President’s Update 5-29-19

Greetings Neighbors, There has been much activity on island this past month. Outside of the gates, we continue to see changes in The Village. Doug Goldstein, the owner of the gas station in The Village, has purchased the Smith Brothers building. For many of us, that is a sentimental spot and a focal point for our community. I am excited to see its next phase and wish Doug the best of luck. The construction for Chase Bank has commenced in The Village. Thrive continues to progress. A new continuing care community has been proposed on Green Island Road. The Landings Association is the governing body for issues within our community. Its governance extends in a limited way to The Village, since TLA owns two of the streets as well as the storm water runoff system (lagoons). While TLA was involved, as much as it could be, with Thrive and the new Chase Bank, we were unsuccessful in having a traffic impact study completed and could not achieve the desired level of screening for Thrive. TLA will continue to post links to various government agencies so that residents can look for upcoming agendas/meeting topics (landings.org/public-services). TLA will keep the community informed as we have in the past and, where appropriate, TLA will interface with the County. The Landings Club joined with TLA to express concerns to the MPC regarding the impact on water, wastewater, and traffic by the proposed Green Island Road development. Consideration of that project by the MPC was tabled until their June meeting. Within the gates, TLA’s staff and Board have been active on initiatives. At the April Board Meeting, the Board approved the contract for Dr. John Salazar to conduct focus groups, design and administer a community survey, analyze data, and present results to the Board, with a completion date of August 2019. Dr. Salazar randomly selected residents for participation in the focus groups and conducted the sessions. The survey is currently scheduled to be distributed July 1 and will close for response on July 21^st. The survey will be sent out via the email address you have on file with TLA. Using the survey data, TLA staff and the Board will schedule the next property owner dues (Assessment) vote. Due to the age of this community and the recent weather stresses put on our infrastructure, it is essential that we protect and preserve our capital reserves. The reserves are designated for capital improvements and replacement, such as roads, community paths, storm drains, and heavy equipment and machinery. To maintain the level of quality in our community, an Assessment increase ultimately will be necessary. The survey results will help determine what additional amenities, if any, will be included in a future proposal. The Public Works Committee is in the process of forming a subcommittee focusing on the Athletic Fields Complex, including the playground. The charter for the new committee is currently being finalized, and applications for committee members will be sent out in the near future. In addition to the broader community issues, TLA’s Board has been working on procedures and governance. We are going to test live-streaming the monthly meeting for the benefit of those unable to attend in the coming months. At this month’s meeting, a resolution establishing term limits for board members was passed. The term limit for TLA Board Members is now two consecutive terms. I anticipate that my mention of an Assessment increase may create some buzz among some. There have been several polarizing issues on Skidaway Island this year. Regardless of your position on the issues, there is a commonality. We are all motivated by our love for this community. Let’s remember that as we move forward. My best,