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FALCONBRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
falconbridge.orgfalconbridgeHOA.org
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June 2020
Message from the Alliance BoardWHAT’S HAPPENING
JUNE 2020
—Pam RicheyAlliance Co-Chair
• Future of Exercise Classes• Directories in Mail• Pond Committee Protects Homes• How to Vote Absentee in NC
INSIDE: • Friends Co-Coordinator Needed• Sharing Plants• Townhome Upcoming Projects• Lending tools - Dog Park, oh my!
Due to changing pandemic orders, social events are a “work in
progress” - either virtual, in safe distance mode, or canceled.
Every Monday • 10-11:15amGENTLE YOGA - VIA ZOOM
Watch for updatesFIT FOR LIFE @ THE CLUBHOUSE
Tues June 2 • 7:00pm ALLIANCE BOARD MEETING
(VIA ZOOM)[email protected]
Sat. June 13 • 5:00pmGOURMET DINING GROUP
(Pandemic protocols in effect)[email protected]
Mon June 15 • 6:00pm FHA BOARD MEETING
(VIA ZOOM)[email protected]
Watch for updatesWOMEN’S COFFEE KLATCH
Tues June 23 • 6:00pmIf restrictions are lifted
BOWLING AT MARDI [email protected]
Canceled until further noticeMAH JONGG
Canceled until further noticeBOOK CLUB
Canceled until further notice 3RD TUES POKER NIGHT
Canceled until further noticeWOMEN’S BOOK [email protected]
Canceled until further notice TRAVELING PUB
Happy June! Right now the rain is pouring down, but by the time you see this, the forecast predicts beautiful weather. Take time to enjoy it.As NC enters modified Phase 2
of Reopening, I expect many of us are feeling anxious about the next steps. “Stay at home” is still encouraged for older people or those with health issues. If and when Falconbridge recreational facil-ities open, new guidelines will be in place for participants. Be sure to read the guidelines and understand your responsibilities before taking part in activities. Understanding and follow-ing these guidelines helps insure your safety and that of your neighbors.Summer will be a bit different in Fal-
conbridge this year. Due to covid-19, the Fourth of July parade and celebra-tion has been canceled and National Night Out in August is also canceled. It is disappointing to miss these op-portunities to gather our community, but we hope to have an even bigger celebration once it is safe to do so!I think we all wish life would get
back to normal; I am curious to see what our new normal will be. At this point, I want to again thank the community for coming together in so many ways during this challenge. The listserv has been full of questions and requests, asked and answered. The Mask Makers have made sure everyone in the community can have
Summer Returns – But Not As Usual
access to a mask. Neighbors are check-ing on neighbors, and sharing ideas. Our community was one of the lucky few to have a mobile concert by the Chatham Rabbits. It was a fun “grass roots” occasion for our neighborhood; adults and children alike seemed to enjoy the event. A few of the bright spots about this “stay at home” time for me have been: time to slow down, the lack of traffic at the intersection of Huntingridge Rd. and Highway 54, and the quiet mornings and evenings without the I-40 traffic! The birds are singing away! When this isolation is behind us, I hope we can each hang on to some of the things we have learned, and make time to participate more fully in the life of our community.
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Join Falconbridge Alliance
The Bridge - Falconbridge Neighborhood News is distributed monthly to all Falconbridge
residents as a neighborhood service.
FALCONBRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS
falconbridge.orgfalconbridgeHOA.org
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Newsletter Editor:
Marian Cannell • [email protected]
Newsletter Designer:
Mia Prior • [email protected]
● ● News & Events● ● Community News & Events
Would you like to advertise your business or an event in our monthly newsletter? Reasonable rates. Click here for more information.
Letter from the EditorCongratulations to Our Neighborhood 2020 Graduates
This year’s high school and college graduates have missed out on the usual proms, parties, and graduation ceremonies we previously took for granted. Sacrificing their celebrations for the health of the community has been hard. Thank you Class of 2020! Your community appreciates this. Wishing you great success in your next adventure.
