Kiawah Island Digest January 2020 | Page 2

ISLAND LEADERSHIP Meeting Challenges with a Clear Vision It’s hard to believe it’s 2020 already. I hope all of you enjoyed a relaxing holiday season with your families, whether on Kiawah or elsewhere. It’s certainly hard to leave behind the KICA COO JIMMY BAILEY festivities and beauty of the holidays but the association is hitting the ground running. The start of each new year is always a time of excitement, as we get started on projects with renewed focus and clear vision. This year promises to be packed full with important strategic items. But first, I want to mention some items from the association business checklist – every January, we ask you to do three things that are crucial to the operation of the association: 1. Please take a moment to pay your assessment. Assessment invoices went out via email and mail (if you requested a paper copy) in late December and are due at the end of this month. Visit kica.us for information on how to pay your assessment and more. 2. Vote in the board election. Your vote packet also went out at the end of December and voting is open until Thursday, Jan. 30. You’ll see biographies for the three candidates beginning on page 4 of this issue of Digest. Watch candidate interview videos on the website, and you’ll be able to meet the candidates at an event on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at The Sandcastle. I encourage you all to join me there at 4 p.m. 3. Assign your proxy to the board secretary for annual meeting quorum. This proxy has nothing to do with your vote; it allows KICA to call the annual meeting to order. We recognize that 51% of our members (the quorum requirement) will not be able to attend the meeting. Without this proxy, we can’t hold the required meeting. 2 | KIAWAH ISLAND DIGEST Last year, nearly 2,000 property owners answered our member survey and, at this year’s board of directors strategic planning session, your board will consider your input as we develop our annual plan. 2020 will be the first year that this session includes both your outgoing directors, with their years of experience and perspective, as well as your directors- elect, who will be observing and learning about the process. In the first quarter of 2020, we have a number of exciting things to look forward to. The ball starts rolling on planning for the implementation of the Salesforce technology platform, which will streamline KICA’s currently siloed software solutions and improve our ability to provide great member services and increase internal efficiency. A new KICA website is in development with the goal of making it easier for you to find the community resources you’re seeking. KICA’s Flood Mitigation Task Force has completed their work evaluating Kiawah’s flooding susceptibilities and will be sharing a plan of action to alleviate these issues with the board and community. Security improvements are planned throughout the year, from gate access to radio- frequency identification (RFID) technology. At The Sandcastle, a big refreshment is coming to the family pool, which will be retiled and resurfaced. The board will also direct additional updates to The Sandcastle’s outdoor amenities based on community feedback. With each month forward, we move closer to the highlight of 2021, the PGA Championship at Kiawah. This will be a great opportunity to showcase the island, but also just a special event for the community. All of our teams are doing some level of planning for the event, but you’ll see our Land Management department working extra hard throughout the year getting plantings camera-ready. We accomplished a lot in 2019 and I’m looking forward to more to come in 2020. Wishing you and your families the happiest new year,