Category: Neighborhood

December 2025 COA Newsletter

December 2, 2025 /

Hello, owners and renters at The Mill! We wish everyone a good holiday season. Below please find news, updates, and reminders about our community.

1. Newest neighbors

Please welcome our newest neighbors:

  • Warren and Lucy Hottle
  • Rebecca and Edward McKee

2. Neighborhood open house at the Turner’s on Dec. 4

Thank you to Patrick & Alison Turner for hosting a meet & greet social at their place! 

Thursday, December 4, 5:30–7 PM

The event will be casual.

3. Annual budget meeting

Our COA budget presentation ratification meeting and discussion will be on December 9 at 5:30pm in #318 (the Taylor Physical Therapy and Wellness office condo in B3, the Marshall Street building, ground floor). 

The board members and Shannen Varin (our Capstone property manager, see below) will review the 2026 budget and also provide an update on the strategic planning for our capital reserves. The COA will have some required and expected expensive repairs and replacements in the near future. 

4. Roof repairs & gutter guards

This fall, the big B1, B2, and B3 roofs were inspected and repairs were made as needed. We also received expert analysis on when the B1 and B3 roofs should be replaced. (The B2 roof was replaced in 2020.)

We had gutter guards installed on all the garage gutters prone to clogging from our conifer trees. The B2 gutter is about to have guards too, given the messy trees that now hang over that roof. (Installing gutter guards on all the remaining roofs is an option, but as always, the board has to prioritize our spending.)

5. Vehicle security

In October, an office worker in one of the B3 commercial units reported that her car was broken into during the day here at the Mill (although no car windows were broken and nothing was stolen). 

Please remember to keep your vehicles locked, and leave nothing that might look interesting or valuable visible in the cabin.

6. Recent & Upcoming Projects

  • Replacement, site-appropriate plants have been installed on the southside of B2.
  • We continue to investigate a new entry system for the shared doors in B2 and B3. Thank you to Patrick for his major research work on this.
  • We continue to work on new signage throughout the property. We are waiting on the vendor for final confirmation. Hopefully soon.
  • Next year, the metal railings will be sanded and repainted.
  • Shannen continues to bug the city to fix the sidewalk along Wachovia Street.

Old news but worth repeating:

7. Updated COA Directory and Website

Thank you to Patrick Turner for keeping our COA directory up to date. Please let him know if it needs an update. Board members are identified there too.

Patick also maintains our COA website, https://themillattarbranch.com/ . It provides contact information, “who to call” information, a “Mill Vocabulary”, our governing documents, and more. 

8. Shannen Varin, our single point of contact for COA needs

Owners should contact our property manager Shannen Varin (shannen@capstonetriad.com) of Capstone Realty Consultants for any COA needs, including property issues and payment questions. Shannen’s services are part of our contract with Capstone. 

However, owners can keep the board in the loop by emailing coa@themillattarbranch.com, which reaches the current COA officers.

9. Recycling Reminders

The city has a guide to what can be recycled: https://www.cityofws.org/637/What-Can-I-Recycle 

Note that plastic bags are not accepted – they clog the sorting machines. But bags can be dropped off at many grocery stores. 

Occasionally our recycling is not picked up, for no fault of our own. When that happens, we can tell Shannen, and she will complain to the city.

Summer 2024 Newsletter

June 19, 2024 /

Meet Your Board

  • Alison Turner, President, Unit 328
  • Jessie Fontenot, Vice President, Unit 313
  • Christine Storch, Secretary, Unit 115
  • Nina Poe, At Large, Unit 213
  • Mitch Taylor, At Large, Unit 318
Ali Turner
Jessie Fontenot
Christine Storce
Nina Poe
Mitch Taylor

Our community is so fortunate to be guided by this diverse, engaged, and multi-talented group of volunteers. Should you have questions, concerns, or praise on any COA-related topic, please contact the full Board at their shared email: coa@themillattarbranch.com.

New Neighbors

We welcome new Unit 217 owners Rob & Susan Arnold who are renting to Gregory Koester while they’re in Portugal. Interesting sidebar: Greg is the architect who first designed the interior of that unit for original owners Bucky & Nancy Dennis, as well as the interiors of Rick & Nola Miller’s Unit 223, and Unit 328 now owned by Patrick & Alison Turner. 

Also, welcome new Unit 214 owners Garret Young & Dia St-Pierre Young who will enjoy their space when in town.

More Bins, Please

You asked and we put the wheels in motion! The city waste management folks delivered THREE additional recycling bins. Remember to break down all boxes and use all the bins to better distribute.

