New Developments

Hello fellow RiverBend owners. Several new developments deserve mention in a new post. I encourage you to post comments, and these will be uploaded quickly.

1. Deer hunters are scouting the property in anticipation of the fall season. These have been seen by several individuals on 4 wheelers with baiting devices and corn. Mr. Dave Watts has leased property to several NC State Students for hunting this fall on a one year trial basis. In some ways this is favorable because it will draw a line between the poachers and the legal hunters with contracts and insurance. They may be able to actually monitor the property more effectively than we can at a distance. It is possible that some of the others seen on the property are not part of this group. This leasing raises several important questions. Do the hunters understand that they have leased only the portion of the property owned by Dave? Are they aware of the individual property boundaries? What are the rules they are working under related to construction of stands? Have they been informed that some other property owners do not want hunting on their land and that these owners may be on the property exploring, hiking or working?

2. Timber and Mineral rights mailings have been received by RB owners as well as many others in the vicinity. If you attended the meeting on June 16th on this please report back to the owners. As we all know, no RB owners have timber or mineral rights with their land. It is important to stay informed on these developments however, because poaching of both timber and mineral resources is a well known phenomenon.

3. Vandalism has been experienced by several owners including Mr. Watts. Some of these acts have been relatively minor and some have been expensive. Some have been violent and destructive. It is important to report your experiences to determine if a pattern of acts is occurring that needs more attention. Local police may not be interested in responding to reports from unoccupied and unmonitored property far from the city limits. I have not heard of any threats or acts of personal injury.

4. Roadway deterioration is progressing. As you all know, we are required to pay $400 per year for roadway maintenance. However, this has not been collected or used for several years. We need to develop a consensus on road maintenance and documentation of use of those funds for the peace of mind of the RB owners. Also, it is difficult to pay a road fee if road repairs mostly benefit persons using the property illegally. Two property owners are considering construction soon and construction vehicle traffic will increase.

5. Property security seems to be a high priority in view of the issues that we are experiencing. We should consider our needs for personal safety, security of our small pieces of this unique land, safety of construction materials etc. I personally feel that a secure entrance is critical. This should be done before any road improvement or building construction. It should be completed before September to limit hunting traffic. All owners and individuals with a legal right to be on the property should have a key or pass code.

Please post your ideas on these or other issues. If you are not a "poster" because of privacy or other concerns please email me individually at dgremill@gmail.com.

DG