Quarterly Community updates November 2024
I can’t believe we are already into November. The storm passed, most of the debris has been cleared
away and we are beginning to settle in for winter.
This year, North Carolina is on a campaign to eliminate lead pipes through out the state. We were
required to complete and upload the results of lead pipes in the community to the State of NC. This was
an extensive report that required detailing every house/lot, specifying if lead pipes were part of our
community. Special thanks to Rich Firebaugh and Hedgie Bartol for completing the 5 reports uploaded
to the State. I am happy to report we have no lead pipes in our community.
Most of you are aware we had a few trees come down during the storm. This is a community expense
and free wood is available during the cutting to anyone who wants it. You can make arrangements to
have some of it delivered to you by the cutter at your expense or you are welcome to retrieve it on your
own. In an effort to keep our expenses down for the community, we will be notifying members who
have dead trees that need to be removed from their property at their expense. It is not prudent to wait
until they fall and block roads and become a community expense. We are working hard to keep our
assessments down and need all members to do their part as well. Keep in mind, our assessments have
not increased in more than 10 years, thought we do have a special assessment for the repair to the dam.
Regarding the dam, repairs were done to the landslide on the side of the dam at a cost of $180,000. Just
after the storm, I ran into DEQ, the division of the State that supervises the dams, and am happy to
report our dam looked good and they were pleased with our progress. This is the first step in dam
repairs. John Pappas has been working with engineers and the State for years, getting our plans
approved – which they have been. He is currently working on a SOW (schedule of work) that will allow
us to start getting bids for the jobs. I do not expect the dam to be repaired all at once because of the
cost. He estimates we will begin the initial repairs in late spring, beginning with draining the lake.
Unfortunately, the State has started charging penalties and interest for work that has not been
completed and we incurred an expense in excess of $3000.00.
If anyone has dock repair work that needs to be done or a new installation of a dock, that would be the
time to do it. As a reminder, any new or updated work to structures needs to be approved by ACC
(architectural control committee). Hedgie Bartol is the Chair of the committee and can be reached at
hedgieb@yahoo.com.
On that same note, extensive work will need to be done on our dock. We are suspicious that the
substructure of the dock is rotting. Many lengths of wood have been replaced but that dock is well over
10 years old. Pete Peerson and Jay Kicklighter will be reviewing what needs to be done for a spring
repair. They have pointed out that most of the work can be done by volunteers of the community in
order to control costs. We have had many requests to get a quote to use a product like TREX for the
repairs. They will update us on an estimated cost. Many thanks to both of them for taking on this
project. It will be done with the timing of draining the lake. We will reach out to the community as
spring approaches with what we need to do and options.
At the waterfront park you will see two beautiful bird houses that have been added. Special thanks to
Bobby Richardson for building and contributing the bird houses to our park. One is easy to see, the
other you have to look for but I am sure the bird will enjoy a new place to nest.
Lastly, we are working on getting generators for the water pumphouses. I am happy to report we have
the generators. Work will be done over the next month to prepare the groundwork for installation. We
hope to have them completely installed and running by the end of the year. Special thanks to Ron
Harden for using his truck and trailer to pick them up in Asheville. He is heading up the installation with
Dick Henning.
As the year comes to a close, your Board of Directors wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a healthy 2025.
Jeannette Lee – President