CRA  MEETING  NO. 68 – 30^TH AUGUST 2010

Present: Bob Owen (Chairman)

Les Crook (Secretary)

Joyce Stewart (Vice Chairman/Treasurer)

Peter Pitt

Jose Navarro

Sandy Allison

Jackie Drewe

The meeting commenced at 10.00

 BO welcomed Sandy and Jackie to the Committee.  Approved by all those present.

Minutes of the previous meeting

The Chairman asked for the previous minutes No.67 to be approved. Proposed LC, seconded PP. Passed unanimously.

Cabin Duties

LC is to issue cabin duty Rota. It was agreed that the cabin should be manned on Monday’s. Wednesday’s and Friday’s from 11.00am to 1.00pm. Commencing Monday September 6^th.

Meeting with Santiago Martinez

Meeting with Santiago Martinez at the Town Hall on the 25^th August was discussed.

Appointment of Lloyd Jones as Special Projects Organiser

Lloyd Jones has agreed to become CRA’s Special Projects Organiser and will produce a list of empty villas owned by Masa or the banks and this will be submitted to Santiago Martinez for his use in issuing orders for their maintenance.

Letter  from Presidencia Del Gobierno

We have received a reply from the letter Greg Green wrote to the President of Spain earlier in the year.  The letter basically says that they cannot allow themselves to become  involved in matters of local government.  They state if you have a grievance with your town hall, sue them. JN is producing a translation of this letter.

Ryanair letter

We have received a reply to our letter to Ryanair regarding the withdrawal of services from San Javier Airport to UK destinations.  It appears to be a standard letter informing us that our complaint has been forwarded to their Routing Administration Department.

Useful Telephone Numbers

This is a  list of useful phone numbers with particular reference to Camposol produced by the CRA for the benefit of its members. This has now been posted on the cabin notice board and will be put on the CRA website.

There  being no other business the meeting closed at 11.30am.

Talks then continued in preparation of the AGM

67th CRA MEETING HELD TUESDAY 13TH JULY 2010

Present:
Bob Owen (BO) CHAIRMAN
Les Crook (LC) SECRETARY
Joyce Stewart (JS) VICE CHAIRMAN/TREASURER
Barry Eveleigh (BE) COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY
Peter Pitt (PP)
John Daw (JD)
Jose Navarro (JN)

A review of the meeting with the Mayor about the instigation of an Entity took place. The partial Entity proposed by the council was described as covering street lighting, cleaning and green areas. Jackie Galvez explained the council would arrange a meeting to explain this to the residents of Camposol and seek nominations for the management committee.. She stated that all residents would be involved not just the Residents Association.

BO had a meeting with Luis of the Business Centre to seek advice regarding lawyers acting for us in the future. A meeting has been arranged with Anna, a lawyer whose speciality is urbanisation law, on Thursday 15th July and BO, LC, JN, JD and JS will be present. JS pointed out that she didn’t think the CRA could afford to pay a lawyer for long term. BO replied that it was his thoughts that we should only engage a lawyer on a pay as you go basis and seek advice one step at a time. The first step is to check if the Mayors proposal for a partial entity is legal and where we go from there.

It has been suggested from some quarters that the CRA fund technical reports & legal assistance for the A.S.H.O.C. Over the years the A.S.H.O.C. have spurned numerous approaches from the C.R.A. to cooperate over dealings with the Mazarron Council while Mazarron Council have chosen to marginalise the CRA by refusing them an input on matters pertaining to sector A.

The CRA therefore do not think it appropriate that that they spend money that has been kindly donated by its members from all sectors of Camposol in pursuing actions they have no input in or control over.

BO had however written to the Sector A Chairman requesting an informal meeting to discuss the problems both were experiencing with the town hall. He had a reply that Frans Permentier would contact him in the near future to arrange an informal get together.

AGM: PP is trying to contact Diego at the hotel to make arrangements for a meeting in September.

BE is working on the Simple Guide to Camposol which we hope to publish before the AGM.
LC is also working on the local information guide, again hopefully to be published for the AGM.

Recruitment Drive: JN is going to ask the manager of Consum if we can use their lobby. BO had spoken to RAMA in Bollywood and he had agreed for us to use his forecourt as well. It was suggested that perhaps Val could have recruitment forms available when she in Kennelly’s on Friday’s. JS will speak to her. JD will do a ‘trial run’ on Friday 23rd July.

Bank Signatures: With the departure of Gregg Green and Mary Cooper from the Committee it was proposed that BO and LC should be the new signatories on the existing bank account.

Cabin: It was reported that the cabin door is not shutting properly and needs a carpenter to look at it, and possibly make a letter box in the door, for membership forms to be posted. LC is going to talk to a carpenter.

Spanish view of Camposol: BO asked JN if he could tell from the meeting with the Mayor what they actually thought of the CRA. JN said they he got the impression from the council that we were worried about our position regarding an Entity. They thought that the CRA only represented our side of the motorway, B-C-D. Jackie Galvez actually said that ‘they are worried about their side of the road’. JN thought that we should be united with Sector A rather than be divided. He thought the Council feels that if they negotiate with the CRA concerning Sector A then that will negate the ASHOC.

