November 9, 2010 Board Meeting

The meeting convened at 8:95 PM at the BRCA Marina Clubhouse. The President, Pam Jacobsen, chaired the meeting. Board Members present included: Pam Jacobsen, Bill Thomas, Grahame Rice, Kurt Karsten, Jeff Gilbert, Kathleen Randolph, Monica Mount, and Paul Behrends. A quorum was present to allow the board to transact business. BRPA member Jay Green also attended the meeting.

Special Presentation

DRD Contract Issues – The meeting started with a presentation by Noelle Navarro (VP, DRD), assisted by Ryan Chitwood  on work items for the pool.  Of particular concern were items which are the result of Federal law mandates.  Areas addressed included:

  • Pool Skimmer replacement – Noelle noted that the Virginal-Grahame-Baker law (Spa and Pool Safety Act) impacts pool operators:
  • It requires a “vacuum breaker on all suction ports on a swimming pool.
  • Although the pool edge skimmers on our pool cannot create a vacuum, the AA County authorities have defined skimmers as “suction devices”.  As such they must be modified to provide a suction breaker.
  • The manufacturer of the skimmers has stated that their device does not create a vacuum, and as a result they will not provide a retrofit kit or parts to provide the required vacuum breaker function.
  • The law required implementation of the modifications this last pool season (2010), however, a one year waiver was granted.
  • Implementation of these new rules will require chipping out the existing skimmer and putting in a new unit which complies with the new law.  These repairs will require draining the pool to safely accomplish the work.
  • Since the pool is planning to drain the pool for other work (acid wash and resurfacing of the pool)  in the spring of 2012, it is considered reasonable to  request a waiver to allow implementation when the pool is drained in the spring of 2012.
  • DRD provided a ROM estimate for repairing/replacing the skimmers of $2800, plus the cost of water to refill the pool (about $6,000).
  • Pool Access for Disabled – Noelle Navarro noted that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) imposes specific access requirements for public swimming pools. Noelle became aware of these new requirements just a month ago.   Areas addressed during the discussion included:
  • The Bay Ridge Pool is considered a “semi-public” swimming pool.  As such it falls under the purview of the ADA.
  • The law requires two handicap accessible entry/exit routes for the pool.
  • The installed steps at the bay end of the pool constitute one legal access route.
  • The law requires that the other access (labeled as the primary route) be a pool side lift or sloped ramp.  Kurt Karsten asked if the BRPA lift meets the requirements of the ADA for pool hoist/lift.  Noelle will research and advise.
  • The baby pool will also require a sloped ramp access.
  • It was noted that these requirements could require significant and expensive structural modifications to the pool facility.  Noelle will provide additional information as she is able to obtain it.  The board will pursue further details on how to meet the requirements of ADA.
  • The costs to bring the pool into compliance are unknown at this time, but expected to be sizeable.
  • Proposed DRD Contract – Details of the proposed contract for the next two years were addressed.  These included:
  • Contract Cost – The total contract cost for the two year period is 2% greater than the current contract.
  • Gate Guards – Various options of providing access control to the pool during normal use hours were discussed.
  • Noelle noted that this has been a continuing problem at all the pools with which DRD is associated.  She also noted that BRPA has also tried most of the methods with uniformly limited success. Of all the methods they have tried, they found the best was to hire an adult (i.e., a mother who is regularly at the pool) to act as the gate guard.
  • For the last few years, DRD has provided BRPA with a gate guard, especially during high usage periods.  Noelle indicated that, if DRD were to provide a gate guard, that guard would also be certified as a lifeguard.  This would provide the pool lifeguard supervisor additional flexibility in handling unexpected heave use of the pool on a short response time basis.  The supervisor would be able to pull the gate guard into a lifeguard function, as needed.
  • Currently, the proposed contract carries the previous method of using an “off-duty” lifeguard as a gate guard.
  • If BRPA were to provide separate gate guard support, it would reduce the estimated cost of the management contract.   However, it was noted that the cost would still be present to the BRPA to support the independent hiring of a non-lifeguard gate guard.
  • Administrative Charges – DRD’s contract calls for a $100 administrative charge (in addition to the labor costs of the guards)  when a rental occurs outside of the normal pool season, but when the pool is uncovered and accessible to the rental parties.  Noelle noted that this charge will be waived for currently scheduled rentals the week before Opening Day for the 2011 pool season.

At the conclusion of these discussions, Noelle Navarro and Ryan Chitwood departed the meeting.

Old Business:

Reading of the Minutes – Reading of the minutes from the previous meeting was waived since the Board previously reviewed the minutes and they are posted on the BRPA web site.

2011 BRPA Budget
Budget for Upcoming Year

2011 Budget – In  the absence of the Treasurer (Sherrie Kelley), Grahame Rice presented the proposed 2011 budget to the Board. A copy of the budget is posted on the BRPA website under “Meeting Minutes”. The discussion included:

  • As background, Grahame noted that the current status of cash on hand shows:

Cash on Hand:                                           $113,951.74
Various CDs and other Saving instruments:       $54,271.68
Total Cash:                                               $168,223.42

  • Grahame noted that Capital Improvement Reserves have not been shown as separate categories in the financial picture.
  • Grahame noted that the DRD contract payment is incremented.  The first payment would be $6,000 due in January 2011.
  • Kurt Karsten noted that the BRPA needs a long term capital plan.  This plan would serve as a road map on where the BRPA is going.
  • Membership issues in the budget –  The impact of membership numbers on the budget was discussed.  Items addressed included:
  • Membership seems to have been declining over the past few years.  It appears that the biggest problem is the fact that the membership is “aging out of the program”. The BRPA population has been growing older, with the result that fewer families have young children for whom the pool is considered a strong draw.
  • It was noted that the membership decline does not appear to be based on the cost (dues) for membership.  Based on available data, BRPA annual family memberships are at the low end of the range of local pool association range of costs.
  • It is felt that this year, the BRPA is in a better position to aggressively pursue new members early in the year.  Added memberships would make balancing the annual budget much easier.
  • It was noted that membership dues will have to be increased this coming season in order to cover the projected deficit in the budget.

