RiverWalk Talk Volume 24, Issue 7/8 A Newsletter Covering Life in RiverWalk July/August 2020 In This Issue Board Actions for the Month of May 2020 By the RiverWalk Talk Editorial Staff President's Report.............Page 2 This report covers three Board meetings held on May 5th, May 8th, and May Manager's Corner .......... ..Page 4 19th. Some of the motions made at an earlier meeting were revised at a later Treasurer's Report............Page 5 meeting, but we’ll report them as they occurred so you can understand the Clubs/Classes...................Page 18 chronology. Calendars....................Page 24-25 Activities .......................... Page 33 An Emergency Board Meeting was held on May 5th at 4:30 pm, with all Board members and the General Manager Kathy Jean Pinchuk attending. After a failed motion by Richard Keller to suspend making the decision at MEETING DATES this meeting, Annetta Veres made a motion to postpone the opening of the Tuesday, July 21, 7 p.m. swimming pools until proper sanitation supplies and the rules of monitoring Board Meeting of the pools are in place. Pete Reinhardt seconded the motion. The vote was 6-1 in favor of the motion. Monday, July 27, 10 a.m. Architectural Control Committee Richard Keller made a motion that we open the tennis courts for residents only (no guests) with restrictions based on CDC and Palm Beach Thursday, August 20, 7 p.m. County guidelines. Players must show proof of ID. Hours will be determined Board Meeting by coordination of the tennis pro’s availability: Monday - Sunday 8:00 - 11:00 am, Tuesday and Thursday 5:00 - 8:00 pm, with hours changed if needed. Pro Monday, August 24, 10 a.m. shop bathroom facilities will be closed, water fountains will be bagged, and Architectural Control Committee play will be singles only. The tennis pro can arrange lessons outside of the monitoring hours. Once the rules are approved by the HOA Attorney, an email blast will be sent and rules signs will be posted. Myles Schack seconded the When You Need Help: motion, and the motion carried by consensus. Jay with Southern Exposure provided a report of all the holly trees within In an Emergency, Call: RiverWalk. The report depicts each holly tree’s status using three phases: 911 1. Red = dead trees that need to be removed and/or replaced Non-Emergency 2. Orange = trees are not dead yet, but may die within the next year or so Police, Call: 3. Yellow = trees that do not need to be removed at this time 822-1900 After amendments were made, Richard Keller made a motion to refer to the holly tree report to identify and remove 57 dead holly trees in an amount not to exceed $15,000, and to proceed whenever reasonably possible after receiving the HOA Attorney’s approval that the Association can enter homeowners’ properties and remove their trees. The motion was seconded Board Actions: Continued on page 40 JULY/AUGUST 2020 RIVERWALK TALK Page 2 Not Every Plant is Poison Ivy! When our family was young, I took our daughter, two sons, and our dog for nature walks. Of course, we looked for all kinds of animals, strange rocks, flowers, and sometimes dangerous items. Poison ivy was one of them. We learned to visually identify their shape and color, and discussed the necessity to avoid touching it with any part of the body. Today, as some of us venture from our home, we worry that we may encounter something we can’t identify by shape, smell, or taste. Indeed, all of our senses fail us as we try to identify an unknown poison called COVID-19. It appears that we see politicians moving away from science and choosing a pathway leading to restoring our economy. On this pathway, are we careful not to touch any plants we see or smell; or, are we being led to believe that things are normal again—not every plant is poison ivy! At our June 16th Board meeting, the Board considered the opening of more of our amenities: the Town Center, the fitness center, bocce courts, all pools, all hours, etc. This process will continue until we have a vaccine. The following is part of an email I received today from a golfing acquaintance with a real-life experience: “I am concerned with the idea of opening up Board Meetings because the Governor is focused on reopening Florida. Most of our community is over the age where we are especially vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, regardless of what any law says. Our COVID policies should be more modeled to the guidelines for Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes than for restaurants, etc… For people like me: I’m 76 years old, I’ve been fighting leukemia for 3 ½ years, have compromised lungs, and am immune deficient; so for