April 1, 2021

Dover Shores News - April

DOVER SHORES NEWS, APRIL 1, 2021

Spring is finally here, and we hope everyone is enjoying our warmer Dover Shores weather! Here is the latest update from the Dover Shores HOA Board about what is going on in our community:

DOVER SHORES HOA GENERAL MEETING: MARCH 16, 2021

The Dover Shores bi-monthly HOA meeting was held March 16, via Zoom. The meeting was very well attended by our community – 28 people joined in. A lot of new business was covered and discussed by our Committee Chairs and our Management Company:

BEACH COMMITTEE: Again, most of the new items of business on the agenda seemed to cover matters relating to our Beaches.

• David George, our HOA architect, discussed the final design plans for North Star Beach put together with the Beach Committee members. He was able to show his architectural drawings on Zoom and explain the many planned improvements. These include an enhanced barbeque area and counter space, additional picnic tables, cantilevered umbrellas, an enlarged basketball court that could accommodate pickle ball, and a small restroom/storage facility.

The Board approved the plans and voted to move forward and start the cost estimating process. After we have an estimated price tag, the Board will look at the plans again to decide on any revisions, and then it will go to the Community for review, as a major capital improvement. This is not a quick process, and it won’t be finished for use by this summer, but what is important is that we are finally moving forward on this long-delayed project. When it’s finished, Dover Shores will have 2 fully useable beaches for our community to enjoy.

• The final revised Beach Rules and Fisherman’s Beach Rules were also reviewed and discussed. The Board voted to approve them, and they now have gone out by mail to the community for review and comment. Please take some time and look them over.

At the next HOA meeting on May 18, the Board will vote to formally adopt the Revised Rules. This will make them the operable Rules going forward. The main changes include a new section on Boat Usage, which will permit the launching of non-motorized small boats/boards at Larry’s Beach, subject to certain limitations to ensure the safety of swimmers and beachgoers. Also, small-motorized boats will now be able to launch from Fisherman’s Beach, for an annual launch fee, but will not be allowed to be stored there.

• Lastly, the Beach Committee will be drafting revised Covid Beach Policies in time for summer. It is anticipated that some of the safety and health guidelines that have been in place for most of the past year will be loosened to reflect the current situation. These changes will be presented at the next Board meeting in May.

LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE: The Landscape Committee submitted a written report. Some of the highlights include the following:

• The Committee has recommended the purchase and installation of smart controllers, which will reduce our water bill substantially. The Board will be reviewing estimates and will be discussing at the May Board meeting.

• The Landscape Committee has been very busy working on specific slope improvement projects. They have begun renovation of the slope across from North Star Beach, and the slope on Galaxy and Holiday. The corners to the entrance of Westwind have had considerable overgrowth impeding vision, and various shrubs have been removed to rectify the situation.

• The Committee is also working with BHE Management and the City to find solutions to mitigate the runoff on Polaris near Fisherman’s Beach.

SOCIAL COMMITTEE:

• The Board discussed restructuring the Social Committee to lessen the amount of work on the Committee Chair. The most likely division would be to have one or two chairs divide up the work for the Summer Barbeques. Ideal candidates are those neighbors who attend and enjoy our Tuesday night social get-togethers. We also need one or two chairs to take over the children’s special holiday events that happen throughout the year. Ideal candidates for this part of the Social Committee are parents with younger children who would be attending the children’s parties.

• SO ONCE AGAIN we are sending out an SOS to our Dover Shores Community. If you would like to volunteer for any part of the Social Committee, please respond to this Newsletter and let us know. If you do not want to Chair – that is fine. But we could use your help however you are able assist on the Committee in order to be able to continue our Social Events. They are such an important part of our community – so please help to keep them going. We cannot do so without some volunteers.

DOVER SHORES BOARD OPENINGS

Because the Amendment to Article V of the By-Laws passed in the Special Election of February 12, the Board will now have 9 members instead of 7. So this means we now have 2 new Board openings. These seats will be filled by Board vote at the next Board meeting in May. BHE Management has mailed out Candidacy Statements to anyone interested in being on the Board, and considered for a Board position at the next meeting. The statements need to be returned by April 15. If you have not received a statement, please contact BHE.

If you need more time to think about it, however, there will be 3 Board seats open for election in October as part of our Annual Meeting. We encourage everyone in our Dover Shores community to consider serving on the Board at some point in time.

