April 27, 2022
Dear Cooper Estates Civic Club Members,
We are excited to be serving you as your 2022-2023 Executive Board. Madere’s Landing is a special place for all of us and we hope to be good stewards and preserve the landing for many future generations! To start Katie Heath thought it would be nice to put the faces with the names of your board members:
Joe Pitcavage – President
Joe and his family have been residents of Cooper Estates and the Civic Club since 2013. He served as secretary for the 2021-2022 board. Joe is a busy business owner and father to 4 wonderful children. In his spare time he enjoys being on the water and completing Ironman Triathlons. Joe’s favorite thing about CECC is the easy access to the water and the low key feel of the neighborhood!
Anthony Conway – Vice President
Anthony and his family have been residents of Cooper Estates and the Civic Club since 2018. He served as treasurer for the 2021-2022 board. Anthony owns a small property management company and is a husband and a father to 2 busy little boys! In his spare time he enjoys fishing, swimming and spending time with his family. Anthony’s favorite thing about CECC is that the landing brings people together with the same thing in common, being on the water.
John Spence – Treasurer
John and his his family have been residents of Cooper Estates and the Civic Club since 2003. This is his first time on the CECC board. John is a husband and father to 2 beautiful grown daughters! One is a junior in college and the other a senior in high school. John’s favorite thing about CECC is is the freedoms that our neighborhood provides! No HOA! He also enjoys getting out on the water when he can.
Katie Heath – Secretary
Katie and her family have been residents of Cooper Estates since 2013 and the Civic Club since early 2014. This is her first time on the CECC board. She is easing back into the workforce after being home for almost 14 years and is a mom to 5 crazy but awesome kids! In her spare time she enjoys gardening, reading, entertaining and being on the water! Katie’s favorite thing about CECC is that the landing allows the neighborhood to come together and get to know one another with a beautiful backdrop, as well as engage in similar activities on the water such as boating, kayaking, crabbing off the dock!
Now onto the update! Please bear with us as this is a lengthy email. There is a lot going on and we want to make sure everyone has all of the same information we do. In the future communication will be shorter but more frequent!
Our goals and priorities as a board for the 2022-2023 year are as follows:
1) Repair/Replace Boat Ramp
- Keep members updated on where we are currently and have member votes when necessary.
2) Form Committees – this will allow the club to run more efficiently and ensure proper checks and balances. It also allows for more opinions and creative thinking!
- Ways and Means
- Projects
- Boat Ramp (Members from 2021-2022 are staying on)
- By-Laws
- Update Constitution and By Laws to reflect current membership
- Determine CECC membership lines
- Voting procedure to include online voting
- Initiation fees
- Engage an attorney, outside the neighborhood, to review any proposed changes and addendums
- Membership
- Social
- Board of Trustees
3) Strategic Vision
- Create a short term and long term vision for the landing
- Future projects/repairs
- Land Trust
- Social activities
- Financials
- 2022-2023 projections – annual operating expenses, savings
- Annual operating expenses for past 3-5 years
We welcome any suggestions from members on ways to improve the landing! If you have any ideas or would like to get involved please reach out at board@cooperestates.org.
Committees
After the annual vote we had many members reach out who wanted to get involved. Thank you! The current committee chairs are as follows:
By Laws – Kevin Westendorff
Boat Ramp – John Olayer
Ways and Means – Denis Blythe
Membership – Tammy Diedrich
Social – (Seeking a committee lead)
Board of Trustees Members – Henry Kerr
We still need a volunteer for the Social Committee Chair and the Board of Trustees also needs two more members. One of the best ways you can help the Civic Club is to get involved. A benefit of multiple committees is that it allows people to contribute in areas that they thrive. Many hands make light work! Please reach out to board@cooperestates.org if you see a committee you can contribute your time and talents to!
Calling All CPA’s
We are seeking a CPA to assist the club with keeping its tax exempt status. If you or anyone you know is a CPA who would like to help us with this please reach out to board@cooperestates.org.
Initiation Fee Increase
The decision was made by a majority of the executive board 3-1 that the January vote to increase the initiation fee from $500 to $2500 did not pass. There are two reasons this decision was made.
1) It did not follow our current constitution and bylaws which states any changes to those documents needs to pass by 2/3 vote. An initiation fee would be a change and the vote did not pass by 2/3.
2) The vote, as presented online, was confusing and flawed. Members were asked if they wanted to increase the initiation fee or not. Then regardless of the answer were asked to choose between a $5000 and a $2500 initiation fee.
As a board we are not saying there does not need to be an initiation fee increase. What we are saying is that there needs to be another discussion and vote so members clearly understand what they are voting for. At this time the initiation fee is being returned to $500 and those that paid $2500 will be refunded the difference. There will be another vote in the near future to decide this.
Boat Ramp
Now onto what everyone is really reading this email for! A boat ramp update. But unfortunately you will have to get through a little backstory first!
In the fall of 2021 it was decided to start the much needed process of replacing/repairing the boat ramp. The existing ramp is between 45-55 years old. It has had multiple repairs over the years, with the most recent being 2004. We also have to remember when the ramp was poured the average boat size was much smaller than it is today. We not only need to replace/repair the ramp due to age and natural wear and tear but we also need to update it to accommodate the increased boat size over the years!
There is a long and tedious process to replace/repair a boat ramp, especially one on Shem Creek. The previous board reached out to three engineering firms to assist with this process and only heard back from one. The company Jon Guerry Taylor and Associates, Inc. was contracted in December 2021 to begin the process. Below is what is included in phase 1 copied directly from the contract.
ITEM 1: PLANNING
JGT will create a schematic design for the boat ramp repair/replacement and floating dock addition. This will include:
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Engage a SC Registered surveyor to undertake an as-built survey of the area adjacent to the existing ramp, the ramp and a hydrographic survey of Shem Creek in the vicinity of the facility. The Critical Line would also be delineated, a Critical Line Plat will be developed and submitted to SCDHEC-OCRM for verification and approval.
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Use the survey to develop schematic designs outlining alternatives for the ramp repair/replacement and floating dock addition.
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Provide a Conceptual Opinion of Probable Cost for the Owners based on the selected alternative.
Hydrographic and Upland Surveying ………………………………………….. $3,800.00
Planning-Schematic Design……………………………………………………….. $1,250.00
Total Permitting Fees ……………………………………………………………….$5,050.00
As things currently stand phase 1 has been completed and we waiting to hear the results from the engineers. There will be a neighborhood discussion on the findings and a vote to determine if the membership would rather replace or repair. At this point we should have some preliminary pricing. For final pricing we will need to send it out for bid. We will also have a report on how we could pay for these 2 options with current club dues. Ample notice will be given before the neighborhood discussion. If you would like to get involved with the Boat Ramp Committee or have any questions, suggestions, please reach out at board@cooperestates.org.
FINALLY!! Congratulations, you have made it to the end! Well almost the end. At the bottom of your email, which should be in your inbox, you will find the latest club financial report. Please take some time to look this over! If you would like a more detailed look into the finances of the club please reach out at board@cooperestates.org.
We all are truly excited to serve you all and keep the landing the amazing place it is! Feel free to email us at any time if you have any questions, concerns, etc. Please give us at least 24-48 hours to respond unless it is an emergency as we are busy with jobs, parenting etc. And don’t forget many hands make light work! Volunteer your time and talents at board@cooperestates.org.
Your Current CECC Board:
Joe Pitcavage – President
Anthony Conway – Vice President
John Spence – Treasurer
Katie Heath – Secretary