2011-April

Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Dear Chautauqua Property Owner
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 1
,
You MIGHT be a friend of CPOA if:
-
You tell complete strangers about Chautauqua …. Weekly!
You feel a warm breeze and sigh, counting the days BC (Before Chautauqua).
You remember porch nights and forget the chipmunks chewed your Welcome mat.
You paid $15 CPOA membership dues but forgot whether that was for last year or this.
You love to complain about how not-quite-perfect your summer life can be.
You find old friends and new who share your secret paradise.
You pay more taxes and fees than are reasonable so it better be as good as last year.
You care about our Shared Space and will support CPOA in improving it.
Your property owners association Executive Committee and volunteers have not let the grass
(or snow) grow under our feet this winter. We all hope to get our planning and preparation
work done pre-season so that we can enjoy the summer with you at the Amp, on the lake, on
Bestor Plaza, at the golf course or along the paths and by-ways of these hallowed grounds.
You may wish to read my notes on the two Trustee meetings I attended by visiting our website
www.cpos.ws. Read below the reports from our Transportation-Safety Committee and the
Lighting Task Force, now a standing committee of the CPOA. Also read Alan’s report which
reminds us that dues-paying members are the core support for the work of the CPOA, so please
give early and often.
Our new board members are an exciting and enthusiastic bunch. You’ll see that they have each
joined with our veterans in volunteering for key positions on committees and projects. Every
board member has been involved in email and telephone conversations over the last few months
helping us to get ready for another season to remember.
Please feel free to contact me by phone or email and by using the membership envelope and
card enclosed. Your email address will give us one more pathway to keep in touch and keep
you informed as the season and the year progresses.
Countdown for 100 days BC began March 17. Are we there yet?
-
Hugh
Hugh A. Butler
President
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
www.cpoa.ws
Post Office Box 12 Chautauqua, NY 14722
Cell: 801 560 4848 Voice/fax: 716 357 5241
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 2
HUGH BUTLER, PRESIDENT
Hugh Butler joined the CPOA Board in 2008
as Area 7 Representative was elected VicePresident in 2009 and President in 2010.
Hugh has served as Chair of the
Transportation Safety Committee which
designed the “Shared Space” campaign. He
and his wife, Marsha, live at 36 Hurst Avenue year round.
He was an organizer of the first Preseason Reunion
Potluck.
ANNE FOX, VICE PRESIDENT
Anne has served as a past volunteer for the
Chautauqua Fund and served as an "opera
parent" during the 2010 season. She and her
husband, Randy Fox, have been property
owners at 11 Merrill Ave since 2007 and they previously
enjoyed Chautauqua as renters for 10 years. Anne and
Randy have three children, Carrie, Kelly and George.
Anne and her family reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
where Anne has practiced law for 28
years.
BIJOU CLINGER, SECRETARY
Bijou Clinger is a fifth generation
Chautauquan on her dad’s side (third on
her mom’s). She has owned a house with her three
siblings since 1993 and has come to Chautauqua each
summer of her life. She is married to a fellow
Chautauquan, Greg Miller, whom she met in Seaver Gym
at a High School Club dance in 1970. They have two
daughters. For several years, Bijou has been part of an
Old First Night presentation on old Chautauqua postcards,
which she collects incessantly.
ALAN SIEGEL, TREASURER
For the year ending 12/31/10 the CPOA income statement
reflects a loss of $183.10. We projected net income of
$64. The major variances of actual to budget were a
decrease of income of $971. The major expense
differences are as follows:
Community picnics
Contribution to Westfield Hospital
Office supplies and postage
Shared Space tee shirts
Lighting and Transportation issues
$ 451 under budget
$ 500 not budgeted
$ 449 over budget
$ 929 over budget
$ 2,000 not spent
Transportation-Safety
Committee 2010-2011
You will recognize the logo, we hope:
"Chautauqua: A Shared Space" and be able to
repeat the mantra: "Think it. Act it. Encourage
It."
CPOA buys 190 shirts for Club, YAC and
Children's School counselors who will once
again wear the distinctive Tees every Tuesday
throughout the 2011 season. This substantial
contribution is made in the hope and with the
belief that modeling respectful awareness
begins with individuals including adults, youth
and children. Bookmarks with the full text of
the Shared Space Initiative are available in the
library, CLSC porch and on literature shelves
throughout the season, further enhancing
awareness of the logo and theme. Each
Saturday, the Chautauquan Daily publishes a
color graphic with the logo and aphorism
reminders of what awareness, respect and
courtesy can do to make our mobility life on the
grounds safer and more enjoyable.
