President John Reed began the meeting saying that he wished to make an announcement regarding the issue of the west end beaches. He said that he learned the evening before that after research done by the attorney retained by the POA that the original deed contained language prohibiting the POA from deeding the beaches to the Town. Specifically:
To be by the Grantee kept and maintained forever as a recreational area for the exclusive use and enjoyment of those persons shall be and remain members of the said Dauphin Island Property Owners Association…
This reference related in essence to both Parcel A “being the parcel or area designated on said plat as “Dauphin Island Property Owners Beach†and Parcel B “being the area designated on said plat of 'West Surf Beach.'â€
As he learned of this late in the evening before the meeting, John Reed had barely enough time to break the news to the Board, let alone study the implications and effects on future plans.
Presently, two committees have been working on researching options to save the beaches along the south shore of the island. One committee, Save Our Shores (SOS) has been working since early spring and has been exploring options for funding while keeping the beaches for the exclusive use of the property owners. (They had contended all along that based on their research, the beaches could not be conveyed and hence put their efforts into finding options that would go in that direction.) Several of the group members were in attendance at Saturday’s meeting and indicated that they were not finished collecting all of the pertinent data but would be ready in the near future to present their findings. Prior to Saturday’s meeting, the Board-appointed committee also requested more time in order to be able to complete their research before presenting.
At a prior POA meeting, one of the SOS members brought the issue of not being allowed to convey the POA property to the attention of the Board and indicated that the group would bring litigation if the board went against the Constitution. His statement was not well met by the majority of the board at that time. (It would seem that if the Board had done their homework months ago as SOS did, the last 90 days would have been more focused in dealing with the reality that exists. The Board members are hard working but they are not infallible.)
At a meeting several months ago, when members of SOS first tried to speak, there were much-heated outpourings from both the group’s representative and several Board members. One Board member then suggested that a committee be formed to research options and then a decision would be made based on the findings. The Board then appointed a cross-section of island residents and included a Board member who voted against the initial resolution and Lisa Young, who had brought the issue to the fore.
President Reed has called for a meeting with the Board and an attorney to be held in early September to avail themselves of the avenues open to them.
At some point in time, many years ago, the decision was made to open the Isle Dauphine and the golf course to the public. Perhaps research could determine if there is anything official on record somewhere that would have impacted on the deed. If there is anyone with any pertinent info regarding the decision to open the golf course, etc. to the public or surrounding those circumstances, you are encouraged to share that with the Board to aide in their efforts.
Other news:
Efforts to make the golf course more attractive continue and progress is being made. However, there is an infestation of beetles in the trees and it needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately, this requires removal of the trees. Bids were sought and estimates from $25,000 to $80,000 have come in and the number of trees involved varied by hundreds. No decision has been rendered yet.
The swimming pool will remain open on weekends through Labor Day.
The Volunteer Committee has been working behind the scenes, putting garbage cans on the beach, and painting signs. The core group has worked around the grounds during the summer with the expectation that the call for all volunteers will be heard as soon as cooler weather prevails.
The Recreation Committee has made site visits to various POA properties around the island. They have identified four sites to work with initially to enhance the traditional use and have asked for the help of volunteers. This will include cleanup of the sites, creating small parking areas, landscaping and picnic tables.
Mayor Jeff Collier was in attendance and answered questions about the berm. The Town asked for and received an extension for the work to be done. He indicated that the Town did not send out “permission†letters to the property owners involved because it first had to be determined whether the letters would request a permanent easement or a temporary right of entry in order to fulfill the requirements. It has been determined that a temporary right of entry would be sufficient. The berm will be placed on what exists of the current shoreline and the borrow site would be off the north shoreline and piped across to the work area.
The next meeting will be held on October 7.