October 11, 2024 Ifindi it hard to believe it has been 2 weeks since the onset of Hurricane Helene. lam not sure the words can be put to paper to describe the emotions I have experienced during this time. 27 years of my life, more than half of it, has been dedicated toi this area and in a period of 4 days was nearly all swept away by the rushing water and wind. Ati the meetingl simply will not be able to discuss this vocally without becoming highly emotional. To see all that we have accomplished through the years turned into piles of rubblei ist to me still unfathomable. Iclocked in on Thursday at around 6 am and didn't leave here until Sunday evening, witnessing all that happened. While away from my home, it narrowly avoided total destruction, as my wife was on the phone with me a landslide from the mountain above gushed down the mountainside missing my home by only feet asi it carried golf cart sized boulders and entire trees. My house actually received no damage, buti the property and driveway were destroyed. So hopefully, Iwill be able to spend some time from here in the days to come to repair what is needed there. But enough about myself, Sugar Mountain will recover from this, and it will take some time and we kindly request that patience and kindness is conveyed to our employees as we begin the healing process. We will be doing everything in our power to return the Village to the status it was at only 15 days ago. As we work with FEMA, the debris will be slowly picked up. The washouts alongside the roadways are being temporarily repaired until the engineers can submit us recommendations and plans for final fixes. In the last 2 weeks our crew put inj just over 1200 man hours, and a significant portion of our crew remains without power at their homes, and projects at their homes are put on hold as they! have remained dedicated to the cause here at Sugar Mountain. Not one has missed a single day of work, which is astounding considering all that has happened. They deserve any and all accolades and thanks that can be sent their way. To the golf course, possible the most disheartening sight int the world. We have several holes on the course that are going to require extensive repairs, manyt that we simply cannot do in house due to the nature of the damage. Holes 3, 4,6, 15 and 16 have significant structural damage toi fairways, cart paths, culverts and int the case of the 16th hole, the green itself. All of our sand traps will need to be rebuilt. And due to the small debris such as gravel and sand being washed throughout the closely mown areas, we still have not been able to cut any grass which at this point of the year is extremely detrimental tot thel health of the turf. It is my best hope that we can have 91 holes playable by the traditional spring opening of mid April. lwill be happy to tour the course with any of you ata time of your convenience and discuss what is going to be needed. This is not even considering the massive tree damage to the entire property. But as I have told many others, iti is all dirt and grass, it will grow back. Withi that said, the things that will not grow back and return arei the lives and livelihood of the people of Avery County. Ihave personally known 1 of the members of the community that perished int the flood, and did have knowledge of the others ont the list of the deceased. My crew and myself have dedicated ourselves to the recovery of the Sugar Mountain community and the entire county. Ouri time has been spent int the relief station that our council chamber has evolved into. We have hauled over 251 truckloads of supplies into the surrounding areas. All the while receiving hugs, stories, and tears of thanks for what this town was doing for others. Our families have all volunteered time in our relief station, and for that Iwill be eternally grateful. We will recover, it will take time, and Sugar Mountain will be better after all of the pain we are experiencing. 25 SbS Village Maintenance Director