Four candidates who will compete for three open seats on the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] Board of Directors were introduced during the Tuesday, January 25 Work Session: Patti Cleary, Jim Ferguson, Jim McCarthy, and Jack Stevens.
Each candidate spoke briefly about their background and reason for running for office [see story here]. The February 4 edition of The Times will feature more extensive interviews with the candidates.
Floodplain status clarified for lakefront lots
It has taken nearly a decade of work, but the Association finally has a signed assurance that Seven Lakes West's lakefront lots are not in a high hazard flood zone, President Shepard reported during Tuesday's Meeting. The lower risk designation means Lake Auman residents should not have to purchase expensive federal flood insurance.
Gerhard Hergenhahn spearheaded the effort to obtain official notification from Moore County that Lake Auman lots are not located within a Special Flood Hazard Area; Shepard thanked Hergenhahn for his effort, prompting a round of applause from the assembled landowners.
Look here for a more detailed explanation of how the flood plain delineation affects lakefront lot owners.
Funds transferred to reserves
During the Tuesday, January 25 meeting, Treasurer Don Freiert asked for and received Board approval to transfer $125,000 from the unrestricted cash balance to the Road and Related Infrastructure Reserve Fund. He explained that a recent review of the Association's balance sheet had uncovered the unallocated funds.
Freiert told the Board that the Association is on track to add $552,000 to its reserves in this fiscal year.
At the Treasurer's request, the Board approved applying $50,000 from a maturing CD to early payoff of the mortgage on West Side Park.
After considerable research and discussion, Freiert reported, the Finance Committee has determined that there is no advantage to be gained by changing from a cash method to an accrual method of accounting. Any advantages to be gained from moving to an accrual system can be as easily gained through better reporting, he added.
Culvert repairs accelerated
The Association will be replacing four more culverts under Longleaf Drive over the next month, Infrastructure Director John Goodman reported, explaining that the condition of the first culvert replaced was worse than expected.
The good news is that detours are available at the other four culvert locations, so traffic will not be cut off from reaching either the front gate or back gate. Goodman noted that the thirteen Longleaf Drive culverts that will be repaired over the next three years are not the end of the project, because that doesn’t account for side roads where many more culvert repairs will be needed in the future.
The four culverts that are scheduled to be repaired in February are:
• Just south of the Community Center/Otter Drive from January 13 to February 4
• Just south of Callis Circle from February 7 to February 11
• First culvert west of the Lake Auman dam from February 14 to February 18
• Second culvert just west of Lake Auman dam from February 21 to February 25
Goodman said the schedule could change, depending on the weather.
Repaving of the repaired areas will be delayed until the weather warms in Spring.
Snow & Ice Preparedness
Snow capped by a thick layer of ice made for treacherous roads in Seven Lakes West and have set Security Director John Hoffmann to looking for better options in dealing with winter weather events, he reported during Tuesday's work session.
Hofmann said Community Manager Joan Frost administers the current snow and ice response plan, which relies on two separate contractors to plow, spread sand, and-or spread ice melt in strategic locations. None of those efforts proved particularly successful in the most recent storm, Hoffmann said. The Association does not currently use brine on the roads when a storm is forecast.
Hoffmann said he has spoken with a half-dozen other communities to see what may be learned frrm their storm preparation and response.
Resident Tom Wallace asked if something could be done sooner rather than later. He referred to the hills on the west side of the main entrance as being in “abhorrent condition” after the last snow/ice storm.
Hoffmann said all that could be done was done during during the last ice storm, noting that sand was put out -- but without sunshine it did little good. He said that every possible way to deal with snow and ice that is both reasonable and affordable is being looked into.
Community Events
Events Director Jane Sessler reported that the first Winter Concert was held on January 14 and attracted sixty people. The next concert will be held on Saturday, February 5 at 7 pm at the WSPCC with a concert by Tony Barnes a solo singer and guitarist.
Other events include:
• Paul Sowell and Candy Alderman will return to teach Carolina Shag and Line Dancing on Mondays at 6:30 pm at the WSP Great Room.
• Carmela Chase is scheduled to resume her cooking classes; Sessler encouraged landowners to watch the SLWLA website for details.
• CPR classes have been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 8 and Thursday, March 3. Space is still available for the course. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register.
Other Business:
In other business during the Tuesday, January 25 SLWLA Work Session:
• President Ron Shepard has sent the Moore County Board of Commissioners a letter asking them to schedule a second public meeting hosted by the Greater Seven Lakes Community Council to focus on two key issues: water in Seven Lakes and the proposed Pine Forest Development. Shepard is hoping for the meeting to take place sometime in February.
• Nominations for the Joe Fellingham Community Service Award for volunteerism are currently being accepted. President Shepard asked for written nominations to be submitted by Tuesday, March 1. The Board will vote on a candidate and the recipient will be announced at the Annual Meeting in March.
• The landscaping around the mail house has been removed and replaced with mulch, Community Manager Frost reported. Flower boxes will be added to the area as well. Shrubs that were obstructing the view from the exit have also been removed.
• Frost said she is working on a proposal to landscape the intersection of Longleaf and Otter Drive.
• An electrical short that could have potentially caused a fire at the gate house and mail house was repaired, Frost reported.
• An $1800 insurance check was received for repairs to the Gate House after a truck hit the building. Frost recommended that the Board place the money in a fund going toward the new Gate House instead of making the repairs to the current building. Director Hoffmann agreed that it would be unwise to spend the money on non-essential structural repairs but asked that the repairs be made to restore the appearance of the structure.
• Legal Director Ed Silberhorn reported that the annexation of the Stonegate subdivision, near the back gate, is now complete.
• President Shepard introduced Luci Hadlock, a veteran CAS employee who has joined the SLWLA office staff, taking over the duties of Katie Patnode, who has been promoted within CAS.
