Announcements and Events

• The Springs Newsletter February 13, 2020

  Click here to view our current newsletter.

• St. Patrick’s Day Party

  The Social Committee has scheduled a new event for the calendar year. We welcome all Springs HOA members to a combined ∏=3.14 Day and St. Patrick’s Day Party – Saturday, March 14, 2020, 6 PM at the clubhouse.

  Please bring a pie to share (pizza pie, meat pie, chicken pot pie, dessert pie, etc.). Bring any pie, as it is π=3.14 Day. If you prefer, bring a pie that would be fitting for the Irish (shepherd’s pie, shamrock pie, etc.). A non-alcoholic punch and other soft drinks will be provided. You are welcome to BYOB or green beer.

  Don’t forget to wear green for the Irish in you and your π=3.14 shirts. Any questions, please call or text Ali Bachand at 540-273-1414; email at bachandj@me.com.

  Ali Bachand: Social Committee

• Procedure for Reserving the Clubhouse

  First and foremost, the gatekeeper for any community use of the clubhouse is Bill Conrad (336-250-1651). Contact him directly with requests to reserve the facility.

  HOA committees or board-sanctioned activities that wish to use the clubhouse for meetings should appoint someone to notify Mr. Conrad when they plan to meet. If it is a regularly-scheduled event, once per year is enough; if the day or time of the event varies, Mr. Conrad should be notified for each reservation.

  The procedure for members in-good-standing wishing to reserve the clubhouse for private parties is:

  1. Check the Events Calendar on our website (www.thespringsathighrock.org) to see if the date and time you want are available.
  2. If the clubhouse is available, review two documents on the Downloads page of our website, Clubhouse Rules/Standards and Application for Clubhouse Reservation Agreement.
  3. Print and complete the seven-page Application for Clubhouse Reservations Agreement.
  4. Telephone Mr. Conrad (336-250-1651) and make an appointment to personally deliver to him the completed seven-page agreement, the reservation check, and a separate deposit check. (Bill Conrad has been instructed not to take reservations over the telephone.)
  5. Only when the clubhouse contract and both checks are in Bill’s possession, and only then, can you assume you may use the clubhouse within the time frame of your reservation agreement.

  Please do not try to give the application and checks to anyone but Bill. Members of the HOA Board of Directors, the RFC, and the Communications Committee cannot accept them.

  Finally, in an effort to keep the parties safe and to minimize wear and tear on the clubhouse facility, we have several rules for clubhouse use for private parties. Two are very important, and if broken, could result in automatic forfeiture of your deposit. The first, one adult HOA member of the rental agreement must be present at all times and be responsible for the actions of all guests, caterers, and any service personnel when they are in the clubhouse. Second, if a member rents the clubhouse, his guests may not use the pool or tennis courts. We prefer that this rule apply to the member’s family, as well.

  Your HOA board regrets that the procedure for reserving the clubhouse has to be so rigid, but we worry that if the rules are not strictly adhered to by all parties, a resulting conflict could ruin a once-in-a-lifetime birthday, anniversary, or wedding reception. Thus, in fairness to all, please adhere to the established protocol.

  Thank you for your cooperation.

  Curtis Ish: HOA Board of Directors

   

• Road Repair

  Please be advised that beginning Thursday, November 7, 2019, Everhart Paving will be on-site to begin much-needed repairs to our roads. This work will include the sealing of a significant number of cracks in the asphalt pavement. This repair work will reduce the weathering effects we encounter on the asphalt pavement, ultimately increasing the life span of our roads. The repair crew is expected to complete the work in two phases, the first being November 7-8, weather permitting, covering many of our cul-de-sacs and secondary roads. The second phase will commence once the back-fill project is complete at the tennis courts and will cover the remaining primary roads throughout our community including, but not limited to, Sierra Trace Road, Healing Springs Drive, Rocky Cove Lane, Pinnacle Trail, and Palisades Trail. A completion date for the project is still to be determined.

  Please be cautious and travel within the posted speed limit when traveling within the community during this period to increase the safety of not only yourself but also the repair crew. You may be asked to pause your travels for a moment so the crew can finish the crack repair they may be working on as you approach. Thank you for your patience while the Infrastructure and Roads Committee continues its efforts to improve and maintain our beautiful community.