A.O.B : PP advised that there is an Ombudsman for Local Government. This was already known by some members.

JD suggested we offer the cabin to Age Concern on the days we are not using it. BO has been invited to the launch meeting of Age Concern on the 17th September at the yacht club in the Port of Mazarron.

JS thought we should open the cabin more frequently. This will be looked at after the August break.

Cover is arranged for 19th July with JN and PP and for the 26th July with JD and his wife with BO as backup.

Meeting closed at 12.55.

Following the main meeting a one agenda meeting took place. The one item under discussion is the closure of the Cajamurcia bank account, because it is not used and is incurring bank charges. JS had a letter prepared for the committee members to sign as authorisation to close this account.

Camposol Residents Association
Central Liaison Committee
Minutes of 66th Meeting.
22nd June 2010

Those present:

Greg Green (Chairman)
Joyce Stewart (Vice Chairman/Treasurer)
John Daws
Bob Owen (Secretary)
Geoff Nastri
Barrie Eveleigh (Communications Secretary)
Les Crook (Membership Secretary)
Jose Andres Navarro Yepes

Apologies:
Peter Pitt

The meeting commenced at 4pm.

Item 1: Minutes of previous meeting.

It was proposed that the minutes from meeting 65 having been read and agreed be approved.
Proposed – John Daws
Seconded – Joyce Stewart Passed – Unanimously

Item 2: Approval of new committee member.

It was proposed that Jose Andres Navarro Yepes be voted on to the CRA Central Liaison Committee as a member.
Proposed – Geoff Nastri
Seconded – Les Crook Passed – Unanimously

A short resume about Jose will be published on the website shortly.

Item 3: AGM and general discussion.

At this stage an extensive debate was held on the recent meeting held with J Galvez, the forthcoming AGM, the CRA Statement of Intent and the general situation surrounding Camposol.

Some recent events have highlighted an ever growing number of circumstances and problems on the urbanization that are cause for concern. This with the various disclosures that have emerged revealing council plans or in some cases the absence of plans for Camposol, it was felt that a review of many aspects of CRA policy and strategy would be needed.

With this in mind it was decided that a campaign of information was needed for the purpose of both dispelling some of the misconceptions that abound and of generally assisting the membership to form suitable and informed opinions before voting at the forthcoming AGM. It was agreed that a sub-committee consisting of Greg Green, Bob Owen and Les Crook will be responsible in undertaking this task.

It was proposed that to allow time for this information to be written and published and hopefully a more informed debate to be held the date for the AGM would be put back until early September 2010.
Proposed: Joyce Stewart
Seconded: John Daws Passed – Unanimously

Item 3: AOB

a. It was agreed that the CRA cabin would be manned for 4 hours on the Saturday afternoon of the forthcoming Fiesta.

The rota is as follows :
12 to 1pm Barry
1pm to 2pm Geoff
2pm to 3pm John
3pm to 4pm Greg

b. The next meeting will be held on Monday 12th July 2010.

The meeting closed at 6.20pm

Camposol Residents Association
Central Liaison Committee
Minutes of 65th Meeting.

Those present
Greg Green (Chairman)
Joyce Stewart (Vice Chairman/Treasurer)
John Daws
Bob Owen
Geoff Nastri
Barrie Eveleigh (Communications Secretary)
Les Crook (Membership Secretary)
Peter Pitt

The meeting commenced at 2pm.

Item 1: Minutes of previous meeting.

It was proposed that the minutes from meeting 64 having been read and agreed be approved.
Proposed – John Daws
Seconded – Joyce Stewart Passed – Unanimously

Item 2: Approval of new committee member.

It was proposed that Peter Pitt be voted on to the CRA Central Liaison Committee as a member.
Proposed – Geoff Nastri
Seconded – Les Crook Passed – Unanimously

A short resume about Peter will be published on the website shortly.

Item 3: New Secretary.

Due to the unfortunate resignation of Mary Cooper through ill health, a volunteer was requested to stand as committee secretary. Bob Owen put his name forward and it was then proposed that he become secretary.
Proposed – Les Crook
Seconded – Barrie Eveleigh Passed – Unanimously

Item 4: Finance Update.

The treasurer gave out the following account details :

The CRA now only has one account at Caixa Axia with a balance of 19,505 Euros.
This is broken down in to:
Legal Only – 12,962 Euros
General – 6,410 Euros
Misc – 133 Euros
Cash in hand stands at 74.16 Euros.

It was agreed that in his capacity as secretary Bob would be added to the bank signatory list and Mary removed.

The ICA (Under build) finances were concluded with an outstanding balance of 760 Euros. 600 Euros were paid back to three committee members who had loaned this money originally to get the project up and running. 100 Euros had been used to pay off refunds to members who had requested their donation back and 60 Euros was allocated to a presentation to be made, with details revealed at a later stage.

The responsibility for running the ICA (Under build) facility has now been handed back to Dick Davies and the CRA thank the ICA for continuing to provide this facility for local groups.

Item 5: Membership update.

The current membership stands at 2,166 with 761 of those having been issued the new green membership cards.

It was decided that Joyce would take over the sole upkeep of the membership database as there had been some confusion when more than one person was involved.

Les will stay as Membership Secretary.

Item 6: Communication update.