Directories Have Been Mailed
After multiple delays with the print-er and with the mailing company due to pandemic-related labor shortages, the directories have been mailed. Al-liance members should have received their directory by May 31. Any members who did not receive theirs should email me directly at [email protected] new directory will have a color
cover, but is otherwise in black and white. Its pages include:• Descriptions of neighborhood
organizations• Listings of federal, state, county
and city government contacts• Listing of Alliance social clubs and
groups• Details of city waste collection
schedules and policies• Listings of all residents who have
provided their name, phone numbers, and email addresses, sorted alphabeti-cally and again by street addressRemember, you can still join the
Alliance and receive a copy of the directory. Click here to join.
—Jim Carroll
Board Honors Falconbridge Mask Makers Group
The Falconbridge Alliance Board appreciates the effort expended by many in the neighborhood to pro-vide masks for anyone in the neigh-
borhood who needs one. Organized by Mia Prior and Robin Schwartz, many, many neighbors volunteered time and expertise,
sewing masks, searching for and pro-viding materials, and delivering completed masks. This major effort helped keep our neighbors safe. The Board discussed ways to honor
the Mask Makers’ exceptional grass-roots effort. We decided to make a donation in their name to an orga-nization that provides food for our neighbors in Durham who are strug-gling to feed their families. Thank you to the Mask Makers of Falcon-bridge, one and all!
—Pam Richey, Co-Chair Falconbridge Alliance Board
Neighborhood Exercise Classes — Present and Future
Our Gentle Yoga class meets on Zoom now. Debbie Morse is our teacher and the class is thriving. We do have 2 openings in our upcom-ing session. We meet every Monday from 10:00 to 11:15. The next 10-week session begins on June 15th and con-cludes on August 17th. If you are interested, contact Farley
Bernholz at 919 260-2920 or [email protected]. Namaste, y’all.
—Farley Bernholz
I am working with both Diane An-derson (our Fit for Life instructor) and Jenn Strobel (Water Aerobics) to see if any form of distanced classes can go forward for June in a limited way. Since we currently don’t know when the pool or Club-house can open, we don’t have solid plans yet. We’ll keep you posted.
—Judy Rosen
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● ● News & Events● ● Community News & Events
Happy Campers are our business!Services:
Daily/Weekly/Monthly leisurely dog walks
Patient and loving kitty visits
Other kids (with or without fur) happily considered
Kim S: [email protected]: 919-599-4696
Special discount: $5 off your very first visit!
www.happycamperpetcare.com
HAPPY CAMPER PET CARE
Chatham Rabbits Concert Lifts SpiritsFalconbridge
neighbor Gordon Drake entered our neighborhood into a lottery for a live concert by a local bluegrass group, Chatham Rabbits — and he won!In response to the
cancellation of all in-person concerts because of the pan-demic, the Chatham Rabbits, Austin and Sarah McCom-bie, created their traveling entertainment venue “The Stay at Home Tour.” Billed as a social-distancing neigh-borhood concert experience, the tour involves a flatbed trailer hauled by a van. The couple drive to a location in the neighborhood, set up on the trailer, and play for an audience gathered in front yards or on the street, carefully separate, but enjoying togetherness.The group arrived in Falconbridge on May 11th, stop-
ping in five cul-de-sacs, playing for about 20 minutes at each stop. Some neighbors listened at just one location; others followed the music, carefully going from one stop to the next for maximum music enjoyment. Neighbors responded enthusiastically to the performances. Many thanks to Gordon for initiating an experience that was as close to normal as most of us have had recently! If you would like to see more, Jim Carroll created a video avail-able here.
