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Annual Reports
of the
Officers and Directors
Fearrington Homeowners Association
2008
Table of Contents
(Click on title to see report)
President – Gillian Cell
I should like to
begin by recognizing my colleagues on the Board for their help and
support. They are collegial, fun and, above all, hard working. I cannot
tell you how hard they work, but that will become self evident as they give
their reports. You will learn how much they have done in the past year to
make this community a better and safer place in which to live.
The Board is charged to maintain property values, preserve and maintain the
common areas, and promote the health, safety and welfare of residents. We
are always mindful of that charge.
So what have we done this year? One big step was to bring to fruition a
goal established by my predecessor, Jim Ackerman, namely to bring together
as much of the Village as possible in engaging a single management company.
There are multiple reasons why we made this move.
1. Both the Board and
the Service Groups find it increasingly difficult to identify residents who
are willing to take on the onerous and time consuming responsibilities of
serving on the boards;
2. A single management company can provide economics of scale, as compared
to the FHA and each Service Group hiring their own managers;
3. Having a professional community manager on site provides better and
faster services to residents.
And
so, in July, almost every area in the Village adopted HRW as its management
company. John Lawton, the CEO of HRW, and Judd Barrett, our community
manager, are here this evening. And I hope you have all met Tlynthia
Jordan, our customer service assistant and office manager who is here each
morning. Later in our meeting Judd Barrett will explain in some detail the
nature of his responsibilities.
We selected HRW after having sent out Requests for Proposals to three
companies, received bids from all three, interviewed the management of those
companies, and done our due diligence. Not surprisingly perhaps in such
a major change, the transition has been somewhat bumpy but we are working on
it and we remain convinced that the decision to cooperate in this way was
the right one. An additional benefit has arisen from all the Presidents
working together on this project: we have created a Council of Presidents
which continues to meet regularly on matters of common interest.
Other significant achievements during 2008 will be described in more detail
by the Directors so I will not review them now.
However, I will mention the survey that we distributed earlier this year and
to which we received an unusually high response rate, for which I thank
you. The Board is making use of the some of the survey’s findings already,
as you will hear, and continue to use the survey to help it establish goals
going forward. A copy of the survey was also provided to Mr. Fitch to whom
it may prove useful and with whom the Vice President and I meet regularly.
In all our work we continue to rely heavily on volunteers: to staff the
office, edit and print the Newsletter, prepare the Handbook and Directly,
plant 1600 bulbs – and the list could go on and on. This year for the first
time the Board held a thank-you breakfast for our volunteers. It was well
attended and I hope that it will become an annual event. On behalf of the
Board, I want to express our thanks to all the volunteers. We couldn’t do
it without you.
Finally, I thank you for having given me the privilege of serving as your
President. It has been an interesting and sometimes challenging year and,
on 30 December, you make hear coming from Camden Park a very loud “Whoopee”
that reflects far more than just the coming of a new year.
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Vice-President -- Ken Talbot
Upon Vice-President Mary Lou Einroth’s resignation in May 2008 I was invited
to come onto the Board to fill out her term and run for the position for the
2009 one-year term. Since June, in accordance with duties assigned to the
vice-president, I have:
Met with the various
communication committees to keep the Newsletter, Website and the Handbook
and Directory production moving forward. The Board’s decision to replace the
former copier machine in the Hospitality and Service Center has greatly
eased production of the Newsletter. I thank all the volunteers who continue
to serve on these committees and in the Hospitality office who have eased
this time of transition for me.
Worked with the new management firm’s staff beginning in July to refurbish
the FHA office to accommodate an additional work station and improved
telecommunication and other office technology systems. Renovations are
planned for completion by the holidays.
Participated as a member of CERT and the Emergency Preparedness and Response
Committee in planning sessions for improving our coordinated response to
emergencies with Chatham County’s Office of Emergency Preparedness staff.
Participated as a member of the Budget Committee in preparing next year’s
provisional FHA operating budget.
Additionally, the FHA Winter 2008 Survey results were reported out at the
March open meeting of the Board and posted in more detail on the FHA
website. While no further detailed analysis has taken place, members of the
committee have indicated a willingness to follow-up with some further
analysis. But, directly responding to the survey, standing Board committees
have and are continuing to research additional ways to improve neighborhood
security and emergency preparedness, enhanced environmental awareness
through increasing support to Green Scene, supported opening the Gathering
Place a morning a month as an informal neighborly coffee and conversation
spot and have increased efforts for the construction of more pathways in the
Village, e.g. the recent completion of the Millcroft pathway.
