Latest Info as of monday October 6, 2025

Our application for a FEMA Grant has been denied.

Background:

About 20 months ago we applied for a FEMA Grant to help finance in a 65%/35% split for remediation of Dam # 2, known as POLK-039. 

All was well until 6 weeks ago when we were notified that we did not qualify as nonprofit because we were not a 501(c)3 or 501(c)4 type organization. 

We are classified as a nonprofit under Internal Revenue Code Schedule 528. Schedule 528 was organized by the IRS about 50 years ago for the POA, COA and HOA's of the USA. It is simplified filing to keep the paperwork down when compared to the 501(c)4 filings. Therefore, we have been using IRC Schedule 528 for almost 50 years of tax filing as a nonprofit.
 

Additional Background:

Earlier this year we applied for and were granted an SBA Helene Recovery Loan for $46K to help pay for repair of Hemlock Trail. We used our Schedule 528 as a nonprofit to qualify for this loan. This loan will be paid at the end of this year. The loan enabled our cash flow in a very tight time. All is well now and we can repay the loan with no problem. So the SBA recognizes our IRS nonprofit qualification.

Current Scenario:

Strangely FEMA does not recognize the IRS Schedule 528 as a qualifier for nonprofit status for this grant. Well, you may ask, why not apply for a 501(c)4 status? Answer; we do not qualify for 501(c)4 and we don't want to go there either.
 

Our Actions:

We have not been sitting idly by watching this unfold. No Sir! Six weeks ago we activated the political side getting our Congressman Tim Moore involved in a solution. For almost two months we have had a continuing dialoque with his office. And they really went to bat for us... big time. Albeit our nonprofit status was obvious to all, but the FEMA Bureaucrats, FEMA reviewed our appeal via the Congressman's office and denied our application.

Bottom Line:

Our Dam remediation program schedule and our revenue stream are synchronized. We can afford to pay for the remediation of POLK-039 on our own. Although other ambitions and plans will take a rear seat to this requirement. It was good that we raise the annual fee. It saved us an untimely Special Assessment... thanks to all members for that good decision.

Property owner and active local cyclist John Cash advises us that this years bycycle race will be Saturday Oct 18. You can expect them to arrive about 9:30AM. 

The 50 Mile rest/food/and repair station is at Unit D of The Brow, as usual. 

UPDATED: July 28 from original July 19 posting:

An intense lighting/thunderstorm struck the mountain on Saturday July 19, 2025 about 4:45PM. There were multiple strikes all over the mountain for a few minutes. Four of the strikes were documented over the following week. In no particular order: 

First, A bolt stuck near a home at intersection of WOM Rd and Serpentine. It took out the well and did other electronic damage. 

Second, the storm also struck a tree near the home at the end of Morning Ride Dr. It took out their well and home electronics. 

Third, the Columbus FD had responded to a home lighting strike in the Camp Skyuka area when, fourth, Linda Robison called in 911. Her home near the top of Morning Ride Dr. had sustained a lighting strike. It came in the telephone cable interface box, blew it out. Down into the basement and up a wall cavity between the laundry room and a downstairs bathroom. With the FD already on the mountain, they arrived with in a very short time and was able to minimize the potential destruction. Linda is well and with good company.

Many homeowners in the Association display their house numbers using custom made signage. These thematic custom house number signs are often dark color and do not stand out. 

Consider augmenting the nice custom sign with a Blue or Green 911 sign beside the entrance to your driveway. 

Medical emergencies happen on our mountain. Let's help the First Responders find the right home, with certainty, for a medical emergency. Using the standard 911 sign will enable First Responders to turn at the home's driveway in bad weather and nights of very poor visibility. 

Consider joining your other WOMA neighbors who show the "911 sign" in helping First Responders. A Win-Win scenario.

Amazon and other internet retailers offer these at a reasonable price.

The WOMA Outdoor Fires and Fire Pit Policy has been published. You can find it at the Documentation-Contact Page

Starting around March 19, 2025 the fire situation in the Green River Valley grew rapidly. It was very alarming to view down from Sunset Rock, through the rising smoke, to see the flaming fireline eating the forest slightly more than 1 mile away.

