Well, a very hot Sea Pines summer has (thankfully) turned quite suddenly into a wonderful Sea Pines fall. And with the return of fall weather comes increased activity from our various CSA committees and the CSA Board itself, which will culminate in a Board meeting next Tuesday, September 29. While the pandemic prevents us from holding an in-person event, I want to encourage all property owners to watch on our YouTube livestream beginning at 10 a.m. You can view the meeting at seapinesliving.com/live.
I’d first like to comment on recent news concerning Advocaat v. Community Services Associates, Inc., a lawsuit filed by a Sea Pines property owner seeking access to CSA’s 2018 gate agreement. The judge recently found in favor of the property owner and, despite our long-standing policy (based on the advice of our counsel) that we maintain all third-party contracts confidential, he ordered CSA to provide a copy of the agreement. This action has precedent-setting ramifications beyond Sea Pines. The Board disagrees with the ruling and, after consulting with legal counsel, intends to submit an appeal.
During next week’s meeting, the CSA Board will receive reports from President Sam Bennett, as well as senior staff directors, on various accomplishments from the past several months and goals for the rest of the year. I am particularly excited to hear from CSA Director of Maintenance Russell Fredericks about the rebuilding of the oldest road in Sea Pines, North Sea Pines Drive, including the associated stormwater system and leisure trails. This is the first major project using the reserve funds the Board authorized in May as a deposit of sorts against the long-term funding we are seeking to raise. It’s the start – but by no means the end – of what I hope will be the full repair and reconstruction of our aging infrastructure over the next several years.
The Board meeting agenda includes a number of items, the most important of which is our review of the report and recommendation from the members of our Revenue Task Force, which I established in May. That group was charged with determining the best way to raise the funds over the long term – funds that are desperately needed to fix and enhance our infrastructure in order to restore Sea Pines to its first-class status.
As I have reported over the past several months, the task force considered the various ways in which CSA can secure the funding needed to ensure property owners’ investments and the community’s future. The group also regularly obtained advice of legal counsel on the various methods available to raise funding, and additionally took into consideration comments that CSA staff and Board members received from property owners. I am expecting an informative and thoughtful debate by the Board about the several recommendations being made by the task force.
The Board anticipates questions and feedback following the Board’s decisions on the task force’s recommendations. I assure you that your comments will be taken seriously, and we will work to answer your questions to the fullest extent possible. While we cannot promise the decision will please each and every property owner, I assure you our actions will be in the best interest of our community. We must – and will – address these critical infrastructure problems head on, as we can no longer kick the can down the road and ignore our community’s needs.
As always, I welcome comments and questions at my email, chairman@csaseapines.com. I read every note and try to respond as promptly as possible, and I always share your thoughts with our CSA staff and Board.
Sincerely,
