Book Club Starting!

Dee Scuzz (szuyaya2@yahoo.com ) is starting a Retreat Book Club! Please contact her if you are interested joining the group!

Recycling- No Bags!

Thank you to everyone who has participated in the recycling experiment to date. We are amazed by how much people have wanted to recycle on property. However, there have been recurring problems with plastic bags. Plastic bags are NOT allowed. They disrupt the recycling process. Plus they take up more room in the bins. Please only place loose items in the recycling bins!

Second, there have been household trash piled on the recycling bins. Bagged household trash must go in the dumpster.

Finally, cardboard must be broken down before placing in the bins. Empty boxes fill the bins quickly if they are not broken down.

The board is still assessing the usage and what steps we can take to ensure recycling is accessible and tidy at all times.

Thanksgiving

Be on the lookout for new holiday decorations throughout the community this season. We would like to thank Charley and Connie W. for finding these beautiful wreaths and trees!

If traveling this holiday season, please make sure that you include securing your home and having neighbors check in on it regularly. Make sure no packages will be left outside your unit during your trip, and consider having a burglar alarm installed.

If you will be staying around The Retreat, keep a watchful eye out for suspicious activities and report anything to the police.

Above all, stay safe and warm and enjoy this time with cherished family and friends.

Memorial Service for Jean Prather

There will be a memorial service for Jean Prather this Sunday, November 30th, on what would have been her 88th birthday. Everyone is welcome to join her family and friends at 1pm at the James Island Presbyterian Church to share memories and to celebrate Jean's life. 

Tidbit Tuesdays - Recycling!

After much discussion and effort by the board and community members over the past several years, The Retreat is going to try out on-site recycling. In the next week, we will receive 7 roll away bins inside of the dumpster area. They will be emptied once a week.

This is All-In-One Charleston County Recycling. You can combine paper products, cardboard, plastics, aluminum and glass all together - there is no sorting required. However, please remember to rinse all food containers and to put your items loose into the bin, not inside of a bag. You can find more information about the program through the link above. Some important information from the site is listed below:

Accepted materials:

• All paper
• Aluminum
• Steel and tin cans
• Plastics #1-7
• Flattened cardboard
• Glass jars and bottles

Keep the following items out of the blue recycling roll cart:

• Food waste
• Plastic bags, films, and packaging
• Styrofoam (cups, egg cartons, take-out containers)
• Fabric, clothing, and textiles
• Clothes hangers
• Syringes
• Trash
• Electronics
• Batteries
• Light bulbs and CFLs
• Large metal items (such as frying pans and metal pipes)
• Large plastic items (such as Big Wheels or other children's toys)
• Household waste and toxic household products
• Motor oil and cooking oil
• Paint 

Before you recycle:

• Empty and rinse all containers to remove food residue.
• Crush recyclables like cans, plastic jugs and bottles.
• Flatten boxboard and corrugated cardboard.

Please do not use the recycling bins for trash, EVER. If the dumpster is not functional, call CMG, and it will be promptly repaired. If there is excessive abuse of the recycling bins (i.e. putting trash in the bins), they will be removed from the property.

Depending on the success of these bins, we may explore expanding the recycling capacity in the future.  

If you wish to obtain a 22 gallon recycling bin (pictured above) for in condo use, they can be picked up at the Bee’s Ferry Convenience Center or at the downtown Recycling Center at 13 Romney Street.

Tidbit Tuesdays - Walking Trail Bridge and Halloween

These turkey vultures know that Halloween is just around the corner and took an opportunity to scare the local fowl this past weekend. During this fun holiday, please enjoy the festivities around town or hosting your own event. However, be safe and make arrangements if you become too impaired to drive. If hosting a party at home, remember that quiet hours start at 11pm at The Retreat. Please be respectful to you neighbors and make sure that your event ends at that time, or you might have an unexpected ghoul show up at your door.

Did you take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and enjoy some time in the sun? If you happened to walk the trail, you might have noticed that the bridge beside of the volleyball court looked a bit different. Thanks to Phil and Bob, it received a nice facelift including being painted and new concrete pads on either side to fight erosion. What a difference!

