MAY 2002
NEWSLETTER
PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
Well over
100 DKPOA members attended the Meet the President's
reception at Margaret and Bill Braun's beautiful
home.
It was
wonderful to be with fellow neighbors and friends as they
gathered together, not just to meet me, but to also honor
the past presidents that helped build and promote the
values and traditions upon which DKPOA was
founded.
Briefly,
I'll outline where your association is now and where we
are going. Your board's immediate priority has been to
keep DKPOA united as a cohesive force dedicated to the
preservation and protection of our residential islands,
and we've made tremendous progress toward that
goal.
We're
also getting re-organized. You can look forward to more
communication through a newsletter sent after every board
meeting.
New
booklets will be published each year listing current
members' phone numbers and addresses. We will be
expanding your board to maximize membership input.
Although we have not completed our 2002/2003 action plan
you can be assured that it will include your views and
will represent the will of our membership.
My wife
Mary and I are proud to live on Duck Key, proud to be
members of DKPOA, and I am personally honored to be able
to serve as your President.
Art
Apkarian
MEMBERSHIP
Renewal
membership dues letters will be mail on November 1, 2002.
In order to have your name, address and telephone number
in the new directory, dues must be paid by January 13,
2003.
The Board
of Directors would like to recognize long term members
and will be requesting that members state on their
renewal forms the year members joined the association.
At the
April 16, 2002 Board of Directors Meeting, the Board
Members decided to provide all members with tubes and 5
year DKPOA stickers. Each year, upon receipt of renewal
dues, a different color decal will be applied to the
tubes to indicate those who are current
members.
BOARD
SEEKS VOLUNTEERS TO FILL VACANT POSITIONS
The
Association's By-Laws allow for nine members to serve on
the Board of Directors. Currently there are seven
positions filled and the Board would like to fill the
other two by the November 2002 Board meeting. Any
association member who has an interest in serving can get
in touch with one of the following members of the
Nominating Committee:
Art
Apkarian, President: Duck Key Phone: 289-0705, Michigan
Phone: 616-247-0845, Email: Aapkarian@aol.com
Web
Gokey, Past President: 305-289-0499
Dave
Lyon, Past President: Duck Key Phone: 743-6389, New York
Phone: 716-469-6389
The next
Board meeting is scheduled for November 18, 2002. It has
been decided that a Board meeting will be held every
third Monday of each month for the 2003 year.
OUR ROADS
& WATERWAYS
Ed
Gottschalk has met with a representative from Monroe
County, and the County has agreed to mow the easements
and removed fallen trees . At DKPOA's request, pot holes
have been filled and the deck of the main bridge has been
repaired. Hawksí Cay has agreed to maintain the
easement and road from Truman Bridge to U.S.1.
The
Marine Resources has put #2 and #4 buoys at the south end
of Duck Key Channel. However, they have marked a
preferred route around Tom's Harbor Island.
FUTURE
EVENTS
Welcome
Back Party: The 2002 Welcome Back Party will take place
on Saturday, November 9. The cost will be $10.00. The
time and place will be determined at a later
date.
Annual
Dinner Dance: The 2003 Dinner Dance will be held on
January 19th at the Yacht Club. The theme is Coco Cabana.
The cost of the dinner will be $50.00 per member, and we
will dance to the music of the same band we had at the
2002 dance.
DKPOA
2002 FISHING TOURNAMENT AND FISH FRY
The
tournament was held on April 20, 2002. No boats returned
to dock at Bill & Marilyn Braun's for the weigh-in;
however, later at the fish fry, there were three teams
who claimed victory. It was decided that to award the
grand prize, a drawing would be held among the three
contenders. The grand prize, a $150.00 gift certificate
to Duck Key Marina, was won by Dave Williamson.
The 4:00
Fish Fry was a big success and THANK YOU to Scott &
Diana Walker for hosting the event and for providing and
frying all the delicious fish. The event included raffle
prizes, and a $100.00 gift certificate to Worldwide
Sportsman was given to Scott and Diana for all their
efforts to provide us with such a great time.
We also
send a big THANK YOU to Louise Skidmore for organizing
the tournament and fish fry. Your efforts were very much
appreciated.
Congratulations
to Gail McNichol for catching a 16" tuna on her first
fishing adventure.
MEMBER
PROFILE
Joe and
Jo Ann Orr
President
Art Apkarian has requested that we add a new feature to
the newsletter and include a member in each issue. Since
I had a short time to publish this issue, I decided to
feature members I know really well, Joe and myself.
Joe and I
moved to the Keys in 1968, however, not together. Joe is
originally from Union, South Carolina and I grew up in
Elmira, New York. Joe moved to the Keys after taking a
cruise upon graduation from college and met several
Marathon High School graduating students. He later
visited them and fell in love with the Keys.
Joe
graduated from Furman University in Greenville, South
Caroline with a teaching degree and upon arriving in
Marathon obtained a position at Marathon High School
teaching math. He later received his master's degree in
Education Administration and was promoted to Vice
Principal at the high school. In 1985 he was appointed
Principal at Stanley Switlik Elementary School. The last
two years of his educational career was working at the
District Office as Principal on special assignment
developing the math initiative for Monroe County Schools.
Joe retired from the school system in June 2001.
I moved
to the Keys with my one year old daughter and previous
husband. I became employed at the Guidance Clinic of the
Middle Keys in June 1973 and worked in many positions
over my 26 years of employment. During the last 12
years,m I held the position of Chief Fiscal Officer and I
retired in June 2000.
Joe and I
met in 1979 and were married in 1981. We lived for 22
years on Grassy Key and in 1985 built our first home
across from the Dolphin Research Center. We lived there
until September 1, 2001 when we moved into our Duck Key
home on Bahama Drive.
Joe and I
both enjoy snow skiing, traveling, and reading. Joe is
still involved with the school board doing consulting and
I work part-time at a local security company.
We love
living in the Keys and living on Duck Key We look forward
to meeting more of our new neighbors.
