Westside lots used exclusively for septic fields will not get a break on their annual dues, based on a unanimous vote of the Seven Lakes West Landowners Association [SLWLA] Board of Directors during their Tuesday, August 10 Work Session.
    Judy Streit, a former member of the SLWLA Board, told the Board that she and her husband Phil Streit (a former SLWLA President) had written to President Ron Shepard in January on the subject of septic lot dues. Hearing no response, they wrote again in March and had, as of August 10, had no reply -- or even acknowledgement that the letters had been received. Shepard apologized to the delay, noting that he didn't recall receiving the Streit's letter.
    Mrs. Streit's comments sparked a discussion of septic lots late in Tuesday's meeting that led to a motion by Adam Wimberly that septic lots not be treated differently than other undeveloped lots for the payment of dues. The motion won support from the full Board.
    Some owners of second lots used exclusively for septic fields have asked that the Association either reduce or waive the payment of dues on those lots, because they do not generate extra demand on or expense for infrastructure or amenities. Wimberly noted that the Association allows the combination of adjacent lots, after which the owner pays dues only on the one combined lot. Some septic lot owners have suggested their situation is similar, he said, but added that Moore County would likely not allow the combination of non-contiguous lots in order to achieve a reduction in property taxes. "They would still have to pay the taxes on the septic lot," he said.
    Wimberly said he would prefer not to allow the recombination of adjacent lots for the purpose of reducing dues, since it permanently eliminates a source of Association revenue. Director John Goodman said the community benefits from more open space when lots are combined to create larger lots.
    "But everyone else in the Association picks up the for that," Wimberly said.
    Legal Director Ed Silberhorn noted that, by allowing non-adjacent septic lots, the Association permits septic lines to be placed in its right-of-way, which involves some liability for the Association — which may not even have good information on where all those lines are placed.
    Wimberly agreed, noting that the Architectural Review Committee requires builders to submit plans for the lines that carry waste to septic lots, but does not require the submission of "as-built" plans once the work is complete.
    "We've talked about putting together a whole subcommittee on this," he said. "This is the flea on the dog's tail in terms of all the septic issues and nuances and things that go on in this community."
    Community Manager Joan Frost said she knew of at least two lots -- currently identified as developer lots -- that have five septic systems on them. "Eventually when the developer no longer has developer lots, who is going to pay the dues on those lots?"
    Calling attention to a bright spot among the septic issues, Silberhorn said the mandatory septic management program aimed at protecting water quality in Lake Auman "is a huge success." He said "people are cooperating left and right," the approved inspectors are "swamped" with work, and they report that "situation has never been better."

    By acclamation, members of the Foxfire Village Council added John Eltschlager to their number on Tuesday, August 10, during their regular meeting. Eltschlager will serve the remaining three-year term of office left vacant by Page Coker’s resignation.
    An engineer with twenty-five years professional experience in the private and public sectors, Eltschlager is employed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Pope Air Force Base.
    Mayor George Erickson introduced and recommended Eltschlager, noting that his background will be helpful as the Stonehill Pines project moves forward over the next few years. The new councilman was tasked with overseeing Streets and Parks for the Village; Councilman Vic Koos will now handle Public Safety.
    Eltschlager and his family settled in Foxfire in 2009 but have been regular visitors to the area for nearly fifteen years. He and his wife have two teenaged children.
    
Wilson Property ETJ Extension
    The final hurdle to complete a voluntary annexation of the 750-acre Wilson property into the Foxfire Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction was cleared following a Public Hearing and unanimous council vote.
    Zoned agricultural-residential, the rural tract is located at the corner of NC Highway 211 and Hoffman Road. The rezoning request was initiated by the Wilsons following the voluntary annexation of the Stonehill Pines Planned Unit Development [PUD] and the involuntary annexation of Pinewild by the Village of Pinehurst. Both major developments abut the Wilson’s farm. In addition to final approval from Foxfire, the request also had unanimous support from the Moore County Planning Board and Board of Commissioners.

