Community News and Perspective by Tom Harris, Associate Editor
As you may know, SCPOA’s roads are its biggest maintenance item, and therefore its costliest. In addition, the expense of maintaining its roads has a huge effect on SCPOA’s Reserve Requirements, and therefore, its budget. Over the past eight months, the SCPOA Common Areas Committee, (which at the time, I was a member), and chaired by board member Rob Kirkpatrick, has been working diligently to keep abreast of SCPOA’s roads. It was agreed that the time was approaching when the useful service life of the roads needed to be evaluated. On May 21st , 2024, Rob submitted a roads bid for work to be done in 2025. There were three vendors participating in the walk-through, but only two subsequently provided quotes. Based on costs contained in these quotes, the reserve study conducted by the Browning Reserve Group dated August 29, 2024, stated it would have left SCPOA’s reserves at 26.8% funded.
The SCPOA board wanted more information in this matter, and at the July, 2024 meeting, Rob suggested that the roads be inspected by a professional. So, he contacted Skip Brown with ACS (Asphalt Consultant Services). Skip had been engaged by the SCPOA board to give a similar evaluation back in the early 2000’s, and to assist them, along with volunteer resident Tom Schmidt to put together the original road maintenance plan. Skip was also a developer of the petro-mat process that was used on SCPOA’s roads at the time. Skip Brown came to Swansboro and reviewed each road and found them to be in good shape. Skip suggested that SCPOA improve the roadside drainage to prevent any water from undermining the road. Kevin and Jay have since been working on that suggestion. From the review, the board was able to extend the useful life expectancy of the roads.
In addition, based on the information provided by Skip, the board directed the Browning Group to review its previous study. It did so, and as a result, in its revised study dated November 9, 2024, found SCPOA’s reserves to now be 128.2% funded.
The SCPOA board of directors would like the membership to know that its diligence helped preclude any increase in property owners dues for 2025. Both letters of transmittal from the August 29 and November 9 reserve studies may be reviewed by
asking any SCPOA board member.
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