Dover Shores News, August 1, 2026

Summer is here! Our Dover Shores Community is enjoying the beautiful weather and spending more time outdoors, including at our community beaches. This is a great place get to know your neighbors.

Here is the latest update from the Dover Shores HOA Board about what is going on in our community:

July 21, 2026 HOA General Meeting

Here is a brief overview of what took place at our Board meeting:

• During our Homeowners Forum, a homeowner raised the subject of potentially installing water quality sensors at our beaches. President Emily Leach advised that the Beach Committee will evaluate the information provided and present findings and recommendations at the next meeting.

• The preliminary first budget for 2027 was presented by Treasurer Jim Gula. Several significant budget uncertainties were identified. The budget will undergo multiple revisions before adoption later in the year.

• North Star Update was presented by VP Tim Hawke. He reported that at very little expense to the community, initial electrical and sewer work have been completed, bringing said utilities to the street curb for easy access when the work to construct the proposed new restroom and storage structure (similar to what exists at Larry’s Beach) begins. At this time, the City of Newport Beach has all the requested plan revisions, reports, and documents in hand to be able to issue a final permit. With a permit in hand, construction bids can be obtained, and the next step will be to address the construction options to build the new restroom and storage structure.

• Beach Committee has voted to hire on-site security on occasion during expected busy days. They have been given guidelines to follow while at the beach and it is anticipated they will keep a low profile while there and help things go smoothly for all parties. Our new security vendor, Citiguard, has been well received and effective so far this summer.

• There are still social events on the calendar for this summer. All events are at Larry’s Beach, start at 5 p.m. and are at no cost to Dover Shores residents. Still to come are Tuesday August 4 for our traditional Fiesta Party, and Saturday August 15 for our Closing Party. We are also in urgent need of neighbors to help carry the tradition of our social events. Please reply to this email if you're willing to help with hosting duties at our Tuesday fiesta.

• Architecture Committee Chair Tim Hawke advised that with the increase in new home or home remodeling projects that include rear yard improvements that extend onto rear slope areas, the ARC committee deemed it necessary to provide new rules regarding any slope improvements. This would require owners to sign, notarize, and record a maintenance and indemnity agreement (which would include a refundable deposit subject to any required work being completed by the homeowner). This agreement was prepared by the Association’s legal counsel as a condition for allowing such improvements. This approval process will ensure that the homeowners who do improvement work on rear slope areas repair any damaged sprinkler systems and any damaged landscape plantings that typically result when such improvements are made.

• Landscape Committee Chair Gwen Feiner requested that the Board consider authorizing the use of reserve funds for continued refurbishment of Dover Shores slopes as the current budget is insufficient. Gwen is also looking for another plant-loving, knowledgeable volunteer for this committee.

• As we have received more candidate applications than open seats for this year’s Board election, the Association must conduct an Election by secret ballot. The Board voted that Accurate Voting will be our inspector of Election and will mail out the pre-election notice to the community in August.

The candidates this year are:

• Gwen Feiner
• Jim Gula
• Emily Leach
• Larry Teel

Candidate Statements will be mailed with the ballots. Everyone is strongly encouraged to please return your ballot and vote! The election cannot be finalized unless we have a quorum from all Dover Shores residents.

Sad News

It was learned this week that Scott Burton passed away on July 17. Many of you remember Scott as our beach attendant for some years through 2023. Music, faith and sports were always an important part of Scott’s life. In addition to beach attendant for our community, he was a lifeguard at the JCC for 7 years. For those of you who knew him, beach attendant seemed like less of a job and more of a gift for Scott. He will be remembered for the kind words he always had for everyone.

A Message From Our HOA President

Dear Neighbors,

As we pass the midpoint of the year, I want to thank everyone who has helped make our neighborhood such a wonderful place to live. Whether you've volunteered, attended summer BBQ’s, shared thoughtful feedback, or simply been a considerate neighbor, your contributions make a difference. Your board has been busy and productive! Each committee has been following through on the goals they set out to accomplish in January and working together efficiently. As a community, we’ve also made the transition to Vantaca software, our online portal.

But there’s more! We still have two more summer bbqs including our annual Fiesta Party on August 4, our Closing Party on August 15 as well as our Annual Meeting, October 20, again at Bluewater Grill. While we didn’t hold an election last year due to election by acclamation, this year we have received one more candidate entry form than there are open seats on the board necessitating the formal election process. Holding an election is a costly and time-consuming process for an association - so please do your part to help the association by returning your ballot so that we have a quorum!

Thank you for helping make our neighborhood not just a place to live, but a true community. I look forward to all we will accomplish together in the second half of the year! If you see these board and committee members out and about, please thank them for their hard work and contributing so positively to our neighborhood.

