ABP [Always Be Planting!]

I tend to like most folks but I draw the line at people who don't have the ability to recognize the value of trees and understand what they mean to the place you live.

I realize trees may have to come down for buildings or roads but it you aren't replacing lost trees with (many) new ones, well, my respect for you, both personally and professionally, will quickly fade.

Trees are the cheapest, easiest thing to do to improve your yard, your neighborhood, your whole community. You want to know if a City is blessed with strong leadership? Learn about how seriously they take their trees and you'll have your answer.

Proud Spetrino boys with plaque and sign.

City Council presentation for local tree award winners.

When you are walking down the street isn't it easy to enjoy the stroll when your are walking under a canopy of trees? Trees make a neighborhood street more interesting, they also make the street safer, people drive slower when they are cruising along a tree-lined street. Hot out? Stand under a tree.

Ever been to Lumina Station? Forest Hills? Aren't they great spaces? I don't believe it's a coincidence that the most valuable, most desirable homes and businesses are also located in areas with the most plentiful trees.

Every place you like being has trees (and the beach doesn't count.)

It's always great to be acknowledged for your hard work but I can't put into words my appreciation for the RiverFront Project being recognized for its street trees. It's an accomplishment that makes me very proud.

I think this proverb sums up my perspective as to the importance of trees and the long-lasting effect they will have on the success of a community:

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in."

If you truly want to make a difference in your community start with some "low hanging fruit" by learning more at the National Arbor Day Foundation. (You get 10 trees free just for joining!)

The "Stupid" Tax

This is a 'rotary broom' - it's like a street sweeper without the vacuum part. Better yet, operating it is much like 'reverse vacuuming' - unfortunately I know all of this because I spent two days in the drivers seat...

Why am I 'reverse vacuuming' for two days in the first place you ask? Well, let me start from the beginning:

I don't know about you but money has been a little tight around here lately. So I thought it would be a good idea to spend my weekend 'free time' by doing some work on the site myself.

Actually, this was more of a punishment, hence the "stupid tax" for failing to heed the Common Law of Business Balance:

"It's unwise to pay too much but it's unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot. It can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it's well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better!"

With a major site construction project like ours, you aren’t done until you've established grass.

Do you have any idea what seeding, mulching and crimping an acre costs? How about 6 acres?

I didn't either until I got the first set of quotes and was convinced that the recession applied to everyone but landscape contractors. Prices to seed the site were all in the 'five figure' range - no joke.

I mean really, how hard is it to put down some seed and straw for cryin' out loud?

And that was the point when I started to travel down an obvious path that drew me ever closer to the pending 'stupid tax' I was about to pay.

I called my lawn guy and told him I wanted to try a little experiment - "let's try just seeding the borders along the roads and maybe the grass will take root and regenerate the rest of the site. If it doesn’t work we can always seed some more in a few weeks."

How much? $1500. That still seemed like a lot but, "hey, maybe I'm the first guy to come up with this great idea - and besides I am saving thousands...!"

Well, they raked and planted seed. (No straw, I mean, what does straw really do anyway) and, as luck would have it, it was scheduled to rain later that week. The forecast also called for high winds. Oh good I thought, a little rain to get things growing and then some wind to keep the birds from eating the seed (?)

Well the rain came and the winds followed. I didn’t have to worry about birds because the wind was blowing so hard that several tons of seed-filled-dirt blew off the site and into the road. It was like a blizzard of sand – there were drifts! The curbs and gutters were filled to the brim; I didn’t even know where to start... what a mess!

(By the way, straw, when crimped into the ground provides, among other things, stabilization for both the seed and the soil from blowing away)

The site looked terrible. It was late Friday afternoon and since I created this disaster, I was going to clean it up.

Fortunately there is an equipment rental place near the site. I started with one of those back-pack-leaf –blower-things but after 45 minutes I had barely made a dent in moving the sand back to its rightful place. I returned the blower and asked for suggestions (hence the rotary broom).

Side note: Beyond the obvious, I learned that pretty much anyone can rent any piece of machinery if you act and talk like you know what you are doing. Kind of scary. Also, you will pay about half price for heavy rental equipment on the weekends as long as you promise to have it back by Monday morning before the pros will need it...

It took the whole weekend along with some manual shoveling help from my Dad (who was paying his own stupid tax for his portion of my genes) but the site looked great and by Monday afternoon I went ahead and hired a company to seed the site. Even though I still think it cost too much money; we should have a ‘good head of grass’ in a couple more weeks…. Don't worry, I'll post plenty of pictures!

