Mountain Living - December 2013
Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings from WNC!
Greetings from Junaluska Highlands:
As I write this tonight, warmed by a glowing fire, it is a joy to look northward in the community, toward Utah Mountain, and see the many homes decorated for Christmas. Looking from west to east, the Casso’s, the Coleman’s, the Surak’s, the Santoro’s and the Brunsvold’s. At the ridgeline, the Mistretta’s, the Bell’s, the William’s, and our newest neighbors, David and Jan Vittum are all decked out in anticipation of the season. A special thanks to Vicki and Buck Williams for taking the time to decorate the front gate and our sign posts with holiday cheer. This is truly a special time of the year to be in the mountains of western North Carolina.
We had our first significant snow of the season last month and our road contractor, A&A Contractors, was able to pretreat the roads in an effort to minimize the dangers of icy and slick areas. We will continue to do the best we can to anticipate ice and snow on our roads and treat accordingly. However, good judgment in driving under adverse conditions is always the best approach to take.
In late November a Knox Box was installed on our main gate to allow emergency vehicles access to the community without a gate code. The Board felt this was a necessary and rather inexpensive step to insure rapid response of police, fire, and EMT teams without being delayed at the gate.
Last month we made the transition from our own community well to municipally supplied water from JSD. We anticipated that there would be transitional issues in the process but didn’t expect them to last as long as they did. Hopefully, JSD has stabilized the water pressure through the several pressure valves throughout the community and the water quality and pressure should steadily improve. Thanks to everyone for their tolerance and patience during this period. Should you have any problems with your water, please call JSD at 452-1178.
Our Annual Meeting was held last month and we saw perhaps the best attended meeting in recent memory. Lots of information was shared and received about how to make Junaluska Highlands a better place in which to live and the Board will take these matters under advisement in the future. The Montrose Lane slope slide continues to be one of the major issues before the Board. Several engineers and contractors have been interviewed to date regarding what should be done to secure this site and roadbed. Improvements have been made to the drainage ditches on the north and aqua diverters have been installed on the south side in an effort to divert water away from the slope and prevent further erosion. The Board will continue to monitor this area and will do what is necessary to ensure the safety and stability of the road.
I believe we are truly blessed to live in this most special place in God’s creation. May you and your family have a joyous Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.
Mac









