Category: SIPOA

Communications Committee Update

The SIPOA Communications Committee met on November 13, 2015, at the SIPOA Administration Building.  The Committee continued its discussions on development of an app for mobile smartphones and tablets that would begin in 2016.  Charleston Marketing Partners and Red7 representatives presented a Seabrook Island simulation of an IOS app for an Apple iPhone.  The Committee in 2016 will schedule white board sessions to get property owner input on initial app functionality and to discuss myriad ways that property owners could access desired information electronically, including through bookmarking.  The Committee also plans to look again in 2016 at improving navigation through the SIPOA Website.

Immediately prior to the Communications Committee meeting, the Town of Seabrook Island, Seabrook Island Club, and SIPOA representatives met to discuss how the entities collaboratively could improve accessibility and timeliness of information in emergency situations such as the early October and early November flooding rains and ?king? tides that impacted activities and travel.  Toward that end, the three entities are jointly holding a Town Hall Tech Forum on Monday evening, December 7, 2015, 5:30-7:00 PM at the Lake House:  Lessons Learned from Weather and Tidal Emergencies:  Weather and Road Condition Information Availability, Accessibility, and Distribution, and Readiness for Future Such Emergencies.  The Town, Club, and SIPOA will discuss how it receives and distributes emergency information, and attendees will have a checklist on five key actions that they can take to improve accessibility, timeliness, and usefulness of emergency weather and road condition information during forthcoming high tides and other weather emergencies.  Thanks to Dave Osborn for organizing this special Tech Forum.

The Communications Committee will ask property owners in a mini survey in December what methods and devices that they used to access emergency information during the October and November weather and king tide emergencies.

SIPOA has a new domain name:  www.seabrookisland-sc.com, which will allow SIPOA to control its own information assets and facilitate use of Town, Club, and SIPOA gateway landing pages with a common marketing theme and for accessing information through a common link.

Tidelines reported that its current number of followers is 1,048 and there have been 213,187 views since launch.  On October 4, during the weather emergency, Tidelines experienced a daily high of 12,632 views.  Tidelines has become a key information asset for Seabrook Island in a very short period of time since its launch.
SIPOA and the Club are working together on a 3-minute video for the February Annual Meetings highlighting Seabrook Island attributes and 2015 activities.

SIPOA held its third Get the Scoop meeting this year on November 16, 2015.  In addition to the Annual Meeting in the first quarter of the year, these quarterly Get the Scoop meetings provide an opportunity for property owners to get together to socialize, learn about activities of each of the SIPOA Board committees, and direct questions to SIPOA Board members.

The SIPOA Communications Committee and Seabrook Island Club Communications Committee in 2015 institutionalized quarterly SIPOA-Club Communication Committee meetings.  The first joint SIPOA/Club Communications meeting of 2016 will be held at the Club on Friday, January 15, 2016.

The SIPOA Communications Committee will not meet in December 2015, and takes this opportunity to wish Happy Holidays to all.

Submitted by Ed Jones

Reminder – SINHG Spring Trip Deadline is December 15th

sinhg logoThe deadline for singing up for SINHG spring trips is this coming Tuesday, December 15th.  Trip descriptions and sign-up forms may be found on the SINHG website at www.sinhg.org.  Remember that you must be a member of SINHG to sign up for trips.  Membership forms may also be found on the website.  Forms may be dropped off at the SINHG mailbox at 2958 Baywood Drive, Seabrook Island.

Submitted by Gary Fansler

Recycling and Waste Management on Seabrook

With Christmas coming there will be boxes, wrapping paper and all sorts of detritus of which to dispose.  We are fortunate to have a convenient place for recycling and proper disposal right here on the island. Just off Seabrook Island Rd., right next to the Community Gardens and behind the Equestrian Center is a well-marked and easily accessible area to dispose of the remnants of Christmas.  There is a special dumpster dedicated to those cardboard boxes that can be broken down flat.  There is a container for your recyclables including clean bottles, cans, paper and most plastic – and you don’t have to separate it. There is also a trash compacter for your regular household waste in case you won’t be around for trash pick-up day.

