Robin's Blog for Dauphin Island

Dauphin Island
PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 39 (251)861-2343
Dauphin Island, AL 36528 dipoa10@centurylink.net

September/October 2010 Newsletter

Summer’s over and as I mentioned in the last newsletter, it has been a very different kind of summer. The oil crisis created numerous challenges for most all of us—from rental property owners, to business operators, to those of us who just want to enjoy a peaceful time on the island. And while the worst is hopefully behind us, we still face challenges as we seek to rebuild our visitor activity and generally return to “normal”.

I’ve been encouraged and impressed by the spirit of cooperation and the level of activity by many island entities to create events designed to bring people back to the island. For example, this past weekend we had a very successful “Wings and Waves” cook-off and a well supported golf tournament at the Isle Dauphine Club. More events are planned so say tuned to the various communication channels to find more details.

The POA board has been busy on a number of fronts and I will highlight some of these below. As always, if you would like to obtain more information, or offer input, please contact me; other board members; or general manager, Jeff Collier.

Business Plan. The much discussed business plan for the operation of the POA facilities has been approved by the board and is presently being implemented. Special thanks to Charles Gaba and Robin Linn for taking the lead on this effort, and to Tom Howes for volunteering his time and talent to facilitate its completion. The entire plan is posted on the DIPOA website and I invite you to access and peruse it. I will not attempt to fully summarize it here, but will say that it sets forth a plan for the organization to restore its financial viability by increasing the activity at the golf course, pool, grill and clubhouse; and by increasing dues income and creating efficiencies through better management focus and board support. We encourage all members to take an interest in the success of this plan.

Vision Plan for Isle Dauphine. This vision plan (which has been referred to also as the “masterplan”) takes a longer term view of the future for our facilities and property. It will soon be posted on the website for your review. We have used the plan already as the basis for an economic recovery grant request to the State of Alabama, and hope for other similar opportunities in connection with the recovery initiative headed by secretary Mabus. In a related matter, the board adopted a resolution in support of a military reservation system hotel on the island.

Mission Statement: The Board is still working on a Mission Statement that will be shared with the Property Owners in the near future. Mission Statement: The Board is still working on a Mission Statement that will be shared with the Property Owners in the near future.

Mission Statement. The board is continuing to work on the development of a mission statement along with goals and priorities. When the board has completed a “final draft” , it will be distributed to the membership for input.

Financial. Our financial condition continues to be difficult owing largely to the severe reduction in golf income caused by the oil crisis. We have approved a budget for the fiscal year ending April 2011 which projects a deficit of $124,000 (budget is contained in the business plan which is posted on the website) While this is undesirable, the board considers it the best option given where we are and where we plan to go. The better news is twofold—the business plan projects a positive result for the next fiscal year (2011-12), and we are hopeful that our large deficit for this FY will be offset if not eliminated by claims payments from BP.

The board has chosen a course of action for completing the much discussed financial review (audit). We will direct our accounting firm to perform a targeted review of our transactions for recent years with the objective of revealing irregularities and identifying areas where we can improve our controls, reporting, etc. This will likely be completed by yearend.

Dues. First let me say thank-you to the many members who have paid dues either at the time of the last election or in response to the recent mail-out. This mail-out included a form for the purpose of allowing members to suggest the end use for their dues payment. We’ve received around 80 of these input forms so far and –as one might expect—the suggestions are across the board. We will share more results as they become available. Those of you who have paid received a thank-you letter containing some golf passes and membership cards. I’ve become aware that the membership cards were not included in all of the letters, so I invite any one who should have received cards and didn’t to contact the office by email or phone and we’ll send them to you. I apologize for this oversight.

At present dues payment is not required as a condition of membership. Because dues income is so important to the financial viability of the POA, we are looking at ways to make dues payment mandatory—required as a condition of eligibility to vote and enjoy other benefits of membership. This will require a constitutional amendment and—of course—a vote of the membership.

Deed Restriction. Another item that we will ask the membership to vote on is the removal of a deed restriction that requires our facilities to be used exclusively DIPOA members. As most are aware, the facilities were operated as a “members only” club for many years, but this was changed in the aftermath of Hurricane Frederic when the facilities were opened to the public. So we feel the need to remove this deed restriction for two reasons—to adjust our governing document to conform to our current reality; and to remove what could be a barrier to receiving public or quasi-public funding/investment for improvements to our property. A specific proposal for removal of this restriction is being developed and will be communicated when complete.

Shoreline Restoration: Phase I of the comprehensive plan for renourishment of the south shoreline has been completed and the report is available for review at Town Hall. This phase involves the east end of the island and the remaining parts of the plan which include the west end should be completed by year-end. The major challenge at this point is obtaining sufficient funding to complete the actual renourihsment work and provide for continuing maintenance.

Communication. Take note—we have a new email address: dipoa10@centurylink.net . Also, we are working on a major overhaul of our membership list so please be sure we have any address change, email address change, etc.

Clubhouse Lease. BP has extended their lease of the main clubhouse through November. It’s not known at this point whether that will be the end of their use—or whether they will wish to remain for a longer period.

Golf Course/Pool/Grill.. The course is open Wednesday thru Sunday and these hours will likely continue until Snowbird season. Jeff is working on some special membership packages and other arrangements so stay tuned. Flamingo Fae’s has closed and the pool, bar, and grill, will be operated in house. These facilities are closed now but are being made ready to open around the first of the year. Repairs to the pool will be completed prior to next year’s season. Last weekend’s golf tournament was a big success and we have another scheduled Sunday, October 24^th.

Next Meeting. The next meeting of the POA board will be Saturday, October 23, at 11:00 AM, at the Shelby Bldg. Keep in mind that the meeting location is subject to change until we return to our home location—check the website for updates.

Bruce Jones
POA President