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Chapters
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KPOG
History
written by Thomas U.
Greer
FROM
HOG TO KPOG - AN
HISTORICAL REVIEW
The beginning: This
association came into
being early in 1981. The
catalyst was an action
proposed to be taken by
the Kiawah Island
Community Association
(KICA) board at the 1981
annual meeting. The KICA
covenants state the
annual assessment can be
increased each year by a
maximum of 5% or an
amount equal to the
percentage increase of
the Consumer Price Index
(CPI) for the previous
year, whichever is
higher. The board
proposed to add an
additional 5% to the
annual increase, for a
total of 10%, and
submitted this as an
amendment to the
covenants to be voted on
at the annual meeting.
The late Bob McBrier, who
was one of the KICA
property owner directors
at the time, objected to
this move by the
developer-dominated
board. A meeting of all
resident property owners
was initiated by Bob to
discuss the matter. Don
White introduced Bob, who
spoke against the
proposed increase and
quickly got the support
of the group. The
subsequent actions of Bob
McBrier, with the group’s
support, successfully
defeated the referendum.
Had that referendum
passed, and had the KICA
board approved the
maximum assessment
increase permitted
annually, as it has done
every year to date, your
annual assessment this
year for an improved
property would have been
approximately $1270
instead of the $630 which
you paid.
At the end of
the meeting, Bob asked
the assembled group if
they didn’t think it
was time for them to form
a loose organization to
look out for their
collective interests. The
group agreed and Bob
turned to Don While and
asked him to set things
in motion. Don asked for
help and a number of
people, including Jean
Howe, Bill Fowler, Jim
Kinney, Jan Gantman and
Stan Stanton volunteered
their assistance.
Interestingly, one of Don’s
first actions was to
check with the Kiawah
Island Company’s
Executive Vice-President
to see if there was any
objection to forming such
an organization. There
was none, and in the
early days the developer
even provided a place to
hold meetings of the
group.
Thus, the Home
Owners’ Group (HOG) -
they fondly referred to
themselves as Hogs - came
into being, with Don
White as its nominal
president. During the
next two years the HOG
was a very casual,
loose-knit organization
which utilized a group of
block captains to keep
its limited membership
informed. There were no
officers other than Don.
Infrequent meetings were
held primarily for the
purpose of educating the
membership and keeping
them informed as to
actions of the developer.
For example, at one
session a property owner
member Tug Greer provided
the assembled membership
a summary and evaluation
of the contents of the
KICA covenants. Since
there were no by-laws
written or records kept
during these two years,
events are hazy at best.
The organization didn’t
require much in the way
of financing. Its needs
were satisfied by placing
a hat by the exit door
following a meeting;
those inclined dropped a
small donation into the
hat as they left.
Even though the
organization had a modest
beginning, the common
thread which weaves
itself through its
history was established.
It was the need to
protect the common
interests of property
owners which led to the
birth of the HOG and it
was the need to keep
people informed and aware
which sustained the
organization.
After
approximately two years
passed, HOG members got
together to discuss the
future. Things had been
quiet with no problems of
negative impact on
property owners, so they
considered disbanding.
Don White suggested it
would be useful to retain
the organization as a
watchdog, and that
viewpoint prevailed. The
consensus was that if
they were to continue the
group should take steps
to develop a more formal
organization.
Consequently, an election
was held in early 1983
and Andy Herster became
President; Dick Sayers,
Vice-President; Lib
Melvin, Treasurer; and
Jan Gantman, Secretary.
This same slate was
reelected for a second
term in 1984. Although
the record is not clear,
apparently Jim Kinney,
Lee Kelce and Fred Peck
were elected as directors
in the 1984 election to
serve for 2 years.
One of the first
things the new leadership
did was to establish
by-laws for the
organization, and in so
doing changed the name of
the organization from the
Home Owners’ Group to
the Kiawah Residents’
Group (KRG). Although all
property owners were
always welcome at
meetings, obviously
resident property owners
dominated the attendance
and controlled the
organization, hence the
new name. (And, after
all, what formal
organization with a
serious mission would
want to be known as the
Hogs?) It was time to get
serious!) A budget was
established and annual
dues ($5.00) were
collected for the first
time.
The work of two
committees established
during the Herster regime
is worthy of note. George
Melvin headed a committee
to look into ways to
improve fishing and
related activities on
Kiawah. At the close of
this administration
(March, 1985) George
turned in a report which
contained 14 specific
proposals covering items
from stocking ponds with
fish to protecting
nesting sites of rare
birds. This report was
passed to the Community
Association board for
their consideration and
action as appropriate.
The second committee was
the Bohicket Road
Improvement Committee.
