IPOIA Annual Meeting - September 14, 2013

The IPOIA Annual Meeting will be held on September 14, 2013 @ 2 p.m. All members of the IPOIA are invited to attend.

Public Hearing on Proposed 2014 City Budget

Update on IPOIA Special Called Meeting

Approximately 50 residents braved the downpour and attended the Special Called Meeting to discuss the lease agreement between the IPOIA and the City. The current lease is as follows $700 per month for office space/$1600 per year for use of the community center for meetings/ 75% of utilities for office space/50% utilities for community center. The IPOIA share rental on a copy machine. The Cities offer was as follows: $250 per month for office space/$1000 per year for use of community center/IPOIA pays all utilities/no mention on use of copier. Mayor Brockhouse was given the floor to give his views on the purchase of a building to be used as the new city hall. He explained that this was not his idea but the idea of three of the city council members who got together and presented this proposal to him. After much discussion from the members the IPOIA Board moved to executive session to discuss a counter offer on the lease. The Board has voted to counter with the same amount that the city has been paying for the last three years. We will have to wait and see if the city accepts the lease present by the IPOIA.

August Newsletter Highlights

WEEDS! WEEDS! WEEDS! Bill Adney, Ivanhoe resident and helicopter pilot, observed the fast growing aquatic plants along the shores of Lakes Galahad and Tristan. As he flew over Lake Hyatt (a lake located to the south of us) he noticed the lake was nearly covered by similar water plants. Concerned about the fate of Ivanhoe lakes, Bill sprang into action consulting the Internet and county agricultural agent. One meeting has already been held with concerned citizens in which Mac McCune, President of Lake Management Specialists of Sugarland was an invited guest speaking about possible solutions to the weed problem. (a more detailed report is given in the August newsletter). On Saturday, August 17 at 10 a.m. there will be a second meeting for the public held at the community center with more detailed information. If you would like to speak with Bill about becoming a member of the lake committee, contact him at 409-224-2388. KUDOS FOR THE IVANHOE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT We had one of the best fireworks displays ever staged for the 4th by the Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Department. Support of our fire department is vital to our community. They fund the fireworks by selling some of the best BBQ in Tyler Co. Labor Day Weekend you will get another chance to get a great plate of awesome BBQ as well as sweets for sale by the Ladies Civic Club. Please support your community organizations. As always - the newsletter is available at the IPOIA office and is placed in a mail box out front so you can just drive by and pick up your copy. If you wish to have one mailed to your home please contact the office for details.

SPECIAL CALLED MEETING FOR IPOIA - WED. AUG. 14TH AT 6 P.M.

Below is a note written to all members of the IPOIA from the president of the association Patsy Morris. I will allow comments to be made on this post however, I ask that you stick to the subject of this post. Friends, here are two important issues before the IPOIA and city council for which your input is needed: Item #1 After the city council executive meeting Thursday night, city attorney Tim McDonough announced that Councilman David Baier is investigating the purchase of a portable office building to be used as a city hall. When Ivanhoe became a city, residents identified two priorities; roads and security. A separate city hall was not imagined. At present, the city hall office and meeting space is leased from the IPOIA whose volunteers use this income for community improvements. In the last few weeks, the IPOIA has spent $2700 for a new ice machine and over $8000 for the community center air conditioner. Just last week we spent $500 to locate and clean the septic tank for the office. A number of parks are mowed by volunteers whose reimbursement, if any, is only the cost of gas when hired mowing can cost as much as $35 an hour. The city council meets for a workshop to discuss the budget on Thursday, August 14th. (Remember: they are deciding how they will allocate and spend your tax dollars). Residents may attend this meeting however you will not be allowed to comment. Within the next couple of weeks, a budget hearing will be held where citizen input will be allowed which will include reading of letters and emails received at the city office about the building of a new city hall. Please make your voice heard. The city council and IPOIA should support each other to make Ivanhoe a better place to live. The current office space is adequate for both. The IPOIA has regular summer office hours of 9-5 on Saturdays and 2-4 on Sundays. The city hall is open all day from Tuesday through Friday and half day on Saturday. We share the building for one half day each Saturday, a half day on Saturday. We share the building for one half day each Saturday, a half day on Friday once a month and a few hours during the week when IPOIA volunteers complete office maintenance chores. Item #2 1. The mayor contacted Patsy Morris, the current IPOIA president to report that the city is countering the IPOIA lease agreement to reduce the current lease amount from $10,000 per year to what he says is "fair market value" and to reduce the percentage of utilities shared by the city. He will present the lease proposal Monday morning. (the city's proposal has been presented and after the Wed. night meeting I will post it for those who are unable to attend the meeting). The IPOIA board will discuss the ramifications of a reduced lease or no lease by the city at a special called meeting at 6:00 p.m. Wed. August 14th in the community center. IPOIA members will have an opportunity to voice their opinions as the board struggles with the decision to accept or reject the city proposal. Please Come! For those of you who wish to express your opinion on the city building a city hall, please address your emails to mail@cityofivanhoetx.com

SUPPORT YOUR IPOIA

We want to take this opportunity to thank all members who have paid their maintenance fee's and bought stickers. It is very important to keep our parks and lakes PRIVATE for use by residents of Ivanhoe and their invited guests. For those who live in Ivanhoe but are not members of IPOIA all that is required is that you pay the $6 per lot fee and purchase stickers for your boats, vehicles and golf carts. At this time the office is only open on Saturday from 9 to 5. As summer approaches the board will look at possibly opening for a few hours on Friday and Sunday.

A Big Thank You!

