November 15, 2006 Board Meeting

The meeting convened at 7:12 PM at the home of Doug Vaughters. The President, Doug Vaughters, chaired the meeting. Board Members present included: Paul Behrends, Pam Jacobsen, Kurt Karsten, and Grahame Rice. A quorum was present to allow the board to transact business.

Minutes Approved:
Reading of the minutes for the July Board Meeting was waived. The meeting minutes were approved as posted on the BRPA Web Page.

Old Business:

Pool Management Contract Issues – It was noted that the association has received proposals from DRD Management for renewal of the pool management contract. Doug Vaughters presented the results of his review of the proposal. In the course of discussing the proposal review, the following items were addressed:

The two proposals addressed differing duration of the contracts. One is for a one-year term; the other is for a two-year term.
DRD is proposing having three lifeguards on duty full time. They will also have a gate guard on duty from Noon to 7:00 PM. Two questions remain: (1) Who will be manning the gate from opening (10:00 AM) until noon, and from 7:00PM to closing (8:00PM); and (2) will the gate guard be a lifeguard, available for rotation with the other guards.
DRD proposes a $100 fee for any after hours event. Kurt Karsten noted that this is not a new proposal. Rather, it has been in previous DRD contracts. The fee is designed to cover DRD costs from unexpected evening work. However, since BRPA shares its rental calendar with DRD well in advance, DRD has chosen to waive that fee.
It was noted that the after hours per hour guard charge (for rentals) represents a 25% increase over the existing contract level.
Grahame Rice noted that the proposal price for the two year proposal is in line with the charges under the current contract once the adjustment for changes in Minimum Wage legislation were included.
The question of liability insurance was raised. Kurt noted that the BRPA has general liability insurance on a shared basis with the BRCA. Our insurance level is such that, by law, the association will not be held liable for an amount in excess of our coverage. It was also noted that our insurance is secondary to DRD’s liability insurance.
A number of the legalese sections appear to be tightened. It is understood that these changes are the result of DRD’s experience during the last summer. Some changes to the contract require additional pool rules to be implemented and adopted as BRPA rules.

BRPA Budget – Grahame Rice reviewed the initial draft of the Association budget for the calendar year 2007. Items addressed in this review included:

The proposed budget is a balanced budget.
Budgeted membership levels include: 145 Bay Ridge Regular; 11 Bay Ridge Annual; 70 Annapolis Cove.
Annual dues for all member grades are increased by approximately 3% to reflect inflation impacts.
As noted above, the budgeted cost of the pool management contract is in agreement with the proposed cost from DRD.
Electric utilities budget is increased to reflect the significant increases in the cost of electricity as a result of deregulation.
Facility repair cost budgets have been increased to reflect recent experience and known maintenance work required in the near future. The repair expenditures from the current year are in excess of $10,000; the budget for this year was $1,500. The budget for next year (all repair line items) is $10,000.

The Board was tasked to review the budget, and provide comments directly to Grahame Rice. The board will present the proposed budget to the membership at a special meeting to be called on 11 December 2006.

Financial Reserves – As a part of his review of the 2007 draft budget, Grahame Rice discussed the status and adequacy of the financial reserves held by the BRPA. His comments included:

The reserve review consisted of an analysis of the financial reserves and a careful review of the pool facility by a representative of a pool construction firm (Atlantic Pools, Inc.).
It was noted that the expected life spans of equipment are approximate, and the estimated costs of repair/replacement are rough estimates.
The result of this review is a list of anticipated future major repair items for the pool facility. This review included identification of estimated time frame for the anticipated repairs or replacements.
Several items were identified for accomplishment in CY 2007. These included: pool perimeter caulking; replacement of damaged waterline tile; and repair of building pillars.
It was noted that the ¾ HP pump and the 15HP pump motor have been replaced within the past three years.

Repair Issues – The only repair item discussed was that Pam Jacobsen noted that the fire extinguishers in the party room appear to be missing. She was asked to contact Dutch Britton to replace the extinguishers.

Bay Ridge Pool Association Web Site – Paul Behrends reported that the final changes to the web site design have been addressed. Items addressed included:

The web site is up and running at (www.bayridgepool.org). The board members were requested to review the web site and provide final comments to Paul Behrends by Friday, 17 November.
When approved by the board, the web site will be made the active site. It is expected that this final step will be accomplished by Wednesday 22 November 2006.
Separate User IDs and passwords will be established for Bay Ridge members and Annapolis Cove members. User ID and password information will be forwarded to Pool Association members to allow their access to the new site.
As a result of technical difficulties, Lisa Chmael has been unable to update the rental calendar on the web site. As an interim step, Paul Behrends will assume that function.

