Hawaiian Shores -- Feb 2012 Board Mtg Recap

WATCHDOG © 2012

Welcome Watchdog Readers!

Of course Watchdog would provide you with a recap of the monthly Board meeting! Let's start at the top and work our way through the Agenda:

Opening Announcements: The Board wholly approved support for efforts being made to secure a 'grant aid' program for Fuel Taxes already paid by motorists in each of the districts comprising Hawaii County. [A bill introduced by local House Rep. Faye Hanohano to clarify language that would allow some local fuel taxes collected and redistributed back to the Counties to be available for a 'grant aid' program for communities with private roads to access for road maintenance. Currently, those taxes are used to maintain county roads.] 

The Board also made a motion to waive guest fees for monthly Neighborhood Watch meetings currently being held at the Honu Street Recreational Facility. This will allow larger community participation in the program -- currently utilizing the Hawaii County Community Police Officers as the facilitator -- to develop stronger larger neighborhood watch group program for Hawaiian Beaches and Hawaiian Shores.

Reports Highlights: 

WATCHDOG © 2012

1. Office Manager's Report: Financials were deferred until March Board Meeting due to reporting format issues. The next month's financials will also have a 'dynamic' vs 'static' Capital Improvement format.
2. Office Manager has developed an office list of "Very Insistent Persons" or was that 'Very Interested Person" [You may want to check with the office to ascertain a]if you are on the list; b]why; c]what is purpose of the list; d]who is allowed to see the list; e]is their procedure in place to remove your name from the list; f] is this list a proactive feature to building 'community'; g]should such a list, obviously an internal aid, have been published in the Office Manager's report?]
3. Maintenance Foreman hired Oct 2011 resigned his position Jan 2012. Board is considering candidates from which they anticipate hiring someone who is a 'good fit' for the job. The just departed Foreman was hired as a 'good fit'.
4. Election Committee Chair's report: Total Cost of election: $5857; 11.5% reduction over previous year. [Previous year had two election packets sent out due to 'confusion' over a ballot that had served the community for years.]
5. ByLaws: A concern over legitimacy of bylaws voted upon and implemented by the 2009-2010 Boards has been raised. During the discovery process allegations have also arisen to the legitimacy due to law requiring changes to bylaws and CCR's to be filed with state's Bureau of Conveyances.
6. Solar contract for Pool still being negotiated.
7. New Range Power, the solar field company who wanted to lease acreage from the Association to produce power and sell to HELCO has been put on hold due to FIT [Feed in Tariff] language. 
8. Community Center Renovations: The 'Repair and Replacement' plans for the Community Center has made it to the Board for their review and approval. Costs to date for initial work done to prepare the structure, such as termite tenting, etc., $11k +/- a few dollars. The anticipated total cost for the projects $75k +/- which is approximately 10k under what it was estimated to cost to demolish. 

 Special Committees to the Board were set up with returning and new members:

• Finance 
• Infrastructure
• Community Relations

The following Special Committees are on hiatus:

• Nominations
• Bylaws
• HR

The Dog Park Committee was not mentioned as being active or inactive.

NOTE: The Board of Directors confirmed they do not have an official Facebook Group/Page for HSCA nor the Board nor do they have a surrogate Facebook Group/Page.

Anyone wishing to serve on any committee should make their desire known by writing a note to that effect and sending/emailing it to the office [contact info on official website]; or, be present at the next Board meeting March 17th @ 10 and request appointment directly of the Board. 

 

  

Hawaiian Shores -- Feb. Board Meeting

WATCHDOG © 2012

Greetings Watchdog Readers!

In 3 days our first regular meeting of the newly elected Board will be held. Looking at the Agenda for the meeting it will be a very busy meeting. NOT! 

Here it is 0600; Wednesday, February 15 and still no Agenda! 

While late internet access to the Agenda  leaves little time for the Members to peruse the Agenda and prepare for the meeting -- it is more alarming to think the Board members [including the newly the elected director whose presence has been missing at the last 2 board meetings] are not receiving their packets in sufficient time to prepare for a productive meeting. 

One thing we do know that has been mentioned for this meeting is the formation of the Committees which will bear the responsibility for this year's [15 month year] accomplishments. It would be very wise and very important for Members from the community to step up and volunteer to serve on a committee. For instance, though the Dog Park Committee has been formed they may add more members if the members have an interest one way or another in its formation. The Cell Tower is another big item which may be developed into a committee. Working out the use of the Pool by non members; the usual committees such as 'Finance, Bylaws, Community Relations, Infrastructure' etc., all serving a particular need of the community for the good of all. It is a level of service that is functional, fulfilling and educational without the formality of being on the Board. 

