PRESIDENT – JIM ACKERMAN

The 2007 FHA Board of Directors could easily be characterized with a single word, “indefatigable”. In addition, this year’s Board demonstrated great vision regarding the future of the FHA. Because each Board Director’s accomplishments are chronicled below, I will only mention several new initiatives that were undertaken by the Board.

2007 was the first year the FHA utilized limited professional management provided by the firm Community Association Services (CAS). Ed Bedford has been our community manager and has proven to be an extremely knowledgeable resource for the Board. With CAS performing dues collection and all bookkeeping functions our very effective Treasurer, Walter Jernigan, CPA, was able to operate in oversight fashion. CAS has provided us with an excellent half-time onsite FHA administrator, Gary Simpson, whose role has been CAS liaison to the Board and the manager of the FHA Office and the newly organized FHA Hospitality and Service Center. Gary has been highly successful in recruiting many new volunteers for the Hospitality and Service Center.

With the elimination of the need for a Financial Officer, a Board Director at large, Mary Lou Einloth, was assigned the task of organizing the various Board functions related to health, safety and security of Fearrington Village. As you will read below Mary Lou has done a brilliant job with this endeavor.

In addition to the Vice-President’s traditional role of coordinating all the communication functions of the FHA including the FHA office, Gillian Cell and I expanded the scope of the quarterly Service Group leaders meetings, which evolved into the Presidents Council, which met far more often than in the past and tackled a number of issues of concern to all of Fearrington Village. Among these tasks were negotiating a limited assignment of architectural control and covenant enforcement with Fitch Creations, studying our trash and recycling program and in concert with RB and Greg Fitch evaluating the future of professional management for all of Fearrington Village. These initiatives will have many salutary benefits for the future, not least of which will be closer cooperation between the service groups, greater community representation in Board decisions and better communication with Fitch Creations.

Because the FHA Board occasionally finds itself in a crisis management mode when a controversy arises in which it is not clear what the predominant sentiment is of our residents, it was decided that a rapid method of gaining the sense of the community would be advantageous. As a result, a Survey Committee was established under the able leadership of Ruth Bierhoff to devise a primarily Internet based survey tool, which could quickly “take the pulse” of the community. The first survey will be launched in January 2008 and will glean important general information for future planning of the FHA.
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VICE PRESIDENT – GILLIAN CELL

The Vice President’s responsibilities include: oversight of the FHA hospitality and service centre; communications, including the newsletter and directory, and the survey committee.

FHA Office: Under the direction of the new office administrator, Gary Simpson, the FHA office has been transformed into the hospitality and service centre. The functions are the same but the office has become much more attractive and welcoming. We are fortunate enough to have a great group of volunteers, some are old-hands, others are newcomers to the Village. All are conscientious and efficient and the Board is very grateful for their service. We are also grateful to the members of the Paleteers for their loans of art work that grace the walls of the office.

Communications:

Newsletter: The Board set up an ad hoc committee to consider whether the printing of the newsletter should be outsourced with a view to saving money. After soliciting a number of bids, it was determined that it would in fact be more expensive to have the newsletter printed externally. The committee then focused on the need for a new printer, as the contract on the current machine will terminate in January 2008. Again we solicited bids and expect to pay somewhat less under the new contract for a more efficient machine. A committee of Julie Smith, Paul Niederer and Sal Sedeita did yeoman’s service and we were particularly fortunate to be able to take advantage of the professional expertise of Sal Sedeita.

For the publication of the newsletter we continue to rely on our excellent editors, Mary Hammond and Dinah McAllister, and the wonderful team of volunteers who print the newsletter.

Handbook and Directory: The Board is exploring the possibility of having the directory produced by Athens Publishing in 2009. This firm produces directories at no cost for Homeowners Associations such as ours, their costs being covered by the sale of advertising which is placed at the back of their directories. This would be a significant cost-saving measure.

Website: The Board considered adopting a new format for the on-line bulletin but, after soliciting the opinion of the community, decided not to go forward.


Surveys: The Board concluded that it would be useful to subscribe to an online survey instrument, called Survey Monkey. Surveys will be administered infrequently and only for issues the Board considers of significant importance to its work for the community. A survey will be distributed, both on-line and in paper form, in the second half of January. Its purpose is to provide the Board with information about the community, including its demographic composition, its likes and dislikes, its needs and concerns. The survey committee, Ruth Bierhoff (chair), Richard Bird, Beverly D’Aquanni, Tom Hauk, and Warren (Gus) Reed, has taken my amateur draft and turned into an instrument that will generate reliable data that can help direct the Board’s actions going forward.

