Thoughts or information on St James Plantation (Brunswick: price, beach)

[caco54]

There is a plantation called Brick Landing that I had heard shut down their golf course. I would have hated to pay the premium to live in a golf course community and have that happen. That should not be the case at St James.

[Stonecreek67]

That is true Caco... directly next door to St James is Seawatch Plantation Seawatch at Sunset Harbor a coastal community in Southport North Carolina which in 5 years has done NONE, I repeat NONE of the things they were promising. They have reportedly 9 homes built out of over 3000 homesites and just about ZERO amenities that were promised to those early people..... Brunswick Forest is a nice place with a lot of hmes built but I understand that even they have not produced "everything" as promised...... it is something to keep in mind.

[Stonecreek67]

Just another FYI as they come up.... below is an example of some of the worthwhile activities ( the bike run ), that impressed us, that are supported by St James residents.

St. James Plantation - Private Golf Community And Active Retirement Living On The North Carolina Coast

[Dregg]

Originally Posted by Stonecreek67

That is true Caco... directly next door to St James is Seawatch Plantation Seawatch at Sunset Harbor a coastal community in Southport North Carolina which in 5 years has done NONE, I repeat NONE of the things they were promising. They have reportedly 9 homes built out of over 3000 homesites and just about ZERO amenities that were promised to those early people..... Brunswick Forest is a nice place with a lot of hmes built but I understand that even they have not produced "everything" as promised...... it is something to keep in mind.

Seawatch got creamed by the economy. Along with a few other communities. The communities doing well are the ones that were well established before 2006. Winding River is one of those doing well despite the current economy.

The scariest I saw was at Mill Creek Cove. Only 2 homes built, and one foreclosed within a year.

[biscman]

This weeks Members to Members

From: "McCormack" [member2membernews@gmail.com]
Sent: 04/04/2011 03:03 PM MST
To: BOB DIXON
Subject: member2membernews



MEMBER2MEMBERNEWS


SLOOF LIRPA

Boy, I got a lot of folks with my April Fools column. I heard from about 150 readers and everyone seemed to have a good time with it, a typical response was:
"GEEEEEEEZ, I just canceled the ground breaking of our home and requested my down payment back from my builder...........I never finished the e-mail before I did this.........we are back to renting now!!!!!!! You are unbelievable....great email....you had me hook line and sinker....."
O. K., whose idea was it to write an April Fools column? It was Peter Berg's idea, he put me up to it and Bob Accordino gave me the idea about the Clubs being sold. So don't blame me for your heart attacks -- talk to Berg and Accordino.
Woops -- Just received the following email, "Please remove me from your email list for member2member." So I was wrong. I can't wait till I write my book, then I can name everyone.


WARRIOR RIDE -- HUGE SUCCESS

On Thursday 20 Wounded Woman Warriors rode their bikes 16 miles through St. James neighborhoods and about 50 of our women joined the Warriors for the ride. Several hundred St. James residents lined the streets to cheer on the riders. The ride ended at the amphitheatre in Woodlands Park where there was a short ceremony emceed by Tom Kuhn who put the whole deal together. But Tom tells me that he had very little to do with the success of the day, he said the credit should go to Carol Szot and Patti Accordino. Tom also wants to thank the 14 fire/police volunteers who kept the roads safe and clear for the riders. And the Developer for providing the food and the tent at Woodlands Park -- Katie Campbell from the office set it all up. Did you know that Regency Village neighborhood had 700 American Flags on display? Very impressive. Those Regency Village folks are smart and patriotic.
St. James has reason to be proud once again.


