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News from Sea Pines - June 2020

A summer like no other

Welcome to the Summer 2020 edition of the Sea Pines e-newsletter! It won't be business as usual for Sea Pines this season as we negotiate the pandemic, but with the help of our community and respect for each other we can make it a safe and happy summer experience for all.

The newsletter and website aim to keep you up-to-date on all the Sea Pines news you'll need. All e-newsletters are posted on the website and printed copies are provided at the clubhouse. We welcome your comments to the editor at the email address below.

Observation deck

New beach observation deck

Sea Pines now boasts a handsome new beach observation deck that replaces its dilapidated predecessor. It is twice the size and height above grade of the original and offers additional seating and an enclosure for trash cans. Designed by Sea Pines owner and engineer Bob Wiesel and constructed by a team of volunteers and maintenance staff, the mahogany deck will weather to a beautiful natural gray color and serve our community for many years to come.


Message from the FMB

Use of recreational facilities during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic requires us to consider the health and safety of everyone in our community as our priority. The Facilities Management Board (FMB) has established policies and mandatory practices that are compliant with published government guidance to help ensure the health of unit owners, guests, and other residents of Cape Cod. These requirements, which are summarized below, were communicated in full to Sea Pines owners in an email distributed by Mercantile Management on Friday, May 22, 2020. The FMB will be continuously reviewing the status of the pandemic, and as local and state guidance changes, we will make appropriate adjustments to these policies and practices.

These safety requirements will only be effective if everyone at Sea Pines complies fully. It is the FMB’s desire to keep our amenities open for the enjoyment of all, so please ensure that everyone within your household and your guests are fully aware of these rules. If it is determined that we as a community are not complying with the safety standards, the FMB will be forced to reconsider the use of each amenity.

The establishment of the following safety standards, while consistent with recommended government guidelines, cannot ensure that any environment will be virus free. Therefore, each recreational facility is to be used at your own risk.

The beach and the beach path

Access to our beautiful beach through the narrow beach path creates an obvious challenge to maintaining proper social distancing. The FMB asks for your full adherence to the following requirements:

Beach chair shed

To avoid creating an enclosed area that a significant percentage of the community is likely to access on a regular basis, it is requested that you keep your personal beach chairs and umbrellas within your own home. Where this would result in a personal hardship, use of the chair shed can be continued by implementing the following requirements:

Swimming pool & clubhouse

Chairs on the pool deck area should be moved to establish social distancing between your group and adjacent groups. If you arrive at the pool and find that social distancing cannot be achieved due to the number of people, please wait for others to leave before you enter the pool area. Additionally:

Fitness Room

The fitness room is clearly an area where additional precautions must be taken to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. The FMB asks for your full compliance with the following requirements:

Mailbox shed

The mailbox shed is considered an area of concern for the spread of the coronavirus.

Tennis courts

The tennis courts are currently under renovation with completion expected by July 1. Masks are required while entering and exiting the courts but are not required while playing tennis. If you arrive at the tennis court and it is occupied, please wait to enter the court area until the prior group has exited and has properly socially distanced from the access gate.

A new online system of reserving tennis courts will be introduced before the courts are opened.

Walking around the Sea Pines community

Face masks are not required as you walk around the Sea Pines community unless social distancing cannot be maintained.


Get to know your FMB representatives

Phase I (Landing Lane)

With this issue we begin a series of short profiles of members of the Facilities Management Board. These hardworking volunteers devote countless hours in service to the Sea Pines community. They want to know their constituents and hear their opinions and concerns – so step up and introduce yourself!

Donna Prescott

Donna Prescott

Donna was a weekend visitor to Sea Pines for six years before she made our community her permanent residence in 2005. She enjoyed a long career in education, first in the classroom as a third grade teacher and then devoting 25 years to the Educational Collaborative (EdCo Collaborative), a job which involved a lengthy daily commute from her home in Plymouth to Brookline! EdCo Collaborative provides training support to federal and state-funded educational programs and fosters collaboration on issues such as special education, school-to-work, vocational education and professional development.