I am continually reminded of the importance of volunteers to the Board and the community and express my deep gratitude to them all.

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TREASURER - WALTER JERNIGAN

I started this year as your new Treasurer and I reported in our first meeting that we had $210,224 in cash placed in various monetary accounts. Included in this total was $124,893 in our reserve accounts. As of September 30, 2007 we had $202,358 in cash including $ 130,601 in our reserve accounts. The overall decrease in total cash of $7,866 is due to several current expenditures involving the upgrade of the Gathering Place kitchen and partial replacement of the air condition system in the Gathering Place.

The budget for 2007 projected a surplus of $ 9,390. We should accomplish this projected surplus due primarily to the lower expenditures for budgeted operating expenses especially in the Ground & Facilities budget category.

This year has been one of substantial changes in the ways and means of maintaining our financial records in order to provide stronger controls through professional management expertise. The following objectives were undertaken and achieved.

A chart of accounts was established along with the introduction of more formal Balance Sheets and Income and Expense Statements.

The Reserve Budget Committee briefed the Board as to the financial impact of the recommendations for expenditure of funds for capital needs outside the budget.

As a result of these discussions a Reserve Study was approved and a final report was received in July for action plans by the Board.

The accounting system established during January and February has been through some major revisions in order to provide cost data on a more specific basis. For example the Gathering Place used to have only one cost center and that one was named Gathering Place. Now the following costs for the Gathering Place are being separately recorded--Cleaning costs; Electricity; Gas; Water; and Miscellaneous.

Two Budgets have been implemented for better management of resources. The operational budget will focus on those revenues and expenses necessary for normal activities required in the day to day affairs of the Fearrington Homeowners Association. The Reserve Fund Budget will focus on the revenues and expenditures for capital items over a 5-7 year period.

During July, our financial records were examined by an outside CPA firm. We received a certified report dated August 29, 2007 which said that our financial records for 2006 did present fairly the financial position of Fearrington Homeowners Association.

On September 17, 2007 the Board approved the 2008 Provisional Budget for Operations . Gross revenues are estimated at $ 144,120 . Expenses estimated at $ 142,215. This budget calls for a 5% raise in annual dues; an increase from $96.00 to $100.80. Even with this increase the net income after expenses is $ 1,905

[The complete provisional budget for 2008 can be viewed by clicking here.]
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HEALTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY - MARY LOU EINLOTH

This year an at large Director was appointed to focus on the health, safety and welfare of the Fearrington Community. This appointment was designed to fulfill one of the purposes of the FHA (as declared in the Articles of Incorporation). It also maintains the designated number of officers/directors stated in the FHA by-laws. This position has oversight responsibilities for the following committees: Community Watch, Road Safety, Emergency Preparedness and Response, and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). This position also acts as liaison with Fearrington Cares.

Emergency Preparedness - This first year, the focus was on Emergency Preparedness. A committee consisting of Don Niedringhaus, Peter Thomas, Art DeLuca, Robert Flynn and myself was formed to address the issue. An Emergency Preparedness Plan was submitted to the FHA Board and approved in August. The plan includes preparation, coordination, communication, infrastructure, education, types of emergencies most likely to occur in our area, evacuation maps, etc. The plan will be available in December as in hard copy in the FHA Hospitality and Service Center.

A Resident Emergency Preparedness Guide was completed and is also available on the FHA Website and in hard copy. This guide will be included in the 2008 FHA Handbook and Directory.

Emergency Response - Fearrington Cares (FC) has graciously offered storage space for basic supplies and equipment to be used by the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) in the event of a disaster that affects Fearrington Village. If such an event occurs, the EOC will be activated in the FC building. The FHA Board approved the purchase of radios to be used by the EOC and the response team. Galloway Ridge has allowed the FHA to tie into their repeater system so that the radios will reach most, if not all, areas in Fearrington.

CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) has grown in numbers with 10 new Fearrington Residents becoming certified this year. This brings the total of certified Fearrington Residents to 54. Under the direction of Art DeLuca, CERT conducted a successful mock disaster trial in May at the Gathering Place. CERT meetings and training sessions continue monthly.

