The Pelican’s Eye:
Report from the DIPOA Report
#1,
From: Tom Brennan
To: DIPOA membership, visitors,
and residents
In an effort to keep the membership
and the public informed about progress the Board of the Dauphin Island Property
Owners’ Association (DIPOA) is making toward professionally managing and
safeguarding DIPOA properties and assets, the Communications Committee has been
charged with that task. As head of that
committee, I will do my best to report in a timely manner on issues relevant to
the DIPOA’s stewardship.
These reports, however, will not be
delivered via the U.S. Postal Service.
We cannot afford the time and money it would take to do that. Rather, they will be transmitted over the
internet and posted on the DIPOA website, www.DIPOA.com, and on other
frequently visited websites.
To date, the DIPOA Board elected on
August 24 has held three public meetings, three executive meetings, and many
committee meetings. The first public meeting was held four days after the
results of the election were made public by the accounting firm Smith, Dukes,
and Buckalew, the second public meeting was held on
September 12., and the third on September 25.
At the August 28 meeting officers were elected: John Reed, President;
Jackie Previto, Vice President; Ed Boles, Treasurer
and interim Secretary. Committees were established and tasks assigned. I will not attempt a summary of all the
activities of every committee. Their tasks have evolved from discussions held
in executive session to determine what changes need to made in the
administration of the DIPOA and in the operations of the golf course. My
purpose is to give an overview of changes involving remedial actions and new
directions aimed at creating a healthy organization.
DIPOA Administration
Reorganized
Before the election of the current
Board (which I will call the New Board),
the administration of the DIPOA was essentially a matter of fire-hose
management. As financial crises arose, the fire-hose would douse one brush fire
only to have another pop up somewhere else.
There was no long-term planning and there was no professional management
of the organization.
The New Board acted immediately to correct this situation, and I am
happy to report that Jeff Collier agreed to assume the position of manager of
both branches of the DIPOA. He has been
functioning effectively in that capacity for several weeks. In addition, other
remedial actions have been taken.
Bookkeeping and accounting tasks have been outsourced. Debbie Coffee, a Certified Public Accountant,
has signed a contract to provide those services at a rate that promises to save
the Association approximately $32,000 a year.
Moreover, outsourcing the office
functions of the DIPOA has made possible reductions in personnel. The new Board passed a motion to reduce the
four office positions (two in the Pro Shop and two in the DIPOA office) to two
full-time administrative assistants, with both positions housed in the Pro
Shop. All four occupants of the old
positions were given the opportunity to apply and be interviewed for the two
new positions. Jamie McHugh, applied and
was interviewed. She was given one of the positions. Interviews are still in process and we will
hire either one more full-time employee or two part-time employees.
We believe the decision to reduce
personnel and implement outsourcing will not only save the Association a good
deal of money but—and this is the crucial point—will also change the entire
administrative culture of the DIPOA.
Employees will now perform clearly delineated duties under the
supervision and evaluation of a manager.
Those duties will be specified in a personnel manual. Since none exists now, Board member Barbara
Williams and Jim Druhan have a personnel manual on
the drawboard, which not only specifies duties but
also sets forth a policy that rewards good performance and terminates persons
who perform poorly. The person serving
as manager will, of course, be answerable to the Board.
The Golf Course
Ivan the Terrible was not so
terrible for the Golf course. While it scattered debris, knocked down some
trees, and deposited sand on the fairway flanking the gulf, it did no damage
that can’t be set in order with some volunteers to assist the two course-
maintenance staff. Jeff Colliers has
been working tirelessly to accomplish that goal. For the time being the course is closed. We
expect to reopen in mid-November. Until then, we have agreed to allow FEMA to
use the far end of our parking lot to stash trash and debris temporarily.
Ivan sets us back some, but after
several appraisals of the immediate and long-term needs of the golf course,
Jeff has started on a plan to bring the course back to conditions suitable for this year’s snow-bird
season and suitable for the long-term restoration of the course to top-notch
condition. Recently, Andy Beasley, a
golf course superintendent from
• Rye Seed
and herbicides--$8300.00
• Repair and
maintenance of irrigation system--$3700.00
• Replace
Sweeper Engine--$500.00
• Repair
mower--$300.00
• Repair
gang-mower--$3000.00
• Purchase
two Push Mowers--$350.00
• Spread Top
Dressing on Greens--$200.00
Some additional expenditures will
be needed to remove sand from the golf course and to hire part-time help to
clean up the course. Jeff Collier has
sent out a letter to the snowbirds letting them know the golf course will be
open in time for their arrival.
Financial Matters
Vice
President Jackie Previto will continue to do detailed
budgets and head up the budget committee. Caroline Hall, Barbara Williams and
Tom Howes have volunteered to assist Jackie.
Treasurer, Ed Boles assured the Board that the DIPOA has funds on hand and some
coming in that should take us approximately to mid-November. Mr. Boles is having some difficulty locating
all the bills, but the ones he has located have been paid in a timely manner.
Mr. Boles stated that as of
Trust Fund
Board
member Roger Geil, heading the Trust-Fund committee,
reported the Morgan Stanley Trust Fund Account totals $205,076.97 (a
scholarship fund included in it totals approximately $28,000). He reported, also, that the Merrill Lynch
Trust Fund Account totals $362,504.91 as of June 2004. The total for both funds is: $567,581.88.
Mr. Geil stated that the DIPOA
could withdraw 10% a year. A motion to
make Roger Geil, John Reed, and Ed Boles trustees of
the trust fund passed unanimously.
Jackie Previto stated that according to the
Water Board secretary, the Dauphin Island Water & Sewage administration
owes the DIPOA $160, 970.08
The Grubb & Ellis
Contract
John Reed
contacted Grubb & Ellis about the contract to sell or lease the golf
course. He learned that Grubb &
Ellis considered the contract to be null and & void with the ruling
rendered by the Mobile District Court.
That ruling stated that all previous Boards going back to 1996 were
operating illegally. A motion passed
unanimously to authorize John Reed to have Grubb & Ellis confirm in writing
that the contract is null and void and that we have no financially liabilities
resulting from that contract.
The Next Issue of the
Pelican’s Eye
Since
information about the lawsuit against the Corps of Engineers has not yet been
furnished by lawyers involved in the suit, we do not yet know what settlement
appears to be on the horizon. These
lawyers have promised to meet with the Board in order to inform the Board fully
about the settlement that has already been cobbled together. And since amendments to the DIPOA
Constitution are still hanging fire over the adoption of unambiguous legal
language, I will report on the matter of the amendments to the Constitution and
on the suit against the Corps in the next issue of the Pelican’s Eye.
Also, many persons are assisting us in our efforts to pull the Ox out of the ditch. We are grateful for their contributions. If we are to succeed, we will continue to need their support. Thank you one and all [1].
[1] [1] The opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and should not necessarily be taken to represent the opinions of all Board members.