01 Jul Minutes of the Open Board Meeting – June 16, 2011
Ken Talbot, President, detailed some of the accomplishments of the Board over these last several months. He noted that residents appreciated the session devoted to security at which the Sheriff’s office provided them with needed information about appropriate security measures. New landscaping and lighting were installed around The Gathering Place and the large meeting room was repainted. There will be new lighting in that room with the work to be done over the summer. The Smokehouse is being repainted and repairs have been done to the Camden kiosk. This year’s Easter Egg Hunt has been described by residents as one of the best and they also appreciated the shredding events. The major effort to redesign the Board’s website as well as the fact that the Handbook and Directory have been put online was noted. This major accomplishment will allow more and more recent information to reach many of the residents in the Village.
Jim Morlan, Treasurer, noted that revenue was up slightly and that expenses in the operating budget were on target and the reserve fund was in good shape.
Tom Hauck, Director of Health, Safety and Security introduced Assistant Fire Chief Ronnie Page who distributed and discussed a Home Safety Check The list included smoke detectors, making sure they are functioning properly through replacing batteries and checking to see if they beep, and smoke alarms which, if very old, should be replaced with newer models. Some of these are available for distribution at the fire station. A copy of the Home Safety List will be put on the FHA website so that residents who did not attend the meeting can be brought up to date. Joining Chief Page were Jeffrey Curtis a firefighter and John Bierling the head of the Emergency Preparedness Committee of Fearrington.
Carol Kurtz, board member in charge of The Gathering Place, reported on the amended Rules, Regulations and Fees for the Gathering Place noting that at a meeting of various club and organization representatives there was widespread support for continuing the policy of keeping the use of The Gathering Place for Fearrington residents only. Another issue was the need to make whatever fees were set fair to all. Groups that use the kitchen will be charged for that use. Groups meeting for short sessions will be charged less than those groups who meet for an extended period. These changes are being made so that charges can reflect the kinds and extent of the use of The Gathering Place facilities. It was noted that the increased security deposit would be charged only for new groups and such a charge was one time only. For a Memorial service a minimal fee was needed for cleanup after such an event.
Concern was raised by a resident in attendance about the poor condition of the lending library at the Smokehouse kiosk. Various suggestions for dealing with the situation were made.
In closing it was suggested that the Board engage in an active campaign to remind residents about their responsibilities and simple courtesies: obeying the 25 mph speed limit in the Village, keeping dogs on leashes, picking up after their animals and properly disposing of the waste and not discarding unwanted mail on the floor of the mail kiosk.