MA AND PA KETTLE

On Saturday "the wife" wanted to go to Wilmington to shop. Off we went, first to Costco and then to Home Depot for plants and flowers and then to a couple of garden shops for more plants and flowers and manure. What is it about the first Saturday in April that has everyone out shopping for yard stuff? Now you need to know "the wife" is from Mississippi and she knows her manure. We loaded up on Black Kow and Black Hen. Now I'm a Jersey guy and I don't know the difference between animal excrement. I can tell you it all stinks, but you probably already knew that. The smell of cow and chicken excrement was wafting throughout my van. The van was packed. So here comes Ma and Pa Kettle crossing the bridge in a packed van into Brunswick County with the windows open and stuff hanging out -- the only thing missing was live chickens flying out of the windows. I tell you what, with the combination of Black Hen and Black Kow, "the wife's" tomatoes will be the size of cantaloupes.


NELLIE MONAGHAN MCCORMACK AND "FALLEN AWAY CATHOLIC"

Nellie was my Mom and she had some whisper words and "fallen away catholic" was one of them. I can remember four of them, the other three were "cancer", "protestant", and "divorced". Whisper words were words of disapproval. Nellie grew up in a coal mining town in PA. Her Dad and all her male relatives worked in the mines -- they were over from Ireland and glad to get any work. They were Irish Catholic workers and they worked under deplorable conditions for little pay -- this was before unions. Most of the men died before they were 50 from black lung disease. Anyway, my Mom grew up in a very strict Catholic family -- the Church and her religion were the most important things in her life and the Church gave stability and support to those immigrants. More than anything, the Church gave them hope. And the Church educated them -- which, unfortunately for the Church, became a double-edged sword.
When I was a young man I can remember my Mom using her whisper words from time to time. We would be talking to someone and she would frown and out of the corner of her mouth she would whisper to me, "she's got cancer" which I interpreted as don't get too close to her, you might get it. Or Mom might whisper, "she's a protestant" which I interpreted as this woman has NO chance of getting into heaven. Another whisper was "she's divorced" which I interpreted as this woman has no morals (and I as a young man I thought this was cool and I what I wanted to do was to get her phone number). The last and most severe phrase of disapproval was "she's a fallen away Catholic", which I interpreted as someone who is so horrible that it is worse than the 3 other whisper words put together (another opportunity for a phone number). What is really funny is that Mom would not have to be in the presence of one of these sinners to whisper -- she would always whisper when using those phrases.
I hadn't heard the phrase "fallen away catholic" for more than 40 years until someone called me that last Tuesday evening at the Reserve restaurant. I was returning to my table from the rest room and a woman friend of mine stopped me to tell me how upset she was with me for writing about my experiences growing up Catholic. And then she called me a "fallen away Catholic". I had to pinch myself to stop from laughing -- it is disrespectful to laugh when someone is chewing you out. When she said this, I thought it was my Mom talking. It is such a dated and old fashioned saying -- it is really funny. I have never considered myself a "fallen away Catholic". Dudes, I'm not coming back, I left, I haven't just "fallen away". A hundred years ago, I made a decision that organized religion was not for me. Just me -- period. I have absolutely no problem with Churches and folks going to Church. One of my best friends in St. James is a devout Catholic and from time to time he needs a ride to Church on Sunday -- I take him and pick him up and I am more than happy to do it. He's a great guy and loves his Church and I respect that, and I think he respects my position as well. I also have a Hospice patient who loves to go to the Catholic Church and when his regular ride is unavailable, I take him to Church. And it was sitting in that Church with my patient that brought back memories about being raised Catholic and I wrote about them. I find writing about those dreary days cathartic.
But I have to thank my friend who lit into me and called me one of the "whisper words" because this reminded me of Nellie. I was the youngest of six children and was very close to my Mom -- she was a great lady -- she didn't have it easy. By the way, have you ever noticed that the youngest child in a family is more often than not the smartest and the best looking -- I'm just saying.....................

Not that anyone cares, but I try to live by the golden rule which has its origins in different religions and philosophers. Do I manage to live by the Golden Rule all the time? Not even close, but it is always a goal. Also I like to help folks when I get a chance. Why do I do this? It's selfish and fulfilling, and helping others really helps me more -- it is a spiritual condition. Many years ago I heard a speaker at a fellowship I belong to say, "Organized religion is for folks who don't want to go to hell and spirituality is for those of us who have already been there." Amen!!!!


