Living in the Neighborhood
OktoberFest Party, Sunday, October 25
We have not seen the first frost, but the temperatures are creeping downward and it’s time for the annual New Neighborhood OktoberFest. The date this year has been set for Sunday afternoon, October 25 from 3:00 until 7:00 p.m. Come join all the fun in the style of the “Old-Fashioned Family Get-Together.” Bring blankets, lawn chairs, and pop-up tents if desired. There will be no pre-set tables or chairs. Meet new and old neighbors and enjoy good food. Children’s activities are planned and music will be provided by a live D.J.
The Association will furnish BBQ chicken and all the fixings. Neighbors are asked to provide side dishes and drinks according to the following street assignments. (Please bring enough to serve 8-10 people.)
Chips, pretzels, peanuts, Chex mix, dips, salsa, etc.
Harper Lee (single-family), O. Henry (townhomes),
North Faulkner (single family & townhomes)
Pot Luck” (salads, baked beans, side dishes of any type)
O. Henry (single-family), Clemens Place,
Harper Lee (townhomes)
Desserts
Fairview, Twain, Caldwell, South Faulkner (townhomes)
Drinks & Ice
[Note: Some drinks & sodas will be provided. We need
bottled water, some sodas, and juice boxes for kids.]
Conroy, Wolfe, St. Alban’s
Many thanks go to Melissa Graham for planning this year’s event. She has worked hard and lined up some volunteers and sponsors, but more help is still needed. There are still opportunities for people to help with children’s activities, cooking, greeting (name tags), clean-up, and purchase of food and fixings. A photographer is needed to capture the fun. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Melissa (phone: 704.896.8872).
This may seem early, but please consider volunteering now for the Neighborhood party in 2010!
Get out and vote!
Election Day this year is on November 3. Please get out and vote! Your vote does count.
Reminder: All campaign signs throughout the neighborhood MUST be removed no later than the day following the election.
New Pick-up Day for Garbage
Residents should already be aware that trash pick-up has changed from Friday to Wednesday. That now makes all waste and recycle pick-up on the same day:
Curbside
pick-up of garbage: Wednesday
Curbside pick-up of recycle materials: Wednesday
[Note: Cardboard must be cut into pieces no larger than
three feet square. If cardboard has been left at the curb, size could be
the reason.]
Curbside pick-up of yard debris: Wednesday
[Note: No piece may be longer than 6 feet in length
or greater than 4 inches in diameter. Tree and shrub trimmings, leaves, and
grass clippings must weigh no more than 50 pounds. The contractor is not
responsible for any items produced by tree service or landscape contractors.
Each residence is limited to a maximum of 4 cubic yards (approximately a
pick-up truck load) of yard waste. If greater than this amount, the material
may be picked up over a period of no more than two weeks.]
Roll out trash containers and recycle bins should be at the curb
by 6:00 a.m. on the service day and put away on the same day.
It is against the Town of Davidson’s water quality ordinance to blow grass clippings and lawn debris into the street and storm drainage system. Neighborhood Canons prohibit blowing grass clippings, leaves, and yard debris into the street. Please notify your lawn maintenance contractor if this is being done.
Please note that the contact phone number for waste service has also changed. To obtain a roll-out garbage cart or recycling bin or to report service problems, call Republic Services, Inc./Allied Waste at their Customer Service Center at 1-800-235-2583. Service Center hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Ban on Plastic Bottles in NC Landfills—
New Law Effective October 1
Tossing plastic bottles in the trash will soon be illegal in North Carolina. Beginning October 1, 2009, the new law known as the “Water Bottle Ban” will go into effect. The ban includes type 1 polyethylene terephthalate plastic (PET) and type 2 high density polyethylene plastic (HDPE). PET materials include water and soda bottles and HDPE materials include shampoo bottles, laundry detergent bottles and milk jugs. Bottles sold in the state contain a code on the bottom identifying the type. All rigid plastics, defined as bottles with a neck smaller than the body of the container, will no longer be able to be discarded in regular trash bins. North Carolina is one of the first states in the nation to ban the practice.
What does this mean for residents of New Neighborhood? If you do not already
recycle, please start by recycling all type 1 and type 2 bottles. Now that
recycle and trash are picked up on the same day, there really is no reason
not to recycle whenever possible.
Thanks for keeping our environment GREEN!
Important Reminder
Daylight Savings Time ends on November 1. Don’t forget to turn clocks back one hour on that date.
Yard-of-the-Month — October
The Landscape & Grounds Committee congratulates Catherine & Charles McCarty of 450 O. Henry Avenue as the October 2009 winner of the “Yard-of-the-Month.” In the first year of giving this award (2006), there were two homes on O. Henry Avenue that were awarded the Star of Excellence. This well-deserved winner is the first on O. Henry since June of that year!
The yard explodes with color as a fitting transition from summer to fall. The whites, reds, and pinks all present a well ordered variety among well trimmed shrubs and a well kept yard. Crepe myrtles accent and create a common focus throughout New Neighborhood and the McCarty home is no exception. The crepe myrtle at the porch corner is gorgeous. The front door set-back, large porch, ceiling fans, and attractive furniture all add authenticity to this Charleston home.
Most of the Charleston homes do not provide a lot of yard space, but when hard work and attractive landscaping all come together, they create a stunning appearance. In this case, simplicity is a big winner.
The Star of Excellence returns to O. Henry Avenue. Although this
is our last winner of the 2009 season, it should not receive any
less recognition. |
Each month from May through October, a yard will be selected among single-family homes. In July of this year, the selection committee focus was on back yards. Please call Judy McLean at 704.895.0940 if you have questions or suggestions regarding this plan.
