MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Jerry Mohn, President, called the Board of Directors meeting for the West Galveston Island POA to order at 9:00 a.m. Directors making up the quorum were Jerry Mohn, Tom Booth - Condominiums, Peggy Zahler - Spanish Grant Beach, and Rick Heiberg – Pointe San Luis and Marie Garrett – Bermuda Beach. Susan Gonzales – CKM Property Management was also in attendance and recording secretary.
Jerry Mohn introduced Al Choate - Navigation District Commissioner and Republican candidate for County Commissioner-Pct 2; and Bryan Lamb, Democratic candidate for Commissioner Precinct 2. Also introduced were Vic Pierson, Mayor of Jamaica Beach; Judge Roy Quintilla, County Court#3 and candidate for the position; Judge Trey Dibrell, County Court #2, and candidate for the position; Chris Stevens, Republican candidate for County Judge; and, Navella Cole – Legislative Aide for Congressman Ron Paul.
Corporate sponsors Peggy Zahler with Johnson Space Center Credit Union, Vic Pierson – Moody National Bank, David Murphy from Centerpoint Energy, and Gary Greene of Prudential Gary Greene Realtors were also acknowledged.
Minutes: The minutes had previously been sent to the Board for review. Motions by Peggy Zahler, second by Tom Booth, the minutes of April 15, 2006 were approved by unanimous vote with the following resolution:
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved the April 15, 2006, minutes as presented.
Treasurers Report: Marie Garrett gave The Treasurers report. Total Cash as of May 17, 2006 is $24,350.80 with net equity to be $33,425.80. Motion made by Rick Heiberg and seconded by Peggy Zahler, the Treasurers report was approved by unanimous vote with the following resolution:
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved the April 2006, Treasurers Report as presented.
Centerpoint Energy "Brownouts and New Substations." Jerry Mohn introduced David Murphy of Centerpoint Energy, who stated with more development the west end will need more power. Centerpoint is building a new sub-station through an agreement with Centex and will be operational after the first of the year. A temporary substation at a cost of $500,000 has been installed for use during the summer just east of Bob Smith Road in Jamaica Beach and FM 3005.
Large transmitter lines will go through Jamaica Beach. There will be two lines to allow for switching capabilities. Additional voltage regulators have been added. The new substation will cost $13 million. To protect the power from salt spray Centerpoint is now using fiberglass brackets. There should be no brownouts this year for the west end of the island.
UTMB New Telemedicine Clinic at Jamaica Beach by Russell Lanier & Dr. Oscar Boultinghouse.
Jerry Mohn gave an overview of the Telemedicine Clinic and then introduced Vic Pierson, Mayor of Jamaica Beach. Vic Pierson stated that obtaining the Telemedicine Clinic was a joint effort with the Associations of the West End, Galveston County Health District and UTMB.
Jerry Mohn introduced Russell Lanier and Dr. Oscar Boultinghouse. A slide presentation was given. by Oscar W. Boultinghouse, M.D; FACEP, Associate Director and Chief Medical Officer for the UTMB’s Electronic Health Network. For the past five years, Dr. Boultinghouse has been a central figure in the development and deployment of a telehealth network that supports both telemedicine and multiple integrated health information systems. This telehealth system, collectively known as Digital Medical Services (DMS), will be responsible for more than 60,000 telehealth encounters this year.
Dr. Boultinghouse stated that just in years gone by when the Doctor came to your home to treat patients, the Telemedicine Clinic would provide a similar function. The Telemedicine Clinic will be located at the Jamaica Beach City Hall and will provide a convenient location for non-emergency visits on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The Telemedicine Clinic will be equipped with "The T-Cart" which is an innovative, single-unit clinical telemedicine unit for remote care, with an EMR – videoconference, and medical peripherals. In addition a trained and qualified Paramedic personnel will man it. From an off-site location, a Doctor will be receiving information from the T-Cart and will be viewing the patient as the examination is being performed. The Paramedic will have the same equipment as EMS has to handle cuts and abrasions, but will not have medicine on-site. An electronic medical record will be maintained. There are no laboratory facilities.
Approximately 65,000 patients are being seen each year by this method. This equipment is being used on twenty-three cruise ships at sea and all the way to the Antarctica. There are seven (7) specialists who do nothing but telemedicine. There are twenty-eight studios that have access. The T-Cart will be permanently located at Jamaica Beach. The Clinic will be open Memorial Day through Labor Day on Saturday and Sunday. Since the Clinic is not for 911 emergency calls, it will basically answer the question "am I sick or am I not sick" – to determine if immediate medical help is needed or it can wait until Monday to see your regular Doctor. This will cut down on a patient waiting in the Emergency Room at UTMB for 4 to 6 hours.