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Secretary – Leonard Kreisman
As Secretary I have been responsible for the preparation of minutes for the
various Open Meetings that have been held this year. In addition, the Board
meets for working sessions about twice a month and I have been responsible
for preparing the minutes for those meetings. During 2008 a special effort
was made to keep a current log of any resolutions that were approved by the
Board. This special log has been maintained electronically so that there is
a record of decisions of the Board which required action or implementation.
Another responsibility was to work with the Nominating Committee of the
Board to make sure that there was ample notice and information about the
Annual Meeting. Since the Village has a number of absentee owners steps
were taken to make sure that this group received a ballot as well as a
stamped addressed envelop so that their vote could be made part of the
overall tally at the Annual Meeting.
Besides making sure that the minutes of the Open Meetings are published in
the Newsletter information is also provided to the Website. Another
responsibility is seeing that copies of both the Open Meeting Agenda as well
as the Open Meeting Minutes are posted at the various kiosks, the FHA Office
and Galloway Ridge. All of these efforts are designed to make sure that
residents are kept fully informed about whatever actions the FHA Board
takes.
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Treasurer – Walter Jernigan
You should have in your seat a handout that contains our financial
statements as of September 30, 2008 [click
here to view statements] and our provisional budget for 2009 [click
here to view the budget] approved by the Fearrington Homeowners
Association Board on November 3, 2008.
The balance sheet shows a net cash balance of $ 221,348.22 when you subtract
what we owe from our cash balance of $ 224,527.53.
Our Income/Expense Statement shows we are operating well within our budget
restraints. In fact, with 3 months to go in the fiscal year, we have
already realized $133,848.61 of our yearly projected income of $ 144,120.00.
Our provisional budget for 2009 was formulated by a committee of board
members who carefully reviewed each line item of our 2008 budget to
ascertain if any increases or decreases could be expected in 2009. We are
aware of the current economic situation and the rapid increases in just
about every thing we buy. The inflation factor was considered in our
deliberations of anticipated expenditures. As you can see, some accounts
were increased and some decreased. The main impact in the expense area was
the reduction in legal expenses . When the final amounts were determined we
basically came up with only a net $107 increase in the total expense
budget.
The 2009 budget includes a 5% dues increase to further strengthen our
reserves for future expenditures that will be needed as our facilities such
as the Gathering age.
During April and May we did have our financial statements as of December
31, 2007 examined by a CPA firm. We received a certified opinion report
dated May 20, 2008 which stated that our financial statements did present
fairly our financial position .
July 1, 2008 we hired a new management company as part of an organizational
structure throughout Fearrington Village wherein one management company
will serve virtually all of Fearrington Village.
It was vital to a successful transition to the new management company that
our financial affairs were in place as soon as possible. I contacted the
president of the new company before July 1st and provided the information
needed to understand how our accounting system worked. Luckily the new
company utilized the same software our previous management company did.
Unfortunately the accounting department lost its key employee which has
caused some delays in completing our financial transition.
As I write this report I am working closely with the management company in
some matters that are not quite up to the standards I want to achieve in our
accounting system.
In conclusion, we have had another successful financial year and 2009 is
projected to keep expenses as reasonable as possible so that any excess
monies not needed for operational expenses can be added to the accumulated
funds available for major repairs and major capital additions if needed .
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Gathering Place -- Lowell
Kennedy
The Gathering Place has had another successful year. Clairbeth Lehn, who
continues to do the scheduling, is to be commended for her dedication. 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 completed during the year.
The kitchen renovation
consisted of painting the walls and trim, installation of base and wall
cabinets on the front and rear walls and base cabinets under the end of the
peninsula, all with new acrylic counter tops. The rear wall cabinet
installation together with the counter top and installation of a new sink as
well as a disposal and dishwasher was accomplished this year. In addition a
new, double oven, range was purchased and installed. The purchase of the
french door refrigerator and front wall cabinet installation was completed
last year. The cabinets and counter tops with installation, as well as the
appliances, were purchased from Lowe’s. The FHA was able to take advantage
of several discounts that resulted in considerable savings.
