Kiawah Island Property Owners Group

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KPOG History

A History of the Kiawah Property Owners Group from 1981-1995
written by Thomas U. Greer

The first significant action taken by the Buchanan regime upon its election in February, 1991, was to change the KRG newsletter from a quarterly publication into a monthly one. (Actually, the decision was to publish 11 issues a year.) The last quarterly issue of Overview was distributed in March, 1991, and the first monthly issue of the new publication, Kiawah Island Talk, was dated June 19, 1991. Ralph Magnotti, KRG’s new vice-president, became the publisher. Bob Ingersoll acted as editor, Rich Moran was responsible for graphics, Elsie Meyer and Jim Dore were reporters, Chas Unglesby was in charge of production, and Louise Risher handled distribution. Later, Carter Maguire became a frequent feature contributor. Though not listed on the masthead, Barbara Magnotti played a major role in assisting Ralph.

In the June issue the KRG board explained the reasons for deciding to publish Talk monthly - to better fulfill the great need, expressed by many property owners, for improved communications concerning happenings on Kiawah, and to assist in coordinating and publicizing the scheduling of activities on the island. To accomplish this second purpose, a calendar of coming events first appeared in this June ’91 issue, and has been a regular feature in Talk ever since.

It was a most appropriate time to improve communication within the Kiawah family, as there was much going on in 1991. The headlines in the June Talk reported on the controversial decision of the KICA board to spend over $150,000 to resurface two sections of the Kiawah Island Parkway between the KRA real estate building and Rhett’s Bluff. The controversy on the board was between the three elected property owner directors, who favored patching the areas in need of repair, which would have cost approximately $20,000 but still provided a structurally sound road, and the four KRA-appointed directors who, primarily for aesthetic reasons, favored a complete resurfacing costing over $150,000. Property owner directors argued that the money to be saved by patching was badly needed in KICA’s reserve fund, which they considered to be grossly inadequate.

This action was of special significance since it marked the first time since KRA purchased Kiawah that a decision was made by a 4 to 3 vote, with KRA using its 4 votes to carry the motion over the objections of the 3 property owner directors, Gloria White, Dick Sayers and Tom Winkleman. Following that first 4-3 vote, the number of similar split votes seemed to grow steadily over the next 3 years, signifying a decided divergence in viewpoints and a deterioration of relations between KRA and property owner directors on the board.

One of the features introduced into Talk by the Buchanan regime was the printing of "Letters to the Editor." In the August ’91 issue there were two such letters. The first, from property owner Laura Pulleyn, took strong exception to the KRA decision to have KICA resurface rather than patch the parkway, as discussed above. She made the case that the KRA decision was made for aesthetic reasons, rather than for the best interest of KICA. She also criticized KRA for using Hurricane Hugo special assessment funds for this resurfacing, since excess Hugo dollars were supposed to go into the reserve fund. The second letter was from property owner Bob Degenhart, whose subject was the desire of the Andell property developers to reroute the Kiawah Island Parkway between Bohicket Road and the Kiawah River bridge. This entry road issue generated strong reactions among Kiawah property owners, who were split in their opinions, and involved KRA and the towns of Kiawah and Seabrook.

Talk’s first editorial was written by publisher Ralph Magnotti on the subject of moving the entrance parkway. Ralph did not take a position on the controversy, as he stated he did not yet know how the majority of KRG members felt about the issue. Instead he pointed out the intensity of emotions which the issue had caused and counseled all parties to think through and clarify their positions and then enter serious negotiations which must recognize the viewpoints of all sides. From then on KRG limited its role to reporting all sides of this issue in Talk.

Opponents of moving the present roadway, led by Margie Brislin, Charlie Moore and Bo Turner, solicited help from property owner/real estate lawyer Larry Estridge. Talk then printed in their entirety, over several issues, letters from Larry and from Leonard Long, who represented KRA, concerning this matter, thus permitting its readers to form their own opinions. In the final analysis the position of Estridge, that the road could not be moved without the approval of all property owners, won out. MJ Properties, the Andell developer, modified its planned design to permit the old road to remain, with the intention of also connecting in the new road. At this writing the future of the Andell development remains in limbo, since the large marina which was the linchpin of the development was disapproved by environmental authorities.

