[This story, as originally written, may have implied that proposed amendments to the Pine Forest Board order were recommended by County Attorney Misty Leland. While those amendments were written and presented by Leland, she made no recommendation for or against the amendments. The paragraphs below have been changed to better reflect this point.]

The Board Order finalizing the Pine Forest PUD rezoning was approved by the Moore County Board of Commissioners in a three to one vote during their Tuesday, September 6 regular meeting.

With that decision, developer MHK, Inc. clears a major hurdle that stood in the way of developing the property. But still on the to-do list are agreements that will bring county water to the 1,600-acre golf community and allow the developer to build the county's first private wastewater treatment plant.

With Commissioner Larry Caddell recused from the Pine Forest proceedings, the remaining four Commissioners worked through new some suggested amendments to the Board Order, which were presented by County Attorney Misty Leland.

Commissioner Tim Lea supported Leland's the suggested additions to the order, but, in the end, the Board voted -- with Lea in opposition -- to discard the amendments and keep the Board Order in its original form.

Leland's The amendments would have required Pine Forest developer MHK and the county to finalize the pending water, sewer, and wastewater treatment agreements within one year of the approval of the Board Order. If the agreements were not made within that time frame, the property would revert back to its original zoning.

“I disagree with the time limits reverting after a year,” Commissioner Craig Kennedy said, arguing that the Board Order should be about the rezoning -- not a time limit.

Chairman Nick Picerno said that the water, sewer, and wastewater treatment plant agreements have not been worked out, noting, “we don’t know what the agreement is going to be.”

“I think we are trying to jump ahead,” Commissioner Jimmy Melton said, adding that the only thing the Board Order should be approving is the rezoning -- not the water and sewer agreements.

“The community maps we often use aren’t as accurate as you might think they are,” Treasurer Conrad Meyer reported during the Wednesday, August 31 meeting of the Seven Lakes Landowners Association [SLLA] Board of Directors.

However, that was not the most surprising result gleaned from a recent internal audit of all 1,600 lots in the community.

Information collected during the lot audit also revealed that only one of the four Moore County abandoned well sites located within the community has been properly deeded back to the Association.

“The well site near the SLLA office has been deeded back, but the two sites near the North Gate and one at Sequoia Point still show Moore County as the owner,” Meyer said. “I think people were told that this was all taken care of, and it really wasn’t.”

It was in the Fall of 2009 that those abandoned well sites last came to the attention of the Board, because of their proximity to key common areas. At the time, the Board was debating -- and ultimately approved in a five-to-two vote a new Bylaw that placed the community’s four largest common areas -- the stables, soccer field, Northside Park around the offices and clubhouse, and Sequoia Point -- under deed restrictions which limit any future Board’s ability to sell the land except by a super majority vote of six of seven directors.

At the time, the Board was told the the well sites had been deeded back to the community.

“I also learned that there are a lot more combined lots in the community than we thought," Meyer continued. "Approximately 165 of them."

Based on information gathered during the lot audit, Meyer is working with Moore County's GIS Department [Geographic Information Systems] to generate a better map of the community for use by administration and residents.

He also recommended that a clear policy and procedure for combining and un-combining lots should be formalized.

“There has been a policy used in the past," Meyer said, "but we have not been able to find it in writing.”

Meyer also noted that septic lots have not been well-documented, adding that a review of all non-residential lots will be necessary to ensure proper annual dues billing

[This report has been updated since it was first posted to better reflect the cost of a one mailhouse option versus two mailhouse option in Seven Lakes West. The revised information is printed in boldface type below.]

It will be one new mailhouse, not two, for Seven Lakes West, if the community's Board of Directors ratifies their preliminary approval of a Long Range Planning [LRP] Committee recommendation in favor of a single mailhouse to be built near the West Side Park Community Center.

The Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] Board declared the mailhouse decision a matter of significant interest and will solicit community input before reaching a final decision, likely mid-October.

Treasurer Don Freiert, representing the LRP, gave the Board a list of the pros and cons of building one or two mailhouses in the community. Ultimately, the decision to construct one mailhouse came down to four reasons: lower cost, less complexity, fairness to the community, and concern about a future decline in the financial health and delivery capabilities of the United States Postal Service [USPS].

Lower Cost: After reviewing USPS requirements, member feedback, and the overall needs of the community, the Long Range Planning Committee advocated building one mailhouse at an estimated cost of $310,000, which includes $50,000 to upgrade to larger and more accessible mail boxes. The two mailhouse option would raise the overall cost by $55,000, to a total of $365,000, including an additional $40,000 in construction costs and $15,000 for the purchase of land near the back gate.

