Carlos “Cuban” Café on Cheery Road in Rock Hill has closed but the restaurant is moving and reopening in Tega Cay at the Stonecrest Shopping center of Hwy 160. An article in the Herald today states Carlos Café is closing and moving to Tega Cay because the restaurant ran out of space at their location in Rock Hill.

The Restaurants’ Facebook page describes the restaurant as

“Family owned Cuban Restaurant, Carlos Cafe, was created to give the Carolinas’ palette an authentic taste of Cuba! Cuban food is a fusion of flavorful spices of Spanish, African and Caribbean cuisines. The owners of Carlos Cafe are bringing a piece of Cuba’s heritage, flavors and culture with their small eatery in a big way! Inspired by Cuba…Made in the U.S.A.”

Some of the items on their menu are; Roast Chicken, Cuban Beef Hash, Sliders (Cuban Burgers – Fritas), Yuengs and Wings,Cuban Pizzas, Cuban Sandwich, Steak Sandwich…more

Their Facebook photo post yesterday said

It is with bitter-sweet emotions that we announce the closing of Carlos Cafe in the Love’s Plaza in Rock Hill, SC. Our last day of operation is today, Thursday, 4/12/2012. We take with us fond and wonderful memories and we feel blessed and grateful for the warm welcome and support we received from our customers in the last four years. The Carlos Cafe family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts.

The good news is that on the early part of May 2012, we will be opening and relocating Carlos Cafe Cuban Cuisine Restaurant to the Tega Cay/Fort Mill area, and this new space will feature the best aspects of our previous space with some new elements to surprise our customers!

The new and improved Carlos Cafe has a much larger dining area with a full service bar, as well as an outdoor seating area to enjoy your Cuban meals, drinks and cigars. The new space will afford us the opportunity to provide events such as live music, DJ’s, open mic and Kareoke nights, salsa lessons, dancing and much more. We will be open seven days and serving our traditional Cuban cuisine as well as adding a few new Florida treats…

Carlos Cafe Facebook Page Link

The new Carlos Cafe Cuban Cuisine Restaurant is currently being upfitted and it is located in the Stonecrest Shopping Plaza by the Super-Walmart on Hwy 160 and the address is 1135 Stonecrest Blvd., Tega Cay, SC 29708.

The City of Tega Cay announced Charlotte, N.C.-based Senior Living Communities will construct a $30 million premier retirement community, named Wellmore, in the Stonecrest Development located on SC Highway 160 near Wal-Mart. The community is expected to create nearly 130 local jobs in health care and management, with sitework and landscape design contracts awarded to local firms.

The Wellmore size is nearly 130,000 square feet, with residential accommodations and a 25,000-square-foot-clubhouse and wellness center. Senior Living Communities hopes to begin construction as early as July 2012 and open the community in January 2014. 

The Tega Cay center will offer skilled-care, Alzheimer’s care, rehabilitation services and two levels of assisted-living units.

Before the Wellmore can be built, Senior Living Communities must apply for a Certificate of Need to operate skilled nursing services with the SC DHEC.

The preliminary November 8 2011 Tega Cay election results show Ron Kirby and Chris Larsen securing the 2 available Tega Cay City Council seats. Out of 5,896 register voters in Tega Cay, approximately 13% voted Tuesday. Greg Rogers, who ran in the last Tega Cay election for city council came up at least 167 votes short to win a city council.

Both Cris Larsen and Ron Kirby are not new to the Tega Cay City Council. Chris Larsen is currently on the city council and Ron Kirby has served on the council in prior years and is filling John Dervay seat which expires in January.

Pictured are Tega Cay homes recently sold or pending by Century 21 First Choice Realtor Carmen Miller. Over 100+ homes have sold in Tega Cay this year. Our area home market is seeing approximately a 40+% decrease in inventory of homes listed for sale compared to last year at the same time.

Tega Cay homes priced under $300,000 are selling in under 90 days on the market and averging 95% list to sales price ratio.

