Good evening,
There’s something about total darkness at 5:30 that really makes you wish for spring! It has certainly been a big adjustment with the end of Daylight Savings Time but the onset of cooler weather, fires in the fireplace and the turning of the leaves are all welcome signs of fall. The sunsets this time of year are truly spectacular and if you haven’t seen one you should definitely check one out from the top of the bluff just south of the Duke Energy easement (the area to the right as you take the path down to the bridge leading to the marina). If you get a chance to capture one of the beautiful sunsets, send me the picture. All the pictures submitted by December 15th will be judged and we’ll make a wall hanging for Porches with the winning picture. You may not realize this but the sunset picture hanging to the left of the main door at Porches was taken by the Abbates with a phone camera.
Atlantic Coast Industrial has finished driving the new pilings for the expansion of the marina and Bellingham Marine will be finishing up the work on the new docks over the next couple of weeks. You have likely noticed some additional wooden pilings around the boat ramp. The two bunches of pilings to the north of the boat ramp (to the right as your looking at the water) are called “dolphins” and were installed primarily to assist larger vessels navigate onto their trailer at the ramp. In the next couple of weeks you will see a large barge with an excavator on it down at the river front. This barge will pull into the boat ramp and dump trucks filled with clean, broken concrete will back onto the barge and dump it so the excavator can place it along the shoreline. This is a continuation of the living shoreline project we started last year and will continue all the way down to the marina. The “dolphins” will help the barge stay in place on the ramp and we plan on leaving them in place after the project. The additional two wooden pilings to the left of the ramp, in front of the floating dock, were put there to protect the dock while the barge work is going on and will ultimately be removed after the project is complete. The permit for the construction of the Pavillion has been applied for and work will commence as soon as it is approved.
Thank you all for your patience with the recent spate of gate and access problems. As this update is being written, crews have just completed getting the Chair Road gate back up and running and are troubleshooting the Rosewood gate reader. The temporary code we broadcast earlier this week (#9999) will continue to work on the Rosewood gate until that reader is fixed. We are working on the access controls to the fitness center as well. In other community news, the transition from Premier Management to CEPCO has begun and you should be hearing from CEPCO in the next week or so.
Last year, with two days notice, the community donated enough new toys to the Marine Corps “Toys for Tots” program to fill an entire car and its trunk. This year we thought we would give you a little more notice and see how many full-sized SUVs we can fill with new, unwrapped, toys. As you may know, each year the United States Marine Corps spearheads the Toys for Tots program in an effort to ensure that every child gets the joy of receiving a Christmas gift. Beginning tomorrow we will begin collecting donations of new, unwrapped, toys here at the Sales Center. You may drop off your generous donation anytime during business hours. If you need one of us to pick it up, just give us a call. A very special thanks to Ritt Schiano for taking the lead on this and coordinating the ultimate delivery of the donations to the Marine Corps. Donations will be accepted up until 5:00 on Sunday the 8th of December. Thank you all for your generosity and support of this worthy effort.
Neighborhood Safety
Next weeks there will be speed bumps installed at the entry drive, prior to the gate, to slow down traffic. If you are interested in CPR certification, please reach out to Chloe to register. So far we have five residents who have expressed interest. Unfortunately, the cost is approximately $100 but you will have full certification upon completion of the class.
Neighborhood Events
Veteran’s Day Parade-Saturday the 9th at 11:00a.m. – this parade will travel down Front Street in downtown Wilmington and will include music, aerial flyovers and over 1,000 participants. Multiple WWII vets will be in attendance and its a great way to spend a chilly Saturday morning.
Ladies Luncheon- Friday the 15th at 12:30 at Porches – Several ladies in the community are starting a monthly lunch gathering for the ladies in the community. The group will meet the third Friday of every month at 12:30 and is welcome to all the ladies of River Bluffs. If you plan to attend, please call Porches for a “Ladies Lunch Reservation” no later than the day before the event.
River Bluffs Boating Club Fishing Seminar- Tuesday the 12th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Porches – Tim Wilson from Coastal Carolina Fisherman (http://www.
Community Holiday Oyster Roast- Friday, December 6th, 6:00p.m. It’s that time of year again for our community oyster roast. This is alway a fun event with a tremendous turnout. The cost will be $20 per person which will cover the oysters and plenty of other food options and there will be a cash bar. More information about this fun event will be coming out in the next couple of weeks but we wanted you to go ahead and get your calendars marked.
Thank you all for your continued support of River Bluffs. This is a unique place to call home and we’re glad you have made it yours. Have a fantastic weekend and please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.
John Lennon