  Lisa Castronova: Infrastructure and Roads Committee

• Firewise: Wood Debris Collected Possible

  Home Wildfire Mitigation Grant Possible

  It is difficult to break old habits, good or bad, but if we are willing to accept a new format by the NC State Forestry Service, it is possible that we can take advantage of their offer to remove our collected wood debris from around our homes as prescribed by the Firewise USA® program. As mentioned many, many times before, in its simplest terms, the program advises homeowners to be in a home that is fire retardant and keep the 30-foot radius around your home free of easily combustible materials. The next 70 feet should be clear of fallen limbs and trees, standing dead trees, pine tree grottos, and limbed-up live trees.

  Under the old program, the Firewise Committee would estimate how much money would be needed to remove all the homeowners’ collected debris before it was collected and piled by the roadside. Then the committee would apply for an 80/20 matching grant. Once the vendor was paid for the removal service by the HOA, the committee would submit an application for reimbursement. We have submitted seven grants in the last 10 years (and been fully paid for all of them).

  Under the new format , the homeowner interested in cleaning up the 100-foot home radius will take a “guestimate” of how many piles of wood he will personally produce. A “pile” is defined by wood stacked 4 feet wide by 4 feet high by 8 feet long, i.e., measured and stacked in one cord piles. This pilot program was created and is being monitored by our District 10 Chief Fire Ranger, Justin Query. He fully realizes that for the average homeowner, this estimate is going to be a challenge, but hopes the homeowner can get within a 20% plus or minus accuracy. Your number of “piles” estimate count can be in whole, half, or quarter pile increments. In other words 1½ piles equals one 4’x4’x8’ pile plus one 4’x4’x4’.

  The Individual Homeowner Application is available on the Downloads page of our website . Your application form containing your address and pile estimate count must be submitted to the committee by November 30, 2019 . PLEASE NOTE: you should not start collecting any debris until we know we have been accepted in this new program. It is expected that the grants will be competitive. Those communities that are accepted will be notified by early December. If we are accepted, you will have December and January to stack your piles. Sometime in February, a professional tree service hired by Ranger Query will come into our community but only chip up the wood collected by those who submitted a November application!

  Curtis Ish: Firewise Committee

• Newspaper Delivery Options for The Springs

  Newspaper	Website	Published	Carrier Delivery	USPS Delivery
  Asheboro Courier-Tribune	www.courier-tribune.com	Daily	No	Delivered next day after publication
  Charlotte Observer	www.charlotteobserver.com	Daily	No	Delivered same day of publication
  Denton Orator	www.dentonorator.com	Wednesday	No	Delivered on Wednesday
  Greensboro News & Record	www.greensboro.com	Daily	No	Monday-Saturday Delivered next day after publication
  High Point Enterprise	www.hpenews.com	Daily	No	Delivered next day after publication Saturday & Sunday mailing on Monday
  Lexington Dispatch	www.the-dispatch.com	Tuesday –Saturday	No	Mail delivery not practical
  Salisbury Post	www.salisburypost.com	Daily	No	Delivered next day after publication except Saturday & Sunday mailing on Monday
  Wall Street Journal	www.wsj.com	Monday – Saturday	No	Delivered same day of publication
  Winston-Salem Journal	www.journalnow.com	Daily	No	Delivered next day after publication

  Please note: All of the above publications have some form of online editions available.
  Subscription and delivery options may change.  Please contact the newspapers directly.

• Internet Options at The Springs

  Internet Options – Update as of 1-23-2020

  Ken Vander Schaaf (Ken.VanderSchaaf@gmail.com)

  Internet Satellite Providers:

  • Viasat (formerly Exede) – is currently providing satellite service from their new satellite but now with speeds up to 12 Mbps download speeds and 25 Mbps with various data limits per month. Latency time or ping rate averages about 500-700 ms.  This offering may change again but the price for the high speed Silver Plan has been increased.  Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [336-585-1314], an authorized retailer for both Viasat and HughesNet, for the latest offerings and recommendations from Viasat or Hughes.  Note: Although they represent both Viasat and Hughes, she currently recommends HughesNet, but that can change with Viasat’s currently available offerings. Can also go to Viasat’s webpage: [http://www.viasat.com/internet].
  • HughesNet – is offering 25 Mbps download speeds with various data limits per month. Latency time or ping rate averages 500-700 ms.  They provide similar service to Viasat, but their offerings have remained more constant over the last year.  Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [336-585-1314], an authorized retailer for both Viasat and HughesNet.  Can also go to HughesNet’s webpage: [https://www.hughesnet.com].

