Good Afternoon Residents,
After a pretty hot week, it sounds as if we may get some milder weather here over the next week or so. It’s hard to imagine that it’s almost August but fall and the start of school aren’t that far away. Some updates for you noted below.
Development Updates
As I talked about last week, this week saw the arrival of two crews from Skinner-Smith to begin the installation of stormwater and sewer lines in White Cliffs. Work is primarily focused on Barnesmore right now, but there is also a crew down at the boat ramp working on storm water lines. As we’ve talked about previously, there will continue to be heavy equipment in the area, and you should exercise extreme caution when walking through the area. This weekend it will be unlikely that you will be able to drive a vehicle all the way to the ramp itself.
We have also started to clear the right-of-way for the other part of Chair Road on the south part of the property. As you walk down the dirt road to the marina, you will now see the westbound side of Chair Road being cleared. The plaza of trees in-between the two roads will remain. Once the clearing is done, we will begin the process of getting water and sewer lines laid down to the marina area and paved the road.
Amenities Update
The main gate for the Boat/RV area was installed this week, and they are continuing to tweak it. Next week our goal is to provide everyone with pricing information for the use of the facility. Adding the gate doesn’t mean we’re done as we will continue to get power to the site (and the tennis court area) and also complete construction of the bathroom facilities. There will also be covered storage in parts of the Boat/Rv area.
Two contractors are working on bids for the multi-use room upfit, and we hope to hear back from each of them next week. Thanks to Randy Jayne for coordinating the installation of a portable shelf in the mail center for the Lending Library. Right now the books are in a plastic bin, but she will be ordering the shelf unit which will go in the back corner and be available for all the residents to borrow and contribute books.
The installation of the flagpole in front of the mail center was completed today around lunchtime, and it looks great. A very special thanks to Ritt Schiano for helping coordinate the project. He will be raising the flag tomorrow for the first time, along with the North Carolina flag. A River Bluffs flag is coming soon, along with the state flags we talked about last week that will represent where some of you relocated from.
Neighborhood Safety
I have met with the Community Watch captains, and we will be meeting with the Sheriff’s Department in August for an evening drive-around. Another full meeting of the community will be held after that sometime in August. Tyler Smith will continue working weekend nights, and you will likely see him riding around the community in a golf cart late in the evening on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. As I mentioned last week, there is now an e-mail address and phone number for the Greeter shack. Their e-mail is greeter@riverbluffsliving.com, and the phone number is 910-675-2183. One thing to consider if you are going to be out of town for an extended period is to let Ronnie or Scott know. As the “central-hub†of day-to-day activity here, its good for them to be aware if you will be gone.
An equally pressing safety issue we need to discuss is speeding in the community. It seems to have become more of an issue lately, and I would respectfully request that we all pay more attention to our speed. If you see a car or truck traveling too fast, please note the type of vehicle and the time of day and let the greeter at the front gate know. This will allow us to communicate with the proper individual whether it’s a resident or a contractor. Safe speed also applies along Chair Road. We coordinated with NC DOT to have the speed limit reduced on Chair Road between the gate and the farm so that street legal golf carts could be used to ride to the amenity area. While the speed limit does go to 45 after the farm, our neighbors along Chair Road appreciate common-sense driving.
Community Activities
Special Wilmington Water Tours Boat Ride – The count for this inaugural event is now up to 34 as of this afternoon, and Tara has communicated with those who signed up regarding menu options for dinner at BlackFinn via email. If you are still interested in attending, please call Tara at 675-7991. If you call Wilmington Water Tours at this point, they will direct you to Tara, so please call her first. Please consider taking a flashlight with you, and it may be a good idea for a few residents to drive down to the marina as it will be dark when you return and some headlights might be helpful.
Operation Hope Front – Planning is still ongoing for this event on August 10th which will support the spouses and children of those deployed away from home by hosting a pool party and cookout. If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Tina Chadwick at 301-751-4790, or you can e-mail her at tinachadwick@outlook.com
Farmer Market – Stephen Douglass had a great turnout last week and tomorrow he will be on the front porch of Porches from 9:00am-2:00pm with a variety of fresh produce available for sale. As he indicated in his e-mail earlier this week, the choices will continue to expand as the temperatures cool down.
Have a fantastic weekend and always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.
John Lennon