In 1991 the Ryder Cup matches captivated the attention of the entire island. (It was the Ryder Cup which led to the construction of the additional two lanes of a portion of Bohicket Road now known as the Betsy Kerrison Parkway. Work on the addition was started in the spring of ’91 and completed just in time to handle Ryder Cup traffic.) KRG assisted in getting volunteers to support the tournament and Talk kept its readers informed of the planning progress. All readers must be aware of the world-wide excitement which the 1991 matches engendered, and the positive publicity which the US victory brought to Kiawah. The November 1, 1991, issue of Talk, which contains an outstanding article entitled "Reflections of the Ryder Cup" by editor Bob Ingersoll and other articles on the tourney, is a collector’s item.

Landmark Land Company was responsible for bringing the Ryder Cup matches to Kiawah. As soon as they were over, the facts concerning Landmark’s financial difficulties, which until this time consisted mostly of rumor, came to light. Landmark had been good for Kiawah and its property owners. KRG pointed that out in a November editorial in Talk which expressed support of Landmark’s bankruptcy efforts (as opposed to an RTC takeover). Concurrently, however, KRG took upon itself responsibility for closely monitoring the situation so as to look out for property owner interests as the Landmark problems played themselves out. Chris Cole, president of Landmark’s operation on Kiawah, was invited to speak at the December 9, 1991, quarterly meeting of KRG where he was asked about the future of the Sports Card Program for 1992. Chris gave a forthright answer, saying he couldn’t guarantee anything, but it was his belief that sports cards would be honored regardless of who assumed control of Landmark’s Kiawah facilities.

KRG devoted much of its December 12 issue of Talk to all the implications of the Landmark problems in an effort to assist its readers in deciding whether to purchase sports cards in 1992. Throughout the long, drawn out legal proceedings KRG kept its membership constantly informed. Dave Hott, as the local "Landmark Community Committee Representative," assisted in this effort. In early January, 1992, hearings were held in US District Court on Landmark’s bankruptcy. It was significant that the two persons chosen to testify on the feelings of the Kiawah community were Tom Nelson, mayor of the Town of Kiawah Island, and Bruce Buchanan, president of KRG.

As 1991 came to a close, it was quite obvious that KRG’s stated mission of improving communications through publishing Talk on a monthly basis was being accomplished. To assist in educating property owners, a number of articles were written for Talk. The August ’91 issue contained an article by Tug Greer entitled "Who Does What, for Whom, on Kiawah," which clarified all the Kiawah acronyms and explained the responsibilities of the various agencies on Kiawah. (This article was updated in January, 1996; readers desiring a copy can request one from any KRG board member.)

The same issue of Talk contained an informative article by Bill Connellee on the new beach management plan being developed by the town. The September ’91 issue contained a comprehensive article by Tug Greer entitled "The Community Association - the Deck is Stacked." This article discussed the Community Association, how it works, the differing philosophies between the KRA-appointed board members and property owner-elected board members, the dominating role of developer directors provided by the covenants, and problems which lay ahead for the KICA board. Such articles, along with timely reporting on controversies mentioned above, as well as articles on golf, tennis and POPs activities, kept expanding the size of Talk from its first 8 page issue to issues of as many as 24 pages a year later. An editorial board consisting of Bruce Buchanan, Wally DuBois and Ralph Magnotti met frequently to establish editorial policy and discuss topics for publication. They were obviously very busy.

At the September ’91 KRG quarterly meeting, Pat McKinney, then Chief Operating Officer of KRA, was invited to report on KRA’s future plans. He talked mostly about some of Kiawah’s early development, KRA’s accomplishments, and mentioned that future plans included a private club offering golf, tennis and social memberships in a country club environment. With the mayor and a KICA property owner director reporting at each quarterly meeting, along with special invitations to Landmark and KRA representatives to talk, KRG more than adequately fulfilled its promise to keep property owners informed. These meetings were thoroughly covered in Talk, of course.

In its August ’91 issue, the editors included a questionnaire asking readers to tell KRG what they liked about Kiawah and what areas needed improvement. Responses were received, tabulated and reported in the November issue. As you would expect, readers liked the beauty of Kiawah, its beaches, its golf and tennis facilities, its security features and its people. However, security also came in for criticism for failing to enforce speed limits and for failing to keep bikers off the major roadways. Readers also cited a need for better variety and quality in the island restaurants, better enforcement of covenants, and more concern for property owners by KRA in its community association actions. (Are these criticisms still valid as we begin 1996?)

