February 28, 2021
Dear Blowing Rock Homeowners
We are pleased to share some important updates for our website located at https://www.brcivic.org/.
2021 Advocacy Plan
Each year we update our Advocacy Plan to prioritize our work plan and voice the concerns of homeowners. We believe that homeowners represent the foundation of our economy along with the tourism and business economies. Our strategic priorities are to:
Protect our Vibrant Village
Protect our Homeowner Economy
Protect our Neighborhoods
The complete plan is available on our website under the Advocacy Menu – Advocacy Plan at https://www.brcivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Blowing-Rock-Civic-Association-2021-Advocacy-Plan.pdf
Reports
The board commissioned two independent reports to assist the Town and community in addressing important decisions. The reports are available under our Advocacy Menu – Reports at https://www.brcivic.org/reports/
The first is a report on the Valley Boulevard Vision Project based on the Benchmark Report commissioned by the Town Council. The report was prepared by Mosaic Civic Studio to address recommendations dealing with:
Health & water quality of the New River Headwaters (Middle Fork) – Establish a Watershed Overlay District on the west side of Valley Boulevard
Potential of Middle Fork as recreation & aesthetic amenity – Establish a Walking Trail between North Main Street and Sunset Boulevard
The second report is a report on our EMS and Transport Ambulance Service in Blowing Rock and Watauga County by Joe Lord. During the summer of 2020, we researched and challenged the County Commissioners to address the imbalance in ambulance service between Boone and the rest of the County. The Blowing Rock community and Town Council has continually asked the County Commissioner to address this imbalance for over 40 years. The Town funded an upgrade to our EMS service provided by Blowing Rock Fire & Rescue to address the risk, but the Transport Ambulance Service continues to be unacceptable. The Town Council is in the process of addressing a solution as evidenced by a recent meeting with the owner of Watauga Medics who is the contractor for services to Watauga County. A link to that meeting on February 22nd is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShyePItB7BM
Voter Registration
Your voice and vote counts in Blowing Rock elections. The mayor and three council members are up for election this year. You can read about your elected officials at https://www.townofblowingrocknc.gov/government/elected-officials. Elections are won by 35 to 50 votes. So, if you are in a position to change your voter registration to Watauga County, you too can make a difference. We added a new menu item for Voter Registration that links you to the voter registration form. Your representation is ” I shall have been a resident of North Carolina, this county, and precinct for 30 days before the date of the election in which I intend to vote; (3) I will not vote in any other county or state after submission of this form and if I am registered elsewhere, I am canceling that registration” . The North Carolina voter registration form is available on our website at https://www.brcivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/NC-Voter-Registration-Form-06W.pdf
Videos
We added our videos under the About menu. A recent grant from The Mariam and Robert Hayes Charitable Trust co-funded our investment in video productions. You can view the videos on our website at https://www.brcivic.org/videos/
Membership Renewal & Levels
We updated our membership levels to encourage and recognize the importance of your support. You can refer your neighbors and update your membership at our Become a Member Menu on our website at https://www.brcivic.org/become-a-member/ We will launch our annual membership drive this spring and appreciate your support to insure that homeowners have a voice within the community. If you are not already a member please join today!