May 29, 2008

Dear Neighbors,

The FMB meetings on May 24-25 sandwiched the Annual Meeting of the owners. The reports and comments from committees at these meetings, along with other commentaries, are summarized below.

At this point note that the new membership of the Board of Managers and the FMB elected officers. For the FMB: Dave Sullivan remains as President, Terry Milligan as Vice President and Frank Fiorentino as Treasurer; Vera Fields was elected Clerk for the 29th time. The Board of Managers contains officers of each condo association. For Condo 1: Christopher Wroten is President and Ken Jameson Treasurer. For Condo 2: Frank Pease is President, Olwyn Saint is Treasuer. For Condo 3: Frank Fiorentino is President and Jim Dalton Treasurer. For Condo 4: Bob Morse is President and Bob Orem Treasurer.

The FMB also set the schedule for the monthly meetings which generally occur on the last Saturday of the month. The schedule for the rest of this calendar year is June 28, July 26, August 30, September 27, October 25 and December 6.

Financial Report:

1. Frank Fiorentino reported that whereas some items show a potential for a surplus, "one should not count the chickens before the incubating season is over." (Actually, Frank did not state it that way - after all, he is a CPA, not a farmer!)

2. Sea Pines is moving toward eliminating the shortfall in contributions to the reserve accounts by depositing the proceeds of a legal settlement described below and an insurance payment for costs incurred in defending the challenge to our By-Laws.

3. The expectation is that the units along the waterfront will not be painted this year. The savings will be applied to the cost of residing these units, a project long planned for. The timing of the residing depends on finishing the bidding process that will occur when Noblin & Associates finishes the "Plans, Specifications and Bid Documents". The funding for this scheduled replacement will come from the reserve accounts. The hope is that this residing will be completed by December but the schedule for meeting the plans and the method for financing is tight on time.

Grounds and Maintenance and Pool Committees:

1. Lights will be installed around the pool shortly.

2. The nail-related problems on the walkway to the beach will also be fixed soon.

3. The asphalt problem caused by repair of the electrical conduits on Duneward Lane will also be fixed by late June. (Meanwhile, residents on both sides of the sandy crevasse can enjoy beachfront property, albeit without the pounding waves.)

4. The septic system in the Knoll Lane area will be repaired with the addition of two more leach pits; meanwhile we have been assured by Craig that there is no health problem. (But some of us were confused when trying to figure how that system has operated so well when the pipes are running up hill!)

With owners beginning to arrive for the season, the FMB again addressed the continuing concern with owners failing to follow the policy on variances.

1. G&M must approve a variance for any plan to alter the exterior of units and other common property; failure to follow this policy will result in a fine. The form to be used to request such a variance can be obtained online and in the Clubhouse.

2. Variances must also be approved for any structural work affecting the "inside" of an owner's structure and "outside" work dealing with windows and sliders; again use the long form to request the variance.

3. The G&M Committee clarified confusion caused by the policy announced recently. There is a "notice of intent to perform interior work". This is not a variance, merely a notification. It covers such "cosmetic" changes as new cabinets, replacement of carpeting and painting or papering inside walls. Owners are encouraged to use this form which serves to notify other owners that there may be strange trucks working in the area and to set a record if an owner later needs to file an insurance claim. A "variance", on the other hand, is required for all other desired modifications to a unit's interior, exterior or Common Space, and is handled formally by the Grounds and Maintenance Committee. Owners with questions should contact the representative from their condo association who serves on the Grounds Committee. This information is listed on the website and the bulletin board in the Clubhouse. All information about unit improvements can be found on the web site http://SeaPinesBrewster.com and clicking on "Interior/Exterior Improvement Rules".

One final note: The Board and other owners once again expressed deep concern for the welfare of children plying their bikes, scooters and motorized scooters on the hills and speed bumps throughout Sea Pines.

Clubhouse Committee:

1. The cork board will be re-hung in the Clubhouse; announcements of events and real estate can be placed on it, including the identification of renters in the community.

2. The Survey of owners regarding possible changes to the exercise and reading rooms had not been analyzed as of the end of last weekend. If there is strong interest in a change, the FMB will evaluate the matter and manage any bidding process if required.

Bluff Committee: As noted earlier this month, the pruning of the Bluff and the walkway to the beach was completed on April 30. Since that time Brewster's Conservation Commission (CC) has approved the Certificate of Compliance for Sea Pines, thereby announcing that Sea Pines is conforming has satisfied the CC's Order of Conditions. The Committee will present a long-term plan to the FMB in the summer. This plan will:

• detail the protocols that we have developed with the Brewster Conservation Commission and its staff;
• explain the methodology adapted for the pruning;
• recommend a multi-year budget that will cover the 3-4 year cycle in an Order of Conditions granted by the Conservation Commission.

Insurance Committee: Three companies are planning to submit bids for the policy that must be in place by the end of August.

Legal Matters:

• Old Business: The two remaining related legal suits have settled. The conversion of a garage on Hollow into a living space and a related suit by the garage owner in the form of a challenge to our By-Laws; the court approved these settlements. While the FMB dropped the suit, it did not approve the changes to the garage. In a side agreement, the owner has paid Sea Pines $20,000 to partially offset our expenses in pursuing this case, an amount mentioned above as a source for reducing the shortfall in contributions to the reserves. You may recall that the beach rights case was resolved in our favor, as described in the January newsletter. So, we are finally law suit free! However...

• New Business: Surveyor stakes appeared on the west end of the beach near the area used by owners to store boats. The explanation given by the surveyors was to "measure the profile of the beach" for "the proposed beach reclamation project" to be presented on behalf of the owner of the house immediately adjacent to Sea Pines on the Bluff. Attorney Mostyn filed with the Conservation Commission on behalf of that owner to determine if boat storage has damaged the Dune. The FMB ordered the removal of the stakes from the property of Sea Pines and is addressing the approach to be taken to the allegation scheduled for the June 3rd CC meeting. Sea Pines will be represented at that meeting.

For the FMB,

Jim Dalton

PS: I am heading a search committee to identify and retain a new writer of this newsletter. Any candidates?