Barrie mentioned that the last Camposol Journal printed the Editors written piece on the CRA and not his submitted article. The Chairman stated that he thought that this was to probably to do with cut off dates and would speak to the Editor to confirm this and ensure that if at all possible this does not happen again.

A reply had been received from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in reply to a CRA letter to the Minister for Europe sent some months ago. The letter which will be displayed on the CRA Cabin notice board stated that there was nothing the UK Government could do in relation to Spanish internal affairs but did point out that on their website details were available for finding English speaking lawyers.

The committee voiced its disappointment at what can only be considered another cop out from the UK government.

Item 7: Spanish School Project.

Les gave a report on the project for English speakers to attend the local Spanish secondary School in Mazarron to provide assistance for students to practice their English.

The response has been excellent and the programme has been filled. It is thought that little will be achieved this school year as the summer break is fast approaching but Les expects the programme to be fully operational from the start of the next school year. Thanks were given to Les and Joyce for their work to date on this project.

Item 8: JG/Mayor meeting.

Some weeks ago the committee emailed Jackie Galvez requesting a time for a pre meeting with her followed by a meeting with the Mayor. Despite a further email request no reply has been received.

Les stated that he had also emailed JG at her business email and had received an email back from her secretary saying that JG had no news about a time or date.

The Chairman said that had been to the Mayors secretary in the town hall at the end of last week and had made a verbal request for a meeting with the Mayor. The secretary said she would get back to him this week. If there is no reply by Thursday of this week he will go back and speak with her again.

Item 9: Local elections 2011.

The Chairman gave a briefing on his investigations so far in to the 2011 local elections. He stated that it was possible for the CRA to start its own political party but this would cost well over 2,000 Euros.

He had also had a meeting with Pepe from PARAME about joining forces to fight these elections with an aim to get a number of councilors elected and possibly hold the balance of power in the new administration.

It was agreed that for the benefit of Camposol over the next few years it was essential that we gained access to the Council and put an end to the contempt we are currently being shown from this current Mayor and his councilors.

The Chairman agreed that he would have a further meeting with Pepe with a view to progressing this matter further and putting a proposal together. All agreed that nothing would be finally agreed until the proposed actions were discussed and agreed with the CRA membership in an AGM or EGM.

Item 10: Camposol Market.

The committee are still receiving approaches from members and non members who would like to see a weekly market on Camposol, possibly on a Friday.

It was agreed that further investigations would be made with JG once a meeting was arranged.

Item 11: Update on local childrens project.

The Chairman gave a quick update on a meeting that he had attended on Sunday 23rd May held at Kennellys Bar and organized by a group of parents concerned at the lack of facilities for children of all ages living on Camposol.

The meeting had been very positive and a working group formed. It was agreed that although the CRA was not directly involved the committee would provide support and assistance if at all possible.

Item 12: Update on local group legal action.

The Chairman gave an update on the legal action being taken by a large group of homeowners who have major structural defects with their villas. The CRA have allowed updates to be published on its website and once again will give help and support where it can.

Item 13: Street Lighting.

The Chairman gave an update on the committee’s recent attempts to obtain a meeting with Iberdrola to find a solution to the daily worsening situation regarding the street lights on Camposol.

He stated that Iberdrola had asked for a list of meter boxes and although this seemed suspicious, he had not provided a list but had continued with his attempts to get a meeting. This had resulted in an email where Iberdrola state that before they can accept responsibility for the street lighting they need a major project document which lays out the complete installation and engineering to national standards. They thought that this document would be with Masa and would be part of the takeover process by the local authority.

It would seem unlikely that the CRA would be able to obtain this document and it was agreed that this matter be brought to the Mayors attention once again and in the meantime the Chairman would continue to attempt to get a face to face meeting with Iberdrola.

Item 14: Website & Website advertising.

It was confirmed that the website had been updated and space for sponsor advertising developed. The first sponsor is now in place and others have made enquiries as to availability. It was thought that this was an excellent opportunity for local businesses to access our increasing website hit rate at a reasonable monthly rate. It would also generate a regular income for CRA funds. Anyone business interested should email their enquiry to info@cracamposol.com or telephone 671 188 808.

The Discount Club has now been updated and provides information on many local businesses who are willing to offer discounts to CRA card holding members.

Item 15: Cabin Duties.

It was agreed that as he was now the new CRA committee secretary Bob would take on the responsibility of maintaining the Cabin Duty Roster.

There being nothing else to discuss the meeting was closed at 4.30pm.

The next meeting will be held at 4pm on the 28th June 2010.

CRA Central Liaison Committee Meeting 64 Minutes – 26th April 2010

Camposol Residents Association
Central Liaison Committee
Minutes of 64th Meeting.

Those present
Greg Green (Chairman)
Joyce Stewart (Vice Chairman/Treasurer)
John Daws
Bob Owen
Geoff Nastri

Apologies:
Barrie Eveleigh (Communications Secretary)
Les Crook (Membership Secretary)
Mary Cooper (Secretary)

The meeting commenced at 2pm.

Item 1: Minutes of previous meeting.

It was proposed that the minutes from meeting 63 having been read and agreed be approved.
Proposed – John Daws
Seconded – Bob Owen Passed – Unanimously

Item 2: Committee Structure.

