Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Present: S. Harding, M. Novack, G. Gustavson, A. Richardson, G. Colbert, D. Kroll, Mike Compton, D. Young, D. Medeiros, and G. Lingle
Special Guests: Hugo DeVries, Shannon Oshiro
Absent: J. Fernie, J. Bean, G. Rogers, R. Castanha, L Jenks
A quorum was called by M. Novak and the meeting was called to order at 7:08 pm.
Approval of Minutes: November minutes were approved as shared earlier by email.
Finance: G. Gustavson shared financial information by email earlier and noted that there was nothing unusual about spending since the last report. He pointed out that our Qualified Settlement Fund money continues to draw interest and that we will be using those funds to pay future dredging consulting fees, actual dredging expenses and any other lake maintenance expenditures.
A discussion of our lake liability policy ensued, and Gus indicated that he would confirm the renewal date for a follow-up discussion.
On-Going Business: Margaret suggested we could streamline our meeting agendas somewhat if we could take care of certain administrative items by email. It was suggested that if Board Action was being requested by email that the heading of the email includes subject intro phrases such as BOD Action Required, BOD Feedback Requested and BOD Info to Members. In particular, this would help in getting responses when ‘Action’ or a ‘Vote’ was being requested.
Goals for the Upcoming Year: Margaret asked that the members responsible for various portfolio topics consider key goals and objectives for the upcoming year. Some items offered as examples include:
- How we can better store and have available an electronic library of important documents. An informal committee had been established to look at what documents should be considered for permanent storage, but we had not yet settled on a process to confirm what documents existed and what methods we might pursue to create a storage and access process (e.g., DropBox, Google Docs, SharePoint, etc.). This is an item to pursue in future sessions. We noted that only a small portion of paper items retrieved from Melody for scanning had actually been scanned but that we need to better resolve what documents we actually need to preserve prior to a full-on scanning effort.
- Environmental Goals: Should we have some more specific environment support or improvement goals? This is a topic to be pursued further.
- Other areas? Should we review our roster of responsibilities and look toward a more focused set of objectives for the year?
Committee reports:
Clean-up: The clean-up contribution of the Kailua soccer team was acknowledged as being highly appreciated and payment to the team was confirmed.
EcoHarvester: Guest Hugo DeVries offered an update on the EcoHarvester and noted that the algae which had been stored on M. Compton’s dock area had been cleared. He noted that we need a letter drafted to Kukilakila to confirm the use of their ramp for ingress and egress of the EcoHarvester as well as the use of the ramp for removal of collected algae to farmer trucks or other participants who might participate in hauling away any algae or waste debris. Margaret and Hugo agreed to collaborate on a letter to Kukilakila.
Hugo noted that we need some form of platform to offload collected algae from the back end of the EcoHarvester. George Lingle noted that the USMC Air Station may have some excess floating dock construction material available and offered to check with the USMC on its availability to purchase or receive otherwise.
Greg reiterated that he has a 25hp Evinrude 2 cycle outboard motor that he is willing to donate to ELRA if we want to motorize any of the existing docks or any new dock. It was also noted by M. Compton that the ELRA owns a boat storage dock currently tied to a prior Security Officer’s seawall and that possibly it could be modified to be an algae transport platform. M. Compton noted that he would look at the outboard offered by Greg and could possibly look at the boat storage platform with some help.
Margaret reiterated that we need to establish a name for the EcoHarvester and requested that people offer their input on the names already suggested.
Lake security: Mike Compton reported that there had been only one security incident during the past month to his knowledge, and it had been shared by email.
Mike also noted that the ‘No Trespassing’ sign was down. Shannon as a guest offered to help put it back in place. It was also noted that we should consider a different design for the sign that would allow it to float like a buoy. Greg noted that there are standard Coast Guard sanctioned sign designs that are available commercially including a buoy design to indicate private property. We may want to look at how to incorporate a no trespassing sign with this form of a standard buoy. The buoy should be available through West Marine. Greg will get an estimate for one.
Dredging Actions: S. Harding noted that we did not get any fully completed RFP responses but do have indications of continued interest from multiple parties if we can better resolve a site for dredge material disposal. Sean and Cindy have leads on possible disposal sites and will continue to pursue interactions with representatives for those sites.
It was noted that the disposal sites would also need permits through the Department of Health and that we (through Oceanit) should be able to assist the landowners in getting appropriate permits. With better disposal site options developed, we should then return to the dredge contractors who have shown interest.
Articles of Incorporation/By-Laws: Don Young reviewed items that were still unresolved for the ByLaws and agreed to share feedback and updates from this evening via email for continued input. It is hoped that the ByLaws may be ready for a vote at the next BOD meeting in January.
Next Meeting Date: The next meeting date will be Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at 7 pm at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church at 780 Keolu Drive, Kailua. The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 pm.