Dear Neighbor:
Our roses are still blooming. The petunias won’t quit. Dahlias planted in the spring have finally shown up. The herbs I thought were goners in August have sprung back to overabundance. And what remains of Hurricane Nicole is bringing a tropical storm this weekend. I’m therefore reluctant to believe it’s only two weeks until Thanksgiving. But calendars don’t lie. So before the holidays are upon us, here’s a quick report on what has transpired recently at Old Mill Point and what is on our agenda for the next several months.
Annual Meeting
We were pleased to welcome a nearly full annual meeting in July, at which residents voted unanimously to ratify the Board’s decision to proceed with our catch basin/storm drains project, to be financed with a one-time $500 per household assessment. Kudos to Treasurer Monica DiCenso for presenting our financial picture and financing plans so cogently. And many thanks to Carol Volpe who “retired” after this meeting from the Board and her role as Clerk of the Association after some 15 years of dedicated service. Thanks also to Mary Lou Kehoe who cycled off the Board after many years. Katherine Lyons will take on Carol’s old job as Clerk, and we welcome to the Board new members Deb Sudarsky and Beth Larson.
Beach and Jetty
One of the issues raised at the Annual Meeting was the hazard posed by a number of large boulders that emerged from the sand at the western end of Sea Way beach. The stones were submerged during high tides and were accordingly dangerous to swimmers and children playing in the surf. John Connelly and Beth Larson (our Beach Committee) applied for a permit to the Harwich Conservation Commission, telephonically attended their meeting to consider our request, and secured approval to remove the boulders. That work was completed in October and the large stones were added to the jetty to further secure the “stairs” that facilitate access between Sea Way beach and Strandway beach. Next summer will be considerably safer thanks to their efforts.
Events
Thanks to Ralph and Fiona Vacca for hosting our annual Opening Cocktail Party at their lovely home in June, as well as the Childrens’ Party in early August. The Events Committee is already hard at work planning for 2023. One idea that appears to have drawn unanimous approval is to restore our old tradition of a second – “summer-ending” affair. Stay tuned for more info as planning for next summer progresses.
Grounds
Two quick updates: In September, we renewed the beach access walkway between Pine Lane and Riverway. Broken and displaced paving stones were removed, the walkway was leveled and the path reseeded. Thanks to Carolyn Clancy for overseeing the effort. We also expect all of our street signs to be replaced by next spring. Jen Donovan and Julie Norton are working with a company on the design and installation of replacement signs that will actually point the right way and accurately designate intersections. Your guests and Amazon delivery drivers won’t be confused anymore once the new signs are up.
Catch Basins/Storm Drains Project
We have contracted with the Robert B. Our & Co. to replace catch basins and add leaching pits in four separate locations within Old Mill Point where we experience serious “ponding” from poor drainage during heavy rains. The project is tentatively scheduled for late-November/early-December, subject to weather and crew availability. Our & Co.’s project engineer advises that the work should only take a day or two, to be followed a week later by paving crews that will renew disturbed areas. We will let you know precise dates as soon as they are available. When work is proceeding, access to all our roads may be limited, so you may need to alert any guests or workmen entering Old Mill Point. To ensure that access is maintained, we will open the gated fence on Pine Lane for access to Lower County Road while construction work is ongoing.
Finances
As noted, the drains project is being financed in part from our cash reserves and in part from the $500 per household assessment unanimously approved at the Annual Meeting. We anticipate sending out invoices for the assessment this month and hope everyone will remit their payments promptly.
At the Annual Meeting, Monica DiCenso’s financial presentation also illustrated a general need to increase our dues on a regular basis in order to serve our future needs, catch up with inflation, and bring our dues into line with “market” rate commensurate with similar homeowners’ associations. We will reach a final decision on 2023 dues in January before annual dues notices are sent out, typically in February of each year. We will try to post Monica’s PowerPoint presentation on the website – www.oldmillpoint.org – for anyone to review.
Website
Thanks to Rich Corley for agreeing to assume responsibility for maintaining our website. If you have news to share, photos to post, or Directory information to update, please contact Rich by email at Richard@Corley.com. Since we no longer publish a paper version, it would be useful for everyone to check their Directory entry to be certain that address, email and cell phone info is correct, to add a photo for those who haven’t yet posted one, or to replace any photo that shows too many wrinkles. The Directory is the one part of the website that is password protected: it is “OMP” – all caps.
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As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments, please don’t hesitate to email me at jhnnvn@gmail.com. I really want to know.
John Donovan
President