Do you know of any small projects around the community? Please let us know!

Quarterly Board Meeting- TODAY

The quarterly board meeting will be held in the clubhouse TODAY, October 16th, at 5:30 pm. Please mark your calendars to attend this meeting to get updates on community projects and concerns.

We are going to try using a conference call, similar to the lawyers' meetings, to allow out of town owners to participate. The phone number to call is 712-775-7031 and the meeting ID: 715-685-055 . If this works well, we will continue to utilize this in the future. 

As always, we will have a social pot-luck dinner after the meeting starting at 6:30 pm. The HOA will be providing fried chicken and pulled pork barbeque. Please bring a dish to share and your favorite drink. Please remember that you must be 21 to consume alcohol on The Retreat property. Since it is October, festive attire is suggested!

Quarterly Board Meeting

The quarterly board meeting will be held in the clubhouse Thursday, October 16th, at 5:30 pm. Please mark your calendars to attend this meeting to get updates on community projects and concerns.

We are going to try using a conference call, similar to the lawyers' meetings, to allow out of town owners to participate. The phone number to call is 712-775-7031 and the meeting ID: 715-685-055 . If this works well, we will continue to utilize this in the future. 

As always, we will have a social pot-luck dinner after the meeting starting at 6:30 pm. The HOA will be providing fried chicken and pulled pork barbeque. Please bring a dish to share and your favorite drink. Please remember that you must be 21 to consume alcohol on The Retreat property. Since it is October, festive attire is suggested!

Retreat Clothing Swap Recap

Brenda Elder and the social committee would like to thank everyone at The Retreat who participated in the Clothing Swap a couple of weeks ago. It was great fun and a real success.  They filled the back of an SUV with the non-perishable items collected for the James Island Outreach.

The ladies who attended had a grand time and left with some wonderful finds.  All of the remaining clothing items were donated to the Closet Treasures Thrift Shop on Folly Road.  It was a win-win for everyone involved.

The social committee will plan to do another one in the Spring so folks can plan accordingly and set items aside and look forward to having many more ladies from The Retreat join us for the next Swap.

Do you have a social event that you think would be a hit at The Retreat? Contact us through the blog or the social committee directly to share your idea. We are always looking for more fun things to do!

Tidbit Tuesdays - Noise Complaints

Noise complaints are an unfortunate reoccurring issue in multifamily residences like The Retreat. Luckily, we only have a couple of instances a year, and most are resolved with a simple request to turn down the volume on a sound system. 

Most people realize when they move into a condo there will be some noise from neighbors. Normally, you can hear your upstairs neighbor walking around. (To the third floor units: your downstairs neighbors can hear a child running around even more, and basketballs bouncing on the hard wood floors are rhythmic, thundering thuds.) The entire floor knows if your dog is uncontrollably barking at the pizza delivery guy. If you are hammering a nail into the wall for a new picture, your vertical neighbors will know as well.  Life makes sound, and that is O.K. However, we should try to be respectful to our neighbors and limit excessive noise traversing the walls.

Unfortunately, sometimes a third party is necessary to defuse the situation between neighbors. If you are having an unresolved noise problem, CMG will send a curtsey letter to the parties involved. Beyond that, all loud music/noise complaints regardless of the time of day, should be reported to the police department.  You also have the ability to file a civil action to abate or prevent the nuisance. In the past livability court was an option, but that has been discontinued.

Noise complaints are a rare thing at The Retreat thanks to all of our wonderful residents and will hopefully continue to be an uncommon issue in our lovely community. Please continue to think about your neighbors when you are wanting to jam to some tunes or host a potentially loud party, because they may be studying for an exam or trying to sleep.

Clothing Swap Reminder Tomorrow!

Please remember the clothing swap scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday the 20th, from 10am to noon in the clubhouse! All you need to do is bring a few items to trade and non-perishable food items to match your trades! 

Do you have any ideas for community wide events? Contact us or a member of the social committee about developing your idea into reality!