—Marian Cannell
Sharing Plants to Beautify the CommunityFalconbridge gar-
den enthusiast, Judy Holland, often shares plants with neighbors as she divides peren-nials in her garden. You can share plants contact-free by putting plants out by the curb, clearly marked, and then notifying neigh-bors on the listserv. Ed and Judy Holland, Richard Perry and
Mia Prior [Photo by Harriet Crisp]
Neighbors Plead for Consideration from Dog Walkers
Dog pee kills our plants. Not only do we have to replace the plants, we have to replace the dog-urine-soaked soil so plants will grow there again. Neighbors have lost whole hedges to dogs; dogs love to repeatedly pee in the same spots or in spots where other dogs have peed. And if you don’t care about us, think about your dog. Chemicals and fertilizers used on lawns, roses, and other plants can get on your dog’s paws. When they lick their paws they in-gest chemicals that can harm them. Train your dogs, reason with them, but whatever it
takes, control where they pee. No peeing or pooping on landscaped yards. The Alliance supplies the neighbor-hood with 6400 dog-waste bags each year. If you forgot your dog-waste bag so you can clean up after your dog, grab one from a dispenser as you go by. If more are needed they will be supplied. Don’t let your pet damage someone else’s property.
—Your neighbors
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● ● News & Events● ● @ The Clubhouse
After much consideration, the Social Events Advisory Commit-tee recommended to the Alliance Board that the July 4th festiv-ities be canceled this year, because of the many uncertainties related to the covid-19 pandemic. SEAC members have been asked to come up with ideas for a post-pandemic party that the community can enjoy, once we all feel safe enough to gather and the NC Phases for Reopening have been successfully met.
—Linda Sheer, SEAC Chair
By the time you receive this news-letter, you may already have heard about the pool opening decision from the Recreation Facilities Committee via email. But it is still important for the community to understand the complexity of this decision, and what we need to consider as the FHA Board.Due to the covid-19 pandemic, the
city, county, state, and federal gov-ernments are publishing new and additional requirements for the safe operation of community pools for the 2020 summer season. In addition, we need to consider FHA insurance and budget issues. We would certainly need additional cleaning supplies, hand sanitizers, and probably staff. Volunteers run our community pool.
They purchase supplies, hire services, deal with membership issues, and manage the facility. Volunteers are not cleaners or “police.” So to open the pool this season, we may need to hire someone to clean and monitor compliance with social distancing rules and capacity restrictions.
To make opening more manageable some of the options we are looking at include removing all furniture; limit-ing opening hours; requiring a swim schedule (as in lap, family, and vul-nerable swimmer times); and impos-ing a surcharge on pool membership, for both townhome and single-family home members.Please note: YOU have the prima-
ry responsibility for your and your family’s health. We MUST have your
cooperation. If not, then although the pool may open, it will not remain open.Our goal is to open the pool while
doing our best to keep our commu-nity safe. We are working closely with our Manager, Jacob Hildebrand, to come to the right decision for all involved. As soon as we do we will let you know, if we have not done so already.
—Recreation Facilities Committee
Update: How and When Can Our Pool Open in 2020?
July 4th Parade
and Cookout
Canceled
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FALCONBRIDGE HOMEOWNERS ASSN.
town homeHAPPENINGS
FHA Board
No Meeting
August 2017 June 2020
FHA
Online (Zoom)
Board Meeting
Mon June 15
FALCONBRIDGE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
Message from Marese Casey, FHA PRESIDENT
● ● Townhome News
Welcome to June! We continue to ride the weath-er and covid-19 roller coasters. The rain in May required our Pond EAP committee volunteers to jump into action, as described by Howard Gold-berg in his article on the next page. Read it to see how your neighbors are keeping you safe. This is
one example of how our volunteers are amazing, giving of their time and energy to keep the community safe and welcoming. We could never afford to hire staff to do what they do. Another example of amazing volunteers is facilities manage-
ment. We are buried in paper from all the covid-19 state, county, and city regulations and restrictions, as we work to make the right decisions for opening our recreational facilities. Our goal is to comply with the spirit and not just the letter when it comes to requirements and recommendations. Please continue to protect yourself and your
family. Although our pickleball courts are open, our Clubhouse and pool remain closed as of this writing.
