Cunningham and Hamilton Named 2023 Volunteers of the Year

There is no denying that water is one of our most precious natural resources, a fact near and dear to Landings residents Rick Cunningham and Tom Hamilton. The duo recently was named 2023 Volunteers of the Year for their work with the Mal Welch “WaterWise” project to install more than 15 Hyper-Local weather stations throughout The Landings.

Both Cunningham and Hamilton are long-time residents of The Landings. Cunningham and his wife, Denise, moved to the community in 2011. After selling their home in Washington, D.C., and with their furniture in storage, the pair undertook an extensive search for a new home near the ocean.

“We stayed for several weeks to a month in each place we thought we might move to, as it’s only in the second or third week that some of the problems and issues with a community start to surface,” Cunningham said. “When we finally came to The Landings in January 2011, we immediately knew that this place was special and unlike any other place we had seen, and within a month had bought a home. 

Hamilton has a similar story of achieving that, “we are finally home,” feeling after spending some time in The Landings. After traveling all over the world, he, and his wife, Marjatta, began concentrating on the southeast. As luck would have it, a man nearly as obsessed with shrimp as Forrest Gump, helped introduce them to The Landings.

“One morning a fellow came into my office patting his stomach and said, ‘Tom, I just had shrimp seven different ways!’,” Hamilton said. “He was referring to his weekend at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. Since he owned a second home here, he invited us down and we purchased a lot on the Eastern Marsh in 1997. In 2014, we moved into a patio home in The Landings, while we started the process of building on our lot. The marsh view is terrific. We never get tired of it.”

Years later, both the Cunninghams and Hamiltons have no regrets about their decision to make The Landings home.

“The continued commitment to keeping the community’s infrastructure updated keeps The Landings a delightful place to live,” Cunningham said. “People can’t believe that the community is more than 50 years old!”

This same commitment to keeping the community the best it can be is evident when looking at the work done by Cunningham, Hamilton, and their teammates who have made water conservation and sharing how to do it a top priority. It is their hope that their efforts will catch on and spread all over The Landings and beyond.

Hamilton shared that monitoring and conserving water should be top of mind for everyone. He added there are some residents who may not understand where we get our water from and how important it is to use it wisely, whether it is from the tap (potable) or from a well (ground water).

“TLA’s Strategic Water Committee is charged with monitoring both water sources and water use,” Hamilton said. “This is especially important as we enter the next water draw permitting process starting next year. Because 40 to 50% of potable water is used for irrigation, this would appear to be low hanging fruit. Add to that the continuing problem with saltwater infiltrating shallow ground water wells. These areas of conservation are of growing importance.”

Under the authority of the Strategic Water Committee and with the financial support of Skidaway Audubon, a group of volunteers, including Cunningham and Hamilton, was assembled in late 2018 to install networked individual weather stations across the island. This network consists of Audubon-funded and individually purchased systems. The project currently provides island-wide, current weather conditions to residents via the Weather Underground (WU) web interface. As the volume of data increases, The Landings Association’s Strategic Water Committee plans to correlate the historical precipitation data with shallow well monitoring water level data to assist with groundwater resources management. Currently, an existing network of 54 nested wells at 27 locations within The Landings is monitored and maintained by the Association’s Public Works Department and a contractor.

 “New “Smart” irrigation controllers can use this data to forecast and adjust to upcoming and actual rainfall, sun loads, wind, and the growing season,” Hamilton said. “And our pilot project this summer showed that irrigation times could be cut in half simply by replacing your dumb controller with a smart one. This simple change saves money and water. And best of all, thanks to the support of Landings Association General Manager Karl Stephens, one of the best smart controllers can be purchased at The Landing Association (600 Landings Way) or Landings Harbor Marina (600 Priest Landing Drive) at a substantial discount and with an extended warranty.”

Cunningham would like to see smart controllers at every residence in the community.

“Contact us, come to a meeting, buy and install a smart controller and get your neighbors to do the same!” Cunningham said. “Write to us at landingsweather@gmail.com with any questions.”

Both Cunningham and Hamilton are no strangers to volunteering and believe that living in The Landings has provided a perfect opportunity for them to give back. It is their hope that others will find the same joy from volunteering as they do. Hamilton shared that one of his best discoveries is working with some terrific people in the TLA Strategic Water Committee and Skidaway Audubon. 

“These volunteers are very talented and work hard for the residents,” Hamilton said. “They are the unsung heroes who attend these meetings and then go out and get it done. I encourage everyone to find something that you can share your talents or time on, whether it’s with the Association, the Club, church, or a wide variety of community groups on or off island -- make a difference.”

Cunningham shares Hamilton’s belief that giving back is fulfilling and making a difference brings about feelings of pride and accomplishment. He said is working with the Landings Bird Cam stands out as his most interesting volunteer project.

“We kept the cameras streaming for nine years, from October 2014 to October 2023,” Cunningham said. “Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the cameras have been offline for the past four months, but we hope to be able to get them operating again this year. You can learn a lot about your neighbors and friends at a cocktail party, but working alongside others, doing something worthwhile together, creates the strongest bonds. Just do it!”

Cunningham added that The Landings is filled with many talented individuals, and that is what truly makes it such a wonderfully special and unique place to live.

“The people! The number of energetic, capable, friendly people who contribute their time and resources on the island and in the area is truly amazing,” he said.

Cunningham and Hamilton’s contributions have not gone unnoticed by their peers and are very much appreciated.

Landings President Bill Bina said Cunningham and Hamilton are shining examples of what it means to be a Landings resident. 

“Volunteerism is an integral part of life at The Landings,” Bina said. “This is a well-deserved award given Rick and Tom’s dedication to volunteerism here at home. What makes it even more special, is that his peers nominated them to receive this acknowledgment. It always is rewarding to be recognized by the people who know you the best.”

Landings Association General Manager/COO Karl Stephens said he truly is in awe of the amount of volunteerism that takes place in The Landings. He added that volunteers like Cunningham and Hamilton choose to impact positively the community and shape its character.

“Rick and Tom are the epitome of dedication and living a life of service,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have had the benefit of their talents and keen insight over the years, which has helped us to strengthen certain areas of the community and completely rebuild for the better other areas. We salute them and their colleagues for a job well done!”