Osborn Sea-Bay Condominium Association

Osborn Sea-Bay Condominium Association

PO Box 927

Normandy Beach, NJ 08739

May, 2010

Message from your President

It’s spring again at the shore and I bet you’re glad that winter is over. This past weekend was beautiful. It is good to see old friends returning home to the beach from their winter homes.

Streets & Walkways

The winter has taken a toll on our beach and roads. We had the worst storms in over 50 years. Although the beach will eventually return, and as I often hear, “it’s out there, don’t worry about it,” unfortunately it hasn’t yet. Flooding in the Shell/Elder parking lot is being was reviewed by our Buildings & Grounds Committee. They obtained estimates, worked out the details with the contractor and made their recommendations. Last Friday, April 30th, the dune walkways were cleared by Charles Paul. The top of Elder Street was hit pretty hard with the nor’easters, and that required a bit more attention. During the week of May 17 weather permitting; the potholes on all our streets will be repaired differently than the past. The Buildings & Grounds committee reviewed all recommendations and listened to the suggestions from year round neighbors. We have set Saturday, May 22 as Community Day. Dune fences will be replaced and repaired. We welcome all volunteers to help with the fencing and cleaning of garbage from inside the dunes. Their efforts help defray costs. This year, the fencing on the east side of the dunes will be done in a zigzag fashion, similar to the other beaches along the Barrier Island. We have been advised by several professionals that this method will catch the sand better to rebuild the dunes that were lost since December. We contacted Brick Township, and they will be removing a large pole that currently rests on the beach. Thank you to the B & G Committee for their efforts.

Parking Permits

Brick Twp. Held their annual lottery for 85 seasonal spots, but unfortunately not everyone was selected. We asked the Township if there is any opportunity to assign those people a spot.

This year, Brick Twp, in an effort to increase revenue, will be installing parking pass stations at all Township Beaches on the Barrier Island as well as Windward Beach and other parks. Parking will be $1.00/hr and a summons will be issued if the pay stations are not utilized. Seasonal parking passes will go up to $30.00. Seasonal beach passes will be $25.00 if purchased before June 15.

Summer Concerts

Although Brick Twp initially eliminated concerts from the Bay Beach Gazebo, we were successful in getting back 3 events this summer:

July 7th:Jennifer Mylod and the Boys of County Ocean

July 26th (rain date will be July 27th) Undercover Blues Band

August 17th (rain date will be August 18th): Van Engel Band

These concerts will now be held at the Pavilion area of Brick Beach III and NOT at the Gazebo. Bring your chairs and have a great evening.

Lifeguards

The lifeguards will begin on June 19 thru Labor Day. Their costs have gone up $.50/hr per lifeguard. By confirming with Ocean County and the Township, we are able start later to keep our costs down.

Repairs, Construction & Brick Township Permits

The Code Enforcement department employees are nearby every day. I cannot stress that enough, but people, don’t heed the warnings. They have issued stop orders to owners who were doing interior and exterior work on the off season without proper permits.

I need to remind you that additions, enclosures, etc, must go before the Buildings & Grounds Committee prior to work being done. The Board of Adjustments will always ask for an approval letter from the Association. Remember, you do not own your limited common areas; you only have exclusive rights to use it.

Rezoning Ordinance

The survey results from January were posted in the April 28th, Asbury Park Press, The heading on page one of Section B was misleading. It is not a “redevelopment” but a rezoning. A member from the Township came out the same day to be interviewed by News12 NJ. That segment ran all day on Comcast Channel 62. The results were very impressive with approximately 90 separate responses showing that the majority of people want to upgrade their homes at some point and don’t have any issues with their neighbors doing the same. We are waiting for the Beach Cottage Community (BCC) Ordinance to be modified for 1st reading. Your Board has been working on this for nearly three years, and whether or not you intend to upgrade your homes, this could add value to any new homeowner, knowing they could be able to upgrade without hefty startup Township fees. Again, all renovations must be presented to the Buildings & Grounds committee first. Until then, we hope that people maintain the home exteriors, driveways and garden areas are neat.