Motion:  After considerable discussion, Grahame Rice moved that “The 2011 budget be approved, with a 3% increase in dues.  This would raise the regular Bay Ridge dues to $415, and the Annapolis Cove dues to $830.”  The motion was seconded by Bill Thomas, and passed without further discussion by a voice vote.

  • BRPA Sponsored Activities – BRPA sponsorship of several community activities was discussed. The intent of these events is twofold:  Develop greater involvement of the membership in BPA activities; and to serve as fund raisers to enhance the BRPA finances The discussion included:
  • Adult Swimming Lessons – Kathleen Randolph noted that she is continuing to investigate this.

She thinks that she may have a possible instructor identified.

  • Pam Jacobsen noted that we are we are looking for a swim, dive instructor for the children.
  • Jay Green suggested having “Kiddie movies” on several Sundays.
  • Monica Mount suggested running several Bingo nights as an identified fund raiser to support the proposed water slide to replace one of the diving boards.
  • DRD Contract – After the presentation and discussion by DRD personnel and their departure from the meeting, the proposed contract details were discussed by the Board.  The major item discussed was providing the gate guard.  Although the DRD provided gate guard represents a significant cost to the contract, that cost cannot be avoided by the BRPA providing gate guards locally.  The cost would simply shift from DRD to BRPA to fund the locally hired gate guards.  It was unclear in the discussion which approach would be most viable.

Motion:  Bill Thomas moved that “the DRD Contract be accepted with a caveat on who will provide the gate guard”.    The motion was seconded by Morgan Wells, and passed with voice vote.

  • Snack Bar Operation – Pam Jacobson addressed a proposed implementation of a “professional” snack bar at the pool.  In the course of discussion, the following items were addressed:
  • Pam Jacobsen had approached the owner of Grump’s café (Duncan Bradbury – a BRPA member) to see if he would be interested in running a poolside snack bar.  He did not reject the idea out of hand, but wanted to see what facilities were available.  The hours and frequency of operation have not been defined at this point.
  • Whether the operation would be viable remains to be determined.  Major questions include:
  • Degree of service to be provided.  Kurt Karsten noted that the BRPA food license from the county allows only restricted local preparation of food (i.e., pre-prepared sandwiches, bottled beverages, packaged snacks, etc.)
  • Costs that would be incurred by BRPA to support such an operation.
  • How to handle the proceeds from sales.  Kurt Karsten proposed some form of profit sharing.

It was suggested that Pam await a response from Duncan Bradbury to determine what course of action the BRPA would pursue.

Perimeter Fence Modifications – Jeff Gilbert discussed the proposed relocation of the perimeter fence.  Items addressed included:

  • He has received estimates for the proposed work from several contractors.  The estimates to relocate the CBF side fence closer to the boardwalk included:
  • Alton Fence……..$1565
  • Long Fence………$2800
  • Motion:  Kurt Karsten moved that “BRPA accept the proposal by Alton Fence to relocate the fence closer to the boardwalk for an estimated price of $1565.”  The motion was seconded by Grahame Rice, and passed with a voice vote.

Pergola Repairs – Jay Green briefed the board on his progress on repairing and rebuilding the poolside pergola.  Items addressed included:

  • The new manufactured beam over the Kiddie pool has been installed.  This beam is faced  with pine so that it will look identical to the rest of the structure. In addition, the manufactured inner portion of the beam has been wrapped with Tyvek to provide water intrusion resistance.
  • Replacement of the rafters in the worst condition has started.  It is the intent to have the new rafters closest to the pool house, and then the original rafters in the best condition would be placed closer to the bay end of the pergola. Kurt Karsten questioned why not all the rafters were being replaced.  Jay Green indicated that he would be reusing those that are structurally sound.  When asked what the cost would be to replace all of the rafters, Jay provided a rough estimate of $300.
  • Work is progressing; however, it was proposed that a working group be arranged for Sunday, 14 November to hopefully complete the work.

Motion:  Kurt Karsten moved that “All the rafters on the pergola be replaced with new rafters in order to enhance the appearance of the structure.”  The motion was seconded by Bill Thomas and passed with a voice vote.

Guest Fees – As previously discussed at the last meeting, Jeff Gilbert had proposed using a guest card with punch-out points for each guest brought to the pool.  At this meeting, Jeff Gilbert provided to the board a sample of his proposed punch card.   As discussed at this meeting:

  • The card would be color coded to indicate the level of membership involved.
  • The card would provide for the total number of guest visits by membership category.  These visits could be one at a time, or a full use in one visit or a very few visits.  When the card had been fully punched, the member would be able to purchase an additional card for his use.

The board was pleased with the proposed punch card, and asked Jeff to continue development of the card concept.

Meeting Schedule:
The official schedule for future meetings of the Pool Association and its Board of Directors includes:

  • General Meeting –Monday, 11 April 2011 at the BRCA Marina clubhouse.
  • Board Meeting – Tuesday 30 November at the BRPA Pool.

Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 9:51 PM.

Respectfully submitted:
Paul Behrends, Secretary