Retreat Cute for a Cause Clothing Swap

Brenda Elder and the social committee have teamed up to host a clothing swap fundraiser on Saturday, September 20th from 10am to noon! They ask that you bring a canned good for each item you bring to the swap to benefit the James Island Outreach. Please see the flyer below and consider coming out and adding some fresh items to your closet!

Tidbit Tuesdays - Resident with a Passion for Ropes

The Retreat is a large community, so it is understandable if you have not met all of your neighbors, especially those in other buildings.

One of your more "recognizable" neighbors is Keith from building 1000. You might have seen him on his nightly checks of the clubhouse and pool to make sure everyone is out of the pool by dusk and the clubhouse by 10pm. However, to the greater Charleston community, Keith is known as "the Knot Guy" at the weekly farmers' market in Marion's Square for his collection of knots for sale . 

Photo from Keith's shop: http://www.sailorcraftknots.com/.

Name a knot, and we are sure Keith knows how to make it! So the next time you see him around the community or at the market, take a moment to say hello to your neighbor!

Do you or a neighbor have a "secret" talent to share? Let us know and we will showcase you on the blog!

Tidbit Tuesdays - CO Detectors Useful in the Summer, Too

How much is your life worth? More than $20?
For years, we have emphasized the importance of carbon monoxide (CO, for those chemistry folks) detectors in your condo in the winter time. The propane fireplace is not vented (doesn't have a vent to the outside like your dryer or bathroom fans). Thus, if it were to ever malfunction and not burn properly, it could produce carbon monoxide.

Why are we talking about this now, since the fireplaces won't be turned on until November? 
Recently, a situation occurred in one of our buildings highlighting the necessity of carbon monoxide detectors in the summer months as well. An air conditioner was replaced for an unit, and all seemed well. However, the new air conditioner began producing carbon monoxide and pumping it into the condo. Since carbon monoxide is a gas, it spread into an adjacent unit which had a carbon monoxide detector. This detector went off and both units had to be evacuated until the air conditioner was fixed and the air quality improved to safe levels.

What is the big deal?
Well, carbon monoxide is a silent killer. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, but highly toxic. Symptoms include headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue and a feeling of weakness. High enough levels will kill you. So carbon monoxide poisoning is often thought to be food poisoning in the early stages.

Where can I get a carbon monoxide detector?
The easiest place to find a carbon monoxide detector is in the home improvement area at Walmart. If you do not want to leave your house, Amazon has a nice selection. Please purchase a carbon monoxide detector even if you do not use your fireplace, because that does not mean you are safe! Remember, carbon monoxide travels between units and you could be saving your own life and your neighbors' lives.

Tidbit Tuesdays - Gutter Cleaning

At the quarterly meeting, the board mentioned that the gutter cleaning was recently completed. Superior View Inc has been cleaning the gutters semiannually at The Retreat for years, and they kindly took some pictures of what the gutters collect in a 6 month period.

The above picture is the the roof of a building up against the woods. (Can you figure out which one it is based on the angle of the path below?) Basically, gutters that are located under pine trees quickly collect debris. That is why we routinely have the gutters cleaned out. As an experiment, we are testing new larger gutters in building 100 this year to determine if that helps. We are also testing the  removal of the gutter guards (see in the above right picture) in areas that are especially prone to pine needles, since the needles are able to pass through or get stuck in the guards.

Isn't it amazing what these gutters can collect in just 5-6 months?

Tidbit Tuesdays - Volleyball Court

While not inside of The Retreat gates, we own both the volleyball court and the boatyard. Recently one of your fellow owners volunteered his time to work on the volleyball court.

Jim from building 100 tightened down the fence top plates so that they are no longer becoming detached and  repaired all of the broken or misaligned fence railings.  In addition, he straightened and reconnected all of the open  PVC pipes that create the boarder of the court. 

There are a few other things that still need to be completed around the volleyball court if you would like to volunteer some time in the next few weeks. Nothing difficult, but tasks that would significantly improve the appearance of the court. Let us know if you would like to help Jim out!

Tidbit Tuesdays - Edisto Island Serpentarium

Have you been looking for your next adventure with your children or grandchildren? The Edisto Island Serpentarium may be the place to go. There are snake shows and alligator feedings daily (closed Sunday) along with turtle and lizard exhibits. If you go on Thursday you can see venom extractions from snakes!