The Chairman reported that he had received an email from Mary Cooper who has decided to resign from the Committee due to ill health and a decision made with her husband to spend more time in the UK. It was with deep regret that this resignation has been accepted.

It was proposed that a vote of thanks and gratitude be passed to Mary for her longstanding service to the CRA Liaison Committee and best wishes for not only a quick recovery from her illness but also the future. Her input will be greatly missed.

Proposed- Joyce Stewart
Seconded- Geoff Nastri Passed – Unanimously

The Chairman stated that as we were now two under full compliment on the committee he would immediately meet with two new volunteers who had put their names forwarded.

The outcome of these meetings would be published as soon as possible.

The Chairman also asked that anyone who could devote a small amount of time to the Committee and future of Camposol can either email him at chairman@cracamposol.com or ring him on 671 188 808.

Item 3: Finance Update.

Joyce reported on the following accounts :

Legal Fund – 18,705 Euros (5,200 Euros awaiting transfer to General Account)

General Fund – 802 Euros.

Cash in Hand – 86 Euros.

ICA Cash in Hand – 625 Eros.

There was still a balance to be collected of 135 Euros for the ICA. Once this was received the 600 Euros initial start up loaned by 3 committee members would be repaid and the remaining 160 Euros paid in to the General Fund.

At this point full responsibility for the ICA underbuild would be passed back to the ICA Clinic.

As the Legal account and the General Fund are held at two different banks it was proposed to save on administration and bank charges by transferring both accounts in to one account to be held with La Caixa Bank. This account would still be administered in two sections legal & general for accounting purposes.

Proposed – Joyce Stewart
Seconded – Bob Owen Passed unanimously.

Item 4: Membership Update.

As Les was not present due to a family bereavement accurate numbers were not available.

Item 5: Communications Update.

As Barrie was not present due to being stuck in the UK due to the Volcanic Ash problem a report was not available.

The Chairman stated that he had received confirmation from Brussels on the arrival of the letter addressed to President Zapatero and the letter had been forwarded to Madrid for an answer. The reply will be posted on the CRA Cabin noticeboard.

Item 6: Spanish School Programme.

Joyce reported on a meeting that she and Les had recently attended with a local Spanish Secondary School in Mazarron relating to a programme where residents of Camposol would attend the English classes in the school to allow the students to practice their conversational skills in English. This activity was also expected to create a better relationship between the local Spanish community and expats living in the area.

We have now received a programme of classes which the school would like us to attend and Joyce is putting together a list of volunteers.

Anyone interested in joining this project can either leave their details at the CRA Cabin, email info@cracamposol.com or ring 671 188 808. Volunteers do not need any Spanish skills but it may be an opportunity for anyone wishing to improve their Spanish language.

Item 7: Website Advertising.

The first advertiser for the CRA website has now been agreed. Sensol Golf Villa Rentals banner will soon be shown on the site and up to 3 other advertisers are expected to follow. The revenue gained from these adverts will go towards the General Fund.

Item 8: Camposol Market.

Following several requests over the last few weeks about the CRA sponsoring a weekly Camposol Market a discussion took place over the viability of such a project.

It was decided that in principle this was possible but it was agreed that questions needed to be asked of the Council about establishing a fully legal operation on Camposol.

The Chairman will make the necessary enquiries.

Item 9: Mayor Meeting.

As the next Mayors meeting is due in the middle of May it was agreed that Councillor Galvez be contacted to confirm a meeting with her before the Mayors meeting as agreed in February.

The Chairman will make contact.

AOB:

a. Cabin duties over the next two weeks are:

Mondays 11am to 1pm Geoff

Wednesdays 11am to 1pm John

Fridays 11am to 1pm Greg

b. A discussion took place over the possibility of putting CRA sponsored candidates forward for the forthcoming local elections. It was agreed that it would be very beneficial to have at least one and maybe more members in the Council to influence a speedy takeover of Camposol but there may well be issues with the CRA being involved due to its Charitable Status.

It was agreed that further information was needed and the Chairman will start the process of seeking clarification on these matters.

c. The Chairman stated that he had been approached about the possibility of buying the sales cabin next to the Saladillo Golf development on Sector D.

It was agreed that there was no use for it within the CRA but Bob said that the Sector D Community Group may be interested. The Chairman will make further enquiries and pass them on to Bob.

The next meeting was agreed for 24th May 2010.

The meeting closed at 4.10pm

CRA Central Liaison Committee Meeting 63 Minutes – 29th March 2010

Camposol Residents Association
Central Liaison Committee

Minutes of 63rd Meeting.

Those present:
Greg Green (Chairman)
Les Crook (Membership Secretary)
Barrie Eveleigh (Communications Secretary)
John Daws
Bob Owen
Apologies:
Joyce Stewart (Vice Chairman/Treasurer)
Mary Cooper (Secretary)
Geoff Nastri

The meeting commenced at 5pm.

Item 1: Minutes of previous meeting.

It was proposed that the minutes from meeting 62 having been read and agreed be approved.

Proposed – Les Crook
Seconded – Bob Owen Passed – Unanimously

Item 2: Finance Update.

