There's a buck at the end...
Trail Report, September 2024 by David Ivin
Dave Barnett asked David Ivin and Dave Gartman to work with the trail team on a new Navy Trail this summer while he was away. The new trail is almost complete and is available for hiking now. It is currently marked with flags and we are in the process of putting up permanent marking which will be light blue to make them more visible.
The trail begins at Katie’s bridge on the Red Trail which is about .7 miles up the Red Trail from Roaming Rd. It extends about 2.3 miles and ends at the Pink Trail. The trail is moderate to strenuous and goes below the Bear Mountain rock face. Since many people like to walk loops we added a tenth of a mile connection from the midpoint of the Navy Trail to the Red Trail. This allows for a 3 mile loop from Roaming Rd along the Red Trail to the Navy Trail to the connector back to the Red Trail and back to Roaming Rd. There is another approximately 3 mile loop starting at the Pink Trail to the Navy Trail to the connector to the Red Trail to the Green Trail to Trailhead Way. The new trail and the connector will be put on the trail map as soon as we can finish the mapping process.
Many volunteers participated in this project including Mike Davis, Rusty Hampton, Jennifer Price, Sally Alvis, Mark Cheadle, Grant Campbell and Dave Fowler. Their work was greatly appreciated.
Cellphone Service Update- report 9.13.2024 by Allen Dobson
The county has continued to work to improve cellphone coverage in the county by meeting with phone companies and cell tower providers.
In my meetings with the county, I have continued to advocate for the need for better cell service because of public safety concerns in our area of the county.
As of Sept. 9, 2024, I can confirm that a location for a new cell tower in our area has been secured and a lease is in place by a cell tower provider. (it is not in the conservancy). Negotiations are currently underway with Duke Power for power to the secured site. While the exact location is not public, its location should provide greatly enhanced service to the entire Cashiers/Glenville area. We are told it will provide much improved service to Chinquapin; however, the engineering study has not been completed as of our meeting to find out if we will have any areas still having less than optimal coverage. This is only the first step in the process. Agreements must be secured for several cellphone carriers to lease the tower for their network, and all regulatory permits must be secured before the tower can be built.
The timing of construction and go live is still to be determined. It will likely be 18-24 months. Fingers crossed, it could be sooner. The county remains committed to this effort and have been very responsive.
What can you do? Contact your cell phone carrier and encourage them to participate and emphasize the need in our area. Remember when you talk to them, it is not just a convenience, but a public safety need, and though your account may be elsewhere, you have property and spend time here.
I will let you know of updates to this information.
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