Road Safety - In early 2007 the Road Safety Committee installed speed monitoring sensors that are rotated among eight different sites on four speed-prone roads in the Village. Statistics are being gathered and analyzed. Over time, this information will give us the data needed to develop continuing programs. The first findings were reported in the November FHA Newsletter. The committee will continue to report to the community. In 2008 Road Safety is also focusing on walking paths and cross walks.
Community Watch - The Community Watch Committee will continue to publish information and tips on the FHA Website. In 2008, HSS will look to experienced and talented Fearrington volunteers to be on this committee and review and act upon safety issues.
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GROUNDS & FACILITIES – CAROL-ANN GREENSLADE

The budget for Grounds & Facilities (G&F) for 2007 was $50,000. Most of that, $30,000, pays for the grounds maintenance contract. This covers the mowing and trimming of the road sides and FHA properties, mulching of the planting beds, and Spring and Fall yard waste cleanups. It also includes maintaining the gravel paths and mowing of the playground. This is a three year contract, with costs reviewed annually. I am pleased to report that the cost for this service will remain the same for 2008. An additional $700 was budgeted for snow removal. So far, we have not had to use any of that budgeted amount. However, we still have the rest of November and December to get through.

The next most expensive item in the G&F budget is the Beaver Pond. The almost $2300 maintenance contract pays for monthly inspection of the pond, overflow and immediate surroundings. The report of the observed wildlife, clarity, fish and any treatments is emailed to me. They are on call for any emergencies that may occur. Additional costs of approximately $1500 have been paid for two clean outs of the fore bay. The area surrounding the pond has been seeded and mulched, per the pond reconstruction contract. It has now grassed over and is back on the mowing schedule. The good news is that we resubmitted the original application to NCDOT for the construction of the fore bay, which was not part of the original contract. They agreed and paid an additional $320, 1/3rd of the cost. Fitch Creations has continued to help with this ongoing work by removing the piles of sediment on both occasions.

A new sign has been posted to restrict the use of the cinder path along the sewer easement and the dam to service vehicles only. Residents are encouraged to use the Beaver Pond property for walking, fishing (it is stocked), wildlife watching and other passive recreational uses. The property extends to the rear of the pond along the creek, all the way to Village Way. Residents are also encouraged to help stabilize the creek banks with appropriate plantings. Stabilizing the banks will minimize further erosion and subsequent re-silting of the pond. No further infrastructure is planned for the area. However, if there is volunteer interest, it is possible to construct boardwalks, bridges and piers without state or federal permits or approvals.

The playground is another responsibility of the G&F Director. This land is owned by Fitch Creations and the play equipment is owned and maintained by the FHA. This past Spring, the picnic tables were replaced and relocated in time for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. One of the installed benches was relocated, all with the volunteer help of Bob & Joanne Flower, my husband, Forrest and me. Next on the agenda or the playground is the replacement of the poor, falling-apart bench that was supposed to go the way of the old picnic tables (hauled away thanks, again, to Fitch Creations) and the sealing of the large wood play apparatus.

The three FHA mail kiosks, Creekwood, Swim & Croquet and Smokehouse, are also maintained by the G&F portion of the FHA budget. This includes, in addition to the landscaping, the electrical costs, pest control (except for Creekwood) and interior housekeeping. Much of the routine upkeep is done by volunteers. Joe Emery looks after the Creekwood kiosk. Barb Alotis and Barbara Harris replaced Elaine Alexander in taking care of the Swim & Croquet and Smokehouse kiosks.

Like the traveling gnome, I, too, appreciate GOOD backup. The G&F Committee consists of Henry Castner, Frank McKeever, John Custer and Bob Flower. Each has his own area of invaluable expertise.

Committees of the FHA each report to a member of the Board of Directors. Road Safety Committee began 2007 under G&F, and with the creation of the directorship of Health, Safety and Security, was transferred. That took place in late spring/early summer, just after the acquisition and installation of the Speed Sentry Monitor. RSC is a dedicated and hard-working group, and are in need of additional volunteers to assist with the ongoing implementation of this new safety equipment.

Newly formed, the Fearrington Green Scene, chaired by Ann Deupree, operates under the Dir. of G&F. They are charged with helping Fearringtonians to fall in step with this most current citizen awareness movement. Their focus is researching and advising FHA and residents in ways that most directly affect us. They are currently looking into helping FHA to assimilate the new and developing technologies and materials into the existing covenants restrictions and practices. Of course, interested new members are most welcome.

Two programs fall under G&F oversight: Gifts and Memorials and Adopt-A-Parcel. We have had no applications for the former. Adopted parcels for 2007 were the 2 parcels at the intersection of Lassiter Lane and Spindlewood. Under the leadership of Jim Abrahamson, he and nearby residents officially adopted these parcels which they have unofficially tended unassisted for many years—true volunteers. To find other parcels for adoption, check your directory maps or the large map in the hall at the Gathering Place. The basic program in available on the FHA website. There are probably 20, or so, such parcels still available for adoption.

