Neighborhood Update | 11.17.17

What an absolutely beautiful week this has been! Beautiful sun, no rain and cool evenings. Makes living in this beautiful place pretty easy, doesn’t it? It has been a busy couple of weeks here and with the approach of Thanksgiving we may see it slow down for a day or two but we anticipate a strong finish to the year.

Attached is some information regarding the portal as well as two new Clubs. A number of improvements have been made to the portal and we encourage you to utilize it as it is a great way to stay in touch with your neighbors and stay up on activities. The portal was custom designed for this neighborhood and as with any computer related products, it has been improved after its initial release and will continue to once issues are identified. There will be a separate communication about the portal specifically as we get closer to our December 1st resident event.

We had twenty-one property tours last week, which is indicative of how our sales traffic has been this fall. Our Lot sales are roughly twenty-seven percent ahead of last year’s and you have probably seen the recent construction starts on Lot 50, Lot 29 and Lot 92. These will all be homes available for sale, as will the one on Lot 52 which should start soon. Lot 6 was also recently cleared as it has sold and Vahue will be constructing a home for the property owners. The homes under construction on Lot 38 and Lot 70 are making great progress and will both be done before the end of the year. You probably noticed the house on Lot 35 being painted today. That home is currently owned by Masonboro Construction who acquired it from the former builder’s lender. They requested permission to change the exterior color of the house in order to help get it sold and we agreed.

If you have not walked down White Cliffs to the boat ramp you really should make the trip this weekend. That said, please keep in mind that the area is still a construction zone and you should walk it only in the daytime and be careful as there are still uneven areas and holes for drainage. The curbing is in as well as the rock base for the roads. The curving nature of the roadway and the island medians (filled with trees) really make it look great. The same is true for Barnesmore as well. Gas line installation is underway currently and Duke Power will be out to install electric in the next couple of weeks. That will likely have to be done with borings (as opposed to long, deep trenches behind the curbing) in order to preserve as many trees as we can. Paving is still on schedule for December and in addition to paving White Cliffs and Barnesmore, we will be widening some of the turning radius’ in the community where vehicles continually have issues making tight turns.

On the other side of the power lines, you have likely seen heavy equipment, piles of rock and concrete piping. We are in the process of installing stormwater features at the top of the natural draw that goes down to the river. In addition to handling the stormwater, the improvements help to protect the beautiful natural area that leads to the river from that point.

A couple of weeks ago I indicated that we would be having a tree mover on site and the time has come!! The goal is to have the contractor onsite the week after Thanksgiving to begin moving trees. Around the community, you will see trees marked with yellow caution tape and a bright orange piece of tape. If you are interested in having that tree relocated to your homesite please take a Sharpie and write your name on the ribbon and also e-mail Tara and me with the location of the tree you want. You will also need to mark the area on your homesite where you want the tree to go and call “811” to have the utilities marked prior the tree space coming onsite. The cost per tree will be $300 and checks will be payable directly to the contractor. Please know that it may not be possible to move the tree you really want due to size or other logistical issues but the contractor will assess each situation to try and make it work.

The engineering for the plumbing, mechanical and electrical improvements related to the multi-use room has been wrapped up and the next step is getting the building permit back from the County. The work should not take very long once it commences. Additional grading has been done up at the amenities area on Chair Road and I’m sure you have seen that the areas along the side have been seeded and netting put down to facilitate grass growth. Power is on the way as is the vendor who will apply the coatings to the various courts. Nothing definitive yet regarding our permit modification with CAMA but we did get some news this week that leaves us hopeful for a final answer next week.

I’m sure everyone saw the post from Deputy Moore earlier today regarding an increase of car break-ins in the region. While we have not had any reports of any issues here at River Bluffs, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to be vigilant with locking our car doors and keep our garages locked as well. Never hesitate to call 911 if you see something out of the ordinary and you can also call the Greeter Station at 675-2183 after calling 911.

 We are excited to have a “Residents Event” on Friday, December 1st from 6:00pm-8:30pm at Porches. We will have oysters and other good food as well as wine and beer. The restaurant will be closed to the public beginning at 3:00pm that day and we hope you all can join us. Coldwell Banker Seacoast has generously offered to sponsor the event so instead of a charge, we would like to propose that everyone who attends makes a cash (or check) contribution. At the end of the evening, we will split the proceeds collected with half going to Operation Hope Front and the other half to Lump to Laughter. More information will be forthcoming on the event as we get closer.

Farmer’s Market – Farmer Steve is working hard up at the farm and as a result, fresh produce from our farm will be out for purchase this weekend as he said in his post earlier today. He will be at Porches from 10:00am-3:00pm tomorrow so please stop by if you can.

Live Music at Porches – The Awkard Silents will be playing at Porches this Sunday afternoon from 3:00pm to 6:00pm and we hope you all can stop by. This will be the last Sunday band for the year but we have made connections with a number of great bands for the future as well as solo artists (one will be at the oyster roast on December 1) for future dates.

Thanks again for your continued support of River Bluffs and we hope you get to enjoy the music on Sunday.

-John Lennon