The photo above gives you a feel of the roadways in and around Highlands. The good news is, the Town has another electric crew on the way from Connecticut, who will be helping with the effort of restoring power. There is a slight chance by 5:00PM, that the Main St. Business District will be up and running. However, as of 3:00PM, Duke Power has yet to restore power to the substations in Highlands. I met with the Mayor at the Club today and he is urging everyone to remain patient. Everyone from the Town's electric crew to the fireman, are doing all they can to keep everyone safe and up to speed.
Here are a couple other photos I had of the damage on the course. We are tentatively set to reopen tomorrow even though it is a little premature. Greens were mowed today for the 1st time since last Wednesday. Expectations must remain in check. It is so wet after the 22" of rain. It will be cart path only for the next few days at a minimum. Several fairways, like #9, have springs popping up that will also require repair in the future.
This massive pile of debris is sitting at the top of #14. Our chipper broke down and we are doing everything we can to repair it. Once it is fixed, we will be working hard to get this pile chipped and out of site. If there are any questions you have, feel free to email me at bstiehler@highlandscountryclub.com. I'm checking my email 2x a day at the HFD, so please be patient waiting on a response. Thank you! Check back daily for more golf course updates and Town of Highlands updates. I will continue to post everything I know.
The following roads remain open to Highlands: the Gorge Road, Buck Creek Rd and Highway 28 from Walhalla. Dillard Road will be closed for a couple more weeks for repairs. The road between Highlands and Cashiers is passable as well. The DOT website says Dillard Rd will be repaired by October 4th. However, I wouldn't believe that as they haven't started working on it, to my knowledge. Gas companies, delivering propane are finally out and about. Wilson Gas, Freeman Gas are both making deliveries. I have not seen any Tugalo Gas trucks out but that doesn't mean they aren't. Let me conclude by saying patience in a lot of people in town is wearing thin. Kindness goes a long way in getting results for whatever it is you're in need of. The Highlands entitlement factor has reached an all time high. Many employees are having drive times that are 3x longer than usual to get to work. With 106 closed, those who live in Scaly Mountain are forced to drive to Franklin and then come up the gorge. With power out, the gas stations are out of commission and the most reliable town to fuel your vehicle is Clayton, GA. I would also be prepared for a temporary fuel shortage in the region in the coming weeks. More to come tomorrow...Stay safe!