  Internet via Cell Phone Towers by Third Party Aggregators:

  • Infinite Internet (formerly 4G Antenna Shop), https://4gantennashop.com/ , is an Internet service provider that for our area uses AT&T cellphone towers to provide service to its receivers. They are offering residential service to new customers through this new company name. I confirmed with them that those who currently have 4G Antenna Shop service will still be grandfathered in and can continue using their service.
  • Cyberonic Rural Internet, https://cyberonic.com/, is an internet service provider for our area that uses AT&T cellphone towers to provide service to its receivers via an outside antenna.  They currently offer an unlimited data plan with speeds confirmed by Springs residents to be 8-15 mpbs upload (sometimes temporarily as slow as 1.5 mpbs), 1.5-6.5 download, and latency (ping) of about 70 ms.  Cell tower activity levels can impact the download and upload speeds. This provider does not require a long term contract (after three months) and provides a 10 day trial period to verify your particular signal strength which will be depend on the distance and topography between you and the active cell tower.

  Also looking for alternative internet service providers that also uses cell phone towers as their method of transmission; I have located three companies that indicate that they may provide service via cell phone tower providers to our geographic area:

  • Yellow Jacket Broadband (http://yellowjacketbroadband.com)
  • Evdo Depot USA (https://www.evdodepotusa.com)
  • Unlimitedville (https://unlimitedville.com)

  Obviously I have not had any experience with any of these three providers but wanted to provide you at least three additional options to explore if you are looking for internet service. None of these require you to commit to a multiyear agreement as required by satellite providers (HughesNet or Viasat). Prices and cell phone service providers used vary, so having a strong signal to the cell phone provider will be essential to getting good service from any of the above providers.  Latency times are faster than from satellite providers.

  Internet via Cell Phone Towers by Direct Carriers:

  • Verizon – Verizon Jetpack Mi-Fi 8800L [com] is a relatively new hotspot offered by Verizon to provide Internet WiFi service to multiple devices via Verizon’s cell tower service. Several residents are currently using Verizon hotspots for supplemental or exclusive Internet service. Signal strength from Verizon’s cell towers will impact the speed of service.  The latency speeds should be about 80 ms, much better than obtained from satellite service providers due to their much shorter distance to the Internet signal. Those residents using both hotspots and satellite providers find satellite service better for streaming and hotspots better for browsing the Internet or VOIP phone service.

  Internet via Landline Phone Carrier:

  • Windstream – They are apparently no longer offering internet service to new customers in The Springs. Existing customers are still be grandfathered in and can continue using their service.  Service levels have been reported to be quite slow and limited by those who still use this provider.

  Future Potential Internet Provider for The Springs, but not yet:

  • Open Broadband LLC [net] is in discussions with the Board trying to provide The Springs with high-speed Internet service. This option may be viable for The Springs in the future, as Open Broadband LLC has conducted a site survey of The Springs current abandoned internet wires. There are still several technical questions that Open Broadband needs to address before they can provide the Board with any solid proposals for consideration.  They have hired a Project Manager to evaluate “The Springs Project.”

  Internet Options – Update as of 10-2-2019

  Ken Vander Schaaf (Ken.VanderSchaaf@gmail.com)

  Internet Satellite Providers:

  • Viasat (formerly Exede) – is currently providing satellite service from their new satellite but now with speeds up to 12 Mbps download speeds and 25 Mbps with various data limits per month. Latency time or ping rate averages about 500-700 ms.  This offering may change again, but the price for the high speed Silver Plan has been increased.  Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [336-585-1314], an authorized retailer for both Viasat and HughesNet, for the latest offerings and recommendations from Viasat or Hughes.  Note: Although they represent both Viasat and Hughes, she currently recommends HughesNet, but that can change with Viasat’s currently available offerings. Can also go to Viasat’s webpage: [http://www.viasat.com/internet].
  • HughesNet – is offering 25 Mbps download speeds with various data limits per month. Latency time or ping rate averages 500-700 ms.  They provide similar service to Viasat, but their offerings have remained more constant over the last year.  Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [336-585-1314], an authorized retailer for both Viasat and HughesNet.  Can also go to HughesNet’s webpage: [https://www.hughesnet.com].