Vehicular traffic such as automobiles, bicycles
and scooters are neither singled out nor
sanctioned under "Shared Space" but are
included in the mix of ways we get around while
getting along in Chautauqua. Pedestrians have
equal responsibilities—to be aware, courteous
and respectful of those who use alternative
mobility means.
In 2011, we plan to adopt Shared Space as a
CPOA theme worthy of repetition and enhanced
support. Volunteers from the community are
invited to join CPOA board members and
Transportation-Safety committee members in
helping to make Shared Space a theme known
and practiced by Chautauquans of every stripe
and modality.
You should consider volunteering to help either
by serving on the T-S Committee, which
develops and manages the theme or by
volunteering to take on a task, such as handing
out bookmarks to CLSC porch visitors. If you
believe self-awareness and self-monitoring can
contribute positively to improve Chautauqua's
transportation and mobility issues, please
volunteer to help CPOA help spread the word.
Wear your Shared Space shirts with pride and
encourage your family to join in every Tuesday
with our Youth and Recreation counselors to
support courtesy, respect and awareness on our
lovely campus home.
Welcome to Shared Space 2011.
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 3
We had 28 fewer residents paying dues than in previous years and fewer donations. We worked
hard to improve the lifestyle, improve safety issues, fund environmental issues, create an enhanced
web site, etc. The CPOA is the voice of property owners. Your board has worked diligently in
passing your concerns to the Institution, and local and county government. In addition we made a
financial contribution to Westfield Memorial Hospital to help keep it open and to keep the clinic on the
grounds operating. We need your help in funding our initiatives.
Please join now! Please send in your membership card and dues as soon as possible. It is much
easier for me to process the dues before the season. Dues will also be collected prior to the general
meetings in the summer.
JOHN A. JACKSON- MEMBER AT LARGE AND ASSISTANT TREASURER
Chautauquans for more than 30 years, John and his wife, Juanita, are currently full time
residents on the grounds of the Institution. John is establishing a part time practice of law
and dispute resolution. He also has a background in engineering and management. He
is an aviation enthusiast and holds a commercial pilot’s license. John is interested in
using his training and experience in support of the Institution as well as other worthy
enterprises. These include the Robert H. Jackson Center, where he is a member of the
Board of Directors, and the Jamestown Center for Dispute Resolution, where he serves as a
mediator. An active member of Hurlbut Community United Methodist Church, John is a certified lay
speaker and serves the church and its parent organizations in a variety of ways. He is particularly
interested in improving accessibility to Chautauqua for those of moderate means.
DAVID TABISH, AREA 1 REPRESENTATIVE
David Tabish was born and raised in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and has lived most
of his adult life in Indiana, Pennsylvania where for thirty-one years he taught
English, speech, and theater at both the high school and university levels. He and
his wife, Irene, have been Chautauqua summer residents for fifteen years and
currently reside at 7A North Terrace. David is currently serving on the CPOA Transportation Safety
Committee. In the past, he has been active with Friends of the Chautauqua Theater Company, CLSC
board, Writer's Center Board and has sung for several summers at the Chautauqua Catholic
Community masses.
JOANN BORG, AREA 2 REPRESENTATIVE
I am a fourth generation Chautauquan having spent
most of each summer at Chautauqua. I grew up in
are
nearby Warren, PA and graduated from Thiel College
scheduled for 5:30PM
in 1978. During my college-year summers, I acquired
valuable knowledge working not only at Children’s
Wednesday, July 20, of
school, but also waitressing at the Athenaeum Hotel
Week 4. This is a
and working at the Main Gate. I love teaching and working with
neighborhood event, so
children so much I do not break for jet lag between my last day of
teaching in California and arriving at Chautauqua to teach the 3
everyone is invited.
year olds at the Children's School. I now teach Kindergarteners in
Newport Beach during off season and have been working at
Children’s School since 1997 where I am a head teacher. We own
our home at The Keystone at 6 Roberts Avenue and are now in residence each season with our two
children, Danny and Annika Borg-Sundstrom (16 and 14) and our Jack Russell, Roxy.
Area picnics
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 4
MARKIE McCARTHY- AREA 3 REPRESENTATIVE & NOMINATING COMMITTEE CHAIR
The CPOA Executive Committee (EC) includes four Officers, ten Area Representatives, a
Representative-at-Large and four Class B Trustees. According to the CPOA Constitution
and By-laws the Officers and Representatives are elected for two-year terms and may be
re-elected for a single consecutive term.