Thinking of selling but need more information? I would be happy to meet with you and give you specific market information as it applies to your home!

The Carolina Show Ski team based in Tega Cay has been entertaining us with ski shows in Tega Cay for many years. The water ski team is now asking for your help and support at the Oct 17  Tega Cay City Council meeting. The team is seeking approval for the construction of a ski ramp and performance platform near Windjammer Park.

Please read CSST President Russ Frase letter below asking for your suopport and attendance on Oct 17th. 

Carolina Show Ski Team and Supporters,

We need your attendance and support this Monday evening, October 17th, 7:00 pm at the Glennon Center (beside the Club House/Water Tower). A discussion about the Performance Platforms and Jump Ramp are on the agenda. After 2 ½ years, we are in the final stage of our permit process with the Army Corp of Engineers, Duke then to FERC for final approval. This process may be completed by mid December. Currently, the performance platform/jump ramp is moored at the Commodore Club on the Rock Hill side of the main channel. These essential pieces of equipment have been towed across the main channel over 200 times.

This discussion at the City Council meeting will allow the CSST to review our 15 years in a very positive manner and review our liability insurance provided by USA Water Ski. You will have the opportunity to sign up to speak for 3 minutes. If during this discussion a motion is made/seconded and the vote indicates that the City will not allow us the opportunity to move forward with the performance platforms/jump ramp our Friday Night Ski Shows, Learn to Ski Days and our July 4th participation will end.

These capital improvements will be funded by CSST and built professionally. The performance platforms will be carpet with tie off cleats for the jump ramp only.

We have entertained thousands and taught hundreds to ski. We need all of your support Monday Evening.

Thank you,

P.S. If you are unable to attend please e-mail the Tega Cay City Council and ask that they give us their continued support and allow us to move forward with the new performance docks/jump ramp.

See diagrams of the Ramp and Platform

4-Platform 2 with ramp

3-Platform 1

The Tega Cay City Council has approved Dennis Pieper as Tega Cay’s new City Manager. Mr Pieper was one of three possible candidates being considered by the city council. He was a town administrator for Summerville SC. He has 18 years of management experience in county and municipal government.

Tega Cay’s Mayor Sheppard sent out the following letter about the appoitment of Dennis Piper;

After a 3 month City Manager search, I would like you to join me in welcoming our new City Manager Dennis Pieper! On Friday Night, August 26, Council approved Dennis as our new City Manger. He will be joining us on Monday, September 12th.

Before I wish you all a Happy Labor Day, I would like to take a moment to thank my fellow council members who worked very hard to get us a new City Manager. Council created a new job description for the position, spent many late nights and weekends reviewing and sorting over 70 resume’s, made phone calls and interviewed various candidates to find the right match for Tega Cay. As you may have heard we received resume’s from around the Country which I believe is a testament to the great community we live in. Who wouldn’t want to come live and work in the great city of Tega Cay? So, to all of you, I wish a restful and safe Labor Day weekend. I know I will be relaxing with the knowledge that Dennis will be on board in less than 2 weeks!

In Today’s Septemenbt city letter, Dennis Pieper had the following note for the City Manager Minute:

First, I would like to thank the Mayor and the Councilmember’s for the confidence they have shown and for giving me the opportunity to serve you. As a team, the staff and I will work diligently to maintain the unique character and the beauty of the City while aggressively addressing the challenges.

I have received a warm “welcome” from many of the residents in the community. I look forward to working with the dedicated staff and getting to know you.

My background includes both City and County management including many years at a public utility. “The Good Life” Tega Cay offers makes this transition much easier and I will begin serving as your new City Manager on September 12th.

I would also like to wish Grant Duffield and his family the very best with their new endeavors. Thank you and I will see you soon!

The restaurant and bar facility at the Tega Cay Golf and Conference Center has reopened. The restaurant is called Casual Water at Tega Cay and the bar and grill is called the Drop and the Drink Bar and Grille. The Mike Frost Group was awarded a 5 year contract by the city of Tega Cay to reopen the facility in May 2011.

