Posted on: December 14th, 2017 Posted in Residents Only

Upcoming Community Amenities – Communications and Invitation for Involvement (12/14/2017)

The summary John Lennon provided on HOA related activities in his December 1st Neighborhood Update is repeated to kick off this communication about committee involvement in four evolving areas of the community:

“As indicated in the HOA’s Declaration, River Bluffs Development Corp (“RBDC”) will control the HOA until the sale of the last Lot. That being said, the development team recognized the need to get homeowners engaged in the activities of the HOA to not only get critical feedback but also to provide a forum for current and future issues. The development team selected three homeowners (one from Rosewood Landing, one from the townhouse and one from the ne-traditional section of the neighborhood) and Elsie Freund, Lori Nichols and Bob Conger all agreed to participate in what we will refer to as a “Consulting Committee to the Board” (“Committee”). Tara and I met with them the week of Thanksgiving, and we discussed everything from the budget to the hours of operation for the greeters. We will be meeting again at least once or twice before the Annual Meeting, and I’m sure you will be receiving information from the group in the next week or so. Membership on this committee will rotate so we can get as many people involved as possible.”

This note is to communicate additional information to all River Bluff residents and provide an invitation for input and involvement based on your desires.

Four areas of development planning and community operations were discussed. We are planning to form a small committee for each of these areas comprised of three to a maximum of four residents per committee. Each of the four areas (new fire pit, multi-purpose room, community farm, and greeter coverage hours) will be described below. Please forward your comments to Elsie, Lori, and Bob. If you are interested in participating on a committee please indicate your availability times during the day, days of the week, etc. to Elsie, Lori and Bob by the Golf Cart Christmas Parade (5:30pm, Friday December 22nd) so we can try to select committee members with compatible meeting times. If you’re interested in participating in more than one committee please indicate your first preference, second preference, etc. so we can try to meet your preferences.

Descriptions of each project and the objective of the committees are below:

Multi-purpose room above the exercise room:

This almost 2,000 square foot area will be finished off and available to residents for club activities, exercise such as yoga, and rentals for private parties sponsored by residents. This committee will propose various options to service the River Bluff clubs and other activities planned for the room to the development team. The committee will interface with the developer and with club managers, the Handyman’s Club and the Helping Hands Club to identify, obtain or build items such as bookcases, island(s), ping pong table, etc.

Greeters hours for the guard house:

Following the vehicle break-ins during the summer the greeter hours were extended to include 24-hour coverage during the weekend. The developer covered the additional cost. Since that time no significant events have occurred and a community watch program has been implemented.

This committee would work during December-January to evaluate our community desire for greater coverage beyond the normal twelve to sixteen hours per day. The committee will work with the neighborhood watch leads, Bill Jayne and Felicia Grant and the developer in order to determine if additional coverage is needed and if so, the financial impact. The committee will provide a summary to the residents such that a community decision can be achieved and communicated.

Neighborhood Farm planning:

This committee will take the 3 years of accumulated experience with the neighborhood farm combined with direction and supervision from Stephen Douglass, the farmer, to develop new and exciting options for the maximization of almost ten acres of farming land. Examples of items for consideration are sections for continued farming, greenhouse, perennial crops such as blueberries, grapes etc. and the possibility of offering plots to residents or clubs.

This effort will probably kick off in January.

Additional Park amenities and locations 

As the number of residents and business at Porches grows the developer is considering plans for additional community gathering spots. This committee would consider the locations and contents (fire pit, bocce court, etc.).  Four potential locations for preliminary thought will be provided to the committee and reviewed by the development team.

2018 should be an exciting year for our additional amenities and the efforts of these future committees provide the residents an opportunity to contribute input.