NEXT DOVER SHORES HOA MEETING: MAY 18, 2021, 5:00 p.m.

The May board meeting of the Dover Shores Community Association will be conducted via Zoom on Tuesday, May 18. The general session with homeowner participation begins at 5PM.

Join Zoom Meeting with your browser

Meeting ID: 828 0901 2541
Passcode: 731704

A NOTE FROM BHE MANAGEMENT CORPORATION:

April is a great month for some home maintenance – here are a few suggestions!

• Managing Mature Landscaping – Some homes in Dover Shores have had the same owners for many years (even for decades!). Sometimes what was once a beautiful landscape can lose its luster; take a look with a fresh eye at your yard. * Are your shrubs bare and woody? * Are your trees overgrown? * Is your lawn just weeds that have been mowed?

Fresh plant material, a healthy tree trim, and even mulch will go a long way in refreshing your garden!

• Trim Painting – With the proximity of the community to the water, your wood trim and/or wrought iron should be painted every 3 – 4 years to keep the surface protected, and keep your home looking great! (Ooh, fresh paint AND fresh plants would really look nice!)

• Roof Maintenance – Why not take advantage of the “off season” for the roofers, and have your gutters cleared and your flashing inspected during the Spring months? This can prevent a lot of headaches when the rains come.

• Drain Clearing – We cannot say enough about the importance of keeping your drains cleared, and the cost of having them cleaned out and flushed (yard drains AND home drains) so far outweighs the unexpected back-up…!!

Cheers to welcoming family and friends back into our homes very soon!!!

Happy April,
BHE Management Corporation
Lisa Parra, CCAM, Community Manager LParra@BHEManagement.com
Melissa Mora, Assistant Community Manager MMora@BHEManagement.com
www.BHEManagement.com (949)363-1963

A MESSAGE FROM SHERRY BILBEISI, HOA PRESIDENT:

HAPPY SPRING! Having made it through my second HOA meeting as the new person in the hot seat (although not too hot, I hope), I just want to say I am fortunate to be supported by our very hard-working Board, as well as by BHE, our management company. So thank you! We are trying our best to do more than just attend meetings, and want to try to improve this community every time we get together. And we had a very gratifying turnout at our last HOA meeting – 28 residents! So please keep coming.

Our three community beaches are collectively the most valuable asset Dover Shores has. We are very lucky to have these great facilities right in our own backyard, and so, for the Board, the Beaches will always be an ongoing priority. As noted above, we have started the first steps in improving North Star Beach. If you’ve been by the beaches lately, you might have noticed new swim lines at Larry’s Beach with clearly marked boundaries for the swim area, and a new, safer anchoring for the swim platform. At North Star Beach, we’ve also added a clearly marked swim area, which became particularly important in view of so many young children using that beach last summer. It also has the added benefit of preventing non-residents from coming in and beaching their boats on the sand. There are also new “park” benches on the sand at North Star facing the channel, and planned new picnic benches at both beaches. Keeping our beaches attractive and our beach users safe is always a priority for this HOA.

We are all looking forward to everything opening up and seeing our neighbors much more in the coming months. And I’m looking forward to a great year for our Dover Shores HOA.

NEWS ABOUT THE WORK OF THE AIRPORT WORKING GROUP:

The Airport Working Group of Orange County (AWGOC) is a community advocacy, non-profit organization, unique among its peers nationwide. Since their founding in 1982, AWGOC has advocated for citizens of Newport Beach significantly impacted by aircraft operations at John Wayne Airport.

AWGOC’s current goals are:

1. Achieve extensions of the Settlement Agreement before the current expiration.
2. Cooperate with other Orange County cities in developing transportation mechanisms and economic incentives to divert air passengers to other airports, such as Ontario International Airport, that are willing and ready to receive them.
3. Cooperate with other Orange County cities in developing alternative transportation modes including high speed rail, bus and other modalities.
4. Ensure that JWA does not expand further.

Beginning in September, 2018, AWGOC has been hosting a series of workshops with JWA's six largest commercial passenger carriers, in partnership with the City of Newport Beach and their aviation consultants. Participation by the airlines was voluntary, but AWGOC achieved 100% support, with several carriers sending two and even three senior flight operations experts.

