PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT

FEBRUARY 10, 2009 By Marlene Reid

This past year can best be summed up in three words – RESTORATION! RESTORATION! RESTORATION. I am happy to report that there is light at the end of the tunnel. At the Regular Board Meeting, Jan. 17, 2008, with input from Legal Counsel, the Board adopted a measure authorizing the levying of a special assessment for the project, and also approved the proposed contract with Complete Property Services (CPS) which included asbestos abatement.

A volunteer Design Committee came together to research and reach a consensus on such matters as the color of the building, trim color, lighting possibilities, air conditioning grates, and walkway floor coverings. While taking cost constraints into consideration, eventually, amazingly, consensus did happen. The Board began making parking arrangements for the Construction Crew. On March 4th, an informational meeting was held for all shareholders on the upcoming project with representatives from Complete Property Services, Gulfcoast Waterproofing, and Vance Poland, Starlight's liaison with Resource Property Mgmt. in attendance, to offer insight as to expectations and to answer questions.

The Restoration Permit was granted on April 15th. Attorney Ben Rabin and Engineer Santiago Bartolome prepared an Order of Commencement; it was posted, and we were off and running. We now have 10 months of project history behind us. The maintenance staff was often called upon to open or close hurricane shutters, or comply with sundry other requests associated with the project. Starlight Express Editor Pat Ifft and Webmaster Louisa Simos provided visual images of what was happening, Vice-President Lynn Dopp gave owners and residents detailed update reports on progress being made and what was to be expected in the near future, Board Member Bill Wales kept a close eye on day-to-day operations along with oversight from Vance Poland. Project Manager Norm Bavis proved to be ever-ready to explain procedures and account for the “unexpected.”

Each Monday, Construction Meetings were faithfully held with most of the following in attendance: Engineer Santiago, CPS – CEO Mike Krueger, Project Manager Norm Bavis, Terry Howard of Gulfcoast Waterproofing, Vance Poland and Leora or Dianne from Resource, Lynn Dopp, Bill Wales and Yours Truly, often by teleconference. These meetings were a must - informative, sometimes contentious, but always productive! There were reports to be made and studied, hard-questions to be answered, costs to be assessed, quotes to be obtained, and decisions to be made. I cannot thank the Starlight team enough for providing due diligence, keeping the betterment of Starlight uppermost in the equation, and giving so selflessly of precious time and talents. I also want to take this opportunity to express my thanks to the owners and residents for your cooperation during this sometimes-trying time, whether it was an additional and burdensome expense for the removal of windows, inconvenience in parking, stepping over debris, or “cheerfully” finding other lodgings during walkway coatings. And, although the construction workers are not here to receive their kudos, I want the record to reflect that I have heard nothing but praise and compliments for their willingness to accommodate the residents, always upbeat greetings despite sometimes adverse circumstances such as precarious positions or inclement weather, and for their superb clean-up job at the end of each working day. Many thanks to all! And now, for other business during 2008....!

At the March 18th Board Meeting an Addendum to the Objective Standards policy was ratified to help ensure uniform appearances, require sound-dampening sub floors before floor tile can be installed, and additional requirements.

On March 30th, on behalf of Starlight Tower, I presented an Award Plaque to Luther Cook of Envoy Point to thank him for the lovely beach-front garden he created and maintained for the enjoyment of the whole community. Since the event was held honoring Luther on the occasion of his retirement from the garden project, Starlight also presented a check to Envoy Point in the amount of $150.00 for ongoing maintenance of the garden.

On March 31st, A By-laws Revision Committee Meeting was held addressing the need for changes to the Amendment procedures for Lease Provisions, By-laws, and Rules and Regulations. A more workable procedure for each of these provisions was adopted. At the Regular Board Meeting in May the proposed amendment to the Lease Provisions, Article VIII, Section 5, passed after obtaining written consent of the required number of shareholders. On May 15th a Special Shareholders Meeting was held; a quorum was established; and a vote taken on the measure to amend Article IX of the By-laws. The measure passed.

In April, we authorized Attorney Rabin to do research regarding County records and file num-bers to help bring Starlight ownership documents & certificates up to date. Some transactions of new ownership, dating back as far as 2005, were incomplete. This effort produced the official missing documents, and subsequently Starlight records were updated & made current.

