Friday, December 19, 2014

end of year remarks from the TBPOA President

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone and also that we have gone from discussing the dredging project to seeing it through to its imminent completion! I'm sure everyone is going to be happy to see this project completed without any major complications so that life in our wonderful community can get on to its "new normal." With more room to safely maneuver in the canals and a proposed "no wake" ordinance in the works (thanks to resident John Delaney!), our community will be a better place for all of us and will also attract more people to want to make Treasure Beach their home. The canal project is a benefit for us all as homeowners because it affects not only our quality of life but also our property values! 

I'm excited too see a new format for our POA going forward and think that having a Board that can work on issues together is exactly what we need to ensure that the changes we make and the changes we see in our community are the best ones for all of us. I want to thank all of the board members for their assistance and involvement this year (Charlie Novak, Rich Grubb, Sharon McIlhenney, and Irv Stockdale) and I want to wish the very best of luck to our new board for next year and beyond! I also want to thank everyone who got involved with the dredging project and helped gather and disseminate information, as well as homeowners who have cleaned up and maintained our parks and our entrance, and those who have worked on our beach walkway. This year has truly been a joint effort! 

As you know, the TBPOA is a voluntary organization. While that may have some perks (as some of you may know who previously lived in very strict POA/HOA/COA environments), it also has its drawbacks. Without any real "teeth" it's difficult to enact some of the changes that would truly increase the quality of life and the property values for each property owner. That means that it really does fall on each and every one of us to experience our "Quiet Enjoyment" (a right to the undisturbed use and enjoyment of real property by a tenant or landowner) while at the same time keeping our neighbor and their Quiet Enjoyment in mind as well. I don't know anyone in St. Augustine who doesn't have a Treasure Beach story (yeah, okay, some of them are pretty crazy) and as you can see when you look around at all the new construction, our secret is out! So let's do what this eclectic little piece of heaven has always done and work together to maintain our neighborhood's character and charm while making positive changes that benefit all of us. 

I love to borrow Austin's motto and say--- "KEEP TREASURE BEACH WEIRD!" 

I hope to see each of you at our next TBPOA meeting!


Angi Bell

dredging project update

From: Damon Douglas 
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 3:06 PM 
To: Phyllis Thorpe; 'Charles Novak' 
Subject: RE: Treasure Beach Dredging/MSBU Settlement 
Importance: High 

Thank you Phyllis. 

It is important for us all to realize that we do not yet know if the assessments will need to be adjusted and we should not jump to conclusions until we have all of the information gathered and analyzed. We don't want to raise expectations. 

What will happen is that the property owners will be notified of the remaining principle and be given the option to pay off the assessment. 

Thank you, 

Damon Douglas, Project Manager 
Land Management Systems 
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners 
500 San Sebastian View 
St. Augustine, FL 32084 
Phone (904) 209-0794 
Fax (904) 209-0795 
ddouglas@sjcfl.us 

-----Original Message----- 
From: Phyllis Thorpe 
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2014 2:15 PM 
To: 'Charles Novak' 
Cc: Damon Douglas 
Subject: Treasure Beach Dredging/MSBU Settlement 

Charlie - After you & I spoke on the phone earlier today, I called Damon Douglas. Once the project is closed out, and all the bills are paid, which will probably be late February to early March, Damon will recalculate the MSBU. The property owners will at that time be notified of the new assessment amount, and they will be offered the opportunity to pay in full as an option to paying the assessment with their tax bills. If you have any other questions about the MSBU, please feel free to call Damon, at 209-0794, or contact me. 

Thank you! 

Phyllis Thorpe 
904-209-0193 office 
904-209-0191 fax 
904-669-0787 cell


TBPOA December meeting minutes

Minutes of the Treasure Beach Officers Election for 2015 

The meeting of Wednesday December 17,2014 was attended by 16 folks at Beacher's Lodge. 

John Delaney gave an up-date to what he is trying to do to reinstate ordinances that have "sun-setted" and get new ordinances for Treasure Beach regarding bulkheads and docks. He is working hard at it and will keep us informed as time progresses. It appears that he has gotten the attention of the county folks. Time will tell. He will also work on a grass cutting ordinance for Treasure Beach Only. Also, John Delaney has come pretty close to finalizing The Wake Zone Ordinance.Wording is almost complete .All that has to be done is get approval from the Corp of engineers, county board to sign into law and new signs posted with the ordinance number shown. 

The meeting also developed a new governing system made up of a Board of Directors. Charlie Novak will head up the board and continue as Treasurer. Term limits will be 1 year for some and two years for others in order to make a smooth transitioning in the future years. 

There will be a board meeting of "THE FIVE" set for sometime in mid February. The new board members will be Sharon Mcilhenney, Kris Kinge, Larry Hunt, Patrick Shaw and Charlie Novak. 

The Board will set a budget for 2015 for line items such as walkway maintenance, dues ,a questionnaire asking if property owners are in favor of a grass ordinance that will go out in the dues collection letter in March or April. The Board will also place in the budget awards for those who serve the community to decorate the front entrance and the beautification of the front entrance as well as the member who stores our Treasure Beach Shed. The possibility of selling the shed came up and we investigate the possibilities further down the road. Finally a question to the property owners if they want a TBPOA Christmas Party in December 2015. 

We have a diverse group of Directors and plan to meet 2 or 3 times per year with an annual meeting in January. 

A few questions came up about the canals for which we will post a copy of email response from the county regarding when final charges will come due. There was concern about the Gator Dredging having pole tie downs that were sunk a few inches below the water line that could prove to be very dangerous for navigation. This will be brought to the attention of Gator Dredging by the County project manager today. We were informed that the county office is keeping track of the expenses and that Gator works for a month then gets paid for the work they performed. When the project is complete (by the end of December 2014) in the canals it will take about one month to clean up Butler Park West. The spoils are being taken to a county pond off Holmes Blvd .

TBPOA October meeting minutes

Oct 15th 2014 

Pot Luck dinner at 6:30 

Pledge of allegiance 7:30 

Guest Speakers: John Hornocker & Hillary Pittman who just opened a Chiropractic office in the area. John spoke about habit formation and the steps to form good habits. The first step is a reminder, which leads to a routine, which leads to a reward. Focus on the habit not the goal. You should drink a 16oz glass of water first thing every morning. When the water becomes a reminder it becomes the trigger for the next thing. 
John invited everyone to stop by if you have any questions. Matanzas Chiropractic is located at 5961 A1A Blvd. 

Minutes accepted as read. 
Treasurers report accepted. 

Dredging: Was to be done by Nov 31st Now is to be done by January31st. 

There was a question about the penalty for not being done on time. 
Angi will check on this. 

Next meeting will be nomination and election of new officers. 

Adjourned at 8:30 PM


Rich Grubb, Secretary