For Householders, Blainroe Estate                               

From Terry Neill, chair – Interim Blainroe Estate Management Company board

September 10^th, 2021                                       

BEMC status update (number 8)

This is a status report following the eighth meeting of the interim board of BEMC.

Eighth meeting of Interim BEMC board

The meeting, via Zoom, took place on Tuesday September 7^th at 19:30.

Eugene Davy, Derek Griffith, Pat Hinkson, Philip McEnroe, Terry Neill, Linda O’Leary and Paul O’Neill attended.  They were joined by Marie Byrne, Anne Nugent, Billy Nelson and Bernie Nelson.

There were apologies from Katie Mooney.

Main agenda items were

1. Minutes & correspondence
2. Planning for 2021 AGM
3. Finance
4. Security discussion
5. Management Agency/Schnittger Bourne report
6. Board nominations
7. Landscaping & General management

1. Minutes & correspondence

The minutes of the August board meeting were approved. There were no items of correspondence which required board decisions.

2. Planning for 2021 AGM

The date and time of the 2021 AGM were confirmed for Tuesday October 19^th at 19:30 via Zoom.

After a discussion of the options – face to face, ‘hybrid’, Zoom – the board unanimously agreed, with some reluctance, that a Zoom meeting was the only practical option at this stage of the COVID context. (There was a firm belief that the golf club could not meet the ventilation requirements for a substantial face to face meeting; and that a hybrid (Zoom and face to face) meeting could pose technical challenges likely to disrupt the flow of such an important meeting.)

The board agreed that the package of AGM materials for householders would be distributed with plenty of lead time – to give householders the appropriate time to review the materials and submit questions

3. Finance

Paul O’Neill took the board through the final accounts for 2020/2021; and confirmed that they had been given a ‘clean opinion’ by the auditors.  Paul addressed clarifying questions and the board unanimously approved the accounts for signature and distribution to householders.

Paul and Robert Patton presented the board with a draft budget for 2021/22. Some amendments were suggested and they will be reflected in the budget presented to householders.

(At the end of the meeting, the chair asked the four members of the BEMC team to leave the meeting to allow a budget discussion of payroll and other personnel costs.)

4. Security discussion

Bernie Nelson had followed up from the presentation Mark Wilson of Wilson Security Systems at the August board meeting.  She provided information on the equipment costs of a potential CCTV installation at the Pavilion entrance.

Mark Wilson had summarised the ‘potential minefield’ of legal and personnel issues which would have to be addressed, including the appointment of a qualified ‘data controller’.  More work needs to be done to fully understand all the GDPR and other legal issues, and the costs and qualifications for a ‘data controller’ (a role that would probably have to be outsourced.)

5. Management agency / Schnittger Bourne report

There was a brief discussion of the Schnittger Bourne report and the follow up actions it suggests. Terry Neill said that he had preliminary discussions with Stephen Bourne on a series of follow up actions which he (the Chair) feels strongly should be pursued.  Pressure of commitments on the Chair means that discussions are at an early stage.

Some householders have submitted comments and questions about the report.  Philip McEnroe undertook to collect/consolidate the comments and questions to help ensure that they are followed up and addressed.

6. Board nominations

Philip McEnroe reported nominations committee progress.  Thus far response from householders has been disappointing.  For various reasons some members of the current board will be unable to continue.  We have been delighted to welcome Robert Patton to the board and he will join the list of potentially continuing board members who will be proposed at the AGM.  That list will also include one further nominee. Householders need to be aware that we need a board membership which can always provide a quorum.

7. Landscaping and General Management

Bernie Nelson’s September report is attached.