FIPOA

The Future of Fripp Island Starts Now

The Fripp Island Property Owners Association Board of Directors is unanimous in their desire to have covenant control rest with the property owners.

The Fripp Island Company is in full support of the amended covenants and has endorsed a YES vote.

SIGNIFICANT REASONS TO VOTE IN FAVOR (YES) OF THE CHANGE:

1. The existing covenants for single family dwellings were established 35 years ago to protect the Developer when Fripp Island was largely undeveloped. We need relevant covenants that address the conditions on the Island today and into the future.

2. Covenants under the management of your elected FIPOA Board will protect the interest of the property owners since the elected FIPOA Board has the ability to determine building guidelines, and develop rules for safety, security, and property management.

3. The existing covenants allow the Fripp Island Resort (FIR) to control the Architectural Review Board (ARB) and, consequently, many of the development standards. Control of the ARB will transfer from the FIR to the Fripp Property Owners Association (FIPOA). The ARB board will be appointed by the FIPOA instead of the FIR. There will be three﷓year terms for the members.

4. With FIPOA control of the covenants, they may be changed more frequently than the current 10 year window.

Since property owners now have about 96% of the investment on the Island, they should have the leading role in deciding the standards and guidelines for the Island.

5. To make any change in the revised covenants will require more than 50% affirmative vote of the property owners. (Prior language read 2/3 of valid ballots received from 50% of Owners)

6. The voting will be one vote per parcel. (Prior language read one vote per Member no matter the number of parcels owned by a Member)

7. Language has been added to show that all reasonable efforts to collect from the violator will be exhausted before making the owner pay the fine. (Prior language read that the Board would collect from the owner after notice if violator had not paid). The POA staff will make sure to contact the property owner as soon as possible when a citation is written to a renter.

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Island Services

CHIEF'S CORNER

Chief of Security, Mike Binkowski

It is a New Year on Fripp Island and I hope that everyone had a safe and happy holiday. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone on the behalf of the Security Staff for all of the assistance and support that you provided during the past year. It is the mission of the Fripp Island Patrol to provide a service to our community that enhances the security, safety, and the quality of life that we have grown to enjoy.

Safety and Security is everyone’s responsibility. Again this year I ask you to assist the Security Staff with your eyes and ears. Should you see or hear something that you perceive to be suspicious in nature, please contact Security immediately at 838-2334 and we will respond a patrol unit to determine if there is a problem or security concern.

If your neighborhood or group has a particular question or concern, please let me know and I would be happy to meet with them to answer any questions and discuss your concerns.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve the quality of life on the Island, or wish to discuss a particular problem, please contact me in person, telephone at 838-4113 or .

I am looking forward to speaking with you.

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Personality

Get to Know the Administrative Staff

Carol Young is a native Vermonter who lived in Columbia for five years before moving to Beaufort in 1987. She has spent 35 years in the healthcare field, the most recent being employed for 14 years as the Medical Staff Coordinator at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. She has worked for the FIPOA for the past six years as the Administrative Assistant.

Carol has two daughters and two grandsons and is fortunate to have them all living in Beaufort. In her spare time, she enjoys her family, cooking, reading, gardening, and girls night out.

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Nature

Audubon Club Members View “A Portrait of Where We Live”

At its November meeting, over 60 Audubon Club members and guests welcomed, lowcountry photographer Eric Horan, who presented a series of his exquisite landscape and wildlife photographs. In his talk, Horan described his education as a photographer, starting in Colorado, developing on Hilton Head, and detouring to New York, where he understudied with well-know photographers. Besides his slide presentation, the speaker displayed examples of his publications, including his award-winning Lowcountry calendars and the volume, “Carolina Nature, A Photographer’s View of the Natural History of the Carolinas.”

Although Horan has only recently focused on capturing lowcountry bird life, his program had extraordinary close-ups of familiar lowcountry denizens, including nesting pelicans and hummingbirds, painted buntings, bald eagles, osprey grasping their prey, flying ibis, short-billed dowitchers, wood storks, spoonbills, Merganser ducks, and herons. Horan detailed the methods that he employs to capture subjects in the Ace Basin (a ladder perched on his Boston Whaler), and to photograph the natural behavior of birds (a photo blind). While he also uses a kayak to shoot wading and swimming birds, he lies down in the sand on the beach to “gain the confidence” of shore birds and ghost crabs.

