Let me start off by saying that I speak for the entire board, when I say that we are so happy that 2024 is over! Needless to say, it was a frustrating year that brought about plenty of unforeseen expenses and projects that led to us shelfing planned upgrades and enhancements for the community.
Fortunately, ‘most’ of those expenses have been absorbed and we can finally focus on 2025. The board doesn’t feel too confident that Greenville County is going to return anytime soon to complete the debris cleanup at the entrance of the community. Once the weather breaks, we will more than likely contract a dumpster to be delivered and seek some additional volunteers to assist in relocating the debris to the dumpster for removal. We are also still working through some bids to cleanup the remaining stumps at the pool parking lot entrance, the goal is to have that completed prior in early spring prior to the pool opening.
Our biggest priority for the coming year will be addressing the retention pond issues that have been compounding over the past several years. The good news, is while a sink hole did develop near the drainage pipe in the pond behind Grand River, it hasn’t gotten any worse since it was discovered a year ago. We are currently reviewing bids to repair the hole as well as address the removal of the problematic beaver dam. We currently expect this project to cost around $4500. The Pool parking lot remains a focus of the Bridgewater Board since we did not have the funds in 2024 to reseal and re-strip the lot, we are optimistic that we can fulfill this need in 2025.
Other upgrades that we are currently looking at include:
-Painting both bathroom floors at the pool.
-Adding a step-down handrail leading into the splash deck of the community pool.
-Working with Duke Energy to upgrade the sodium vapor street lights to LED
-Adding a small children’s playground area to the community space near the pool
-Installing a Neighborhood Library Box
Aside from that, the board also has a plan in place to enforce overnight parking violations beginning February 1, 2025. On street parking is an ongoing issue and the board received multiple notices from the county about our lack of accessibility for emergency vehicles in our community over last year. Per our covenants, on-street parking is restricted overnight in Bridgewater and limited to 4 hours during the day. Vehicles in violation of overnight parking will receive a warning sticker placed on the window of their vehicle and will be subject to a tow at their expense. Vehicles in violation of on-street parking during the day will continue to receive fines directly from the property management group.
Finally, expect to receive additional communication soon about our annual meeting, set to be held in March. This boards term completion is up for renewal/replacement on April 1st. While not all of us have committed to another term, many of the members would be honored to serve this community for another two years. We are also open to anyone else who would like to serve on the board as well. If you would like to nominate yourself or a neighbor, please keep in mind Board members must be homeowners (not renters) and be in good standing with the HOA (which includes zero balances with fines and dues). Please feel free to reach out to any of the current board members for additional questions.