CAS ManagementJacob [email protected]
919-403-1400 ext. 1210
Upcoming Bids and Projects
Jacob Hildebrand, our CAS Com-munity Manager is working with Dick Robinson, our Facilities Chair, Marese Casey, and the Board on the following:Painting – RFP was issued for painting and siding replacement at Bayswater 5,6 and 10-13, Tottenham 12-17, and Weybridge 1-4, 16-19, and 21 to 23.Roofs – Contract awarded to Onof-rio Construction for replacing roofs on Bloomsbury 3,5,7,11,15,19,21,23,29 and 45, and Vauxhall 20-22. Home-owners will be advised of the start date for this project.Sidewalks – Preparing an RFP for bids to repair sidewalks damaged on Waltham and Dartford during snow removal in 2017/ 2018.Drainage – Commissioning a study of community-wide drainage issues, from standing water to erosion. Walls – Preparing an RFP for wall repair and painting on Waltham 1-12, Vauxhall 12-19, Weybridge 13 and 15, Wellesley 4, and the walls relat-ed to homes on this year’s painting schedule as enumerated above.
Please contact Jacob if you have any questions about these items.
Facilities Maintenance and Repair Guidelines
Our established general practice, when homeowners request main-tenance or repair work, has been to defer any unscheduled repair work, if the problem could be addressed later, during a related scheduled mainte-nance program.The Board approved the following
guidelines to assist our manager in deciding whether immediate correc-tive action is appropriate, or whether the matter should be deferred for action during the regularly scheduled maintenance program. Unscheduled work should not be deferred in the following situations:
1. If failure to respond to a request would risk additional damage to the integrity of the building or its interior.
2. If the deterioration is extensive and visible, at the front of the residence facing the street or parking area.
3. If regularly scheduled maintenance that otherwise would address the problem would not be available for 12 months or more.
These guidelines will be followed even in instances where the property in question is being offered for sale. We will provide the homeowner with written assurances, to be shared with prospective buyers, that the FHA will address the matter in accordance with the established schedule for such repairs.These guidelines will insure consis-
tent, equal treatment of homeowner requests for unscheduled repairs.
Upcoming Dates to Remember
FHA Board Meeting June 15 - at 6:00 pm via Zoom
Townhome owners will be able to join the call.
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● ● On the Pond
It was wonderful to see the sun
come out again after five-and-a-half inches of rain fell on Falconbridge over the week of May 18th. And it was a great relief to the volunteers from both the townhomes and sin-gle-family homes who anxiously monitored — and controlled — the rise of Thompson Lake, Falcon-bridge’s beautiful pond. On Monday, May 18th, single-fam-
ily homeowner Kathy King saw the rain forecast for the week ahead. She knew from her years of experience watching over the pond that we needed to take action to prepare for the upcoming storm and prevent any risk of overtopping the earthen dam that forms our pond; that could result in possible flooding of the homes downstream of the dam.With the help of townhome owner
Howard Goldberg, they pulled a plate from the pond control drain in the middle of the dam, which al-lowed water to flow out of the pond at the rate of about 1” per day. (See the accompanying sketch, which illustrates the relationship of the key elements of the dam and associated flood control structures.) From her experience, Kathy knew that this should prevent the pond from rising too high and keep any flooding risk at bay. Every day over the course of the
week Howard and Kathy checked the level of the pond to make sure all was well. The water level did rise about 4” to 5” but remained well below flood level. The attached pho-tos show the pond level change by the disappearance of a “sand bar” at the east end of the pond (near Char-rington Pl.) which resulted from one day’s rainfall. Along with Howard and Kathy, Fal-
conbridge residents Marese Casey, Rosalie Dominik, Harriet Crisp, Sai
Balu and Ed Holland serve on a com-mittee to oversee the “Emergency Ac-tion Plan” (EAP) required by the state of North Carolina for our dam. The EAP specifies what actions we need to take if there is any flood danger. The com-mittee is currently looking at ways to better monitor the pond level, including an automated remote water level mon-itoring system. We are also preparing a set of “standard operating procedures”
Pond Committee Protects Nearby Homes
It was wonderful to see the sun come out again after five and half inches of rain fell on Falconbridge over the week of May 18. And it was a great relief to the volunteers from both the townhomes and single family homes who anxiously monitored – and controlled -- the rise of Thompson Lake, Falconbridge’s beautiful pond.
