ROAD/DAM REPAIR UPDATES
March 25, 2026
At its monthly meeting on March 2, the BLPOA Board of Directors unanimously agreed to enter into a contract with Alpha & Omega Group (A&O) to provide engineering and project management services to the Beechwood Lakes Property Owners Association for the road and dam repair project. The approval was contingent on a lawyer's successful review of the contracts. April Gremillion, Attorney with the Van Winkle Law Firm in Asheville, provided the contract analysis and review. Based on her recommendations, one additional contract clause was negotiated with A&O and resolved quickly. On Monday, March 23, I signed the agreement with Alpha & Omega.
The following companies will be working with A&O on the project:
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ECS Southeast, LLC, providing subsurface exploration and geotechnical engineering evaluation;
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Withers Ravenel, overseeing 404/401 permitting
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Ed Holmes & Associates, handling topographic and bathymetric surveys.
These companies will be subcontractors to A&O, allowing a single point of contact for the association and relieving the board of much of the project management responsibilities. The A&O project manager assigned to our project will provide weekly email updates and monthly on-site visits.
It has taken a long time to get to this stage – longer than anyone associated with the project wanted. On multiple occasions, the board was forced to dig deeper into contract details, balancing an expedited solution with careful financial responsibility. On more than one occasion, the board sought to clarify contract details and/or negotiate a better position for the association. We feel that we have negotiated a good agreement and are eager to move forward with Alpha & Omega Group.
Even though the agreement has been signed, don’t expect to see a backhoe on the road in the next few days. According to the project plan provided by A&O, 23 tasks must be completed before construction can start. Many of these tasks can be done simultaneously; others must be done in sequence. Tasks that can begin soon include hazard classification, bathymetric survey, utility coordination, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis, site assessment, and geotechnical investigation. There is still a long way to go, and you can expect some bumps along the way. And yes, those puns were intentional.
In the coming weeks and months, we know you will have questions about the project progress and the impact on the neighborhood and your lives. Rather than asking questions through the Beechwood Lakes group on Facebook, please submit questions through the Contact Us form on Beechwood Lakes Community Website. Questions submitted through the website are delivered immediately to a board member, who will then distribute the message to the appropriate board member for a response. Facebook group postings are not monitored as closely and can delay a response. All responses will be sent to the questioner’s email, and we will do our best to respond within a few days, even if the response is to acknowledge your question and that we are researching the answer. Questions and answers of general interest and benefit to the entire community will also be posted on the Dam Updates page of the community website and on the Beechwood Lakes group Facebook page.
Beginning in April, expect a monthly newsletter with updates on the dam and road project, as well as other community news. The newsletter will be distributed via email around the middle of the month. If you have not signed up to receive electronic newsletter updates, please follow this link to subscribe.
I am sincerely grateful to current and former board members for their contributions to this effort, to the individuals who researched various avenues for funding the repair work, to the folks who worked with FEMA to distribute funds to qualified individuals, and to the individuals and families who contributed to this project. No matter whether you contributed a little or a lot, you are part of the solution. And to all community members, whether directly or indirectly affected, my sincere thanks for your understanding and your patience.
Larry Moore, President
BLPOA Board of Directors