(Click pics to enlarge)
THIS WAS THE WARMEST SUMMER EVER RECORDED AT ASHEVILLE...
WITH AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 75.4 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS
RECORD WAS 75.1 DEGREES IN 1952. FOR THE MONTHS OF JUNE...
JULY AND AUGUST...THERE HAVE BEEN 19 DAYS AT ASHEVILLE
WITH HIGHS OF 90 DEGREES OR HIGHER. THE HOTTEST DAY WAS
94 DEGREES ON JULY 8.That makes this almost chilly changeover a welcome relief. Remind me of that when the heating bills come in this winter...
There is so much to see and do 'round these parts, and I thought from time to time I might suggest some trips for when you have company come up or are looking for a scenic outing. We went to the Cataloochee ranger station in the SE Smokies yesterday and got to watch the reintroduced Elk herd feeding in an expansive field. Lazy gravel roads lead you into some peaceful and beautiful areas, that will be bursting with color before long. The bugling bull reminded me of that, as well...
Back in early August we held our Apple Creek Homeowner's Association Annual Meeting, this time in a new venue at the First Baptist Church in downtown Waynesville. The economy had forced shortened hours at the public library, our 'normal' go-to location for meetings; many thanks to the church for use of their facility pro bono! We had a quorum, with just the bare minimum in attendance in body or by proxy.
Among the issues and reports that were brought up, certainly one was road maintenance. We had a problematic winter season in 2009-2010 with just under a seasonal total of 5 feet of snow (and sleet and freezing rain!) at my house on Staymon. Having the monster 18" snow out of the gate December 18th, along with our regular plow guy suddenly having equipment failure, we had a very inconvenient start. Overall, I think we did about as well as could be expected, and we hope to be even better prepared this winter. I will be putting timely updated podcasts/forecasts via this blog, specific to Apple Creek Acres and our elevation concerns. Chris Martin is heading up a committee that will not only address road conditions, but provide for effective and timely communications when problems loom.
Another issue I share here that came up were the road repairs made late this summer, with a tar and gravel mix that is less expensive than asphalting. Some complained about the loose gravel and the sliding on the lower curves, especially, but I am here to say that if anyone had sliding issues, they were driving too fast for Apple Creek Road to begin with. Speeding is an issue for some, as is cutting inside blind curves; please be responsible for keeping your speed (and lane) in check. I never once had an issue or problem with the gravel, except for the noise it made underneath my 20-year old wagon!
A third issue I'll bring up last is the importance of maintaining right-of-ways within Apple Creek, ensuring that objects, plants, structures aren't placed too close to the road or infringing on what is community property as opposed to personal property. We'll all be hearing more about these and other issues later, to be sure. In the meantime, thanks for all y'all's efforts to take pride in this wonderful slice of heaven we live in.
Bob Child
I would like to address a comment you made concerning sliding on the gravel. Your statement is only true in part. When attempting a temporary repair such as we did (and I do mean temporary, as it did not address the underlying problem of the shifting base, which causes the road to crack in the first place) the final result should be NO loose gravel on the roadway surface. I work for an engineering company who has some roadway guys, and when one came up a few months back his comment was "who did this repair? It's a piece of you-know-what." The entire roadway needs to be swept to remove the loose gravel, some of which has already been done, although not up at my place (top of the mountain) yet. In the big picture, if someone were to slide off the road and get injured as a result, Apple Creek could have a large liability lawsuit on our hands, regardless of the speed that person was traveling. Chris Martin and I have had many discussions with regards to the road, and I am thankful that things are now moving forward properly.
ReplyDeleteAl Rose
1624 Apple Creek Road
Thanks, Al....yep, that particular patch should have been addressed with the paver immediately, and we're now set up to handle things more prudently, thanks in large part to Chris' and John's hard work. Some people still drive irresponsibly fast on Apple Creek Road, and that sadly probably won't change.
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