After a series of
accidents occurred on
Bohicket in 1984, Bob
Zeller volunteered to
head a committee with the
objective of making
Bohicket Road a much
safer road to travel. The
committee was initiated
during this period but
continued in being for
three to four more years,
the time it took to
complete all the
improvements. Bob gained
the support of Seabrook
Island and Johns Island
in his efforts and had
extensive meetings with
the State Highway
Department. His primary
efforts were to point out
the many needed safety
improvements, gain
agreement on this need
from the state and then
keep continuous pressure
on the Highway Department
until the work was done.
It was through the
determination and
tenacity of Bob Zeller
that so much was
accomplished, as he
stayed with this project
through its completion.
(Today Bob is the Town of
Kiawah’s representative
on the Johns Island
Expressway Committee, so
he continues his effort
to improve the access
roads which lead to
Kiawah.)
Another major
accomplishment of the
Herster regime was the
establishment of the
newsletter Overview.
Overview was published
quarterly and was
designed to keep KRG
members informed of
Kiawah happenings. Not
only did it report on KRG
doings, but also on KICA
business, golf and tennis
news and other island
events. One of the
greatest needs we’ve
had on Kiawah from the
start has been the need
for effective
communication with
property owners from the
perspective of property
owners. Until this time
all communications came
from the developer or the
developer-controlled
community association and
had a marketing slant.
Overview was the start;
the monthly publication
KIAWAH ISLAND TALK, which
today goes to KPOG
members monthly and
occasionally to all
property owners, grew out
of this modest beginning.
Andy Herster
presided for the last
time at the KRG annual
meeting held on 5 March
1985. The start of the
meeting was delayed to
obtain additional chairs
for the overflow crowd of
more than 200 persons. It
was reported that KRG
membership consisted of
close to 300 families
almost equally divided
between resident and
non-resident property
owners. The KRG treasury
contained $2,020.
The mood of this
meeting was angry. Golf
and tennis dues had just
been increased markedly
for 1985 by the Kiawah
Island Company (KIC) and
the famous January 30,
1985, letter from the
company president, Saleh
Alzouman, had just been
received, in which Mr.
Alzouman said:
"Further,
substantial increases in
club rates may occur
during the next 12 to 18
months with probable
increases as great as 300
per cent." President
Herster pointed out that
the Community Association
had no jurisdiction
whatsoever over the club,
hence the KRG was the
only organization capable
of representing affected
property owners. He went
on to express his
frustration in that the
KRG approach to all
problems had been to work
in cooperation with the
Company to resolve
matters of mutual
concern. Now, in spite of
persistent efforts on
Andy Herster’s part to
meet with KIC management
to discuss current issues
including the club dues,
not only would the
Company refuse to meet,
but also refused to
respond to questions put
to them in writing by the
KRG. Other matters of
concern discussed at this
meeting included timing
for the construction of a
new bridge over the
Kiawah River, adequacy of
the island water supply
and pressure with the
opening of the Osprey
Point Golf Course,
problems in the
preparation of the annual
KICA budget, KICA's delay
in acting on the Property
Owners’ Pool referendum
(whether KICA should
purchase the pool from
the developer for $1),
and the delay in
resolving issues related
to locating a fire
station on Kiawah.
The membership
voted to seek legal
counsel to help define
property owner rights in
issues like the increased
club dues. (Up until this
time property
owner/attorney Bob
Clement had provided
legal assistance pro bono
and was of great help in
developing the
organization’s by-laws.
Bob’s law firm
subsequently became KRG’s
law firm.) They also
approved a motion to
incorporate as a
non-profit organization,
which would facilitate
gaining insurance for KRG
officers. Finally, an
election of new officers
was held. Dick Sayers
became President; Tug
Greer, Vice President;
Lib Melvin remained as
Treasurer/Assistant
Secretary; and Jan
Gantman remained as
Secretary. Jim Kinney,
Lee Kelce and Fred Peck
remained as directors. As
a result of anticipated
costs in 1985, including
a desire to establish a
$7000 contingency fund,
annual dues were raised
from $10 to $30.
Newly elected
president Dick Sayers’
remarks are worthy of
mention. He started by
saying, "By working
with the Company in an
atmosphere of harmony and
friendliness, we can
accomplish our mutual
objective of creating and
maintaining a successful,
profitable and pleasing
community." He went
on to say: "We have
a right and a duty to
protect our interests and
the quality of our lives
here on Kiawah. Further,
we, as property owners,
and the Company, as
developer, have a strong
commonality of interest.
We, of course, must also
begin to develop our
options. We have people
with the backgrounds
needed to study the
issues and develop
defensible positions, and
your organization’s
officers will not be
hesitant in speaking and
acting in pursuit of your
interests."
In summary,
during the third and
fourth years we saw the
name of the organization
changed to KRG and a more
formal organization come
into being with by-laws
and the annual election
of officers. The
initiation of a quarterly
newsletter responded to
the need to keep members
informed. Finally, as the
Herster administration
came to a close, the huge
increase in golf and
tennis dues, with the
promise of more to come,
had property owners in an
uproar and only served to
highlight the need for a
KRG!
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