Internal Roads & Parking Lot:
The internal roads and parking lot are 99% completed. Bethune Construction has done a marvelous job for us and we are excited that we will continue to work with them on some other key aspects of the project like our septic system and water infrastructure. Danny and his team are hardworking, positive people and they really fit right in around here. We really struggled with the parking lot at first as we had to cut into the side of the hill so much that we ended up with a wall almost 20 feet tall. Danny & Rebecca (his lovely wife and biz partner) put their heads together and came up with several options for us. We finally settled on a sloped terrace approach with the bottom terrace secured by stone and the upper terrace planted with grass. I believe this will be the best solution for us for years to come and saved a ton of money, which I really like!
We chose to stick with the red clay gravel feel for the easement road up to the parking lot, but selected a different material called crusher run for the lot itself and the interior roads. Since it is a gray color it really sets the roads off from the surrounding landscape and makes them standout!
We'll give you a peak at those next time! Rhonda has already started the fun step of naming all of our roads too, so stay tuned for the final name selections. I think they are going to really help to establish the identity of this beautiful piece of property.
Utilities:
When we started, we were faced with the challenge of getting electricity out to the property since it's undeveloped land. The original plan was to bring it off Agricola Road and all the way down the easement road. The cost was going to be very steep and it also would have meant telephone poles all the way down the side of the road which would have changed the “feel” as you approached the resort. When we found out that the 24 acre parcel across the creek was available we decided that we really needed to buy it for two big reasons. First, it gave us control over both banks of the creek all along the critical stretch where we are doing most of the development. Maintaining the natural feel and the great view is very important to us. Secondly, it will allow us to access power from the Highway 49 frontage of the new parcel and only run it a fraction of the distance that we faced coming down the easement road. Once Alabama Power verified that they would deliver the service across the creek, it was a no brainer! The required utility easement is completed, and APC has just started the work to get the poles set and the service across the creek. I can’t wait to see how they do it!
Our water is still a bit of a challenge, although we are now pursuing access to city water instead of digging wells. Stay tuned for more details on how this turns out.
I am bursting to tell you everything, but I want to save a few more juicy details for the next blog, so please hang in there with us and keep checking out the website for more news!!