That Last Day of School Feeling...

You know what I mean, that "no more pencils, no more books" feeling.

The sensation you get after you finish your very last exam - that feeling of relief. Not even concerned if you aced the test or got a C, it's that feeling of accomplishment that's hard to describe (and only comes around just a few times in life.)

This is different from, "what a long day, I think I'll have a cocktail feeling..."

It's that deep set emotion that comes from knowing you worked hard, kept your promises, not only 'showed up' but 'showed up prepared' and delivered your very best.

When I saw these bikes locked up on the RiverWalk one evening last week, with the boats resting in the backdrop, that same sense of pride, triumph, but most importantly, satisfaction was overwhelming.

Look at it through my eyes, someone who is thinking (all the time) how to create great places for people to live around Wilmington. Not once did I imagine my first residents would be actually living in the marina, on a boat!

And it didn't matter that this wasn't what I had initially planned when we started the project, the achievement was the same. Someone was calling this place home - and that is why I do this.

Our story will continue to unfold, and thus far, you have merely read the preface. The first chapter is coming, and if this project were a book, it wouldn't be just a 'best seller', it would be a 'classic' - one we are certain you will enjoy.

Do Well, Do Good.

Those were the words my Dad said to me two decades ago as I began my journey into the 'real world' as a College Freshman.

I don't know that I really thought about what he was saying until much later in life.

Today I was required to look around and take note of my own accomplishments, without the measure of money or accolades following closely behind.

I was surrounded by business leaders, politicians, development professionals and good friends. We were hosting CCT (Coastal Carolina Tomorrow) for an evening social.

With Downtown Wilmington in the background, we were sharing the new RiverWalk with our associates and allowing them to judge for themselves the important work we are all doing within our Community.

Their favorable impression was evident.

And for the first time in years (literally) I actually took a breath and looked around at what is quickly becoming the end of one journey and the beginning of a new one. I feel as though I have spent a lifetime just to get this project to some semblance of reality and yet we still have so far to go.

The role of the real estate developer is to have a positive impact on the community and the environment.

To that end, today was a good day, our team has done well and for that I am proud.

Project Update July 10, 2009

I am starting to feel a little bit like a lightening rod. Usually July is a pretty quiet month for construction and development. It’s hot, people are on vacation but this week has been one adventure after another.

First, a quick report on the project.

The RiverWalk has passed its first round of inspections and the actual deck boards are being installed today. This is exciting and will be quickly followed by the rails, light poles benches and other features. For someone like me who really enjoys the existing Downtown RiverWalk, the pending completion of this phase is terrific.

We had quite a bit of rain this week but it was great to see all of the stormwater systems doing their job. Most of the utilities are substantially complete. We have a few odds and ends but as soon as those are wrapped up we can start leveling off the dirt, backfilling, grading and preparing for sidewalks and landscaping. We are still on track to complete the major infrastructure components by late August. The only bottleneck that we can foresee is the roundabout at the base of Cowan Street – the work is ‘off site’ which means the level of management and coordination is a bit more challenging.

SunTrust, our lending partner, made a site visit this week as well. The local guys brought with them Kempton Shields, one of the chiefs from HQ and I believe they continue to be favorably impressed.

And in other news, we’ve been in the news a lot this week!

Yesterday (July 9) the Greater Wilmington Business Journal ran a detailed article about the project along with some of the back story associated with how we went from being a Builder looking to buy sites for future buildings to the Developer now owning the project. It’s still too soon to tell if that decision was either a really, really good idea or a really, really bad one… Read more at the GWBJ’s website here.

And this morning, the Wilmington StarNews ran a story about the potential for a true, RiverFront Park located within a portion of our project. You can read more about the story and see a new aerial image that we took over the weekend here.

I have mixed feelings about the idea of a park. From a pure development perspective, the best use of the site would not be taking the highest valued piece of land and forgo the opportunity cost to improve it. However, as a Downtown resident and someone who appreciates the power of parks and open space, this could be a huge win for not just Downtown but our whole area.

Long term, the ability for our community to have a city park along the river is not likely to be as readily available in the future, especially as we see local real estate conditions improve and activity around CFCC, PPD and the Convention Center begin to take hold.

Short term, it would help enhance our project. We would gain some momentum, provide the residents of our area another compelling reason to visit Downtown. It may also benefit those considering a residence in one of our buildings or a boat slip in the marina. (Living along the park, overlooking the river and the city skyline). Not an uncommon amenity for most great cities.

It will be interested to see how this story plays out. Feel free to email your thoughts and ideas.