On Monday, May 18, single family homeowner Kathy King saw the rain forecast for the week ahead. She knew from her years of experience watching over the pond that we needed to take action to prepare for the upcoming storm and prevent any risk of overtopping the earthen dam which forms our pond, that could result in possible flooding of the homes downstream of the dam.
With the help of townhome owner Howard Goldberg, they pulled a plate from the pond control drain in the middle of the dam, which allowed water to flow out of the pond at the rate of about 1” per day. (See the accompanying sketch which illustrates the relationship of the key elements of the dam and associated flood control structures.) From her experience, Kathy knew that this should prevent the pond from rising too high and keep any flooding risk at bay.
Every day over the course of the week Howard and Kathy checked the level of the pond to make sure all was well. The water level did rise about 4” to 5” but remained well below flood level. The attached photos shows the pond level change by the disappearance of a “sand bar” at the east end of the pond (near Charrington Pl) which resulted from one day’s rainfall.
Along with Howard and Kathy, Falconbridge residents Marese Casey, Rosalie Dominik, Harriet Crisp, Sai Balu and Ed Holland serve on a committee to oversee the “Emergency Action Plan” (EAP) required by the state of North Carolina for our dam. The EAP specifies what actions we need to take if there is any flood danger. The committee is currently looking at ways to better monitor the pond level, including an automated remote water level monitoring system, and is also preparing a set of “standard operating procedures” to ensure that we keep close watch on the pond and comply with all the EAP requirements.
The EAP committee volunteers want to make sure that while all Falconbridge residents can continue to enjoy the beauty of the pond, we also ensure the safety of our neighbors.
Pond Views
to ensure that we keep close watch on the pond and comply with all the EAP requirements. The EAP committee volunteers
want to make sure that while all Falconbridge residents can contin-ue to enjoy the beauty of the pond, we also ensure the safety of our neighbors.
—Howard Goldberg
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● ● Good To Know
Did you know? Data from the Census brings federal tax dollars to our communities – that’s $1,623 per person, per year in North Carolina according to a George Washington
Two important things to know about absentee voting by mail in North Carolina:1. North Carolina has “no excuse”
absentee voting, which means that anyone who wants to vote absentee by mail can do so.
2. If you change your mind and decide that you want to vote in per-son after receiving your absentee ballot in the mail, you can do so — as long as you haven’t mailed it in yet (and don’t mail it in later).
4. Sign the form (pen to paper)!
5. Mail the form to the Durham County Board of Elections, Attn: Absentee Ballots, PO Box 868, Durham, NC 27702.
Actual ballots will be mailed out starting September 4. We will put instructions in the September news-
letter about how to properly fill out and return an absentee ballot to ensure that your vote is counted.
—Patience Vander-bush
Mailing More? Try ThisThe US Postal Service has many
online services. We have used their shipping from our home several times during this pandemic. It is easy to set up a free account at usps.com. You can order free shipping supplies and priority mail shipping boxes, print your shipping labels, and – best of all – request free package pickup. You schedule it online and the mail carrier picks up the package from your porch. Ordering stamps is easy too.This has been very convenient for
people who aren’t heading out to the post office these days.
—Robin Schwartz
Requesting an Absentee Ballot
You can request an absentee bal-lot NOW (through 5pm on October 27) from the Durham County Board of Elections. You can find the form online and print it out, but you must sign and mail it in. You can’t com-plete the whole process online. Forms may not be faxed or emailed. Here are the steps for requesting your ballot:1. Go to the Durham County Board
of Elections website (at this link) to fill out an absentee ballot request form.
