24….

Variable frequency Drive…should be installed this week…other A pool pump work complete….

Steel garage door….. waiting for permit limbo…

AC for Ocean room…waiting for delivery of the unit..limbo…

A tennis court windscreens are fully installed…

C pool is in receipt of new pool umbrellas…

Need to check out potential big problem with a holding tank in lower level garage …C building…needs to be dealt with….but WHOA….no one knows what it is…what it does…more info to come…to replace by B & B Pools…$5530…..guess B & B Pools know….

Art …our comptroller received a new computer….his died…

Erroneous Report…way back when…of new Coke Machines….as of now…it was just a “story”…HMMMM….

Brenda the Manager of B building is not standing idly by on ways to save SRC on our lighting bills…she is hard at work looking for alternatives…which are not LED…easy to dispose of…save us $$$$…at 22% of what we pay now with fluorescents…building B alone…just in our lobby…343 lights!…Also…she is looking into solar roof panels…will post the info when she presents her findings….KUDOS!…

adjourned…

Don’t forget Budget meeting and voting on new Board member rules…Wed. Nov 12…Ocean Room…7pm and 7:30 pm…

Or vote by proxy mailed…or available in the Manager’s offices…

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Areas Association Executive Committee Meeting…10/29/08

Jonathan …Landscape Foreman…updated …annuals have arrived…are being planted…out in front…around pool areas…ramp and new door are installed at landscape shed…

Problem was addressed about dogs being walked out in front instead of in the dog runs…a no-no…and did you know renters are not allowed to have dogs…another no-no…let the Managers know about both…

Work projects…Richards plumbing was awarded the contract to begin the C cabana …with a price that was $2500 much less than Executive…with B & A to be done afterwards…C expansion joint was to be done by the end of the week…A expansion joints are in process….B expansion joints…late Nov/ early Dec. start date….variable frequency pump A is on process and was to be completer by the end of last week…permit is holding up the installation of new garage door…with an estimate going out for 200 doors…for catwalks…still having problems getting bids…for A walkway & pool lighting…C & A tennis courts are being patched…Atlas roof is fixing the shingles on the cabana B & C…$980 and will replace the copper plates….$640 on all 3 cabanas…the doors will be painted…and new fans install also at all 3 cabanas…new 8 ton air conditioner for $9458 will be purchased for Ocean Room to replace the 1994 handler…which will include a 5 year warranty…

What ever happened to the new Coke Machines?…more to come….

The Areas Association meetings are canceled for Nov 26th & Dec. 3rd…

Nov 12,2008 Budget Meeting …Ocean Room…also special meeting afterwards…to vote on changes to the rules for directors…7:30 pm…

Building C Board member Paula Valad had her picture in the Society section of the Sentinel 10/29/08…for the Rpoyal Dames of Cancer Research luncheon ….

Tags: Sea Ranch Club
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