2022 will be remembered as a year of change for the MPOA and our Beach Park.
Over the past three years alone, we have welcomed over 330 new households to the Moorings Property Owners Association, and our membership now includes a total of over 1,500 households. During this rapid growth, we’ve continued to invest in additional benefits for our membership - capabilities like wi-fi at the Beach Park, and new signage in our community, and now the rebuild of the Beach Park.
And now, we will continue to evolve and improve the Moorings Property Owners Association via our online 2022 Newsletter. The Annual Newsletter has been shifted online to better align with how the majority of our members consume their news, reduce environmental impact, and save on printing and postage costs.
‘So sad for so many,’ are words that come to mind when looking back on the impact of Hurricane Ian. No one understands the magnitude of this loss more than those who personally experienced it. I hope our residents are on the road to recovery and have persevered through the many challenges. The outpouring of support from neighbors and friends is extraordinary and speaks volumes to the character of our community.
The MPOA Board of Governors is very focused on restoring The Moorings and our beach park. The beach park took a terrible hit from Ian and will require complete restoration. We will view this as an opportunity to create an improved experience for our members and bring back the beauty of this incredible asset. Thank you to so many of you who have donated to our Restoration Fund. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. We also appreciate your patience as our work progresses; it will take several months to complete this project. We will do our best to open the park when it is safe to do so.
When the park reopens, please remember that our attendants are there to ensure members have a safe and pleasant visit. Please, support their efforts by recognizing our park rules and treating them with respect as they fulfill this very important role.
I encourage members to attend our monthly Board meetings. They are scheduled on the second Tuesday of the month from October to May and are held at the Moorings Presbyterian Church located at 791 Harbour Drive. Representatives from City Staff provide updates on important projects and plans, and a representative from the Naples Police Department discusses specific issues and opportunities in the neighborhood. Frequent guest speakers are also included to cover topics relevant to our members. Member ideas and feedback are always welcome!
We are very fortunate to live in a wonderful place like The Moorings. The MPOA Board will continue to focus on opportunities to enhance our community.
Since Hurricane Ian hit Naples, the City has been in recovery mode. In order to assure safety, the first priority has been repairing and cleaning the streets, stormwater systems, water lines, and sewer systems. Along with that, partnering with FP&L, phone companies, and internet providers to get services restored to residents went hand in hand with the work of city employees. Longer term, the City will need to finish removing debris, cleaning the beaches, repairing City facilities, and rebuilding the Pier and Lowdermilk Park. Fortunately, it appears that we have insurance, adequate reserves, and federal and state assistance to help cover these costs. City staff will develop a post-storm action report to address shortcomings, lessons learned, and what we can do to harden infrastructure to be more resilient.
Before the hurricane, the City had been focused on implementing several water quality improvement initiatives. These include the Beach Outfall Pipe Removal and the Water Quality Improvement Project on Gulf Shore Boulevard, several stormwater lake remediation projects, and stormwater system improvements. These efforts will continue although the timing may be impacted by the hurricane recovery efforts.
We also plan to continue to address redevelopment standards, affordable workforce housing, inflation impacts, and staff recruitment/retention.
It has been so encouraging to see residents, City and County staff, churches, relief agencies, and service providers unite and work hard to help our beautiful City recover and rebuild! Thanks, everyone!
The MPOA Board of Governors has been working hard on behalf of our members, our beach park, and our beach park attendants, even more so since Ian’s devastation. We have addressed security, refurbishment and improvements, plus planned changes for 2023. As the reopening timeline of our beach park is uncertain, please understand that all comments below are intended for once the beach park is open. None of this could have been done without many generous donations from members and other community members.
We are excited to announce the launch of a new website at www.mpoa.org where, for the first time, Moorings property owners can apply for MPOA membership and pay online. New memberships are activated on January 1 of every calendar year. Registration can still be completed with our paper form for those who choose. It will be available at the beach and downloadable from our website. Allow up to two weeks for registration to be verified, processed, and communicated to the beach park attendants.
For the safety of members and attendants, once Hurricane Ian refurbishment allows, we are adopting important security and policy changes:
Before Ian, MPOA had begun and is continuing to invest in several enhancements to the beach park. Besides the installation of security cameras and gates, we have also installed Wi-Fi. The restrooms are still in the process of being renovated. We were in the process of planning for new benches and tables to be installed in the park. We know our timeline has obviously been impacted, but our Board and our members believe these improvements will give us an even more special beach park.
We continue our commitment to investing in improvements to the community beyond the beach park. We are committed to the preservation of the beauty of The Moorings and purposely participate in activities designed to promote the health of our bays and waterways. We have addressed entrances to The Moorings. We replaced The Moorings sign at Tamiami and Mooring Line Drive and enhanced the landscaping. The sign at Harbour Drive has been refurbished and a new sign at The Moorings neighborhood entrance on Anchor Rode has been installed. We made a generous contribution to the Blair Tree Foundation to replace many trees in The Moorings that have been missing or were lost during Hurricane Irma.
The MPOA Board is committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing The Moorings community.