  Internet via Cell Phone Towers by Third Party Aggregators:

  • 4G Antenna Shop [4gantennashop.com] is an Internet service provider that for our area uses AT&T cellphone towers to provide service to its receivers. They are no longer offering residential service to new customers. They have transitioned their service model to business customers only. I confirmed with them that those who currently have 4G Antenna Shop service will still be grandfathered in and can continue using their service.

  Looking for an alternative internet service provider that also uses cell phone towers as their method of transmission: I have located three companies that indicate that they may provide service via cell phone tower providers to our geographic area:

  • Yellow Jacket Broadband (http://yellowjacketbroadband.com)
  • Evdo Depot USA (https://www.evdodepotusa.com)
  • Unlimitedville (https://unlimitedville.com)

  Obviously, I have not had any experience with any of these providers but wanted to provide you at least three different options to explore if you are looking for internet service. None of these require you to commit to a multiyear agreement as required by satellite providers (HughesNet or Viasat). Prices and cell phone service providers used vary, so having a strong signal to the cell phone provider will be essential to getting good service from any of the above providers.  Latency times are faster than from satellite providers.

  Internet via Cell Phone Towers by Direct Carriers:

  • Verizon – Verizon Jetpack Mi-Fi 8800L [com] is a relatively new hotspot offered by Verizon to provide Internet WiFi service to multiple devices via Verizon’s cell tower service. Several residents are currently using Verizon hotspots for supplemental or exclusive Internet service. Signal strength from Verizon’s cell towers will impact the speed of service.  The latency speeds should be about 80 ms, much better than obtained from satellite service providers due to their much shorter distance to the Internet signal. Those residents using both hotspots and satellite providers find satellite service better for streaming and hotspots better for browsing the Internet or VOIP phone service.

  Internet via Landline Phone Carrier:

  • Windstream – They are apparently no longer offering internet service to new customers in The Springs. Existing customers are still be grandfathered in and can continue using their service.  Service levels have been reported to be quite slow and limited by those who still use this provider.

  Future Potential Internet Provider for The Springs, but not yet:

  • Open Broadband LLC [net] is in discussions with the Board trying to provide The Springs with high-speed Internet service. This option may be viable for The Springs in the future, as Open Broadband LLC has conducted a site survey of The Springs current abandoned internet wires. There are still several technical questions that Open Broadband needs to address before they can provide the Board with any solid proposals for consideration.  They have hired a Project Manager to evaluate “The Springs Project.”

   

  Internet Options – Update as of 10-2-2019
  Ken Vander Schaaf (Ken.VanderSchaaf@gmail.com)

  I have just learned that one of the options I have suggested in the past, “4G Antenna Shop”, is no longer offering residential service to new customers. They have transitioned their service model to business customers only. I confirmed with them that those who currently have 4G Antenna Shop service will still be grandfathered in and can continue using their service.

  Looking for an alternative internet service provider that also uses cell phone towers as their method of transmission, I have located three companies that indicate that they may provide service to our geographic area:

  Yellow Jacket Broadband (http://yellowjacketbroadband.com)
  Evdo Depot USA (https://www.evdodepotusa.com)
  Unlimitedville (https://unlimitedville.com)
  Obviously I have not had any experience with any of these providers but wanted to provide you at least three different options to explore if you are looking for internet service. None of these require you to commit to a multiyear agreement as satellite providers (HughesNet or Viasat) require. Prices and cell phone providers used vary, so having a strong signal to the cell phone service provider will be essential to getting good service from any of the above providers.

  I have not heard any updates from Open Broadband LLC, so I don’t know where they currently are in their efforts to propose internet service to The Springs.

  Ken Vander Schaaf

   

  Internet Options at The Springs Updated and Posted June 10, 2019 

  Ken Vander Schaaf (Ken.VanderSchaaf@gmail.com)