Additional electric circuits were also added. The old linoleum was removed
and new vinyl floor covering tiles were installed. The Woman’s Club (now
Women of Fearrington) and Arts and Crafts graciously donated their jointly
owned dishes and flatware to the FHA for use by everyone. New china cups
were purchased by the FHA, Arts and Crafts and the Village Voices. The
kitchen upgrade has been well received by residents of the Village.
The attic has been expanded to provide more storage area and to permit
easier access to the HVAC equipment located there. The two non-functioning
attic vent fan motors and thermostats were replaced and put into service.
This should help keep down HVAC costs and should lengthen roof life.
Several additional projects are in progress:
The business office is in
the process of being upgraded to better serve the members of the Village
professional management team. The exterior door has been closed in and the
room will be painted out, the carpet replaced and additional furniture will
be installed.
The FHA is evaluating proposals to upgrade the Audio-visual equipment so as
to make the systems more “user friendly”.
I
would like to express my appreciation to Carol Kurtz for covering for me
whenever I was away and to thank the members of the FHA Board and also
residents of the Village for their support of my endeavors to upgrade and
improve The Gathering Place for all.
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Grounds and
Facilities – Carol-Ann Greenslade
From the Grounds & Facilities viewpoint, 2008 has been pretty much business
as usual. There are a few projects yet to be done, but they have been put
out for bids, and will hopefully be executed before year’s end. These
involve items of housekeeping: washing of the Gathering Place, Swim &
Croquet and Smokehouse Kiosks, repair of several potholes and resurfacing of
the basketball pad in Windstone Park. We are also seeking bids for the
infill of the 2 diagonally opposite corners of the S&C Kiosk, following the
removal and storage of the 2, now empty, pedestal mailboxes. The Creekwood
Kiosk was washed and sealed over the summer. Joe Emery has turned over
maintenance of that kiosk to Jack Traywick. We thank Joe for his years of
service in that role, and thank Jack for filling that void.
Thanks, also, to Barb Harris & Barb Alotis for their upkeep of the S&C and
Smokehouse Kiosks, and to Jules Sametz for constructing a new bulletin board
for the S&C Kiosk.
We have finally found the constantly renewing sand infill from the fore bay
of the Beaver Pond to be an asset! Foster Lake & Pond, our pond contractor
and environment experts, verified that the sand was high quality, clean and
totally suitable for use as playground and walking path surfaces. The last
sand pile was moved to the Playground this month, thanks, again, to Robert
Flynn. He even sent a bobcat to do the rough spreading of the sand. The
grass was first covered with commercial grade landscape fabric to help
prevent grass and weed growth through the sand. With assistance from
Robert, we are looking to find a less expensive contractor to do future dig
outs of the fore bay. The next batch will probably be stock piled near the
drive entry to Windstone Park for use on the Creekwood Trails.
Our Walk Fearrington group of volunteers has worked tirelessly this year
creating some new trails in the Millcroft area and extending and improving
the Creekwood Trails, under the leadership of the indomitable Henry Castner.
The trails and paths have been mapped, in color, by Henry and are, and have
been, for sale for $1 in the GP Hospitality Center. Henry’s bush- whackers
include Kevin Wolf, Joe Strain, Tom Hauck, Terry Miedema, Vieta & Reynold
Maher, Carol Kurtz, Vince Collura, Lars Kreijgsman and yours truly. This
was in response to the numerous requests for more paths and trails mentioned
in this year’s survey.
To that end, we held our first “Walk Fearrington Day” last Saturday,
November 8th. By happy circumstance, this all coincided with the
completion of the new Millcroft Path by Fitch Creations and an inspired
daffodil -planting. Carol Kurtz called me in the early Fall to see if it
might be possible for her to plant drifts of daffodils along the new path,
which she would order and donate. Once we got the blessings of Robert Flynn
and RB Fitch, we took the idea to the Fearrington Garden Club. Carol’s 2
bushels, the Garden Club’s donation of 1 bushel and RB’s donation of 1
bushel resulted in the planting of 1600 bulbs by Carol and volunteers:
Ingeborg Jelly, Henry Castner, Carolyn Thomas, Ruth Moleski, Jim Granger,
Janet McCarthy, Saliann Mao Miedema and Maggie Gaudet. Carol also planted a
forsythia from her garden and residents Scott & Emilee Hendrix donated 5
lovely junipers from their garden. Carol is still accepting donations for
purchase of additional specialty bulbs for smaller plantings along the path
&/or other sunny FHA areas. We hope to time a Spring Walk with the initial
bloom of the daffodils and to make these Walks a new Fearrington tradition.
