Good Evening,
Is it really 2019? Wow! Hard to believe how fast 2018 flew by. In preparing to write this update today, I went back and read the one that was published at the end of 2017 and it made me realize how much happened during 2018. A year ago we had not yet finished White Cliffs and Barnesmore; the tennis court area had not yet started construction; we were getting started on the first phase of river bank stabilization, and Duke Energy was going to start their pole replacement in the easement area “any day.” The river walk was not yet fully completed, the Community Activity Room didn’t exist, and we had only 70 families living in the community. Today we have 104 families living here with another 19 homes sold and under construction. Mother Nature threw her best at us this past year with snow and ice in January and February, a hurricane in September and over 100 inches of rainfall; but despite all of that we have continued to grow and continue our collective effort to create the area’s greatest community.
Development work presses on in the next section of Rosewood Landing with the installation of curbing along Sea Holly, Excelsior and Lazaret Court. Paving will be completed along Excelsior and the Sea Holly extension by the middle of this month and the extension of Jenoa will be fully rocked as well. While there is still a lot to be done in that area of the development, it will be worth the wait once it’s completed as there will be additional park areas and a walking trail that will follow the property boundary around much of the east and north side of Rosewood Landing. Water and sewer installation is progressing towards the marina as well, and that will open up and area of Lots similar to those around the park as well as two new neighborhoods we plan on bringing on-line in 2019. There will be more about these two neighborhoods in the next couple of weeks, and there will also be a community information meeting where you will have an opportunity to ask questions. Both neighborhoods will be consistent with the architectural guidelines of River Bluffs, and both will offer only homes for sale and include new amenities.
Work on the river bluff is going very well with over 120 truckloads of stone and concrete being placed on the river bank to aid in stabilization and provide a better base upon which we can plant grasses and shrubs. We only have until the end of January to continue with the rock installation but will be able to work on the bluff itself (grading, adding dirt, planting, etc.) beyond that point. Duke Energy promises that they are remobilizing to complete the power pole replacement in the easement area. In their defense, crews got pulled out after the storms in Florida and just now getting caught up. We have also had crews working on clearing debris from the docks and the river bank, but as I’m sure you can appreciate, this will be a long process.
Amenities Update
The finishing touches to the tennis courts and pickleball courts (and dog park) have not been forgotten, but honestly, all our resources are directed at the river right now as we can only do the rock installation until the end of January. We still plan to finish clearing out the dog park and completing the landscaping around the courts this winter and spring. As you’ve probably noticed, the pool furniture has been put away for the season, and we ask that you please not utilize the pool as the regular service for it is cut back in the winter months to save money for the HOA.
Neighborhood Safety
We realize that the issue with the front gates was very disruptive over the holidays. The majority of the homeowners that we spoke to requested that the gates be closed after hours, which required everyone to use the Rosewood gates. The code that we previously distributed (#9999) will still work for your guests on the Rosewood gates until we have the problem solved. The broken arm should be replaced next week, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
We requested that the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) perform a speed study on Chair Road as part of our request to have them reduce the speed limit to 35 MPH for the whole length of the road. Unfortunately, they determined that the average speed on Chair Road exceeds 50 MPH and the closer to Castle Hayne Road it nears 60 MPH. While it would seem logical that they confirmed our problem with excessive speed on Chair Road, they are tasked with setting a speed limit that is consistent with driver behavior, the limitations of the road and is deemed safe (based on accident history). All that said, thanks to those of you who have slowed down along Chair Road and please keep it up. To those of you have not, you know who you are.
Community Activities
The Association’s Annual Meeting will be coming up in early February, and you will be receiving more information about that in the next week or so from Premier Management.
Farm Market – You likely just saw the post from Farmer Steve about the Saturday market coming back. He and some vendors are working to grow the weekly event, and they appreciate your support. Don’t forget Steve’s CSA program (where you get a weekly box of fantastic produce) is in full swing and if you would like to sign up, you can do so on our website.
Porches Cafe – is hosting musician Doug McFarland tonight from 6-9pm and there will be some great food available as well. Next Friday, Robert Beauchene will be playing and Friday, January 18th we have another fun Trivia Night. Check out the event calendar on the River Bluffs website to see other great events that are coming up!
The Christmas golf cart parade was a great success, despite the rescheduling and thanks to all of you who participated. For those of you who may not have been able to attend, the wild rumors about Cousin Eddie are wildly exaggerated. Thank you all for a fantastic year at River Bluffs and thank you for making this community your home.
We look forward to a fantastic 2019 and the opportunities it will bring.
Happy New Year
John Lennon