Some Men See Things As They Are and Say Why - I Dream Things That Never Were and Say Why

Fairfield Plantation News

www.fairfieldnc.com August 2012 "Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not." -- George Bernard Shaw As I stand in the parking lot at the park and look to the south I see the volley ball court renewed with crystal white sand, further on a freshly painted pavilion awaiting family get-togethers and pig pickins. Walk on down the road and you see (this is where the dream part starts) Lake William H. Trotter, stocked with brim, blue gill and largemouth bass. To the left of the lake, you come to an area of plowed fertile land divided into sections for family gardens. Further on to the left you see what was referred to for years as the burn pile which is now a putting green, par three from the parking lot.

(Still with me?) Moving around the park, beside the tennis courts there is a ball field covered with official "baseball dirt". This composition is specially blended and greatly adds to the joy of playing the game. Back beside the parking lot to the left you will see a 3600 square foot "kiddy corral" of soft landing cypress chips full of refurbished children's toys and exercise equipment. The reality is that we are working very hard to develop amenities that are more in line with the demographics of the neighborhood. We have the resources, the ability and the freedom to make this happen. We recently asked via email for areas of interest for the development of the newly purchased property. Two items that came up were a fishing pond and a community garden. We will be discussing creating two new committees to develop these concepts and your input is welcomed in this endeavor. Our desire is to make our neighborhood the most interesting one in Union County. As payment for our efforts we only ask that you pay your dues, mow your grass and do not park in your yard or on sidewalks. The Board of Directors recently approved guidelines for driveway extensions and widening and they are: Driveway extensions and widening will be permitted as long as they connect to the existing driveway structure and they: 1> are composed of the same material as the existing driveway 2> or a compatible material approved by the ACC 3> a material of a permanent wearing surface such as blacktop, concrete or brick The size and location of the extension will be approved, based upon the proportion to the existing driveway and feasibility versus the size of the lot. This just in: Treasure map discovered at these co-ordinates in Fairfield Plantation Park. 35 07 43 N 80 37 32 W You will need a GPS and a compass. Hint: "Safe at home." Larry Evans, President FROM THE TREASURER The address to mail dues is: Fairfield Plantation HOA PO Box 63168 Charlotte NC 28263-3168 The amount of annual dues for 2012 is $516.48 or $43.04 monthly. Monthly payments are due the first of each month and are late if not received in the month due. There is a $25.00 charge for any check returned for NSF. A monthly late fee of $20.00 is charged to accounts not current. If you are behind on your assessment contact Wayne Marsh at 704-882-2677 to arrange a payment schedule. A payment plan will allow you to avoid late fees and any legal cost involved with collection actions. Please address any issues you have with your account. I have received several comments about the $20.00 late fee. Not having to pay the late fee is an easy fix; pay your assessment on time. If your payment is on time then the late fee is never an issue for you. A couple of thoughts about the statements your HOA sends out. 1. If you don’t look at the statement then mailing you one is a waste of time. 2. If you don’t respond to “problems or delinquent amounts” you earn any late fees and collection fees charged. 3. If you pay amounts that are not multiples of the monthly amount of $43.04 then you will have “strange” amounts appearing on the statement. 4. A negative number ($-43.04) means your account has a credit. You do not owe this amount. 5. A positive number ($43.04) is the amount owed the HOA. 6. A zero ($0.00) balance means your account is current. 7. Your statement is only current to the date in the top right hand corner. If the statement is dated 7/12/2012 and you mailed your check on 7/13/2013 that payment will appear when the check is received. 8. Your statement is part of the appropriately 200 account receivables of FPHOA. Each month your account has the assessment amount added. This transaction is noted as INV (invoice) with $43.04 added to your previous balance. Your payments are noted as PMT with your check number and the amount of your payment subtracted from the account balance. Finance charges and late fees also appear as INV with FC and LF as part of the entry. These charges are added to the account and become part of the balance. This is how I look at your statement when you call me with a question. I take a straight edge and a pencil and divide all the transactions by month starting with a month with a zero balance. This allows me look at each month to find the problem. It is usually a missing payment as nobody calls complaining about not owing enough. Larry Lee, Treasurer REC COMMITTEE The next meeting of the committee will be August 6 at the park at 7:00 P.M. The reconstruction of the kiddy play area has begun. The space has been marked and the number of timbers for the perimeter has been determined. The grass has been killed and the cypress mulch has been ordered. We are looking for volunteers to move the chin-up/exercise station over. New sand has been laid at the volley ball court and new dirt at the ball field. We are looking for volunteers for the haunted trail event. Contact Steve Rodden at [email protected] or 704-506-5884.

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE Welcome to new residents of Fairfield. As you may have heard we have a review process for changes to structures on your property. You should have received a copy of our CCR's (if not please contact the welcome committee). This document outlines the most frequently asked questions of what is acceptable and what is not. As you can tell by looking around uniformity is not the ultimate goal, so we tend not to be overly restrictive as long as the project complies with the CCRs. Keep in mind that the Town of Stallings has their own set of ordinances that must also be complied with. If there are any questions regarding a potential project, the contact information is listed on the back of each monthly newsletter.

POOL COMMITTEE It continues to be a great pool season. There is still time to get those swim lessons scheduled. Just check with the lifeguards for the lesson schedule and the associated charges. There is also time to schedule your pool party before the pool closing. Again just check with the lifeguards for available dates and for any associated charges. The next pool meeting will be at the pool on August 7th at 7pm. GROUNDS COMMITTEE FAMILY FUN DAY IN THE PARK – SATURDAY, OCT. 27TH. Now is the time to start planning for Haunted Trails, Fire Wise events, Pig Pickin, entertainment and a bon fire. The Union County fire fighters will be in attendance with a pumper truck and North Carolina Forest Rangers on site handing out literature. Volunteers call Johnny Ritch at 704-699-1604. Next grounds meeting is Saturday, August 18th at 2:00 PM Dates to Remember August 6th Rec Committee – At the park – 7:00 PM August 7th Pool Committee – At the pool – 7:00 PM August 18th Grounds Committee – Fairfield & Lake Dr – 2:00 PM August 21st Board Meeting – At the park – 7:00 PM

2012 Fairfield Plantation Board of Directors Larry Evans, President 980/322-5306 [email protected] Mary Ritch, VP/Grounds 704-425-0016 [email protected] Larry Lee, Treasurer 704/882-1418 [email protected] Wayne Marsh, Asst. Treas. 704/882-2677 [email protected] Royce Kersey, Secretary 704/882-2939 [email protected] Kaye Odom, Pool 704/631-6040 [email protected] Sara Pasley, Welcome 704/882-2718 [email protected] Steve Rodden, Recreation 704-882-4518 steveroddeninstallation.com Jane Miner, Architectural 704/882-2111 Committee Chairperson Pool Sara Pasley 704-882-2718 Recreation Steve Rodden 704-882-4518 Welcome & Comm. Relations Sara Pasley 704-882-2718 Architectural Erik Weghorst 901-409-2954 Grounds Mary Ritch 704-425-0016