Carmen, Camden and I decided to give the reopened restaurant a try last Friday night. We walked into the main restaurant Casual Water’s and found it about 50% full on Friday about 7:30 pm. There was a new buzz of activity with several waiters on staff. We elected to sit on the patio outside the restaurant between the Bar and Grille and the restaurant since the main restaurant’s room temperature was too cold.

We first looked over the main menu showing steaks, seafood, and pork chops. Since we were not hungry enough for a large meal (I recall prices ranged between $13 to $25), we elected to pick from the Drop’s Bar and Grill menu showing appetizers, sandwiches, and burgers ( price of sandwiches were about $9). Overall, the service was friendly and the food was good. It was nice to see a renewed energy in both the restaurant and bar and grill. A new outside deck was recently constructed on the right side of the Bar and Grille facility. All tables where full and the rope lights lining the decks perimeter was a nice touch especially at dusk. We would recommend giving the new restaurant or bar and grill a try!

The Drop is open 11 am to 11 pm M-Sat and open till 10 pm Sunday. Try it for lunch or dinner.

When you enter The City of Tega Cay, one of the first things you see is a welcome to Tega Cay sign on the left side of Tega Cay Drive.  Soon you’ll also see the Living Memorial Gardens.  A sign marking and announcing the Living Memorial Gardens was posted last week at the entrance of Lakeshore subdivision on Shoreline Parkway.

Tega Cay’s Beautification Committee has planned and is promoting the new city garden. The Living Memorial Gardens will include sidewalks and paths that meander through a variety of picturesque gardens, ornamental trees, shrubs, grasses and structures. Boulders, twenty benches and three bench swings will dot the grounds.

Gardens located in various areas will include a Veteran’s Memorial Garden, Children’s Rock Garden, Butterfly Garden, Shade Garden, Herb Garden, Rain Garden and Rose Garden.

The sidewalks will be lined with approximately 1,500 laser inscribed pavers, which will memorialize people or organizations chosen by their donators. The individual gardens, trees, benches, and bench swings are available for donators to display a bronze plaque or laser inscribed bricks.

The Beautification Committee is soliciting sponsorships and the opportunity to purchase garden elements like laser inscribed bricks, benches with plaques, trees etc. See the brochure and website for more details.

A ground breaking ceremony is planned to kick off Memorial Day weekend Friday May 27, 2011.

Map from "Bing's" Birds Eye View

In February 2011 The City of Tega Cay received approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Duke Energy of the Carolinas, LLC to construct and operate a 32 slip Marina Facility on Lake Wylie in Tega Cay, South Carolina. On April 15 2011, the city issued a request for information (RFI) to interested parties for advice or information for the construction and management of marina facilities. Link to Hidden Harbor Marina RFI

The proposed marina is in the location of the old removed Hidden Harbor Marina located near the Tega Cay Beach and Swim Club. If you remember, the council voted no after heavy local resident opposition to this proposed Marina in July 2008. (Read Tega Cay Votes No To Lake Shore Marina).

Besides increased traffic, one of the concerns in 2008 was a use restriction that did not allow “bordering residents” Lakeshore residents to use the marina. The February 2011 FERC lease authorization classifies the marina as a “True Public Marina” as long as specified conditions are met. One can speculate the restriction for non bordering residents use of the marina would not apply in this current approval document.

The city’s RFI makes it clear to responders their request is not a solicitation for a proposal or to form a binding contract. The submitted information would be used for planning purposes. The RFI is due May 16th 2011. I would suspect that sometime in May or June the marina subject will pop back up in a city council meeting.

Are you for or against a new Tega Cay marina?

As another step toward better communication with Tega Cay residents, the City of Tega Cay rolled out their new website including combining all of their departments websites into one new website. The website is by CivicPlus based in Manhattan Kansas who specializes in “next generation” city, county, state and school websites”. The new site went live last Friday.

