Living in the Neighborhood

NOTE: The Council of Stewards meets regularly on the fourth Wednesday of every other month in St. Alban’s Church classroom (lower level) at 7:00 p.m. Special meetings are called as needed. Meetings are open to residents. The next regular COS meeting is scheduled on February 28, 2007.

Good Neighbor Tips

The neighborhood newsletter tries to keep you informed regarding a vast array of interesting events around the area and Association business items. One of the most important functions of this newsletter is to provide useful information about things that affect your safety and quality of life as a resident. To that end, articles often have a seasonal theme or express some urgency based on another neighbor’s experience. This month, several tips are mentioned along with a reference to other articles in past newsletters on these topics. [Please refer to these articles in back issues of the newsletter on the website. Past issues on-line date back to September, 2004.]

Clothes Dryer Care

Again, there have been reports of residents, particularly in townhomes, experiencing poor drying and excess moisture as the result of plugged vents. Lint accumulation and reduced airflow feed on each other to provide conditions that could lead to a fire hazard. Depending on individual vent routing, problems can be caused by too many bends in long ducting runs. One neighbor has had problems with the louvered or screened exit from the vent onto the roof. Please watch for warning signs of trouble and keep vents well maintained. [Newsletter article in October, 2005.]

Fire Alarm Batteries

A number of neighbors have started to experience the “beepies,” that shrill persistent sound that the fire alarm makes when the battery is low. It should be noted that in all townhomes and single-family homes, the alarm system is electrically wired. The battery back-up kicks in only in the event of a power failure. As a result, the batteries last longer than ones in alarms run strictly from battery power. Thus, it is easy to forget to change these on a regular basis. Many owners have gotten as much as three years of life out of originally installed batteries. However, it is important to change these 9-volt batteries on a regular basis. Manufacturer recommendation is to replace each year. Many homeowners opt for the month that we go onto Daylight Savings Time. [Newsletter article in April, 2006.]

Townhome Insurance

The Neighborhood Association purchases casualty insurance for each townhome building. This is paid through the Townhome Peer Group assessment. Townhome owners should purchase an HO-6 policy to cover liability and contents. This could save you big dollars on your insurance bill if you are currently over-insured by carrying a policy on the full townhome unit. [Newsletter article in November, 2005.]

Byway Garage Lighting

The lighting over garages in the townhome byways is maintained by the Association (Townhome & Workplace Building Maintenance Committee). If your light is burned out, please notify Hank Howell, chairperson for that committee, at 704.987.0363. [Newsletter article in February, 2005.]

Home Security Alarm Systems

Home security alarm systems must be registered with the Davidson Police Department. In most cases the provider will do this for you, but in order to avoid fines for an unregistered alarm, you may want to verify this if your system is armed. [Newsletter articles in February, 2005, and in January, 2006.]

In the Know in Our Neighborhood

* Town of Davidson – A Little History *

In 1835, a small group of Presbyterian churchmen met at the home of William Lee Davidson to discuss the possibility of a new college in the area and where to build it. Mr. Davidson offered the gentlemen a total of 469 acres for $1,521. [This is a giveaway by today’s standards!] The area was extremely rural and there were a number of factors that entered into the site decision. Interestingly enough, one of these factors was the fact that this area was free from malaria. [It’s good that we can still make this claim. It was very important in the nineteenth century.]

“Davidson” was chosen as the name of the new college in honor of William Lee Davidson’s father, General William Davidson. Many other prominent families were to be found in the area around Davidson College. The college became a core of the community, creating a need for more homes and stores and, subsequently, an incorporated Town. The Town of Davidson obviously cannot separate its history from the founding and growth of Davidson College.

The families and homes in this area present a wealth of history and some interesting tales. For more information and great detail regarding the history of our town, please plan to purchase and browse a copy of Davidson: A History of the Town from 1835 until 1937 by Mary D. Beaty. This book is available from Main Street Books. (Much of the material for the neighborhood series on byway names in New Neighborhood was referenced in Beaty’s book.)

