The Blue Heron - April, 2024

THE BLUE HER N

LET’S MEET THE 2024 DCCA BOARD NOMINEES:

DCCA Annual Members’ Meeting Saturday, May 4 at 10:00 AM

B ILL F ULLER

Bill divides his time between Charlotte and DeBordieu, where he’s lived on the creek for the past four years. He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and UVA School of Law. He is a corporate finance attorney. Bill has served on various boards including those of The Mint Museum, Alexander Children’s Foundation, UNC Board of Visitors, Alexander Youth Network, Myers Park United Methodist Church, etc. Bill and his wife, Jenny, have three sons and have fully immersed themselves into “this wonderful way of life and this very special place.” Bill is eager to serve the interests of our property owners as we seek to preserve, protect and improve this outstanding asset that we are all so fortunate to enjoy.

D WIGHT M ORRIS

Dwight lives in DeBordieu full-time. He graduated from Georgia Tech and served as General Manager and regional VP for the NE Region for Weyerhaeuser. He was the finance director for his church, as well as the chair of staff parish relations. Dwight’s experiences have instilled a passion for fostering strong, collaborative communities. He is excited about the prospect of bringing his skills and dedication to the DCCA Board. Dwight believes his financial acumen, leadership experience, and love for DeBordieu makes him well-suited to contribute meaningfully to the continued success and growth of our community.

J AY P ULLIAM

Jay divides his time between Columbia and DeBordieu, where he has owned property since 2002. He graduated from the University of SC with an accounting degree. He worked as CPA before joining Wells Fargo as an investment advisor, retiring in December 2023. Jay wants to help preserve and enhance all of the things that make DeBordieu so special.

M ARY S MITH

Mary has lived here full-time since 2019. She graduated from Clemson University, and she and her husband, Brian, have a 12-year-old son. Mary spent the last 17 years working in outpatient radiology. She has served on the DCCA Community Affairs committee, is active in parish activities at Prince George Winyah Church, and served on the boards of Good Friends of Georgetown County, and Lowcountry Prep PTO. She supports responsible growth with a strong emphasis on upholding the standards that make DeBordieu unique. Mary wants to be involved with establishing frontend education about DeBordieu for new homeowners.

M IKE T HOMAS

Mike became a full-time DeBordieu resident in 2003. He graduated from MIT, and furthered his education at CarnegieMellon, Ball State, and U. Penn - Wharton School. He served on the DCCA Board from 2008-2010 and chaired the Infrastructure Committee. Mike served on the Board of Friendship Place for six years, serving as Board Presidents for the final three. Mike is interested in studying means of hardening the community against the effects of climate change and sea rise including electrical grid reliability. He also believes that we should study the capacity of our electrical grid as the community grows and introduces more electric vehicles.

E LISE W ALL

Elise is a full-time DeBordieu resident and lives on the creek. She graduated from Salem College. During her days as a stay-at-home mom, she became involved in the non-profit arena serving families with young children. She currently serves on the Board of Friendship Place, and is a member of Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church. She reminds herself daily how lucky she is to wake up to “this beautiful Borderland of God.” Elise wants to be involved in whatever capacity she can be and brings a lively enthusiasm to all she does.

COMMUNITY BOARD BRIEFS

The following are highlights from the DCCA March 16, 2024 Board Meeting:

REPORTED:

• The DCCA Nominating Committee reported the upcoming slate of BOD Nominees: Bill Fuller, Dwight Morris, Jay Pulliam, Mary Smith, Mike Thomas, and Elise Wall. There are four openings in the DCCA Board of Directors for the expiring terms of Jody Benett, Jane Cooper, Geoff Groat and Wayne Hinman. New directors will be announced at the May 4, 2024 DCCA Annual Meeting.

• The DCCA is ordering solar trash bins placement at Beach Access #12 and the Boat Landing. The solar bins compress themselves and hold 5x the amount of debris as a regular trash bin.