Here is what Mayor George Sheppard has to say about the City’s new website communication tool:

We have updated the website because the previous site just had too many limitations. With the new website we are able to stream Council meetings for those who don’t have channel 19 or are unable to attend meetings (they are not live, but they are there!). The calendar feature is also an exciting new tool; any resident can sign up to receive alerts of City functions. Once signed up residents will have the option to receive an email or a message to their cell phone reminding them of upcoming events.

I feel this website is another great example of the steps of transparency and council’s willingness to communicate with the resident’s.

Visit the new website with the same URL: www.tegacaysc.org.

Please note that all email addresses at the Admin Office and Development Services office have changed. They are now the staff member’s first initial followed by their last name @tegacay.com (ex. cfunderburk@tegacay.com). Please delete the @tegacay.org addresses from your contact lists.

Regards,

George Sheppard

Mayor, City of Tega Cay, SC

I would say the new website is easy to navigate and read. If you would like to sign up for city notifications here is a direct link tegacaysc.org/list.aspx.

You can also sign up for a city Constant Contact email along with the city notifications.

Don’t forget to join Tega Cay’s Face Book Groupfor you hardcore Facebook users.

What’s your opinion of the new website?

How is city doing on keeping the Tega Cay residents informed?

The Fort Mill School District has recently changed the enrollment freeze for Gold Hill Elementary School. The school board has voted to keep the freeze in place with the following exceptions:

Students who live in the Gold Hill Elementary School area but are now attending Springfield Elementary school will go to Gold Hill next year 2010-2011 school year.

The enrollment freeze for Gold Hill Elementary will be back in place beginning June 3rd 2010. New students who live in the Gold Hill Elementary area after June 3rd 2010 will go to Riverview Elementary.

If you are thinking about relocating to Tega Cay and want your kids to attend Gold Hill Elementary, now is the time to make the change before June 3rd 2010.

For updates and possible changes to the Gold Hill Enrollment Freeze visit the Fort Mill School District Website

I have a couple of Tega Cay news announcements I wanted to pass on to you this week. One is about write-in City Council candidate Chris Larsen and a new Tega Cay waterfront homes website.

News Annoucement One:

Tega Cay’s special election is Feb 9th to fill the empty city council seat. You may have seen new “vote for…” signs in Tega Cay recently. Currently, the two Tega Cay city council candidates that are officially on the ballot are Doug Collins and John Dervay. But there is a third candidiate asking you to vote for him via a write- in.

Who is Chris Larsen? Long time Tega Cay resident Eric Hillman has asked Scott and I to pass on more info about write-in city council candidate Chris Larsen. Scott has posted details sent to us by Eric at www.seetegacay.com. Here is a link to the Chris Larsen post and flyer CHRIS LARSEN WRITE – IN VOTE For TEGA CAY CITY COUNCIL.

News Annoucement Two:

I am pleased to announce a new website for Tega Cay as an addition to my growing number of informative local websites. Scott and I launched yesterday www.tegacaywaterfronthomes.com. Currently the waterfront home featured on the new website is 1980 Newberry LN Tega Cay, SC 29708 in the Lake Shore Subdivision. Take a look and let us know what you think of the new website.

The City of Tega Cay and the Tega Cay Golf Club had a huge announcement this week. The Tega Cay Golf Club and Course has been added as a location for future LPGA events. A scheduled event has not yet been officially announced but the city speculates the first Ladies Professional Golf Association event may come as soon as Fall 2010.

UPDATE FEB 2010 with not so good news – See the following post http://seetegacay.com/tega-cay/mayor-sheppards-letter-on-the-lpga/

This is a very positive announcement for Tega Cay and Fort Mill SC.  Besides economically benefiting our area during the event, all of the Tega Cay home owners on the golf course will have a great seat to watch the LPGA event . Here is the press release from the City of Tega Cay:

LPGA Tour Coming to Tega Cay

The City Council of the City of Tega Cay is pleased to announce that it is in negotiation with Special Events Unlimited (SEU) to bring an officially sanctioned Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) event to Tega Cay. Following numerous visits to Tega Cay by LPGA officials, the LPGA has selected the Tega Cay Golf Club as an official tour event site for the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons. While specific dates and title sponsors are yet to be announced, initial plans call for a full field of professional golfers to compete for a total purse of over 1.1 million dollars in the Fall of 2010.