We are also considering creating some planting areas around the Beaver Pond
and elsewhere as residents thin or remove plants from their gardens Please
call me with any such donations &/or to join the list of volunteer
planters. Bruce & Dianne Birch have already provided some lovely large
ferns from their beautiful garden.
The Fearrington Green Scene Committee of the FHA Board is also under my area
of responsibility. They have made impressive strides to raise awareness of
ways in which we can live more eco-friendly lives. They plan to hold a
Green Fair at the Barn in April and are investigating the possibilities of
creating public transit options for residents of Fearrington. Their
meetings are always interesting and new members or guests are welcome.
Even though we now have full professional management, the need for
volunteers to keep our village the place we know and love is as strong as
ever. It has made our jobs as directors a lot easier, and allows us more
time to devote to these additional projects. The coming year will be my
last as Director of G&F, and I encourage anyone who enjoys seeing the
results of their efforts come to fruition to consider coming forward so that
he or she can work with me next Fall to make an easy transition as my
successor. Volunteering not only makes a difference in your community, it
also gives back in the satisfaction of knowing that you have left things
better than you found them.
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Health, Safety and Security --
Peter Thomas
At the beginning of 2008 the FHA established a new board membership to
develop and oversee the responsibility of Health, Safety and Security. The
Articles of Incorporation stated that FHA was to “provide for the Health,
Safety and Welfare” for the residents of Fearrington Village. A number of
people have been involved in this endeavor. Art DeLuca has been a primary
leader in the past few years, and, as the new Director, I have been thankful
for his help and foresight that has benefited all of us in Fearrrington
Village.
This past year we have developed the structure of Health, Safety and
Security based on some previously existing groups. The Emergency
Preparedness Committee, chaired by Don Niedringhaus; the Community Emergency
Response Team with over 60 trained residents, chaired by Tom Hauck; The Road
Safety Committee, chaired by Ruth Kreisman and the Community Watch /Security
Committee, chaired by Doug McAllister, constitute this new board committee.
Each group has been active in establishing its area of responsibility that
is stated on the FHA Website under Health, Safety and Security.
In 2009, John Bierling will chair the Emergency Response Committee which
will continue to develop a comprehensive plan to meet disaster emergencies
by creating an Incident Command System that is tied into local, state and
national emergency programs and utilizes the CERT volunteers. Tom Hauck, as
chair of the CERT program, will continue to train interested residents to
respond to emergencies with the Emergency Operation Command Committee being
located In the Fearrington Cares building. Ruth Kreisman will continue to
lead the Road Safety Committee as they keep the entire community aware of
the NCDOT mandated 25 mph speed limit. This group also reminds us of our
responsibility to increase safety for pedestrians, drivers, bikers and
animals. They carry out their mission by operating a radar monitoring
system, receiving information from citizens regarding threats to safety on
streets, roads and paths. Doug McAllister will continue to chair the
Community Watch and Security Committee that seeks to insure that neighbors
look out for one another and their property. They have already begun to
develop the integral network of communication and collaborations with groups
in Fearrington and Chatham County.
The new Director and Board member of Health Safety and Security for 2009
will be Ray Andrews who has had a wealth of experience in dealing with
Crisis Management and Emergency Preparedness in is professional life before
he retied and moved to Fearrington Village. Art DeLuca will assist him.
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Community Affairs -- Barbara
Thompson
Newcomers Packets
In December 2007 the cover
letter and contents of the FHA Newcomers Packets were reviewed and a
reminder to find and read your covenants was added.
Block
and area Captain’s Meeting
On November 13th, a block
and area captains’ meeting was held. Over 32 attended. Ann Deupree told
the group about the Green Scene, Peter Thomas reviewed the committees under
the directorship of Health, Safety and Security. And Ray Andrews, Director
of Health, Safety and Security elect, discussed the challenges of good
communication.