What cannot be left there are any furniture or appliances – particularly not old cathode ray tube televisions.  South Carolina law specifically prohibits putting used electronics in landfills.  They can be recycled at electronics stores like Best Buy.  Items like furniture, paint cans, appliances, batteries and any other large items will be picked up curbside on “brown and white” pick-up days.  Those will be scheduled for February, April and July and the dates will be published soon.  Those days are the only days on which you can bring old paint cans and batteries to the maintenance area.  Waste is only removed in the containers provided.  Don’t leave anything outside of the containers.

We have a very useful facility here.  Please let’s use it responsibly.

Submitted by Rich Siegel

Environmental Committee Minutes- Abridged

The Greenery

They are currently sweeping streets and picking up leaves with the new leaf machine which is working well.

Adopt a Highway

Mary Torello has been the coordinator for the past year. She announced that the next trash pickup along Betsy Kerrison Parkway is February 27.  She looks forward to a large volunteer turn out.

Wildlife Mapping

River otters have returned for the winter.

Waste Management

Rich Siegel is a new member leading this program.

Nature Trails

Steve Hirsch submitted a $15,000 estimate to cover all repairs to trails and boardwalks and to bring up to SIPOA standards as well as ongoing maintenance cost estimate of $10,000 a year. The EC voted to ask the board to approve a motion for SIPOA to take responsibility for the Nature Trails at the December 21st meeting.

Offshore Drilling

Barry Shedrow sent a report that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to publish an Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding proposed commercial wind leasing and site assessment activities on South Carolina’s Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

The EC still plans to have an educational seminar in the spring along with Kiawah, who has asked to coordinate with us.

Deer Management

The deer fall survey has been completed. The EC Deer Management Task Force recommended the culling of 75 does during December and January. The EC approved the culling which will be forwarded to the Town of SBI and then the SIPOA board for final approval.

Wild Things

Charley reported on the newly formed birding group, which met on December  1.  The official name is Seabrook Island Birders.  A website is up and there will be a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter account as well.

SIB will have its inaugural meeting and membership sign-up on January 20th in the Lake House Live Oak Room at 7 pm. Christine Fifer of Wild Birds Unlimited will be the guest speaker. All meetings are opened to island residents and guests.

Bluebirds

The group will soon begin to check boxes for maintenance.

Community Gardens

Valerie Doane is the new chairwoman.

Trash Issues

SIPOA dumpsters are being used incorrectly and trash is being dumped beside the compactor and in the area.  Clearer signage has not helped.  It is taking a lot of staff time to clean the area every day.  The trash is from both island residents and contractors.

Submitted by
Jane Marvin

Tech Forum: Emergency Information

Available Technology:

The technology that is used to facilitate gathering and sharing information included:

  1. Smart Phones: These phones allow access to the internet and a wide variety of applications that provide traffic, weather and emergency information.
  2. Flip phones are limited to accepting text messages; they do not support applications (apps) that provide emergency data.
  3. Computers – fully functional access to applications
  4. Tablets – fully functional access to applications
  5. Telephone- land lines. Accept only voice messages—CodeRED.TechForum

In all cases, it was stressed that the operating system, be it IOS, Android, Windows or an Apple OS, should be kept up to date.  Out of date systems will often result in failures in applications.

Available Sources: 

The discussion focused on the web sites and apps that provide weather, traffic and emergency information.