Committees:

Airport – Rob Brauchli
Architecture – Tim Hawke, Peggy Pugh
Beach – Emily Leach, Sherry Bilbeisi, Jodi Cassut, Chris DeLaTorre
CERT – Jim Gula
Communication – Jim Gula, Sherry Bilbeisi, Cindy Talbott, Esther Fine, Emily Leach
Dredging – Tim Hawke
Finance – Jim Gula
Landscape – Gwen Feiner, Sharon Wright
Social – Mario Montecinos, Jason Ward
Welcome – Emily Leach

With Gratitude,
Emily Leach

Annual Meeting

Our annual meeting will be held Tuesday, October 20, 6 p.m. at the Bluewater Grill. This is your opportunity to meet your neighbors, hear in-person reports from Association officers and ask questions, all while getting a great, free meal.

A Message from BHE Management Corporation:

"Effective May 1, 2026, BHE Management has implemented a new Online Owner Portal for your Association account:

Home.bhemanagement.com

A detailed letter was mailed to all homeowners which includes your new account number and portal registration instructions. If you did not receive this letter, please contact [email protected] to receive a copy.

WHAT’S CHANGED?

• The new portal has access to account information, easier payment setup and community resources.
• A new account number has been assigned (included in your mailed letter).
• The old auto draft has been turned off and will need to be set up again in the new system.
• The mailing address for payments is now, P.O. Box 98561, Phoenix, AZ, 85038.

If you have any questions or need assistance setting up the account please reach out to us at 949-363-1963 or [email protected]."

BHE Management Corporation
home.bhemanagement.com - new web portal
Lisa Parra, Community Manager, [email protected]
Melissa Mora, Assistant Manager, [email protected]
We also still welcome phone calls at (949) 363-1963

CERT and Neighborhood Watch

Lead

Lead is dangerous, particularly for young children. There is no safe level, only levels that are not too bad. Our 1-year old granddaughter was recently diagnosed with unexpectedly high levels of lead causing our daughter and son-in-law to undergo some emergency home renovations to reduce lead exposure risk. They live in Seattle in a 1940's vintage house that had high lead levels around doors and window-sills.

The most common risk factor is lead paint. Lead was banned in all paint in the US in 1978. Most homes in Dover Shores were built or major renovated subsequent to that so the risk in Dover Shores is relatively low but if you have young children or grandchildren, you should check to be sure. Our house was built in 1972 and has always been painted with Dunn-Edwards who stopped using lead in 1952 but we are going to run some tests just to be sure.

Other potential house-related sources include exterior soil and plumbing. Our daughter had their soil tested and it came in at 78 ppm. The federal "safe" standard is 200 ppm though California recommends 80 ppm as it's "safe" level. Unlike the the people living in South LA around the battery recycling factory, I'm not aware of any industries in our area that are or would have been potential emitters so I think our soil risk is low. Lead pipes were not used for when Dover Shores was built though lead was used in soldering copper pipes, particularly before 1986. The solder risk in copper pipes diminishes over time due to a build-up of mineral deposits but can be reintroduced with improper repairs. If in doubt, test to be sure.

The are many other potential lead risks around the house including:

• Certain types of aluminum cookware, particularly imported
• Wrappers of imported candy including Mexico
• Hobbies and art including ammunition, fishing sinkers, some artist paints etc.
• Children's toys
• Jewelry
• Old or imported mini-blinds

Lists of other potential sources are available here and here.

There are many ways to test for lead. DIY swabs are relatively inexpensive but are the least reliable. Fluoro-Spec kits are somewhat more expensive but more reliable. Professional lead testers use a kind of X-ray scanner called an XRF Scanner. Our daughter had their house tested this way. There are DIY tests for water and soil but these are less reliable than taking a sample and sending it to a recognized professional testing lab.

Coyotes

A pair of coyotes, an adult and a juvenile, have been frequently seen around the Galaxy View Park. If you call animal control at the NBPD about coyotes, they will tell you that unless the coyote has threatened humans, it is your responsibility to ensure that your pets do not become the coyote's breakfast or dinner. These are agile creatures, well adapted to life around humans. Please do not let small dogs off-leash at the Galaxy Park or around the Upper Bay as little Fluffy may be gone before you can react.

The NBPD has a good web page about coyotes. The recommended technique to make the coyote feel unwelcome in our neighborhood is called hazing. There is a good video about hazing here.

Next Dover Shores HOA Board Meeting: September 15, 5:00 p.m.

The board is continuing to offer Zoom access to board meetings. All meetings will use the same credentials listed below. The general session for homeowner participation for these meetings begins at 5 p.m.

Join Zoom Meeting with your browser

Meeting ID: 880 4927 2107
Passcode: 940601
One tap mobile: (669)900-6833

For the foreseeable future, those wishing to attend in person can attend at the principal office of the Association which has been designated by the Board as the place of business of BHE Management, located at 30011 Ivy Glen Dr., Ste.118, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677. BHE Management will be present.

Board meeting occur bimonthly on the 3rd Tuesday. Dates of the remaining board meetings for this year:

• September 15
• November 17

Finally

If you would like to submit an article for publication in the Newsletter that you think might be of interest to Dover Shores, please let us know by responding to this Newsletter by email.

Please let your neighbors know how to contact us at [email protected] 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.