Board of Directors Zoom Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Conducted via Zoom: Present: J. Bean, G. Colbert, M. Compton, G. Gustavson, L. Jenks, D. Medeiros, M. Novack, F. Tannen, C. Turner, D. Young, and M. Spencer (Administrative Assistant).
Absent: D. Dawson, C. Jewell, and A. Richardson,
Guests: Bob Bourke, Scientific Advisor; Maryam Hosseini Ghomi, and Payameh “Pye” Seyhandar, Residents at 1050 Akumu St.
Of Note: This meeting had been scheduled to take place at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Kailua as the first “in Person” meeting since July 2020, the beginning of the pandemic. However, many of the attending Board members preferred Zoom and the in-person meeting was deferred to Zoom.
The meeting was called to order by D. Young, President at 7:03 pm. A quorum was declared.
Minutes: The draft Minutes for June 2022 had been circulated via email prior to the meeting.
Following a brief discussion, G. Gustavson moved approval and L. Jenks seconded the motion that the Minutes be approved. D. Young, J. Bean, G. Colbert, D. Medeiros, and M. Compton abstained since they were not present at the May meeting. The remaining members approved the report unanimously.
Finance: G. Gustavson reported that there are no significant changes in the ELRA finances in June 2022. We closed out the 2021-2022 fiscal year very close to our budget for repetitive line items. The major areas that did not track the budget were lake maintenance, costs for the annual meeting, and dredging. Funds were budgeted for those items, and little or no funds were expended.
The American Savings Bank June end of month balances are $2252 in Savings and $46,064 in checking.
The annual ELRA maintenance fee invoices were mailed on June 2nd. To date, we have received over $20,000 in assessment payments from assessed members. Melody has mailed out the boat stickers for the upcoming FY, except for a few that were just recently received.
Thanks to Alan Richardson and Adam Bookatz for their continued support of the ELRA finances.
By show of hands, the Finance Report was unanimously accepted, subject to audit.
Administration:
Communications Log: D.Young had shared his log prior to the Meeting. There was no discussion.
Report from the Kailua Neighborhood Board (KNB): C. Turner reported that she was unable to attend, but had conferred with Levani Lipton, Member of KNB, to determine whether there had been any discussion relevant to the Lake. She was told that there was none.
Annual Membership Meeting: M. Novack opened the discussion reminding the Board that the Planning Committee (consisting of C. Turner, C. Jewell, and F. Tannen) had been addressing the various details of the Annual Meeting.
Using the 2022 Planning Matrix, it appears that the Board is current with the variety of tasks necessary to produce the Annual Meeting.
The Planning Committee will meet at the Koolau Ballroom on 13 August 2022, to participate in a tasting session to select the menu for the evening.
C. Turner reminded the board that a significant deposit was due NLT 30 August 2022.
D. Young has already updated the various invite, nomination requests, and proxy documents to be used in the Invites, both via email and via USPS mail.
D. Young has invited Derek Esibill to be the evening’s speaker. This has not been locked-in yet.
G. Colbert confirmed that he has a projector that can be used at the meeting.
Considerable discussion was devoted to the most effective timeline for sending out the various email and USPS notifications. It was agreed that:
– On 18 July a full email invite (less Menu)/notification, to include request for RSVP, request for Director Nominations, request for Proxy designation, and a map. The invite will also be posted on ELRA Facebook.
– On 1 Sep all of the above will be sent out via USPS.
Annual Report: D. Young requested that all Committee Chairs begin preparing their input to the written Annual Report. The dates should encompass 1 July 2021 to 19 Aug 2022.
Young requests the drafts be to him NLT 19 August.
Elections: M. Novack reiterated the urgent need to recruit new members for the Board.
Six serving members of the Board are eligible to run for election for a new three-year term.
Of these, two have chosen not to run. There is one long-term vacancy on the Board.
Therefore, we will have three vacancies that we are trying to fill.
Novack suggested that it would be valuable to look for individuals whose skill sets could enhance the Board’s deliberations, such as attorneys, engineers, environmental scientists, etc.
G. Gustavson stated that it was important to encourage individuals who will have a dedication to the lake and willingness to devote time to its management.
M. Hosseini Ghomi asked how much time is typically spent by Board Members. The responses highlighted that each Board Member has approached their work differently. Clearly the Officers and Committee Chairs devote more time than some members. The only requirement is to attend the monthly meeting, typically taking one to two hours. Hosseini Ghomi requested a copy of the “New Director Orientation” package
7-1 TASK: Send a copy of the New Director Orientation package to M. Hosseini Ghomi** M. Novack** COMPLETE
Lake Cleanup, Contractors and Costs: D. Young opened the discussion describing the various unsuccessful efforts that he and several others had made to find an entity, company or insured individual, to agree to clean parts or all of the lake. He then asked C. Turner to describe the recent events with the EcoHarvester.
C. Turner described how the use of the EcoHarvester had been limited this spring and summer because much of the Wetland waterways had been filled in with large quantities of sediment from upslope construction and the area is now too shallow to dock the EcoHarvester. Not being able to dock it means the crew could not off-load the collected algae.
