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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Fearrington Homeowners Association

JANUARY 2003  MINUTES

DATE:         JANUARY 7, 2003

PRESENT:    Joyce Berg, Richard Bird, Frank Chut, John Custer, Jerry Gaudet, Mary Hammond, Cynthia Jones, Nancy Kern, Al Lebeau, Jay Olson,

ABSENT:    NONE

GUESTS:     Nancy Brewer #184, Jim Cochran #259, Jim Granger #75, Carol-Ann and Forrest Greenslade #149, Bill Kern #663, Walter Koehler, Ruth Kreisman #885, Bill McCulloch #1349, Bob and Nancy Oram #146, Gayle Ruedi, Jack Wright #303

APPROVED: 2/4/03

President Kern called the meeting to order at 7 p.m.

1. Resident input - none.

2. Approval of minutes- the minutes of the December 3, 2002 FHA Board meeting were approved.

3. Treasurer's report - Frank Chut, Treasurer, reports that we remain on budget. He presented Walter Koehler's final report to the Board for approval and the report was accepted. (Appendix A) President Kern the acknowledged Walter Koehler's contributions to the Board.

Treasurer Chut then presented two motions to the Board.

Motion #1- Chut moved that the Action of the Fearrington Homeowners' Association Board at the December 2002 meeting in adopting a provisional budget for the Fearrington Homeowners' Association for the year 2003 hereby be ratified and that said budget be adopted by this Board. The motion was approved.

Motion #2 He moved:
* that the actions of the Fearrington Homeowners' Association in authorizing the President, Vice President and the Treasurer to be signatories on the accounts now in force at Central Carolina Bank be hereby ratified and adopted by this Board.

* that we adopt all pertinent portions of the various documents of the said Central Carolina Bank required to maintain these accounts and to confer signatory power on the officers above named. Copies of these said documents shall be attached as part of this motion and shall be a part of the official minutes of this meeting.

* that the Board ratify fully the actions taken by the officers to establish the executory power of the new signatories for these said documents and the continued maintenance of said accounts.

The motion was approved.

4. Issues requiring immediate attention - none.

5. Old Business

a. Emergency procedures - Cynthia Jones, Director, reported on the Board's planning for the ice storm. Although it prepared for the usually winter storm conditions, the absence of electrical power in large sections of the village eliminated our most useful tools, the Internet and many cell phones and cordless phones. Thus it was difficult to notify people of emergency shelters and to determine those in immediate need. She stated that she will be working with the block captains to establish a house-to-house notification system and she asked attendees for suggestions.

One person questioned whether the block captains were always available and willing to perform this function. Jones stated she would schedule a meeting to discuss this with the 14 area and 80 block captains and their alternates.

Jim Granger (75) suggested we ask the County's disaster planner for advice.

Nancy Oram (146) reminded the group that even the cell phones were a problem when the power was out for a while, as they must be recharged. C.A. Greenslade (149) suggested having a list of cell phones available anyway for emergencies.

Jim McCulloch (1349) brought up individuals with special medical problems. The Board suggested we need to work with Fearrington Cares to identify those people.

Ruth Kreisman asked why we did not open the Gathering Place as a shelter. She was told we are exploring that for the future. Jay Olsen, Director, stated we are getting estimates on the cost of a generator. Jim Granger reported that the volunteer work party who were clearing the roads checked on a number of individuals. He stated Fearrington needs a central location to report problems.

Jerry Gaudet, Vice President, suggested we have a town meeting with the power company to discuss how to prevent this problem in the future and to review planning prior to new areas being connected.

b. Creekwood Kiosk - John Custer reported that the kiosk renovation is now complete and thanked Jim Granger and other members of the work crew who worked directly with the contractor.

6. New Business

Jim Cochran, Chair of the Utilities Committee, reported on our present sewer system. An outside contractor maintains the system. The sludge is transferred to South Carolina where it is spread on fields. After 6 weeks the fields are used for agriculture.

He reported that John Pomeroy, son of a resident and an expert on sewer operation, toured the sewer plant during the holidays with Robert Flynn and the committee and gave an informal report. He stated that based on his observation the system was well maintained. There was no odor and effluent was clear. The two units have adequate capacity for now and a third unit is ready to go online when Galloway Ridge opens.

7. Committee Reports

a. Community affairs- none

b. Gathering Place- Joyce Berg reported that there were some maintenance problems over the holidays including a malfunction in the front door lock, which was repaired. There were a number of group parties over the holidays, which compensated for the fact that many groups took a holiday break.

c. Grounds and facilities - John Custer reported on storm related activities. He stated that Flynt had placed de-icer on the kiosks lots. He did not know if this had a benefit, as there appeared to be little ice on the roads.

He updated the group on the progress of debris removal. On 12/9/02 the Board had approved funds for Tom Seaton to clear the major roadways (Appendix B) as DOT stated they did not expect to be able to remove debris for some time. He cleared Village way and part of Creekwood before the DOT stated they might begin work in a few weeks. They stated that they would begin 1/6/03, but work has not started. It will be necessary to engage Tom Seaton again to clear any roads owned by FHA that are not cleared by DOT.

A volunteer work party has been collecting debris along Creekwood, Windstone Park and in Bush Creek as well as assisting residents who cannot clear their yards themselves.
An engineer for the DOT has acknowledged that some of the silt in the Beechmast Pond was their responsibility.

Motion- Custer moved that we approve the annual renegotiation of Tom Seaton's 3-year contract, which has a provision for annual negotiation of charges. He requests a 4% increase in charges and a special charge of $500 for fall and spring cleanup. The motion was discussed and approved.

d. Gathering Place Office-none

e. County Liaison- Al Lebeau reported on planning commission activities. (Appendix C). The Pittsboro city commission has approved Powell Place a 148-acre multiuse development at 15-501 and 64 bypass.

Buck Mountain a 792-acre golf course community off Old Graham Road is before the planning commission.

8. Resident input- Ruth Kreisman (885) asked the Board if there had been any long-range plan to use fees to expand or improve the Gathering Place as the number of residents increased. She stated that during the Bush Creek Holiday Party she had found that the kitchen was not adequate to serve dinner to a large number of people and that the coat closet was being used for storage.

Joyce Berg agreed that there was very little storage. However, she stated that up until now the kitchen had been adequate for the light refreshments used by most clubs.

Frank Chut stated that the Gathering Place fees hardly met the expenses for maintaining the present facility. Custer stated fees had been adjusted with significant increases 2 years ago and part of the expenses were charged to Fearrington Cares and the FHA office. Enlarging the building would reduce parking, which can be tight.

Gayle Ruedi asked about the construction area used by Fitch adjacent to the Gathering Place, which might be used for expansion. Would that become available when building was complete? It was agreed that these issues should be considered by the long range planning committee.

C.A. Greenslade asked about the progress of the deer committee. Kern stated that Dik Van Iten was formalizing the membership and they would have a mission statement soon.

9. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Mary Hammond, Secretary