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FEBRUARY 2010
FINANCE CHARGES ON 2010 INVOICES Thank you to all of you who have paid your 2010 HOA dues. Please note, you have until the end of January to pay your dues. Finance charges we assessed to all delinquent accounts on February 1st. Typically, finance charges are assessed on the last day of each month. We wanted to make sure that everyone who had mailed payments thinking that would be received on time, did not get penalized. If you have not yet paid your HOA dues, please make sure you pay the exact amount written in BOLD letters on your invoice. Finance charges are only about $1.45 per month. So, if you were charged last year or this year, please be sure to include this in your total. This is a small amount which helps to offset the administrative cost and additional postage of mailing reminder invoices. Thank you for not passing this expense along to your neighborhood.
2010 INVOICES There is still time to get on a payment plan for your current and/or delinquent dues. Everyone in Woodcroft is assessed an annual fee of $189. If you would like to be set up on a payment plan, please contact Mary Gibbs at mary@woodcroftonline.com or call (919) 274-2900. Please be fair to your neighbors and kind to the community by paying your finance charges. These help offset the cost of generating late notices. Your dues are used to maintain all of the Woodcroft common areas. We have over 6 miles of biking and jogging trails, many acres of green space as well as the maintained areas (including the neighborhood signs) along the three mile Parkway. This annual dues amount is a small price to pay for living in such a lovely neighborhood.
If you live in a neighborhood that has its own association, you will have monthly dues in addition to our annual assessment. These dues maintain your individual neighborhood. Thank you in advance for paying the exact amount shown on your dues invoice. Subsequent efforts to re-bill and collect delinquent dues are very costly. We much prefer to use your money for neighborhood beautification which raise our property values rather than collection efforts. Thank you in advance for you cooperation and don’t forget to call the office immediately if you need to be placed on a payment plan.
BOARD MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
The current board members are: Scott Carter, president, Ellen Beckmann, treasurer, Al Zaranka, Dan Ryan and Jon Heim. If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the either the Architectural Review Board or the Woodcroft Community Association Board of Directors, please send an e-mail to mary@woodcroftonline.com or stop by the office between 9 AM and 12 PM Monday through Friday. Questions regarding board membership are welcome. New WCA board members will be elected at the 2010 annual meeting, however, often positions open up mid year, which are filled by board appointment.
CURRENT WATER RESTRICTIONS
Durham's Year-Round Irrigation Schedule is in effect.
- · Odd-numbered addresses may water once on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays either before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
- · Even-numbered addresses may water once on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays either before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
- · No watering may occur between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on allowed watering days.
- · No customers are permitted to water on Mondays.
- · Temporary licenses will be allowed to establish new landscapes. (Download the License Application here)
- · Hand-watering and drip irrigation systems are not restricted.
For additional information on current water supplies, demand, lake levels etc. click here.
PARTNERS AGAINST CRIME (PAC)
We have notified those neighbors who have signed up for our email list about a number of car break ins and home invasions that have occurred since Memorial Day. Many of you have expressed interest in this organization in which citizens work with city and county officials to prevent crime and other problems in our neighborhood. Click here to view the PAC brochure which details what PAC does as well as how to get involved. If you are not currently on our email list and would like to be advised of important neighborhood news as it happens, please email your Community Manager, Mary Gibbs at mary@woodcroftonline.com.
ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD
Please keep in mind that one of the advantages of living in Woodcroft is having an ARB to review and approve proposed exterior changes to the homes in our neighborhood. If you have any doubts about this benefit, please take a drive through other communities that do not have a community association. If you are contemplating a change to your home, please go to the ARB tab on this site to determine if you need to complete an application. You will find the guidelines, the application deadlines and meeting dates. If you have additional questions, please feel free to call the office. The ARB approvals are good for a period of six months. If you have a question regarding whether a neighbor has received board approval for a project, you can check the ARB results at the end of each of the monthly minutes posted below. This is also under the ARB tab as well.
INTERNEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL of DURHAM
The WCA board of Directors has joined this organization. The membership is made up of representatives from neighborhood organizations throughout Durham city and county. Their goal is to increase the influence of neighborhoods by speaking in a unified voice on issues on which the membership reaches a consensus. A link to their we site has been added to our “Helpful Links” page.
BOARD MEETING DATES
The Architectural Review Board and the Woodcroft Board of Directors have switched their meeting dates. Now , the WCA meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Their deadline for submissions will be the first Monday of each month. The ARB meets on the third Tuesday of each month with submissions due on the Thursday before the first weekend of each month. If you have any questions about these dates you may call the office, check our web site under calendar of events or check them in your monthly Woodcroft Gazette.
NVASIVE PLANTINGS SEMINAR
The ivy that is proliferating in Woodcroft is a threat to our beautiful natural areas, the larger ecosystem, and our pocketbooks. It can bring down trees, overrun paths, and wipe out native plants. Mike Kunz, conservation biologist with the North Carolina Botanical Garden, spoke about ivy and other invasive plants and what we can do about them.
Anyone interested in the content of this presentation can find it online at the NC Botanical Garden web site: http://ncbg.unc.edu > plants and gardening tab > invasive exotic plants: general info. For an informational brochure about the garden, and some introductory information on invasive plants, click here.
COMMUNITY DIRECTORIES
Due to the expense involved, the WCA has decided not to include the directories in your annual mailing. They are available in the Woodcroft office from 9 AM to noon Monday through Friday. You may also call the office to request your copy. Please note that due to the overwhelming request that individual names, addresses and phone numbers not be included, we will not publish this information. We appreciate your understanding that in the interest of protecting your privacy, this year, the directory will have community information only.
DOGGIE WASTE STATIONS
Our new stations are now in place. Thank you in advance for your participation and cooperation in cleaning up after your pets! Please notify the office if a station is in need of attention or if you identify another area that a station might be needed.
RESIDENTIAL CRIME PREVENTION TIPS
John Suitt has taken over as our District 3 crime Prevention officer,. You may contact him at john.suitt@durhamnc.gov. The Durham Police Department continues to encourage the formation of neighborhood watch groups within Woodcroft. If you are interested in getting information about initiating a neighborhood watch in your area, please contact either John Suitt or Dan Ryan with the Woodcroft board of directors. Dan can be reached at Daniel.P.Ryan@us.ul.com. Please review these crime prevention tips, and remember: anything and everything that seems suspicious should be reported to 911. The police would rather be contacted with a false alarm then have a crime occur that may have been prevented had an observant neighbor placed a call to the police! Don’t hesitate to call just because you are uncertain. Be bold, prevent a crime!
PROPER SUPERVISION OF CHILDREN
Some parents are unaware at what age children can be left home alone. This has resulted in criminal charges for some parents. Here are the minimum standards related to NC General Statues.
a) Children birth through age 5 are supervised in the home and the outside play area by visual and auditory contact.
b) Children from 6-8 years of age are not left alone for more that a few minutes. Children 9-10 are not left alone for more than two hours. Children 11-12 are not left alone for more than four hours.
c) A child between the age of 12 and 16 years can supervise other children if he or she is responsible, mature, has access to emergency plans. A child under 12 should not supervise a child under the age of 2 years.
d) Proper supervision does not allow children to be left alone in situations where they have access to weapons, incendiary devices, hazardous chemicals, intoxicants or inflammable materials.
I hope this is helpful. Lets keep our children safe.
AMERICAN TOBACCO TRAIL HOURS NOW EXTENDED
Multiple Requests and Increased Use of ATT By Bicyclists and Pedestrians Prompts Change
The Durham Parks and Recreation Department (DPR) has extended the hours of the American Tobacco Trail from dawn to dusk to 5 a.m. 10 p.m. daily.
As commuter usage of the American Tobacco Trail (ATT) grows, particularly now with the new connection along Cornwallis Rd. from the ATT into Research Triangle Park and from the ATT to the Downtown Trail into northern Durham, commuters are accessing the trail more during morning and evening hours.
