President’s Update 6-29-2022

Recently, The Landings Association (TLA) held a Hurricane Preparedness Meeting during which Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) presented how to prepare for Hurricane Season.  More information is available on The Landings Association’s website (www.landings.org) and online at CEMA’s website (chathamemergency.org). This preparation should be conducted each year by everyone living in our area. CEMA emphasizes the importance of completing seven steps of hurricane preparations that include determining your risk, developing an evacuation plan, assembling disaster supplies, getting an insurance checkup, strengthening your home, helping neighbors, and completing a written hurricane plan. This information is useful because it causes all of us to look at our personal facilities which includes the operational systems, safety, and maintenance of our homes and landscape. Whether or not our area is impacted by a hurricane this year, these practices are simply good facility management for everyone. Hurricane Preparedness should be part of our personal facilities management.

As hurricane preparedness should be part of the facilities plan for each of us individually, it is part of the facilities management plan for The Landings Association. Public Works manages the facilities of The Landings Association, including our gates, public areas, and association structures. TLA’s Facilities Management Team consists of two staff members and a manager. The Association’s Facilities Manager Ingrid Poppell has been working for TLA since 2013. She oversees janitorial and maintenance staff who ensure all TLA buildings and structures are well maintained and ready for use by residents and their guests. Ingrid also oversees service contracts for TLA and serves as the primary contact for residents and community groups who rent TLA facilities for gatherings and meetings.

The responsibility of ensuring that TLA buildings are clean, safe, and ready for staff and residents requires diligent efforts. TLA is fortunate to have April McDowell handling this portion of facilities management. She handles this while most of us are still asleep, beginning her workday at 4 a.m. April has been working for TLA since 1995. The most recent member of this amazing Facilities Team is Madison Venable, who just joined the team in May 2022. Madison had been working in security, but her excitement in her new role has helped her learn the requirements of maintaining facilities for TLA.

We are fortunate to have these employees who are ensuring the operational systems, safety, and maintenance of our gates, public areas, and Association structures meet the high standards of Public Works, TLA, and you. Just as you and I manage the facilities of our homes, these employees work daily to ensure our community is ready for the daily demands as well as being prepared for hurricanes and other situations that may occur. I ask you to join me in expressing gratitude for the diligent efforts of our Facilities Management Team.