  • Viasat (formerly Exede) – is currently providing satellite service from their new satellite but now with speeds up to only 12 Mbps download speeds with various data limits per month.  Latency time or ping rate averages about 500-700 ms. This offering may change again, but that is the highest speed offered today.  [THIS IS A MAJOR SPEED REDUCTION FROM 25 MBPS IN THEIR PAST OFFERING SPEEDS AS VIASAT IS APPARENTLY TRYING TO LIMIT NEW CUSTOMERS TO MAINTAIN SPEED FOR EXISTING CUSTOMERS.] Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [336-585-1314], an authorized retailer for both Viasat and HughesNet, for the latest offerings and recommendations from Viasat or Hughes.  Note: Although they represent both Viasat and Hughes, she currently recommends HughesNet, but that can change with Viasat’s currently available offerings. Can also go to Viasat’s webpage: [http://www.viasat.com/internet].
  • HughesNet – is offering 25 Mbps download speeds with various data limits per month.  Latency time or ping rate averages 500-700 ms. They provide similar service to Viasat, but their offerings have remained more constant over the last year.  Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [336-585-1314], an authorized retailer for both Viasat and HughesNet.  Can also go to HughesNet’s webpage: [https://www.hughesnet.com].
  • 4G Antenna Shop [com] is an Internet service provider that for our area uses AT&T cellphone towers to provide service to its receivers. They offer “Infinite High Speed” brand Internet service. They guarantee speeds of 12-35 Mbps download for the allotted data plans with 5 Mbps after that.  They also have a truly unlimited plan with the above guaranteed speeds. Their advertised latency time or ping rate averages 80 ms.  Will need to purchase their modem and potentially an outdoor antenna to maximize signal strength.  They do not require a 2- year contract period.
  • Verizon Jetpack Mi-Fi 8800L [com] is a relatively new hotspot offered by Verizon to provide Internet WiFi service to multiple devices via Verizon’s cell tower service.  Several residents are currently using Verizon hotspots for supplemental or exclusive Internet service. Signal strength from Verizon’s cell towers will impact the speed of service.  The latency speeds should be about 80 ms, much better than obtained from satellite service providers due to their much shorter distance to the Internet signal. Those residents using both hotspots and satellite providers find satellite service better for streaming and hotspots better for browsing the Internet or VOIP phone service.
  • Open Broadband LLC [net] is in discussions with the Board trying to provide The Springs with high-speed Internet service.  This option may be viable for The Springs in the future, as Open Broadband LLC has been conducting a site survey and is now suggesting using radio frequency transmitters rather than their earlier suggestion of a mesh network.  There are still several technical questions that Open Broadband needs to address before they can provide the Board with any solid proposals for consideration.  They are hiring a Project Manager to evaluate “The Springs Project” currently.

  Internet Option Update:

  Posted by Ken Vander Schaaf (Ken.VanderSchaaf@gmail.com) on January 28, 2019

  Wanted to share some updates on what is happening with the search for internet providers for The Springs.

  • ViaSat – is now providing satellite service from their new satellite with speeds up to 35 Mbps download speeds with various data limits per month.  At least one resident in The Springs is connected to this latest service from ViaSat.  Recommend to contact Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections [866-360-1270], an authorized retailer for ViaSat, for the latest offerings from ViaSat or Hughes.  Note: Although they represent both ViaSat and Hughes, she currently recommends ViaSat and has different (I think better) options that can be found at ViaSat’s website [http://www.viasat.com/internet].
  • 4G Antenna Shop [4gantennashop.com] is a newly identified internet service provider who use AT&T cellphone towers to provide service to its receivers.  If you have a good signal from AT&T this may be an option to look at as well.  They claim speeds up to 35 Mbps, but a resident in The Springs who uses it says his experience is much less that this advertised speed, so signal strength to AT&T must play a major role in its success.
  • Verizon Jetpack Mi-Fi 8800L [Verizonwireless.com] is a relatively new hotspot offered by Verizon to provide internet WiFi service to multiple devices via Verizon’s cell tower service.  Several residents are currently using Verizon hotspots for supplemental or exclusive internet service. Signal strength from Verizon’s cell towers will impact the speed of service, similar to 4G Antenna Shop’s AT&T service. The latency speeds should be much better than obtained from satellite service providers due to their much shorter distance to the internet signal. Those residents using both hotspots and satellite providers find satellite service better for streaming and hotspots better for browsing the internet or VOIP phone service.
  • Open Broadband LLC [openbb.net] is in discussions with the Board trying to provide The Springs with internet service.  This option may be viable for The Springs in the future, as Open Broadband LLC has been conducting a site survey and is now suggesting using radio frequency transmitters rather than their earlier suggestion of a mesh network.  There are still several technical questions that Open Broadband needs to address before they can provide the Board with any solid proposals for consideration.

