The Board of Directors of Quivira, Inc. met for the regular monthly meeting on Tue., May 22, 2012. Following is a summary of the discussion and actions occurring at the meeting.
Emergency Exit/Entrance Proposal
During the time set aside for comments and questions from members, Ron Huerter expressed additional concerns regarding the proposed placement of an emergency exit/entrance at the end of Navajo, adjacent to his homesite. Mr. Huerter questioned establishing a gate at this location from a security standpoint, noting other gate proposals have been denied in the past. He maintained more emergency planning needs to be done before a decision is reached on where an exit should be located. He also questioned whether the City was the appropriate entity to invest in an exit roadway on private property and whether establishing the exit would require a member vote.
Later in the evening, the Board continued discussion on the emergency exit/entrance proposal from the City of Lake Quivira. Board President Kent Best stated the Board is trying to understand the entire issue as much as possible and is interested in hearing from residents and City officials alike.
Mayor Wayne Hidalgo advised the Board that the City Council agreed Navajo West was the best location for the emergency exit/entrance and agreed to proceed with further evaluation of this location, including getting the easement surveyed and conducting further evaluation of utilities in the area.
Fire Chief Marc Stephan then addressed the Board, indicating he was there to enlist support from the Board for getting an emergency exit established in the community. He indicated the need for an emergency exit has been discussed for over 30 years, and getting one established is long overdue. He indicated when the Quivira Estates area was developed in the early 1970s, the area now proposed for an emergency exit was recognized as the location for an emergency exit and actually used for this purpose for a period of time. He also indicated with the Shawnee Fire Station now located at Johnson Drive and Renner Road, there is the added benefit of emergency access to the south side of the community with an emergency gate at the proposed location. He indicated he would anticipate it would be used as an emergency entrance only infrequently during the year based on the number of emergency calls occurring during the year. Mr. Stephan indicated as Fire Chief for Lake Quivira, he felt he had no choice but to recommend Navajo as the location for the emergency exit/entrance given it was the site recommended by the professional group evaluating the options within the community for this purpose. Mr. Stephan also indicated the emergency plans developed for both Johnson County and Wyandotte County were prepared by the same engineering company evaluating this issue for Lake Quivira.
Council member Brady Lilja, who coordinated the work with AMEC for the City, expressed his support for the recommendation as well. He indicated he felt it was his responsibility as a member of the City Council to make a decision in the best interest of the 400 families living at Lake Quivira.
After further discussion, the Board tabled the matter, pending more information regarding utility locates, legal questions and other matters.
Financial Report
John Miller, General Manager, reported the net operating results for the month of April were better than budget. He indicated the net operating loss for the month was $57,000, nearly $4,000 better than budget for the month. Mr. Miller indicated total revenue for the month was about $3,500 greater than budget, while total expenses were held about $300 below budget. Year-to-date, the net operating income stands at nearly $5,000, which is about $23,000 ahead of budget. Total revenue through April exceeds budget by more than $20,000, and operating expenses have been held below budget by about $3,000.
Golf Committee
John Hoover, Committee Chair, reported the new forward tees on the golf course have been completed for less than the estimated project cost. He indicated the forward tees have been well received by the membership. He also indicated the drainage work on #4 fairway is essentially complete.
Lake & Residential Committee
Ron Chapman, Committee Chair, indicated the committee discussed a concern expressed by some members of the Mothers’ Club regarding the shade structure on the beach. He indicated the structure does not appear to be structurally unsound, but indicated the appearance is rather shabby. He indicated he had asked representatives of the Mothers’ Club to advise the committee on what they would like to see regarding a shade structure on the beach.
Mr. Chapman also indicated the committee has been working with the Yacht Club to address a number of unregistered sailboats on the Yacht Club site. He noted the committee has been working for over a year to address this issue. He also noted the committee had discussed the boat that had been left on the beach area just north of the Yacht Club, which committee members indicated would need to be relocated.
House Committee
Chris Becicka, Committee Chair, indicated the Halfway House on the golf course would be stained, and a new air-conditioning unit installed in the near future. Other enhancements were completed on the Halfway House earlier this year. Ms. Becicka also indicated the opening party for the season on the Sunset Terrace was well attended and a fun event. She indicated, however, the event lost money; and if similar events are to be held on a periodic basis, as some members have recommended, the financial aspect will need to be evaluated so the events at least break even.
Ms. Becicka also noted the Clubhouse survey results are being tabulated and she would provide the results to the Board of Directors at a later date.
Ms. Becicka reminded the Board of Directors there would be a special reception for Judi Renzi on Thurs., May 24, in honor of her retirement at the end of May.
Safety & Security Committee
Ernie Block, Committee Chair, reported the committee discussed three areas of concern expressed by members of the committee. The first area of concern was regarding youth coming into the community over perimeter fences. He indicated security and police are alerted to this concern.
Mr. Block indicated a second concern was with consistency of enforcement in the access rules at the gate. He indicated Security Manager Steve Gentry is placing additional emphasis on consistency in training sessions with security staff.
The third area of concern was regarding safe driving practices around the community. Mr. Block indicated there is more pedestrian traffic on Lake Quivira roads today, including kids on bicycles and parents pushing strollers. Mr. Block stated texting while driving was a particular concern discussed by the committee. He noted Police Chief Fred Grenier indicated the police department was not able to write citations for texting while driving on the private roads. Mr. Block indicated the committee voted to recommend the Board of Directors request the City of Lake Quivira adopt an ordinance which would enable the Police Department to write citations for texting while driving on the private Quivira roads. After further discussion, the Board unanimously voted to request the City adopt such an ordinance.
Tennis Committee
Ed Brennan, Committee Chair, indicated the contract with KC Racquet for tennis professional services for the summer has been completed. He also indicated the committee is discussing the possible expansion of the deck above courts 3 and 4 and would come back to the Board with a proposal for this project.
Strategic Planning Committee
Eric Johnson, Committee Chair, indicated the committee is working to finalize a contract with Vireo for assistance in developing a Master Development Plan called for in the Strategic Plan. He indicated the committee would be working on that project in the coming months.
Marketing & Membership Committee
Ed Brennan, Committee Chair, reported the committee voted to recommend the initiation fee for Country Club Golf Memberships be set at $5,000. He noted the Board had approved the special $1,000 rate through the end of May. When this special rate expires, the fee would revert to a $10,000 level, which the committee felt was too high at this period. After further discussion, the Board voted to approve setting the initiation fee for Country Club Golf Memberships at $5,000 as recommended by the committee. Mr. Brennan indicated since January 1, there have been 9 new memberships and no losses in memberships, which he indicated was a very positive result.