Annual Labor Day Party

Our event last September was a huge success. We’d like to thank the following for their continued help:

Sea shell painting by Grace Durocher;

Barbara & Raymond Gerity, for always being creative with the children’s games;

The face painting by Jamie Kane and her new husband Jason Schuck;

Tony Scrittoralefor contributing some of the toys;

And a special thanks to the people behind the scenes, who help purchase the toys & food, set up, clean up and tear down the tents and tables. The annual event could not be possible without all of these volunteers.

Neighborly Neighbors

If there is something troubling you concerning a neighbor, please, reach out to them and strive to resolve it yourself without having to complain to others. Do not use self-help to fix a problem negatively. We have been called to assist with neighbor issues that have then became association issues. Our culture in part is based upon mutual respect. Don’t do something foolish to intentionally harm anyone or their personal property.

With record snow this winter, the Township hired subcontractors to keep our private streets clear. But again, they want the cars kept off all the roads. If not, they will not come up to plow. The State Highway is responsible for the highway plowing, not Brick. We contact the appropriate people if something is wrong on the streets or with downed lines. However, as neighbors, we have the same responsibility to make those calls too.

Board Contacts this Year

Your Board has been extremely proactive when people contacted us at all hours with a problem. Our response times have been unmatched. We thought you should know some of the calls we received:

Safety

Our homes are very close to each other, and should there ever be a loss, the responsible party will be held financially accountable for damages. We have had complaints about:

• Use of tiki torches, concern for houses catching on fire;
• multiple cars in the lots from the same household,
• Oversized vehicles (more than 8,000lbs). The Association voted several years ago preventing large trucks or SUV’s from taking up more than one spot;
• evening socializing in the streets thus preventing vehicles from coming up the roads,
• parking over night or all day in the roads, even during off season
• not using enclosed garbage cans to store household waste
• keeping garbage out all week in front of their homes, instead of their driveways,
• oversized stairs and landscaping that go well beyond their limited areas or onto common areas thus narrowing the streets more than they already are,
• illegal fireworks on the roads and beach
• ATV’s on the roads and beach access areas without proper permits;
• Flooding in the parking lots and potholes. This is being addressed.
• stone breach on street ends; Being addressed.
• air conditioners in neighbor’s driveway instead of your own;
• snow not being plowed soon enough,
• noise before orafter Township Ordinance hours
• no parking permits on the rear view mirrors or dashboards
• Cummins St lot: not pulling forward enough for a car to park behind

During this winter, the First Aid had been called to homes on more than one occasion. A word of caution…. keep your cars off the roads and don’t block the roadways. If someone is visiting your for awhile, have them part in the lots. Remember where your limited common area is. Over the winter, some homeowners made modifications to their limited common grounds that have negatively affected their neighbor’s ability to access parts of their own homes. If you want to check where your area is, please speak to one of the Board members.

Home Safety

Years ago, we can remember our families leaving the house unlocked and going up the beach for a nice day in the sun. Well, that’s changed too. For example, there have been strangers selling books door to door in nearby areas. A woman gave a name and said her family rented in the area. Checking the name and address, it was discovered that this was a scam. Please be careful how you secure your homes when up the beach. Obvious places for stowing your keys are obvious to strangers or intruders too.

Bylaws

Over the years, we have talked about our Bylaws being too long and, in many places, inconsistent or conflicting. What we have hanging in our homes are a variety of dated “Camp Osborn Rules” from Kathryn Osborn that we might want to consider updating and vote to place in the Bylaws; because at the moment, they are not legally enforceable unless the Township has an ordinance. They are all sensible rules and it is simply rude not to abide by them. There have been several attempts over recent years to amend the Bylaws, and since 2003, we have had only one change. I would like to see them modified; especially, since the NJ Condominium Act has added amendments that we must now insert in our own Bylaws. All recommendations to amend the Bylaws will require a membership vote.