“This is a great opportunity for the City of Tega Cay, York County and the State of South Carolina” says Tega Cay City Manager Grant Duffield. “The initial projections show a several million dollar impact to our local economy”. Duffield says that the biggest beneficiaries of this event will be volunteer organizations in the area. “Our local charities will receive a portion of $200,000 for their charity”.

SEU President Tommy Stines states that the LPGA is extremely excited about the Tega Cay venue, describing the course and conference facilities as ideal for the event. Stines says that “The Golf Channel will be televising the 4 day event. In addition there will be a Celebrity/am Tournament hosted by Tarheel basketball great James Worthy, as well as a traditional pre-tournament pro/am”. With a field of 144 well recognized

professional golfers, Stines says he envisions the tournament will quickly become a mainstay on the LPGA schedule. “We anticipate this Tournament getting bigger and better every year”.

A year has passed since our last article on Lake Ridge at Tega Cay. There have been changes to the master planned home community. So what are the changes and has anything been built or going to be built in Lake Ridge at Tega Cay? Why hasn’t Toll Brothers built homes in Lake Ridge at Tega Cay yet?

To recap, Lake Ridge is a new home community in Tega Cay developed by Drake Capital LLC. Lake Ridge Tega Cay is a 435 acre master planned community with 150 acres of the 435 acres dedicated to planned parks, walking trails, and recreation. 75% of the planned new homes will be adjacent to a wooded conservation area.

Carmen and I toured the Lake Ridge area recently and spoke to the Drake Capital developer Jeff Leforce.  Here is a recap of Lake Ridge’s latest changes and progress.

The economy and recent changes in home buyer demands has affected the Lake Ridge community plans. There is  less demand for larger luxury estate type homes than a year ago. Toll Brothers, who had planned to build primarily estate type homes, decided to put a hold on their plans. Drake Capital decided to shift their focus to family type homes and lots for Lake Ridge.  Many of the originally planned 95 foot wide lots in the community have been changed to approximately 55 foot wide lots. Jeff with Drake said they plan to reserve a small portion of the community for estate type homes and lots.

Some of the basic site development infrastructure including streets and utilities have been constructed. The amenity center which includes the club house, pool, etc has been completed. The club is larger than planned, approximately 8,000 sq feet. The clubhouse size was expanded to accommodate the increased number of homes planned for the community. The clubhouse design is similar to a lake front lodge style with spacious rooms.

The most significant changes are the home builders. True Homes and DR Horton are now the two primary home builders in Lake Ridge at Tega Cay.

True Homes is a local Carolina based home builder. True Homes portion of Lake Ridge is Called Lake Ridge Commons. True Homes said their homes are in the 230,000 to 400,000 price range and 2,900 to 4,300 square feet. Two homes are currently under construction and should be completed by the end of August.

DR Horton, a well known national home builder, plans to build homes starting in the low $220,000 range with sizes in the 1,910 to 4,127 square foot range. Dr Horton plans to begin building homes by August.

An updated amenity list includes:

• Four planned pocket parks
• Four miles of paved walking trails.
• A 8,000 sq foot Timberlake-style clubhouse with:
  • five-lane competition pool and kiddie pool with water slide
  • two tennis courts
  • a multi-purpose court and a playground area
  • a grand gathering area around a fireplace
  • a party kitchen
  • a state-of-the-art fitness center,
  • Wi-fi connectivity
• Walking distance to the Catawba River
• Fort Mill Schools
• Just minutes south of Charlotte

We will be updating homesfortmill.com soon with detailed information about Lake Ridge and the homes that will be offered at lake Ridge.

In the meantime for more information about Lake Ridge at Tega Cay or details about True Homes or DR Horton Homes located in Lake Ridge at Tega Cay please contact:

July 4th 2009 in Tega Cay SC, even in the tough economic climate, will still be full of events, activities, and fun this year.