In the latter days of 1991 the KRG board created a new Research Committee whose purpose was to review the island’s covenants, ordinances, laws, rules and regulations, master plan, deeds and contracts, and any other documents available to them to determine their effect on property owners. Charlie Moore was appointed chairman of this committee; members included Bruce Buchanan and Ralph Magnotti from the KRG board, as well as Bo Turner, Louise Irvin, Jack Dover and Wally DuBois.

The first project this committee looked into was the new road code for the town. Charlie Moore reported for his committee in the February ’92 issue of Talk, writing that in the early 1970s Kiawah’s developer got the county to approve a set of road standards which were below those of the county. Hence some of Kiawah’s roads have substandard dimensions. This information caused the town to decide to write its own road code. This in turn attracted the attention of the developer, KRA, who saw an opportunity to solve some of its zoning problems. Discussions between the town and KRA were frequent, and extensive lobbying of town officials by the developer was apparent.

The Research Committee discovered that the first draft of the new road code was actually compiled and written by an employee of the developer and an employee of one of the developer’s contractors, as part of KRA volunteering to assemble and print the document. Close scrutiny of the draft led to the realization that several changes favorable to the developer had crept into the document. The Research Committee met with town officials and voiced a number of concerns with the draft road code. A major issue was the width of planned bridges leading to islands at the east end of Kiawah. As a result of the Research Committee’s recommendations, a number of changes were made to the draft code which tightened up the specifications. The Research Committee and town officials worked in a cooperative manner until the road code was completed and adopted by the town. This was another example of KRG’s watchdog role coming into play.

At the December ’91 quarterly KRG meeting, property owner director Tom Winkleman reported on KICA activities, providing a rundown on the recently approved 1992 budget. General & Administrative costs were up 1.6% for ’92, lake management costs were down 13.8%, general maintenance costs were down 14.5 %, security costs were down 4.9%, but landscaping costs were up 13.4%. (The ’92 KICA budget passed by another 4 to 3 vote, with the 3 property owner directors voting against approval because of their disagreement over the small amount going into the reserve fund and the large amount of money going into landscaping activities.)

The report in Talk of these budget deliberations contained two statements which are too priceless not to include herein. A new player had suddenly appeared on the KICA board meeting scene - Leonard Long, a KRA partner. Although only a spectator, he introduced this comment during the deliberation on the landscaping costs. Stating he was a member of the board committee that reviewed the landscape budget, he said he felt it was not necessary to decrease landscaping planting when no one has complained that the island looks too good. Buddy Darby added, "We would like to have more flowers. The nature of our business is, we have to look good . . . with what we do, we have to have these things. We’re in the business of pretty things.")

Early in 1992 another controversy burst on the scene and made headlines in the February ’92 issue of Talk. The paper reported that two candidates had filed for the position of property owner director in the upcoming KICA annual election. The two candidates were Tug Greer, a resident property owner, and Paul E. Tinkler, an attorney living in Charleston. Talk reported that Kiawah realtors, with the active support and assistance of KRA, had started an intensive campaign to elect Tinkler. In fact, it was KRA that got a group of realtors together and urged them to run a non-resident candidate. Letters being sent to property owners by this group asserted that the interests of resident property owners were "logically disparate" from those of property owners who do not live on Kiawah. This action incensed the incumbent KICA property owner directors, who submitted statements for publication refuting many of the points made by the realtors. In an editorial KRG took the realtors to task for being "a little fast with the innuendo, loose with the truth and definitely short on logic." The editorial objected to efforts by the realtors to divide property owners into two groups with opposing viewpoints.

KRG took the following action: they did not endorse either candidate, saying they believed property owners were capable of making their own decisions if the facts were presented to them. They then permitted both Greer and Tinkler to present their views in articles for Talk, which appeared in the February ’92 issue. In addition Talk published a copy of the letter sent out by the realtors along with the responses to this letter by the incumbent KICA property owner directors. Finally, in an editorial, Talk encouraged all property owners to evaluate the candidates and vote their choice.

Fifteen days before the election, KRA distributed its own letter to property owners reinforcing the realtor position, urging property owners to vote for Tinkler, and telling them how to change proxies already sent in. Nevertheless, Greer won the election, and KRG once again fulfilled its promise to communicate with property owners on matters affecting their interests.