Easter
Egg hunt
The annual FHA Easter Egg
Hunt was held on Easter Sunday at the playground near the tennis
courts. The 500 plastic eggs (stuffed with candy by Vickie Shae, and Linda
Lang) were found in record time even though they are the most mannered
children I’ve seen at an egg hunt –maybe because on average there are 4
adults for each child.
Smokehouse Library
After many of years of
service of keeping the Smokehouse Library clean and kept in order Don and
Margaret George have retired from the position. John White and his wife,
Liz, have agreed to take over this task.
Adopt-A-Highway
The Adopt-A-Highway program
has continued under the wonderful leadership of Ray and Bev Andrews. This
year the FHA bought some grabbers to make the job easier for the volunteers
that meet every other month to remove trash on 15/501 from Jack Bennett Rd.
to Mt. Gilead Church Road.
Newcomers Fair
The Newcomers’ Fair was
held on October 22nd this year. Forty-five organizations were represented.
Twenty-two newcomers attended
Friendship Coffee
As a result of the FHA
survey, the Board approved a monthly Friendship Coffee. Initiated by Carol
Vatter and JoAnn Kelly, the first Coffee was held in September and each has
been well attended. For a donation of $2, each person can select from a
variety of homemade breakfast breads, coffee and tea. The money will be
donated to the FHA Gathering Place for improvements. This Tuesday you can
come see for yourself
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Covenants -- Harriet McGraw
The Fearrington
Covenants are derived from the Declarations, which are attached to each
homeowner’s deed. Each phase, as it was developed, has its own set of
declarations. The purpose of the covenants Committee is to ensure that our
residents are familiar with these covenants, and, when necessary, to enforce
them.
In 2008 we have handled numerous issues concerning tree removal and home
remodeling involving changing the footprint of the home, which could include
major landscaping projects. A new enforcement procedure has been adopted and
a revised architectural change approval form is now available. The form will
be available from the FHA office or the Covenant representative in each of
Phases I-IV, the Woods and Bush Creek. The service groups—Camden, Bradford
Place, Bush Creek Townhomes, Weathersfield and Countryhouses—can obtain
their forms from their Architectural chairperson.
In 2009 we hope to revise the covenants to include provisions concerning
popular energy saving projects. Over all we want ALL residents to be aware
of and abide by our covenants.
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Intergovernmental
Affairs -- John Hammond
My
name is John Hammond and I serve as the Director of Government Liaison for
the FHA. I keep tabs on what is happening in the area surrounding the
community, as well as the county at large that might adversely affect the
quality of life of the village. As such I monitor the action of the Planning
Board and Board of County Commissioners and I act as a liaison between the
community and county, regional and state agencies as necessary
Over the last year I have been working with leadership of the FHA and the
Service Groups on issues that affected Langdon and Bradford Place arising
from the Knolls of Fearrington Development of Fitch Creations and the Barber
development on sixty acres adjacent to the Knolls of Fearrington. Working
together the plans for both these areas were improved. The greatest threat
was to the traffic flow in Fearrington Village which came from a request to
grant access to the 532 acre McLean property directly south of Bradford
Place. This access route would have added as many as 1000 new cars traveling
in and out of this property on South Langdon and Millcroft. Working with the
Service Groups and the FHA, the proposed access was defeated by the Planning
Board and the Board of County Commissioners.
In addition I chair the Briar Chapel Information Committee that promotes
improved communication between Briar Chapel and the Fearrington Community as
well as the Haw River Assembly. Representatives of other organization
serving on this committee include Loyse Hurley, President of CCEC and
Catherine Deininger of the Haw River Assembly. We are particularly concerned
about the as-yet-undeveloped commercial property bordering the Creekwood
part of the village. In January Briar Chapel representatives will present an
update on their community at an open meeting of the FHA. I hope you will all
attend.
Fearrington Village is an unincorporated community and as such it depends
totally on the County Zoning and Planning Office to protect the quality of
life in the community. Among the challenges facing us in the future is
encouraging creative road designs to avoid the installation of traffic
lights at every intersection between Fearrington Village and the County
line. The protection of the quality of life for Fearrington Village demands
we be ever vigilant to what’s going on around our community and be ready to
act collectively to protect our community’s interest.
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to Top)
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