March comes in like a...... what?

Welcome to the 3rd Month of 2024

Entering March, we as a community have a lot happening, we will also see change in the surrounding areas of Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island and Kiawah River Estates. 

As for our community, just about two weeks or so ago, Big Bear Roofing just about finished our new roofs on buildings 1, 2, and 3. The project seemed to go well, with a few minor blips here and there. Being retired and somewhat living a semi-boring life...(hmmm actually I'm having the time of my life), I was able to watch the roofer in action. These workers were very capable, hard workers, that didn't seem to stop. At some points, I was worried for their safety, seeing them work well into the darkness. I am glad to see no one was hurt on the job. The company is finishing up this week (3/1-3/6 or so) with the final touches that were not accessible with ladders.

 
You will see them are using a tall platform crane to finish the eves.

 

How do you feel about this project?  

I truly believe this was an extremely wise and needed aspect for our community. 

Several reasons below for why I think (my opinions only) (from February blog) this could be beneficial. 

1. Building three had several areas that have developed roofing leaks. As a condo community, we all need to make sure our top floor neighbors are just as safe from the weather and damage as we on the first and second floors tend to be.  

2. With the elevating insurance costs hitting us, coastal region, condo communities are under severe financial assault. We need to find every spare penny to keep us afloat. New roofs help in these costs. The near future will tell us how much we can save if any.

3. If anyone in our community is looking to relocate to other areas and are thinking of selling, a new roof is quite a wonderful addition to your home. 

 

March 9th - Our yearly HOA Meeting - This morning (3/9/24), the HOA of Indigo Hall had its annual HOA meeting. The proxies and in person turnout allowed our meeting to happen. There were many things discussed at our meeting, but the 2 major issues surrounding our community are/were the the construction of lots 7400 and 7600, and the final assessment that will be levied upon the community. Due to the excellent work of Chris Arnold and the insurance committee, our insurance costs will be lower than last years budget, so, our assessment will be lower than what I expected. Also good news on the construction front. 7400 and 7600 will begin soon. Several, to mostly all of the requested actions asked by our board to the new construction company will be met. Some include; work on the parking lot, changes to the design of the new building, and others. One important request asked and received was a service road will be constructed and utilized by all construction equipment. This means no major construction traffic through our neighborhood. Please look for an email from the board to spell out the the latest updates.

Congratulations to Chris Arnold and Cynthia Morin for being elected to the board of directors.

On Betsy Kerrison Parkway

From Last Months Blog - The proposed development known as the Health and Wellness Village had a public hearing before the county council on December 12, 2023. The council was inundated with overwhelming objections to this project, and the developer has agreed to meet with the community prior to returning to the county council. A small informal poll was sent out by the Johns Island Advocate, and a 75% opposition to the rezoning was recorded. (The Johns Island Advocate) 

UPDATE... On February 13, Charleston County Council voted to deny the upzoning for the "Botox Village" on Betsy Kerrison Parkway.  Councilmembers Boykin, Darby, Honeycutt and Kobrovsky voted for denial.  Councilmembers Middleton, Pryor, and Wehrman voted for approval.  Councilmembers Moody and Sass recused themselves. 

 

Council also voted to waive the one-year waiting period for the developer to go back to the Planning Commission.  Councilmembers Darby, Middleton, Pryor, and Wehrman voted for this wavier.  Councilmembers Boykin, Honeycutt and Kobrovsky voted against the wavier.   

This is a win for Johns Island, but it may be temporary.  The developer can restart the rezoning request process immediately.  This is a months-long process which involves resubmitting the rezoning request to staff and going back before the Planning Commission before finally returning to Council.

Charleston County 

Esau Jenkins Village:  On February 23, there was a groundbreaking for this 72-unit affordable housing project for senior residents.  The development is located on Maybank Hwy, between Main Rd and the bridge to Wadmalaw.  You can read more about it here.

County Public Works Tree Removal:  On February 27, County Council held the final reading for the reduced oversight for tree removals.  Unfortunately, Council seems intent on not including public hearings as part of this change.

Charleston County Historic Preservation Ordinance:  On February 27, County Council will hold a public hearing regarding proposed changes to this ordinance. You can read more about it here.

Johns Island Council:  On March 7, the featured speakers for the March meeting will be representatives from Trident Hospital.  They will present plans and answer questions regarding their proposed hospital to be located on Maybank Highway. 

