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Belmont Shore Residents Association MINUTES EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING October 11, 2007 The meeting was called to order by President Mike Ruehle at 6:30 pm. The members of the Executive Board were introduced: Nancy Buchanan, John Forstrom, Merodie Gentile, Marvin Jones, Jim Lazarus, Amber Lee, Jeff Miller (Secretary), Mark Robinson, Mike Ruehle (President), and Laura Spence (Treasurer). Vice President Ron Banner was out of town. Forty additional BSRA members and visitors were present. Secretary Jeff Miller reported the receipt of a $300 donation from the BSBA for the assistance of BSRA members during the recent Stroll and Savor event. The association currently has 242 members, but 53 have not paid annual dues yet, and according to the Bylaws, must renew by November 15 to avoid being delinquent. Treasurer Laura Spence reported a current checking account balance of $2,863.11. This includes $530 in new and renewing membership dues received in September and the first week of October and the $300 donation from BSBA. LBPD Commander Cynthia Renaud spoke briefly about her role as the newly-appointed Commander of the East Patrol Division. Sgt. Joe Klein spoke about the replacement of the "No Smoking" signs on the beach. Public Services Specialist Kymberly Cloughesy warned of the increased potential for burglaries during holidays and offered suggestions for prevention. Various questions from the audience were addressed. Commander Renaud praised Cloughesy for her efforts and those of the East Division in getting vagrant John Belmonte off of Second Street. Angela Reynolds from the Long Beach Planning Department noted the items related to Belmont Shore in the current Planning Bulletin. She also described the recent City Council action regarding requirements for story poles, a larger variance noticing area (500 ft.) and larger notice signs on the affected property. Reynolds also spoke of a Council request for a temporary 2-story limit in Belmont Shore. Brooke Kenard from the BSBA announced the postponement of the Chili Cook Off event and noted upcoming events such as the Christmas Parade and the Naples Boat Parade. Third District Council Member Gary DeLong spoke about several current issues in the Shore: The Livingston Parking Lot should be available to the public soon. The new City Manager, Pat West, is working to improve the city's response to its citizens. The City Council approved a height limit of two stories in the Shore and promised increased scrutiny of requests for variances. Stacy Embretson reported details of the Marathon scheduled for Sunday. Jeanette Gavin, the BSRA representative on the Parking Commission, reported the status of the Second Street alley repair project, the purchase of the Park Avenue parking lot, the Tori Bush memorial drinking fountain, renovation of Second Street sidewalk trash cans and trees, and parking lot landscaping. John Forstrom explained the BSRA Spotlight Awards, a monthly recognition of a resident and a business person for their contributions to the community. Nancy Buchanan presented this month's resident award to Kate Karp for her work publicizing and setting up the Coffee with the Commander meetings and for the effort to name Lois Lane, the previously unnamed alley adjacent to Livingston St. Joy Starr was honored as business person for her work with the Parking Commission, monitoring the work of the Conservation Corps, reporting graffiti, and trying to improve the condition of the Second Street newspaper boxes. President Mike Ruehle announced he has established a monthly newsletter to residents and described the survey he is conducting to determine the issues of most importance to residents. Secretary Jeff Miller announced the web site committee has been reactivated. The members are Jeff Miller, chair, Nancy Buchanan, and John Forstrom. Several pages on the web site have been updated, and can be viewed on line at shoreresidents.org. A motion was approved to pay the annual web site hosting fee of $119.40, Secretary Jeff Miller reported the status of the Cabo Cantina property: Mike Ruehle recently met with the owner. The Planning Department has issued a third "Plan Correction List" which details the changes which must be made before a business license will be issued. Merodie Gentile, Jeff Miller, Jay Oppenheim, and Mike Ruehle met with the owner, Milton Zampelli, his attorney, Doug Otto, and several city staff members this afternoon. The concerns of the residents were explained and Mr. Zampelli responded. He described his plan for Cabo Cantina to be a "Mexican cantina", serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He said the local residents are his target clientele and he would "adhere to the law" regarding noise mitigation. Max Laubscher spoke briefly about the need for a traffic signal at Second Street and Claremont Ave. The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 pm. Submitted by: Jeff Miller, Recording Secretary
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