   In response to repeated recent requests to reinstate the currently defunct Lakes & Dams Committee of the Seven Lakes Landowners Association [SLLA], the Board of Directors held a lengthy and frank discussion with former committee members during a Work Session on Monday, August 9.
    “We know we had problems in the past [with dam maintenance neglect], but let’s not keep looking backwards and start looking forward,” urged SLLA President Randy Zielsdorf. “One of the questions emphasized when we interviewed new management last year was that we were looking for someone with strong lakes and dam experience . . . [Community Manger] Alina [Cochran] is extremely proactive, and we will move forward and get something in place that will make everyone happy.”
    Zielsdorf acknowledged the significant accomplishments of the committee during their short history of involvement, including developing a long-term dam maintenance schedule and many recommendations that improved boater and swimming safety. But he said he had dismissed the committee after learning that a former SLLA Director serving on the committee had signed off on work with a contractor.
    “One of the concerns I have is the committee has been too active. The committee overreached and was acting like an elective body. That puts us in bad situation, it puts the Association in a bad situation,” said Zielsdorf. “That individual was acting totally inappropriately, and I made the decision that Lakes & Dams needed a time out.”
    Instead of focusing on the dams, which Zielsdorf argued are in good shape now, he said his primary thrust moving forward will be addressing the road repaving project. The Reserve Study -- a long term planning and budgeting tool currently being developed -- will also provide significant information that will assist in defining and creating effective committees.
    While stopping short of reinstating the Lakes & Dams Committee, Zielsdorf did recommend taking some steps to help resolve the concerns of its former members. He asked Cochran to include more dam maintenance information on the website, including piezometer readings and other reports. And he invited three former Lakes & Dams Committee members to meet with himself, Cochran, Vice President Kent Droppers, and Treasurer Denny Galford, who will bring to that meeting a five-year history of all expenditures on the dams.
    “I want to see where the expenditures are," Zielsdorf said. "Beyond the state-mandated repairs to Echo Dam, I know there were a lot of Emergency Action Plans, but I don’t know about the others. I don’t have a warm fuzzy feeling that we spent money where we had to.”
    Northsider JoAn Moses, who has served as the primary spokesperson for the former Lakes & Dams Committee members, said that, while she’d prefer a different resolution to their request, they would accept Zielsdorf’s offer.
    “Our main concern, as a committee, is that there need to be watchdogs for all seven dams and lakes. We don’t feel that is being done or that the Board or management can fulfill that role as effectively a group of dedicated volunteers. We are asking for proactive care,” said Moses.

    Led by JoAn Moses, members of the Seven Lakes Landowners Association's [SLLA] disbanded Lakes & Dams Committee made a concerted effort during the Wednesday, July 28 Open Meeting to have the panel resurrected.
    Moses, speaking during the public comment segment of the meeting, recounted the history of the committee and its accomplishments. The group was founded as a ad hoc committee of concerned residents in 2006, in the wake of $250,000 in state-mandated repairs to Echo Dam. It worked with the Board and Association Engineer John Eddy to develop a six point action plan for dam maintenance.
    In 2008, Moses explained, the panel became an official committee of the Board of Directors; had a $100,000 line item for dam maintenance added to the budget; and began to work through the items in Eddy's maintenance plan. The committee rewrote the SLLA boating rules and made more than a dozen other recommendations in the areas of dam and lake maintenance, safety, and amenities, many of which were acted on by the Board.
    In 2009, the Lakes & Dams Committee was rolled into the Maintenance Committee, Moses said, and, this Spring, that committee was disbanded.
    Moses asked who was monitoring the piezometers that test water levels inside the structure of the dams and whether anyone had reviewed the 2010 state dam inspection reports.
    "With these facts before you, I strongly urge this Board to reinstate the Lakes & Dams Committee as a Standing Committee," Moses said. This committee should include the past members who have the knowledge, expertise, and interest in being watchdogs of our lakes and dams to make sure they are maintained and inspected on a regular schedule. We must take a proactive approach to our lakes and dams, not only to catch any problems before they become major but also to save in the cost of any repairs."

    If Moore County won't help pay for an engineering study of one option for bringing more water to its citizens, Representative Jamie Boles figures it's time to ask the citizens themselves for the funding, and Seven Lakes Civic group is chipping in $100 to help.
    Boles announced on Friday, June 25 that the Moore County Chamber of Commerce was establishing a fund and seeking contributions to raise Moore County's $2,500 share of the cost of a $78,000 preliminary engineering study that aims to estimate the cost of bringing water from the Lumber River to Moore County and to other participating counties and towns.
    The Seven Lakes Civic Group announced on Tuesday that it would be contributing $100 toward the effort.
    "The Seven Lakes community, the third largest community in Moore County, has been the recipients of a number of water use restrictions imposed by Moore County Public Utilities over the last several years," noted the Civic Group's press release announcing the contribution." The County has been studying the problem in depth for more than four years with no plan of action yet to be in place. The Seven Lakes Civic Group supports a regional approach for the long term solution to Moore County’s water supply problems."
    Moore County's Board of Commissioners on June 21 voted against providing the $2,500 local match requested by the Lumber River Council of Governments [LRCOG], which is assembling a group of interested counties and municipalities to fund a study of water distribution and wastewater collection costs required to connect those communities to a water and wastewater plant near Wagram, in Scotland County. Half of the study's $78,000 cost will be covered by a grant from the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center; LRCOG is using a federal grant to pick up another $22,375 of the tab.
    The county contends that a state senator and two representatives — including Boles — promised from the initial organizational meetings that the state would cover the whole cost of the study. Board of Commissioners Chairman Tim Lea made that point in a June 24 letter to Boles informing him of the county's decision not to contribute the requested $2,500.
    The next day, Boles held a press conference and announced his plan to ask citizens to support the effort.
    "If the county don't want to step up to the plate," Boles said, "that's fine. Let the citizens step up to the plate."