For Householders, Blainroe Estate

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

June 2nd 2021    

BEMC status update (number 5)

This is a status report following the fifth meeting of the interim board of BEMC, which will serve until new elections for a board to be established in August.

Fifth meeting of Interim BEMC board

The meeting, via Zoom, took place on Tuesday June 1st

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

Main agenda items were

1. Minutes & correspondence
2. Finance
3. Communications: BEMC website status and plans
4. Pavilion & tennis courts
5. Management Agency
6. Board recruiting
7. Landscaping & General management
8. Other items: house painting potential economies.

1. Minutes & correspondence 

The minutes of the May board meeting were approved.  Items of correspondence covered various legal items covering house transfers, planning permissions, a report of damage, service charges – and ‘thank you’ notes.

2. Finance

The chair of the Finance sub group presented a finalised version of 2020 accounts and proposed a budget for 2021/2022.  The board approved the accounts, which will now be sent for Independent Audit.

The budget for 2021 is conservative, partly because the remit of the interim board assumes keeping new capital spends to a minimum. 

3. Communications: BEMC website status and plans

Linda O’Leary provided an update on the development and re-launch of the BEMC website.  A range of material for the site has been created and reviewed and is now being posted to the site.  The site will be tested over the next few weeks with an expected launch for all householder access in early July.

4. Pavilion & tennis court

Bernie Nelson and Anne Nugent worked together to create a document with the objective “To define the operating policy for the Pavilion & Tennis Courts and ongoing management of the facility and social events”.  The board recognised an excellent piece of work setting out key considerations (rights of use, insurance, rental fees, key holders, non resident issues ….. etc)

The key issues surround finding and agreeing individuals who will take responsibility for main elements of planning and management.

The Pavilion and Tennis Courts are great assets for Blainroe householders.  We are a volunteer based organisation.  The safe and effective use of these assets will depend on volunteers taking responsibility for supervision and management – particularly safety management, given the potential presence of householders’, and their visitors’, children.

A subset of the board agreed to follow up with a view to ‘recruiting’ householders to take specific responsibilities for ensuring that we have assets being safely enjoyed by all.

5. Management Agency

The chair reported on a discussion with Steven Bourne of Schnittger Bourne.  Steven had also provided a note on his interim impressions, which had been shared with the board.

Steven Bourne has more work to do, but the aim is for him to finalise his work and have a final report and recommendations for the July board.

In summary, his interim note

• Describes the work done and meetings held to date.
• Includes (quote) “My initial findings are that the Estate, and the Company, is broadly very well managed from both a financial and operational perspective.”
• Covers areas where he sees “room for improvement” which he has begun to list and which will deserve the board’s keen attention in July. 

Householders will receive a final report, along with actions which the board determines to take based on the Schnittger Bourne recommendations.  No doubt this will be an appropriate agenda item for the AGM.

6. Board recruiting

‘Normality’ and board renewal

For reasons we don’t need to further rehearse, 2020 was a difficult year for the BEMC board, most of whom decided to resign.  As a consequence the current board came together on an interim basis, with the idea of ‘settling things down’ as a step towards ‘return to normal’.  Several – including me – have been co-opted rather than elected.  And several of us – including me – have a new found understanding of what is involved in maintaining the Blainroe environment we love and appreciate.

2021 should be a return to normality – and a return to a board of the ‘democratically elected’.

Reminder of Interim Board objectives

The note to householders in March set out the objectives of the interim board

• To run BEMC board, and governance generally, with the balance of informality, transparency and rigour necessary to serve the best interests of Blainroe householders.

• To create widespread understanding amongst house holders of the scope, complexity and value of Blainroe estate management

• To create clarity about the options for involving a management agency; and to provide options and information for a decision to be made by the incoming board.

• To provide a coherent communications regime to engage and inform all householders. (Face to face, e-mail, website and social media)

• To explore the advantages of a closer relationship with Blainroe Golf Club and to create the information to make joint decisions for policy and action.

• To ensure that all aspects of BEMC documentation (contracts, insurances, employee documentation, tax, roles & responsibilities, planning, etc) are held in a coherent structure; so that householders can continue to be assured that everything is complete and robust.

• To make sensible decisions – based on need and cost – for proceeding with priority projects; and to create project list with suggested priorities for the incoming board.

• To actively inform, engage and recruit candidates for an August board election and for Blainroe estate working groups.

Thanks to the hard work of many, substantial progress has been made against the majority of the objectives.  We now need to move on the last.  The note below will be on the new website and we will send it out again a few times over the coming weeks.

Please give it serious consideration. Blainroe needs many people ‘to do their bit’, especially when ‘doing your bit’ means working with nice people doing a vital job for their friends and neighbours.

The running of BEMC – how householders can help

As householders are aware, the management of Blainroe estate is largely in the hands of volunteers from our midst.  They have served us well over the decades, partly because every year has been a year of renewal.  New faces join ‘older hands’ and many householders have taken their turn.

As everyone will be aware, 2020 was a difficult year for the BEMC board, and various distractions inhibited the work of the subgroups. 

2021 is a year of renewal and that means that it is again vital to widen the pool of talent who can serve on board and working groups.  We are particularly keen to see more mothers and fathers of the children of Blainroe as active members of the board and working groups.

In August, we aim for board renewal.  And each of the working groups will need new perspectives and new workers.

Please review the working groups and determine to put your name forward for at least a conversation with a current board or working group member.  Send an e-mail to blainroeestate@outlook.com and we will arrange a conversation … which we hope will become a ‘recruiting conversation’.

Please join in helping the structures that will continue to make Blainroe the place we know and love.

BEMC board

7. Landscaping & General management

Bernie Nelson provided a further comprehensive report on Landscaping, the removal of unsafe trees and plans for developing an overall strategy for Blainroe trees.

Bernie also covered

• Playground Fence. The new fence should be installed within the month of June.  Blainroe estate is responsible for removing the current fence and clearing the area.  Avondale will be responsible for re-instating landing areas around some play items and also fill gaps under large play unit with bark chip.
• Safety: On recommendation of Steven Bourne, Bernie approached a company called Safety Solutions.  This company has proposed the preparation of a Safety Statement and an annual Safety Audit – both at modest cost.  The board agreed with a proposal to proceed with Safety Solutions.
• Security. Steven Bourne also suggested potential advisors on security – particularly as the Crime Prevention Act sets out rules for what can and cannot be done.  Both Steven Bourne, and the security companies which Bernie spoke to, said that the first step should be a meeting with the Garda Crime Prevention Officer for our area.  That therefore needs to the next step.

8. Other items

Other items were discussed

• Blainroe beach access: board members were aware of a crowded Blainroe beach last weekend and many cars parked along the main road.  Agreed urgent need for golf club gate security, manned by someone with appropriate ‘presence’.  Agreed to follow up with golf club along with BEMC commitment to pay half the cost.
• Beach bands for householders: New (green) wrist bands have been arranged, and will be distributed.
• House painting. “Well presented houses mean a well presented Blainroe”.  Two board members had discussions with painting companies who would be prepared to give a significant discount if (say) 3 houses were done at the same time.  BEMC will circulate details.