Joyce, although absent through family illness, had reported to the Chairman verbally that there had been little change from the previous meeting. A complete update will be available for the next meeting.

Item 3: Membership Update.

Les reported that the membership numbers now stood at 2203.

He also reported that a number of new members had applied through the new email facility, details of which can be found in the Forum and News Sections of the website at www.cracamposol.com

Item 4: Communications Update.

Barrie reported that he was now in the process of writing the next months editions of CRA news for the Camposol Journal & the Costa Calida Chronicle. He reported that this was at times difficult because of the quiet period we are going through at the moment.

The Chairman reported that letters had been posted to Senor Zapatero, President of Spain in his capacity of head of the European Union and also to Chris Bryant a British MP working in the British and Commonwealth Office and Marta Andreason a MEP from the UKIP.

It was agreed that Barrie would write a standard letter to be posted on the website that members and non-members could use to write to their own Euro MP’s.

Item 5: Memorial Garden.

The dedication ceremony of the new memorial garden on sector A to take place at 4pm on the 10th April was discussed.

It was agreed that one memorial garden was sufficient for all of Camposol and the long planned garden to be created by the CRA with support from the D Sector Community Group should now be shelved.

It was proposed that the 200 Euros gifted towards the construction of the garden by D Sector Community Group be returned.

Proposed: John Daws
Seconded: Barrie Eveleigh Passed – Unanimously.

Item 6: Community Centre.

The building of the new Camposol Community Centre to be completed by the end of February 2011 was discussed. A point was raised that there was questions being asked about who would manage and maintain this centre when complete.

It was agreed that the subject would be brought up at the next meeting with the Mayor to gain the Councils thoughts on this situation.

Item 7: Website.

A question was raised by Les and supported by Bob that in their opinion the method of bringing up New Topics on the Forum was difficult.

The Chairman stated that the Forum used on the site was a standard package and this was the first time he had heard of this difficulty. He went on to say that, from the many comments he had received, the website had been well received by members and non-members and was acclaimed as a model for the site designer to develop a number of sites for other organizations and businesses.

It was agreed to talk to the designer and request the link “Camposol Related Topics” be enlarged and changed colour for better recognition on the opening Forum page.

Item 8: AOB.

a. Due to unavailability of some members due to reasons beyond their control the Cabin Duty roster was discussed and agreed for the next three weeks.

The Cabin will be open Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 11am until 1pm and the roster is as follows :

Wednesday 31st March John
Friday 2nd April Greg
Monday 5th April Bob
Wednesday 7th April John
Friday 9th April Greg
Monday 12th April Les
Wednesday 14th April John
Friday 16th April Greg
Monday 19th April Bob
Wednesday 21st April Barrie
Friday 23rd April Greg

The next meeting will be held on Monday 26th April venue to be arranged.

The meeting closed at 6.30pm

Camposol Residents Association

Central Liaison Committee

Minutes of the 62nd Meeting 1st March 2010

Those Present: Greg Green Chairman
Joyce Stewart Vice Chair/Treasurer
Les Crook Membership Sec
Barrie Eveleigh Communications
John Daws
Geoff Nastri
Bob Owen
Apologies: Mary Cooper

Meeting started 5pm

Item 1. Minutes of previous meeting.

Minutes of the 61st meeting having been circulated prior were agreed as a true record.

Proposed: Bob Owen
Seconded: Barrie Eveleigh Carried unanimously

Item 2. Finance Update.

Treasurer reported the General Fund stands at 822.44
The Legal Fund balance at 01.03.10 stands at 18,485.75
Cash in hand 213.64
Refunds from the legal fund to date are 1,640
The bill of 464€ for the Report on IBI payment has been paid.

Item 3. Membership Update.

Les advised that the old and new registers have been amalgamated, and membership now stands at 2,183.

Per Sector Breakdown:

Sector A: 278 members, Sector B: 435, Sector C: 422, Sector D: 999
Only 49 members occupying 39 houses failed to give their poligono nº.

To pre-empt questions on individual or households, these figures represent:

199 homes on A, 275 on B, 254 on C, and 636 on D.

As there are approx 4,000 houses on Camposol, these figures show approx. 33% of houses have at least one CRA member.

The facility to register via e-mail is proving a success with several new and re-registering members, an e-mail of welcome is sent to all new members.

It was decided that as space permits this method of registering will be publicised in the monthly news letters.

Item 4. Communications Update.

Barrie said his letter to President Zapatero is complete and its content agreed by the committee. This will be put into Spanish and sent asap.

The article for next month’s Journal is in progress.

Joyce S to investigate cost of translations.

Item 5. IBI Payments.

As stated in the minutes of the 60th meeting of the CLC, it was decided to seek specific legal advice on the legality of IBI payments being requested from an unfinished, unadopted urbanization. This report is now in hand at a cost of 464€. (See Item 2)
In brief it says;

Camposol IBI bills show the Land Registry in regard of Camposol land as ‘Urbana’ and bills owners as such.

The PGOU (General Plan) of Mazarrón shows the land as undeveloped ‘buildable’ land.

There has been a Supreme Court ruling that ‘buildable’ land not be subject to IBI.

There are also “judgements” to the contrary.

