Vol. 3: Mar. 2025

The Culross Community Newsletter, No. 3

15 March 2025

Dear Neighbors,

Welcome to the third installment of the Culross Community Newsletter. Again, for those of you who are new to this site, my name is Gloria and I volunteered to write this newsletter. It’s my way of giving back to the community. Of keeping everyone informed of the happenings on our block, and hopefully, to contribute to all of us living in a happy, peaceful, joyful environment.

This month’s featured neighbor is Allison Grief. It was my honor to interview her last Sunday. We found that we have so much in common! Her story is at the bottom of this page. I know you’ll fall in love with her as much as I did.

ON A MORE PERSONAL NOTE

Funk and I took our UTV down to the beach last week to watch the “Parade of Planets.” We met a few neighbors there, and while we didn’t get to see the planets, we did have a great time shooting the breeze.

AND, we had an adventure going home!

Since I’m new to driving a UTV, I got it stuck in the mud halfway up the ravine. When I stepped out and asked my savior Doug to unstick it, my shoes sank up to my ankles in the quicksand-like-mud. Greg had to drag me back up the ravine. After which, we all went to the “dog park” to look for the planets, but again, to no avail. However, we did get to talk some more! It was so good to get out of the house, mud and all.

OTHER NEWS

Many neighbors are still not aware that our neighborhood has a dedicated website. Please pass this link along so people can sign up: https://www.culrossdrive.org/
Another thank you goes to Doug and Greg for continuing to care for the ravine for the good of the entire community. They are doing this on their own time and dime, which is amazing! Please say thank you when you see them
Can someone PLEASE step up to be the next “Featured Neighbor?” This missive will be quite boring otherwise! You don't even have to write the piece yourself. Funk volunteered to “interview” anyone who is willing to be featured. Once he's through, I will take his notes and edit them, after which, I'll email the piece to you for your approval before sending the entire newsletter out.

News from the By-Laws Committee

We are approaching the final stages of updating the bylaws. Before we finalize the revisions, we want to gather any additional input on one key remaining question, that question being, “Should we have one or two in-person meetings per year?”
Additionally, we are recommending the reinstatement of two key provisions that were previously removed. These address concerns about financial accountability and election transparency.

Lien Process for Non-Payment of Dues & Assessments

To ensure fairness and financial accountability, we propose reinstating a formal lien process:

Any member who fails to pay dues, assessments, or special assessments within 30 days will have their membership privileges suspended.
After 90 days, membership rights may be permanently revoked.
If the balance remains unpaid after 90 days, the Corporation will file a lien against the property for all outstanding dues, assessments, fines, and legal fees.
The lien will remain in effect until the full balance is paid, including legal and administrative costs.
A written notice will be sent 30 days before filing the lien, offering a final opportunity to settle the balance.
If necessary, further legal action and collection proceedings may be pursued.
Board Candidacy Process & Timeline

To improve transparency and ensure all members are aware of who is running for the Board, we propose the following:

60 days before the Spring meeting, the Board will announce open positions and notify members.
30 days before the Spring meeting, interested candidates must submit a Candidate Nomination Form to the Secretary.
Within 5 days of the submission deadline, the Board will verify eligibility.
At least 15 days before the Spring meeting, the final list of eligible candidates will be shared with the membership.
Voting will occur at the Spring meeting, with elected members assuming office immediately after results are confirmed.
Members may vote in person or by proxy (if designated in advance). In case of a tie, a runoff election will be held.

You can respond to the anything by-laws related here in the forums

To reply to the Culross newsletter, email here: [email protected]

To receive Gloria’s personal newsletter: A humorous look at life, love, spirits & NAKED politics. Real talk, told from the point of view of an anxious mind, click here: www.gloriasquitiro.com

THIS EDITION'S FEATURED NEIGHBOR

Allison Grief, in her own words, as told to Gloria Squitiro.

Allison was born in Brooklyn. She moved to Ozone Park when she was two years old and lived there until she was 21. She then moved to Malvern until she married Jory at 23 years old, and the two of them moved to Woodhaven.

Her home on Culross was originally owned by her grandparents. Her grandparents purchased it in 1958 for 13K and used it as a summer home until moving there permanently in 1965. When Allison was little, she spent her summers with her grandparents, and everyone in her family gathered there.

Little Allison growing up on Culross

After her grandfather passed, his house sat on the market for three years. Buyers just weren’t interested in purchasing it, and neither she nor her husband wanted to live there and make the long commute into the city for work and higher education. Still, the family spent a few weeks there each summer. The more they came, the more they fell in love with the beach and the community. Eventually, Allison’s grandfather’s home started to feel like her home instead of just a place to visit.

In 1999, when Allison’s eldest daughter became a teenager, the family decided to permanently make Culross their home and purchased her grandfather’s house. The reason being, Allison felt Rocky Point had better schools and a better community to raise her children. Plus, our neighborhood was affordable back then.

Allison loves the quiet of our neighborhood and hearing the birds and seeing all the trees. The other day, she heard two owls calling to one another and it touched her soul.

Changes Allison would like to see in our community are the following.

She would love to see our annual beach party continued long into the future. She says it’s great to see her neighbors in a more casual setting than just at the shareholder meeting. She would like for us to have more get togethers— just informally getting together down on the beach. She would like for us to get together in the winter too, she feels we just have to find a space big enough to house everyone.

Allison loves to crochet and garden and says she’s turning into her grandmother in that regard! She also loves to cook and go down to the shore and swim. The hot tub on her back patio is her quiet refuge year-round.

Allison has five children—4 girls and 1 boy. There are 17 years between her oldest and her youngest child. Two still live at home, and the rest live close by and come out with their kids on a regular basis. She loves being a grandma and has eight grandchildren. She took some of them to see Frozen last weekend, her grandchildren’s first real play.

Allison is a big deal!

She works for Cornell Cooperative Extension at the Suffolk County Farm in the role of the Early Childhood Program Manager. She started a nature-based pre-school program where the children are outside the majority of the time. There is a long waiting list to get into her program.

Now that you know a little more about our sweet neighbor Allison, please say hey to her down at the beach and help make her wish come true of more get togethers.

Beautiful Allison Today