THE CLEAR CHANNEL

NEWSLETTER of theFUTURA YACHT CLUB ASSOCIATION

ISSUE SIX April 2011

1

IN THIS ISSUE

Page 1 HOA PRESIDENTS ARTICLE

Page 3 HOA BOD MEETING MINUTES MARCH 5TH

Page 4 HOA TREASURER’S REPORT

Page 5 INTERNAL OPERATIONS REPORT

Page 5 TOWNHOUSE REPORT

Page 6 MARINA REPORT

Page 7 CONDO NEWS- Storage Units

A MESSAGE FROM HOA PRESIDENT – Bob Brockhaus

There is a saying that we live in interesting times. The first quarter of this year has been “interesting” to say the least. Elsewhere in this addition of the Clear Channel you will read more detailed reports from the officers and members of the Board of Directors. However, I want to provide a summary of some unexpected events and the response by your BOD to them.

First, one of the heat pumps on the pool failed. Initially, it appeared that we would need to assess owners for the new pump as we began the year with minimum cash. But the Condo Association provided the HOA with a short term loan which will be repaid with appropriate interest as the HOA monthly fees exceed the normal monthly expenses. The repayment will occur well in advance of the Condo Association’s need for funds for their elevator repairs.

Shortly after that issue, the sewer lines by the townhouses on the east side of the marina backed up and required cleaning and the replacement of a pump in the sewer treatment plant. The sewer reserve fund was adequate to repair and replace the sewer equipment.

The last week of March high winds did damage to some HOA property. The roof of the club house lost some shingles, some beach chairs were blown into the bay, other chairs and tables at the pool were broken and a tree on the neighboring property fell near the door into the exercise room. And the entrance gate suffered lightning damage to its electronic systems. We are currently working with our insurance carrier to see what they will cover. The deductable can be managed by the funds that the HOA has available.

Jim Sentryz is the BOD member with leadership responsibilities for the HOA property. Needless to say, Jim has been a busy man. Jim, thanks for all that you have done for the HOA.

There is good news as well. The Village of Islamorada is just about ready to announce that the unit value guideline for obtaining a seven day license is being reduced so that all who rented short term before will be able to do it again. I want to thank all of you who wanted to rent short term but were not eligible for your cooperation in abiding by the Village ordinance and our own rules. Hopefully, soon it will be over.

Immediately following the January owners meeting the FYC HOA BOD met and re-elected all officers to the positions that they held last year. Also I reappointed all directors and officers to the areas of responsibilities that they had last year. And I asked and every director and officer agreed to take on additional responsibilities this year. Each is maintaining his or her key responsibilities but is also shadowing another officer or director. The purpose is to ensure that we have depth of knowledge in each position of responsibility. This shadowing experience will allow the BOD to more easily replace key positions when there is a change in BOD members.

The HOA BOD has met twice since the annual owners meeting. At the second meeting in March, the impact weekly fees were adjusted to make the process easier to understand. In the past our practice has been inconsistent in handling the days in excess of seven day increments. The new procedure does not raise the rate. It remains at $25 per week. In assessing the fee, the amount billed will be calculated by dividing $25 (the weekly rate) by 7 (days) and multiplying the result by the number of nights that a unit has been occupied.

The rate slip owners and some of the commonly owned facilities paid for water has been adjusted down. The rate for usage in the future will be ten percent of the old rate. A BOD miscalculation was made over ten years ago and is now corrected for all future water use. We also are investigating the possibility of water leaks in the main lines.

Finally, there was a lack of knowledge about the ownership of the marina walls. It was assumed that all walls were owned by the Marina Association. This was discovered to not be the case. The FYC HOA owns a substantial portion of the walls where there are no slips. This includes the ramp, the inlet from the bay and the south wall. After thorough investigation and deliberation, it was decided the leave the ownership as it has legally been. This decision will allow all FYC owners the ability to gain access to the marina basin without some future marina slip owners deciding that access was only for slip owners.

The spirit of cooperation and individual responsibility of all BOD members is wonderful to experience. The next HOA BOD meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 4, 2011. Please plan on joining us by telephone. There is no cost to you or the HOA except any long distance charges to your phone. Remember that on Saturday most cell phones do not charge for minutes. Also please visit our website for minutes of past meeting of the owners and BOD, names and addresses as well as rules which guide us all.

As always, if you have any questions about FYC, please contact me or the officer or director with the responsibility for that issue.

Thanks for your continued support of your BOD and have a great spring season.

Eddy Murray, a long time renter, who is staying in Townhouse 117, took the initiative and cleaned the debris out of the mariana. It is renters like Eddy , along with many of the owners, who contribute their time and efforts to make FYC the place we all enjoy. Eddy, thanks for being a great example to all of us.