Feel free to call me about this or any other FHA-related physical problem, e.g., streetlights out, trees leaning over state roads, paths that need attention, etc. We should finish the year well within our budget.
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GATHERING PLACE – LOWELL KENNEDY

The Gathering Place has had another successful year. Claibeth Lehn, who continues to do the scheduling, is to be commended for her dedication. This is a commitment that takes many hours of volunteer time. We are also indebted to Doris Flexner, Barbara Berke, Mary Heisserman, Jim Perry, Caroline Resnick, Joan Richardson and Jeanne Hagen. They are the “key” persons who provide access to the various groups and organizations that use the Gathering Place.

Several projects were accomplished during the year as follows:

The FHA office storage room was converted to the business office for the use of the FHA Administrator. The original office is now the Hospitality and Service Center.

The woman’s rest room refurbishment, consisting of the installation of a chair rail, paint out, wall papering and installation of a new mirror was completed in the summer. Thanks go to Carol Kurtz, Evy Barrow and Joyce Kennedy for their efforts. The men’s room vanity was painted; new mirror installed and previously removed pictures rehung.

A table caddie was purchased for the 8 ft banquet tables to permit them to be stored out of the way in the large room. Ten replacement, resin top, 8 ft tables that are about half the weight of the previous tables have been purchased. The heavier tables have been donated to Habitat.

The GP main HVAC compressor/condensing unit and the fan unit cooling coil were replaced. Although scheduled for replacement in 2008 because of age and the government mandated refrigerant change in 2010, the expense of required repairs at this time made the replacement now more cost effective.

Damaged floor tile in the chair storage room was replaced. Miscellaneous repairs and modifications throughout the GP were also accomplished.

The Kitchen upgrade has been split into two phases. Phase one is the installation of base and wall cabinets on the front wall of the kitchen. The cabinets have been installed with the countertop installation to be completed Nov 20th. Phase two will be replacement of the cabinets on the rear wall plus addition of wall cabinets, a new sink with disposal, a dishwasher and a new range. It is hoped that Phase two will be accomplished by the end of summer 2008. Thanks go the ad hoc committee consisting of Barbara Thompson, Carol Vatter, Debbie DiSabatino, Dorothy Samitz, Ellie Davidson, Nancy Keadey, Nancy Baker and Joyce Kennedy for their suggestions regarding requirements. The 3 temporary cabinets containing materials belonging to the Woman’s Club. Arts & Crafts, Duplicate Bridge, Vegetarians and the FHA have been moved out of the kitchen. Most of the material presently in the cabinets will be placed in the new cabinets. A table caddie has been purchased for the FHA card tables and is presently in use. The old card table/dish cabinet has been dismantled and removed. Additional electrical receptacles, on separate circuits, have been installed on the front and end walls. The kitchen walls and trim have been painted out.

The boards of the Woman’s Club and Arts and Crafts have graciously voted to donate to the FHA, and the FHA has accepted, their jointly owned china and flat ware for all groups in the Village to use without cost.

I wish to thank the members of the FHA Board and also residents of the Village and in particular Jules Samitz for their support of my endeavors to upgrade and improve the Gathering Place for all.
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COMMUNITY LIAISON – JOHN HAMMOND

I became the FHA Board member for Intergovernmental Concerns upon the retirement of Jim Bond from this position in June 2007. In this position I attend as many meetings of the Chatham Board of County Commissioners that my schedule allows as well as following the agenda of the Chatham Planning Board.

Since assuming this position the McLean Property issue has been of great concern to the community. This parcel is approximately 500 acres located due south of Bush Creek, Langdon and Bradford Place. This parcel was recently rezoned into two hundred and fifty, two-acre parcels. The owners were proposing that access to the property be though Fearrington Village. The service groups in this area as well as the Fearrington Homeowners Association vigorously opposed this proposal. The result of all groups working together was that that the Planning Board voted to deny access to the parcel through Fearrington Village principally due to the heavy traffic that it would place on Fearrington Roads that were not designed for such traffic volume. Access to this property could be achieved by connection through the Preserve as well as though negotiations with ATT who owns the right of way of Big Hole Rd. It is interesting to note that the McLean family in the 1960’s sold the access right of way for Big Hole Rd. to ATT. All Fearrington Organizations worked together to lobby the County Commissioners to support the recommendation of the Planning Board, which they did.