The annual KRG election was held at the February 4, 1992, meeting. Bruce Buchanan, Ralph Magnotti and Stephany Dunfee were re-elected as president, vice president and treasurer respectively. Rita Moran became secretary and Wendy Kulick was elected assistant secretary. New directors elected were Happy Crow, Jimmy Smith and John DeCook. Roger McLaughlin and Elsie Meyer remained to complete their second term as directors.

At this same annual meeting Dana Beach, Director of the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League, talked on the planned development of the Andell Plantation. He explained the approval process which the developer would have to go through and expressed his concerns over the effects on the environment. The April, 1992, issue of Talk contained a report by Bill Connellee on his Wildlife Committee’s activities, an invitation for property owners to participate in the Bluebird Nesting Box Program, and a call for volunteers to participate in the 1992 Loggerhead Turtle Program. These are all examples of KRG’s efforts to keep property owners informed on current Kiawah topics.

At a public hearing at St. Johns High School held on May 26 on the proposed Andell lock harbor marina, President Bruce Buchanan spoke for the KRG. Bruce stated the KRG was opposed to giving any permits until the entire plan for Andell harbor had been submitted to the proper authorities. The object was to preclude piecemeal approval of portions of the project. This point was reinforced by several other speakers. Councilwoman Lib Melvin, representing Mayor Nelson, stated the Town of Kiawah would oppose any plan that would adversely affect the quality of the Kiawah River.

The June ’92 issue of Talk also reported on the April 14 KICA board meeting, at which occurred a very disturbing event. Frank Brumley of KRA presented the board with a seven-page memo outlining his plan for restructuring the property owner committee system. These committees had originally been formed primarily to assist the KICA property owner directors, who did not have available to them the kind of resources readily at hand for the KRA directors. The committees of property owners, with a property owner chairman, met at their own calling, worked various problems and when appropriate, made recommendations to the board through a property owner director. Brumley proposed in future to have each committee chaired by a board director with one other director as a member of the committee. He then went on to propose that KRA directors chair the Finance Advisory; Security and Safety; Reserve; Landscape and Beautification; and Operations Committees, all key committees. Property owner directors would chair the Pool Operations, Personnel Compensation and Non-Resident Committees.

Brumley’s stated reason for the change was that he was upset when committees came up with proposals or recommendations which KRA didn’t like and would have to vote down. The KRA directors wanted to be in a position to influence committee deliberations. By placing KRA directors as chairmen of all the key committees, they would control the frequency of meetings and the agenda, and could head off items they didn’t want brought to the board. In short, it wasn’t enough for KRA to control the board, now they wanted to control all the key property owner committees also.

Property owner directors Sayers, Winkleman and Greer reacted strongly against this proposal. Action on the proposal was delayed and eventually, in a special working session of the board, a compromise was reluctantly agreed to by the property-owner-director minority. In the future each committee would continue to be chaired by a property owner, but there would be two liaison board directors, one a property owner director and one a KRA-appointed director. These co-liaisons could attend committee meetings called by the chairman if they wished, but would have no vote. In addition the co-liaisons would each select half the committee members. Formerly, the property owner directors, who best knew fellow property owners, selected the committee members.

This KRA initiative was disturbing in that it signified a distinct change in KRA’s way of doing board business. In the past, members of the committees, and particularly the Security and Safety Committee, had done a lot of "grunt" work; these were working committees. The appointment by KRA of property owners who were KRA employees or persons working for the resort or the rental agencies meant these people, who all had full-time jobs, did not have the time to devote to the kinds of nitty-gritty, hands-on chores that had been useful to property owner directors in the past.

KRG held its summer quarterly meeting on June 1, 1992. At that meeting President Buchanan announced that KRA intended to apply to the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC) for another utility rate increase. Bruce, Wally DuBois, Dick Sayers, and Tom Nelson representing the town, had met several times with KRA officials on this matter. KRG notified KRA of their intent to intervene in the application. KRG announced they intended to hire an attorney specializing in water rates to assist them in opposing certain facets of the application. Intervention would permit KRG to stay abreast of all actions and to testify at the PSC hearings.

Bruce Buchanan had appointed a committee of past KRG presidents to review the KRG by-laws once again. Jack Pulleyn, chairman of this committee, reported on the progress and indicated his committee was considering a name change for KRG.

Dick Sayers reported on KICA activities at this quarterly meeting. Much of his presentation addressed the transition issue - when would control of KICA pass from KRA to property owners? The next part of is history will address this complex issue, in which KRG played a significant role.

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