Homeowners’ Association Board of Directors Meeting

Minutes ofSaturday, March 5, 2011

Submitted by Marianne Clark, Secretary

  • Meeting called to order by President Bob Brockhaus and after role call was taken all board members were present either in person or via telephone and it was determined that a quorum was established.
  • Motion made by Bob Moser and seconded by Jim Sentryz to waive the reading of previous meeting minutes and to approve said minutes. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Reports of officers and directors:
  • Bob Brockhaus: A request from a non owner was made to host a wedding reception in February of next year on the beach. After the board discussed the pros and cons of this request, it was decided unanimously with one abstention, not to grant permission for this endeavor due to the issues of parking, liability and disturbing owners in residence.
  • Dave Magee: In April the condo owners will be receiving a special assessment for the elevator repairs.
  • Bob Moser: The HOA is just barely staying in budget due to some extreme unforeseen extra expenses which will be explained in Jim Sentryz report.
  • Marianne Clark: Nothing new to report.
  • Bob Gabrielle: Outlined what would be in the marina meeting such as the work being done on certain boat slips and the size of boats being allowed in certain slips.
  • Motion made by Bob Gabrielle and seconded by Don Schneeberger to amend the occupancy impact resolution to allow the HOA to bill owners for days in excess of an even seven day week. The extra days would be billed at a rate of $25 divided by 7. Motion passed unanimously.
  • Don Lindenberg: No new incident reports since the annual meeting. Three townhouse owners were sent a letter regarding their air conditioners being extended too far out onto HOA property interfering with the walkway and also for the mowing people to mow in that area. They were given a timeline to remove them back on their extended patios. Don will personally contact these owners to further explain to them why they are being asked to move back their air conditioners.
  • Don Lindenberg reported on the new landscaping plants that were planted on the island by the boat ramp and along the north fence line. Also, some new plants were planted by the condo building and morning glory seeds were planted by the fence line on the south side of HOA property.
  • Don Schneeberger: Water meters in the marina need to be updated. The charge for water from these meters should be at the actual rate and not ten times the cost as what is being done now and the shortfall should be billed to the three entities. Before voting on this Dave Magee mentioned that there was a person from the aquaduct authority that could come in to check the water meters and the water lines under a federal grant that is available. The three treasurers from each entity will work out among themselves the correct procedure.
  • Don Doherty: Nothing new to report.
  • Jim Sentryz: The HOA replaced one failed pool heater at the cost of $3695.00. The money to pay for this expense was borrowed from the condo association. Jim suggested that when the budget is figured for next year that we establish a reserve for this expense as damage from the elements will cause these to be replaced every two to three years.
  • Sewer line in front of TH119 was cracked and leaked. So far the cost of these repairs to open up the sewer pipe has been $2500.00. Jim is asking the board not to allow heavy duty trucks to drive in front of the townhouses and along the drive on the south end.

One pump on the sewer plant lift station had to be replaced at a cost of $2000.00. The wall of the sewer plant between the two tanks is leaking and needs to be resealed. Money for these repairs is come from the sewer reserves.

  • John Rappath: Will give updates on his projects at the next board meeting.
  • Frank Di’Tommaso: One new source of revenue Frank suggested general apparel for the people of Futura to purchase with our logo on the garment.
  • Marina walls: The HOA owns all of the marina walls other than those that front the boat slips owned by marina owners. The Marina Association owns the walls that front the boat slips. The Board discussed whether it was most appropriate for either the HOA to continue to own walls or to turn those walls over to the Marina Association. It is the decision of the board that the present ownership is the best for Futura Yacht Club and repairs that may need to be made to those walls will be the responsibility of the HOA.
  • Old business: None
  • New business: None
  • Motion made by Bob Moser and seconded by Bob Gabrielle to adjourn meeting. Motion passed unanimously.

HOA Treasurer’s Report

Robert Moser

April 4, 2011

The first quarter has been a financial challenge for the HOA. We ended 2010 with just a $157 rollover to start 2011. The Board obviously needed to judiciously control expenditures until the cash flow was able to build sufficient funds for many projects.

While the Board has delayed desired expenditures, we have suffered several new problems that have required immediate repair and have further delayed other projects. Jim Sentryz’s write-up explains the problems and repairs. The HOA needed to borrow some funds from the Condo Association for a couple months to enable the pool heat pump replacement. Those funds will be repaid to the Condo Association on schedule.

The Board will continue to restrain discretionary expenditures while the HOA accounts are tight.