Additional Parking No More

Intermittently, our residents have sought overflow parking in the Tar Branch Towers surface lot across Marshall Street. Their COA Board recently discussed liability concerns and have ruled against neighbors using their spaces. Please note that violators will be towed at their own expense.

And a reminder that parking spaces in our three lots [Marshall Street, Upper Wachovia, and Lower Wachovia] are neither reserved nor assigned to any specific unit. These spaces are equally available to all residents and their guests, as well as office staff and their clients.

Vendor Directory

Thanks to Patrick Turner who has shared a Vendor Directory. You will find a link on the main menu of our website at themillattarbranch.com. Feel free to make recommendations for the list.

Tomato, Tomahto

There is a legion of volunteer tomato plants in the area next to the east brick stairs at the backside of Building 1. Once they ripen, please avail yourself of their summer goodness.

Signs of the Times

Some weeks ago, several owners in Building 3 had interactions with a trio of uninvited visitors on site. Law enforcement was called and recommended that our COA post NO TRESPASSING signs at entry points to our community so the police could take action should there be a repeat. Thank you to Barbara Fehribach [Unit 326] for taking the lead creating and strategically placing the signage.

Turn Down the Volume a Smidge

Our shared walls are not as noise proof as one might think [or hope]. Be mindful of the decibels of your various entertainment sources and adjust accordingly to avoid audio intrusion next door.

Strings at Sunset

September 6, 2023 /

The Mill at Tar Branch COA Presents

STRINGS AT SUNSET

Downtown Winston-Salem Sunset

Featuring Classical + Popular Tunes

Played by Musicians

Corine Brouwer, Violin
Ruth Metheny, Violin
Natalie Parker, Cello

from the

Winston-Salem Symphony Logo

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

The Mill at Tar Branch Marshall Street Parking Lot

Gates Open –  5:45pm
Welcome – 6:05pm
One Hour Concert Begins – 6:15pm

BYO Sit Upons + Potables + Edibles

$10 Donation Suggested Per Adult – Kids Free

A portion of the proceeds will benefit

Old Salem Logo

Summer 2023

June 12, 2023 /

Let the Sun Shine In!

Starting about 9 am Wednesday, June 14, and continuing Thursday, June 15, Wolf & Sons Window Washing will be on site for our biennial, budgeted exterior window cleaning.

All windows will be sprayed, hand washed, and squeegeed. Windowsills will be wiped out.  Any screens will be removed, sprayed, and replaced. Workers will use ladders to access Building 3 balconies and Unit 155’s below-grade terrace. Those of you with fenced patios, kindly unlock your gate for access.

Bulky Item Pick Up

The city has scheduled our neighborhood pick-up for June 26 – 30.  The Board agreed that the central location for owners to place their items would be curbside in the area just north of the Marshall Street Parking Lot ramp.

Landscaping Committee

As the Board welcomes and encourages resident participation in administrating our COA, invested residents are called upon to volunteer to serve on a soon-to-be-formed Landscaping Committee, which Nina Poe will chair. Those interested should email coa@themillattarbranch.com.

Neighbors

Past Board President Robert Bowman has sold his commercial unit [318], and Lisa Menefee’s unit [155] is under contract.  Watch for details of our newest neighbors later this summer.

We Reached Our Goal!

November 7, 2022 /

Successful “Neighbor-sourcing” the Cost of Bronze Plaques Celebrating The Mill’s Historical Significance

The Board is proud and delighted to announce that we achieved our fundraising goal for this project in less than one week! Many thanks to those steadfast Owners who answered the call [or the email or text or the parking lot conversation], inviting their support. Their donations spurred us on to realize almost 100% Owner participation. What we do together will make a difference. Yay us!

The plaques have been ordered and should be building-mounted in 5 – 8 weeks.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s notable places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. Read more about The Mill’s nomination.

Help “Neighbor-source” the Cost of Bronze Plaques Celebrating The Mill’s Historical Significance

October 29, 2022 /

PLEASE JOIN OWNERS WHO HAVE ALREADY DONATED

Pledge Now

The National Park Service approved listing the Indera Mills complex on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, recognizing its role in the broad textile industry development that occurred in Winston-Salem in the early years of the twentieth century. To acknowledge and herald this honor, the Board has unanimously approved mounting handsome bronze plaques on Building 1, Building 2, Building 3, and Unit 155.

THIS IS NOT A COA-FUNDED PROJECT.

Rather, we are asking those of us who live and work in this unique community to share the cost.

TOTAL COST $1,215

Pledge Any Amount Now!

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s notable places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources. Read more about The Mill’s nomination.