NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

A MESSAGE FROM OUTGOING PRESIDENT MARY EMMA FOSTER

A complete report of the recent Annual Meeting will be mailed to you and posted on this page when available.

It goes without saying that these last few months have been stressful for all of us. I hope that you and your family are healthy.

Even though the Board has had a difficult time holding meetings we have been conducting the business of the Association through emails, conference calls, an outdoor meeting at the park and the October meeting at a church.

Surprisingly enough several projects have been completed during the coronavirus pandemic:

In July the 175 homeowners who signed up for the Spectrum bulk plan began receiving Spectrum cable and internet. This project was not initiated by the Board but by a group of residents who had heard about the plan and wanted to try to obtain the package for Pawleys Retreat. The Board approved their request to investigate the plan. That group of residents deserve credit for all the long hours they worked on obtaining the program for the benefit of all of us. The group included Frank McInerney, Carol Lawlor, Rick, Rich and Deb Andrus, Dennis Seelbach, Jude Seelbach, Linda Kennedy, Mike Fanning and Carol Scott, who receives a special MVP award.

Under the leadership of Patrick Willoughby, with the help of several homeowners, flowers were planted at the Kings River Road and Waverly Road entrances. In order to save delivery charges Pat went to the nursery and brought the plants to Pawleys Retreat. It is a bonus for us that Pat is frugal and has a truck. He is also the liaison between the Palmetto Landscaping Company and the Board.

With the park open but the lot closed, a path to enter the park has been built. Frank McInerney and a group of homeowners devoted two Saturdays to construct the path and spread gravel in the parking lot. Patrick Willoughby obtained the lumber and other supplies. However, this time he had the gravel delivered!

A call for bids for the landscaping contract went out a few weeks ago. A bid specifications list was drafted by Patrick and approved by the Board. This list was given to each landscaping company. Several bids were received. The Board studied them, with the help from a spreadsheet prepared by Dennis Seelbach, so that we could more easily compare the costs of additional items over and above the base price. Amazing Blades was awarded the contract starting January 1, 2021.

There are many volunteers who contribute their time and efforts for the good of the community. I thank them.
The Andrus family for their efforts in taking care of the park, including the peninsula, and pulling the trash container to the street on trash pick-up day; helping with building the path in the park, cutting up a fallen tree in the park and being a part of the initial Spectrum group.

The Moores, David and Harriet, who place the flags in Pawleys Retreat on appropriate holidays. They also decorate the entrances for Christmas.

Jim Huntoon keeps an eye on the weir and pulls or places the boards when needed.

The Architectural Review Committee, Mike Arnold, Linda Kennedy, Paul Lawlor and Frank McInerney, who have had an unusually busy year.

And a special thank you to the Board. Each member monitored an area this year: John Agro, manages the Boat Storage Yard, Ed Kissel, the lakes, Sue Asbaty, landscaping and the Easter Egg Hunt (cancelled), Stacy Rumpf, traffic and special projects, Dennis Seelbach, budget and Santee Cooper street light project, Linda Kennedy, ARC, and Patrick Willoughby, landscaping and special projects. And I thank Eric Staats for joining the Board in June.

Although they are not volunteers I would also like to thank Mike Diem for maintaining our website (PawleysRetreat.com) and Steve Showers, our Community Manager from Premier.

As you can tell from the activities listed volunteers are important to Pawleys Retreat. So be a volunteer. Contact any Board member to let them know what you are willing to do.

This is my final year on the Board and I have enjoyed meeting and working with so many residents. Thank you again for attending the Annual Meeting. My final advice is to wear a mask, wash your hands frequently and social distance. Be safe and healthy. I wish you the best in the new year.