2. Fill out the form completely. Every-thing in red is essential.
3. Print the form.
How You Can Vote Absentee By Mail in NC
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
University report. If you have not yet completed your census form, please do it today.
—Marian Cannell
Earn Federal Funds for North Carolina: Complete the Census
8
● ● Neighbor Services/Aging in Place
If you would like to request help from Falconbridge Friends
or learn more about volunteer opportunities, email [email protected]
or call 919-391-8210.
A Friends co-coordinator will respond within a day or two to messages, which are either requesting help or asking about
volunteer opportunities.
MEDICAL EQUIPMENTavailable for loan to Falconbridge Alliance members through the Falconbridge Friends.
Supplies include 2 portable wheelchairs, 5 bedside toilets,4 shower chairs, 1 ice machine, assorted crutches, 3 rolling walkers, 3 fixed walkers,
assortment of braces, 1 bed table
Please contact Claudia Stephens at 919-490-1397 (leave message) or [email protected].
Please leave message and call will be returned.
How to Contact Falconbridge Friends
Could You Be the Next Friends Co-Coordinator?
Falconbridge Friends continues to provide needed sup-port and assistance to our neighbors, even in these unprec-edented times. The new Active Coordinator through July 31st is Mary Rose. Friends has three Co-Coordinators, with each one active
for four months at a time. We need another Co-Coordina-tor to start on August 1, 2020. The Active Co-Coordinator, as many of you know, is the
first point of contact with our neighbors. In this role, you would receive the initial request, contact the Friends mem-bers (we have 45 now!), and recruit a team leader, when necessary. This can all be accomplished remotely. At the end of the four-month term, you would record a summary of Friends activities, which takes a few minutes. Experi-enced Co-Coordinators are available using a Zoom meet-ing to help get you started, and are here to help you and provide backup, as necessary. There is always backup.We hope one of you will sign on! This is a service you
can help with from the comfort and safety of your home. Please feel free to email with your questions or call us. We would be happy to talk with you. We look forward to another year of service and caring. Email us at [email protected] or call 919-391-8210.
—Robin Schwartz, Mary Rose, Sharon Meginnis, Co-Coordinators
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sellers from the virus.
Call us today to discuss selling and buying your home safely during the pandemic!
Trust your Falconbridge Expert who has been selling homes for over 30 Years!
9
● ● Getting Involved
Since January 2019 we have collected ideas that require additional effort, or Falconbridge Homeowner’s Asso-ciation (FHA) approval, in a database. This database captures ideas that have been proposed multiple times,
and provides a structured way to take action instead of just discussing the ideas over and over again. Share your ideas here. Or contact Walt DeGrange
[email protected] if you would like to lead a project.—Walt DeGrange
Update On Getting New Projects Going in Falconbridge
Project lead: Administer an existing online Google spreadsheet after listing tools, points of contact, and other conditions for borrowing. The list would only serve as a matchmaking service. Develop a basic statement indicating that borrowing tools is an agreement between the lender and the borrower. For example, perhaps the tool is expendable and the owner is not concerned about the tool being broken, or the tool requires training to operate, or if the borrower breaks the tool then they must repair or replace it. Estimated time involved is 5 hours per month.
Jan Schochet has volunteered to be the project lead and is conducting research and developing recommendations on moving forward with this project
Project lead: Administer an existing online Google form and spreadsheet and develop basic business rules (i.e., are paid services allowed, limits to ser-vices posted, etc.) This project could go live immediately. Estimated time involved is 5 hours per month.
Project lead: Organize 8-10 homes in close proximity to the sponsor home for a block party. It could be a special date neighborhood-wide or we could start by each organizer determining the date. The proposal could be submit-ted to the Falconbridge Alliance for review and approval if funding is required. If no funding is required, the Falconbridge Alliance still requests pictures and a short description of the event for publication in the newsletter. Estimated time to complete is 5-10 hours.
