Date: August 15, 2008
Dear Silver Beach Members:
We hope you have all been enjoying the summer thus far. For the most part, the weather has cooperated and the water has been very clean…hopefully this will continue through the Fall.
A Special Thank You
The Executive Committee would like to express its appreciation to:
· all the volunteers who helped with the Dune Grass Planting and Spring Beach Cleanup!!
· all the volunteers who helped make our July 4th Family Day celebration such a success!!
· Sydney Abajian who planted flowers by the Silver Beach sign on Rt. 35 North!!
· Alexandra and Sabrina Ferrar and Aimee Jeanette, grandchildren of Connie Jeannette and Johathan and Kaitlyn DeMattheis, grandchildren of Lou DeMatthesis who donated the proceeds of their lemonade stand sales toward the replacement of the slide at the bay beach!!
· the Cetrulo family for repairing the spindles on the deck of the Badge House that was destroyed by vandals!!
Thank you for all your help!!!
Vandalism
This summer, Silver Beach has been the victim of a number vandalism incidents:
o The Lifeguard Boat was filled with sand, which caused the seams of the fiberglass to split, rendering it unsafe
o The Silver Beach sign on Rt. 35 N was destroyed
o An incendiary device was left in a Port-A-John at the construction site on East Colony, which necessitated a call to the Ocean Beach Fire Department to put it out
o A number of spindles on the Badge House deck were kicked out and wood from the dune fencing was pulled out to make bonfires, which again necessitated a call to the Ocean Beach Fire Department
o Several bicycles were stolen from Member’s property
o A few houses were broken into.
We have been working with the Toms River Police to increase patrols in our area and have sent a letter to WaWa asking them to prevent loitering at their store in Chadwick. We have budgeted for private security controls for next season and are investigating other alternatives, such as improved lighting.
We ask that each and every Member keep their eyes and ears open and report any suspicious activity to the Toms River Police immediately at 732-349-0150. We have been assured by Chief Mastronardy that all calls will remain anonymous. Together we will discourage this type of activity in Silver Beach.
Executive Committee Elections
There are five Executive Committee positions up for re-election this year:
Rich Bakker (Trustee)
Tom Cleeland (Trustee)
Pete Detmering (Trustee)
Gabby Dudas (Trustee)
Arnie Morris (Trustee)
The term of office for each of the above Trustees is two years from the date of election.
Since there were no additional candidates nominated by the Membership, we will not be accepting mailed ballots this year. The above slate will be ratified at our Fall Meeting.
2008 Forecasted Year-End Financials and 2009 Proposed Budget
The 2009 Proposed Budget and a Forecast of 2008 Year-End Financials is attached to this letter. The 2009 Proposed Budget will be presented to the Membership at the Fall Meeting for discussion and approval.
We project that approximately $18k will be added to our reserve accounts in 2008, a $14.5k improvement over budget. Income exceeded plan by $10k due to a significantly larger number of members and new members joining the Association. Your generous donations toward the purchase of the beach wheelchair, movie projection equipment, and a new slide for the bay beach also contributed to this Income surplus.
We did have a number of unexpected costs in 2008; most notably the $4.7k required for emergency playground repairs and cost associated with removal of storm debris after the beach was cleaned in early May. These unplanned costs were more than offset by a 25% negotiated reduction in our insurance rates.
For 2009, we expect the number of members to marginally grow as the remaining lots at the Sandpiper and old Wawa properties are built and sold. However, beach badge sales remain under pressure due to fewer rentals. As a result we forecast ’09 Income to be lower than 2008.
While most of our Expense line items show no or only slight growth in ’09, there are a few items of note included in our planned expenses.
We expect our Real Estate Taxes to increase by $1.5k based on the recent reassessment.
We include $3k in Beach Preservation to renew the necessary CAFRA permits in 2009. These permits are required by the NJ DEP.
To address vandalism, the Executive Committed includes $9k in Ocean Beach Operations for the employment of a Security firm to patrol our beach and community for the ’09 season. We continue to work with TRPD to improve patrols and are evaluating other options to address this ongoing issue.
Finally, the Executive Committee proposes that we replace “Old Yeller” ($5k), the slide that was removed from the Bay Beach for safety reasons, and purchase the movie projection equipment ($2.3k) to be available for the 2009 Season. To date we have received $.45k and $1.65k in donations for the slide and projector, respectively, and our intent is to solicit donations for the balance in ’09. Note that we do not budget for donations so the draw on reserves will be reduced by any donations that we may receive.
The Executive Committee has worked hard to contain costs to keep our dues as low a possible and is pleased to announce that the 2009 dues will remain at the 2008 rate of $350.
Sea Nettles at the Bay Beach
Due to the invasion of sea nettles in Barnegat Bay there has been no one swimming at the Bay Beach. Since this condition is not expected to improve in the near future, the Executive Committee has decided to remove the lifeguard at the Bay Beach and post signs indicating “Swimming is prohibited due to stinging sea nettles” and “Swim at your own risk”.
Ocean Beach Hours
During the week, there are considerably less people on the beach. As a result, the Executive Committee has decided to change the lifeguard hours Monday – Thursday to 9am-5:30pm, rather than 9am-6pm. The lifeguards will remain on the stands until 6pm Friday – Sunday and holidays.
Beach Wheelchair
You may have noticed our new beach wheelchair in use this summer. Thank you to all who helped make this possible. Your generosity has enabled a number of people to enjoy the beach with their family and friends. To make arrangements for the chair, please call the Badge House (732-793-8357) between the hours of 10am and 5pm. Please note, the wheelchair is only to be used to transport the person to the beach. Please bring a chair for the person to sit on the beach so the wheelchair will be available to transport others, as needed.
Fall Family Day Celebration
Our Fall Family Day Celebration will be held from noon – 5pm on Saturday, August 30th (Rain date: Sunday, August 31st). The DJ and Bounce House will begin at noon.
Family Day Mass will be held at 11am on Sunday, September 1st at the Badge House. (Please note the time change).
Fall Membership Meeting
The Fall Membership Meeting will be held on:
Saturday, September 6, 2008
9 am
Dover Brick First Aid Squad
2nd Avenue and Rt. 35 South, Normandy Beach
We hope to see you all on Family Day and at the Fall Membership Meeting!!
Silver Beach Executive Committee
Site Navigation