Good afternoon,
Well instead of focusing on the absolute trouncing of the River Bluffs staff by the water volleyball club this week I am choosing to focus solely on the fact that the staff won its first ever game against the residents! Never mind that we had two residents playing with us (for a total of seven) on our side for that game against a team of six residents and never mind that we lost the other 422 games………..In all seriousness, it was a great time this past Wednesday night and thank you for the opportunity to have some fun and fellowship. We are getting a little better so perhaps in September we will show even more progress. A special thanks to all those who helped coordinate the pizza and the event.
The thunderstorm we had a few days ago resulted in a lightning strike that took out the control systems for the gates at both the tennis courts and the RV site. Holmes Security has been working diligently to make the repairs but we discovered today that the internet service to the control panel was fried and the whole key fob system needs to be reprogrammed. That effort is underway now. The gate for the tennis court will remain open over the weekend and we ask that you please make sure to lock the bathrooms after use. If you have a vehicle in the RV site you can still gain access as we have disabled the gate arms and there is a lock and chain on the gate. Check in with Ron or Scott if you need the code to the gate or you may e-mail me directly. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to have everything back to normal early next week. In the next week or so you will see work beginning at the RV site for the installation of new cameras that will provide additional coverage of the storage area.
We have been trying to get outside companies to assist us in clearing existing homesites as everything has grown up with the warm weather and plentiful rain. It has been painfully difficult to find vendors that provide the assistance we need with mowing in the timeframe that we need it. This is true across the board as the shortage of reliable labor and the abundance of work is really hindering everyone’s ability to get things done. Case in point, the tree service that was scheduled to be on site this week is now hoping to be here next week. If you contacted me to have the tree service look at something on you homesite, we have your information on a list and the tree service will contact you directly when they come out to give you an estimate. Duke Power is working through the installation of electric service over on the south side of the community and soon as they are done we will be paving the road down to the marina as well as the first alleyway for Cottage Park on the left. A contractor is pricing out the Pavilion that will house the restrooms and resident gathering area down at the marina and we plan to start that after paving is complete and we have power there.
While July has historically been a slower month for sales traffic, we continue to see a lot of activity. Lots 196 and 197 on White Cliffs are under contract and Lot 207 on the water just closed this past week. Lot 182 (on the right side of White Cliffs) is closing at the end of the month as well. Over in Rosewood Landing all six garden homes in the first three buildings of the new section are sold and in various stages of construction. Lot 242 is under contract and we expect to get at least one other contract for a homesite on Lazaret Court this weekend. JMP is planning to start two new homes on Lots 80 and 81 and Charter Builders will be starting on on Lot 145. Our marketing efforts have not slowed down at all and this past week we hosted a real estate company with a ride on the Wilmington Water Tours boat from downtown Wilmington, followed by a tour of the community and the return trip. If you haven’t ridden with Wilmington Water Tours lately, I highly recommend it.
A couple of requests that will help all of the residents in the community. Please do not park your vehicles in the roadways. Our design criteria were set up to require driveways that can be parked in to help prevent the need for street parking. I realize that people entertain and have special events but for normal, everyday parking please use your garage or driveway. At the pool we need to ask that you refrain from bringing glass bottles. One broken bottle could potentially shut the pool down for days and result in serious injury. We also need to ask that young toddlers using the pool should have the appropriate diaper or swimwear designed for infants. Thanks for your help with both of these items.
Don’t forget live music tonight at Porches and Trivia Night returns next Thursday the 18th at 6:30. It promises to be a fun, competitive evening. You may have noticed some new specials and different dishes at Porches and we appreciate your feedback as we hope to continue growing the business at the restaurant. Thanks very much for your support of River Bluffs and have a great weekend.
John Lennon