Resume of the first meeting of the new APC board 13 February 2012

OK, I'm back.

Just to clarify one point, so that people do not think we have any particular political bias, I have made the same dinner & wine offer to the Junta de Vecinos.

I'm not interested in politics, I'm just interested in seeing Costambar thrive & survive. Which looks like a very tall order at the present time ...

I think it's time I retired "Gymbar" & registered as MarLou.

Be right back

Thank you Gymbar, for the invitation I shall pass the information on to the board.

Sorry to correct you Bob but all members of the APC board are property owners, Alex included, the only expectation is Sergei who has power of attorney from the the owners of the property he manages.

Glad to see that the subject is creating interest, I am new to the APC, still learning the works, I hope that we can work together to continue improve and update both the website and Costambar.

Hey that sounds like a good Dinner offer Mark that you made the Board.
I just wanted to mention that although there are some new members on Yash's Board there are also some very well known members. We all know and love Hector Luis Rodriguez who has served Costambar for years. We know Lisa Melati who by the way is running a fundraiser Bingo on Wednesday nights at El Carey come and join us it's lots of fun. We all know Amadeo Luciano who has served on our Board before and we all know Gilles Durand who is a long time resident and business owner, and if I am not mistaken has served on prior Boards.
Just thought I'd mention that we have some excellent Boardmembers on our present Board.
Peace!

Of course the board are invited to MarLou's! Everybody is welcome in our restaurant.

We know everybody loves a freebie, so here's what we are offering the board ...
If all nine of you, with your wives/husbands/whatevers, come for dinner at MarLou's together, we will provide FREE OF CHARGE 5 bottles of house wine to accompany your dinner.

Additionally we will report this occasion on our website which has a readership spread far & wide - North America, Europe, Russia & even Thailand.

Obviously a reservation would be appreciated, you can call me on 829-712-8189. We are located adjacent to the Las Rocas building, directions are on our website at

www.therestaurantcostambar.blogspot.com

StanleyMC wrote:

As you should know, to be eligible to be elected all board members have to be property owners in Costambar.

This is not correct. When Yash rewote the By-Laws (the 'Institutos'), he inserted a a clause that allows a "representative" of a corporation to be a member of APC. It is this new ruling that permitted your fellow board member, Alex, to stand for election.
Nevertheless, it must be pointed out that Mark's observation is not without merit. If the new board walked into MarLou's they would, most likely, not be recognized. Most of the new board members are unknown to the majority of Costambar residents. None of them are members of any of the various volunteer organizations that have been in operation here in Costambar for the past few years. In fact, at the election, at least two of the new board didn't even bother to make an appearance, thus denying us an opportunity to at least see their faces, if not to hear them speak.

As you should know, to be eligible to be elected all board members have to be property owners in Costambar. They are do not have to eat at Marlou but i am sure they would be happy to be invited!!!

Out of curiosity, do any of the board apart from Yash actually live in Costambar? I ask this because in the nine months that MarLou's has been open only Yash has been in supporting our local community business ...

Fellow APC Members:


The new APC Board had a very productive first meeting yesterday afternoon. All nine members were present. The business was conducted almost entirely in Spanish (all understand Spanish). There was a lot of enthusiasm on the part of the new additions to the Board (Camilo Brugal, Gilles Durand, Segue Ovechkin, and Stanley Bobyk). Besides the routine work of a Board, a number of decisions were made. And I share them with you.


1. The Board decided to improve the curb appeal of Costambar. It allocated an initial sum of RD$100,000 for beautification of Costambar (planting of palm trees, shrubs, etc.). Sergue and myself will head this project.


2. The Board decided to put new street signs and replace some old ones. The cost of doing so will be met partially from APC budget, partially by businesses willing to sponsor, and partially by funds raised by Helping Hands of Costambar - a subcommittee authorized by the APC Board. Hector Luis is in charge of getting in touch with sponsors. Camilo Brugal offered to sponsor 4 of them. Additionally, Helping Hands of Costambar is raising funds precisely for this purpose and has a Valentine's day dinner tonight for this purpose at the Aggarwal residence. There are altogether 38 streets in Costambar. Anyone who wishes to sponsor a sign on their street is welcome.


3. The Board reiterated its pledge to contribute RD$100,000 pesos to the Costambar Road Committee's efforts to repair/asphalt streets - especially Calle Laguna. The Board urges the Road Committee to begin its work as soon as possible.


4. A group/committee of three Board members comprised of Camilo Brugal, Hector Luis, and Gilles Durand will meet with the vice-Minister of Tourism to induce Tourism to take steps to improve the Costambar beach and help APC take action against unauthorized construction and uncontrolled proliferation of bars on Calle Central/Principal. The Board also decided to seek legal advise to enforce existing construction norms in Costambar.


5. The Board decided to take legal action on behalf of the Election Committee and the APC Board against one of the perpetrators of the recent nasty e-mails sullying the integrity and reputation of the members of the election committee and the APC President. Civil/intelligent discourse is welcome. But, no one has the right to publish unsubstantiated accusations and sully the reputation of others.


6. The Board decided to spend the resources necessary to revise and fully update the list/roll of property and business owners of Costambar. I will contact the Tribunal de la Tierra ( the Land Records Office) in Puerto Plata to begin this effort.


7. Stanley Bobyk was empowered by the Board to take steps to revitalize the Costambar/APC web site.


8. The Board urges Jack Cameron and Sandro Falla to jointly head the independent Security Committee for the benefit of all.


9. The Board charged Bethania and Sergue to look into the feasibility of using the APC tractor/mower to cut grass in places.


10. Several Board members including Camilo Brugal and Gilles Durand will contact some APC members who owe maintenance dues to urge them to join the community and do the right thing.


All in all it was a very productive 3 - hour meeting. The next meeting is set for March 5th. In the meantime if you have any suggestions/ideas please do not hesitate to write. Remember it is better to be constructive rather than simply being negative. We seek effective solutions and will implement those considered feasible with the bounds of budgetary constraints and priorities.


For those who are not familiar with the new Board, here are their names and functions:

Yash Aggarwal -President
Camilo Brugal - Vice-President. In charge of relations with Government/Businesses.
Hector Luis Rodriguez - Secretary
Stanley Bobyk - Treasurer - Also in charge of APC website
Lisa Melatti - In charge of Public outreach
Oleg (Alex) Solos - In charge of Security Operations
Segue Ovechkin - in charge of ground and green areas.
Amadeo Luciano - Liaison to the Ayuntamiento and the National Police
Gilles Durand - Director at Large.

Calls for help from security guards should first be made to the Security gate (809-970-7015) or via mobile radios. Alex Solos, in charge of security operations should be contacted when critical. His number is 829-9249362. He only speaks Spanish.


Respectfully
Yash Aggarwal -APC President