• The Infrastructure Committee is considering the feasibility of placing a water hose on Firehouse Street near Dry Storage.

APPROVED:

• Updated ARB Guidelines and Procedure to include the following language: We strongly encourage all property owners to evaluate each potential member of their construction team very carefully, to include obtaining and checking references for each member of the team, understanding each team members’ familiarity with handling projects in Georgetown County and specifically within DeBordieu, checking licensure status, and even consulting with a legal advisor or other service to perform background checks and to evaluate any prior or active civil and criminal lawsuits and complaints to licensing boards and governing and regulatory bodies. The ARB does not perform these services as a matter of course and strongly encourages each property owner pursuing a project within DeBordieu to perform careful due diligence in selecting these service providers.

• The 2024 insurance premium package including General Liability, Auto, Inland Marine, and Worker’s Comp in the estimated amount of $140,000, subject to audits.

Approved board minutes are available online at www.debordieucolony.org.

Update Your Contact Information

A crucial component of transparency is keeping residents informed of ongoing and upcoming projects. The DCCA does this by communicating with property owners through a variety of methods.

Community-wide email alerts, CodeRed notices sent via texts, the community website, and The Blue Heron newsletter are all used to keep residents informed and up-to-date. DCCA emails are used to update owners on current and ongoing projects, CodeRed alerts are used sparingly to make owners aware of time-sensitive events such as winter storms, road projects, etc., and The Blue Heron is a wealth of community information delivered right to your door (and “In” box).

Key to that communication is having updated contact information.

When an owner closes on property, the DCCA is provided with primary contact details (emails, cell phone, mailing address, etc.) and, as you might imagine, those details often change with time. DCCA staff depends on owners to update us when information changes.

Please take a moment to check your information listed in the DCCA resident directory found on your Member Dashboard of our website, www.debordieucolony.org. If you are unable to login, please call the Administration Office at (843.527.4436)chances are your email address needs updating.

New Face at DCCA

Linda Poplin has joined the DCCA as the Member/ Contractor Services Coordinator. Linda and her husband, Fred, moved to Hagley Estates 13 years ago. Their 155-pound Great Dane “Duke” completes the family. Linda and Fred also have two daughters and five grandchildren. You may recognize Linda from her days as a hostess at Frank’s Restaurant. We are excited to have her join the DCCA Team!

AROUND THE COLONY

S.C.U.T.E.

Mark & Buffie DuPuis, Bill Brabson

The Endangered Species Act, a landmark piece of legislation signed into law by President Richard Nixon in December, 1973, recently marked its 50th anniversary. The law establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered.

Four species of sea turtles prevalent in South Carolina are protected. Green, Kemp’s Ridley, and Leatherback are all endangered, and the Loggerhead is threatened. All four species continue to face challenges that put them at risk. However, thanks to the hard work of volunteers, including the DeBordieu-Prince George-Hobcaw SCUTE volunteers, protection and conservation efforts continue to make a difference.

Speaking of volunteers, our annual kickoff and organizational meeting is Sunday, April 14 @ 4 PM at the DeBordieu Pavilion. Light refreshments will be provided. This is an excellent opportunity for prospective volunteers to learn about our program and meet our wonderful group of volunteers. Please email Mark (fnadoc@mac.com) if you plan to attend.

Turtle Tidbit: a scute is a part of the shell of a turtle. S.C.U.T.E. also stands for South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts, the volunteer sea turtle protection program that monitors the beaches from Georgetown to North Carolina.

Oceanfront lights must be turned off at 10:00 PM

Seasonal Reminders for Safety and Enjoyment

Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching and marks the start of the “busy” season in DeBordieu Colony. Along with the beautiful weather comes an influx of guests, renters, and wildlife activity. Here are some tips that will help everyone stay safe while enjoying our beautiful community.

Road and Pedestrian Safety

Golf Carts

SC State law requires golf cart operators to have a valid driver license IN THEIR POSSESSION, and be at least 16-years-old. Operators must follow the rules of the road when operating the vehicle.

