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Look To The Future
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: 2020/05 - May | Photograph By: Charles Johnson
Everyone, and that means everyone – residents and wistful seasonal guests and those just looking for an escape from the madding crowd – is looking forward to the time when life on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau can return to something resembling normalcy.
Highlands Chamber of Commerce has begun thinking about the possibilities, and the steps that’ll have to be taken to make that a reality.
The chamber has engaged the services of Young Strategies, a Charlotte-based consultancy specializing in strategic planning and research for destination marketing organizations.
Young Owner Berkeley Young stresses that from his vantage point on April 20, the Plateau can expect to open over the summer, though it’ll almost certainly be in stages.
“We have to remember that it’ll rely upon the wise counsel of the state and federal authorities, and the informed decisions of local government before we begin to see progress,” says Young. “In the meantime, restaurants and hotels will have to develop practices that’ll minimize the risk of transmission. Things like restaurants limiting the number of diners and spacing tables six feet apart, having gloved service and disposable plates and cutlery, and continuing carry-out and delivery.
“For hotels, that’ll probably mean a Plexiglas screen at the front desk, rooms sitting idle for two days after check-out, public area furniture removed to prevent gathering, and the removal of all non-bleachable bedding & glassware from rooms.”
These and other factors are being considered, with the Town of Highlands and Highlands Chamber of Commerce working together. To keep up with efforts to restore the Plateau to normalcy, visit highlandschamber.org.