Web Sites:

  1. Local TV station web sites: Live5News.com, abcnews.com, etc.
  2. Weather.NOAA.gov
  3. Tidelinesblog.com
  4. SCDOT.gov   (Twitter hash tag= SCDOTpress)
  5. Waze.com
  6. TotalTraffic.com (for accident reports)
  7. Charles County Sheriff’s Office: http://www.ccso.charlestoncounty.gov
  8. TownofSeabrookIsland.org (Twittter hash tag =@SeabrookIsland87)
  9. Town of Seabrook Island toll free number: 1 800-764-8404
  10. CodeRED (Town of Seabrook Island)
  11. SIPOA Email-blast  and website: SIPOA.org

Apps:  (Available for both IOS and Android unless indicated):

  1. Live5Weather
  2. Waze(requires active GPS, collects and distributes public comments)
  3. Hurricainehub
  4. iHeartradio
  5. Total Traffic
  6. Scanner apps that mimic a radio canner – “5-0 Police Radio Scanner” for iPhone and iPad.” and “Scanner Radio” for Android for example. These apps transmit all the ‘chatter’ on the ‘air’; emergency information will be mixed with all other radio traffic.(Search the web for Police Scanner Apps.)
  7. Twitter – especially the Charleston County Sheriff office, CHSWS, @FreshfiledsVillage, National Weather Service
  8. Facebook was mentioned, but discussion indicated that Facebook information is generally not immediate.
  9. RSS feeds. A RSS feed Reader app (free) can be installed to facilitate “push” notification of emergency data from an app—like Tidelines where a notice is sent to you immediately. E-mail notices from Tidelines are generally received as  “pull” messages—the user has to go and get – or pull- the e-mail.

Other sources:

SIPOA receives notices from: (Examples)

  1. Seabrook Utility Commission (in case of drinking water hazards and flood water overflows)
  2. Fire Department of( road hazards on Seabrook that may interfere with rescue/emergency services; requests to stay off the roads unless travel is essential)
  3. Berkeley Electric of (dangerous electrical conditions—water in transformers).

These notices are posted to Tidelines and are sent to subscribers to the SIPOAE-mail blast.

Submitted by Lynn Kennedy

D.I.R.T. Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Seabrook genealogy group, Digging Into Roots Together (D.I.R.T.), will meet this coming Wednesday, 9 Dec 2015 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in Osprey 2 at the Lake House. There is no formal meeting this week. Instead, a small party for is planned to celebrate the holidays with our D.I.R.T. members.  If you are planning to attend and have not RSVP’d, please do so by emailing us at diggingtogether@yahoo.com. There will be no meeting on 23 December. Our regular meetings will resume in January. Further information can be found on our blog, diggingtogether.blogspot.com.

Denise Doyon and Linda Mecchi

Meeting Announcement: Council of Villa Associations and Regimes (COVAR)

All Seabrookers are invited to attend COVAR’s December Meeting, which will offer an opportunity to meet and hear from candidates for the SIPOA Board of Directors and to follow-up with Chuck Fox, President, SIPOA; Janet Gorski, Vice President, SIPOA and Bill Greubel, President Seabrook Island Club, concerning September’s Property and Landscaping Improvement for Associations/Regimes presentations and round table discussion, as well as to discuss a SIPOA proposal concerning the “Totem Pole” signage at either end of High Hammock Road.

The meeting will conclude with comprehensive presentations and a round table discussion of Developing and Funding Reserves for Associations/Regimes.  Peter Miller, Principal, millerdodson Capital Reserve Consultants; Larry Blasch, Immediate Past President, Spinnaker Beach Houses Owners Association and Larry Buchman, President, Pelican Watch Horizontal Property Regime, will be the principal participants.

The meeting will be Saturday, December 12 from 10 AM to 12 Noon at the Lake House.

—Submitted by Allan W. Keener, President, COVAR

Voting on the Dog Park Ends Soon

If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to answer the SIPOA survey on the SI dog park proposal. Voting will close at the end of the month. The survey can be accessed here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sidogpark

Voting is open to all Seabrook Island property owners. Results will be announced in a future email blast from SIPOA.

Submitted by

Deborah Robinson

Voting Now Open on SI Dog Park Survey

SIPOA’s dog park survey has been released.

