General Manager’s Update

Dear Residents,

The Landings Association’s Community Survey, conducted every two years, was closed on July 21st, with a higher response rate than two years ago. Thank you to all 2,891 owners who took the time to participate! We do not have any results back yet, but the survey firm plans to present details at the August 27 Board Meeting, open to all residents, and livestreamed on our Landings Association Facebook Group. We will post details online as well when they are available.

Surveys like this one help us understand how The Landings Association is performing, where we can improve, and what our owners expect as far as service levels and programs. These are key components in preparing annual budgets as well as property owner dues (Assessment) voting packets. We are well into the budgeting process as I write this, not only for 2020’s Budget, but also for the six-year Long Range Financial Plan that runs through 2025. This is important to help us prudently plan for operational and capital spending requirements in the near future. We are currently identifying further programs that can be eliminated and service levels that can be reduced in order to shift funds from to the Capital Reserves Fund to protect its stability. The results of the community survey, due in August, will further inform the budget decision-making on program cuts and service level reductions. You can read details about this process in Budget Box.

We continue to request that Chatham County identify and implement practical solutions to address safety concerns at the four-way intersection of Diamond Causeway and Green Island Road/McWhorter Drive. The most recent position from the County Engineering Department was installation of rumble strips approaching the intersection to alert drivers to the need to stop. We objected to this proposal due to the chronic noise aggravation this would create for those residing in the vicinity. As a result, the County Manager agreed that he will be meeting with their staff to take another look at options for improving safety at this intersection.

We recently had a change in one of our staff Director positions. Public Works Director Paul Kurilla resigned to pursue other opportunities, and longtime Environmental Manager Sean Burgess had been running the department as the Interim Public Works Director. After a nation-wide search for a fulltime replacement, we narrowed down the candidates for our Public Works Director position. We conducted phone screens, in-person interviews, as well as Skype interviews of the top candidates. Following this months-long process, I offered the position to the best qualified candidate -- Sean Burgess. I am delighted that Sean has accepted this position with the Association on a permanent basis. Many of you already know Sean from his frequent presentations to the community, including the July 18 Sunset Sips about water resources on island.

In August, children will be returning to school from the summer break. Please be mindful of more traffic and children out and about in our community in the morning and afternoon. Let’s all make a choice to be considerate of each other as we travel throughout The Landings.