Diana Baugus clued us into the serpentarium and took these great pictures of the facility.  She visited with their grandsons recently.  "They loved everything including the gift shop.  Had a shaded snack stand with several types of beverages & snacks.  Plus, Edisto Beach Park is just a bit farther up the road.  Several restaurants & a grocery store for your convenience." 

There are currently brochures on the bulletin boards if you wish to take a look!

Ticket Prices

Adult (13 and up)	$14.95
Senior (65 and older)	$13.95
Children (4-12)	$10.95
3 and under FREE
Specials Rates 10% off Admission forValid AAA Card and Active Military

Quarterly Board Meeting - TOMORROW

The quarterly board meeting is TOMORROW, Thursday, July 17th, at 5:30 pm. A pot luck dinner will immediately follow (approximately 6:30 pm) with the HOA providing hotdogs and hamburgers. Bring along a side dish or dessert to share and your drink of choice.

See you there! 

Quarterly Board Meeting

Please mark  your calendars for the quarterly board meeting next Thursday, July 17th, at 5:30 pm. A pot luck dinner will immediately follow (approximately 6:30 pm) with the HOA providing hotdogs and hamburgers. Bring along a side dish or dessert to share and your drink of choice.

Can't make it to the board meeting, but would like to come to the pot luck? That is absolutely fine! Bring your neighbors, owners or renters, to the dinner portion!

4th of July Reminders

Retreat Owners, Residents, and Guests:

As you are planning your 4^th of July celebrations both here at The Retreat and in the Charleston community, we would like to take this moment to provide a few reminders to ensure your holiday is enjoyable and stress free!

FIREWORKS ARE NOT TO BE SET OFF INSIDE OF THE COMMUNITY. There are going to be beautiful shows throughout the Charleston area. Please refrain from demonstrating your own pyrotechnic talents at The Retreat.

Pool Rules and Reminders:

• There should be no glass inside of the pool gates. This includes within your coolers. Please purchase cans or pour your drink of choice into a plastic cup for your enjoyment poolside. There are normally plastic cups available in the clubhouse if you forgot one. 

IF glass breaks in the pool area, the pool must be drained and cleaned before use again. We do not want to have a dry pool on the 4^th of July…

• The pool will be crowded this weekend. Please be considerate of other guests and only reserve chairs that you and your party need. Keep music at personal hearing levels or use ear buds. Keep children (and chasing adults) from running around the pool or jumping into the pool.  As a courtesy to others around you, please refrain from smoking while in the pool.  Consider taking your smoke break in a less crowded area as not to impose on those around you.   

• Proper attire is required. No thongs. No naked children. Only swim diapers for non-potty trained infants.

Remember that accidents in the pool require a 24 hour treatment and pool closure… Again, let us not have an empty pool on the 4^th of July.

• ONLY use the pool house bathrooms if you are wet. The floors in the clubhouse are slick when wet. In addition, the clubhouse furniture doesn’t respond well to wet bathing suits. Please protect yourself and your community property by using the pool house restrooms while enjoying to pool. If you, or your children, are wet, do not go into the clubhouse.

• Pool hours are dawn to dusk. While a midnight swim sounds very enjoyable this time of year, the police will be called, and you will be charged with trespassing.

Clubhouse:

• Gym rules still apply. While the gym equipment does look like a fun jungle gym to your children, they can get fingers and toes pinched. Please do not let them in the gym room unsupervised, without shoes, or wet. (See above comments about being wet in the clubhouse.)

• Communal party at the clubhouse. The clubhouse is open for everyone to use on the 4^th of July, and if history repeats itself, a lot of people will be using the grill and the pool deck this weekend. Please remember to be neighborly and share the space.

Finally, please remember the importance of 4^th of July, and take a moment out of your day to thank the service men and women who still protect our freedoms 365 days of the year.

Tropical Storm Arthur

Welcome to the Summer 2014 Hurricane Season, brought to you by the warm Atlantic Ocean waters and currents! 

