The Lamppost Vol. 2007/4 December 2007
The Official Newsletter of the Walden Pond Homeowners' Association
On the Internet at http://waldenponddurhamnc.org
Regularly Scheduled HOA Board Meeting
Wednesday, December 12, 2007, 6:00pm
FOLLOWED BY:
*****Annual HOA Membership Meeting at 7pm*****
McMannen United Methodist Church
4102 Neal Road, Durham
All Walden Pond owners and residents welcome
Who Will Serve? HOA Elections Set for December 12
HOA members will vote for three board members in the association's annual meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 12 at McMannen United Methodist Church, across Neal Road from the Wildberry Lane entrance to Walden Pond.
Or will they?
At this writing, NO ONE has stepped forward to challenge the current board members for the open seats.
That leaves the prospect of a board with only one voting member, since two of the current members, Laura Atkinson and Edison McIntyre, have indicated that they do not wish to run again. Don Berry, the HOA president, has said he will run for another one-year term.
Berry was elected to the board in November 2005 and re-elected last year. Atkinson and McIntyre were chosen in February 2006, in a special election, and re-elected last year along with Berry.
Atkinson and McIntyre have indicated personal reasons for wishing to step down from the board.
If you would like to ensure that Walden Pond is governed well and wisely, you can run for the board, or volunteer your time as a non-voting board officer.
Nominations for the board will be taken from the floor on the night of the Dec. 12 meeting.
To run for the board, or to vote on board members, HOA members must be paid up on HOA fees through November 2007.
NEED INFORMATION??? about Walden Pond, the HOA,paying monthly fees, emergencies?
CONTACT Ms. Frankie Johnson or Ms. Sheryl Morgan at:
Morgan's Property Mgt. LLC
PO Box 71294
Durham NC 27722-1294
Ph. 919.479.5762
Fax: 919.471.4280
Email: MorganPropMgr@aol.com
Be sure to make your $68.00 monthly fee check to: Walden Pond HOA
Contact Frankie about paying by monthly bank draft!
The Same Old Trashy Song ... An Oldie But a Goodie
Stop me if you've heard this one.
On second thought, some people who live in Walden Pond haven't heard it enough.
The HOA and the city of Durham both have policies regarding the storage and disposal of garbage. Violations of these policies can result in fines both from the city and from the HOA. If city fines are not paid, the city will turn off water service to a unit until the fines are paid. By NC law, the HOA can impose fines of $100 per day for violations.
The two most common violations are leaving a garbage can at the curb longer than allowed and leaving bags of garbage on the ground instead of inside a garbage can. Both the city and the HOA are going to be fining for these violations from here on out.
Puhleeeze -- put all garbage inside your rollout garbage container, and keep it stored properly at the back of your unit from Friday morning through Wednesday evening, or you will be fined.
Walden Pond is your home - please treat our grounds, and yours, with pride. And remember -- neighborhood appearance has a distinct impact on your home's market value.
Recycling CFL Light Bulbs
Many environmentally conscious people are making the switch to CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs to save energy.
However, some may not be aware that these bulbs contain mercury and must be recycled for safe disposal. Please do NOT throw CFL bulbs into the garbage.
The city of Durham maintains a recycling facility on East Club Boulevard. Please visit:
http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/
solid/pdf/recycling brochure 0807.pdf
to learn more about the items the city accepts for recycling and which ones are prohibited by law from being disposed of with garbage.
The HOA is seeking a method of collecting used CFL bulbs, so that they can be safely recycled without every Walden Pond resident having to go down to the recycling center. We'll keep you informed.
Frankly, My Deer, I Do Give a ...
I don't know about you, but I rather like the idea of living across the street from Buck Stag and Jane Doe. Some Walden Pond residents may find the eating and digestive habits of the local deer population a little inconvenient, but let's face it ... the deer were here long before we moved in.
They also were here long before our roads and automobiles, which have become more deadly to the deer in our neighborhood than any hunting rifle.
On the night of Nov. 27 (or was it the 28 th ?), a motorist apparently struck and killed a deer near the intersection of Morreene and Neal. I passed by the scene just minutes later. Fortunately, the driver appeared unhurt (though rather shaken) and her vehicle didn't seem badly damaged. But it's not an experience one easily shakes off.
Regardless of what you think of the local deer population, there's no open season for hunting with a motor vehicle. Please keep a sharp eye out in our neighborhood (especially after dark), and keep your speed down so that you can react in time when one of the Stags or Does tries to play tag. You don't want to become "It."
-- Edison McIntyre
Market Observations ...
• As of Dec. 5, 14 of Walden Pond's 206 townhomes were shown for sale in the Triangle Multiple Listing Service. One of the smaller units was priced at about $75,000, but the larger two-bedroom homes were running from $91,000 to $103,000, with one as high as $114,500. Four three-bedroom units were in the $125,000 range. Times on the market ranged from more than a year to less than one month.
• Look over your recent property re-evaluation notice, and ask yourself, "If I were to sell my townhome, would I get the market value listed by the county tax assessor?" What improvements do you need to make to protect and increase the value of your home? Because one of these days, you - or your heirs - will sell it.