COMMENTS from our RESIDENTS

We are excited to announce that One Berkeley Comprehensive Plan DRAFT documents are available for viewing and comment at the link below!

https://bcdcog.com/one-berkeley/get-involved/

We want to know what you think! Please take a moment to view these files and input any comments that you have directly into the webpage linked above or send them to oneberkeley2020@berkeleycountysc.gov.

The public comment period will be open until March 21, 2023.

I think that one of my biggest concerns is what is stopping Khov from buying additional land and still tying it to our community?
Next why are most of the items like gates, pools, and fountains not getting at least a 5+ warranty? I have been here only since 2020 and they seem to be breaking quite often. Is that because we keep going the cheap route?

OK, the meeting was mostly a non-event, as a result of the format - presentations and response to "selected" questions, with no opportunity for dialogue. Once again, no timeline was presented for the 2nd entrance off Marina Shores. And why can't the plot plan for 9/10 be made available? They clearly have it as I think it was in one slide.
The biggest news - no audit since 2018 (at least - assuming one was done then). Why has it taken over 3 years to address the failed 2019 audit? Why were no audits done in '20, '21 and '22? Why were not funds for audits accrued in '20, '21. '22 so that we are now faced with paying for all the audits in '23 as a current expense? And we need greater visibility of the reserve fund and need to push for an update on the 2019 study.

I know some were happy to get the Reserve Study, but it is outdated, and the numbers do not apply to the current condition of the community. Onsite inspection was performed May 16, 2019, and the report was delivered on January 21, 2020!! Typically, Reserve Studies are done every four years.......we are due for an updated study by 2024. After an on-site inspection of the current conditions, I guarantee the numbers will change and the useful life of some items on the list will diminish.

 It seems they were well prepared to not have any questions brought up by the audience. I also did get the feeling by us working together, we are forcing them to give us info and make them work on items such as the reserve questions and audits. We may be off to a slow start, but our presence is definitely being noted. We need to stay in this together and bring more neighbors in.

12/1/22 from resident Steve Goldstein

Dear friends and community members,
In what seems a long way off in the future, we the homeowners are going to inherit the Four Seasons at the Lakes of Cane Bay. In reality, that time is not that far away. Are we planning for our future?
Recently, there has been a lot of friction in our community. Some people feel that the BUILDER hasn’t been totally honest with us. Some of us feel that the BUILDER has not been transparent in their dealing with us. Others may think that the BUILDER has done everything they have promised. Our ideas and priorities for the community differ. The point is, we are not all going to agree on everything.
People see things differently, interpret things differently, and have different opinions. Actually, that’s fine - that’s the way it should be. However, regardless of how each of us feels, there is one thing for sure – we need to be as well prepared as possible when we take over the running of this community, and the time to start planning is now.
It starts with an effort on our behalf and on the behalf of the BUILDER to ensure a smooth and tranquil transition. And then the difficult part starts. At some point, we are going to be on our own. We need to prepare for this eventuality. We need the combined talents of the community, put into motion now, to safeguard a smooth transition.
We all think differently, and we all have different priorities. This can be a problem if we let it become one or it can be out greatest strength if we work together, hear everyone’s ideas, learn to compromise on some issues and conduct ourselves with the same sense of civility and respect that we teach our grandchildren.
We need to harness the talents of our community, and to ensure success, we need to move forward as a united group.
The concept of unity is not a new idea. Two hundred and forty-six years ago Benjamin Franklin advised that “we should all hang together, or most assuredly, we will all hang separately.” Those words are as visionary today as they were then. Let’s get this right!
Steve Goldstein

EVERYONE’S GOT ONE--
 
An opinion, that is.  The following is mine.  Feel free to agree or share your own opinion.
 