Tega Cay SC is a great small town just south of Charlotte on Lake Wylie. Not only does Tega Cay celebrate the anniversary of our Nation’s independence, Tega Cay citizens celebrate the birthday of Tega Cay’s city 1982 incorporation. If you think you are interested in relocating to Tega Cay, the 4th is a great time to visit and see what Tega Cay has to offer.

4th of July activities in Tega Cay include a land and boat parade, ski show, fish fry, an official birthday city birthday party, fireworks, and a dance just to name a few. Below are the details of the 4th of July in Tega Cay events and activities:

Tega Cay 4th of July Celebration: Event Schedule

Land Parade 9 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Tega Cay Drive

The land parade theme is “Tega Cay Anniversary” and is historically one of the longest (and

the most) in the south!

After the parade you can go to the Windjammer Party 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Windjammer Park

Events at Windjammer include:

Canoe Joust 11 a.m.- Noon

One partner steers, the other wields the joust to know your opponent into the water.

Boat Parade Arrives Windjammer at 12:30 p.m.

Ski Show1 p.m. – 2 p.m.

The award winning Carolina Ski Show Team displays their comedy, stunts, and athleticism in this annual favorite show which wraps up the Windjammer Party.

Lion’s Fish Fry 4:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Tega Cay Community Center

City Birthday Party 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Tega Cay Community Center

There is a Tega Cay birthday cake. The keynote speaker is Senator Wes Hays

Next is the Fireworks Display 9:30 p.m. at the Tega Cay Golf Clubhouse

Sit on the lawn at the clubhouse for a wonderful view of the annual fireworks display.

Finally – 4th of July Dance 10 p.m. – Midnight at the Phil Glennon Community Center

Dance the night away with live music.

Have a safe and happy 4th of July in Tega Cay or where ever you plan to celebrate the 4th of July!

The Carmen Miller from Century 21 First Choice  is having a mega open house event this Saturday June 27th 2009. You are invited to several spectacular homes for sale in Tega Cay, SC. The following are 4 open houses schedule for this Saturday June 27th.

• 1450 Finsbury- Lake Shore- 1:00- 3:00
• 2301 Pine Run- Lake Shore 12:00 – 2:00
• 12092 Spinnaker- Tega Cay- 12:00 – 2:00
• 5045 Suwarrow cir- Tega Cay- 12:00 – 2:00

1450 Finsbury Ln., Tega Cay, SC 29708 $459,900

Open House Saturday June 27, 2009 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

• Single Family
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 2 Full, 1 Half
• Square Feet: 3,100

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS BACKYARD PARADISE! No other home in the area will have this unique personal vacation spot. Custom Salt Water pool with rock waterfall, hot tub, heated and beautifully landscaped. Home has granite in kitchen and all baths, wrought iron dual stair cases, stacked stone fireplace, study, both formals, large mstr suite and too many other upgrades to list!

2301 Pine Run Tega Cay, SC 29708 -319,900

Open House Saturday June 27, 2009 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM

• Single Family
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 3
• Square Feet: 2,600

Beautifully maintained, Lillian Floyd home! Bright and sunny large kitchen with Corian counters, 42′ cabinetry, wonderful open floorplan with room for all! Guest suite and full bath on main, generous master suite on second level, with two additional bedrooms and bonus room. Huge level corner cul-de-sac lot. Beautiful neutral colors, wired for surround sound, full sprinkler system.

12092 Spinnaker DR Tega Cay, SC 29708 Heron Harbor – $257,600

Open House Saturday June 27, 2009 12:00 Noon to 2:00 PM

• Single-Family
• Total Heated SqFt: 1700 – 2100
• Bedrooms: 4
• Baths : 2 full, 1 half

Better than new, extensively remodeled home. New flooring throughout, beautiful hardwoods, slate and custom tile. New appliances, gorgeous master bath with whirlpool tub and seamless glass shower, designer fixtures and lighting. Custom built entertainment center, surround sound in great room, redesigned wrought iron staircase. Backyard has been completely landscaped, partial fencing.

