Village maps updated

The Fearrington village maps on the web site have been updated.  There is a link to them at the bottom of the Directory page, or you can click here to go to them.  The maps are available in a format that is good for viewing on your computer, or in PDF format if you want to print them.

FHA Financial statements available

First quarter financial statements for FHA are now available.  To see the Income and Expense Statement, click here.  To see the March 31 Balance Sheet, click here.  Both documents are in PDF format, and you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to see them.

FHA WINTER 2008 SURVEY RESULTS

You can view the results of the FHA Winter 2008 survey by clicking here. You will need the same username and password you use to access the website directory or bulletin board. If you do not have or cannot remember them, you can request them by sending an email to the FHA Office at fhaoffice@embarqmail.com and providing your name and your Fearrington Post address.

The printed results can also be obtain at the FHA Office.

Limited outdoor watering allowed with Chatham’s revised ordinance

                On Feb. 18, the Chatham County Board of Commissioners adopted a revised water conservation ordinance that promotes year-round conservation, while allowing certain types of outdoor watering on specified days. The revised ordinance is effective immediately.

            “The intent is to promote customers using conservation strategies all year so that we can preserve the water supply in Jordan Lake and reduce high-peak demand days that strain our water system,” said David Hughes, director of Chatham County Public Works. 

“If we can reduce those high peaks, it will help prevent costly expansions of water facilities to meet that demand,” he added.

            The revisions allow county water system customers served by the Jordan Lake Treatment Plant (northeastern Chatham only) to use automated irrigation on two specified days per week to apply up to one inch of water per week.

            “This ordinance does not apply to northeastern county residents who get water service from Cary or to county water customers outside the northeast,” Hughes said.

            The county’s new irrigation schedule is:

·      Governors Club, odd-numbered addresses: Tuesday and Friday

·      Governors Club, even-numbered addresses: Monday and Thursday

·      Carolina Meadows, odd-numbered addresses: Tuesday and Friday

·      Carolina Meadows, even-numbered addresses: Wednesday and Saturday

·      Carolina Meadows Golf Course:  Wednesday and Sunday

·      Big Woods Subdivision:  Monday and Thursday

·      Fearrington Village: Tuesday and Saturday

·      All other addresses: Wednesday and Sunday

      “Regardless of when you water, your irrigation system must have automatic controllers or moisture sensors,” Hughes said.

      “This means that if we’ve had recent rainfall or the soil is sufficiently moist, the irrigation system should not apply water. If it does activate during these periods, the customer will be in violation of the ordinance.”

            Other types of prohibited water uses are:

·         Watering landscaping or using water to clean vehicles, equipment or hard surfaces (driveways, parking lots, etc.) to the extent that water overflows the area and runs onto adjacent property or public right-of-way;

·         Applying water to the extent that the water ponds or pools on hard surfaces, such as driveways, concrete pads, patios or parking lots; and

·         Losing water through plumbing leaks that can be readily identified and repaired.

            Roy Lowder, director of Water Utilities, said that “all water leaks must be repaired within 10 days of being detected.”

Several irrigation activities are allowed without following the watering schedule and restrictions outlined above unless a major water shortage or emergency is in effect, including:  

·         Irrigation required to establish newly seeded or sodded lawns and landscaping for up to 30 days after planting;

·         Irrigation due to chemical treatments that require immediate watering to preserve or establish landscaping;

·         Water used to control dust or compact soil when other methods are unavailable;

·         Visually-supervised testing of watering systems for short periods of time;

·         Water needed to address health, safety, or accident hazards when other options are unavailable;

·         Water used for construction or maintenance activities when water is the most appropriate choice and when other practical options are not available; 

·         Water used for firefighting, training of firefighters, testing of fire hoses, and similar types of emergency responder uses; and

·         Water used for other special purposes, such as flushing out garbage trucks or removing unsanitary materials, when no other alternative exists and provided that the least amount of water needed to complete the task is used.

 Lowder reminds residents and businesses that violations of the water conservation ordinance will lead to penalties.

The penalties are: a written warning for the first violation; $250 per occurrence for the second violation; $500 per occurrence for the third violation; and disconnection from county water service for a fourth violation.

All fines will be added to the customer’s water bill and must be paid as part of monthly bill payment, said Lowder.

For more information, call 919-542-8270 or visit the county website at: http://www.chathamnc.org/publicworks

 2007 annual meeting minutes and
2007 annual reports now available

To see the minutes of the 2007 FHA annual meeting, click here.  To see the 2007 Annual Reports of the FHA Board, click here.

Be prepared for emergencies

A copy of the Resident Emergency Preparedness Guide is now available online, or as a downloadable PDF file.  To go directly to it, click here.  You can also get to this and other safety and security related information  by clicking on the Safety & Security link at the top right corner of this page.

new emergency notification system for Chatham county

Chatham County has a new phone-based emergency notification system called CodeRED.  Click here to learn more about this system, including how to be sure you will be notified if your phone number is new or if your only phone is a cell phone.