In addition to the McLean issue the Briar Chapel Information Committee continues its meetings every other month with Newland Properties. The Corp of Engineers urged the formation of this committee to improve communications and prevent misunderstandings as Newland’s Briar Chapel project on the edge of Fearrington moves forward. Newland has done a number of these “planned” communities in other parts of the country and the record of Newland remaining faithful to plans approved by the various County Planning Boards for these projects is mixed. Recently, Bill Sommers correctly called them to account on major changes to bridges and other structures that had been approved previously by Corp but suddenly needed to be modified to meet the requirements of the Department of Transportation at significant impact on wetlands. Thanks to Mr. Sommers intervention the Corp is reviewing in great detail the need for these changes and hopefully will substantially reduce the impact on wetlands.

Given the extend of residential development in NE Chatham we must be ever vigilant and actively work together to protect the interests and quality of life of the Fearrington Community.
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COMMUNITY AFFAIRS – BARBARA THOMPSON

Block and area Captain’s Meeting

In March and November, block and area captains’ meetings were held which were well attended. Peter Thomas spoke in March about Fearrington Cares and Mary Lou Einloth in November about Emergency Preparedness. There was general agreement that such meetings were valuable and should be held regularly.

Easter Egg hunt

The annual FHA Easter Egg Hunt was held on Easter Sunday at the playground near the tennis courts. Many children hunted for eggs, met the Easter Bunny (thank you Mr. Bunny for hopping on over) and enjoyed refreshments with parents and grandparents. A special thanks to Vanessa Rojas who organized the stuffing of over 500 plastic eggs, and to volunteers who hid the eggs and helped with the event.

Smokehouse Library

Many thanks to Don and Margaret George, who efficiently manage the operation of the library. New books are added, books no longer usable are removed and the place is kept in good order.

Adopt-A-Highway

Fearrington Village residents participated in the Adopt-A-Highway program led by Raymond and Beverly Andrews. This year our diligent highway volunteers met every other month to remove trash on 15/501 from Jack Bennett Rd. to Mt. Gilead Church Road.

Newcomers Fair

Newcomers Fairs were held in March and October this year. More than 40 organizations were represented at each fair. Forty newcomers attended the March fair and 49 attended in October. Scheduling this event in the evening seems to work better since many of our newcomers to Fearrington are not available during the day. One fair is planned for next year which will be held in late September early October.

Newcomers Packets

In December 2006 the cover letter and contents of the FHA Newcomers Packets were reviewed. The FHA Handbook & Directory is emphasized as well as the FHA Office where additional flyers and other important information can be obtained. Contents will be reviewed and updated again in December 2007 to prepare for 2008.
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COVENANTS – HARRIET McGRAW

The Covenants Committee has handled many requests this year, ranging from removal of trees abutting houses to additions to homes. The majority of the requests have been processed by the faithful representatives from Phases I through IV, The Woods, and Bush Creek.

We are planning to put the Covenants and the Rules and Regulations into a form that is easily readable and also accessible to all residents and those planning on moving into Fearrington. We are also planning to adopt a Covenant Enforcement procedure.

One concern has been that many newcomers are not made aware of the Covenants that exist for all of Fearrington.

The five service groups--Bradford Place, Bush Creek Townhomes, Camden Park, Countryhouse and Weathersfield--have their own covenants and handle all their own requests.
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SECRETARY – LEONARD KREISMAN

The regular duties performed this year have included taking minutes at the bi-monthly meetings of the Board and also taking minutes at the frequent work sessions of the Board.

T his is in addition to the minutes taken at the Town Hall and Annual meeting. As a further step appropriate summaries of the bi-0monthly meetings are prepared for inclusion in the Newsletter and also for posting on the website. We have been fortunate this year to have available the FHA administrator, Gary Simpson, so that when the Secretary has not been available to cover a meeting the Administrator has taken the appropriate minutes.

In 2007 the Secretary established a Book of Resolutions so that accesses to previous Board decisions were more readily available. This was a way to improve the Board’s corporate memory.

The Secretary was also responsible for preparing the mailing that went out to non-residents, with the appropriate pre-paid response envelope and this yielded a more significant return of ballots from non-residents than we had experienced in previous years. Provision was also made fore absentee voting for residents who would not be available at the Annual meeting. Together with the Chair of the Nominating Committee, Gail Mazzocco, the appropriate notices were posted at the various kiosks and the appropriate ballot was prepared.

Some time was also spent in reorganizing the files and initiating an electronic filing system so that we could cut down on the quantity of paper.
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