Our first visitor of the year is Tropical Storm Arthur, who seems to be passing by our coast sometime on Thursday. His effects should be restricted to some thunderstorms and higher than normal tides in the Charleston area. While we do not expect to have issues at The Retreat, please continue to follow the local weather forecasts and stay alert during poor conditions.

The National Hurricane Center  has some great maps and information about the storm's path and potential effects if you are interested!

Tidbit Tuesdays - Removing Sidewalk Trip Hazards

Here at The Retreat, we are always looking for small improvements that can be made to the community. This post will detail the process that resulted in severe trip hazards being removed from the community sidewalks.

Over time, tree roots and ground settling cause sidewalks to become uneven and produce trip hazards. We had several severe trip hazards around the community, and our maintenance committee worked with the board of directors to replace these sidewalk sections.

First, sections that were significantly raised, causing a severe trip hazard, were identified (approximately a two inch raise between sidewalk concrete slabs). Then, bids were sought for the replacement.

Now this may seem like a simple decision. However, there are a couple of options for sidewalk repairs. You can remove the slab completely and pour a new slab of concrete (our eventual choice) or you can have the concrete ground down to remove the hazard. Grinding is a cheaper option, but the slab has visible marks from the work, has reduced strength because of the removed thickness, and doesn't attempt to correct the underlying problem (removing any uplifting roots underneath). While more expensive presently, it was decided to completely replace the slabs, to prevent future repairs at these locations in the near future.

Once this was decided, bids were sought and a company hired to do the replacement. You can see in the above pictures of the repair process in front of Building 800, where one of the worst hazards was located. The board would like to thank everyone for complying with the parking restrictions around these work areas during this process, and hope you enjoy the safer sidewalks around the community. 

Tidbit Tuesdays - Alligator and Snake Safety

 On Thursday, the HOA welcomed Sam from the Department of Natural Resources to discuss living with our natural neighbors. We had a wonderful, interactive crowd and thank everyone for attending. Here is a little review for residents who were not able to attend. Let us first start with our dear friends, the alligators.

Alligators

There are no known human fatalities due to alligator attacks in South Carolina...ever. The majority of humans attacked by alligators were actively disturbing (poking and prodding) the alligator, and the alligator responded. Hissing is a defense mechanism for alligators if you are getting too close, but they will not attack unprovoked.

A long alligator is an old alligator. A twelve foot alligator can be anywhere from 50-80 years old. In the spring, male alligators move around significantly, especially at night, looking for mates. If you find an alligator on the move, leave it alone and it should move on in about 30 minutes. They naturally freeze when threatened, so they have to calm down to leave.

Why do alligators live in our ponds?

Our retention ponds are perfect "bed and breakfasts" for alligators. Shallow ponds warm up quickly in the spring allowing the alligator to warm up and digest food. Speaking of food, turtles are a major food source for alligators. Unfortunately, goslings and ducklings are easy meals for alligators. However, you have to remember this is all part of nature and to not attack the alligator for eating another wild creature. 

How to be safe around alligators

Assume that any pond in the low country has an alligator in it. Patrol your pets and children around ponds, and do not allow them to approach the water's edge. Alligators kill by drowning their prey. While any alligator can be euthanized for being a nuisance, only gators greater than 6 feet long really have the physical capabilities of taking down a larger animal (dog, etc). Unfortunately, relocating an alligator is not an acceptable option because they return directly to their previous location as soon as they are released.

Snakes

Our conversation then transitioned to snakes. The Retreat has a variety of snakes that especially like to move around near dusk. While the best idea is to give the snake enough space and go around, there is a general rule of thumb for identifying venomous snakes vs. non-venomous snakes. 

Round headed snakes are non-venomous while snakes that have a wide, flattened head are venomous. Fairly simple, right?

What about Coral (venomous) and Scarlet King (non-venomous) snakes? Both have color combinations of black, red and yellow. But the order is key to quickly identifying the venomous snake. "Red and yellow kill a fellow" is a nice rhyme to remember which one is the venomous Coral snake (pictured right).  Can you see that the coral snake has a "flatter head" as well? 

Do you know of any other educational seminars that are available to speak at The Retreat?  If so, mention it in the comments section in the blog or contact Jen at CMG.

