1. Do you understand the procedure for selecting and electing members to the Board of Directors? The BOD made a commitment to the Landowners earlier this year to elucidate the procedures that are written in the By Laws as to how a member or resident spouse may become a Board member. During April’s meeting, the BOD reviewed the procedure and provided additional detail to clarify the process. Following is the current Policy and Procedure:

Policy and Procedure for Election of Members to the AOLPRP BOD  - April 2012

The Nominating Committee is approved annually by the Board at the October Board meeting, and announced to the members at the Annual Meeting in November. The Committee consists of a Chairman, who is a member of the Board, and four non-Director members of the Association. The Nominating Committee shall make as many nominations for election to the Board as there are seats to be filled. The Nominating Committee shall solicit the entire membership for names of prospective candidates to be submitted for their consideration.

There are three (3) ways a member or spouse of a member can be considered for nomination to the BOD.

1. Apply to the Nominating Committee and go through the interview screening process.

2. Apply to the Nominating Committee by presenting a petition having forty (40) votes from members of the Association. The Nominating Committee may designate one of the allocated slots to such candidate or designate such candidate as a candidate at large.

3. Following the Nominating Committee’s presentation of the slate of candidates to the BOD, and no later than 48 hours prior to the Annual Meeting, qualified members may petition for nomination as an at-large candidate by submitting a petition to any Director with the votes of not less than 5% of the members.

This process provides for an open election whereby anyone can run for election without Nominating Committee approval or endorsement. There is no limit to the number of names that can be placed on the ballot. The Nominating Committee is urged to aggressively seek candidates by utilizing the Trident, website, e-blasts and bulletin board to explain the process and advertise for candidates. The timeline for this process is as follows:

• In April, notices will appear in the Trident, website and in eblasts soliciting nominees

 • In May, a detailed review of the above procedures and policies will be in both the Trident and on the website

• In June, the Nominating Committee will start solicitations for candidates using all available means of communication

• July 15th will be the deadline for accepting applications to be interviewed by the Nominating Committee • Interviews may be conducted through early August, with presentation of proposed nominees made to the Board at the August Board meeting

• In the September Trident, the nominees will be publicly announced

• In the Annual Meeting packet mailed to all members, a proxy form and a list of all current candidates is included, both the Nominating Committee candidates and any at-large candidates, along with appropriate biographies. 

There are three (3) ways for members to vote for candidates:

1. Returning an executed proxy indicating the member gives his vote to the Board Secretary, who in turn will vote for the Nominating Committee selections.

2. Returning an executed proxy to a fellow member who will be attending the Annual Meeting, requesting the Landowner vote for designated candidates. (Note: When giving a proxy to another, it is not binding the other party vote as requested.)

3. Attending the Annual Meeting and voting.

No voting can occur outside the Annual Meeting, that is, either a proxy has to be tendered to someone who is attending or the Landowner must attend in person. In addition, during each Nominating Committee interview, the Chair will review the Port Royal Plantation BOD and Committee Members Standards to insure full understanding of the expectations for a BOD member. As part of the BOD’s effort to motivate qualified candidates, the Chair will also fully describe, along with a written procedure, the options for election to the BOD if the Nominating Committee does not select the applicant.

2. Do you know we are reviewing presentations from qualified outside planning firms for helping us develop a long- range plan? In keeping with our Goal for 2012 of developing a method for long-term improvements/enhancements/upgrades to Port Royal Plantation common property, we have been soliciting input from a variety of professionals who work in this field. The purpose of this exercise is to assess the current condition of our assets and develop a ten year plan to improve/enhance the properties to insure we maintain functional and attractive amenities to protect our property values in a challenging market. In March, Resort Partners presented the specifics of how they can help us, along with a formal proposal for the Board’s review. During the April Board meeting, Wood + Partners Inc. presented an overview of how they could assist Port Royal Plantation in developing a Long Range Plan. Wood + Partners is very experienced with development and construction in the Beaufort County area, and more specifically has done a significant amount of work on Hilton Head Island, both for the Town of Hilton Head Island as well as a number of its gated communities. They presented a variety of options of how PRP could proceed, but will develop a more detailed formal proposal for the Board’s review prior to the May BOD meeting. At the end of April, we also were presented with another proposal from Ed Pinckney Associates. Pinckney provides a unique perspective not only of Hilton Head Island, but also of Port Royal Plantation. In particular, as long term local, he has been ‘roaming’ our property since “the hurricane of 1943.” His historic knowledge of our growth and the preservation of that which makes us special were evident in his presentation. We look forward to his final proposal for review at the May meeting.

As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions. Judi Shade