Espadas, who supplied this Report feel that Camposol owners would have a good case for non payment, but advise that those who receive an IBI bill should pay it and argue their case later, rather than refuse to pay, as fines of 20% are added and the Council can make determined efforts to collect.

Due to the odd – to we English – rule that it is the responsibility of the citizen to enquire if he has an outstanding bill, rather than the responsibility of the authorities to send a bill, all queries about IBI, car tax, fines etc should be made at the Hacienda office in Mazarrón. It was suggested that all owners carryout this process at least twice a year.

The IBI legal report in Spanish & English will be published on the website once the electronic version is received.

Item 6. Meeting with the Mayor

Overall there were mixed views regarding the outcome of the meeting.

Regarding the issue of recovering the Masa guarantees, it was clear from what was said a the meeting that this action is likely to be a long process and although disappointing it was agreed that we have little option but to wait until it runs its course.

Concerns were raised about the Council lawyer’s disclosure that they are considering the idea of an equal division of the urbanization for easier administrative purposes, albeit this is only an idea at this time. It was also made quite clear by both the Mayor and the lawyer present that there can be no takeover of any part of Camposol until it is complete and any decisions on what kind of Entity and where, if any, changes to the dividing lines might be, are still some way in the future.

This attitude was viewed by the committee as somewhat disappointing due to its complexity. If not addressed soon enough there are likely to be added delays in setting up the management structure

What was also made clear at the meeting is that the costs of completion and maintenance will come at a cost greater than the guarantees in place. The Mayor has no wish to discuss at this time how those costs will be covered and by whom, until take over is imminent. He has however said in the past that he does not intend that the financial burden will fall on the Council.

Here again the committee feel that to avoid as much delay as possible these issues need addressing sooner rather than later.

Committee opinion is that although it seems we can have little input on the due process leading toward completion, the continued day by day deterioration of the infrastructure dictates that we must attempt to influence the speed of that process as much as possible.

With that in mind the Committee intends to present the idea of a plan to advance necessary work in the interim.

More specific points will be raised at future meetings and it is hoped that Cllr Galvez in her capacity as Councillor for Foreigners will meet us before the next scheduled meeting with the Mayor to pave the way for this.

Given the lack of success by the group opposed to the transfer of the Mazarrón Market Hall, despite their very well organised and continuous series of protests, it must be believed that protests by Camposol would meet with the same indifference at this time. It was also agreed that Legal action against the Council is not an option due to lack of support, leaving only continued negotiation as an option.

Item 7. Fin de Obra Certificates

Geoff Nastri brought to the attention of the committee that some of these certificates together with ten year guarantees are now available for many properties at Costa Calida Services office on Sector A Commercial.

Information is that there are none for turistico properties. Anyone interested in obtaining this documentation should contact CCS direct.

Item 8. C Sector Meeting

Chair said that he has been asked by residents of Sector C to address a meeting organised by them on Wednesday at 11am in Kennellys, at which a legal firm will be in attendance to advise those with defective housing. Chair informed the committee that he will attend this meeting to give them CRA support, but that he in no way intends it to be seen as a CRA initiative.

Item 9. Community Centre.

Chair advised that Cllr Galvez has informed him that the Council have been granted the funds to build the Camposol Community Centre, and that the Centre will be completed within a year.

Item 10. Liaison with the Spanish.

Through our website the CRA has been asked by a Spanish resident of Camposol if we could generate any interest in a basic language exchange scheme to be run at the secondary school in Mazarrón Town.

Joyce S and Les C are to meet Antonio to get more information.

Item 11. AOB

a. John D. asked was there anything further to report on the subsidence on the approaches to the bridge.
Chair said that a council engineer has inspected the bridge and contacted Masa. Cllr Galvez has said that if Masa don’t repair it the Council will and they will bill Masa. Chair has subsequently contacted Miguel and a Masa engineer has assured him that the bridge will be repaired but declined to say when.

b.Les C told of a demo being organised by AUN (Abusos Urbanisticas) in Malaga. Details will be available at the cabin for anyone wishing to attend the demonstration.
Les C to create a poster for the cabin to that effect.

That being the end of business, the meeting closed at 7.15pm

Next meeting provisionally arranged for Monday 29th March.

CRA Central Liaison Meeting 61 minutes – 12th Feb 2010

Minutes of the 61st Meeting 12/02/2010

Those Present:
Greg Green Chairman
Joyce Stewart Vice Chair/Treasurer
Les Crook Membership Sec
Barrie Eveleigh Communications.
John Daws
Geoff Nastri
Bob Owen
Apologies: Mary cooper

The meeting began at 1.30pm.

1. Previous Minutes:
That the minutes of the 60th meeting circulated prior were a true record.
Proposed: Bob Owen
Seconded: Geoff Nastri Carried Unanimously

2. Over the last year there have several changes to the way in which membership to the CRA has been recorded. There are in fact two lists :

a. The original list containing just under 2000 card holding members.
b. A new list consisting of just under 700 members who had re-registered their membership and new members who had joined since the re-registration process started.

This has caused some confusion as to the actual membership numbers of the CRA and needed to be corrected to maintain the CRA’s charitable registration which requires all members to be recorded and available on request.

It was proposed that both lists be amalgamated with a clean-up operation to be undertaken to ensure that all members are alive and are Camposol homeowners or homeowners family.
Proposed : Les Crook
Seconded : John Daws Carried with one against.