This year, it would be a huge improvement to have the 'official' calendar current with all events, meetings, etc. 

See you there. Please check daily and often through out the day for the Agenda so you can prepare your comments for the meeting.

Neighborhood Watch Meeting Notice

WATCHDOG © 2012

Aloha Neighbors,

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 will be the initial meeting with Police Officer Finkey and members from the community who are interested in how to establish Neighborhood Watch for our streets. The meeting will be held at the Honu Street Recreational Facility and will begin at 130P. It is not exclusive to any particular neighborhood but we do have committed interest for those streets reflected in the graphic. Anyone interested should try and make this meeting as it is the time when all will be at the same level of knowledge with Officer Finkey explaining the system to those who wish to participate.

Please be sure to invite anyone you believe might be interested to attend. 

FYI, what is written on the back page of the handout entitled "Neighborhood Watch Manual" as reasons for Neighborhood Watch:

1. Basic Crime Prevention
2. Disaster Preparedness
3. Build a Stronger Community

See you there!

Hawaiian Shores -- Chickens Roost

WATCHDOG © 2012

Bonne journée, Guten tag, Labdien, добрый день, Добрий день, dzień dobry, Aloha,

Greetings to Watchdog's international audience!

Today, Watchdog provides the results of research conducted which ends in a small but important victory.  The graphic is tongue in cheek but irony as well. Watchdog invites international interest from their far flung locales right down into the community known as Hawaiian Shores. 

Since the Spring of 2011 there has been a concerted effort to 'rustle' free range chickens who have taken the proverbial walk to the other side of the street [Kahakai Blvd] to check out the 'eats' in Hawaiian Shores. It seems they have found the few streets at the ocean end of the community as particularly great roosting. As recently as this past month discussion took place at the monthly board meeting updating the folks as to the nifty cages the board approved purchasing for the capture of the chickens. Interestingly, it is a specific group of owners whose faces and names pop up consistently over the years as disgruntled with this or that and now they have this fowl issue to deal with. The segue to the rest of this post.

In October of 2011 the Bylaws committee recommended a change to bylaw 11.01. At the time bylaw 11.01 was absolutely out of harmony with our Articles of Incorporation in the percentage of a vote that must be received to make a change to the bylaws. Watchdog has discussed the rightness of the recommended change in a few articles posted here. The bylaw passed with the 2/3rds required during this past election. KUDOS to the members who chose to correct a mistake. So far so good. 

Elsewhere, in an ongoing rabid attack upon members of previous boards of directors and former employees, there have been slanderous allegations made by those who engage in spurious conjecture and repeating baseless rumor never honoring their own integrity by doing the least bit of research to discover truths. Watchdog alluded to the time frame believed to be when the 'change' to bylaw 11.01 may have happened. The president -- apparently wishing to redirect attention away from the actual board members [which may included her husband] who had ultimate authority of the matter -- claimed the copy of the 2006 bylaws 'she' had did not reflect the bylaw as it was approved amended by members in 2006. Interestingly, members who became members from 1/2006 through 2011 will have a copy that reflects bylaw 11.01 with its error of  '51%'. [Part of the research done by Watchdog easily proving the 2006 Bylaws included 11.01 in its 2006 amended form.]

On January 25, 2012, Watchdog went to the office to look to see how far back bylaw 11.01 read the way it does. The new office staff was unable to initially locate the file folder with the archived bylaws. 2 weeks later, after the new staff was informed by former staff where to look Watchdog was able to review 'a' folder with some changes going back to 2001. Was hoping for a file folder with copies of whole sets of bylaws through the years that reflected what this organization worked from. What we have is only this assertion: The earliest mention of bylaw 11.01 is 2004. [Either the board recommended changes to the attorney to review or he drafted them.] Whether it was changed during that sweeping change or introduced during the sweeping change is not provable by the evidence provided to Watchdog. But it appears the process began with the board seated in 2004, continued with the boards seated in 2005 who approved it for the members to vote upon and voted upon by the member in the 2006 election. It was promulgated with the footer "Rev. 01/21/06" under the authority of the elected board of January 2006. Watchdog does not know who all sat on all those boards but knows for certain nearly all of the folks [or their spouses] clucking about chickens together with the secretary and treasurer who served for 10 years until 2007 DID sit on those boards! The Watchdog did not! They know who they are but will they be humble enough to identify themselves? Between you and Watchdog? Not necessary. It is in the past and is really made moot with the correction of the bylaw by the members.

