115-SeabrookerWeb

PAGE 12 JANUARY 2015
THE
THE SIP
Administrative News from the Seabrook
PRESIDENT’S
Corner
JANUARY 2015
This is the last President’s letter of
the year, and I’d like to take this opportunity
to wish you all a very happy
New Year. In this letter, I will address
two topics of great interest, the fire in
the Marsh Walk Villas and the update
we received just before Christmas
regarding Cap’n Sams and our beach
renourishment project.
AFTER THE FIRE
As most everyone on Seabrook is
now aware, we had a major fire on
Seabrook the evening of Dec. 17th.
The fire began in the kitchen of one
of the Marsh Walk villas. It quickly
spread to the common attic, and in
minutes involved the entire structure.
The St. Johns Fire Department
responded immediately and was
on scene within four minutes of the
first notice. However the fire moved
so quickly that the firefighters could
only contain the damage, which they
did very successfully. There was no
damage to the adjacent structures,
and not even trees in the area were
harmed.
There are 16 residential units in
the building, ten of which were occupied
at the time of the fire. Thankfully
there were no injuries to people or
pets. Nic Porter and his staff responded
immediately to make the Lake
House available for anyone needing
shelter. It seems most of the folks in
residence were short term renters
and found necessary accommodations.
If you check the Tidelines blog,
you will see a testimonial from one of
the victims recounting the generosity
and compassion of our community.
I know there is a great deal of concern
among our residents as to what
they can do to help those affected.
That is a hallmark of Seabrook, but I
urge patience.
One of the first priorities in any
disaster recovery is damage assessment.
The regime management for
Marsh Walk had recovery and remediation
personnel on site immediately
after the fire. An initial assessment indicates
that rebuilding is possible, but
much further investigation and evaluation
is needed before a final determination
can be made. In addition to the
fire damage itself, there is extensive
water damage to the structure.
Individual unit owners need to assess
the damage to their individual
units and their personal property,
including any improvements and betterments
they may have made to
their unit. While visiting the site, I
observed a fair amount of personal
property being removed from the
building, so I know not all was lost.
Once the magnitude of the damage
is ascertained, the amount of
insurance recoverable must be determined.
This is not an easy task.
There is insurance on the building itself.
This coverage generally applies
to the common areas of the structure
such as the roof, attic, lobbies, elevators
etc. The adequacy of the limits
of that insurance, coinsurance provisions
etc. must be evaluated.
Next, the kind and amount of insurance
each unit owner has must
be considered. Most condo policies
cover damage to everything within
the interior walls of the condo, including
improvements and betterments
made by the owner; this would
include new kitchen cabinets, etc.
Each unit owner’s policy may differ
in terms of the amount of coverage,
applicable deductibles, extra expense
coverage, etc. Many condo policies
have a provision for additional living
expense for temporary accommodations
necessitated by a covered loss
to the insured premises. Those who
rent their units to others may have
coverage for loss of revenue due to
a covered loss. Not until an assessment
of the insurance on the building
and that of individual unit owners has
been made, will the economic loss be
known.
If the regime and the unit owners
purchased and maintained appropriate
insurance, the uninsured loss
should be manageable. The kind and
amount of insurance maintained by a
regime and its members is entirely
up to the regime and its members and
boards. The POA has no authority
over such matters beyond requiring
compliance with our ARC standards.
We will investigate ways in which we
can work with Council of Villas and
Regimes (COVAR) to establish guidance
on “best practices” for regime
management, but we can only advise
on such issues.
It is incumbent on those in a villa or
regime to acquaint themselves with
the qualifications of members of the
board of their regime and how they
perform their duties, including the
kinds and amounts of insurance purchased
for the regime. Everyone also
needs to review their personal insurance
program with a qualified professional.
So what are we to do Well, first
I’ve asked Tina Mayland and her Activities
Committee to work with staff
and regime management to identify
victims of the fire and their loss, net
of insurance, and to assist in any way
we practically can with immediate
needs. To the extent relief is needed,
they will coordinate those efforts.
They will communicate those needs
and ways in which help can be rendered
as soon as they are known. I
know that we, as a community, will
respond generously and enthusiastically
once a direction is established.
We will base SIPOA assessments on
the basis of unimproved property as
long as the units are uninhabitable.
There are things SIPOA can do better
should there be another such event:
• We can better equip and prepare
the Lake House as a temporary
shelter.
• We can maintain an inventory of
potential temporary quarters and
guarantee payment to the agencies
or owners of those quarters if
required.
• With COVAR, we can offer best
practice guidance for regime management.
• With our fire commissioner and
the fire department, we can offer
programs on fire safety and prevention.
In the meantime, if you don’t have
fire alarms and fire extinguishers
get them and learn how to use them.
Don’t let any stove or other heating
device on and unattended. Have an
exit plan. Be careful, and be safe.
CAP’N SAMS UPDATE
I just received word that the administrative
law judge who heard our
case relative to Captain Sam’s Cut has
signed a consent order dismissing
the lawsuit preventing us from redoing
the cut and beginning the renourishment
of our beaches! While this
ends the legal challenge to our plan,
there is still work to be done. We are
working with the leadership of Kiawah
Island on the mechanics of the
project and will keep you informed.
This news could not have come at a
more opportune time, as we will be
able to get the work done within the
permissible time frame of our permits.
There are many people whose
efforts were instrumental in accomplishing
this result; I can’t name them
all, but David Bauhs, Ray Gorski,
Brad Reynolds, Terry Ahearn, and
Ed Williams are among them.
Until the cut is made and the river
rechanneled, we need to contain our
enthusiasm. But we can certainly celebrate
putting this significant hurdle
behind us.
I hope to see you at the Annual
Meeting, Saturday February 14. ▲
Ed Rinehimer
President, SIPOA Board of Directors
edonseabrook@gmail.com