To be able to comply with this proposal:

a. Over the next few days both lists would be amalgamated, checked for duplications and approved by the committee.
b. A request would be posted on the website and on the Cabin notice board asking the following :
i) If any current member wished to withdraw their membership they should do so by contacting a committee member at the Cabin when open or by emailing info@cracamposol.com with their request.
ii) Any person, member or non-member, who knew of the passing away or moving away of anyone they think to be a CRA member contact a committee member at the Cabin when open or by emailing info@cracamposol.com with the details to allow the records to be updated.

In addition to the points above two other suggestions were approved :
iii) All members who have not re-registered but have an original red membership card should change this card for the new Green Card. At the same time information such as email address should be given in to assist with improved communication for all members. This can be done by contacting a committee member at the Cabin when open or by emailing info@cracamposol.com with their current membership card number.
1v) A membership request form will be made available for download from the website to allow non-resident homeowners to apply for membership much easier. The completed membership form can be emailed to info@cracamposol.com

There being no further business the meeting was closed at 3pm.

The next committee meeting will be held on the 1st March 2010.

Camposol Residents Association

Central Liaison Committee

Minutes of the 60th Meeting 08/02/2010

Those Present: Greg Green Chairman
Joyce Stewart Vice Chair/Treasurer
Les Crook Membership Sec
Barrie Eveleigh Communications.
John Daws
Geoff Nastri
Bob Owen
Apologies: Mary cooper

The meeting began at 5pm.

1. Previous Minutes:

That the minutes of the 59th meeting circulated prior were a true record was
Proposed: Bob Owen
Seconded: Geoff Nastri Carried Unanimously

Matters Arising:
Efforts to gain a meeting with Iberdrola to discuss lack of street lighting are ongoing. To date there has been no response.

Chairman lodged a request at the Town Hall two weeks ago for a meeting with the Mayor
As there has been no offer of a meeting forthcoming, Greg spoke to the Mayor today during the Council arranged tour of the Clinic on Camposol and is to arrange a meeting via the Mayor’s secretary.

2. Financial Update:

Treasurer advised of the current bank balances.
The Legal Fund account stands at 18,708•75€. The General Fund holds 822•75€.
In Hand there is 13•64€.

The Bonus Ball is continuing to raise money toward the Legal Fund with numbers on sale only at Kennellys Monthly Sale Day. No other fundraising is ongoing.

3. Membership Records:

To be discussed at a one item agenda meeting on Friday 12th Feb.
4. Communications Update:

The committee congratulated Barrie Eveleigh on his efforts so far. He advised that the article for next month inclusion in the Chronicle and the Courier is in progress. He is also in the process of writing letters to President Zapatero and other authorities with the intent of publicising the situation on Camposol.

5. Review of the Mayors visit and the way forward:

During todays tour of the Clinic the Mayor said that it is anticipated that the clinic will be open by the end of summer. There will be three doctors and three nurses with 24 hour coverage for emergencies. It is not known whether there will be English speaking doctors on site, nor whether a translator will be provided. The available space could in the future be doubled should finances permit.

The Mayor also announced that finance has been requested for the building of a Community Centre on Camposol. The site is alongside Poligono B5 where, this morning, surveyors were seen taking a geological survey of the proposed site. The council will receive a reply to their request for funds by the end of this month, and if their application is successful the Centre has to be built within a year.

As said in Item 1 we are still awaiting a meeting with the Mayor. There are important subjects to be discussed and as before an agenda will be presented prior. The answers to those questions will decide the way forward.

6. Website Advertising:

Chair reported that he has meetings pending with potential advertisers. The CRA website is getting up to 16,000 hits per day and a daily average of nearlly 10,000 hits it is hoped that these figures will encourage potential advertisers to the site which would be a good source of fundraising.

7. New committee Members:

Chair reminded that the Committee is now one person short of a full complement. The Constitution of the CRA allows for new members to be co-opted on to the committee before the next elections. A notice inviting interested volunteers to join the committee is to be posted on our website and notice boards. Anyone volunteering for the committee can contact Greg Green on 671 188 808. Spanish speakers are welcome but Spanish is not a necessity.

8. A.O.B.

CRA Website:
Les Crook brought to the attention of the committee that it was felt in some quarters that the fact that the CRA website is open to anyone to read allows what some feel is negative publicity about Camposol to be broadcast and asked the committee view on whether the site should be made accessible to members only.

Chair pointed out that he is contacted through the website via e-mail by many non-members, some who own holiday homes and others interested in moving here. They ask for advice and information and this couldn’t happen if the site were restricted to members only, several have become members of the CRA as a result. The information given on site is accurate and truthful and all agreed that an open, properly managed site is a positive and it should remain open.

IBI:
The committee has learned that the council intend to start charging those residents who are not at the moment paying IBI (Property Tax) with the obvious consequences that bills will soon be arriving at many houses for the first time. The question was raised as to whether we on Camposol are in fact legally obliged to pay IBI while being in the position of living on an unadopted urbanisation and it was therefore decided to obtain legal advice specific to this question.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 7pm.