WHICH ONE ARE YOU?
We all bought our homes here for various reasons:  retirement; jobs; proximity to family, friends, or beach; financial; ease of home ownership; climate; etc.  There are many more that you could add to the list.  And even more to consider is your idea of how to spend your time.
Where do you fit in?  What’s your status?  I’m retired.  Or, I’m still working.  Or,   I’ve spent my life working and now it’s my time to have fun, relax, and enjoy what’s left of life.  Or, I’m busy taking care of loved ones.  Or, I’m not well enough to deal with things.  Or, I’m traveling a lot; there’s no time for this.  Or, frankly, I bought here so that somebody else can take care of things.  I don’t want to be bothered.
All of these are valid statements.  In which category do you place yourself?  Are you in multiple categories?
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN A FEW YEARS?
Will your reasons for moving here still motivate you to remain?  Will your status have changed?  Nothing remains the same forever—and that includes our community.
In a few years, the builder of our development will be working towards completing over 1,000 homes.  Ownership for us at that point, will include not just our homes, but an actual ownership of all of Four Seasons. 
Decisions will be made by a Board of Directors voted upon by us—the homeowners.  We will be the ones to hire our Property Manager and Lifestyle Director.  Usage and maintenance of our development will be determined by us.  The budget will be created by us.  Financial disbursements will be overseen by us.  Committees will be generated to handle the concerns of operation by us.  In other words, we will be in charge—not the BUILDER, nor Associa (unless the latter is selected by our Board of Directors).
So, where do you see yourself in a few years?  Will you relinquish choices to others?  Or do you want to shape our future?
Those are prime reasons to begin thinking now about what will occur in just a few, short years.  There is a group of us who are concerned about today’s decisions impacting our soon-to-be reality.  For example, when repairs are constantly being re-done, it’s obvious that the work wasn’t done correctly in the beginning.  While the developer is, in essence, placing Band-aids where changes of design/parts/workmanship should occur, we are left with the problem to handle when we, the homeowners take over.   
A few chronic problems that come to my mind are the exit gate (1.  It’s been broken for quite a while now and 2. We bought into a gated community.  It was marketed and sold to us this way.   What’s with this idea that our guards are not intended to keep out uninvited people? We lived in a gated community for 25 years.  The expectation for gated communities is that only people and businesses that we invite in are allowed beyond our gates.)
Our indoor pool has been problematic several times.  This isn’t a rare occurrence.  Obviously, the fault is with the parts, the workmanship, or hiring a company that actually knows what it’s doing and solve the problem—not perpetually repair it.  You wouldn’t tolerate a car frequently breaking down and being unusable.  Why should you accept anything different with a pool?
The same can be said of our fountains in the lake.  And I’m certain that you can add items to this list. 
If you wouldn’t accept these standards for your own home or car, why should you find it acceptable in the maintenance of our community?  It may not bother you today, but when your HOA dues increase to cover these incessant repairs, will you balk, or will you gladly write checks?  And while your checkbook is out, remember that we need to keep adequate reserves.  Will you be writing a check for a thousand dollars or more?  How often?  (I speak from experience.  We have a second home in a community where the Army Corps of Engineers told us we had to re-build the dam.  Homeowners were each required to pay many thousands of dollars over a five-year period.  Yes, it’s a different situation.  But the results could be the same here in Four Seasons.
SO, WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
It’s your community.  It’s your money.  It’s the value of your major investment—your home.  It’s living with the choice's others have decided for you.  If none of this concern you, then you shouldn’t care.  But if they do, then this forum of FS Community Voices is where you can be heard.
By the time we are handed the keys, we should know our budget, what our reserves are, whether they’re sufficient, or we need to increase them.  We need to know about the process of insuring our community, selecting the company that guards our gate, hiring the best possible groundskeeping company for our needs.  The list is lengthy, and this is intended merely to get you started thinking about what we’re going to inherit from the developer:  the good, the bad, and the ugly.
If you were about to take over a business, wouldn’t you need a business plan?  Wouldn’t you want to know the details prior to signing a contract and taking the keys?  This is precisely the same situation.  Information is power.  We need it to successfully take the reins as our day of management of Four Seasons draws near.
Have you begun to care?  I hope so!
Sharon Slutsky

From concerned resident Vito Gancitano.  

Click on the link below to see what some builders do when they expand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaBCKvRFc-I

​​​​​​​​​​​​11/17/22 Anonymous

I know that you are likely trying your best, but the main exit gate remains broken, the entrance fountain pump is still nowhere to be found and... the lights at the Lake House are burning brightly with no one about in the predawn hours. Is there a different plan in the works to actually get these appurtenances repaired and the lights to be turned off when not necessary to benefit the residents?


There are other issues I hesitate to bring to the attention of the management company until these historically delayed items are remedied. It won't be long before the real HOA is empowered to manage its interests and at some point, we will have to decide on a management company to look out for our interests. It would be a shame for Associa to find itself in a competitive situation where its performance is brought to question.

11/10/22 from friend and neighbor Lynn Brown:

"The contractors for the Phase 7/8 infrastructure are supposed to be blocking the construction entrance when not working to thwart random access to our community. This was our “security” at 10 pm last Saturday night. I notified Associa the next day. The entrance looked the same at 6 pm this evening."



11/10/22 From friend and resident Ralph Sprainer:

"The construction entrance was chained up last night. I didn’t get a picture since I was riding my bike when I saw the chain up."

GUESS IT'S HIT OR MISS?