(The Johns Island Advocate)

Kiawah Island / Seabrook Island

Beachwalker Park and Captain Sams Spit:  With the termination last year of the development agreement between the Town of Kiawah Island and the developer Kiawah Partners, there has been a lot of activity associated with the park and the spit.  This includes an offer from the Partners to sell the spit for $40M.  You can read more about it here and here.

(The Johns Island Advocate)

Kiawah River Estates

Kiawah River Estates has taken on a big project to clean out the major overgrowth next to their tennis/pickleball courts and swimming pool area.

Talking with one of the supervising workers on the location, he said he was amazed at all the hidden plants and trees they found. "You should see all the boxwoods and crepe myrtles we found mixed in with all this junk". 

This area is now cleaned out and they will be moving along the KRE borders. I have noticed there are border lines strung, perhaps to prevent work on the golf course grounds.

UPDATE - From the last blog posting, the pickleball and tennis courts have been completely resurfaced, and updated landscaping and overgrowth continues to be removed. I found out an interesting aspect of this new rejuvenation of this front area. This area is owned by the KRE homeowners and members, not a private owner, so no homes will be built on this newly cleaned out areas. I asked a volunteer day homeowner, who told me the KRE homeowners are against any live oak being removed in this area.

Now That's Interesting

As many of you know, I am, (at least what I want to be) an artist in my leisure time. I paint impressionist watercolor landscapes and acrylic abstract expressionism. I am also very much interested in the history and the representation of major artistic movements, from the early cave drawings in France to the newer digital creations on-line, and EVERYTHING in between. This month is an art lesson in finance (if you want to call it that.)

Did you know- The most expensive painting, (or actually piece of artwork) was auctioned off at a Christies auction in November 2017. The painting was finally gaveled at the incredible price of 450.3 million dollars. The artwork is "Salvator Mundi" a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Created around 1500, the painting depicts Jesus Christ in the Rennaissance style holding a crystal orb and giving blessings to the viewer of the artwork. As of right now, the whereabouts of the painting is somewhat a mystery, being rumored to be hidden from view by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. 

History of the Painting

Art historians have suggested several possibilities for when the work was executed and who the patron may have been. Auction house Christie's stated that it was probably commissioned around 1500, shortly after King Louis XII of France conquered the Duchy of Milan and took control of Genoa in the Second Italian War; Leonardo himself moved from Milan to Florence in 1500. The art historian Luke Syson agrees, dating the painting to c. 1499, though Martin Kemp and Frank Zöllner date the work to c. 1504–1510 and c. 1507 or later respectively. Based on their similarity in style and materials to the studies for The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne, Carlo Pedretti dates the drapery studies in the Royal Collection, and thus the painting, to 1510–1515. 

The Salvator Mundi as an image type predates Leonardo. Thus, Martin Kemp argues that on one hand Leonardo was constrained in his composition by the expected iconography of the Salvator Mundi, but on the other hand, he was able to use the image as a vehicle for spiritual communication between the spectator and the likeness of Christ.

The original painting by Leonardo was thought to have been destroyed or lost around 1603. In 1978, Joanne Snow-Smith argued that the copy in the collection of the Marquis Jean-Louis de Ganay in Paris was the lost original, based on, among other things, its similarity to Leonardo's Saint John the Baptist. While Snow-Smith was thorough in her research in regard to the provenance of the painting and its relationship to Hollar, few art historians were convinced of her attribution.

A photo of the painting after the
initial cleaning

In 2005, a Salvator Mundi was presented at an auction at the St. Charles Gallery auction house in New Orleans, consigned from the estate of the Baton Rouge businessman Basil Clovis Hendry Sr. It had been heavily overpainted, to the point where the painting resembled a copy, and was, before restoration, described as "a wreck, dark and gloomy". It was acquired by a consortium of art dealers that included Alexander Parish and Robert Simon, a specialist in Old Masters. The consortium paid $1,175 for the painting.

The painting was exhibited in Hong Kong, London, San Francisco, and New York. Finally, on November 15, 2017, the painting was sold at auction for 450,312,500. 400 million + 50.3 million in fees, a new record for a piece of artwork. 

The painting hung in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's yacht Serene until late 2020, when it was removed to a secret Saudi location while the yacht was in a Dutch shipyard for maintenance. 

The painting is being kept in storage until a new museum is built to house it; the museum and gallery will be in a complex called Wadi AlFann in Al-'Ula, expected to be completed in 2024. 

(wikipedia)

Final Image

An abstract expressionist painting I created in the style of Gerhart Reichter. 

Keep watching for the HOA meeting updates early next week or so. Thanks as always.....RT