Summary: Special Board of Directors Meeting November 7th

SIPOA held a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors on Monday, November 7; all members were present except Mr. Squire.

President Janet Gorski welcomed attendees, including those attending via conference call, and proceeded to explain rules for this Special Meeting of the Board: there would be no audience contribution or Q&A (as is included on the agenda for regular Board Meetings), and all discussion during the meeting would involve only the Board members.  

(Note that the next regular SIPOA Board Meeting will be held on November 14 at 1:00 PM and Get the Scoop will be on November 15 at 5:30 PM, both at the Lake House.)

Finance Chair John Feldman gave a detailed financial report.  He noted that cleanup of debris from Hurricane Matthew is estimated to cost $300,000 to $350,000, adding that Finance and the Board will evaluate sources of funds available to cover this amount once the final cost is known.  At that time they will determine whether a special assessment is necessary.

ARC Chair Bill Bane summarized some of the 36 changes that the Architectural Review Committee is recommending for the SIPOA Policies and Procedures for Residential Development manual (P&P).  Some proposed changes are:  

• Adapt P&P language to reflect actual ARC practice for situations where the plans for a new single family home are developed by a Designer rather than by an Architect:  Accept Designer-developed documentation as long as it is also signed and sealed by an Architect who is in responsible charge of the project and currently registered and licensed in S.C.
• Since the quality of wood composite decking material (e.g., Trex) has greatly improved in recent years, allow use of composite decking.
• The fee structure for requesting exterior changes to a structure has been $50 for projects estimated to cost more than $500; adjust the fee schedule to raise this $500 threshold to $1000.
• Waive the ARC’s change request fee in situations where a proposed exterior change to a unit in a regime/association complies with design details that are specified in the development’s ARC-approved Design Standards Manual.
• Make P&P requirements less stringent for removal of pine trees:  A homeowner must still submit a written request for pine tree removal and ARC will review the request; however, ARC permission to remove pines will be less restrictive than in the past.  Where pine tree removal is part of a larger project for which a project request fee has been paid, the request fee of $25/tree will be waived.

Mr. Bane noted that all proposed P&P changes are available for review at SIPOA’s office on Landfall Way.  The Board will vote on these changes on November 14.

Planning Committee Chair Dan Kortvelesy reported that the committee’s Draft 2017 Strategic Plan has been distributed to SIPOA Board members for review and feedback.  He briefly described the November 1 Community Meeting conducted by the committee working with the Audubon International Sustainable Communities Program, saying that this is an excellent way for community members to provide ideas that could become elements of future Strategic Plans.  The November 1 meeting and upcoming planned community meetings will be a great help with setting direction and planning for future projects.

President Janet Gorski said that, as part of the annual budgeting process, she initiated a study of the cost of supporting the Oyster Catcher pool.  SIPOA records going back to 2014 show that we have been paying about $17,600/year for electricity, water, pool servicing, pool repair/maintenance, and furniture/umbrellas.  When the pool’s share of expenses for insurance, trash removal, landscaping, etc. are added, the annual cost rises to $23,600.  Planned capital expense for 2017 includes $49,500 for furniture and relining the pool, with additional expenses estimated for later years.  This data will be considered in upcoming discussions about the pool.

Several Motions were put forth for Board consideration and approved:

• John Feldman proposed revising the Spending/Contracting Authority Document to clarify that items exceeding their budgeted expense, as well as items that were not budgeted, are to be reviewed and approved as follows:  expenses up to $5K by the Executive Director; expenses between $5K and $50K by the Board’s Executive Committee; and expenses over $50K by the full Board.  
• Safety & Security Chair Dennis Nagy proposed formation of a special committee to review policies and assessment amounts related to trash disposal.  A group drawn from S&S, Legal, and Environmental Committees will review current policy and situations encountered during this year and then recommend policy changes if they determine any are needed.  The goal is to implement any Board-approved policy changes in January 2017.
• Nominating Committee Chair Gregg Henry proposed the slates of nominees for 2017 elections.  Con Constandis, Guy Gimson, Dennis Pescitelli, and Ed Williams are candidates for four Board positions, and Sam Dolinsky, Veronica L’Allier, and Stephen Montagu-Pollock are candidates for two Nominating Committee positions.  (Mr. Gimson recused himself from the vote.)
• Dennis Nagy proposed that the 2017 Elections Committee be led by Charlotte Moran, with members Maryann Bannwart, Ed Moran, Cathy Pompe, and Ann Wessel.
• Janet Gorski presented the 2017-18 Board of Directors meeting schedule.

The Board went into Executive Session at 1:30 p.m.

-Tidelines Editors