Executive of the Seawood Estates Association Limited
Executive Meeting Minutes August 3, 2020 OpeningA meeting of the Executive of the Seawood Estates Association Limited was called to order at 6:30pm on August 3, 2020by the President, Peter Fullerton. PresentPeter Fullerton, Myron Matheson, John Boyne, Lynn Reed and Laurie Dunbar. Meeting with Henry Victor Prior to the commencement of the meeting, the Executive met with the owner of Seawood Estates, Henry Victor. Henry provided an update on road maintenance. He said that roads are his number one priority - but he is short of funds to do the work that he would like to undertake. The Executive asked a number of questions which Henry did not wish to answer regarding his accounting for road maintenance and he left the meeting. Agenda The Agenda was presented by Peter. One item was added being the annual membership drive. Moved by Laurie, seconded by John, the agenda was approved by the meeting as amended. Approval of Minutes The minutes of the Executive Committee meeting held on August 13, 2019 were reviewed and approved with two minor changes - changing the name Bill to John. Moved by Lynn, seconded by Myron, and approved by the meeting. Correspondence sent and received Peter reviewed the correspondence that he had been received since the last meeting of the Executive. Most of the emails received related to water issues, road crews and road maintenance. Peter noted that he had only received 6 emails from non-Executive members relating to the state of the roads in Seawood.
Website Update
Peter reported steady use of the website. For example, there were 101 unique visits to the site from July 3 to August 1, 2020. The Executive agree that this was a worthwhile service for SEAL to provide. It was agreed that it should be renewed for another year. Moved by John, seconded by Myron, and approved by the meeting.
Roads
The meeting discussed the condition of the roads. Peter reviewed the priorities for road maintenance and his difficulties in dealing with Seawood Estates - particularly with respect to the accounting information that we had been provided with. Executive members discussed the lack of transparency in the accounting and the fact that Henry was retaining approximately 27% percent of the funds as a service fee. The fact that he did not have an accurate list of owners of Seawood lots was also discussed. Henry had indicated at the beginning of the meeting that there is not enough money collected to do further road maintenance this year. Unless there is a change in that situation, we may not see any improvement in the roads. John and Myron undertook to meet with Henry and his bookkeeper to see if we could gain further information about the state of the accounts. Directors’ Insurance Peter reported that the cost of directors’ insurance is $750.00 this year. Moved by John, seconded by Lynn, renewal of the insurance policy was approved by the meeting. Water System (a) Testing Peter reported on the April 17, 2020 boil water order and the lack of initial notification of residents by Henry. He discussed the improper testing being conducted by Henry and Peter’s subsequent discussions with a representative of the Provincial water authority (Ben Lanigan). Peter reported that the upshot was that Toombs had been hired by Seawood Water Utility to do the testing and that this was now in effect. The Executive thanked Peter for his work on this issue and for the positive result. (b) Capacity Peter reported that the current capacity of Seawood Water Utility only permitted the service of 115 lots. That capacity has now been reached and there is a waiting list of persons who now need approval to build. The current capacity of the system is being reassessed to see if it can handle a few more lots - but a new well will likely be required to meet current demand. Coincident with this, Henry has been selling lots at bargain prices so demand can only increase further. The cost of a new well will be financed by debt that residents will be required to support through their water rates. This will have to be approved by the Provincial regulator. Maintenance Issues (a) Wagon Wheels and Wood Chips Peter reported on the successful installation of the wagon wheels on the various rights of way in Seawood Estates and on the spreading of wood chips on the paths. A volunteer work crew had been assembled to spread the chips. The Executive thanked all those who were involved. (b) Stairs to Beach Peter reported that the stairs to the beach have become a little rickety and require strengthening. Seal had originally installed the stairs and he proposed that we do the maintenance. A work crew will be recruited. It was proposed that SEAL spend up to $300.00 on required supplies for the maintenance work. Moved by Myron, seconded by Laurie, and approved by the meeting. AGM The Executive discussed the convening of the AGM. It was decided that we would have to hold it given the governing legislation and SEAL’s By-law requirements. The AGM will be held on August 29 this year at 2 pm. Because of Covid, there will be no BBQ. We will employ distancing at the meeting and members will bring their own chairs. Peter reported that the positions of Vice President, Treasurer and Permanent Resident representative on the Executive are open for election. John, Lynn and Myron agreed to stand for re-election to these positions, which will still be open for others to stand for as well. Membership Drive Because of Covid, there can be no door-to-door membership drive this year. Fees will be collected at the annual meeting and through other channels. AdjournmentBusiness having been concluded, the meeting was adjourned at 8:16 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Laurie Dunbar, Secretary