10 Jun Beechmast Pond Survey Results
Posted June 10, 2021
In May residents of Fearrington Village were asked to participate in a survey on their preferences for maintaining Beechmast Pond. The survey presented five options, three of which would be changes to our current approach, as suggested by Kris Bass Engineering (KBE). Those options were:
- Continue with the current dredging activity every year
- Retain pond with an expanded forebay, with dredging every five (5) years
- Remove pond and create a wetlands area, with bi-annual dredging
- Remove pond and restore it to a stream
- No opinion
See an earlier article for more information about the issues concerning the pond and its maintainance.
The survey was open from May 14th through May 26th. Altogether 353 responses were received. Below are the results of the survey:
| Response | Count | Percent |
| Continue with the current dredging activity every year | 26 | 7.4% |
| Retain pond with an expanded forebay, with dredging every five (5) years | 71 | 20.1% |
| Remove pond and create a wetlands area, with bi-annual dredging | 12 | 3.4% |
| Remove pond and restore it to a stream | 222 | 62.9% |
| No opinion | 22 | 6.2% |
| Total Responding | 353 |
Over 62% of the residents of Fearrington who responded preferred the option of a stream restoral. The FHA Board will be visiting several restoral projects to acquire a better understanding of the possible end result of such an activity. Once this review is completed, the Board will vote on which option the Board will pursue.
The preferred option of a stream restoration is contingent on the FHA obtaining a matching grant to help cover the initial costs of the project. If the Board votes to pursue that option, then KBE will help in writing a grant proposal. It is necessary also that the proposal be sponsored by a non-profit agency, and KBE will help to set that up.