President’s Update – September 27, 2023

I hope this message finds you well. As your Landings Association’s Board President, allow me to take a moment to provide you with some important updates on various matters that impact our community.

Board of Director Candidates

This year, we are fortunate to have a slate of Board of Director candidates who are truly exceptional. We appreciate the interest of all residents who applied to be candidates. Our Board Candidate Nominating Committee worked diligently to recruit, screen, interview, and select the best-qualified candidates. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who served along with me on the Nominating Committee: Rob Burch, Maryann Gallagher, Eric Larson, Quentin Marlin, Ken May, and Judy Monaco. We encourage everyone in the community to read the candidates’ biographical sketches, which they spent many hours preparing. Click here to read that document. Please take the time to decide on your preferred candidates and cast your vote. While all the candidates are of high quality, it is essential that you do your “homework” and select the three candidates you believe are most capable of serving our community and ensuring its continued growth.

Community Cleanup Efforts

In the recent wake of Hurricane Idalia, we all are relieved that our community “dodged a bullet.” However, we have been left with unsightly piles of rotting debris. While we rely on Chatham County for storm debris pickup, our Association has been in frequent contact with the Chatham County Public Works Department regarding yard waste collection. Unfortunately, it appears that the County lacks the necessary staff and equipment to expedite the cleanup. To ensure the safety of our community and facilitate critical debris removal, your Association, in collaboration with The Landings Golf & Athletic Club, hired contracted crews and grapple trucks to assist in the cleanup during the immediate aftermath of the storm. However, after careful consideration and in light of escalating costs, we made the difficult decision to discontinue our cleanup efforts and await the completion of the County’s work. According to the latest information from Chatham County, we can anticipate the community returning to its normal state by September 29, 2023.

Annual Roundtable Meetings

Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Landings Association held annual Roundtable meetings with our local elected and appointed officials. We are pleased to announce that these meetings will resume, with one planned for each fall going forward. These meetings provide a platform for obtaining information, seeking support, and making requests that affect our community. This year, some of the topics on our agenda include concerns related to traffic safety at the intersection outside of our Main Gate, emergency management on Skidaway Island, the County’s expected responses to major storms, and issues surrounding drag racing on McWhorter Drive, among others. Next month, the Association, myself included, will provide details on the outcomes of these discussions, the next steps that the County and/or TLA have committed to taking, and other valuable information that the community should be aware of.

Community Survey

Many of you are aware of the recent “focus groups” conducted by TLA’s survey consultant, EMG Consulting. These focus groups, comprising residents from all Landings neighborhoods, age groups, and lengths of ownership, helped gather insights into the current state of The Landings and our residents’ aspirations for the future. The information gathered will guide the specific questions in the upcoming online survey, expected to be issued by the end of this month. I encourage each of you to take about 10 minutes to share your thoughts, wishes, and desires through this survey. The Association’s Board intends to use the survey results as a foundation for developing a new Strategic Plan in 2024, shaping the future of our community from 2025 to 2027. Of course, if any of the survey results identify an immediate need, we will address it appropriately.

Budget for 2024

Our TLA staff and Board of Directors are diligently working on the budget for 2024. Thanks to the successful Annual Dues (assessment) vote this year, we can continue to maintain our community at a level consistent with the desires of our residents. However, one area of concern is the Security Department budget and inflation in certain areas. Based on community input from the ongoing traffic study and initial feedback from the survey focus groups, it is clear that we need to enhance our roadway and community path rules enforcement, which will require additional resources for the Security Department. Our planned budget includes one additional Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) for traffic compliance and safety as well as other increases resulting from continued inflation. Recognizing that our members should not shoulder the entire burden of these cost increases through their dues alone, we have developed a balanced approach. Accordingly, we will implement fee adjustments in several areas. This includes increases in fees for visitors to The Landings, increased fines for individuals who violate our Rules, and user fees adjusted to cover the augmented costs associated with using amenities and specific services.

Thank you for your attention to these important updates. Your involvement and engagement in our community are invaluable, and we are committed to ensuring that The Landings remains a safe, beautiful, and thriving place to live. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us (webmaster@landings.orgor hstone.tla@gmail.com).