Next Meeting to be held on 1st March

Camposol Residents Association
Central Liaison Committee
Minutes 59th Meeting Monday 18th January 2010

Those Present :
Greg Green Chairman
Joyce Stewart Vicechair/Treasurer
Les Crook Membership Secretary
Geoff Nastri
John Daws

Aplogies :
Mary Cooper Secretary
Barrie Eveleigh Communications Secretary
Bob Owen

Absent :
Tom Carpenter (Since the meeting Tom has verbally resigned from the committee but pledges his future support to the CRA as a member)

The meeting opened at 17.00 Hours

1. The minutes of the previous meeting having been reviewed are accepted as a true record.

Proposed : Joyce Stewart Seconded : John Daws

Carried – Unanimously

Action point from meeting 58. Les Crook has spoken with Mick Drummond about the start of the memorial garden. Mick has asked for a meeting with the Greg Green to discuss way forward. Greg will speak with Mick and arrange meeting with Mick and Les.

2. Update on outstanding issues :

a. A registered letter was sent to Masa asking for their plans in the future of Camposol. The CRA have now received two letters from the Correos stating that despite notification Masa has failed to collect the letter from the Alicante Post Office and the letter is now expired.

b. Enrique the CRA translator has been trying to get an appointment with management in Iberdrola to discuss several possibilities for the provision of full street lighting for Camposol. He has been unable to get any feedback re a meeting from Iberdrola.

c. The CRA have requested, through Jackie Galvez, an urgent meeting with the Mayor to discuss the serious issues raised after the CRA’s recent meeting with the Confederacion Hidrografica. Ms Galvez did reply that the CRA had agreed at the previous meeting with the Mayor, to give the Council the opportunity to progress the matters discussed previously and didn’t think an earlier meeting was necessary. The committee disagreed and reapplied for an urgent meeting to which we have received no reply.

d. Nothing further has been heard from the Confederacion Hidrografica re the full project for the artificial rambla to be submitted by Masa. The CRA will keep on having regular reviews with them.

e. During December and now continueing on in to January there has been a major problem with sewage leaks at the bottom end of D Sector. This has been caused by the regular breaking down of the pumping station in that area and the subsequent flow of raw sewage from the broken pipes and manhole covers in the surrounding area. The sewage then flows directly in to the rambla. This is causing not only foul smells in the area but also a health hazard. Greg Green was made aware of the problem and has direct access with Miguel of Masa who when informed of the problem sends out their plumber to reset the pump and get the system working again. In spite of repeated requests Masa have done nothing to repair the damage to the pipes and manhole covers or ensure that the pumping system is more reliable. Greg Green has also obtained the direct number of the Masa plumber and if he (Greg) is informed as soon as there is a problem (Tel 671 188 808) he will report directly to the plumber who will attend and repair. Although this is not ideal it should make the repairs more speedy, especially at weekends. The CRA as well as several local residents have emailed Jackie Galvez about this problem. She has replied saying that the Council have sent someone to inspect the area to try to resolve the problem. To date nothing has been achieved. The CRA are also going to contact the Confederacion Hidrografica (Rivers & Waterways) and report this serious matter to them again.

3. Finance Report : Due to illness it was not possible to produce an accurate financial update. The treasurer reported that full accounts were being drawn up for 2009 and they would be audited independently ready for signing off as soon as possible.

The Xmas hamper draw raised 311€ for the General Fund and was won by Mr Brian Tokley.

4. The committee realised last October that our only regular source of raising money for the General Fund would disappear with the closure of the postal service in Rumours. To date the General fund has covered costs such as translations, travel, and phone bills which all stem directly from the aim of legalising Camposol. The idea of taking a lump sum from that proportion of the Legal Fund raised from the now discontinued Admin fee and transferring it to the G.F. account to cover these legal related costs as well as the cost of any future protest was put forward by Greg Green for consideration. A lengthy discussion was held today and with a proviso by the committee that all requests by members, who had paid the re-registration/new membership administration fee of 10 Euros earlier, for a refund would be honoured, it was proposed that the sum of 6,010 Euros be transferred from the Legal Fund to the General Fund to be used for future legally related purposes only.

Proposed : Les Crook Seconded: Geoff Nastri

Carried : Unanimously

5. Membership Update : It was agreed that a one off committee meeting be held in early February 2010 to discuss and finalise membership details and records.

6. Communications/Newsletter update : Unfortunately Barrie Eveleigh has been delayed in his return to Camposol due to family illness so no update was available. It was agreed that due to his efforts communications with local media etc.. had greatly improved of late and a vote of thanks was agreed to Barrie.

7. Fundraising ; Current fundraising is confined to the Bonus Ball promotion run by Bob & Val. The idea of a summer Community Dinner Dance was discussed which will be moved forward at a later date.

8. Website Advertising ; www.cracamposol.com now has daily hits of between 8 and 16 thousand. This provides a great opportunity for local businesses to advertise on the site and would bring in a regular monthly income. Greg Green is to look in to the possibilities and report back at the next meeting.

9. CRA Cabin Hours : It was agreed that the hours for the CRA Cabin to be open until nearer Easter is as follows :

Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
11am to 1pm.

There being no further business the meeting was closed at 19.15 Hours.

The next meeting will be held on Monday 8th February 2010.