This week Hugo de Vries and C. Turner tried an experiment at Kimo’s Cove where the algae growth was unusually dense. Taking the wooden barge that ELRA had been storing at the Oshiro residence and mooring it in the lake near the Kamehameha School’s lots, de Vries and Turner scooped large quantities of algae from the Cove and distributed it onto the barge to allow it to dry. Turner described the algae as having several dense layers, not the fluffy material she was used to.
While the EcoHarvester can be very effective gathering algae in wide-open areas, it is ineffective in shallow, close to shore, areas, and cannot pick up coconuts.
The discussion then moved back to how best to address the persistent problem with coconuts. Some of the following suggestions were made:
– Take pictures of fruiting coconut trees that overhang the lake and send letter to property owners, asking that they remove the nuts
– Try again to convince the Canoe Clubs to assist – just in picking up coconuts.
– Try again with Aloha Junk Man to determine their interest.
– Consider identifying certain weekends for self-help projects around the lake. Residents clean their areas, place rubbish in bags along their front curbs, and ELRA Volunteers would collect from curb
– Volunteer cleanup by lake residents followed by a social gathering at someone’s property
– Volunteer cleanup by lake residents, with a raffle at the end with prizes
Finally, C. Turner shared her suggested advertisement seeking a company or insured individual to help clean the lake to be placed in “Next Door”, My Kailua, and ELRA Facebook. The Board agreed that this was a good idea.
7-2 TASK: Submit the agreed-to advertisement to find a cleaner for the lake in various e-publications ** C. Turner** COMPLETE
Maintenance Fees for 2023: D. Young opened the discussion about Maintenance Fees by sharing that the last time the Fees were increased was in 2014. Over the last few years ELRA expenses have grown significantly: Liability, D&O, Boat, and EcoHarvester insurance companies have increased their premiums. There is a new contract to sample water quality on a quarterly basis. Costs for the Annual Meeting Dinner have almost doubled. As with all organizations, inflation has increased the costs of everything from office supplies and postage to fuel for the EcoHarvester and Security Boat.
G. Gustavson pointed out that the Association has no reserve-fund for unexpected emergencies and that once the funds fenced for the Dredging Project are expended, we have no safety net.
D. Young acknowledged that ELRA has not been very successful in finding anyone to clean the lake, although they have been trying for several years. Young suggests that at least $10K be allocated in the 2023 budget to ensure that ELRA can contract with a reliable entity
Discussion was brisk. Some verbally supported the concept of raising the fee but suggested it be done over a period of years. Others were concerned that ELRA could be faulted for calling these fees maintenance fees when the maintenance has been minimal.
Ultimately it was agreed to Table the discussion until next month.
Committee Reports:
Dredging Committee Report: G. Colbert reported that he has been unable to reach anyone in the decision-making hierarchy related to ELRA depositing dredged soil at the Olomana School.
B. Bourke suggested contacting Chris Lee, State Senate District 25, to determine whether it would be possible to stored dredged material on Dog Park site, in anticipation of future use.
7-3 TASK: Contact Chris Lee, State Senate District 25, to determine whether it would be possible to stored dredged material on Dog Park site ** G. Colbert**
Environment Committee: L. Jenks acknowledged the lengthy EcoHarvester report from C. Turner. Jenks announced the finalization of the contact with D. Esibill on the renewal of the water analysis contract. She has paused the Storm Drain Marking project.
Jenks suggested that if ELRA hopes to have a “self-help” clean-up event in August, this needs to be publicized very soon.
Operations Committee: No report.
Membership Committee: No report.
Next Meeting Date: The next Board meeting will take place either via Zoom or at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church Tuesday, Aug 9, 2022, at 7pm. The next KNB meeting will be Aug 4, 2022, at the Kailua Rec Center, D. Young is scheduled to attend.
Adjournment: G. Colbert moved adjournment, which was seconded by G. Gustavson. The affirmative vote was unanimous. The meeting adjourned at 9:08 pm.
Respectfully submitted
M. Novack
Tasks from previous months still needing to be completed.
1-3 TASK: Board member to visit ELRA Members who are in arrears in their assessments ** G. Colbert.
2-1 TASK: Contact local mountain and motor bike clubs to seek cooperation concerning trails. Consider writing letter to private owner making them aware of the impact of the trails on down slope homes and Lake. ** Relevant, to be addressed in the future.
2-5 TASK: Write a letter requesting the grass cut along canals by C&C be collected after it is cut to prevent it from being washed into the Lake** D. Young
NOTE: It was agreed to delay writing the letter until photos can be provide
4-1 TASK: Board Members will contact local representatives as follows: G. Colbert will contact Chris Lee, State Senate District 25 and D. Young will contact Lisa Marten, State House District 51 seeking assistance in communicating with State officials** G. Colbert, D. Young
6-1 TASK: A letter, signed by ELRA President, should be sent to City Councilwoman Esther Kia’aina (Dist. 3) asking that she request a status report from the City’s Department of Facilities Maintenance (DFM) regarding the permit*** C. Turner will write first draft