Project lead: Develop a proposal to build a dog park. This would contain, at a minimum, a design, cost, and potential funding sources. It would be submit-ted to the FHA for approval. Estimated time to complete is 10-20 hours.
Project lead: Develop a proposal for a community garden. This would con-tain, at a minimum, location, design, cost, and potential funding sources. It would be submitted to the FHA for approval. Estimated time to complete is 10-20 hours.
Project lead: Develop a proposal to build a playground for children ranging from toddlers to middle-schoolers. It would contain, at a minimum, a basic design, cost estimate, location, research into liability issues, and potential funding sources. It would be submitted to the FHA for approval. Estimated time to complete is 10-20 hours.
Neighborhood Tools Lending List(New addition. Ready to go.)
Neighborhood Composting(Updated with lead)
Neighborhood Skills List(Ready to go. Just needs lead)
Block Parties(Easy to do once pandemic restrictions end, or you could start small)
Dog Park(FHA approval required)
Community Garden(FHA approval required)
Neighborhood Playground(FHA approval required)
Project Idea Status
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● ● Board Reports
Board action and discussion included the following:■ Reviewed Falconbridge Friends current activities and
adjustment to covid-19.■ Discussed Mask Makers community efforts and how
to celebrate this accomplishment. Voted to donate to a Durham food bank in their honor.
■ Social Events Advisory Committee reports National Night out in August has been canceled. The Falcon-bridge July 4th parade and cookout also are likely to be canceled.
■ Deferred action on updated website until more volun-teer time is available to coordinate it.
■ Discussed costs of continuing to provide pet waste bags versus cost of contracting with landscaping com-pany to provide bags and collect waste weekly. Costs of contracting this service are too expensive. Costs of providing bags have risen dramatically, but for the time being the Alliance will continue to provide them, given
the potential pet waste problems if bags are not provid-ed.
■ Postponed further discussion of Community Yard Sale until pandemic restrictions are lifted.
■ Deferred until June further discussion of which 1099 tax forms the Alliance is responsible for.
■ Decided not to pursue adding emeritus membership status at this time, in consideration of FHA views on this topic.
■ Continued discussion of ways to recruit more Board members from townhomes.
■ Decided to investigate the need and resources for an organizational financial audit as we end our fiscal year.
■ Next Board Meeting is on Tuesday, June 2nd at 7 pm, via Zoom.
Minutes are available here. For further details contact Walt DeGrange [email protected] or Pam Richey [email protected].
Summary of May 5, 2020 Board Meeting
● ● Nature News
During these last few months of pandemic stillness, new symphonies of movement are taking place. Fal-conbridge residents are on the move – in the streets, around the pond, gardening, enjoying small social gatherings in lawn chairs, and other outdoor activities. Nature has also been on the move!
Judy and Ed Holland were observant enough to notice a giant undulating mass of honeybees during the day on which they changed hive location.
Although initially alarmed by the clump of hundreds of bees on a tree
limb, worries changed to fascination when they read that the spring be-havior is normal and that bees are not typically dangerous during the move from one hive to another (read more here). Sure enough! After an hour, the bees vanished as mysteriously as they arrived.Tim and Marian Cannell report no-
ticing increased numbers of lizards ac-tively exploring this spring (read more on lizards). These helpful little beings clear our gardens of spiders, roaches, crickets, flies, grasshoppers, and bee-tle larvae. The shy, small bright Green Anole is a frequent visitor . Both male and female can change color to help
with camouflage but they are not considered a chameleon. The males puff out their red throat pouch, which is quite dramatic.
The Five-Lined Skink is another gar-den crawler who races about our out-side residential habitats. The young ones have the bright blue tail.
Whether you are looking out a window, strolling the neighborhood, or lounging on a deck chair, I hope you are enjoying the kaleidoscope of nature that surrounds us!
