Holden Beach Property Owners Association Newsletter

Transcription

1 Holden Beach Property Owners Association Newsletter In This Issue HBPOA Planning 2015 Summer Concert Update Mayor's Update Town Manager's Update Police Chief's Update Playground is OPEN Dog Park is Open Playground is OPEN Shrimp Boat Update Marshside Houses Holden Beach Library Renewal Notices Coming Quick Links Our Website Town of Holden Beach President's Message Fall 2014 Thank you to everyone who attended our Annual Membership Meeting over Labor Day Weekend. During this meeting we heard updates from Bill Spiers regarding Second Helping, and from Mayor Alan Holden and Police Chief Wally Layne regarding current Town news Board Member elections were also held, and current Board Members Cyndi Kiernan, Gina Martin and Lillian West, along with new Board Member John Fletcher, were elected. During the Directors' meeting prior to the membership meeting, the Board appointed Jerry Todd to fill the remaining term of Ralph Martin who resigned in May. When the Director's meeting resumed after the membership meeting was over, the Board Elected the following Officers: Tom Myers President Donna Aycock Vice President Marlene Hahn Secretary Cyndi Kiernan Treasurer :: I am excited to start another year with the HBPOA and hope to continue to improve this organization to better serve the needs of its members. Please plan to attend our next meeting on November 29th (the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend) to hear the latest updates on current issues and topics of interest, and to approve our budget and plans for I hope to see you there. Best regards, Tom Myers HBPOA President HBPOA Planning Session Give Us Your Input! The HBPOA Board will be conducting a Planning Session on October 18th to review our progress and discuss goals and objectives for improving the organization. Please provide us your input regarding our meetings, activities, communications and budget. You can send an to: hbpoa@hotmail.com or reach out directly to any one of our Directors: Tom Myers tmmyers@atmc.net Donna Aycock dwebb16@ec.rr.com Marlene Hahn paoti@hotmail.com Cyndi Kiernan kbkiernan@gmail.com

2 John Fletcher Steve Greene Jack Lohman Regina Martin Dolly Mitchell Peggy Schiavone Jerry Todd Lillian West Concerts by the Coast By Gina Martin The HBPOA was a named sponsor for the 2014 Concert Series at the Holden Beach Pavilion. This is the first year the Town of Holden Beach has managed the Concerts. Prior to this year the Greater Holden Beach Merchants Association had managed this weekly event that vacationers and homeowners alike have come to love. The Concerts start each year on the Sunday night of Memorial Day weekend and are held free of charge each Sunday night through Labor Day weekend from 6:30 tile 8:00 PM. The music was mostly BEACH MUSIC this year. We enjoyed well-known bands including Sea Cruz, Craig Woolard and the Embers, and Jim Quick and Coastline to name just a few. Every Sunday night we had from 300 to 1000 people in attendance. Some of the HBPOA members and board directors volunteered to staff the tent at each concert. We were able to talk to many of you at these events and put faces with names. We provided general information to those attending the event and talked to new property owners about becoming members. We sold books about the history of Holden Beach and T-shirts. All who helped with these concerts had a great time and enjoyed talking to our members and prospective members. As Chairman of the Membership Committee, I thank all of you who volunteered your time for these concerts. Mayor's Update We are basically in the middle of hurricane season. Are you ready? Do you have your plan? The Holden Beach Emergency Team Volunteers met this month. The teams are ready and we thank all of the volunteers and town staff for their efforts. The beach strand over all is still in good condition. We do have some steep banks in some areas where the "super tides" and "storm tides" came up in the grass along the ocean front. The extreme low tides have created some of the most beautiful, wide strands with tidal pools one could hope for kids to enjoy. The Lockwood Folly inlet channel continues to move westerly. It is considerably west of the Iron Age Shipwreck. I have this year witnessed people walking from Oak Island to the shipwreck while having to wade only the last few yards to reach the wreck. Of course, this is dangerous territory and don't advise this activity. As one crosses Holden Beach Bridge, coming to the island, one may find it especially interesting to pay attention at low tide how far the sand bars

3 now extend into the ocean beyond the inlet. Millions of cubic yards of beach quality sand is sitting there in those sand bars. Believe me there is a lot of value there considering the cost of beach nourishment. Some of the street lights have been changed. Brunswick Electric has been testing different lights. These tests are not involving the town. I had the most purple Martins this year I have ever had. Great news! The bad news is that they now have left to go back south for the winter. The other bad news is the pigeons are still here eating all of the bird food before other birds get a chance. Mosquitoes will probably be much worse for the upcoming weeks due to all the recent rain. The town will do it's best to address the matter. Sales are still fairly strong but prices are still flat. Rentals are still overall up a little over last year. Construction is still fairly busy. Alan Holden Town Manager's Update Beach Season continues to grow since it seems as though it has been summertime since Easter. It may be just me but this summer has been "a- bustle" with lots of folks enjoying America's number one Family Beach. The Beach strand appears to be in great shape; with our "Piggyback" project placement near the east end earlier this Spring holding up well in the face of a couple of off shore Tropical Storms and astronomical high tides. We will know "for shore" when our coastal engineer provides us with an update on the annual beach profile surveys at the Town's regular meeting in September. Beach vegetation is an integral part of our strand management program here at Holden Beach. We are always seeking improved ways to improve our coastal dune protection system. A recent cooperative initiative between the Town, UNCW and Coastal Transplants is attempting to gauge the best mix of fertilizer for beach plantings. An almost football field sized location on the East End of the island has been planted, plotted and parceled into a test site that will over the course of the next year serve as the baseline for determining how well different fertilizers work on sea oats. Assembly of the Playground equipment purchased by HBPOA funds is now complete on site at Bridgeview Park which is located on the waterway adjacent to Town Hall and the Water Tower. As of this writing Public Works crews are putting the final touches on the play space in addition to performing some residual grounds maintenance work that has to be accomplished before the playground equipment is serviceable for use by the public. I hope to have this work accomplished before the Labor Day weekend. I anticipate the Board of Commissioners will likely schedule some type of official ribbon cutting with exact time, date as yet to be determined. Christy Ferguson is on board with us as the Town's new Shoreline Protection and Recreations Programs Manager as of this week. Christy comes to us Magna Cum Laude from the ECU Department of Health and