• Parents, DO NOT ALLOW UNDERAGE CHILDREN TO DRIVE A GOLF CART in DeBordieu Colony. This is illegal, even if the child is accompanied by a parent or adult. Reports of underage drivers may be made to the Gate (843.546.8520).

• DeBordieu Security Officers are tasked with enforcement of underage drivers. Anyone who appears to be 16 years or younger may be stopped and asked to produce a valid driver’s license. Citations may be issued if there is a violation.

• Operation of golf carts is limited to daylight hours only, even if the cart is equipped with lights.

• Keep hands and feet inside the cart and no more occupants than the number of seats.

Share the Road

Be aware and share the road! Whether you are on two wheels or four, there is plenty of room for everyone to travel safely in DeBordieu Colony.

• As we have more and more families in our community, it is important to watch for small children playing. A kicked ball into the street will result in disastrous consequences for an inattentive driver and a child. Please be aware of your surroundings.

• Bicycles and Golf Carts traveling on roads have the same responsibilities as any other vehicle driver.

• Please reduce your speed and be cautious while passing bicyclists/golf carts/pedestrians. We have a lot of young children traveling throughout our community, parents please consider bright shirts and helmets for children.

Fill the Holes – Georgetown County Beach Ordinance

Georgetown County Beach Ordinance (22-10) prohibits digging a hole on the beach that is deeper than 2-ft., and requiring the hole to be filled when leaving the beach.

Gaping holes left along the beach pose a danger to beach walkers, as well as nesting sea turtles. A $20 fine may be implemented per occurrence.

Dogs

All dogs are required to be leashed, and controlled by its owner at all times. Doggie bags are available at the Beach Club Access and Walkways No. 6 and 12. Please be respectful of your neighbors and use them. Clean up after your dog.

Surf Fishing

• Avoid fishing within 50 yards of swimmers.

• Fishing that creates unsafe conditions is unlawful.

DEBORDIEU COLONY

181 Luvan Boulevard Georgetown, SC 29440 www.debordieucolony.org

DCCA ADMINISTRATION DIRECTORY

Phone: 843.527.4436 Fax: 843.546.8704

dcaadmin@debordieucolony.org

Blanche Brown bbrown@debordieucolony.org

LSM, PCAM General Manager

Kelly Floyd ..........................kfloyd@debordieucolony.org

Executive Administrator

Linda Poplin ................... dcaadmin@debordieucolony.org

Member & Commercial Services

Architectural Review Board 843.527.5033

Meg Wilcox ....................... mwilcox@debordieucolony.org

ARB Administrator

Grounds Maintenance 843.436.0066

Hans Sapochak .............HSapochak@debordieucolony.org

Grounds Maintenance Manager

Community Safety “Safety & Security” ........843.527.4931

Mike Grabarz ...................mgrabarz@debordieucolony.org

Director of Community Safety

Sue Asbaty ........................... sasbaty@debordieucolony.org

Administrative Assistant

GATEHOUSE

Phone: 843-546-8520 Fax: 843-546-8532

2023-2024 DEBORDIEU COLONY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Karen Licciardello .................karendebordieu@gmail.com President

Wilson Lowery ...................... woodfather354@gmail.com Vice President

Dan Roach dan.m.roach@outlook.com Treasurer

Jane Cooper ...................................... coojane@gmail.com Secretary

Ken Davis 1.ken.davis@gmail.com Ad Hoc Executive Committee

Dan Ellzey ....................................... danellzey@gmail.com Director

Geoff Groat ................................ geoff.groat@peacsir.com Director

Wayne Hinman ..............................hinmanvt@gmail.com Director

Jay Nexsen ..................................... jnexsen54@gmail.com Director

Hank Strickland hhs4447@aol.com Director

Sassy Tugwell ............................. sassy.tugwell@gmail.com Director