  Update: New Viasat-2 High-Speed Internet Option Currently Available
  Ken Vander Schaaf       Posted in Off the Cuff on October 10, 2018

  I have just received word from Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections (formerly Country Cable) that Viasat is now finally offering high-speed internet service from their Viasat-2 satellite. For the first time, they are allowing the Springs to get a signal from their “small beam” which provides download speeds up to 30 Mbps and larger data packages before being de-prioritized.

  When I tried to research directly from Viasat’s website, it showed that due to high demand no service was available at all from Viasat for area code 27239, but Stephanie confirmed that addresses in The Springs can indeed be installed by her company. If interested I suggest calling Stephanie Smith at Carolina Connections at 336-585-1314 to get the latest details.

  Update: Excede’s New Satellite Still Not Operational
  Ken Vander Schaaf       November 6, 2017

  Just want to give those looking at satellite internet options an update on the status of Exede’s new satellite, Viasat-2. This satellite is still approaching its geostationary orbit and is therefore not yet operational. What is confusing is Exede is now offering some unlimited data plans, but they are still utilizing Viasat-1, their current satellite, not service from the new higher capacity satellite.

  My recommendation to those who have not committed is to wait until early next year. That way you will probably receive the greatest enrollment options and install the right equipment to take advantage of this new satellite. For those who currently use Exede please be patient as you wait for their capacity to improve with the new satellite becoming operational.

  The following report was prepared by Ken Vander Schaaf and presented to the HOA Board at its last meeting.

  Review of Internet Options for The Springs at High Rock

  As of April 13, 2017

  Below are the findings of the potential options for internet providers willing to service the residents of The Springs at High Rock.  As the technology continues to develop the options may change as well over time, but these findings are based on current knowledge.  In the following summary, abbreviations are:

  • MB:  one million bytes, or roughly 8 million on-or-off signals.  A high-quality digital picture is about 0.3 to 3 megabytes.
  • GB:  one billion bytes
  • MS:  millisecond (1000th of a second)
  • Ping, or latency:  measures the time for a signal to travel to its source and back; it is especially important in satellite transmissions
  • 4G:   fourth-generation cellular telephone system

  Windstream

  Windstream will provide internet service via DSL to some Springs residents.  However they are not willing to expand their service to the entire neighborhood.  Furthermore, their website indicates, and Customer Service has confirmed, that new service is not available for addresses on Healing Springs and Rocky Cove. Reported speeds for those currently serviced by Windstream are varied, depending on the amount of demand on the system.  Typical speeds reported locally are 1-3 MB/s download, .7-1 MB/s upload and 20-116 MS for ping.  A key advantage of Windstream is that they do not have a data cap on the amount of downloads provided per month.  Reports of residents being unhappy with Windstream service are prevalent.

  Windstream may be a viable service option for current customers, but is not an option available for all residents.

  Verizon Wireless

  Verizon Wireless recently introduced an Unlimited Data Plan to its 4G cell phone service.  The unlimited data actually is for 22 GB/month at 4G speeds for cell phone data applications and then is throttled back to 3G speeds for the remainder of the month.  It also provides an additional 10BG/month at 4G speeds for the cellphone’s hotspot connection to be used for other connected devices.  The internet speeds are dictated by local cell tower activity level with slower responses during periods of high local cell tower activity. Local users of this service have experienced speeds of 7-9 MB/sec download, 4-10 MB/sec upload and .04-.08 MS latency speeds. Residents who have a strong Verizon Wireless signal appear to be satisfied with this service. With the “Unlimited” plan, their primary data limit concern may be mitigated.

  Verizon Wireless appears to be a viable option for those residents with strong Verizon Wireless signal.

  Hughesnet (Gen 5)

  Hughesnet has launched a new satellite, the Echostar 19, on December 18, 2016.  In March, Hughesnet started offering its “Gen5” service with service plans claiming 25 MB/sec download, 3 MB/sec upload and 500MS latency speeds.  They offer differing data limits per month ranging from 10GB to 50GB.  I am unaware of any local residents currently using this new HughesNet Gen5 service, so have no actual speed results. To have access to Hughesnet service there must be a clear line of sight to the satellite on the southern horizon.

  Hughesnet Gen5 may be a viable option for residents who have a straight line of sight to the southern horizon.