POTPOURRI

Sometimes, particularly in the evenings, I am reminded of the line in Othello about alcohol, "O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains."

We need to put a rumor to rest. Many of you have called me, talked to me, or emailed me about things you have heard about Jay Atkinson leaving St. James. I ran into Jay this morning and asked what the deal was and he told me that he is not leaving the St. James, but over the next few months he will be pulling back from the day to day operations here. Next fall he plans to go back to school to study Theology -- he has a calling and he will pursue it. I am very happy for him. Jay will continue to remain part of the St. James family and he said he is very comfortable with the position the development is now in. By early summer all those main roads back in the Reserve to the Woodlands will be paved and the new pool will be open. Jay told me sometime next month we will all be notified of any changes. But the main thing to for us as Members to know is things will just continue to improve. Jay is not "leaving" us, just taking a step back. He will remain part of the St. James family.

The other day Anne Corwin gave me a blanket she had knitted so I can give it to one of my Hospice patients -- what a nice thing to do. Now I have to convince the patient and his family that I knitted it.

We were playing golf on Friday and we were on the 15th hole at Members and a guy in our group was 200 yards out with water in front of the green and a 25 mile an hour wind in our face. He said do you think I should hit a three wood and fade it on the green? I said, "Are you nuts?" "Shrimp will fly before you can do that." This dude can barley hit a driver 200 yards with no wind. He takes a 3 wood out of his bag, makes a mighty swing and puts the ball in the middle of the lake. He hit it a good 155. And then he says, "Almost". Golfers are nuts.

By the way, dinner at The Reserve on Tuesday was excellent and the after dinner chewing out I got was entertaining. We all shared some Tapas, these are fun and delicious. I ordered the pizza and it was great. It's fun place to eat and it is beautiful.

Do you think Butler can do it tonight? I think they can -- we'll see.

Judith and I are off to DC tomorrow morning and will be home on Monday. We are taking a train from Raleigh to DC and back. We are both excited about visiting Washington. The last time I was on a train for more than four hours was the overnight train trip from NYC to Parris Island. Talk to you all next week. Thanks.

Bill McCormack
Memter2membernews@gmail.com

[biscman]

From: "McCormack" [member2membernews@gmail.com]
Sent: 03/31/2011 03:14 PM MST
To: BOB DIXON
Subject: member2membernews



SPECIAL EDITION - MEMBER2MEMBERNEWS -- SPECIAL EDITION


GOLF COURSES AND CLUB FACILITIES ARE SOLD AND GOING PRIVATE

I have been following a significant story for the past several months and I am now in a position to pass on what I know. In the fall of 2010 a group of twelve Golf Members who live in the Reserve went into negotiations to buy the four golf courses in St. James. They negotiated a buying price for Members and Players Clubs in a short period of time. It took several more months to settle on a price for The Reserve and just last week a buying price was agreed for Founders Golf Course.

This is a huge change. What will happen? Did the restaurants change hands? Will this be good or bad? I spoke for more than an hour with the group's attorney whose firm is in Atlanta. The attorney, Mr. Lirpa, told me there would be no real change in the daily operations at St. James. The restaurants, pools, workout facilities etc. have also been sold to this group. He said that Troon would be retained as the Management team and for the time being all the Troon personnel will remain in place. What about golf memberships and tennis and social memberships? Mr. Lirpa said everything will remain the same until the end of 2011. He said sometime this fall 1200 Golf Memberships will be sold. He also told me there was conversation about keeping the Reserve Course for Reserve residents only, but for the time being that has been put on the back burner. The group will keep the Membership level at 1200 and prices are estimated to be $30,000 for a couple and $20,000 for a single Membership. There are no estimates yet on the prices for Tennis and Social Memberships. All the Clubs will be private. I asked him what is the name of this group, who are these 12 guys and where did they get the money to buy four golf clubs and facilities? He told me he was not at liberty to give out any of that information at this time, but this summer the group will reveal the answers to those questions and all other questions. He said the objective of this new ownership group is to raise the level of the St. James facilities to compare with the best private clubs in the Country. He also said all memberships will be equity memberships.

