A Primer on Colleton River's Amenities Projects

 On March 26, 2021, the vote closed on the Board's amenities proposal. The proposal carried with an 11 vote landslide margin. During its campaign to convince the Owners to approve the amenities, the Board published both a Powerpoint presentation and some "frequently asked questions"--each of which contained various promises about the amenities. The last time I looked, both were still available on the Club's website, but I downloaded them just to be on the safe side.

Since March 2021, it has become obvious that the amenities projects weren't, in the immortal words of Barrack Hussein Obama, "shovel ready." In fact, notwithstanding the promises made by the Board and the fact that the risks of both COVID and the recent escalation in building costs in the Low Country were well known during the first quarter of 2021, no permits have been obtained, no contracts have been let, and ground has not been broken on any phase of the amenities project. 

Given that the project is well over a year behind schedule only eight months after it was approved, one would have to consider three reasons for the delay: a lack of candor by the Board during the vote; poor implementation; or just plain old "bad luck." But regardless of the reason for the delay and possible cost overruns, it's crystal clear that no one will be held accountable for the "disappointing" implementation. People used to get fired for things like this when I worked in a capital intensive business--but I guess those days are gone. Nowadays, the Board just forms another oversight committee to right the ship. 

As a public service, I've gone through the Powerpoint presentation and Frequently Asked Questions--here's a summary of the key events, dates, and costs for future reference:

  • Tennis:
    • Maximum Cost: $1.5 million (FAQ #13.f, FAQ #22.a)
    • Timing: Construction complete by 4Q21 (PowerPoint Slide #41)
    • Scope: see FAQ #13
  • Pickleball:
    • Maximum Cost: undisclosed
    • Timing: 
      • Full opening when “Foot Point Road complex is completed.” (FAQ #14.a)
      • “We will offer temporary pickleball on one of the existing tennis courts in early 2021.” (FAQ 14.b). 
    • Scope: 8 pickleball courts plus bocce. (FAQ #12.b)
  • Athletic Center:
    • Maximum cost: $8.5 million (FAQ #22.a)
    • Timing: Construction complete by 1Q23 (PowerPoint Slide #41)
    • Scope: see FAQ #8.f, FAQ #10.
  • Dye Clubhouse:
    • Maximum cost: $6.5 million
    • Timing: Construction complete by 3Q22 (PowerPoint Slide #41)
    • Scope: see FAQ #18.

 

The bottom line is that the cost, timing, and scope of the amenities projects have been well defined in the FAQs and the Powerpoint presentation. 


During the Town Hall meeting, the Board announced that the plan is to receive a fixed price bid from the contractor in 2022 and then see where we are. Ought to be interesting.

 

 

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