Kiawah Island Digest May 2018

May 2018 D I G E S T The Official Publication of the Kiawah Island Community Association KICA Core Functions: Land and Lakes Management In January, Digest launched the first in a series of articles and surveys on the core services provided by KICA. While big projects such as the Sandcastle renovation are exciting, execution of a set of basic responsibilities is the backbone of the community. The purpose of this series is to inform, but also to gain broad-based feedback from our members via brief surveys. The first in the series focused on KICA's Security Department, an important and highly visible service. Not only do they perform safety and security functions, but they’re often responsible for making first impressions when people arrive on Kiawah. Another very visible and important core service is KICA Land and Lakes Management. Kiawah is special, and its unique natural environment is integral to the island's aesthetic and the experience of our members and guests. Land and Lakes is responsible for property amounting to approximately 1,005 acres along 60 miles of roadway, 19 miles of leisure trails, 122 lakes and ponds, 318 formal landscaped areas, 118 cul-de-sacs and more than 47 miles of shoreline. Maintaining Kiawah’s Unique Look and Feel For Land and Lakes, the preservation and enhancement of Kiawah’s unique look and feel is a year-round job, and consumes 40% of KICA’s annual operating budget. The department includes trained horticulturists, agronomists and arborists who are continually planting, mowing, trimming, spraying, reforesting, and controlling litter. There is a dedicated crew for each of the five management zones on the island, and each crew has experience with the particular challenges of their zone. There are also crews dedicated to irrigation repairs, fertilization/spraying, and maintenance along leisure trails. In total, there are 33 full-time employees focused on landscaping. The Lakes side of the department is managed by a determined team of just three staff members, two of whom are biologists. They are responsible for maintaining the health and quality of the island’s pond system, consisting of 122 ponds and equivalent to 352 surface acres of water. They also lead the island’s mosquito abatement program, something quite important to members during warm and wet months. This small team has a large impact on the island’s ecosystem and member experience. Land and Lakes Director Dave Achey and his staff work with the Town of Kiawah Island (TOKI) and the Kiawah Conservancy, as well as with ARB staff, to maintain strong communications between entities and provide a uniform management approach for wildlife habitats and conserved lands. The department’s goal is to maintain the consistent aesthetic and quality members expect. As a 40-year-old community, one key focus for Land Management is reinvesting to keep the community vibrant. Apart from daily maintenance, the team also tackles substantial projects, including the recent redesigns along Flyway Drive and the major West Beach project spanning Kiawah Beach Drive, Surfwatch Drive from Palm Warbler to Eugenia, and a section of Low Oak Woods. Continued on Next Page...