5 things you can do as a property owner to protect your investment.

First, clear everything that is combustible 5 feet away from the base of your home: No mulch, No pine straw, No rhododendrons, No mountain laurel. 

Second, install hardscape nonflammable protection around the first five feet (extending out) base your home.

Third, have drained garden hose with nozzle coiled at every spigot bib at your home.

Fourth, keep leaves from gathering under the porch and against any fencing. 

Fifth, install 1/8th inch mesh screen to keep embers from entering space below the porch.

A firefighter once stated that his best tool was a manpack air blower. It easily enables one to move combustibles away from a structure and control the fireline.

Download the Homeowner Risk Rating Checklist and the Fire Resistant Landscaping PDF

We need to protect our fellow property owners, who live on Narrows Court. The access road and property has been inviting to outliers and trespassers who are using The Park at night as Lovers Lane.

We have installed a combination cable lock on the wooden gate that goes to The Park. We have also placed a QR code on the gate that will link you to the Property Owners Page where you can retrieve the code. 

Good news came to WOMA this week. Back in December the Board made an application for a Small Business Administration Hurricane Helene Disaster Loan. We closed the loan, January 24, 2025. It was approved for the $46,000 which we requested. Even better news is that we have 12 months before the first payment. The loan process was relatively easy, the SBA customer relationship was excellent, and the entire online loan application system worked seamlessly.

So, now as we start 2025 the Association is in a better fiscal posture. This SBA loan conserves and protects our rather small reserves until the 2025 annual regime fees are paid. We can easily contract/pay for Carney Engineering to repair Helene damage to Hemlock Trail and defer the repayment for 12 months. At the end of the 12 months, we will then liquidate the SBA debt.

We now have have free money for a year thanks to the SBA’s disaster recovery loan program. That is good news for all property owners. 

Ms. Jennifer Hargett was sworn in as County Commissioner on December 2, 2024. Jennifer and husband Chuck Noffke are property owners and full-time residents of our Association. 

Congratulation to our good neighbor and great success as Commissioner!

Jennifer can be reached:

jhargett@polknc.org

Since we are a private organization and own the ponds NC Wildlife provides us the authority to specify daily catch/creel limit for all species of fish.

Therefore our Fishing Regulation applies, as granted by NC Wildlife Resources Commission. 

The Association owns the land that the ponds occupy, however the State owns the water. We buy and stock fish, the State's Wildlife Enforcement Officers exercise law enforcement of daily catch.

For Large and Smallmouth Bass and Sunfish: 

NC State daily catch limits apply for WOMA fishing. 

For Trout: 

From Nov 1 to Mar 31 - sport fishing, catch and release, No Catch.

 From Apr 1 to Summer the Creel Limit is 2 per day per fisherman

For Carp: 

No Catch 

The Purple Stripes you see around our ponds is the universal color for posting No Trespassing and that land and our waters are private. That gives NC Wildlife Law Enforcement the ability to write a Citation, on the spot, to Poachers. A typical fine could be $175 for Poaching.

As of October 6, 2025 we have 121 participants in this closed group texting system. Simple... we see something, we notify others, as good neighbors and caring mountain citizens. 

This system is proven and works. Provides Fast Reporting to the community 

• To Report a Serious Incident
• To Report Suspicious Activity to the Community
• To Report Downed Lines and Road Slides
• To Report "Concerning Bear or other Wildlife Activity" and Poachers (fish or ginseng)
• To Announce Lost/Found Pets
• To Ask for Assistance in Bad Weather
• To Ask for Advice.

Not a Social Media platform, no sales of goods or services or commentary adverse to the purpose of this Community Concerns notification system.

Very Quick to Get set up in GroupMe:

1. Download the “GroupMe” App from your App store to your iPhone or Android phone, or even to your computer at www.groupme.com

2. Now Set up your account in the App.

This will require you to sign in via Facebook, Google, or other ways. 

NOTE: When you set up your account, it will automatically have the “Yes” Block checked to have access to YOUR CONTACTS. You Do NOT have to “Check” that box to have the account. You may uncheck it.

3. Once you have your account come Join the “Community Concerns – WOMA” Group. 

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