me, attending a BOD meeting would be akin to a death sentence. I would love to attend a BOD meeting, but that’s just not practical. Other residents with COPD, arrhythmia, faulty heart valves, other heart issues, diabetes, and respiratory problems are extremely at risk. Furthermore, wouldn’t exposure of the BOD be greater than the current arrangement? The COVID-19 risk appears even greater today than a month ago, as new cases are increasing almost on a daily basis. I am extremely concerned that opening up BOD meetings would only serve to enhance transmission of COVID-19 from Town Center to the rest of RW.” He thanks me for considering the above. I pass it on to you to do the same. Hank Nicoletti, Board President JULY/AUGUST 2020 RIVERWALK TALK Page 3 I enjoy nature on my walks, but on the rail. The feathers under its wings were Editor's usually from a distance. I’ve a bright coral. From reading Greg Christoph’s been sad that, at least on the article in the February RiverWalk Talk, I believe Note eastern side of the property, it was a roseate spoonbill, and I have never we seem to have fewer and seen one of those in RiverWalk or anywhere. We fewer wading birds, even during both stayed still for a moment, and then it took the winter season. But recently, I off, flying northwest in a wide arc to the water got up close and personal with two catchment area. What a wonderful sight! I hope it feathered friends, and I was thrilled. returns. Editor's Note: Continued on page 21 One day I was trudging across a bridge, my eyes on the ground, and I just felt a presence. A large anhinga was sitting on the bridge railing, wings The RiverWalk Talk spread, just a couple of feet from my shoulder. is on its bimonthly This bird could have reached out and touched me. It held its position, even after I walked by. Summer Schedule. What a beautiful bird! Then, just recently I was crossing another bridge See our next edition on and the most gorgeous large, pale pink bird flew across the bridge right in front of me and landed September 1 RiverWalk Talk Mission Statement RiverWalkA newsletter covering life in RiverWalkTalk The purpose of the RiverWalk Talk newsletter is to provide community information to the RiverWalk homeowners. The newsletter also will do its best to include interesting articles and ads. However, any claims in the ads have not been investigated by the staff, and they are not endorsed in any way. Editor in Chief . Patricia Bird Associate Editor..Elaine Confino It is the responsibility of the reader to check the claims in the ads and whether Advertising Manager . Kathy Wolf the business’s licensing is current. Activities Director. Ilissa Shannon Activities Editor...............Fran Shay Any report of the President, Treasurer, or Property Manager will be Accounts Manager . Ron Frano printed with no changes by the editors but for spelling and grammar thereby Calendar. .Fran Shay maintaining the integrity of the article and the author’s meaning. Minor Contributing Writers. Steve Bucar, changes to an article’s length could be requested by the editors. Greg Christoph, Lourdes Ferris, Len Fintzy, Bea Fries, Lisa Gammon, Dianne No personal attacks will be printed, and coverage of Association meetings Golder, Betty Handel, Marianne McCann, will be reported as accurately as possible. No articles or ads will be accepted Sandra Masters, Pat Minkler, Heather that are about social or political issues or are in support or against any Sandarr, Steve Wolf candidacy at RiverWalk or for government office. Photo Editors.........Elaine Confino, Nancy O'Keefe, Steve Wolf Graphic Design & Layout. Patricia Bird The Editorial Board reserves the right to edit all submitted copy, except for the articles mentioned in the Mission Statement, for fit and content according to policies set forth by the Board of Directors of the RiverWalk of the Palm Beaches Homeowners Association. RiverWalk Talk will accept feature articles, news items, club reports, photos and other items that are of interest to the majority of our residents. All such pieces should be placed in the RWT box in the main office or sent to the Editor at Patricia Bird at [email protected] Articles should be in Word format, photos in .JPG or .PDF. Include your name, email address, & phone number. All queries concerning advertising should be directed to our Advertising Manager Kathy Wolf at 242-0329. JULY/AUGUST 2020 RIVERWALK TALK Page 4 Excuses, Excuses With the continuation of the coronavirus, there have been a number of Association members who have had difficulty paying their assessments late or not at all. Several of them have come up with some very interesting excuses.