The Nominating Committee, composed of five EC members, is responsible for
presenting the slate of Officers, Area Representatives and Class B Trustee nominees for ratification
by the EC. The Nominating Committee welcomes suggestions for candidates. The approved slate of
Officers and Area Representatives is then presented to the CPOA membership for vote at the August
CPOA meeting. The nominee for the Class B
Trustee is presented at the annual meeting of the
The first General Property Owners
Corporation conducted by the Chair of the
and Trustee Meeting is Saturday, July
Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees. I
16, from 9 to noon. The second CPOA
encourage any property owner interested in serving
General Meeting August 13 is followed
on the board to contact me early in the summer.
JIM KLINGENSMITH, AREA 4 REPRESENTATIVE
by the Annual Corporation Meeting
which all property owners may attend.
Jim is a fifth Generation Chautauquan, residing on the Overlook with his family since 1963.
Most summer days you will find him out on the lake boating, or biking around the grounds.
Jim spent his entire career professionally in various aspects of healthcare management,
including hospital administration; graduate instruction; health insurance, and management
consulting. He retired in 2009, and resides with his wife Linda in Pittsburgh PA in the
offseason. Together they have two children who also are life-long Chautauquans: Katie and Meade.
Pre-Season Reunion Pot-Luck Dinner
The third annual pre-season dinner sponsored by the
CPOA will be at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 23rd at Hurlbut
Church. If you have not yet mailed your $15 dues,
memberships will be available there. Please bring a main
dish, side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Table ware and
beverages will be provided.
Prior to the dinner, a Swap Meet will be held from
5:30-6 on the 2nd floor of Hurlbut. If you want to
participate in this, just bring one or more household items
for which you no longer have a use and go home with
something different. No money changes hands. Any
leftover items are donated to Women's Club.
Help will be needed with this dinner. Anyone
interested in helping with setting up, organizing the food,
or cleaning up is asked to call Janet Wallace at 357-4736
or e-mail at [email protected], or Karen Gottovi at
357-9049 or [email protected].
JANET WALLACE, AREA 5
REPRESENTATIVE
One of my major interests
is the quality of our
community life. As owner of the Judson
House, I have a vital interest in this
aspect of Chautauqua. Not only do I
spend an extended season there
maintaining and managing the property,
but I want my guests to experience
Chautauqua as a welcoming and
uniquely civilized environment, a model
of the possibilities of living in
community. I edited the most recent
edition of the CPOA's publication Living
in Chautauqua, a booklet of helpful
information distributed to every
residential unit, and I continue to be
involved in its distribution and
promotion.
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 5
BOB JEFFREY, AREA 6 REPRESENTATIVE
Bob Jeffrey has been coming to the
Chautauqua Lake for over 40 years. He
resides in St. Petersburg, Florida in the winter
and lives at 33 Miller Avenue in the
summertime. He has been the Area 6
Representative since 2008. Bob spends a
good deal of time walking around the Grounds enjoying the
architecture of the community. Many times he can be found
sitting in front of one of the homes attempting to enhance his
watercolor painting skills. Bob serves on the Lighting Task
Force and is an organizer of the Preseason Reunion Potluck.
BILL NECHES, AREA 7 REPRESENTATIVE
Ellen and I were born and raised in Brooklyn, NY
and we lived in Pittsburgh for 33 years. I was a
Pediatric Cardiologist and Ellen was an Early
Childhood Educator. We retired in 2005 and our
winter home is in Kensington, Maryland, a
Washington, DC suburb. We have been
Chautauquans since 1992 and have resided in our current
home, “The Hearthstone” since 1995. Our 2 children, their
spouses and 3 grandchildren, enjoy visiting with us during
weeks 5 and 6 each summer.
SALLY HOOTNICK, AREA 8 REPRESENTATIVE
I live on 37 Hanson with my husband David
and my two children. I grew up locally in
Jamestown, and have been coming to
Chautauqua my whole life; in fact my high
school graduation was in the Amphitheater.
My grandfather was a physician in Mayville
and took care of many Chautauqua residents.
We live off season in the Syracuse area, where David is an
orthopedic surgeon and I operate a Pilates studio. My son
Ben is a junior at Hamilton College and has worked for a
number of years at the Boys and Girls Club. My daughter Allie
is a graduate of the University of Virginia and is currently
studying photojournalism.
