Annual meeting of September 3, 2011

Minutes of annual meeting on September 3, 2011
The Chesapeake Shores HOA had its annual members' meeting on September 3, 2011. The following items were discussed:


 * Jeff McCuistion from Department of game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) spoke about hunters. He shared the following information:
 * There are no laws against hunting dogs coming onto peoples' property. Mathews does not have a leash law.
 * Hunters can come onto anyone's property to retrieve their dogs. However, without being invited the following restrictions apply:
 * They cannot drive onto the property.
 * They cannot come onto the property with a firearm.
 * They have to show their ID if asked by the property owner.
 * If the property is not posted no trespassing, they need only oral permission to come onto the property. If it is posted, they need written permission.
 * They cannot release the dogs on the property without permission. However, the dogs may come onto the property.
 * Hunters should ask for permission to come onto the property to retrieve their dogs, or at least inform the owners, but they are not required to do so.
 * All of these permissions only apply when the hunters are on a lawful hunt.
 * Fox season in Mathews is year-round.
 * Deer season is from November 19 through January 7.
 * If a hunter has permission to go to a property, he can only use the private road to drive to that property. He cannot use the roads otherwise.
 * Coyotes have been spotted in Mathews.
 * They are considered a nuisance species and can be hunted at any time except Sundays.
 * They can be hunted in any way, including setting bait, traps, etc.
 * Coyotes range widely.
 * They try to avoid people and their pets.
 * They generally hunt alone and not in packs.
 * There is no bounty on them in Mathews.
 * There have been no signs of bears in Mathews, but there have been some in Gloucester.


 * Heather Tompkins of the Mosquito Authority spoke.
 * The Mosquito Authority is a local business that sprays for mosquitoes.
 * They spray with pyrethroid. This is a contact pesticide that is environmentally friendly.
 * They spray vertical growth (trees, bushes, etc), not horizontal surfaces (grass, etc).
 * Each spraying lasts for 3 weeks. They guarantee that it will last for 3 weeks and will respray if necessary.
 * This helps with other insects (flies, noseeums, etc), but is not 100% effective.
 * While it is not great for butterflies and bees, it doesn't kill them.
 * Once dried, it is safe to the touch for children, pets, etc.
 * They don't spray over water.
 * It is less toxic than bug sprays like Off.
 * Their season is May through October, or 8 sprayings through the season.
 * Usually they charge $89 per spraying.
 * For the Chesapeake Shores and Bavon communities, they offer $69 per spraying when you sign up for the entire season.
 * Dave Norris and the Carrs are happy customers. They attest to its effectiveness.
 * The contact information is (804) 577-3806, [mailto:frederick@themosquitoauthority.com frederick@themosquitoauthority.com], [mailto:heather@themosquitoauthority.com heather@themosquitoauthority.com], http://themosquitoauthority.com.


 * We dispensed with a roll call as it was clear that there was a quorum present. However, we had a sign-up sheet that is in the hands of the secretary.


 * Because no one other than the board slate of candidates ran, the board was elected by affirmation. The board will determine who gets what terms (1, 2, or 3 year terms).  Thus, the new board is the same as the old board.


 * Treasurer Dave Norris gave the financial report. It's available here.
 * Janet Perlowski, a homeowner and a CPA, will review the records.


 * Board member Jack Caldwell reported on road maintenance. We've been having the area around Pritchett Avenue mowed by Doug Hart.  He also came by after Irene to check the state of the roads.  Mowing along Chesapeake Shores is handled by the homeowners.  If any other road maintenance is required, we'll have to ask for donations from the community.


 * Secretary Joe Dzikiewicz spoke about the website. There's nothing much to report except that Joe's tried to find ways to allow community input, but gave up after spammers discovered them.  If any member is interested in putting anything on the website, contact Joe.


 * President Peyton Carr reviewed bylaws changes made by the board over the year. These were fairly minor and have all been described in detail in board meeting minutes.


 * Vice President Sonny Fauver gave an update on the Aqua Virginia efforts to update the water system. They are adding filters to remove iron and magnesium, adding a holding tank, and adding two more pumps.  Currently the system does not meet Virginia health standards, but the new system will.  In addition, Aqua Virginia is moving to state-regulated pricing.


 * Community member Drew Mulhare spoke on the current status of the breakwaters. The following matters were discussed:
 * The plan is to build three breakwaters, two off of the Bavon Beach properties, one off of the Chesapeake Shores +4 houses (the four southernmost beachfront houses in the Chesapeake Shores community). In addition, sand will be added to the beach north of the +4 houses to minimize any possible negative effects of the breakwaters on those houses to the north of the breakwaters.
 * The two Bavon Beach breakwaters are almost certainly going to be built.
 * The +4 breakwater is dependent on permitting issues.
 * Fish & Wildlife have said that permitting for the +4 houses depends on their getting ownership of the strip of beach between their property line and the mean low tide line. That is pending a court case in Mathews county.  There has been some objection to this revolving around the language that is put in place to ensure that other Chesapeake Shores property owners have access to that beach.  The current plat says "Reserved for Property Owners in Subdivision". The +4 homeowners have proposed the language "Reserved  Pedestrian Easement for Property Owners in Chesapeake Shores Subdivision." The challenger in court has proposed that the language "unlimited and unrestricted access rights" be used. The +4 homeowners feel that language is too strong (as it might allow someone to build a dock off their beach, for example), but are willing to agree to reasonable compromise language.  A compromise was suggested to add "pedestrian access and use".  Mulhare indicated that that would be acceptable.
 * Fish & Wildlife, in return for their support for the project, will require that ATV's be kept off the beach. They have said that they will have no other restrictions, but they have not put this in writing.
 * The goal of the +4 homeowners in all of this is to get the breakwaters built. They have no interest in keeping other property owners from using the beach in question.
 * The alternative to building the breakwaters is to have the +4 houses build revetments. Fish&Wildlife has told us that these will ultimately lead to the erosion and loss of the beach.  The +4 homeowners already have permits to build these revetments.  Thus, the alternative is not between the status quo and breakwaters, but rather between having a beach with breakwaters and having no beach.
 * Drew Mulhare subsequently wrote an email to the homeowners discussing these issues in detail. That letter can be found here.
 * The HOA and its board has no position on the breakwaters.


 * Peyton Carr spoke about the status of getting ownership of the roads.
 * Suit has been filed for ownership of the road. No action on this has been scheduled.
 * Billie Milner may provide free legal assistance to complete the suit, but cannot do so until the suit by the +4 homeowners is resolved as it could create a conflict of interest.
 * If Billie were not available to us, we would need to hire an attorney to handle it. This would cost the HOA money that is not currently in the budget, which could in turn require asking for additional money from members.


 * Metrocast now provides cable TV for our area. They have plans to upgrade the cable to support more channels.


 * Dave Norris says that if people have questions about the status of the beach, they can contact him or Rob Norris, as they live here full-time.


 * Peyton Carr distributed copies of the new homeowners directory. He has emailed electronic copies to all homeowners.  (Note: I will not be putting the directory on the web.  However, if anyone wants a copy, drop me an email at [mailto:jdzik@aol.com jdzik@aol.com].)