2009 June Final Minutes

Crescent Beach Property Owner’s Association
June, 2009 General Monthly Meeting

Date: June 3, 2009
Time and Location: 7:30 PM Beecher Place, Crescent Beach
Directors in Attendance:
Mark Nelson – President
Malcolm Stewart – Secretary
Bruce Friesen – Membership Chair
Karen MacPherson - Past President
Directors Absent:
Don Sinclair – Acting Treasurer

Mark Nelson as chair, called the meeting to order at 7:35 pm. It was established that a quorum was present. The normal order of business was altered to allow the Surrey Emergency Program’s Ken Douglas to provide and overview of emergency preparedness.

09.03.02: Disaster/Emergency Planning
Ken, a retired fire captain and volunteer with the Surrey Emergency Program, took us on a random walk of emergency preparedness; from a video clip of the 1988 San Francisco earthquake to a demonstration of how to turn off your home gas supply. The following summarizes the more salient points of the presentation:
o Emergency preparedness falls into two primary and interdependent categories or plans, personal and neighborhood. A third category, an evacuation plan, applies to Crescent Beach.
o It is far more likely there will be a need to act on a personal emergency plan than the need to act on a neighborhood or evacuation plan. Given that reality, the initial focus should be on putting a personal emergency plan in place.
o A personal plan includes having and practicing a home fire evacuation plan and preparing an72 hour survival kit for an event that isolates the home, like a snowstorm or earthquake that cuts off normal transportation routes. 72 hours is roughly the time frame it is expected that the Provincial Emergency Program (PEP) would be in a position to provide relief. As a general rule of thumb, people can survive 4 minutes without oxygen, 4 days without water and 4 weeks without food.
o A survival kid should include gloves, masks, goggles and sturdy shoes in the event there is a need to search damaged structures.
o A primary source of fresh water during an emergency event is the hot water tank followed by toilet tanks and bowls.
o The hot water tank was also a primary cause of gas fires in the San Francisco earthquake when unsecured tanks fell over breaking the gas line. Members should check to ensure their tanks are secured.
o Gas should only be shut off if you smell it. Otherwise, it may continue to operate fireplaces and other gas appliances.
o Typically, once a personal plan is in place, attention can turn to a neighborhood plan. The neighborhood plan includes taking stock of skills resident in the community and setting up sectors like medical, construction and cooking. A workshop can be arranged through the Neighborhood Emergency preparedness Program (NEPP).
Discussion
o There was some discussion around access to Crescent Beach and comparisons to other areas, like Langley, where rail lines can cut off neighborhoods for more than 20 minutes. What makes Crescent unique is the single road access.
o There was some discussion of a derailment leading to a chemical leak. Ken pointed out that a self-contained breathing apparatus might not protect the wearer for some spills like chlorine, where perspiration mixing with chlorine for example, would create hydrochloric acid.
o Ken also provided a tip for travelers staying in hotels; to count doors to the closest exit so that in the event of a fire and a smoke filled hallway, you can find the exit.
o Mark will follow-up with NEPP to determine what needs to be in place for a workshop to proceed and consideration will be given to collecting a “skills” inventory as part of the 2009/2010 membership drive.

Adoption of the April 1, 2009 Minutes
Motion to adopt minutes: Karen MacPherson
Second: Barb Armstrong
Motion carried

Treasurer’s Report – Mark Nelson

Activity in March 2009:
Credits: $20.48
Debits: $0.00
As of March 31st, 2009:
Term Deposits: $21,579.09
Cash: $11,583.21

Activity in April 2009:
Credits: $10.47
Debits: $303.95
As of March 31st, 2009:
Term Deposits: $21,579.09
Cash: $11,289.73

Adoption of the Treasurer’s Report
Motion to adopt the Treasurer’s Report: Bob Abernethy
Second: Margaret Mackenzie
Motion carried

Membership Report – Bruce Friesen
o Canvassers being contacted with a good response so far. Anyone interested in canvassing should contact Bruce.
o Plan to use Canada Post to deliver a membership letter along with notice of our July AGM to all homes in the CBPOA catchment.
o Memberships will be taken on July 4tth at a location near the Blackie Spit parking area to coincide with Swim Club member sign-up and again at the AGM on July 8th.
o 2-year memberships will be encouraged.
o An email reminder will be sent to those on email advising whether they are paid-up or not.

Old Business

Updates
o Mark reminded the membership that nominations for VP, Treasurer and Secretary are needed for the AGM. Those interested can contact any of the Directors
o Karen provided the following updates:
o Block Watch: There was no quorum at the May meeting so there was no record of the presentation by Block Watch. The Block watch administrator and 2 police officers provided a well-organized and thorough presentation.
o The key things to remember: First, Block Watch doesn’t need to involve the whole community; it can start at the street level and second, report all incidents to the police as they are dispatched based on frequency of events.
o Beautification and Wickson point: Upgrading of the approach east of the tracks is underway with a practical/simple plan.
o The filling in of the cul-de-sac on the Wickson property is set to begin in late June.

General
o There was a question about the emergency access to Crescent Beach. Mark reported that discussion with a variety of stakeholders including BNSF regarding access under the trestle is moving forward.
o A member expressed concern that the bylaw regarding dogs on the beach was not being enforced. He was also concerned about the amount of garbage piling up with the warm weather. This led to a discussion about the need to recycle. Mark committed to touch base with the City about the bylaw enforcement and to explore recycling options, as there is little appetite for more garbage bins.
o Malcolm raised the question of the need for Monthly General Meetings given declining attendance. Instead, he suggested that there be a move to 1 or 2 meetings per year including the AGM, with the Directors continuing to meet monthly. Minutes of the Director’s meetings would be produced monthly. After some discussion, the status quo continues to be favoured.
o Bruce commented on Surrey’s Community Planning process. He attended a consultation in Cloverdale. There is a legal requirement to revisit the plan every 5 years and 8 years has passed since the last review. Only a few people attended the meeting and there was very little content. It appears as if the Community plan is a consolidation of departmental plans, like transportation, which likely have little room for change.

Meeting Adjournment
Motion to Adjourn at 9:30 PM: Bob Abernethy
Second: Karen MacPherson
Motion carried

Next Meeting
Date: July 8th, 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Place: Beecher Place

President: Mark Nelson @ 604.531.4999
Vice President: Vacant
Acting Treasurer: Don Sinclair @ 604.541.3931
Membership: Bruce Friesen @ 778.292.1954
Secretary: Malcolm Stewart @ 604.541.9004
Past President: Karen MacPherson @ 604.535.5938