May 3, 2010

Dear Neighbors,

Another 6 months has passed since the last newsletter. As we continue our saga, the author and his wife have [finally] moved into their newly-built home in Franklin, MA and spent nearly every day of the last 2 months over at the old house, getting it ready for the market, assuming there is a market. Yup, we've been busy.

So, what do we see going on at Sea Pines these days? Well, after 35 years and long past its expected lifetime, Landing Lane will be getting completely replaced, hopefully before Memorial Day. It's going to be very disruptive but is expected to take only a week or two. The original proposal was to also replace Sea Pines Drive from 6A down to Landing Lane, but the costs were prohibitive so the FMB decided to limit the project to Landing Lane, which has been in pretty bad shape these past several years. It will cost just under $90,000 which comes from the Reserves.

The playground equipment in Hollow is in bad shape. It's about 20 years old and has done better than expected. But it is time. It will be replaced with new equipment, hopefully in time for Memorial Day. The budget for this project is set at $15,000.

Another major project being investigated is the replacement of all street lighting. This is a sorely needed effort as a majority of the large lamp posts and many of the smaller ones are in very poor shape. This will be a very expensive project and could be implemented in phases. Mercantile and the Grounds Committee will be working with engineers to determine probable approaches, costs and timeframes.

The periodic landscaping of Overlook and Knoll is just about complete. Painting is underway at Friendship, Hollow and Duneward. The swimming pool cover is off and the pool is being readied for use.

Our legal issues with our abutter continue to work their way through the legal system. Thus far, the decisions made the Brewster Conservation Committee to approve our proposed beach kayak rack have been upheld by state oversight committees and courts. This is good, but the process is a very long one, with appeals possible at just about every step of the way. It is not known when Sea Pines could actually build the kayak racks, since sufficient approval has not yet been granted.

A very long-standing legal case our abutter had against Sea Pines concerning a charge of trespass due to questionable pruning done on the abutter's property many, many years ago has finally been settled with no monetary awards to either side. Homeowners received a letter disclosing the settlement and the costs Sea Pines faces if further pruning is done by Sea Pines, its agents or homeowners on the abutter's property.

Concerning fires on the beach: please be aware that you must obtain permission for beach fires from the Brewster Fire Chief and the Sea Pines Beach and Boating Committee. Such permission must be obtained before the fire can be started. Only cooking fires are permitted, not bonfires. Be certain the fire is completely out before you leave the beach. Please be considerate and remove the remains of the fire the next day. Do not expect the tides to clean it up for you; all that does is spread it around for people to step on.

It is with great sadness that we express our regrets to the families of Marjorie Pierce and "Judge" Goldblatt, who both passed away recently.

Please attend the Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 30 9:30am at the Brewster Ladies Library. The FMB often hears comments, questions, concerns and complaints on a wide variety of issues during the year. Voicing them at the Annual Meeting provides a way for them to be brought to the attention of the FMB as well as your fellow home owners, who may share the same concerns or questions. Or, you may hear of other issues while you are there that spark your interest and that you'd want presented to the FMB and your neighbors.

There is also an FMB meeting on Saturday May 29 at 8:30am in the Clubhouse. Unit owners are always welcome and encouraged to attend.

I would be happy to consider adding items of general interest to future newsletters or to accept questions. Please feel free to send or email them to me. Since I also maintain the Sea Pines web site, I am also happy to accept your thoughts, comments, ideas and questions about it.

For the FMB,

Christopher Wroten
cwroten@comcast.net