Their singular objective is to reduce the net noise generated by departing aircraft on takeoff and initial climb to 4000’ altitude (roughly, just past the shoreline). To that objective, AWGOC prepared a list of seven operational changes that would mitigate noise. They secured numerous commitments from the airlines. For example, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines requested and were granted FAA permission to fly a two-turn departure procedure (STAYY3), so that aircraft stay over the Back Bay and avoid as many residences as possible. The other carriers have also requested approval.

As the JWA Agreement renegotiation approaches, AWGOC's work is more important than ever to the residents of our Dover Shores Community so we encourage everyone to learn more and get involved!

CERT – NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH UPDATES:

COVID Vaccines

In addition to those previously eligible, all Californians 16 or older will be eligible for the COVID vaccine in April starting with people age 50 and above today and expanding to everyone else starting April 15. But finding a shot may be challenging. As noted in the past, to find a shot, you should pursue multiple paths in parallel including:

• County SuperPOD sites - register at Othena.com today!
• Hospitals and other health care providers
• Pharmacy chains

Register at all of these sources ASAP and take the first available shot. A complete list with web links is available at OCHealth.

Distribution information changes frequently. To keep up with the latests information, register for the OCHealth COVID newsletter and follow the OC Health Care agency on Twitter (@ochealth).

In addition to its regular COVID-19 Dashboard, OC Health maintains comprehensive vaccine data on its vaccines distributed page. This includes a dashboard for the number of people 65 and older who have been vaccinated by zipcode. As of today, only 67% of people 65 and older have been vaccinated in our zipcode (92660).

This means that 33% of our senior friends and neighbors are still at risk of dying from COVID-19. There are two likely causes:

• Vaccine hesitancy - much inaccurate information has been spread about the vaccines. At this point, nearly 1/3 of the US has received at least one shot but for people lacking trust in government statistics, a personal testimonial like: I received a shot and I'm OK might help. You can point out that all of our former presidents have been vaccinated. Finally, it might be helpful to point out that receiving the vaccine is not just about them. For those hesitant, getting vaccinated can be considered a personal sacrifice to protect their children and friends.

• Lack of Internet skills - The vaccine distribution has favored those adept at using the Internet. People without Internet skills can call the Newport Beach OASIS senior center at 949-644-3244 for assistance in registering for a shot and arranging transportation. Alternatively, people can call the CA COVID hotline at 833-422-4255. If you would like to help people get access to the vaccine, you can sign up at the state My Turn volunteer page. Medical skills are not required.

Disaster Preparedness - Good Reading

Dr. Lucy Jones points out that earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and to some extent, fires, are natural events that occur with statistical regularity. It is we humans that turn these natural events into human disasters by what we do or do not do to prepare. To get a broad perspective on this phenomena, we recommend the following books:

• The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them) by Dr. Lucy Jones - a very readable account of how people around the world have reacted to previous disasters and what one might expect after a major earthquake on the San Andreas fault. Dr. Jones points out that one common reaction, that seems universal, is to blame someone else for the disaster or the resulting problems, very often, a minority group in the society - the others.

• A Furious Sky - The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes by Eric Jay Dolin - a riveting account of previous American hurricanes. We don't have hurricanes in Newport Beach - yet - but Dolin points out that when events don't happen often, people tend to invent narratives about how such an event won't or can't happen here. Too often, one doesn't have to look very far into the historical record to find that these events, like earthquakes in California, do happen here, and people ignore those records at their peril.

Both books are available from the Newport Beach Public Library.

Finally

Please let your neighbors know how to contact us at board@dovershoreshoa.org if they are not part of our email list and would like to join. Or please forward this email to them. Our goal is to reach every Dover Shores neighbor.

Note that past newsletters are always available at our archives.

Thank you from your Dover Shores Board and Committee Members:

• Airport/Dredging: Tony Khoury
• Architecture: Mike Talbott, Darren Houck, Tim Hawke
• Beach: Sherry Bilbeisi, David Price, Dan Converse, Jacquelyn Beauregard Dillman, Jodi Cassutt
• Cert: Jim Gula and the CERT team
• Communications: Sherry Bilbeisi, Jim Gula, Cindy Talbott, Esther Fine
• Landscape: Julie Patterson, Sue Ashwill, Allison Pence, Robin Wright
• Legal, CC&Rs: Steve Briggs, Sherry Bilbeisi, David Price,
• Social: We are looking for volunteers to be part of this committee
• Welcome: Sue Ashwill, Mayssoun Khoury