Donna is a long term member of the FMB and chairs the Grounds and Maintenance Committee, the most active committee at Sea Pines with the broadest responsibility. She admits that she's "no gardener," but that a passion for gardening isn't requisite for members of her committee, whose role is to oversee not just landscaping and lighting but individual unit renovations and improvements. Much of the committee's time is spent focused on procedures and precedents. Donna would like to help reinforce the understanding among owners that all the grounds at Sea Pines apart from individual units and decks are common areas and common property. Owners may obtain variances to create personal landscapes adjacent to their units but if they are not maintained, it is the FMB's prerogative to reclaim them.

Donna loves everything about Sea Pines, but the beach tops her list. She walks the shoreline daily in summer and is often there as early as 8:00 am depending on the tide. She crochets, is an avid reader, and volunteers at the Brewster Ladies Library with children's crafts activities and the story hour. Donna spends most Februaries in Florida with her neighbors at 52 Landing Lane, the DeNegri’s.

Elizabeth James

Elizabeth James

Elizabeth has been a full-time resident of Sea Pines since September 2014. Before retiring, she lived in Boston for 30 years and commuted to Newton, where she worked in the sales department of a German chemical company that maintains plants and offices around the world.

An inveterate traveler, Elizabeth went to Croatia and Slovenia last fall on a group trip and added a personal side trip to a small village in the Alsace region of eastern France. This was the village where Elizabeth had lived with her maternal grandmother when she was 5 years old and the population of the town numbered a mere 400. She attended the one-room schoolhouse there and has fond memories of her experiences in the village, to which she has returned many times over the years.

Elizabeth maintains particular interests in art (Henri Matisse is her favorite artist) and Tudor history. She's a member of several book clubs and plays Mah Jongg with her neighbors once a week during non-pandemic times. Elizabeth also leads a movie discussion group.

Elizabeth is enjoying the current transition from spring into summer, which for her is by far the most beautiful time of year in New England. She says she is inspired by all of those wonderful colors!

Ekrem Soylemez

Ekrem Soylemez

Ekrem Soylemez, his wife Leanne, and their children, Will and Julia, have been on Landing Lane at Sea Pines since 2017. Ekrem has worked as a software architect and manager at Oracle for over 25 years, first at their headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area after college and then moving to their offices in Burlington, Massachusetts. In the off season, Ekrem and his family live in Lexington, where he enjoys gardening and doing projects around the house.

Seasonal parking issues: what you can do

This topic was addressed in the last issue of the e-newsletter but bears repeating.

Use your garage!

The garage buildings at Sea Pines were originally built as carports and were intended for parking, not storage. While the increased numbers of vehicles per family is part of our capacity problem, unit owners not regularly using their designated garage spots for parking or using them solely for storage has also contributed greatly. When a unit owner parks in an outdoor spot instead of their garage, that translates to one fewer parking place for everyone.

What else can you do?

General Parking Guidelines

Beach Parking

For the convenience of unit owners whose physical limitations prevent them from walking to the beach, there are a limited number of parking spots near the entrance to the beach path. These spaces are designated with “Beach Parking” or “No Overnight Parking” signs.

2020 Beach Party cancelled

We regret to announce that the second annual Sea Pines beach party has been cancelled due to concerns about the coronavirus. We look forward to staging a repeat event in summer 2021.

Beach party

Rubbish & recycling reminder

Cape & Island Disposal removes the rubbish and recycling twice per week from April through September.

The containers are separately labeled for rubbish and recycling.

Be gentle with our septic system

Those of us who don't rely on septic systems at our homes may not realize how important proper use and maintenance is to their effectiveness and longevity. Remember the following to keep things flowing through our system and prevent costly and unpleasant back-ups:

NEVER flush anything but human waste and toilet paper. Baby and disinfectant wipes easily clog the system and create a disaster waiting to happen.

Questions or comments about this e-newsletter should be directed to Lynn Smiledge [Email ]