Letter from the President

My name is David Williamson and I am reaching out to you to solicit your opinion on behalf of the Duck Key Property Owners Association (DKPOA). 

Following our General meeting last year, much progress has been made on improvements to Duck Key.  Several projects were completed, including new street signs, improved gardens, the completion of a canal engineering depth survey, trimming canal overgrowth, planting to cover the bridge sewer pipes and the repairs to the railings on the Bimini and Yacht Club Island bridges. 

Membership contributions have increased by 14% over the previous year giving us some much needed financial flexibility for our work. Thank you for your willingness to pitch in with a your money. A special thank you to those of you who have given additional monies above and beyond their dues. 

DKPOA has increased co-ordination of activities relating to safety and security with the Duck Key Security Advisory Board managed programs. 

Some larger projects, such as dredging the canals, are in progress but will require extensive planning, obtaining of permits and raising money through voluntary contributions to cover the project costs. We are continuing to scope and plan the project, and will require your help in securing the required funds to proceed with the permit applications and dredging. To make the contributions tax deductible, we intend to create a corporation which will apply for a non-profit status with the IRS. 

Other projects suggested last year by respondents to our survey proved to be impractical. For example, installing a gate at the Truman Bridge would require Duck Key residents to take over responsibility for the Duck Key road maintenance. Burying the electrical and communication utilities underground would require another major digging up of the island and a massive amount of funding from the FKEC. 

This year we are again planning for future improvements to our island to continue to enhance its natural beauty and to protect the value of our properties. As with all assets, ongoing regular maintenance is needed to ensure that our island does not deteriorate through the impact of storms, erosion, invasive plants and animals, and unfortunately, vandalism from some visitors and contractors. 

To ensure that we are representing a broad view of Duck Key residents, I am asking for your input. We are mailing you a package that includes a survey, please check off the 5 most important areas of maintenance or improvements that you would like to see done over the next 5 years. 

We are listing the areas for improvement that we are aware of, but you may have other views or priorities. Please use the provided blank lines to describe what we may have missed. 

Please send your completed forms to me or bring the completed survey to the Annual General Meeting of the Duck Key Property Owners’ Association on March 15th 2015 at 4pm. 

We will collate and summarize this input and report back to you on our findings and action plans that will follow from this survey. Watch for the next issue of the Duck Key Newsletter, or go the DKPOA website to check for the results of the survey. 

Thank you for your input.

Respectfully yours, 
David Williamson