—Catherine Alguire
Nature is On the Move >>>
Phot
o by
Judy
Hol
land
Phot
o by
Will
Bro
wn
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WEB ACCESS
WHY JOIN THE ALLIANCE?
With your Alliance Membership, you can:• Stay up to date on neighborhood news with our
newsletter and website• Share information with your neighbors via our
listserv• Look up a neighbor in our Falconbridge directory• Meet your neighbors at our numerous social events • Pursue interests with a variety of sponsored social
groups• Receive discounts on some Alliance-sponsored
classes and events• Participate in special members-only events• Feel more secure with our Neighborhood Watch • Be reassured that trained neighborhood volunteers
can help your family with transportation, meals, and other services if you have a short-term health or other crisis
• Ensure the continued growth of programs and activites to enhance the lives of all Falconbridge residents
2019-2020 Falconbridge FHA Board of Directors (Townhomes)
OFFICERS
Marese Casey, President • [email protected] • 919-817-3218 Naveed Moeed, Secretary & Communications • [email protected] • 919-203-8709 AT LARGE MEMBERS
BJ Attwood • [email protected] • 804-869-7806
Ruby Bugg • [email protected] • 919-210-0016
Kim Fahs, Pool, Landscaping and Clubhouse • [email protected] • 423-834-1120
Howard Goldberg, Treasurer • [email protected] • 518-878-9296 Dick Robinson • Facilities Committee • [email protected] • 919-493-4230
Shirley Sennhauser • [email protected] • 919-545-0511
Pete Waggoner, Architectural Review • [email protected] • 919-408-0144
2019-2020 Falconbridge Alliance Board of Directors
Walt DeGrange (SF), Co-Chair • [email protected] • 919-442-8164
Pam Richey (TH), Co-Chair • [email protected] • 919-641-8525
Stephanie Curtis, Treasurer • [email protected]
Sara Morris, Secretary • [email protected] • 203-214-1529
Pamela Lothspeich • [email protected] • 919-548-0766
BJ Attwood • [email protected] • 804-869-7806
Linda Sheer • Social Chair - [email protected] • 919-636-1825
Marian Cannell • [email protected] • 919-452-5439
2019-2020 FCA Board of Directors
Walt DeGrange, President • [email protected] • 919-442-8164
Linda Sheer, Secretary • [email protected] • 919-636-1825
Pamela Lothspeich • [email protected] • 919-548-0766
SF=Single-Family home TH=Townhome
BOOK CLUB* Ronit Weingarden [email protected] GAME NIGHT GROUP* Barb Carroll [email protected]
GOURMET DINING GROUP* Carolyn Parker [email protected] &
Karen Fitzhugh [email protected]
MAH JONGG* Lawrence Proctor [email protected]
MARDI GRAS BOWLING Lawrence Proctor [email protected] OUTDOOR ADVENTURE GROUP* JB Marr [email protected]
PICKLEBALL BJ Attwood [email protected] STUDIO TIME FOR ARTISTS* Ann Noble [email protected]
THIRD TUESDAY POKER* John Noble [email protected]
TRAVELING PUB Barb Carroll [email protected]
WINE TASTING GROUP* Jim Carroll & [email protected]
Bob Jackson
WOMEN’S COFFEE KLATCH* Judy Holland [email protected]
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB* Michelle Wolff [email protected]
* Must be a member of the Alliance to participate
FALCONBRIDGE ALLIANCE-SPONSORED SOCIAL GROUPS
https://www.facebook.com/groups/153955664771981/
(Falconbridge Families Facebook)
www.falconbridge.org
Falconbridge Alliance[Constantly being improved,
an increasingly vital source of information – progressive and
historical. Do visit often.]
FalconbridgeHOA.org
(Townhomes)
groups.yahoo.com/groups/FalconbridgeAlliance
(Listserv)
Falconbridgehoa.org/pool.htm
(Pool and Clubhouse)