4 Human Performance and most recently the Town of Oak Island where she served as the Recreation Programs Supervisor. Please make an opportunity to stop by Town Hall or attend a Parks and Recereation Advisory Board meeting to say Ahoy! Lastly, MAKE NOTE OF NEW PARKING REGULATIONS that are set to become effective mid September. The revised parking rules result from a year long effort by the Planning and Zoning Board to improve the parking situation at Holden Beach. The revised rules do not significantly change previous regulations with the exception for those requirements imposed on commercial and construction vehicles which can no longer park on the sidewalks during the course of providing commercial/construction services. Should you wish to review the rules a complete text can be obtained from the Town Clerk - Heather@hbtownhall.com. Sincerely. David W. Hewett Town Manager Police Chief's Update Chief Wally Lane reported that the summer season was busy as usual, but nothing out of the ordinary. A few break ins occurred early in the summer, but the suspects have been arrested. One of the department's trucks was totaled in a collision Labor Day weekend. The officer was not injured. Chief Lane let everyone know that the State passed a law this year requiring everyone to evacuate in the event of a Mandatory Evacuation. This is especially important for Holden Beach because we have a vacuum sewer system which is shut off when evacuating. If it is used after it is shut off the vacuum is lost requiring significant time to bring it back up. Playground Update The playground is open and being heavily used. It is great to see kids and families enjoying the facilities Thanks again to everyone who contributed money, and thanks to the Town for working to prepare the site and install the equipment. The purchase and placement of the commemorative bricks is dependent upon the overall plans for the park, of which the playground

5 is one piece. Once the layout of the park is decided, we will know where to place the bricks, and will move ahead at that time. At their meeting on September 9th, the Commissioners voted to approve $161,000 in funding to proceed with a portion of the plans for the park that were originally in the PARTF grant that the Town did not receive. The diagram shown below was submitted with the PARTF grant application. Since that time, the orientation of the playground has rotated a bit counterclockwise. Dog Park Now Open

6 The Holden Beach Dog Park on Scotch Bonnet is open and ready for action. There are separate areas for large and small dogs, a water station, benches, shade trees and grass. Poop bags are provided, but please clean up after your own pet. Flood Insurance vs. the 35' Height Limit Flood insurance regulations are requiring houses to be built higher above sea level, while the Town's 35' height limit restricts how high a house can be built. Since the Federal Government controls the flood insurance and changing the 35' limit requires an act of the NC State Legislature, the only "wiggle room" appears to be in establishing the point from which the 35' is measured. Mayor Holden said at the Labor Day Meeting to expect to hear something on this around the New Year. More to come on this one... Sinking Shrimp Boat Eyesore or Icon? The sinking (sunk) shrimp boat across the ICW from Town Hall is still there. The owner is unable to remove it, and since the boat is tied to a private dock and not (yet) causing an environmental problem or

7 navigational hazard, it is a low priority for Brunswick County and other agencies. The cost to remove it is estimated at around $50,000 and the County doesn't have the funds. The Town of Holden Beach does not have jurisdiction on that side of the waterway. Stay tuned...the latest rumor is that two more derelict boats are pending. Lots Between Scotch Bonnet and Greensboro Some people were surprised to see a new house on the north side of Ocean Blvd. West between Greensboro and Scotch Bonnet. This is the area along the marsh with the fitness trail. There are actually four privately owned lots on this stretch of OBW. The remaining lots are owned by the Town or the NCSU Agricultural Foundation. Need a Good Beach Read for FREE? There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on the beach strand with a good book! Do you need a new book to read? Visit the Holden Beach Library in Town Hall for a great selection. Just take the elevator or stairs to the 2nd floor. Books are free! You do not need to check them out...just remember to bring them back. If you have any books you have read you can donate them. Watch Your If your membership expires this year you will be getting a special from us! We will be sending out 2015 renewal notices in October. For membership questions contact Gina Martin at or her at rgobb@aol.com. This was sent to vymyers@gmail.com by hbpoa@hotmail.com Update Profile/ Address Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe Privacy Policy. Holden Beach Property Owners Association 1032 Ocean Blvd. West Holden Beach NC 28462