How does Dunes West perform long term planning?

We address long range oversight for Dunes West in three ways:

1. Known factors – As we look forward into the future, Dunes West has invested in a routinely updated Reserve Study (you can find this on the website) to assure we appropriately account for managing and maintaining our common areas and infrastructure, as well as assuring timely replacement of key components when required. As we make new capital investments, these are added to the reserve study so the community will benefit into the future.
2. Conceptual/Actual rolling 5 year planning – In our financials (also online at the DWPOA website), we include a section where we list projects under consideration and planned. Depending on the phase, these may be listed with or without budget projections. For example, if we’re simply exploring an idea and whether it might benefit the community, we may list an item with no budget yet assigned. As we approve and mature a concept, budget is added and projected into future years, based on estimates and expected timing. These plans are fluid and refined/adapted in response to real time inputs. So, for example, we had moving the gate at Dunes West Blvd in the plan with budget assigned for 2019. With the announcement that Alternative 7A would be one of the two final choices for HWY 41 expansion, the board put this project on hold. Then, when Charleston County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) released updated 7A alignment maps, the DWBOD reinstated the project. We brief residents on projects at the quarterly evening board meetings and annual meeting; these venues allow owners to ask specific questions in person.
3. “Unknowns” – The Dunes West Futures Committee considers both “known unknowns” and conceptualizes “unknown unknowns.” In addition to leveraging this resource, the board is able to look to insights from other POA/HOAs around the country (via the professional association, Community Associations Institute (CAI), as an example) to anticipate issues and solicit best practices.