Thanks to the League of Women Voters who studied the bylaws so they could qualify our vote this year according to our governing documents. The disparity between the Articles of Incorporation and the bylaws was discovered and put to a vote to bring them to parity. 

Watchdog is empathetic to those who are currently  unsolicited roosts for the wayfaring chickens. Irony:  it is delicious to know [pun intended] the many of the very ones squawking about the 'seeming' illegal activities of Watchdog and others -- regarding the alleged change to bylaw 11.01 -- are the very ones upon whom the change [or their lack of oversight] will come home to roost. Will those who have insisted that Watchdog fix the mess Watchdog is alleged to have created still gather as birds of a feather? Will they engage in the same character assassination of their friends? The ones on the board who approved them for the members to vote upon? Who wins in this sort of personal attack? The community? 

The FACTS: Doesn't matter what happened. The bylaws have been corrected..not that you would know it because they have yet to be posted to the official website for the Members. Does the inclusion of former bylaw 11.01 affect anything done by any board under its law? A legal case might be made but how much would any single member be willing to pay to do that kind of research and response only to find when everything is said and done it will necessarily fall upon their closest friends?  The bylaw committees that recommended changes in 2008-2010 did so at the request of Members who made the requests for updates at Annual meetings of Members; Members who corresponded to the board their concerns about certain bylaws and finally by the various boards who saw an update to some bylaws necessary to bring them to HRS 421j standards. 
  
The Membership as a whole is likely not aware of the disposition of the bylaws they voted for/against because they have yet to be posted. All of them passed with the requisite percentage. As of this morning the 2010 set still remain on the official website.

WATCHDOG © 2012

Cell Tower -- To Be? or Not To Be?

Watchdog © 2012

Greetings Watchdog Readers,

An Important Reminder

Tonight, Thursday, February 2, 2012 the Board of Directors has scheduled a Special Meeting of the Board so the Board and Members might be on the same page regarding information that will or should be provided by the broker for AT&T. AT&T has entered initial discussions with the Board to provide a Cell Tower ostensibly at the east/south end of Maikoiko Street Park. The meeting tonight is an open meeting and will provide opportunity, if handled correctly, for members to ask questions that may not be touched on during the presentation or came to mind as a result of the presentation.

It is especially important for those who are not inclined to have the Cell Tower, or at least not in its proposed location, to be heard regarding legitimate concerns. 

There are a couple of things to keep in mind. In 2006 the 'first' cell tower fiasco was coming to its final negotiations. Watchdog had only just been appointed to the Board during this final phase. By 2007, the contracts had all been signed and the environmental portion of the process was initiated. There was a legitimate group of members who were vehemently opposed to the erection of the Cell Tower; some for health reasons, some for other reasons, and they made their thoughts and feelings very well known. In fact, Watchdog received many threatening emails from members reflecting the strength in their disapproval made clear. The big thing that was done wrong back in 2006 and even 2007 was the Membership was never invited to participate in the process. As it turned out, because of that, the Board in August 2007 requested the attorney at that time to write a letter to essentially stop the process. And so it was.

This time the Board has moved on this the right way. They included the Cell Tower in a survey that was sent out to members. Over 60% of the 170 respondents were positive responses. They then added it to their January 14th regular Board meeting and discussed it openly before members gathered that day. They began the 2012 Annual Meeting with an announcement to ascertain by vote when a most convenient time would be for the members to attend an informational only meeting. They found the first week of February was best. And so we have arrived at this date and the first in what should be a couple of public meetings by the provider [AT&T] will be tonight.

I believe appreciation and plaudits should go to the 2011 Board for following the right path on this one. Whatever happens as a result of this meeting tonight and the Board's ultimate decision to this point they have functioned absolutely appropriately. 

The Board will do well to build on their success in this particular instance by truly 'hearing' the objections or the approvals from members who speak during the meeting. Not simply appease the members with the meeting yet act on an agenda already set to move ahead. Members must realize however, should they do so, while it may appear to be 'disrespecting' the members concerns, they have done all they conscientiously needed to do to bring this project to this point and moving ahead has been sanctioned by the 60+% of the 13% percent of the Membership who bothered to fill out the Survey. Everyone had an equal chance to share their vote and of those who availed themselves it ended with a positive vote to proceed. 

So Good Job 2011 Board of Directors. Let's see how the 2012 Board proceeds from here!