BY REBECCA MEYERS
If you traveled Eastman’s roads any given Wednesday this past summer, you may have noticed unusual traffic: a caravan of vehicles, with masked drivers, heading north – or south, east, or west – ‘round the lake or to a far corner of the community, from eight o’clock until almost lunchtime. You probably wondered, “Who are they, where are they going, and with what purpose?” Or, alternatively, “Where’s the party? I thought social gatherings were verboten!”
Residents familiar with the ways of Eastman’s Environmental Control Committee (ECC) can probably guess the answer. Wednesdays are the customary day for ECC volunteers to perform site visits to properties in the community whose owners have applied for approval to make changes to their homes and grounds. Site visits are part of ECC’s process for determining whether the proposal can be approved or must be adapted to better conform with Eastman’s standards. Teams used to make the rounds in one car, conferring between stops. Since last spring, social distancing has necessitated the parade approach.
ECC Business Is Buzzing
In addition to needing to drive separately, this year committee members have faced a steady stream of applications – around 40 a month – for tree removals, construction of new sheds and garages, and miscellaneous other property improvements. The flurry of projects may reflect two notable trends: more people are using their Eastman homes for longer stretches and the real estate market in Eastman has been hot, hot, hot, yielding many turnovers and a resulting desire to refresh and restore. Many changes an Eastman homeowner – be they a newcomer or a longtime resident – might contemplate require permission from the ECC. Owners are subject to penalties for bypassing the rules, intentionally or not.
Aside from application reviews, an ECC site visit team’s itinerary for a given week can also include investigating complaints sent in by other owners. Reports of overzealous tree cutting or a messy property are common examples. The record shows that, on occasion, Eastman owners do get ahead of themselves, misinterpreting a guideline, mistakenly thinking their project to be exempt, failing or waiting too long to apply, and/or moving ahead too quickly before approval has been secured. Situations like these can lead to uncomfortable conflicts, which take time and test everyone’s patience on the route to resolution. Better to check out the ground rules first, at the earliest point of project planning. A simple call to the Eastman Community Association (ECA) office (603-863-4240) can get you headed in the right direction.
Demystifying Environmental Control
If you are one who has found the Declaration of Covenants & Restrictions (DCR) and ECC Bylaws difficult to wrap your mind around, you are not alone. This summer, as we worked together to keep pace with the workload, our committee recognized that a fair amount of confusion exists across the community about the rules and how they are applied.
Seeing a prevalent need for a simplified user’s guide, ECC was inspired to create the pull-out pamphlet included in this issue of Eastman Living. Recently, ECA mailed copies to everyone who purchased property in Eastman in the last three years. Extra copies are available to pick up at The Center at Eastman and the South Cove Activity Center, and henceforth will be included in newowner welcome packets. Finally, local realtors now have a supply so they can more effectively communicate to buyers their obligations under an Eastman deed.
Chances are good that even seasoned Eastmanites will find something in the pamphlet they did not know until now. When owners gain better working knowledge, we should see an increase in compliance. In turn, the process, as sketched on the pamphlet’s back page, should go more smoothly and backend complaints minimized. So, again, before you head to the hardware store, whip out your handsaw, or make commitments
for service and materials on your property, do your homework. If necessary, the ECC is always here to be your tutor on the fine points.
Participation on ECC makes for interesting – if at times intensive – volunteer work. Aspects of service I most appreciate are that we learn something new on every tour, get a peek at Eastman’s delightful hidden homes and naturalized landscapes, and meet more and more fellow residents. I hope our new pamphlet will help spread the word about ECC “rules of the road” throughout the community.
A 50-Year Continuous History
ECC has been a part of Eastman governance from the beginning. The developers envisioned a private, self-governed community committed to preservation of the magnificent wooded setting punctuated with tasteful, tranquil, secluded homesites. Consequently, they built into the Association’s Declaration of Covenants and Regulations (DCR), which continues to be a part of every owner’s deed, a means to provide ongoing Environmental Control through a standing committee of owner-volunteers, operating under a detailed set of Bylaws.
A novice on the ECC, Rebecca Meyers is five-year resident and volunteer, with service spanning North Cove Special Place Chair, Eastman Council, numerous committees, survey projects, and seasonal events. She has also written and illustrated two children’s books set within Eastman’s flora and fauna.
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