Margate Homeowners Assoc Meeting Minutes FEB 2019.

Old Business

• Jay’s President Report
  • Started last April. First meeting last June. 350 people came. We know people care. So excited to see between 80-100 people here today.
  • Mission: Make Margate Better overall. Increase people’s voice in town.
  • Goals: increasing CPR certifications, Bike safety program, Beach clean up
  • Stressed importance of non-partisan 501c3 affiliation & transparency
  • Intend to sponsor an open candidate forum for all potential candidates for City Commission.
  • We are also looking for sponsors on the website and additional volunteers for whatever you want to do to help. Jamaica Me Crazy has been our first website sponsor.
• Mark’s Vice President Report
  • Planning Board Meetings, Commission Meetings, etc. can have more people show up to them. Always open to resident input.
  • Bike racks are coming to Margate, has been planned for several years, but it is a joint project with Ventnor and is taking a long time. Temp bike racks were placed on the beach, but we are still waiting for the permanent ones. Bike racks are coming from State Green Team Grant from “Sustainable Margate” team. Ventnor ahead of Margate in this regard. Look into bike rental program that AC has?
  • Mobi Mats on the beaches, but can’t get them onto the dunes easily. They also are a slipping hazard when wet. As soon as the Army Corp of Engineers are finished (Memorial Day?), the mats will be put out onto the beaches.
  • NJ Smoking Ban – Little to no enforcement at the state level. Each town can decide how/if they want to enforce it. Lifeguards/beach taggers are already busy. Should be a public courtesy and diplomatic conversation between people. We can also ask for signs posted possibly. 15% of beaches may be designated for smokers and City can choose to designate smoking areas.
  • “Lucy is owned by Margate and she is not going anywhere.” – Mike Becker. We want to believe and hope Lucy remains here.
  • Public Works planning on opening up more bulkhead cut outs to make them more accessible.
  • Adams Ave. Beach Access – during the winter, they block off a few entrances to assist with hurricane preparedness. They get removed during the spring/summer season.
  • Website: www.MargateHomeowners.com
• David’s Treasury Report
  • About 270 paid members at the moment
  • About $4800 in bank account
  • Expenses $100/month to upkeep website, $300 to rent the school for a meeting and $100 for PO Box.
  • Dues are yearly, want to make them due May 1st for the upcoming year.
  • Dues are $25 a year, can be sent online through the website or via check to any Executive Board member.
• Justin’s Secretary Report
  • Looking forward to keeping everything posted online, etc.
• Anthony’s Trustee Report
  • Setting up Trustees to help keep oversight on the voting members.

New Business

• Question and Answer Session
  • Commission Election – currently running unopposed, 2 people possibly running against them. MHA is non-partisan.
  • Boardwalk – Need more information before making an informed decision. Can speak with Boardwalk Committee. 2 Executive Members present
  • Memorial Day – Beach Tag Enforcement – We can possibly volunteer to help with beach tag enforcement. Is there enough police officers to do all of the possible policing necessary for Memorial Day issues from the past. MHA can bring up this issue with the City. People can start sending letters to the mayor, or a petition, or start showing up to commission meetings.
  • Construction Issues – Inlets and intersections are in major disrepair where there are major construction projects. Concerns about contractors. Jay gave email, people can send him pictures and locations. What are the rights of residents when they are having construction next door? Residents are dealing with contractors who are destroying their driveways and leaving nails in driveways, etc. People feel like they are being taken advantage of. Must call the Building Dept.
  • We can use website for electronic petition and collecting pictures
  • Amherst Bulkheads – Will there still be public dock access? We believe so. Nothing happening due to litigations currently ongoing.
  • What is Margate’s disposable income? Can we get more police officers, public works employees, etc? We can’t ask them to do everything all the time. We want to be partners. We can make use of OPRA to find information from the City.
  • Real estate taxes and increased property value should be decreasing the taxes. Current Commissioners bragging about not increasing taxes, but haven’t dropped them.
  • What sort of 12 month businesses can we increase along Ventnor Ave.? New city plan went from retail and professional businesses to transient businesses like the golf course. Golf Course parking appears to be the real problem, not the gold course itself.
  • Back Bay flooding issues. Reach out to Alison Arne and the NJ Organizing Project and lack of pumps being connected and less arable land.
  • Must find better ways to attract families. Land and home values are going up, in addition to taxes. Harder for younger people to move in.
  • Sustainable Margate will be posting on the MHA website/facebook with some of their projects. Also welcoming new members.
  • Margate not in compliance with Mt. Laurel I and II laws regarding overlay, height limit, hotels/motels, etc.