Southgate Community

SCO Meeting Minutes

January 19, 2012
Princess Anne Recreation Center

SCO President, Judy Timm called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM EST.   32 residents were in attendance.   

The meeting began with an introduction of the 2012 Board members. 

Treasurer’s Report

Karla Spahn reported a previous balance of $4,612.19 in the Treasury as of Sep 29th, 2011.  Deposits of $975.00 were made from membership dues.  Expenditures included 4 electric bills ($115), hay bales for front entrance ($19.96), annual flowers for entrances ($110), printer paper and rubber bands for fliers ($28.84), Christmas caroling in the park ($26.47), and signs to place in the yards of the Christmas Lighting contest winners ($245.70).  Total expenditures were $545.98.  Total in SCO checking account as of Jan 19th, 2012 is $5072.86.

Projected expenses include $400 for a covered kiosk/bulletin board at park #1, preservation of front entrance sign (awaiting quotes), and a new sign for the entrance into Southgate from Nimmo Parkway (estimates are starting at $10,000, but still awaiting quotes).
Karla thanked Home Depot representatives Kelly Newell for her generous donation of a gas grill which will be raffled off as part of the Membership Drive at the Apr 19th SCO Meeting.  Every resident who joins or renews their membership prior to the drawing on Apr 19th will have a chance to win!   Please encourage your neighbors to renew their membership!

Committee Member Reports

Neighborhood Watch

Southgate was in danger of losing our Neighborhood Watch (NW) status with the Virginia Beach 1st Precinct due to non-participation. However, Jim Mengert reported a 77% Block Captain coverage area which allows Southgate to remain recognized as a functioning NW community. There are 34 zones in Southgate, several of which still need Block captains.   Jim will hold a separate meeting for Neighborhood Watch in the near future at the PA Recreation Center.  Look for signs, all residents are welcome to attend. 
Jim reported crime stats for Southgate from Oct 1st – Dec 31st 2011.  There were 8 crimes total which included 4 larcenies, 3 threats of bodily harm, and 1 destruction of private property.   On Jan 13th, a car was broken into by smashing the window and an IPOD Touch was stolen.  

Jim introduced Officer Brad Detrich who is our liaison from the Virginia Beach Police Department.  Office Dietrich commended the community for the increased participation in Neighborhood Watch program.  He will obtain more signs for Southgate that identify the community as a NW participant.

Officer Detrich invited Southgate residents to attend the Citizens Advisory Committee on the first Tuesday of every month at the Kellam High School library.  Representatives of the VB Police, Fire, Neighborhood Housing and Preservation, Parks and Recreation and several other departments are available to answer questions from VB residents.  Officer Detrich also discussed the VB Crime Prevention Steering Committee and encouraged resident participation in the various events and activities that are conducted.   

Officer Chris Brandt, a resident of Southgate also in attendance. He discussed the rash of car break-ins and recommended that residents keep their car doors locked at all times and do not leave garage door openers in cars. 

Canal Committee

Mark Spahn, the Canal Committee Chairman, provided an update on the work that is being done to obtain city assistance in eradicating the algae growth in the canals.  The committee members have been working for almost two years to get the city to assist us in efforts to clean the canal, yet the city has remained steadfast in their inaction.   The cause of the growth has been identified by VA Tech AREC and other environmentalists as the clearing of the land at Matthews Green, and the subsequent sediment and nutrient run-off into the Three Oaks canal which feeds into Southgate. 
 The developer has not accepted responsibility for this and efforts to work through the city to hold the developer accountable have been unsuccessful. 

It was discovered that a community in Chesapeake experienced the same type of issue in a news article written by Virginia Pilot reporter, Scott Harper. The Canal Committee contacted Mr. Harper and discussed with him the similar problems we are having. Mr. Harper is now in the process of writing a feature story of the problems, which will appear in the Virginia Pilot by the end of January, 2012. The article will include an in-depth look at the canal quality of life degradation within the Southgate and Three Oaks canals. Southgate residents are encouraged to send letters to the editor after the article is published. 

Parks and Greens Committee

John McClain reported that Southgate saved approximately $600 in 2011 through the efforts of our volunteers who maintained and landscaped the Southgate front and back entrances. Volunteers will be needed this Spring for mulching, trimming, planting and watering flowers at the entrances. We feel that volunteering not only creates a closer community through a sense of ownership, but saves money in the Treasury for future projects. Contact John at southgatecivicorganization@yahoo.com  if you are interested in volunteering as part of Parks and Greens. 

Newsletter Committee

Rick and Kim Bowles are revitalizing the effort to have a community newsletter to make it a fun and informative publication.   The newsletter will be published quarterly and posted on the Southgate website.  SCO Members with no computer access will receive a paper format. The deadline for articles to be printed in the next newsletter is Jan 26th.  Please send articles and ideas for future articles to rbscrim@aol.com.

Social Committee

Tim and Donna Stickrod are leading this effort.  An Easter egg hunt will be held Apr 7th in Park #1 and will include games and refreshments. Please contact Tim or Donna at southgatecivicorganization@yahoo.com if you have ideas or are interested in volunteering.
The Spring Community Yard Sale will be held May 5th, rain date is May 12th. Advertising will be done by the SCO on Craigslist.org and Garagesalefinder.com, but residents are free to advertise individually if they choose.
Website Administration
The Southgate website is in the process of being revised and new features are being added to include a page with gardening tips from Master Gardner, Kim Bowles.   

New Business

The Home Depot
Kelly Newell and Pat Smith from The Home Depot spoke about the various “Do It Yourself” workshops that are held on the first Tuesday of every month at The Home Depot. The schedule will be posted on the Southgate website and the board at the front entrance of The Home Depot. All residents are invited to attend. The next workshop is Feb 7th, and the topic is Getting Things Started for Spring.  Kids’ workshops are held on the first Saturday of every month.

In addition to providing each attendee with a Home Depot shopping bag, Kelly and Pat awarded several door prizes including plants, lunch carriers and tee shirts.  Six lucky attendees left the meeting with a prize.
Kelly will be attending our SCO General Meeting on Thursday, April 19 at the Princess Anne Rec Center to draw the name of the lucky winner of the Stok Island Gas Grill. 
 

Old Business

SCO President Judy Timm congratulated the winners of the 2011 Christmas Decorating Contest and expressed appreciation to the hard working team of judges. 
Judy thanked Karla, Jim, John, and Mary-Lou for organizing a successful 1st Annual Christmas Caroling in the Park.
There were 34 residents who attended this successful community event and a great time was had by all!

The next meeting will be held April 19, 2012 at the Princess Ann Rec Center.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Smith (substitute for Vi Angelos)

 

 

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