I'm not sure what I think about this -- I guess we will have to wait and hear what the group says this summer. I want to thank the group's attorney, Mr. Sloof Lirpa, for taking the time to talk to me. By the way, you need to spell Sloof Lirpa backward. Happy April Fools Day. Of course all the Clubs will remain the property of the present ownership group -- THANK GOD.

O. K. did I get any of ya? Com'on fess up, I must have gotten a few folks. Life is fun, isn't it?

Bill McCormack
Member2membernews@gmail.com

[JERSEY MAN]

Thanks for the information regarding St. James Plantation. I spent a few hours reading the posts and found it to be informative and amusing at the same time. One question I have with all the foreclosures in SJP do the current owners have to pick up the slack for the dues in the form of a surcharge or assessment? Also due to all the diffent fees involved is there say just a simple fee to use the beach and pools and restaurants? Like say 500 a month without golf membership involved. I didn't get into the golf thing yet but plan an attempt at it. I got the clubs and other gizmos but I have the worst hard right curve u could possibly imagine. Lessons are in order 4 me. Thanks for any feedback. JM

[biscman]

Here is the update I received yesterday from SJP, hope this helps and answers some of the other questions on fees that have been posted:

2011 Fees Schedule*
Signature Membership Deposit (80% Refundable) ** $30,000
Signature Membership Initiation Fee (Non-Refundable) ** $15,000
Activation Fee (If Applicable) $ 5,000
Application Processing Fee (Resale Only) $ 500
Lessee Designation Fee $ 350
Handicap Fee (Social and Tennis Member) $ 35
Membership Card Replacement Fee $ 20
Annual Food and Beverage Minimum – Residents $ 600
Annual Food and Beverage Minimum – Non-Residents $ 200
Becky C. Jones
Membership Director
3779 Members Club Blvd.
Southport, NC 28461
800-474-9277
bjones@troongolf.com
* Fees

