Town Meeting ~ April 21, 2016

Board Members Present:

President Chris Wasson     Gordon Moore

Treasurer John Porter         Suzie Combs

Secretary Diane Jones        Jim Ott

Board Member Absent:

Vice President Larry Hibbs

Total: 8 members of a 9 member Board

General Manager: 

Ed Malloy

GM Ed Malloy & President Chris Wasson

Meeting was opened at 7:pm with President Chris Wasson asking for Committee Reports.

Public Relations Committee ~ Mike Fikes explained that open communication between the Beautification Comm., Long Range Planning Comm., Public Relations Comm. & and the Youth Committee has been encouraged between members in the hope of bonding together for a unified approach to Diamondhead activities. 

Up coming event:  Fishing Derby – Link 

Community Standards Committee ~ Gail Porter updated the membership regarding Board approval for changes / clarification of enforcement issues for the various Standards as designated in the Rules & Regulations of 2012.  Click on picture to enlarge-->

Beautification Committee ~ Kaye Calderon -Pancake Breakfast was a huge success !  Thank you to all who participated.  The Beautification Committee has finally obtained a storage building specifically for the use of this committee.  Now all supplies will be contained in one place.  Yea! 

Thank you to each committee member for the hard work involved in making our Front Entrance Beautiful !  It is nice to drive through such a well maintained entrance way.

Wild Life Committee ~ Chris Wasson – no new information.  A subject not discussed during the Town meeting involves Turkey hunting on private property without the permission of the property owner.  I have requested an update regarding this issue from Chris Wasson.

Nominating Committee ~ Bob Jones brought us up-to-date:  5 DH members have submitted their application for the 6 positions available on the Board of Directors.  The Nominating Committee actively seek qualified individuals who are willing to serve our community in this important position.  PLEASE don’t wait to be asked !  If you are interested in sharing your skills and experience with us, contact the POA office (262-4770), any current Board member, or the Nominating Committee.  Bob Jones: BobnDani@gmail.com  Nominating Committee Announcement

Financial Committee ~ Tom Moore reviewed the Financial Report for March 31, 2016.  Click on the picture to enlarge:

• $11,000 has been collected from Delinquent Dues
• Golf Revenue is 31% under budget
• We will be at a “Break-even” point this year.
• Money is needed for Capital Improvement.

Roads Committee ~ Jerry Wright explained the need to repair pot holes.  This is a volunteer committee serving our community.  These hard working individuals hope to begin work as soon as the rain stops…possibly during the months of May & June.

No current Social Committee

Discussions:

Front Gate / Ambulance issue ~  Chief Joel Tyner explained a situation which occurred while the Front Gate was closed due to a police action.  An ambulance was stopped for 15 minutes.  A woman inside the ambulance was being transported to a hospital for needed medical attention.  GM Ed Malloy assured the community that this issue will be discussed with the Ambulance service regarding the needed appropriate action to avoid future problems.  Thankfully, this lady is doing fine.

Front Gate ~ Mr. Clemons had 2 men arrive at his residence with out his knowledge or permission.  The gates had been locked open due to a lack of personnel to staff the Front Gate during a weekend. It is my understanding that this issue has been resolved (?).

Spike Strip ~ Additional spike ‘springs’ are broken on the out-going Independence Drive spike strip.  Previous broken springs were repaired at no cost to Diamondhead.

Lift Arm Gate ~ A lift arm was broken by a school bus entering DH.  The school buses will be given the appropriate radio frequency stickers.

Insurance Liability ~ John Porter explained that all Board members and committee members are covered by Diamondhead’s liability insurance.

Legal Issues ~ Chris Wasson stated that a lawsuit has been filed against Diamondhead & Fred Ensminger by DH members Jerry Chambliss & his wife, Cindy Nelson.  Click here for details 

General Manager ~ Ed Malloy

President Chris Wasson introduced Mr. Ed Malloy as our new General Manager.  GM Malloy gave us some history regarding his experience in the Navy, living in Virginia & Japan.  GM Malloy proceeded to explain his perspective on Diamondhead:

• We can’t get caught up in the past
• Keep an open mind
• Passion is good
• Emotion is bad
• Our duty is to keep things simple
• Respect each other
• Me – Operator
• You – Visionary

It is GM Malloy’s intent to ‘lay down the railroad tracks’ that should be followed as Board & Committee members change over time.  This will allow us to ‘stick with the vision’.   The GM gave suggestions for this process in an effort to encourage response from the membership:

• We will have standards
• A little tension is okay
• Target market – who should we target for new DH membership?
• Increase gross revenue
• Improve Property value
• POA owned rentals – Corporate ownership of property
• Grow golf memberships by (?) percentage
• Secure community
• Grow by what (?) percentage

Town’s Thoughts

• Clean up DH – Presentation / esthetics
• Rules – put some ‘teeth’ into the rules
• Collection of delinquent dues
• Target focus:  golfers, young families, retired couples
• Public Relations: put our name out as a ‘good place’, positive attitude
• Developer involvement à Roads
• Speculation builders
• Finance Chairman, Tom Moore stated there would be financial stability with 10 new housing start-ups every year for 10 years.
• Customer Service
• Leverage the assets we currently have.  Use them properly
• Treasurer John Porter stated the Annual Dues should increase along with the cost of living every year.
• One member expressed disagreement with this idea, stating that some people who want to move to Diamondhead can not afford to do so.
• Other members stated that Diamondhead is not for everyone…and those who wish to enjoy the amenities of a private community must be willing to pay for this experience.
• Open communication between the POA membership – General Manager – Board & committee members
• Reporter Diane Porterfield suggested refraining from ‘starting over’.  Instead, use the Rules and Standards that have been set in place by previous years of dedicated members….volunteers who have donated countless hours of time and hard work in an effort to improve our community.  We already have a foundation that can be used as a spring board / jumping off place.  Why invent the wheel?  Don’t make new rules à use and enforce the rules & regulations that are already on the books.
• 20 year goal:  To be in a magazine as one of the top 20 places to live in the U.S.
• Director Jim Ott expressed his vision for the future of DH is to 'get back to the Diamondhead of 1970s'.  (Late entry)

Meeting adjourned – Almost 2 hours of good / open communication. 
Adgenda for next week's Board meeting:  Click here to view

Notes provided by,

Diane Porterfield

adianerdh@att.net

620-3167