February 14, 2002

The president, Ray O’Connor, called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. in the conference room of PBPOA.  Present were: Charles Morris, John Iaizzo, Gerhard Sablatnigg, William Turner, Robert Andersen, Richard Laughlin, Thomas Toomey, James Henry, Barbara Martin and Alice Kay Potter.

The minutes of the previous meeting were duly approved by unanimous vote.

Mr. Turner reported that the annual audit by our accountant is on target but not yet completed.  There were no unusual expenses for the month of January.

The treasurer also reported that the liability insurance policy for directors and officers in the amount of $2,000,000 would be renewed on March 4, 2002.

Committee Reports:

Membership:  Mr. Morris reported a total paid-up membership as of February 14 of 2,887.  A solicitation campaign is going to be conducted among new residents of Pelican Bay  as well as for renewals.  The membership committee’s report is attached.

Beautification:  Mr. Andersen and Mr. Henry reported that there will be a brief presentation ceremony on Friday, February 15, 3:00 p.m. in the middle of the newly landscaped US-41 median to which all Board members are invited.  A four-foot long reproduction of a check for $63,750.00 from WCI will be presented to Mr. O’Connor by Dwight Thomas, WCI’s commitment towards the US-41 beautification project.  Mr. O’Connor will then give the check to our County commissioner, Jim Carter.  This ceremony will be used as a photo opportunity for the local media, all of whom have been contacted by Mr. Turner. 

Mangrove Restoration:  Mrs. Potter reported that MSTBU voted that the director of the Pelican Bay Services Division use $42,000 of the Pelican Bay General Fund toward rebuilding dines in the north end of Pelican Bay that were damaged by the storm “Gabrielle.”  This would be included as a part of the Operating and Maintenance requirements for Clam Bay.  The justification would be that a strong dune system would protect the mangroves.  Also, since permitting would be required to do this, such permits would be in place and ready to present to FEMA should we have damage from another bad storm. This could save Pelican Bay a great deal of money, since we could then look to FEMA for restoration funds.  Also, the dredging of Clam Pass has been completed.

Community Affairs Committee:  Don Spanier, chairman, has resigned due to ill health.  The committee will select its own chairman and notify the PBPOA Board.

Public Relations:  Mr. Turner outlined his efforts to contact the media to cover our news events.  He asked for authorization to take out advertisements in local papers if adequate news coverage was not forthcoming, and put it in the form of a motion.  It was seconded by Mr. Laughlin and passed unanimously.

Web Site Committee:  John Iaizzo was authorized to continue with the Naples Daily News on a monthly basis of $50.00.

Year-Rounders:  Mrs. Martin reported that Key Bank will sponsor the May party with funds going to The Neighborhood Health Clinic.  She is contacting previous sponsors to see if they want their slots again, for she is having inquiries from others who would like to sponsor a Year-Rounder event.

Security:  Mr. Iaizzo met with James Ward and Tom Brown of MSTBU and Jack Liber, landscape architect and homeowners James Hobin and Addison Scagg regarding the suitability of plantings already chosen for the Pelican Bay berm fronting on US-41.  They asked that MSTBU consider other plantings that would provide a better noise and safety barrier.  He has photographs of such plantings in other localities that would solve our problem.  He will follow up the meeting with a letter.

Nominating Committee:  Mr. Turner reported the following slate:

1.      To replace Mr. James Henry and serve out the remaining one-year of his term:  Mr. James M. Hobin, Jr.

2.      To replace Gerhard Seblatnigg and serve out the remaining two years of his term: Mrs. Libbie Bramson

3.      To serve a full three-year term each:  Dr. Ted Raia and Major General John T. Coyne, USMCR ret.

Since there were no nominations from the floor, the president instructed the secretary to cast an unanimous ballot for the above named slate, seconded by Mr. Laughlin and passed unanimously.

President’s Comments:  Ray O’Connor suggests that a letter of appreciation be sent to John Hoyt and Irvin Kahn in recognition of their leadership in the formation of PBPOA and service on the Board.

Mr. O’Connor praised Jim Henry and Bob Andersen for their perseverance and victory in securing funding from WCI for the beautification and landscaping of the US-41 median.

He recommended a “Yes” vote on the Pelican Bay MSTBU Response Form to be sent to the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Dwight E. Brock.

Old Business:  Ray O’Connor read a letter from Martha Dykman, president of the Seagate Homeowners Association, a copy of which I attached.  He suggested that the PBPOA send a letter to MSTBU asking for further study of the necessity of removing the Seagate flap gates.  Mr. Laughlin moved that this be done, seconded by Mr. Henry and passed unanimously.

The Pelican Bay Oversight Committee is examining the Pelican Bay documents and the transfer of commercial footage from the north to the south of Pelican Bay.

New Business:  The effect of the publication policy of the Pelican Bay Post on the free flow of news and information in Pelican Bay will be studied.

The president reminded the Board that the next meeting will be our annual meeting at 4:00 p.m., March 14, 2002, Hammock Oak Center and asked Board members to arrive early