Chautauqua has been a very important part of our lives and I
look forward to working as a liaison between my neighbors
and the CPOA board. My specific area of interest this next
year will be working on the dog park and making it an inviting
and safe place for our pets and their owners!
Study of ARB & Land Use
Chairman George Snyder appoints
study group to evaluate the
Architectural and Land Use
regulations for Chautauqua
Institution:
In December, George Snyder, Chairman of
the Board of Trustees for the Institution,
appointed a group of 16 individuals to
evaluate the existing Architectural and Land
Use regulations that currently govern
additions, new construction and demolition
within the gates of Chautauqua Institution.
CPOA Area Representative and 2010
Ombudsman Bob Jeffrey will chair the effort
with Area Rep Markie McCarthy also
participating.
Members of the Study Group have a variety of
backgrounds and include owners of single and
multifamily properties as well as renters. The
membership is multi-generational including
new comers to Chautauqua. The membership
also represents a variety of time periods and
construction patterns throughout the
Institution.
The Study Group has been formed to
review the existing regulations and make
recommendations to the Board of Trustees for
any changes. The group will discuss many
issues including, but not limited to, the
Statement of Philosophy, the approach to
preserving the community, the various
districts within the Institution, community
design standards and the A.R.B. process.
This work will occur mostly during
the 2011 season with reports going back to
the Board of Trustees in the fall for their
consideration. The work of the Study Group
will include opportunities for public input
which will be announced at the beginning of
the season. Also, informational updates will
be provided during the season to keep all
interested parties informed.
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 6
KAREN GOTTOVI, AREA 9 REPRESENTATIVE
Dan and I started vacationing at Chautauqua in 1991, when my nephews were
participating in the Youth Orchestra. We bought our house at 6 Evergreen in 1999.
We both grew up in western NY, but moved to North Carolina in 1971. Now that I am
retired, I spend June through September at CHQ, and New Years, too. Our children all
love Chautauqua, and our grandsons participate in the children’s programs. I also
serve on the board of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Chautauqua.
BARBARA BRADY, AREA 10 REPRESENTATIVE
I grew up in Olean, NY and would come to Chautauqua from time to time as a child,
but didn't start coming on a regular basis until the summer of 2003 with my own
family. My husband, Jim, is a new Board of Trustee member, my daughter, Alex,
who is 13 loves the art classes and tennis, and my son, Chris, who is 11 loves sailing
and taking computer courses through special studies. I am a life member of the
Women's Club, and I'm involved in the Young Women's chapter of the club. I enjoy
taking some of the special studies classes as well. After several years of looking at
homes on the grounds, we became home owners at 11 Wiley this summer. After attending the Area
10 picnic, I thought serving on the CPOA would be a wonderful way to learn about my new
neighborhood, and get more deeply involved in the institution. Off season we live in Alpharetta, GA, a
northern suburb of Atlanta.
JENNIFER DELANCEY, CLASS B TRUSTEE
Jennifer and her husband David have been coming to Chautauqua with their 3
children, Danielle, Wes and Billy for 20 years. They live on Wiley Ave and enjoy all
aspects of Chautauqua. Jennifer spends her Chautauqua days going to lectures,
playing golf, tennis and softball and weekends on the water watching David
sail. She is a graduate of the CLSC and the Seven Seals. Her most rewarding
experiences in working with CPOA have been heading up the Dog Park Project,
working on the Shared Space Campaign, helping with the Area Picnics and serving the property
owners as a Trustee.
Time Warner Cable is offering Internet and cable TV
packages tailored exclusively for seasonal Chautauqua
property owners who wish to avoid paying for disconnect
and reconnect charges. You will find information and
application forms in this packet. Please forward the
completed form to them as soon as possible, preferably by
April 30.
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 7
GREGORY MILLER, CLASS B TRUSTEE
Greg Miller is a lifelong Chautauquan. A
veteran of Children's School as well as Boys
and Girls Club, Greg's Chautauqua
experiences run the gamut from stints on the
Norton Hall clean-up crew to professional
performances on the Amphitheater stage. He
has taught in the Chautauqua Summer
Schools and wasted countless hours on the
Institution tennis courts and at Sharp Field.
Greg has created and maintained the CPOA web site
(CPOA.ws). He is a Corporation Class B member of
Chautauqua’s Board of Trustees where he serves on the
Program Policy Committee and has pursued Green
Chautauqua initiatives with fellow board members.
Greg is married to Chautauquan Bijou Clinger. They reside
with their daughters, Sara and Juliet, in New York City where
Greg is a composer who also owns and operates a software
training company.