2011 Membership Dues and Golf Fees
Membership Dues1 (Monthly)
Single Family
Signature Golf $355 $485
Signature (1 Golf Member & 1 Tennis Member)5 $440
Signature Golf Non-Resident3 $240 $320
The Signature Golf Membership entitles the Member to golf privileges without payment of greens fees at The Reserve Club, The Founders
Club, The Members Club and The Players Club, as well as handicap fee, complimentary use of golf practice facilities, 14 day advance tee
time sign-up and access to the Troon Golf Advantage Program. Tennis, fitness, swimming, dining, Clubhouse and other social facilities of
The Reserve Club, The Founders Club, The Members Club and The Players Club are included.
Signature Tennis NA6 $190
Signature Tennis Non-Resident3 NA6 $130
The Signature Tennis Membership entitles the Member to use of the tennis, fitness, swimming, dining, Clubhouse and other social
facilities of The Reserve Club, The Founders Club, The Members Club and The Players Club. Complimentary use of the golf practice
facilities2 and 7 day advance tee time sign-up are included.
Signature Social NA6 $150
Signature Social Non-Resident3 NA6 $ 90
The Signature Social Membership entitles the Member to use of the fitness, swimming, dining, Clubhouse and other social facilities of The
Reserve Club, The Founders Club, The Members Club and The Players Club. Complimentary use of the golf practice facilities2 and 7 day
advance tee time sign-up are included.
Signature House Non-Resident3 NA $ 75
The Signature House Membership entitles the Member to use of the fitness and swimming facilities 14 days per membership year and
unlimited use of the dining, Clubhouse and other social facilities of The Reserve Club, The Founders Club, The Members Club and The
Players Club.
Cart Fees1 Single Family
Annual Cart Plan4 $2,195 $2,995
Signature Golf Member Cart Fee $ 23 per player
Golf Fees1 (Includes Greens and Cart Fees) A.M. P.M.
The Founders Club, The Members Club and The Players Club:
Tennis Member and Social Member $ 65 $ 45
Tennis Member and Social Member (9 Holes) ` $ 35 $ 35
Accompanied Guest of a Golf Member $ 65 $ 45
Accompanied Guest of a Golf Member (9 Holes) $ 35 $ 35
Accompanied Guest of a Tennis Member or Social Member $ 75 $ 55
Unaccompanied Guest $ 75 $ 75
House Member, Property Owner $ 75 $ 75
The Reserve Club:
Accompanied Guest of a Signature Golf Member $ 80 $ 80
Unaccompanied Guest of a Signature Golf Member $ 100 $ 100
1. All deposits, dues, fees and charges are subject to change from time to time by the Club Owner, and subject to all applicable Federal,
State and Local taxes.
2. Complimentary use of golf practice facilities do not apply to The Reserve Club.
3. To qualify for a Non-Resident Membership one must live beyond 60 miles of St. James Plantation, live at a non-resident address more
than 6 months out of the calendar year and be registered to vote in the county where you reside (limited to 5 years for Members joining
after 12/31/04). Residents who own more than one property with membership may qualify for Non-Resident dues for additional
memberships.
4. Annual Cart Plan Option is offered to Golf Members and covers cart rental fee only at those courses named in ones Golf Membership.
Annual Cart Plan is not applicable to charity golf events hosted at The Clubs at St. James Plantation.
5. The Signature Membership (1 Golf Member & 1 Tennis Member) entitles the Golf Member with privileges outlined under the
Signature Golf Dues 0ption while providing the Tennis Member with privileges outlined under the Signature Tennis Dues Option.
6. Single Members are eligible to receive a 26% discount off Family Tennis or Family Social dues if divorced, widowed or unmarried.
Becky C. Jones
Membership Director
3779 Members Club Blvd. · Southport, NC 28461 · 800-474-9277, X2
bjones@troongolf.com · www.theclubsatstjame

[Stonecreek67]

Regarding the foreclosure question..... as an aside, all the plantations and communities have similar situations from this economy.... but to answer the question, with over 1,800 "units" built and sold ( approx 1,300 houses and approx 500 condo units ) there seem to be approx 2 dozen or more "lots" owned by lenders and only a "few" houses. This hardly makes a dent in the overall picture AND one would have to assume that ALL of the POA fees are NOT being paid by the banks, which is probably not the case, but maybe I'm wrong on that. Either way when I spoke to the person at the St James office when we were down there last week about this ( I had a thought about it myself ) the above is what they said and that it was not any kind of numbers to be concerned about, with regards to other property owners. That is what they said anyway..... seems very plausible to me considering the size of the place and that the family that owns St James is and has been well funded and have delivered everything they promised and on time, unlike many other communities.

[caco54]

Just back from a long weekend of golf. Weather was great and two of the hardy souls I was with went in for a dip. Played Sandpiper Bay, great track in fabulous condition. Homes there are nice but not at the level of SJP ot OR. Got down to Lockwood Folly which is way off the beaten path. Nice track as well with great homes all of which at the level of SJP and OR but a tad older. If it wasn't for the remote location I would have considered it in "contention". Played Sea Trail Sunday and it was way off the condition it was in years past. The complex is for sale so times may be tough for them. They commented that they have cut the green fees to attract more play but what they attracted was a lower class of golfers. Sad as at one time that was a premium complex. Hit The Pearl also which made the investment in roads and utilities but seem to have stalled there. Not a home in sight and it looks like all plans to get something started are off the table. Safe bet is to stick with the "Plantations" that are well on their way to being "communities". Stopped in at the Elks in Calabash and met a ton of ex NY, NJ, CT retirees all of which couldn't be happier being down there. Hit 5 PM Mass at St Brendan the Navigator on RT 17, nice new church with a big crowd but nary a kid in sight. Makes you realize it is a retirement area.