OPENING:
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance with a special thank you to all the Veterans who have served and are currently serving and to all the first responders who actively serve our community daily. Thank you for the freedom and safety we all enjoy today. Please take a moment of silence for all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom.
ROLL CALL – BOARD OF TRUSTEES:
Michael Signorile, President; Vincent Dechiaro, Vice President; Gail Ziemski, Secretary; Vivian Benner, Treasurer; Elizabeth Higgins, George Mason.
Meeting will be recorded and transcribed by Doris Vilardo for submission to The South.
Our guest speaker tonight will be NJ Congressman Andrew Kim. Congressman Kim will be speaking on matters on the Federal level and what he supports. He will be taking questions after his presentation.
He has recently attended 11 townhalls in Ocean County and wants to work for the people and hear what matters most to them so they can be addressed. He is working on lowering prescription drug prices, something our President supports. Working on legislation to increase the scope of Medicare to including hearing, vision and dental coverage. Another key issue in Ocean County is to make sure Veterans get what they deserve. There is a newly planned health facility for Veterans that should be up and running in 2021 which will be larger than the one that is Brick and will have an MRI machine and CT scan machine. Military should be a partisan political issue. Also discussed the Oyster Power Plant. He is making sure that this is done is a professional and safe way. Wants NJ to be an affordable State with lower taxes.
The S2425 Bill is not a Federal issue, but a State issue. However, now that he is aware of it, he will look into contacting Mayors as well as Judy Noonan to see what he can do to assist. He advised to keep signing petitions and contact your representatives about this Bill. It makes a difference. He will also talk to the Governor and Lt. Governor about this Bill.
Mike is diligently working with Judy Noonan to oppose this Bill. This Bill was introduced by Lt. Gov. Oliver to the Senate. She tried to do this about 8 years ago and it wasn’t passed when she was with the DCA. Two Republican Senators were the only ones who opposed the Bill. What protects us is the HOPA Bill that President Clinton passed to protect senior citizens in 1995. We must have 80/20 representation to keep our HOPA status. Mike wrote to each of the State Senators including Senate President Stephen Sweeney. He only received a reply from Sen. Connors. Judy Noonan brought over 5,000 petition signatures to Trenton. She advised that members of the Assembly are starting to contact her indicating that they will vote no if the bill is presented. Mike sent, on behalf of HCS Homeowners, 41 letters to the Senators and 81 letters to the Assembly opposing the Bill as well as a letter to Gov. Murphy. We have to stay on top of this and he urged the community to do their part by sending letters, emails and making telephone calls letting Trenton know that we oppose this Bill. This Bill is Statewide, not just here in our community; it’s for any community that has HOAs.
Make sure you fill out the HOPA form every 2 years. We must keep our status!
Senator Connors will be here on October 5, 2019 at 10 am, be sure to attend.
The Solar Project has started in Building B. Permits for the project have been approved. The roof solar panels are currently being installed. We are currently waiting for the town engineer to approve the engineering report for that section.
We received the results of the Reserve Study that included the financial status for the next 3-5 years. This study will give us a broader picture of our financial health as we move into the next 5-10 years.
The “Southwind” will now be called “The South”. We have a new staff. This will broaden the scope of the periodical adding new ideas and layouts that will give us better communication. Some new additions to “The South” will be recipes, contests, etc. If you have any other ideas, we welcome them. Place your ideas in the Suggestion Box in Building A.
Our email list is growing, but not as fast as we would like. The email list is a vital tool to contact you in the event of any emergencies. Please be sure to submit your email address to the office. ROBO calls are also used, but some people have them blocked and they don’t receive messages.
Bouch Engineering will be starting the clean-up of the swales from San Carlos to Orlando. Debris is causing a backup of water in many areas. Mosquito Commission advised we have a problem that needs to be rectified. We will notify everyone when the work will begin.
We have contracted with American Pools as our new pool company. By changing companies, this will save us a significant amount of money.
The Trustees’ Entertainment Show is scheduled for October 20th from 1pm to 3pm. The Entertainer is John Tarangelo, “The Man of Many Voices”, acclaimed by Billboard Magazine as one of the top 10 singers and tribute artists in the entertainment industry. Tickets are $15 and are available for purchase in the Clubhouse Office from 9am-3pm Monday thru Friday.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:10 pm.
Submitted by Doris Vilardo
Minutes approved by Trustees