We want citizens to continue to view the American Tobacco Trail as a commuter alternative and to make maximum use of Durham’s resources, said Darrell Crittendon, director of DPR. The extended hours will give bikers and pedestrians the flexibility to use this City resource more during the fall and winter when dusk arrives earlier. Crittendon, as DPR director, is authorized by City Code to set hours for the use of City facilities under its management, which includes the ATT.
The ATT hours have been extended due to multiple requests from citizens to extend the hours beyond the dawn to dusk timeframe due to daylight savings time and its effect during winter months. To ensure maximum safety for bicycle and pedestrian commuters on the trail during morning or evening darkness, bicyclists must adhere to the States General Statute 20-129 which requires that every bicycle shall be equipped with a lighted lamp visible up to three hundred feet in front and a tail light or rear reflector that is red and visible for up to two hundred feet from the rear.
The Durham Police Department (DPD) will continue to monitor the ATT for safety throughout the extended usage hours. The DPD has the authority to ticket persons on the trail outside of the new usage hours or bicyclists not adhering to the lighting requirement. Citizens can learn more about trail safety by visiting the Citys website at http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/parks/safety.cfm.
ROUND ABOUT NAVIGATION
We wanted to remind everyone who is unfamiliar with traffic circles exactly how they work. All streets leading up to the intersection must yield to the cars already in the circle. Woodcroft Parkway no longer has the right of way! All cars on the Parkway must yield before entering the circle. Once in the circle, do not stop, continue around until you reach your turn. The speed limit leading up to and in the circle is 15 miles an hour. It would not be unusual to have police monitoring this new traffic pattern regularly to insure proper usage. We don’t want anyone to get a ticket so remember: YIELD TO THE CIRCLE!
WOODCRAFT GAZETTE
The monthly publication that you receive is published and distributed by the “The News of Orange” organization not the Woodcroft Community Association. They have agreed to allow us some space on page two of the paper for communicating with our residents. We will be broadcasting the results of the ARB as well as recapping the minutes of the WCA board meetings. If you have any announcements that would benefit our community, please give us a call or an e-mail with the details. While we cannot use this space for advertisements, when will gladly share other types of information.
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CITY PROJECTS
In the planning stage is another exciting project, the “Third Fork Creek Trail”. It will be tying into our very own trail system near the Hope Valley Road intersection, crossing the Parkway before the Swim and Tennis Club and continuing up through the open space beside Woods Edge Apartments. The start date on this is undetermined. Plans for this trail can be viewed on the Durham City Parks and Recreation web-site.
CALL 911
Do not hesitate to pick up the phone and call 911 anytime you see something suspicious. Officer Tony Paylor, the officer assigned to District 3 which includes our neighborhood, has encouraged us to let you know that the police are always happy to respond and check out any situation that concerns you. If you have any questions you may also e-mail him at TonyPaylor@durhamnc.gov or call 569-1020 x231
COMMUNITY WATCH
Any group of neighbors interested in setting up a Community Watch Program should contact officer Paylor at the e-mail address above. Other Woodcroft neighborhoods have started this program and have been very pleased with his assistance. In the past three months, Woodcroft has seen an increase in break ins and Officer Paylor would like to stop this trend. He has encouraged each of us to call 911 and report any suspicious activity; not to wait until we are certain a crime is in progress. If we would all take this proactive approach, we could undoubtedly reduce the number of incidents in our neighborhood.
STREET PARKING
Thank you for parking in your garage or driveway rather than on our streets. We have had multiple complaints from neighbors that many homeowners are using our streets as their exclusive parking lot. This creates potentially dangerous visual impairments for automobiles as well as children on bikes etc. Thank you for making our neighborhood safer by using your driveway for its intended purpose.
PET PEEVES
Dog owners please remember the walking trails are often located very close to your neighbors yards and are used extensively by non-pet owners as well. Please take a plastic bag and clean up any “accidents” that your pet may leave along the trail. The same consideration is appreciated in all of the common areas, traffic circles etc. Thank you in advance for being a considerate Woodcroft neighbor!
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