“In the Know in Our Neighborhood” is intended to provide important, useful, or interesting information that might not be known by all neighbors. I need topics that you feel appropriate. If you have ideas, call Dave Smith (704.987.1472) or e-mail davidbsmith@bellsouth.net.

Senior Alert! Survey coming in March

The Town of Davidson has recently established an “Aging in Place” Task Force whose mission is to: “Enhance Davidson’s resources as a senior friendly community.” In the March issue of “The Town Message” newsletter, a survey will be included for residents 50 or older to voice their concerns.

Task Force members said, “Our understanding of the ‘Aging in Place’ concept is that it is not tied to a specific physical dwelling, but suggests Davidson seniors should have the widest number of options possible as they decide how to spend their senior years.” The task force believes that specific information from citizens of Davidson is an extremely important element in looking at the issues concerning aging in our town. Be on the lookout for this survey and voice your concerns about aging in Davidson. You may also find it on line in March on the town website: www.ci.davidson.nc.us. Copies of the survey will be also available at churches, the public library, Ada Jenkins center, and Town Hall.
If you have any questions when you get the survey you can call New Neighborhood resident and Task Force member Adria Appleby at 704.655.9717.

Neighborhood Break-Ins - Update

Attendance was at capacity at St. Alban’s Church on Thursday, January 4, as Davidson Police Chief Jeanne A. Miller discussed an attempted abduction of a teenage girl in McConnell on December 28, 2006, and yet more break-ins in McConnell and surrounding neighborhoods over the holidays. A sketch of the abduction suspect by a police artist was included in the January newsletter. Chief Miller discussed the incidents in detail and provided good advice regarding security measures.

At the McConnell Homeowners Association annual meeting on January 23, the police chief told residents that investigators have a couple of suspects in the burglary cases. Residents in that neighborhood also discussed forming a Neighborhood Watch. Actions for New Neighborhood will be discussed in the Council of Stewards regular meeting on February 28.

One fact discussed in the early-January community meeting is particularly important to all residents in New Neighborhood. The suspect in the attempted abduction on North Downing Street in McConnell was tracked by dogs through McConnell and into New Neighborhood to North Faulkner Way. Since the trail ended somewhere around the intersection of North Faulkner Way and O. Henry Avenue, police suspect that the suspect sped away in a car at that point. Residents should always remain cautious of suspicious persons walking through or parked in the neighborhood. It is not unlikely that the persons committing break-ins could be developing a history of daily routines by watching the neighborhood while walking or parked in a vehicle.
Please report any unusual behavior to the police immediately!

SPINN Volunteers Needed

For the last four years, the neighborhood has celebrated SPINN (Spring Party in New Neighborhood) in Faulkner Square. This is an annually budgeted event supported by the Neighborhood Association. However, it does require organization and communication in order to occur and be a success. The event has been traditionally held sometime in May.
Adria & Woody Appleby (St. Alban’s Lane) have agreed to chair this event in 2007, but only as part of a hard working committee. Brian & Teresa Furlong and Tom & Leigh Ann Hamic did an outstanding job as co-chairpersons in 2006. With the cold winter weather, it may not seem appropriate to plan for SPINN now, but our past experience has shown that now is the time to begin thinking about this celebration. Lots of notes and boxes of supplies are available from past years to jump-start the planning process. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Appleby’s at 704.655.9717.
This is a great way to celebrate New Neighborhood each spring and to meet both old and new neighbors. We are expecting the biggest party yet in 2007!

Some Thoughts about Stewardship and Global Warming

The final installment of this series of articles about saving energy, saving money, and reducing global warming was to have appeared this month. However, Mike Stenhouse’s schedule has required that we delay the wrap-up until March. Mike will summarize the series and discuss his total savings over the past year in that final article.

Newsletter Delivery Volunteers

Many thanks are due our newsletter delivery volunteers.

January volunteers included Adria & Woody Appleby, Barbara Doster, Sherman Kahn, Norm Reid, Norman Richards, Dave Smith, and John & Marcia Williamson.

If you wish to volunteer, please call Dave Smith at 704.987.1472 (e-mail at davidbsmith@bellsouth.net).