DONNA ZELLERS, CLASS B TRUSTEE
Donna Zellers is a Corporation Trustee for
the Chautauqua Institution Board of
Trustees. She began her service as VicePresident of the CPOA and is now in her
sixth year as a Trustee.
The CPOA Street Lighting
Task Force Begets the
CPOA Street Lighting
Committee
After two years of research and
development on improving the
street lighting in Chautauqua, a
Street Lighting Committee will be
formed to continue the following
that was begun by the Task Force:



A Shining Example program.
The realization of a street lighting
demonstration area behind the
Colonnade.
A report to the Chautauqua
Institution Board of Trustees on
the re-imagining of the street
lighting in Chautauqua.
Bill Neches, Area 7 Representative,
will Chair this committee and John
Viehe, Corporation Trustee, will
lead the continuation of the Shining
Example program.
During her tenure as a Trustee, Donna has
served in the following areas: Committee member of
Nominating and Governance, Development Council member,
Chair of the Architectural Review Board, Executive committee
member, Chautauqua Fund team captain. Also during that
time, she was co-chair of the Board of Trustees February
Retreat, co-chair of the Development Council Property
Owners’ Task Force, and a trustee observer on the Strategic
Planning Task Force on Place and Environment.
The Task Force members will
continue in this leadership
transition year as the CPOA moves
forward with its goal for improved
lighting at Chautauqua. There is
still much to be done. We know
that there are many Chautauquans
out there with an interest and,
perhaps, an expertise in lighting.
Currently, she chairs the CPOA committee on street lighting
which seeks to establish and implement a plan for improved
and environmentally responsible street lighting at Chautauqua.
The committee welcomes your
participation. Please contact Bill
Neches, [email protected] , if
you are interested or if you have
any questions.
Donna has been summering in Chautauqua for 35 years. She
and her husband, Bob, have three children and two
grandchildren.
Chautauqua Property Owners Association
Spring 2011 Newsletter
Page 8
JOHN VIEHE, CLASS B TRUSTEE
This past year, I have served on the Board of Trustees Asset Policy
Committee and Personnel Committee. My Asset Policy involvement led to a
study group on the strategic issue of “sustainment.” While on the Personnel
Committee, I participated in a major rewrite of the President’s job description
and subsequent evaluation procedure. I was able to include a mechanism for
inclusion of trustee initiatives in the annual work-plan originating from this job
description. I participated in the CPOA Lighting Committee and was a
volunteer for the Chautauqua Fund. I served as a liaison to the Chautauqua
Utility District and met with them during the summer. My key activity for this
spring/summer will be the development of two long-range initiatives for the
Institution and their passage through appropriate trustee
committees.
LAURA DAMON, EX-OFFICIO MEMBER
"If your recent assessment went UP,
you should call the assessor's office
(716) 753 2236, and ask that the
new number be checked. Mistakes
have been made and can be rectified
with a phone call."
Laura Damon graduated with a BA from
Smith College and completed her MAT at
Yale. She is a former Peace Corps
Volunteer (in the FIRST group to go!!!
They're celebrating their 50th this year. Now, that's hard to believe!!!). She has taught at University
of Georgia, Niagara University and Niagara County Community College. She has two daughters,
Misa and Sarah and two grandchildren, Julianna and Anthony.
Laura bought a home in the Institution in 1994 and retired here permanently in 1998. Because so
many complained about high taxes here, she began to attend school, Town and County meetings and
convened the North Lake Informed Citizens. She puts out a newsletter as news warrants and keeps
property owners informed at CPOA meetings. She also lines up speakers from the Town and County
to address issues of concern at both Executive and General CPOA meetings throughout the summer.
SELDEN W. CAMPEN, POWR REPRESENTATIVE
Selden first came to Chautauqua by canoe in 1981 on the day when Alex Haley
was the lecturer in the Amp. That week he sold his camper and has been a fullseason Chautauquan ever since. He purchased a residence at 34 Miller in
1987. Selden and his wife Jackie raised three children at Chautauqua. In the
mid-80s, he programmed the Accommodation Referral Service for the Director of
Operations.
Now, on behalf of POWR he is managing the Weekly CI Rentals FREE listing
service which prospective renters are finding very useful. In 1987, he created an endowed lectureship
in honor of his father Richard Newman Campen, writer of Chautauqua Impressions. It has funded the
Archives Dept. programs during the summer. Selden has also been Treasurer of the CLSC Science
Group.