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Bulletin Board

Pool & Beach House Deck/Usage Update

May 6, 2021 01:11 pm

With the passage of S147, the SC COVID-19 Liability Safe Harbor Act, and the easing of outdoor masking requirements by both the CDC and Georgetown County, the Litchfield by the Sea Board has approved the opening of the River Club Pool and the placement of some furniture back on the Beach House Deck. For your safety and well-being, we ask all owners and their guests to observe the following:

Pool
• The pool at River Club will open on Friday, May 14th. Hours of operation will be 10:00 am to 8:00 pm.
• The pool is being maintained in accordance with DHEC standards.
• Furniture will be set up by May 14th and placed in a way to encourage social distancing. Family groupings may sit in close proximity but there should be 6 feet between non-family groups.
• Masks are not required but social distancing is recommended unless with family members.
• Bathrooms will be sanitized daily.
• Hand sanitizer will be made available.
• If you prefer, bring sanitizing materials with you to clean tables and chairs before using.
• If you feel ill, or someone in your family is ill, please stay away from the pool area.

Beach House Deck
• Furniture will be set up by May 14th and placed in a way to encourage social distancing. No more than half of the furniture will be used at this time.
• Masks are not required but social distancing is recommended unless with family members.
• Bathrooms will be sanitized daily.
• Hand sanitizer will be made available.
• If you prefer, bring sanitizing materials with you to clean tables and chairs before using.
• If you feel ill, or someone in your family is ill, please stay away from the pool area.

Beach House Usage
• For now, the Beach House will remain closed.
• Indoor spaces require crowd size limitations and mask wearing among non-family groupings which the LBTS Board is not in a position to monitor nor enforce.
• The LBTS Board will continue to monitor County, State and Federal requirements and will move to open the Beach House when it is deemed safe to do so.

The Board will continue to monitor changes in guidelines and act accordingly. Thank you for your support. Please stay safe and healthy!

Sincerely,
The Litchfield by the Sea Board of Directors

LBTS President Bob Postiglione Spring Update Letter

May 17, 2021

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Dear Litchfield by the Sea Owner,

It’s been a long year and a half but the spring brings promise of life beginning to return to normal. We hope that you and yours have remained safe and healthy. We expect this spring and summer to be a very busy time at LBTS with many folks looking forward to vacation travel again.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to share the following update with you regarding work that has occurred during the first half of this year:

Food Service
In our ongoing effort to explore new amenities requested by ownership, as well as possible streams of revenue for the association, the Board has allowed a food truck on several weekends in the Beach House parking lot. Thus far, sales at the Food Truck has been very good, leading us to believe there is a demand for food service at this LBTS venue. Similar amenities for owners and guests are available at other quality resorts’ beach and lake clubhouses. To that end, a food service survey will be sent to all owners shortly and we would like your feedback.

I also wanted to directly address some rumors that have been circulating regarding turning the Beach House into a restaurant. First of all, any such change would require a vote of the entire LBTS membership before any such change could occur. Second, this amenity WOULD NOT be open to the general public but only to owners and guests staying in an LBTS unit. An effort of this magnitude would probably require a minimum of two years before becoming reality.

I want to repeat, the Board is only investigating this endeavor at the behest of a significant number of Owners throughout LBTS. Many of these Owners feel the Beach House currently is a vastly underutilized amenity at LBTS and could be converted to something enjoyed by more people. The proposed survey is intended to gain the input of a wider number of owners as to #1. A more accurate level of demand from ownership for food service at the Beach House and #2. What form any food service (if at all) would take.
When the survey is sent, please respond. We welcome your input.

