Wet, wet, wet….

It has been a very wet last two weeks. It hasn’t slowed things down too much since the work has consisted mainly of pulling and piling stumps. We do hope it dries out some before topsoil starts to be removed and grading begins. This phase is fortunate to have all of the old farm ditches criss-crossing the property as these really help keep things drained and help pull some of the saturated groundwater out.

Earlier this week, the wood chippers arrived on site and they have begun chipping the stumps. It will probably take them a week or so to get everything chipped and hauled off. Having done so, the site will be pretty well cleaned up and ready for preliminary grading.

Stumps piled up prior to chipping and stumps after being chipped into mulch

Offsite, we are working with the engineers and contractor to review and approve every one of the concrete structures that have to go in the ground. This includes all the stormwater boxes (the things underneath the metal grates you see on the edge of roads) as well as sewer manholes. There are over 70 stormwater boxes and every single one of them has to be designed to exact dimensions based on the elevation it is set at, the size pipes that are coming and going from it, and the exact elevation down to the hundredth decimal of the bottom of each pipe. An example is shown below. At the same time, we are working with Beaufort Jasper Water and Sewer Authority to get their approval on every piece of material that will be part of the water and sewer system (i.e., pipes, valves, hydrants, manhole covers, couplings, meter boxes, etc.). They review and approve the specs and manufacturer of each piece. This is because they will take ownership of the whole system after it is put in. It’s a $4 million gift to them ;-)

An example of a stormwater box design to be custom made out of concrete.

Once everyone is ok with everything, materials can be ordered and we’ll start seeing things show up on the site.

Here are some pictures with explanations from the past two weeks.

Future alley is cleaned up from all stumps and ready for grading

Future pool will be right where the large puddle of water is with a large pond and park beyond.

Trees preserved in a future neighborhood park

Once we have the master plan rendered to share, we’ll start showing where photos are taken on the plan. More to come neighbors...