It is important to market the Clinic, there is initial funding needed, estimated at $45,000, but once it is operational the Clinic should pay for itself. The service will cost $50.00 per patient per visit. There is a direct benefit for all the residences on the west end and the various property owner associations will be asked to contribute to the initial funding of the Telemedicine Clinic.
A demonstration of how the Clinic will work will be given Saturday, June 17th at Jamaica Beach from 8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Greenline – Coastal "Building and Protecting Our Coastal Dunes Naturally
Jerry Mohn introduced Michael Chaplinsky, Director of GreenLine Group, LLC. Mr. Chaplinsky stated that the Corps of Engineers dammed the rivers and built coastal jetties, which stopped the natural flow of sand. We cannot change it; we can only work with what we have. The beaches are being eroded and sand is being taken away with each storm. The Sand sock system has been successful to a point, but it needs protection, and vegetation with strong, dense roots is needed. Roots can interlock with the fabric and protect the sand sock.
Plants are the best way to hold sand on the beaches and dunes. The choice of plants is the key. Sea Oats and other native plants are adapted for this region and are designed to catch sand to build the dunes. The taller the plant, the more it catches sand. GreenLine’s mission is to harvest the wind blown sand that is always there. Michael Chaplinsky stated that they are in the business of growing roots and strong plants on sand dunes. Their company has a team of professionals, scientists, and engineers who bring a fresh approach to preserving the coastal beaches and bays naturally.
Greenline would like to start a nursery on a property in the west end to grow dune plants. Greenline provides innovative solutions and the technology to restore and nurture coastal dune systems and beaches. Their unique skills and experience is an example of the type of commitment Greenline has to promote responsible stewardship of the coastal and bay environment.
Tax Meeting: By now west end property owners have received the tax appraisal bill from the Galveston Central Appraisal District. The Board of Directors recommended that you "Protest" – "Protest" – and, "Protest".
Turtle Nesting There have been 57 turtle nesting sightings along the Texas Coastline. Three on the Galveston Island, (1) at Bermuda Beach laid 100 eggs, (1) at 13 Mile Road and Pirates Beach and (1) in front of the Seawall. When people walk the beaches to look for signs of turtle nestings and telephone the turtle hotline to report any nests or turtles at: 1-866-TURTLE-5.
CIAP The Energy Bill is providing $60 million beginning October 2006 with funds available 2007 for the Texas coastline. A public meeting will be held on May 24 at 1:00 p.m. in the Holbrook building concerning designating the funds for Galveston.
Wind Farm Mills A $250 million wind power farm will be built approximately 8.5 miles south of Galveston Island in the Gulf of Mexico. The generation of electricity from the power sources is planned to be operational in October of 2008. Susan Gonzales stated that Dr. Robert McFarlene was working on this project to determine the adverse effect birds. Jerry Mohn recommended we invite him to speak at one of our meetings.
Hurricane Preparedness Meeting: Discussion held concerning contribution to the Hurricane Preparedness Meeting. Motion made by Tom Booth, seconded by Peggy Zahler, the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved a donation of $750 to the Hurricane Preparedness Meeting.
Hi-Rise Buildings: Discussion was held concerning the Hi-Rise proposed Condo complex to be built in front of the Laffites Cove Subdivision. The Pirates POA and Laffites Cove POA Boards are seeking support from the WGIPOA. Since Galveston City Council authorized a committee of 13 people to draft guidelines for the West End portion of the Comprehensive Plan, the Board discussed the recommendations made by this Committee, the West End Land Use Policy Committee. A motion was made by Tom Booth, seconded by Peggy Zahler; the following resolution was adopted by majority vote. Marie Garrett opposed.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved to support low and mid rise buildings and to oppose any high rise building. Each building size is defined by the West End Land Use Policy Committee. A "High Rise" was identified as greater than 8 stories from Base Flood Elevation (BFE) with a minimum height of 125 feet.
Telemedicine Clinic: Discussion was held of a WGIPOA contribution to the Telemedicine Clinic. A motion was made by Rick Heiberg, seconded by Marie Garrett; the following resolution was adopted by unanimous vote.
RESOLVED THAT, the Board approved of a $1,000 contribution to the Telemedicine Clinic at Jamaica Beach.
There being no further business to come before the Board the meeting was adjourned at 11:30 a.m.