Upcoming Audubon Club programs will include an update on Hunting Island, on January 22nd, and a presentation on amphibians and reptiles on February 19th. In addition, a tour of the ACE Basin is scheduled for February 5th, and a workshop, “Birding 101,” will take place at the Hunting Island Nature Center on March 4th.

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Island Clubs

Fripp Island Women's Club

Betsy Koehler

This may be old news, but we want to report that the annual Health Fair in October was a huge success!! 150 flu shots were administered and many helpful diagnostic tests were done. These included blood pressure, cholesterol and PSA tests. Watch for another Health Fair in 2009!

November’s meeting with the program by Garden Gate Nursery gave us many holiday decorating ideas. That Tommy is amazing to watch at work!!!

If you haven’t purchased your 2008 Fripp Island Phone Directory yet, stop by the FIPOA and get one for just $10. All the money goes to the Women’s Club.

Here’s our meeting schedule for the rest of this year. The Women’s Club is always happy to welcome guests and new members. Come join us at 10 am on the third Wednesday at the Community Centre for these interesting programs and lots of good fellowship.

1. January 21st—Coastal Physical Therapy, "Stretching Exercises for Improved Flexibility"
2. February 18th—Historic Beaufort Foundation, "Historic Homes of Beaufort"
3. March 18th—Gina Wright, "Decorating 101"
4. April 15th—Spring Luncheon

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Fripp Island Friends of Music

25th Anniversary Celebration continues with:
The Avalon String Quartet,February 8, 2009 5:00 PM.

Hailed as "one of the most exciting young string quartets in America," the Avalon String Quartet has established itself as one of the country's leading chamber ensembles and has earned international acclaim for the bold musicality and passionate intensityof its performances. They have performed in Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Lincoln Center and on NPR's St. Paul Sunday and Performance Today radio to name a few.

Plan to join us to enjoy this talented group.

Nick Palance.

On March 15, 2009, we continue our season with a return performance of tenor, Nick Palance, who will entertain us with his beautiful tenor voice singing ballads, popular songs and classics.

Please mark your calendars now for this special treat.

Both performances will be in the Community Centre Chapel, followed by wine and cheese receptions to meet the artists. Adults: $20 and Students: $10 per performance.

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Community Centre

Community Centre News

Page Miller

The Community Centre held a gala event in November to honor Jerry Hammet, our own retired minister, who has served for the past ten years as a pastor to so many on Fripp. At a $100 a plate dinner at the Community Centre, one hundred and thirty Frippers joined in contributing $12,000 to Jerry’s favorite charities. Jerry decided to float one of Heifer International’s arks which provides animals that will multiply and improve lives for people who are living in poverty and hopeless situations around the world. From the gift of an ark, thirty families receive gifts such as cows, sheep, oxen, goats, and chickens, and agree to share the offspring of their animals with neighbors. And through Doctors without Borders, the donation from Jerry will vaccinate more than 7,000 children against polio, measles, whooping cough, and other diseases.

By much planning and conniving, Max Stubbs, who chaired the event, managed to surprise Jerry, who later commented that we may have had to wake up to a headline that read: “Presbyterian Minister Killed with Kindness and Affection.” After a delicious meal prepared with invaluable volunteer assistance from Harry Merrill, Jr., there was roasting and toasting of Jerry as well as songs that included an original version of “Hello Jerry.” Patty Patek captured the spirit of the evening in her remarks when she reminded us of all the weddings, baptisms, funerals and Easter sunrise services that Jerry has performed. She concluded: “Who blesses our fleets and says our dinner prayers, and holds our hands or gives us a hug in time of need—Jerry. Every village needs a pastor and we of all faiths here on Fripp recognize this man of God, a friend to all, our pastor, Jerry Hammet.”

The FICC has had a most eventful 2008 with the completion of a lovely expanded chapel, a beautifully enlarged fellowship hall, a library that has almost doubled in size, and a larger, more efficient and attractive kitchen. As we turn to 2009, the FICC Board realizes that our country is facing difficult economic times and thus has presented a lean budget of $88,450. The primary source of income for running the Centre comes from donations, thus the Board is asking all property owners to assist with a contribution to the operation of this wonderful facility that serves as the hub of our community life. On February 7th at 9 am at the Community Centre we will be holding our annual meeting. We hope that you will plan to attend.

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Fripp Island Resort

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