Mountain Living - September 2013
Autumn is in the air!
Although autumn does not officially begin until later this
month, there is already a cool change in the air in the mountains, signaling
things to come. My lower deck is lined
with plants in containers that I have accumulated over the last several weeks
just waiting for the last hot days of summer to pass so I can get them in the
ground. Susan reminds me that we are only
in the 5th year of our 12 year landscaping plan and each year I look
forward to this time of the season that is best for planting.
Exciting things are beginning to happen in Junaluska Highlands. Charles and Kathy Gross have broken ground on their new home on lot 8 on Kinross Lane. Ciro and Josie Sotelo have prepared their building site on lot 31 on Inverness Drive and should begin construction of their new home shortly. We welcome these new neighbors and look forward to their being a permanent part of our community.
I would like to provide to you an update on the landslide issue on Montrose Lane. After extensive and exhaustive meetings with engineers and contractors, the Board feels we may have found a safe, practical and less expensive approach to the issue, albeit it may only be a temporary fix. You will recall the slide took place on the fill side of Montrose Lane (south side) back in January as a result of torrential rains in the mountains. Original estimates of repairs ranged from $110,000.00 to well over $200,000.00 using a process called soil nailing to stabilize the bank. These estimates were well beyond the Association’s present cash reserves. Our options were to place a special assessment initiative before the membership to cover this extraordinary expense or to look for less expensive alternatives that could be paid out of Association reserves without a special assessment. Due to the tireless efforts of our Vice-President, Buck Williams, and Director, George Patrick, a plan was developed to improve the drainage ditch and the slope on the north side of Montrose Lane, create berms and shoulder improvement on the south side of Montrose Lane, and install an aqua diverter (no, it is not a speed bump) on Montrose Lane with the express purpose of diverting water away from the fill bank. Again, this may only be a temporary fix and we will continue to monitor the situation for any signs of erosion that may affect the safety and structural integrity of the road bed. Should evidence develop that suggests additional work needs to be done to shore up the fill bank to prevent further erosion; we would have to incur additional costs that may or may not be made from Association reserves. Thanks to Buck and George for spearheading this project.
You will recall that last month I informed everyone of the Association Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 19. We will have some important business issues to discuss and vote on, including the election of a new Board Member (Assistant Treasurer and Controller) and Secretary to the Board to replace Kathy Coleman and Jerry Doucet, respectively, who are rotating off after 4 years of valuable service. These are two key positions on our Board and I would ask that anyone interesting in serving on the Board in these capacities contact me as soon as possible. The ARC is also in need of additional folks to serve.
Finally, we would welcome pictures that you have taken in our beautiful community and wish to have posted to the website. These could be landscapes, nature, or other shots taken in Junaluska Highlands. We can’t guarantee we can post all pictures due to space limitations, but you may send them to our webmaster, Ron Brunsvold at ron@junaluskahighlands.com.
That is all for now. Please mark your calendars for the Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 19 at 2:00pm. More details to follow.
Mac
