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.
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