A Starlight Evacuation Plan was developed and distributed prior to the Summer Hurricane Season. New owners requesting a copy should talk to one of the Board Members.

The Alarm Controls have been brought up to Code, and instructions for dealing with an alarm have been posted on the Bulletin board. Please familiarize yourself with these procedures.

A Miwa lock was installed on the pool gate to minimize unauthorized use of Starlight's pool. But, because trespassing on our property, seawall, and courtyard has reached epidemic proportions, with all the resulting problems, the Board voted to install a fence on top of our Seawall. Specs needed to be drawn up and bids invited. Permits and variances had to be obtained. We have been through all of these processes, and thanks to Bill Wales' painstakingly overseeing all these steps, a contractor has been chosen, and the fence should soon be erected.

Before owners headed back up-North Nicole Elko, Coastal Coordinator for Pinellas County, made a presentation to Starlighters regarding the status of the vandalized T-groin in front of Starlight Tower, and any future plans for repair/replacement, as well as a report that plans for permanent T-groins were on the drawing board. Surfers have made it known that they would like to see the T-groins gone, and have made inroads with their lobbying efforts to do so (or at least to have their way in making certain the T-groins do not interfere with their surfing). At this point in my report I am jumping ahead a bit to follow up on this matter. Kevin Hing has been Starlight's solitary watchdog on this issue. He repeatedly brought Starlight's concerns to the attention of the City and County Commissioners, organized a petition drive, and was instrumental in setting up two evenings this past month here at Starlight, with Commissioner-elect Jim Parent and Mayor Mike Finnerty so Starlight owners could give their input. We are indebted to Kevin for his ongoing efforts. An important stakeholders' meeting with the engineer who is designing the permanent groins is set for Feb 17.

During the course of 2008, the Board dealt with requests for two pet exceptions for medical purposes. We worked with the Attorney to make certain all required documents were in order to comply with Federal laws on Fair Housing and Disability. Both exceptions were granted.

As the Restoration Project progressed, with some storm shutters needing to be removed, Engineer Santiago produced some specific instructions for the future installation of storm shutters. The Board voted in May to add these provisions to our Objective Standards Policy.

Although not part of the Restoration Project's Budget, the Board determined that some of the storage room doors and trash room doors needed a major overhaul. Thus the maintenance staff was put to work sanding and scraping, and preparing them for paint. I think this will prove to be a major improvement, along with the upgrading of the Air Conditioning grates. (Note the new vent covers already installed on the '08 stack). In the very near future new light fixtures, appropriated under our 2008 budget, will grace our walkways. Stay tuned!

The Board contracted with a lawn service which started on January 1, 2009. Our lawn and shrubs have taken a beating during the Restoration Project. So, as soon as the work is finished, with some recovery funds from the Contractor for damages, we should be able to get our lawn and shrubs to the point where they will be an attractive asset instead of a detraction.

Two new heaters have been installed in the pool and are working efficiently. With the weather warming up, the pool will prove to be a popular place for residents and winter visitors. A water shut-off protection system, providing a shut-off valve on each floor, was approved and installed by Slaughter Plumbing in Dec. when they replaced the large leaking pipe on 8th floor.

Two units in Starlight Tower are in foreclosure status. One is still listed as pre-foreclosure, while the auction for the other one should be scheduled in approximately one month. We will keep Stralighters informed on dates and particulars.

It has been a busy productive year. Representing Starlight on the Board has been a team effort. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive, knowledgeable, and eager Vice-president than Lynn Dopp. She has been a godsend! Lynn's job during the past year required her too to be absent from the Starlight premises a great deal of the time. So, the day-to-day operations fell to Bill Wales. We are all indebted to Bill for endless hours of volunteer work on behalf of Starlight. I also want to thank the other Board Members, Gina Machado, Tom Kelley, Al Stucko, and Stan Bryk (replaced by Lee Brand when Stan resigned for personal reasons), and a special thanks to Pat Ifft for her efficient role as Recording Secretary. Some of us are signing on again, to complete unfinished business and we welcome Bill Isaacs as part of that team. We ask again for your cooperation as we try to keep Starlight's interests uppermost on the agenda!

~~ Marlene Reid