Wow! What a lot of work was accomplished in our Parks this weekend by a great group of volunteers. Thanks to city council members Morris and McIntyre who joined will all the IPOIA Board members, residents, as well as members of our Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Dept. to install a new swing set at Heli-pad park, replace deck boards, mow, rack, burn, picked up litter and lots more. Lunch was provided for all volunteers by the IPOIA Board both days.

COMMUNITY MOVIE NITE - CANCELLED

THE MOVIE NITE WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED IN THE NEWSLETTER FOR FEB. 19TH HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RESEARCHING A PUBLIC PERFORMANCE SITE LICENSE WHICH WILL ALLOW US TO SHOW MOVIES IN A PUBLIC SETTING.

FEBRUARY 2013 NEWSLETTER

IPOIA YEARLY LETTER

By now all members of the IPOIA should have received their 2013 yearly maintenance fee statement. All fee's are due by January 1, 2013. In order to use any of our parks and lakes, you MUST be a property owner in good standing (all fees paid in full) and have a current sticker on your vehicle. If your maintenance fees are in arrears, please call the office to discuss setting up a payment plan. We will be glad to work with you. FYI: Current office hours are: Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Park hours are: 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset Annual Meeting will be held on September 14, 2013 - our monthly meetings are still being held on the second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Community Center. Sticker fee for 2013 is $5.00 per vehicle, boat, golf cart Boat Launch Key is $5.00 (Fee is higher if replacement of lost key is needed) Vehicle Guest Pass - Free when arranged by property owner Boat Guest Pass - $15 Sat. or Sun. or $25 for both days or all 5 weekdays - NO holiday passes for boats issued due to limited space on the lakes. Newsletter subscription is $14 annually to pay for mail and handling fees. If you are unable to come by on Saturday to pay your fees, there is a box located at the right of the entrance to the city office in which checks (no cash please) may be placed. If you require stickers, please include your name and address, fee + 1.00 for mailing and year, make model of vehicle. ($5 for each vehicle + $1 for mailing) IPOIA Office number is: 409-283-3653 You may email us at IPOIA.board@gmail.com with any questions you might have. The IPOIA Board members want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy, Safe New Year!

NOTICE

LAKE CHARMAINE WILL BE LOWERED STARTING NOVEMBER 16TH SO THAT THE CITY CAN DO NEEDED REPAIRS TO THE DAM. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY OFFICE AT 409-283-3299.

ANNUAL IPOIA MEETING

The Annual Ivanhoe Property Owners Improvement Association meeting is scheduled for September 8th at 2:00 p.m. at the Community Center. We will be serving a BBQ sandwich luncheon starting at 1:00 p.m. at $5 per plate. Please make plans to attend.

JULY 2012 NEWLETTER

IPOIA SUMMER OFFICE HOURS

I.P.O.I.A

SUMMER OFFICE HOURS

FRIDAY - 2 - 6 PM

SATURDAY - 9 AM - 5 PM

SUNDAY - 2 - 5 PM

Office Phone No. - 409-283-3653

INSTALLING PICNIC TABLES AT HELIPAD PARK

Thanks to Councilman Joe McIntyre, Ivanhoe Volunteer's Mollie & Ed Vieau, Ron & Karen Sikora and Chuck Vonderlin .  Thanks also to the students at Kirbyville High School for building the tables and to Marvin Kraft AG Teacher.

FIREWORKS FOR JULY 4TH

Since we have received much needed rain in the area, the Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Dept. is going to provide our fireworks for July 4th on JUNE 30th.  They have scheduled it for this date due to the fact that we do have so many property owners that are up here on the weekends.  As always you can park at the Community Center, Candy Cane Park or the Charmaine Park across from the community center for the best viewing.  Many residents "float the Boat" and view from the lake.  Invite your family and friends to come join you as we celebrate July 4th on JUNE 30th. (Saturday)

City of Ivanhoe Information

City of Ivanhoe website:  cityofivanhoetx.com
If you have a question for the City, just go to their website and go to the contact section.  You will find their email address and phone number listed.  Remember:  We are a City so there are ordinances that have been put in place that must be followed.  It is in your best interest before beginning a building project to check with the City and apply for a permit.  The city ordinances are also listed on the website.  City council meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the community center.

Plans To Start Re-Posting to the Blog

As has been reported. The blog was discontinued for a few months due to  more commitments that I (the blogmaster) could possibly meet and continue to be sane.  There was also the use of the comments section on the blog to make comments about hard working volunteers that were nothing more than vicious gossip.  This blog was set up to be a "information board" for those property owners who were unable to attend meetings or unable to come to their property on a regular basis.  We also have many residents that due to health issues use our blog to keep up with what is going on in our city.  We have been encouraged by many residents to "please" start posting to the blog again.  So, here we go......sorry, the comments section will continue to be blocked, but if you do have a question for the IPOIA Board, please email them at IPOIA.Board@gmail.com    FYI:  I will get all  the City info and post it later.  

IPOIA Monthly Meeting - March 10, 2012 at 10 A.M.

Make plans to attend the monthly IPOIA meeting at the Buck Priest Community Center.  Thanks to the Friends of Ivanhoe for the successful garage sale that was held last month to raise money to repair the signs at the front entrance of Ivanhoe.  A special thanks to Karen Hamilton and all those who volunteered.

Lake Charmaine and Galahad News

At the last IPOIA meeting which was held January 14th, it was decided to open Lake Charmaine and Galahad to motorized boating.  We do ask that you stay back from the dams to prevent wave action against the aprons.  Hopefully the rains will continue and we will not have to close the lakes again.  IPOIA Board of Directors