Internal Operations Report

Submitted by Jim Sentyrz

4-5-2011

  • Sewer plant has been repaired and a new lift station pump was installed. Leak in the main sewer line was repaired and the blacktop was repaired.
  • Storm damage was turned in to the insurance company and the claims adjuster inspected the damage on 4/2/11. We are waiting to see if any of the roof repairs or replacement for the pool house will be covered. The interior ceiling of the kitchen was also damaged by water leaks and was also submitted. The front entry gate computer was damaged by the lightning and the main memory board is being replaced.
  • SPECIAL NOTICE: A lot of the vehicles that are on the HOA property do not have current insurance information in the office. Please update your insurance and submit a copy to the office. Remember that this is mandatory. You must have current registration in a HOA owner's name with proper insurance coverage. All trailers and vehicles must have a currently registered with the HOA office to be in compliance.
  • Major Projects that will be looked at in the near future are: Pool deck replacement, Pool filtration system upgrade, Pool and Guard shack roof replacement, Tennis court light replacement, tennis court surface repair and coating including fence repair, Blacktop repair and seal coating, Painting of exterior of pool house and office, additional landscaping on all of the grounds.

TOWNHOUSE NEWS

At the owners meeting in January, the townhouse owners unanimously supported a recommendation to formally establish a corporation. As you probably are aware, for years the assumption by everyone was that there was a corporate entity for the townhouses. However, last spring the current Board of Directors discovered that the only entity for the townhouses was a Townhouse Committee of the FYC Homeowners Association.

Immediately following the owners meeting, the Townhouse Committee Board of Directors met to begin the process. At that time, they also reelected all of the officers to the positions they held in 2010.

Prior to the March Townhouse BOD meeting, the officers studied various examples of corporations and by-laws. At the March meeting, they developed a preliminary list of desires to have included in the legal documents. At the same time, they directed the townhouse president, Bob Brockhaus, to share these desires with our legal firm and to request that the firm prepare a draft documents for the incorporation and by-laws.

This action has been done. At the June BOD meeting, the officers will review the proposed documents and suggest any desired change to the draft. It is anticipated that in the early fall, the documents will be completed. At that time, they will be distributed to townhouse owners for their review. Any suggestions for changes from the owners will be considered and possibly made based upon legal counsel. The objective is to have the final proposed incorporation papers and by-laws to the townhouse owners in early winter with a vote scheduled for the January owners meeting.

As you are aware, the FYC Homeowners Association rules require that prior to making any alterations to any portion of the common property surrounding the footprint of your townhouse that you need to obtain the approval of the FYC HOA. This rule is currently being made more specific but the general rule still applies and owners of townhouses need to check with the HOA prior to making any plantings, patio extensions or anything else beyond the footprint of the townhouse. Thanks for your cooperation.

Please join us in person or via conference call for our BOD meetings. The next Townhouse BOD meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 4, 2011. More specific information will be distributed later.

Marina Report

Submitted by Bob Gabrielle, Jack Sutton, and Frank DiTommaso

The extended saga of Marina repairs is drawing to a close as you read this report. Not only was the Toe Wall successfully repaired but the Pile Caps and Pilasters on the following slips were replaced, #17/18; 19/20; 31/32;35/36; 37/38; 39/40; 41/42; 43/44; 45/46; and 51/52. With this last repair all of the funds raised in last year’s assessment have been exhausted which is in accordance with Florida Law. A special thanks to the Lindenbergs, Suttons and the Gabrielles for paying a year’s Slip dues in advance allowing us to complete additional projects.

The Marina Board is strivingto insure consistency and harmony in our Marina which will in turn improve our experience here along with increased property valves. We encourage all members tocontribute any suggestions to the following new rules and regulations.

New Rules and Regulations for Marina slip owners

  • New boat lengthsallowed in slips1 to46and 51to 53will be 36 feet in length.Only the Manufacturers LOA will be accepted as the deciding factorto determine the vessels size. No extension of the boat will protrudeinto the common area.
  • Boats secured in slips 47 to50will be of such length as neither to impact the footprint of the ramp nor protrude into the common area. All boats must be approved by the Marina Board.
  • Allboats will be secured in their slips in such a manner as not to rest on the finger pier regardless of tide or wind conditions.
  • All lines attached to the boats shall be secured to the cleats and the pilings that accommodate that particular slip, At no time shall any line be made fast to the finger pier or any part thereof.
  • Any additions to the slip [bumpers etc.] will be allowed to remain at the discretion of the Board. If any be deemed unsightly or damaging toMarina property the owner shall be requested to remove same at their expense.
  • All replacement of boat protectionsuch asfenders, fender brackets etc. shall be limited to theexamples found in the enclosed attachment.
  • At no time shall any expansion fasteners or thru and thru boltingbe used. Approved attachment methods shall be limited towedge anchorsusing stainless steelhardware and epoxy.
  • At no time shall any addition be secured to the concrete posts located at the leading end of the slip.
  • Additions permitted to the slip will be limited to three vertical bumpers as per the enclosed example
  • Examples of all the approved hardware can be found in the FYCoffice.
  • Any changes to Marina property must be approved by the marina Board. Any damageto marina property will be charged tothe slip owner.

A LETTER TO CONDO OWNERS REGARDING STORAGE UNITS