New Business:

Overnight Pool Rentals – The board has received a request from a BRPA member (Alex McCrary) to rent the pool facility for an overnight “lock-in” after the Key School Prom. This event, scheduled for 12 May 2007, would be for the Key School Prom attendees only Discussion included:

It was noted that the BRPA by-laws require that all rental events end at mid-night. This requirement is driven by restrictions on liability insurance policies held by BRPA and DRD Management. It was further noted that on at least one occasion annually an exception is obtained with insurance coverage for an overnight event (the annual Marlin’s Swim-a-Thon).
Board members expressed concerns about impact on the Pool’s neighbors from an overnight event with teen-agers. It is recognized that responsibility for control of the party rests with the renter, not the Pool Association.
Kurt Karsten stated that he feels strongly that the Board should try to define some way to accommodate this request. As a community, he noted that we have an interest in promoting these types of solutions for the benefit of us all.
It is presumed that the request is the result of wanting to provide a memorable event for the benefit of your emerging adult and to provide a reasonably safe and somewhat supervised environment for kids on a night that has too often been one which can be fraught with tragedy.
Since the requested rental would be before the pool is officially opened, the Board would have to check with DRD to see if their pool preparations would support use of the pool at that time. Typically, by early May, although the water is still pretty cold, the fence has been taken down and the pool management company has gotten things set up well enough to allow use of the pool.
Another issue with regard to use of the pool would be the ability of DRD to obtain lifeguards to cover the entire night. Kurt Karsten recommended that the renter deal directly with the Pool management company so that it is clear who is responsible for the guards and the pool use during that time. The way our current contract reads, “after hours” events are presumed to be the responsibility of the pool owner unless the arrangements for guards are made directly through DRD, which is why we use DRD exclusively and get the guards from them.
It was also noted that, since we will be under a new contract (either with DRD or someone else) we need to be mindful that that contract really doesn’t “start” until Memorial Day. Any before season events that need staffing by lifeguards need to be done in a way that clearly establishes that the pool management company is taking responsibility for the management of pool and the supervision of the guards during that event.
It was suggested that we waive the rental fee. Instead we would request the students (and parents) who will be benefiting from the event to donate some of their time for the pool clean up efforts that will help get the pool and pool grounds ready for their big party (and the clean-up afterwards.). This would be a “win-win” situation where the BRPA would benefit with assistance in our spring clean up efforts and will help the kids would gain “sweat-equity” in the condition of the pool facility during there event. The kids would be able take responsibility for their behavior before, during and after the event.
The board expressed considerable concern with the magnitude of the task for the chaperones for the event. The renter will have significant work in preparing for this event. An inability of the renter to control the activities of the kids could result in calling the police to establish order, or terminate the event.
The board also noted that approval of the event would be a one-time exception, and not a change to the standing rental rules. The renter would have to recognize that an unruly or overly noisy event (in violation of the county “quiet hours” law) would cause the board to not approve similar community affairs in the future.
Given all the concerns, the board is willing to entertain Alex McCrary’s proposal in further detail with him.

Facility Cleanliness Issues – The BRPA Rental Coordinator (Lisa Chmael) received information from the cleaning service about the condition of the pool facility after a recent rental. The issue was discussed at the meeting, and the following points were addressed:

The contractor reported that when she arrived to clean a little after 9am, the entire pool every lock, gate and door was left unlocked and the gate and chain were wide open. There was trash everywhere, there was also food left over and left sitting out. In addition, some one had vomited in the bathroom. No effort appears to have been made to clean it up. She also said the floor was covered in a sticky film.
She also stated that, in the 9 months she has been cleaning our pool room, this was the first time she was so disgusted by the condition in which it was left.
It was proposed that the security deposit be retained; however, the board noted that the BRPA did not incur any additional expense as a result of the poor performance by the renter.
It was noted that the cleaning service is occasionally being paid to clean up after a party that performed an excellent cleaning job leaving the service with out much to do. The cleaning fee under these circumstances is not reduced.
The Board agreed that the report should be forwarded via email to the renter, for information.
The renter replied upon receipt of this email and concurring that the floor was not mopped prior to departure but that all trash and food had been deposited in the dumpster with the exception of one bag which was left on the deck to be moved in the morning (at ~9:00 am it was taken to the dumpster). The bathroom was scanned at the end of the night but not thoroughly investigated. They apologized profusely for the incident and offered their security deposit if it would help resolve the issue.
As an additional point, the Board agreed to pay the cleaning service an extra $15 when they are required to clean between Saturday and Sunday parties

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

General Meeting – Monday, December 11, 2006 at the BRCA Marina ClubHouse.

Presentation of the budget for the 2007 season.

Board Meeting – 6:30 PM on Monday, December 11, 2006 at the BRCA Marina Club House.

Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 9:10 PM.

Respectfully submitted:
Paul Behrends, Secretary