SIPOA has promulgated an online survey seeking the input of all property owners to determine the level of interest among Seabrookers in the creation of a dog park on Seabrook Island. The brief survey will remain open until the end of November and voting results will be announced in a future SIPOA e-blast. According to SIPOA, the existing dog park “proposal assumes that the rules regarding dogs on the beach will continue in place as they are currently promulgated, that SIPOA is responsible for the costs and operation of the dog park and that a user fee will be assessed to those property owners using the park.”

As SIPOA’s e-blast stated, “[f]or many years, the most requested additional amenity on Seabrook has been a dog park.” Please take a few minutes to make yourself heard by voting in the easy-to-use dog park survey online.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sidogpark

Submitted by Deborah Robinson

SIPOA Planning Committee November meeting

The Planning Committee (PC) of the Seabrook Island Property Owners Association (SIPOA) met on November 10 at the Lake House.
A new Bike Path proposal that involves crossing a portion of a golf course has been submitted to the SIC for consideration. Continue reading “SIPOA Planning Committee November meeting”

SIPOA Safety and Security Minutes – November Meeting

The November Safety & Security Committee meeting was held on November 4 at the SIPOA office on Landfall Way. The discussion topics and Chairman’s remarks included the following:

Chairman’s remarks and discussion:
• Motorcycles: The annual SIPOA questionnaire will request property owner opinion on whether residents who own motorcycles should be allowed to drive them on the island to/from residences. We will consider property owner feedback before considering approval.
• The committee reviewed, refined and approved Safety/Security questions which will be included in the annual survey.
• Property Owner pin numbers:
– The committee discussed the fact that property owner pin numbers are confidential and cannot be given to others.
– SIPOA Rules & Regulations state that “devices/passes may not be transferred for any reason. To do so could lead to loss of access privileges. Unauthorized access to the SID is a violation. Persons entering the SID with an unauthorized Entry Authentication Device/Pass may be detained and charged with trespassing.”
– A Tidelines article will address this rule: “Do not give your pin number to others. Your pin number is for property owner use only”.
– The SIPOA Rules & Regulations state that “The Board has the power to impose sanctions, including monetary sanctions, for violations of the Protective Covenants or the Rules and Regulations”.
• DUI accident: While on routine patrol, an overturned automobile was discovered by SI security at the intersection of SI Road and Clear Marsh late Friday evening, 10-30-15. EMS, SJFD and CCSO were called. The vehicle had struck a tree resulting in injuries to both the passenger and driver. The driver was charged with DUI. The passenger died at the hospital.

• October Citations: There were 33 citations issued in October, which included the following:
– 22 speeding violations
– 4 no license/registration
– 1 parking violation
– 2 trailer violations
– 4 commercial access violations
The committee reviewed all citation appeals and made decisions based on the facts and merits of each case.

The full Committee meeting minutes are available for review in the archives section of the SIPOA website http://www.associationvoice.com/ResourceCenter/15432/Library.  Please note that you must sign into the SIPOA website prior to accessing these minutes.

Submitted by Bill Bryant, S&S Committee Secretary
Dennis Nagy, Chair

See the attached for the full minutes…

Continue reading “SIPOA Safety and Security Minutes – November Meeting”

SIPOA Environmental Committee Minutes – November Meeting

This is an abridged version of the Environmental Committee minutes of the recent November 4, 2015 meeting. Complete minutes can be found on the SIPOA website in the property owners’ section.

The Greenery

The barren area to the right of the Pelicans Nest when facing the ocean at Seabrook Island Road will be sodded to control continuing erosion of the bank.

Wildlife Mapping

There were 12 sightings reported in October which included the first red fox seen for several years near Summerwinds Cottages.

Birding Group

Sixty people have indicated interest. The first meeting was held November 3. Preliminary suggestions are to meet quarterly to educate, plan outings and communicate information to residents.

Seabrook Island has received a Stage One of four of the Audubon International Sustainable Communities Program.

Lakes Management

Owners are responsible for maintaining trees and shrubs around lake banks on their property or that encroach into water adjacent to their property in accordance with the rules and regulations of the ARC. It is not a SIPOA responsibility to remove fallen trees.

Submitted by Jane Marvin