5045 Suwarrow CIR Tega Cay, SC 29708 $234,800

Open House June 27, 2009 12:00 Noon to 2PM

New on the market and a Great buy! Wonderful home with a versatile floor plan. Updated kitchen, vaulted ceilings in family room, tile flooring in main living space, finished basement with second kitchen, second living area, bedroom, office and full bath! Great for in-laws or guests. Private wooded lot, storage shed/workroom, hot tub in enclosed building, two car garage and additional street parking.

Total Heated SqFt: 2503

Bedrooms: 4, 3 Batrhs

MLS 868635

Fort Mill School District

Come see these beautiful homes this Saturday!

Information Deemed Reliable But Not Guaranteed.

Call me with questions.

Connor McKemey is coming home to Tega Cay. Reid Lancaster who created and maintains Connor’s CaringBridge website has suggested posting red ribbons along the route to Connor’s home. See Reid’s May 3rd CaringBridge Journal request to local Tega Cay residents:

If you live in Tega Cay or Fort Mill, especially along Gold Hill Road or Shoreline Parkway we need your help. I want to give Connor a special welcome when he drives into town. It would be great for Connor to see many red ribbons on mailboxes, fences and businesses as he drives home. If you own a business or attend a church on Gold Hill, a message to Connor on your sign would be wonderful. His exact time of arrival is impossible to determine, so putting ribbons out and signs up Monday afternoon and Tuesday would be terrific!!!

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Reid

It’s hard to believe that Tega Cay, Fort Mill, Baxter Village, Lake Wylie, and other areas of York County have been under water restriction since mid Summer 2007.  Tega Cay has been following Stage 3 water restrictions since October 2007. The Tega Cay Council voted Monday to ease restrictions to Stage 1 voluntary restrictions. You now can water lawns, wash cars, pressure wash, etc with no limitations but are advised to voluntarily conserve water. The goal is to conserve 3 to 5% in overall water consumption.

I took a look at the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group’s Low Inflow Protocol advisory history list. Here is a drought stage timeline of our area:

• June 2007 Stage 0
• July 2007 Stage 1
• August 2007 Stage 2
• October 2007 Stage 3
• January 2009 Stage 2
• April 2009 Stage 1

Stage definintions:  There are 5 stages – from stage 0 (a watch) to stage 4 (emergency – where water supply is in critical situation).

Here is a link to the CW-DMAG April press release with their review and recommendations about the drought conditions.

The bottom of the release states: Rainfall: Through March 31, 2009′s rainfall over the basin has been about 2 inches below long-term averages. The National Weather Service is predicting above normal precipitation for April. May rainfall predictions are for below normal rainfall.

The Tega Cay City Council decided to delay changing the water restriction ordinance until they meet to discuss it again on October 20th.

Right now Tega Cay is still on a one day a week lawn watering restriction. My latest post on Oct 1 reported Rock Hill, Fort Mill and York County have temporarily eased water restrictions by allowing residents to water their lawns 2 days a week until November 30th.

Jonathan Allen of the Fort Mill Times reported Wednesday…

At a special meeting held Wednesday, Oct. 1, city council members discussed following Rock Hill’s lead, but tabled the issue because they couldn’t decide if the ordinance governing the restrictions allows enough wiggle room to change them without changing the ordinance. The council plans to reopen discussion on the restrictions at its next regular meeting Monday, Oct. 20.

Jonathan further reported…

Mayor Bob Runde, who opposed allowing once a week watering last spring, again voiced objections to allowing more water usage during a persistent, severe drought. He also said he didn’t believe the city could go to a modified Stage 2 drought without changing the ordinance, which would require two council votes.

