Dear Neighbors,

Springtime approaches, even though it's 26 degrees outside of my 19 Landing Lane unit as I write this, with a 15 degree wind chill. Brrrr! I am so ready for warmer weather. It was nice to arrive this weekend and see and socialize with other folks who have returned from their off-site winter havens. I look forward to being able to lounge on the beach and walk the streets again without hat, gloves and a wind-driven drippy nose!

Mother Nature's been at it again this winter, pretty much covering the last two steps from the landing at the end of the beach path. The landing itself has a lot of sand on it. I wonder how many more years it will be before it too is buried.

Costs for sanding and snow removal for January-March have already exceeded the 2011 budget of $10,000. While it is unlikely that significant additional costs will be incurred as Spring approaches, any storms next November/December will hurt financially.

It is clear that that kayak racks are, in some cases, difficult to use. For instance, putting kayaks on the top rack is just too high and hard for most people. When the racks are reassembled this Spring, minor changes to ease this problem will be attempted but they are unlikely to cause more than a minor improvement. Sea Pines is now strictly limited by the Order of Conditions imposed by the Town of Brewster and the Mass State Department of Environment Protection in how the kayak racks are configured. Storage of kayaks on the beach will never be as simple or convenient as it was prior to the town/state-imposed requirement of using the racks.

The "closing" date for various boat activities at Sea Pines used to be October 1 for removing boats from the clubhouse parking lot, October 15 for removing kayaks from the racks, and November 1 for removing boats from the beach and water. The variation of these dates was confusing and all have been changed to October 15.

The lawsuits brought by our abutter concerning the kayak racks and interference with his beach easement rights have not changed since late November when we won the most recent court challenge brought by the abutter. He has filed the necessary documents to appeal that decision but has not yet proceeded with an appeal. Meanwhile, we wait...

A septic backup issue occurred on Landing Lane, this time causing more damage to the unit than the last such issue 2 years ago caused to a different Landing unit. Unfortunately, this time, the owner was not home at the time of the incident which is why a good deal more damage was done. All the septic system piping on Landing and Grove will now undergo an annual "colonoscopy" (snaked camera inspection of the pipes) and, if needed, a powerflushing. It appears that this issue was caused not by a build-up of dental floss as happened last time, but a grease build-up and the inappropriate disposal of wipes and paper towels. Please remember, only human body waste and toilet paper should be flushed down the toilet - nothing else; no hair from the shower drain, kitty litter, tampons, diapers, wipes, dental floss, etc. Also, please do not use the garbage disposals. Make certain your guests/renters know these rules as well!

One of our maintenance staff, Jeff Harrington, had surgery recently which limits how much physical labor he can do while he recovers. This means that the wood siding repairs he and Kenny normally do in March and April so the painting cycle can be done before June will be delayed. The painting cycle will instead be done this Fall since the wood siding repairs are not expected to be done before June and having the painters here during the high-use summer months was undesirable.

Let me know if you have comments on this newsletter or thoughts on future ones or the Sea Pines web site.

Sincerely,

Christopher Wroten, 19 Landing Lane, cwroten@comcast.net