Emergency Management

Brick Twp Police – Office of Emergency Management uses a reverse 911 system to notify residents of problems or potential problems. If your phone number is unlisted, or if you are not using Verizon for your phone service, please contact Brick Police at 732-262-1100. They can fax or mail you the form to complete, so you can received these important phone notifications. This number can also be a cell phone or your primary home number. If you are homebound or would need assistance in the event of an evacuation, please advise them of your situation.

Beach Fires

Beach fires are illegal, period. Without an approval letter from the Board and a Brick Twp. permit normally Police or the Fire Inspector gets called out to our beach to issue a warning or summons especially if underage drinking is involved. It also increases the Association’s liability should a fire be left unattended or placed too close to the homes if the wind is coming off the water.

Pets

We have a number of pet owners, including myself in our Community. Most of us respect the Law and other people’s property. They don’t let their pets deposit their waste, whether solid or liquid in other unit owner’s area or on plantings. Solid waste that is not picked up and put into containers usually ends up being stepped on attracts flies or children could potentially play in that area. This includes the street ends. Please, if you own a pet, clean up after them; obey the Township Laws. There is an Ordinance stating that no dogs are allowed on the beach at any time of the year including after the summer season. If reported, your fine can be pretty hefty. The neighborhood belongs to everyone.

Website

Hello!!! We are in the 21st Century. Yes, most of us use email and some of us don’t. It would be a great idea to create our own website. We could email you the dues notices, meeting notices, critical updates, show historical info and pics, photos from annual parties watching your children grow & remembering friends & family who are no longer with us and emergency information just to name a few. Taking baby steps towards this is my personal goal. If you don’t use email, we would still send you all info in the traditional manner. Local sponsorship could pay for the startup cost and management. But, if the website is not done this year, it should be considered in the very near future.

Private Streets

It is important to all of us that our streets remain private. Our Attorney recommended that we close our roads for a 24-hour period once each year; we did that in December. In speaking to other association president’s in our area, I found out that most already do this on an annual basis during the summer to protect the private road status of our community. I would like to thank Jackie Foulks and Wayne Cantelmo for their help during that pouring rain storm in December by helping me tie off all of the roads and then return to take down the caution tape.

Have a great summer….. See you on the beach!

Betty Ann “BA” Fuller

Please feel free to place the following page near your phone.

Brick Township Frequently Used Phone Numbers

Complaint Numbers when talking to your neighbor has not resolved the situation.
Marine State Police for boating issues
Noise-Brick Police / 732-899-5050
732-262-1100
Police/Fire (emergency)
(nonemergency) / 911
732-262-1100
FIRE / 911
FIRST AID (Dover/Brick Nonemergency) / 732-793-1334
Brick General Information / 732-262-1000
Follow prompts for specific dept
Brick Public Works (for special pick up dates) / 732-451-4061
Brick Office of the Mayor / 732-262-1050
Illegal Construction: Brick Building Department
(Any substantial construction requires submission to our Buildings & Grounds Committee prior to obtaining permits). / 732-262-1027

The Township of Brick, New Jersey
Municipal Building
401 Chambersbridge Road
Brick, New Jersey 08723
^ Get Directions
Main Phone: PH: (732) 262-1000 /
Senior Center
Senior Services
(732) 920-8686
373 Adamston Road
Brick, New Jersey 08723
^ Get Directions

Civic Plaza
270 Chambersbridge Road
Brick, New Jersey 08723
^ Get Directions
Recreation
(732) 262-1075
Cultural Arts Center
515 Herbertsville Road
Brick, New Jersey 08724
^ Get Directions

The Ridge Road Public Works Building
Public Works
836 Ridge Rd, Brick, NJ, 08724
^ Get Directions
(732) 451-4061
Administration
(732) 262-1050
Board of Adjustment
(732) 262-1049
Building
(732) 262-1027
Code Enforcement
(732) 262-1033
Engineering
(732) 262-1040
Land Use
(732) 262-1039
Municipal Court
(732) 262-1232 / Planning Board
(732) 262-1045
Tax Assessor
(732) 262-1069
Tax Collector
(732) 262-1020
Township Clerk
(732) 262-1001
Zoning
(732) 262-1041