I reported on September 18th the US Drought Monitor run by the University of Nebraska has just changed our rating from severe to moderate. I checked the drought monitor today and we have moved to “abnormally dry”. In addition the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG) published a news release on September 26th, 2008 The CW DMAG supports limited, temporary relaxation of outdoor water use restrictions. I am wondering where Mayor Runde is getting his information that we are still in a severe drought. Abnormally dry yes but severe no.

So if you have already aerated and seeded your lawn for the annual fall planting season lets hope it keeps raining to maximize your fall planting investment. If you have not planted yet, you may want to reconsider or adjust your timing. If the city decides to change the water restriction ordinance on the 20th, the change will probably be similar to the York County, Rock Hill, and Fort Mill decision that limits the ease of water restriction only until November 30th. Approx one month of watering two days a week is not a whole lot of time to water lawns for fall seeding.

Here are my links to the articles or data mention in this post

CW-DMAG September 26th News Release
Jonathan Allen’s Fort Mill Times Article
US Drought Monitor Website

Update Jan 2009 – Hereis the updates water restrictions for Tega Cay SC

Drought Restrictions
All residents (TCWS and TCUD customers) can
conduct all water activities (irrigation of lawns and
flower beds, washing cars, pressure washing, etc.)
during the 24- hour period on their approved days
only.

Odd Numbered Addresses- Tuesdays & Saturdays

Even Numbered Addresses- Thursdays & Sundays

Customers are still encouraged to use drip hoses
and hand-held watering devices.  When irrigating,
run-off is strictly prohibited.

If you don’t know, the Tega Cay sign ordinance bans many types of directional signs in the city limits. Real estate signs are allowed on the seller’s property with limitations but directional signs like open houses or branded company signs pointing the way to homes for sale in a neighborhood are not allowed at any time. So why are some real estate companies or agents not following the ordinance or the city enforcing the sign ordinance?

The picture above was taken on Saturday September 27, 2008 is an example of a non-compliant real estate directional sign. The sign has been up every weekend at the corner of Beachwood Cove and Shoreline Parkway pointing traffic on Shoreline Parkway to a home for sale on Beachwood Cove. The sign is up as I write this post Sunday morning. By the way, this was not the only directional sign up this weekend.

So why am I writing this post? First of all this is a personal commentary from me and not solicited or approved commentary from Carmen or Century 21 First Choice. I am frustrated with the lack of compliance and cooperation from the city, real estate agents, and their brokerage firms. Here is a little background to my story.

At one point in the past Carmen called the city admin office and was told it was ok to put signs up on the weekends. Trying to perform her best for her clients, Carmen purchased and put out directional signs every weekend for marketing open houses and her listings in Tega Cay. Directional signs are a standard effective practice in the industry. She never thought it was not allowed because of what she was told and you can see several other directional signs in Tega Cay most weekends.

At some point a complaint must have been voiced and Pete with Century 21 First Choice asked Carmen and all his agents to comply with the sign ordinance. Carmen being good business citizen and resident is complying.

So why do we continue to see signs up every weekend from other companies? Are these agents or companies not being asked by the city to comply? Is there an unfair standard on who is allowed to put up directional signs or simply a lack of communication and ordinance knowledge?

I know it is very difficult for Carmen to explain to her Tega Cay clients why she does not put up directional signs while her clients see directional signs on other homes for sale in Tega Cay weekly. It’s very frustrating to current home sellers who want all of the possible sign marketing support they can get to help sell their home in these challenge times. It is estimated that home buyer transactions/traffic is down significantly this year to last in Tega Cay.

Carmen has voiced her opinion to some of the Tega Cay City council members about this matter. She has also proposed to the city council a city wide “sanctioned” open house weekend for all homes for sale in Tega Cay. Her plan included all brokerage firms and agents with homes for sale in Tega Cay to have a special weekend open house all at the same time. All she asked from the city was to allow temporary directional signs to be posted for this special weekend event. She would manage the event. Some members of the council did not think this special weekend event was necessary. I image they would think differently if they were trying to sell their home right now.

So what is your opinion of the sign ordinance? I would like to hear your comments.

The same sign was up again the weekend of Oct 4th.