Increase in 2010 Assessments
As announced in the notification letter for the September Membership Meeting and in further discussion at that budget ratification meeting on September 22, monthly assessments for both townhome owners and single-family homeowners will increase by $1.50 per month ($18 per year) starting January 1, 2010. The fees will be split between Operating Funds ($ .50) and Common Reserves ($ 1.00). This increase is for Common charges only and is due primarily to inflationary increases in management fees and the annual landscaping contract. The recently completed Reserve Study indicated potential long-term shortfalls if Common Reserve Funds were not increased now. There is no increase in assessments for townhome (Peer Group) maintenance. There are no planned increases to current budgeted allocations for the Townhome Peer Group Reserves.
Owners who currently have automatic bank draft set-up for monthly payment of assessments will not need to do anything. The increase will automatically be reflected in the January draft. If you are paying by coupon book, you should receive a new book with the increased fees sometime in December. For owners who pay by other means or on something other than a monthly schedule, please contact Abbott Enterprises to confirm what is needed to cover the increase. Owners are reminded that failure to receive a coupon book does not excuse payment of dues by the first of each month. However, if you do not receive a new book by the first of January, please contact Abbott as soon as possible.
Fairview Lane Safety — Update
Following concerns expressed in the August meeting of the Council of Stewards and the September newsletter article regarding traffic safety on Fairview Lane, Nancy Lingle organized a street meeting to discuss the issues. Town officials included Jeanne Miller (Chief of Davidson Police Department), Doug Wright (Davidson Project & Public Works Director), and Kris Krider (Davidson Planning Director). Three members of the Council of Stewards were in attendance (Nancy Lingle, Dave Smith, and John Williamson). Discussion included a number of issues: high density of children along the street, traffic flow and failure to observe speed limits and stop signs, parking restrictions, and potential solutions to all problems.
The greatest concern focused on child safety in
regard to speeding vehicles and the failure of the 3-way stop signs to provide
adequate traffic calming. Doug Wright has had a lot of experience regarding
this issue and was aware of a number of historical surveys and actions taken
by other communities. Doug completed a traffic survey of Fairview Lane during
the week of September 21. His numbers will help classify the problem and
suggest future actions. Doug also pointed out that New Neighborhood was due
for repainting of pedestrian crosswalks and street markings. This is expected
to be completed in the near future. Doug Wright’s
experience shows that 3-way stops are not very effective for traffic calming.
Reduced or “odd” speed limits are also not effective unless constantly
patrolled. Other suggestions include the addition of “STOP AHEAD” signs
and/or the marking of “STOP” on the actual pavement. Speed humps
were discussed, but were not considered to be the only or best solution to the
problem.
Jeanne Miller of the Police Department did state that her department was
willing to help as much as possible. Residents along Fairview will be keeping
a record of make and plate number of vehicles that are seen speeding or ignoring
STOP signs. This information will be sent to the Davidson Police Department
and warning letters will be sent to the violators. Additional patrols are
expected and the town speed equipment may be parked along the street. Frequent
drivers along Fairview Lane should also not be surprised to see residents
recording information and using radar speed guns.
Residents were also asked to increase parental supervision and to caution
children from other neighborhoods that may be playing along Fairview. This
issue requires cooperation by drivers, residents, parents, and children.
It is hoped that Fairview Lane and the rest of New Neighborhood will continue
to improve and maintain our safe environment.
Many thanks go to Nancy and John Lingle for organizing this meeting and providing a location and refreshments. This is yet another example of neighborhood involvement leading to solutions.
There is a follow-up meeting scheduled with the Davidson Police Department on October 28. The purpose of this meeting is to update the discussion of the problems and, with any further information, to begin development of plans for solutions.
Candidates Forum: Thursday, October 22
The Candidates Forum held in New Neighborhood around election time has become a very popular event. This year it will be co-sponsored by St. Alban’s Square Neighborhood Discussion Group and DavidsonNews.net (David Boraks, editor). Key races include the Mecklenburg County School Board seat for District 1 and the Mayoral and Town Board seats in the Town of Davidson. There are three candidates running for the District 1 School Board seat. Current Mayor, John Woods, runs unopposed for a second term. In the race for Davidson Town Board, however, there are nine candidates for a total of five seats. Candidates include three incumbents and six challengers.
Major issues in the Davidson Town Board race include rapid development & its impact on economic growth, the future of the local cable system, tax incentives & commercial development, and numerous environmental issues. Your choice of candidate in the District 1 School Board race may have a lasting impact on local students and a growing number of issues in a very complex school system.
Please join this Candidates Forum on Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary at St. Alban’s Church. The meeting will be open to other neighborhoods and the Town community and, with the added publicity in DavidsonNews.net, we expect a large turnout.
As with past candidate forums, the format will include a brief three minute opening by each candidate followed by a moderated question and answer session, including questions from the floor. Candidates for the School Board race will be recognized first, followed by a brief statement by Mayor John Woods and presentations by the Davidson Town Board candidates. If you have advance questions of general interest, please forward these to Dave Smith at 704.987.1472 (davidbsmith@bellsouth.net) or Bill McCoy at 704.987.1877 (wjmccoy@uncc.edu).
Special thanks go to Bill McCoy and Sherman Kahn of the neighborhood and to David Boraks of DavidsonNews.net for their efforts in making this happen.
Newsletter Delivery Volunteers
September team included Harold & Paula Bell, Barbara Dillman, Barbara & Tom Doster, Tom Fischer, Bob & Jo Herman, Anne Jerands, Sherman & Nancy Kahn, Norman Richards, and Dave Smith. New volunteers are always welcome! Cooler delivery months are just around the corner.
If you wish to volunteer, please call Dave Smith at 704.987.1472 (e-mail davidbsmith@bellsouth.net).