Improvement Projects
The LBTS Board has been busy during the first half of the year working on the following projects:
• Repairs to the fountains in Osprey Lake
• Several storm drain projects within the River Club
• A large storm drain project near the LBTS Main Gate
• Repairs to the fishing dock area closest to Osprey Watch
• Repair to the irrigation pump that provides water to the River Club common areas
• A new gate motor for the River Club front gate owner’s entrance lane
• Beginning the work of moving our massive bar code data base to the cloud

River Club Pool/Beach House Deck/Beach House
With the passage of the SC Safe Harbor COVID law, The River Club pool and Beach House deck re-opened May 14th. This law provides HOA’s with protection from being sued due to a claim of an owner or guest contracting COVID at your swimming pool. Georgetown County allowed its masking requirements to expire at the end of April. The CDC said that masking was no longer required for outdoor activities and for groups with persons having been vaccinated. Accordingly, about half the furniture has been placed according to social distancing protocols. Due to the relaxation of the guidelines, pool monitors were not hired. However, we ask all those using these amenities to obey the current guidelines in place. Our ability to have these amenities remain open for your use relies on your cooperation.

For now, the Beach House remains closed. The Board will continue to monitor guidelines and will re-open the Beach House when it is safe to do so and that no guidelines remain that require LBTS to police or enforce any kind of COVID related requirements. Right now, crowd size limitations exist for inside spaces and also that all persons attending an event should be vaccinated

When the Beach House does re-open, some new rules will be in place regarding fees and the usage of the facility for HOA related meetings. In order for the Beach House to maximize its potential for rental income, HOA meetings (Board and Annual) are only being allowed Monday – Thursday. Please see this link for more information: litchfieldbythesea.com/beach-club-house

New Board Member
Earlier this year, John Bartha submitted his resignation and the Board would like to thank him for his service and particularly, all the help he has provided on LBTS insurance coverage.

At their April meeting, the LBTS Board appointed Mr. Bruce Allan from The Reserve to fill the unexpired portion of Mr. Bartha’s term. Bruce has previously served on the boards for Harbor Club Villas, and The Reserve – during which he was the Board President. Please join me in welcoming Bruce to the LBTS Board.

Bulk Service Trash
Ultimately, the LBTS Board is looking to get out of the trash business. However, in an effort to leverage some good pricing for the member communities, the LBTS Board is currently reviewing pricing from several vendors. It is important to keep the trash service as an optional one as many owners take their own trash to the local collection center. The LBTS Board will continue to work with its member communities that have single family homes to figure out the best option. Once the details have been worked out, we will also work with our member communities to gather feedback about the options.

Bar Codes
The LBTS Board is forming a committee of representatives from both the Oceanside and Westside communities. Since the beginning of this year, a $20 charge has occurred for all new bar codes bringing in roughly $15,000 year to date. LBTS is still exploring ways to charge a renewal fee for existing bar codes. We will not be implementing that plan by July. After working with the committee to flesh out and respond to the various concerns and questions, we are targeting an implementation date of January 1, 2022 with potential fees due by Mid-March of 2022.

Improved communications
Two virtual meetings have occurred so far this calendar year with the Board Presidents of all LBTS member communities. We have a goal of conducting these meetings quarterly to keep all communities informed and provide a regular mechanism for sharing questions and concerns.

2021 Annual Meeting
Lastly, I wanted to encourage ALL owners to vote and send in their proxies for this year’s Annual Meeting scheduled for Saturday, June 12th. This meeting will be held virtually and the meeting link will be sent under separate cover to all owners. This year, we are also brining a governing documents change forward that will benefit and impact ONLY River Club single family homeowners. The changes would allow the LBTS board to create a neighborhood grouping and charge a neighborhood assessment ONLY for River Club single family owners. The neighborhood assessment charge would only be for cable and internet charges. Without the passage of these changes, the River Club single family owners would be forced to enter the open market for their cable and internet services when the contract expires next year. Please help us gain the ability for the River Club single family owners to be able to enjoy the same low cost cable and internet services that almost all other LBTS owners currently enjoy. A 60% quorum is needed for the passage of the changes. Of the 60% quorum, 75% must vote YES. Thanks in advance for your help with this effort.

See you at the Annual Meeting!

Regards,
Bob Postiglione, President
Litchfield by the Sea Board of Directors

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