Tidbit Tuesdays - Palm Tree Pruning and Alligator Talk

First, please remember the Department of Natural Resources will be here Thursday, June 19th at 5:00 pm in the clubhouse to present "How to Co-exist with Alligators". This is a great opportunity to better understand our cold-blooded neighbors who share this community with us. 

Palm Tree Pruning

 

 The Retreat has many palm trees in the community, which produce new branches, or fronds, each year. The older fronds die away but do not fall off normally, resulting in the bushy appearance you see above. The main reasons for pruning palm trees are 1) for aesthetics by removing these dead fronds and 2) preventing any of these dead fronds from falling unexpectedly. The HOA is currently pruning all the palms in the community. 

Why now? Well, there is a third reason to prune palm trees. Some species of palms produce fruits that can be messy. By timing the pruning to just after these fruit branches emerge, we can limit the debris from these plants without harming the plant itself.

See what a difference the pruning does for the trees? If you would like more information about pruning palm trees see this great University of Florida article.

Thank you, Karen, for the great before and after photos!  What do you think about the palms? Don't they look nice?
 

Tidbit Tuesdays - Folly Beach Replenishment

The Army Corps of Engineers is currently working to replenish Folly Beach and hopefully will have it completed by the 4th of July weekend. If interested, check out the documents from the Corps detailing the project. The replenishment was started on the east end of the island and the crew is working their way to the county park end.

This is definitely an interesting sight for your monster truck crazed youngster (or young at heart)! Thank you Diana B. for the great pictures!

Tidbit Tuesdays - Shark Teeth at Folly Beach

Susie D. in building 400 proves you're never to old to find your very first sharks tooth!  She was so excited to say the least.  As she said, "I can't whine anymore about never finding a sharks tooth!!" 
Photos by Diana Baugus
 

Did you know that the shark teeth you find on the beach are actually fossils? Check out this blog post for more information about finding fossilized shark teeth at the beach.

Do you know of any great spots around Charleston to find shark teeth? Let us know!

Tidbit Tuesdays - Trail Bridge Cleaning

A few days ago, a couple of our handymen teamed up to clean the trail bridge between 800 and 1100. If you happen to see Phil "The Community Husband" or Bob "The Walker", let them know how great it looks!

Do you have an idea of something simple to improve or restore the community? Let us know!

Retreat Photos: Gator and Eggs

Photo courtesy of Una in Building 100.

 

Photo courtesy of Karen in Building 100.

Spring is a difficult time for nature's creatures. A few days after the above pictures were taken, the mother duck of these eggs disappeared. Without their mother's protection, the black birds pounced on these defenseless eggs. A few eggs were salvaged by Karen, who is trying to incubate the eggs to hatching. This is a difficult task and we wish her luck with her endeavor.

Tidbit Tuesdays - New Hallway Lighting

New Hallway Lighting

Lighting on the stairwells after dark has always been an issue, but even more so after we switched from the white lights to the yellow lights a few years ago. (The yellow lights significantly reduce the number of bugs in the hallways.)

For the past several months, Phil has been working to install new light fixtures on each stairwell. In all, it costs the community approximately $300 per building to do the upgrade. Buildings 800-1100 are completed, and Phil is continuing to work through the rest of the buildings.

What a difference a few lights make! It is much easier to see at night climbing the stairs, especially if you are carrying things in your arms.

Do you have ideas for simple improvements that could benefit the entire community? Let us know!

Gates Brain Storming Meeting TODAY

This is a reminder that the meeting to discuss the future of the building gates will be today, May 8^th, 2014, at 6:30 pm in the clubhouse.

Tidbit Tuesdays - Shaggin' at the Pool Party

Linda Walker, President of Trudy’s School of Dance, offered free shag lessons to the group on Saturday. The studio is in the neighboring shopping center (Food Lion Shopping Center).

Participants have been asking about additional lessons and here’s what she offered:

Beginner Level classes run 4 weeks, $50.00 per person if 6 or more in group.

Private lessons: $85.00 per hour.

Brush up your shag skills for those pier dances this summer!