Less Complex Project: Because the West Side's front gate must be moved to satisfy the terms of a lawsuit settlement, time is of the essence for the mailhouse project, Freiert explained. The LRP felt that limiting construction would make the process “less complex.” Also, building a mailhouse at the East Gate would require the community to acquire two additional plots of land, and that would take additional “time and effort," Freiert said.

Community Fairness: Building one centrally located mailhouse would preserve “fairness,” according the LRP's analysis. Only thirty percent of the community would benefit from a mailhouse located at the east gate, Freiert explained, while a centrally located facility near the Community Center evenly divides the east and west sides of the community. Though traffic at West Side Park will increase due to mail pick-up, the LRP felt that this could be handled in the design of the new facility. Freiert said the overall master plan for West Side Park will be considered when determining the design of the mailhouse.

USPS Uncertainties: With the Postal Service laying off almost 110,000 employees in the last four years and the August announcement of another 120,000 potential layoffs, Freiert said that the trend in mail “service continues to deteriorate,” especially with the use of the internet.

The USPS is also reported to be closing some 3,700 facilities nationwide. West End is not on the list for closure; however, the Long Range Planning Committee felt that it was necessary to be proactive when determining if the Westside needed one or two mailhouses. As Freiert put it, the Long Range Planning Committee felt that, if two mailhouses were constructed, the USPS might eventually say that they could no longer deliver to one of those mailhouses.

After giving preliminary approval to the LRP's recommendation, the Board declared the mailhouse issue a matter of significant interest. The preliminary reading approved by the Board will be followed by 30 days of community feedback and a final reading scheduled for October 11.

President Mick Herdrich asked for a Town Hall meeting to be held for community input, though that was not scheduled during Tuesday night’s meeting. Members may also offer comment during the Tuesday, September 27 and Tuesday, October 11 Board work sessions, via email, or through the SLWLA website.

The Long Range Planning Committee's decision to recommend only one mailhouse was the result of an eight to three vote. The Committee's majority recommendation, along with a minority report from the three dissenting committee members, can be read online at the Seven Lakes West website.

With hurricane warnings and watches blanketing the East Coast from Cape Hatteras to Martha's Vineyard, Seven Lakes is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene sometime on Saturday. But the storm's projected track keeps moving eastward, making it unclear how much impact it will have locally.

Unless the storm fools the forecasters and turns inland, it appears that strong winds may be the primary effect in Seven Lakes.

Mindful of forecasts of 20 to 40 mile per hour winds, the Seven Lakes Business Guild will delay tomorrow's Fall Meet the Merchants event until Saturday, September 3. Businesses who hadn't signed up for this weekend can still reserve a booth for next Saturday.

Both the Seven Lakes and Seven Lakes West Landowners Association have been keeping their residents informed about storm precautions through web and email alerts.

The Westside has produced some storm response guidelines which can be found on the SLWLA website. Residents are encouraged to report roads blocked due to downed limbs and trees to the front gate (910-673-3120) and to report electrical outages to the appropriate power company.

Information on what the Association has done -- and what residents can do -- to prepare for the storm is also available on the SLWLA Website.

The SLLA suggests its members contact Talis Management at 919-878-8787 ext. 234 in case of an "HOA maintenance emergency," and has emailed its members a useful list of phone numbers to have handy in case of emergency:

All Emergencies (EMS, Fire, Police), call 911.

N.C. Emergency Information and Reports

    English & Spanish: 888-835-9966

    Hearing Impaired: 800-735-8262

Electric Companies

    Randolph Electric Membership Corporation ?-
    877-736-2633 or 910-948-3401

    Pee Dee Electric Cooperative ?- 800-693-0190

    Progress Energy - ?800-419-6356

Water

    Moore County Public Utilities - ?910-947-6315

Telephone & Cable

    BellSouth: In-State 919-780-2355, Out-of-State 800-767-2355

    Verizon: 800-483-1000, Spanish 800-743-2483

    Century Link: 877-832-8404 or 910-864-9011

    Time Warner Cable: 910-692-6684

    Direct TV: 800-531-5000

    Dish Network: 800-995-5570

The United States Postal Service [USPS] will deliver mail to no more than two mailhouses in Seven Lakes West, President Mick Herdrich announced during the Tuesday, August 9 meeting of the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] Board of Directors.

With two carriers delivering mail in the community, and two entrances into Seven Lakes West, Herdrich said the USPS felt that two mailhouses -- one at the front gate and one at the back gate -- supplied “sufficient access to residents.” In the past the USPS had said they would agree to service three mailhouses on the West Side.

Community Manager Joan Frost told The Times that locating a mailhouse at the back gate would also involve purchasing land on which to build the structure, which would add to the cost of that option.

The Long Range Planning Committee [LRP] is scheduled to present a report detailing mailhouse options and associated costs within two weeks, after which a Town Hall meeting will be scheduled for community input on the matter.