  Exede

  Exede currently is offering 12 MB/sec download, 3 MB/sec upload, and 700 MS latency speeds with data limits of 12, 25 and 50 GB/month.  They are currently experiencing technical issues with their ViaSat-1 satellite that services this area, resulting in much slower than advertised speeds.  To have access to Exede service there must be a clear line of sight to the satellite on the southern horizon, similar to satellite TV service.  Exede has a new satellite, ViaSat-2, at Ariane’s launch complex in French Guiana, originally scheduled to launch April 25, 2017, but now likely to launch in June. This new satellite should provide much improved capacity and speeds will again be offered at up to 25 MB/sec downloads and up to 150 GB data limits. Due to the recent launch delay, Exede no longer is offering this Freedom 150 plan.

  Exede may be a viable option for residents who have a straight line of sight to the southern horizon, but it may be prudent to wait until their satellite capacity increases.

  Time Warner (Spectrum)

  Time Warner, now branded Spectrum, was contacted to determine if they were willing to provide internet service.  After providing them the addresses of every home built in The Springs and several months of no responses they finally did indicate that they would be willing to provide service.  Their preliminary proposal stated the construction required to connect one site in The Springs would include 25ft of new aerial, 6,065ft of fiber overlash and 375ft of fiber underground.  However, their “Customer Contribution” would need to be $848,930.92.  Even shared among all 99 residents in The Springs, the cost seems prohibitive.

  Time Warner (Spectrum) does not appear to be a viable option for The Springs.

  Open Broadband LLC

  Open Broadband’s approach to providing internet service was to connect The Springs and Salisbury’s fiber optic internet service via a microwave antenna located on the Fire Tower.  A second microwave connection would be installed in the boat parking area.  From there the internet signal would be transmitted via a mesh network to the houses on the lower level of The Springs.  For homes on the upper level the internet signal would be transmitted via another mesh network directly from the Fire Tower.  Originally Open Broadband was planning to attach the mesh network to the existing street lights.  It was then learned that Energy United owned the street lights and EU would not allow any network devices to be attached to the street lights. After that Open Broadband appears to have dropped any interest in the project.

  Open Broadband LLC does not appear to be a viable option for The Springs. 

   

• Activities and Volunteer Opportunities at The Springs

  ACTIVITIES

  Springs’ Men’s Lunch Bunch: 3rd Wednesday of the Month
  Contact: Bob Cairns cairnscaddy@gmail.com

  Yoga:  Classes at the Denton Library 336-859-2215
  Adult Yoga Flow – Monday and Thursday evenings at 6:30 @ Central United Methodist Church
  Children’s Yoga – Tuesday afternoons at 2:15 (Pre-k to 2nd grade) & 3:00 (2nd grade & up)
  Chair Yoga – Monday and Friday mornings at 9:30

  Exercise Class:  Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 8 AM – Macedonia Church,  Southmont
  Contact: Evelyn Parks 336-859-4480

  Pickleball:  Spring/Summer/Fall
  Day and time vary weekly depending on the players’ schedules
  Contact: Joyce Ish 336-859-5338

  Ladies’ Bridge: Wednesdays – 1:00 PM
  Contact: Carol Svatek – 336-859-0697

  Line Dancing: Thursday & Friday – Denton Civic Center – 1-1:30 PM, Beginners
  Contact: Ronnie Kruger 336-859-0692

  Springs’ Book Club (Coed):  3rd Thursday of the Month – 7 PM
  Contact: Liz Roland 336-859-2795

  High Rock Book Club: Denton Library – 2nd Thursday – 10 AM
  Contact: Kathy Sill 336-793-2359

  HOA Committees: See the Committees page of our website

  VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE AREA

  Denton Elementary: Lunch Mentor Program (The “Lunch Bunch”)
  305 W Salisbury Street
  336-859-0599

  Middle & High School: Mentor Program for students at South: CSI (Community in Schools)
  Kevin Firquin (kfirquin@davidson.K12.nc.us)

  Family Resource Center: 338 W Salisbury Street, Denton
  336-859-5399
  http://www.southdavidsonfrc.com/

  Denton Library: 310 W Salisbury Street
  336-859-2215

  Meals on Wheels: Jacob L. Gordon, Volunteer Services Coordinator, Davidson County Senior Services
  555-B West Center Street Ext., Lexington
  336-242-2290

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