The committee recognizes the complicated nature of communication on Kiawah as a result of the involvement of many regulatory bodies including federal, state and local governments, as well as the issues of dealing with private for profit suppliers of services.
Given Kiawah's relatively small population, only 20% of which reside on a full-time basis, and its distance from areas of population density, there may not be strong economic incentive for companies to supply state-of-the-art utilities and communication to the island. Additionally, the members. desire to maintain the natural appearance of the island can conflict with technological infrastructure (e.g., cell towers) currently needed to supply the services.
It will be in the best interest of the Community Association to work with the Town of Kiawah Island to support the establishment of state-of-the-art technology and communication services, possibly even to the point of offering to subsidize or offset a portion of the cost to provide the desired technology.
KICA should also work with the town to expand the TOKI's emergency alert system to include notification of resident and non-resident members by e-mail and cellular phone in addition to the current system of notification by .land line. telephone. KICA has a larger and more-frequently updated member database. Sharing this with the town may provide faster and more accurate notification in the case of emergency. Funding for upgrades to the system may be available through the Department of Homeland Security. http://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/grants/
The committee believes that there are several aspects of communications and technology on Kiawah Island which can be improved by action on the part of KICA. They are listed below in the order of their priority ranking.
The KICA Web site is in need of significant improvement and expansion. The electronic age is truly upon us and most contemporary communication and information sourcing is now performed via computers and Web sites.
The interface and organization of KICA's Web site is outdated and not user friendly. The Web site contains a wealth of information, especially in the .library,. but it is difficult to navigate and access. Additionally, the KICA Web site should hold a .master calendar. of events on Kiawah with the ability of the different POPs and other clubs to access the calendar and make updates to their events.
This can be done by granting each club president or leader a password access to the calendar. Also, the calendar should be interactive and allow members to register for events by clicking on the webcalendar event which will then take them to a registration page. This process will eliminate most of the telephone calls that are now necessary to register for an event.
The committee recommends that KICA retain the services of a "world class" Web site consultant for redesign and ongoing maintenance of this critical means of communication with the membership.
KICA's current method of allowing off-island member participation in meetings by way of a telephone audio link is cumbersome, inadequate, and not user friendly.
The committee suggests development of a computer-based live streaming, or webcasting, of significant KICA meetings such as the annual meeting, the bi-monthly board meetings, question and answer sessions held by the board for covenant changes, etc. There should also be provisions for members to e-mail questions .live. for a response from the board during webcasts of meetings where questions are invited. The webcast events can also be archived and made available to members for viewing at a later time (e.g., posting on You Tube).
This will also allow transmission and recording/archiving of educational events held on the island that can then be accessed by off-island members. This will be of particular use for island-wide issues such as landscaping, disaster preparation, status of the beach, etc.
The use of the audio link should be phased out and replaced by a webcast system (see above). It is inadequate for large meetings.
However, use of the audio link remains appropriate for small scale conference calls with off-island members.
The committee feels there is a need for an online payment system that can be used by all KICA members to pay POPs club fees, Sandcastle event fees, as well as payment of KICA annual assessments.
This should be implemented as a service to members, free of any fees. If KICA must charge POPs a fee due to the fact that they are separate corporations, POPs can recover the cost of this service by including it in the event charge.
The intent is to create a process that is as simple and as seamless as possible, one that will encourage participation in events on Kiawah.
Each KICA member should have a unique identification number and be issued a membership identification card with a magnetic strip for swiping. This could be used both as a .credit card. for making payment at point of service (e.g., Sandcastle snack bar) and for access to members-only areas of the island (e.g., new Rhett's Bluff access gate).
The KICA Web site could store each member's credit card and/or checking account information (with the member's permission) in order to make the transaction as fast and convenient as possible. This type of payment system is routinely found on popular shopping Web sites and should be an achievable KICA goal.
Ideally the KICA webcalendar (see 1 above) will be interactive, and by clicking on a desired activity or program the member will be directed to a "sign me up" page which will include registration and payment for any fee associated with the event.
Wireless Internet connection at the Sandcastle is an excellent service and should be maintained. Service is also available in the Town of Kiawah Island/KICA building as well as in areas of Freshfields Village.
The committee understands that there has been interest in the installation of an island wide wireless (Wi-Fi) system. The Town of Kiawah Island has investigated the feasibility of such a system, but decided not to pursue the project due to its complexity and the need for construction of an extensive tower system. It is noteworthy that the City of Charleston has also abandoned its attempt to set up a peninsula wide Wi-Fi system for identical reasons (See Technology and Communications Exhibits 1 and 2).
Perhaps future improvements in technology will make an island wide Wi-Fi system a possibility. It does not appear to be feasible at present.