Duke Energy Warns of Phone Scam

Friday, November 18, 2016:  A Duke Energy representative has reported that someone is calling customers and falsely identifying themselves from Duke Energy. They are asking people to make a payment over the phone or they will cut off their power. 

Detective Mike Copeland from the Sheriff's Office urges people never to pay any bills over the phone. 

The calls come through with "DUKE ENERGY" displaying as the caller ID. May be best to just let it go to voicemail. If anyone leaves a message and are asking for some form of payment, it's a scam. Duke Energy (and most other reputable companies) would contact customers by mail for payment. 

A Sample Speed Report for Weathersfield Covering 17 Days (October 30 - November 16, 2016)

Click on the table to see a larger image.

This is a basic speed table showing just the volume of vehicles passing the radar monitor measuring only the inbound traffic flow on Weathersfield (just past Caswell) for the period between the mid-afternoon of October 30, 2016 through November 16, 2016 (at approximately 2:25pm).

During that period of two-weeks and 3 days, 6.694 vehicles passed the monitor and were categorized in the following speed ranges:  1-5 mph, 6-10mph, 11-15mph, 16-20mph, 21-25mph, 26-30mph, 31-35mph, 36-40mph, 41-45mph, 46-50mph, 51-55mph.

As  you may be able to see:

• 63% (4,233) of the vehicles were traveling between 1-30mph
• 36% (2,377)were traveling between 31-40mph (the so-called "low-risk" speeders), and
• only 0.01% (84) were traveling 41 mph or higher (the so-called "high-risk outliers")

Given the nature of pedestrian, bicycling, and vehicular blends on our village roads, the speed categories that concern us the most are those between 36mph (528) and over 41mph (84), which represents 612 vehicles on this chart (approximately 9% of the traffic measure in this cycle).

The monitor plays an important role in reminding drivers of their traveling speed, and it does cause approximately 80% of drivers to slow down to a  slightly lower speed that that which is being displayed.

If you now realize that a small percentage (but a significant number) of drivers go right on by without slowing their speed, you may be able to see why we refer to that category as being the "outliers."  We have spent time identifying the parameters of this high-risk category over a considerable span of time (i.e., days of the week, times of the day, frequency of occurrence, and locations on six of the most heavily travelled roads in the village, our "arterials"), and have produced some enforcement tables to share with the Sheriff's Department. 

FHA Health, Safety, & Security (HSS) 2016 Annual Report

Our 2016 Annual Report is now ready, and is available here on this site via this direct hot-link.

This report will also be included in your information packet, which will be available at the FHA Annual Meeting, scheduled for November 14th at the Galloway Ridge Auditorium. (Note that the meeting will not in the Barn this year.)

Clubs and Organizations will be on hand at display tables between 4:00pm and 5:00pm, when refreshments will also be available. The business meeting will begin at 5:00pm. This is an important annual community event. Please make every effort to attend.

Chatham County's New SAFE (Strategic Action For Emergencies) Program

SAFE is a new special resident signup for those with special needs, such as mobility problems, vision and hearing impairment, lack of transportation, critical health issues and other needs that can be impacted when emergencies or disasters affect Chatham County.

SAFE was jointly created by the Chatham County Council on Aging, Chatham County Emergency Operations, and Chatham County Department of Social Services to provide these residents with special needs a better sense of security. It also gives emergency responders more knowledge to locate and assist residents in need.

To learn more about this new program (which we had reported earlier this year was being developed), visit this site for more details and for a hot-link you can use to sign up.

Fearrington-Galloway Ridge Drinking Water Quality

This guest article has been prepared and submitted by Don Francisco. We want to express our appreciation to Don for this very nice community contribution. Residents can find his contact information listed in the 2016 Fearrington Village Directory and Handbook. 

I am a retired clinical professor of environmental biology from the UNC Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering. My specialty was limnology (study of freshwater systems), wastewater treatment microbiology, and drinking water treatment. I was the first to study Jordan Lake beginning just after the dam was closed in 1982. I began my career researching taste and odor problems in drinking water reservoirs. We lived in Chapel Hill for 48 years, and we are now residents of Galloway Ridge.

Some residents have told me that they are very concerned about the quality of our drinking water.  Some are even regularly boiling their drinking water. I think this concern is overblown.

Our raw (untreated) water comes from Jordan Lake just to the north of US 64 on the east side of the highway bridge. It is transported from there to the treatment plant on the south side of US64. The Town of Cary also takes its raw water from this same intake.

The North Chatham Water Treatment Plant is a standard design treatment facility that provides suspended solids (turbidity) removal, pH control, and chlorination for disinfection.  Occasionally, they use powdered activated carbon to control tastes and odors. I have visited the plant and talked with the operators. While the plant is small, it seems to be quite competently operated. They also have a close relationship with the personnel at the much larger Cary plant that treats the same raw water. I’m confident that they do a good job treating our drinking water.

There is no reason to be concerned about the quality of our water. It is basically the same as all other drinking water produced from reservoirs in North Carolina. The greatest hazard is that runoff containing nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) will promote excessive growth of algae in the Lake.  Many of these produce compounds which cause objectionable tastes and odors. This is an aesthetic problem not a human health problem.

The most accepted means for limiting the growth of algae is to limit the amount of nutrients entering the Lake. The greatest current source of these is in runoff from agricultural and urban land uses. This is what the recently canceled “Jordan Lake Rules” were intended to accomplish. The best way to show concern for the quality of our drinking water is to advocate rational means for limiting the input of nutrients into the Lake.

Of course, treated wastewater is introduced upstream from the Lake. Most of the reservoirs in the US have treated wastewater discharged upstream. In our case, the wastewater treatment plants are some of the most advanced in the world. They remove contaminants to very low concentrations. When discharges enter the reservoir, they are diluted by a huge volume of water. This further decreases the concentration of the contaminants.

All of this being said, many water quality experts use point-of-use filters (at or under individual faucets) to remove potentially present and probably unmeasurable compounds and protozoan cysts. I use these because they make my drinking water aesthetically more uniform, and they very likely remove many of the compounds that we cannot measure. These filters are essentially insurance against exposure to unknown contaminants.

No Bicycles on Our Paths, Trails, or Sidewalks

Do Not Ride Bicycles on Our Village Paths, Trails, or Sidewalks!

Pedestrians and bicycles do not mix safely, especially on our narrow gravel paths and trails, or on our few village sidewalks. All of our pedestrian ways do not have a lot of room for either walkers or cyclists to maneuver, and even much less room when they co-mingle.

Our paths and trails have very few straight sections and wander with many curves and some small hills that make for short clear sightlines. Bicycles move much faster than pedestrians, and many pedestrians do not always walk in predictable fashion or straight lines along the paths and trails.

In fact, pedestrians on narrow paths and walkways can be a hazard to cyclists and could cause an accident if they were to be startled by finding a bicycle suddenly coming their way and move unpredictably--trying to get out of the way--and end up becoming in the way.

The best and safest advice: cyclists, use the roads and not the paths, trails, or our few sidewalks.

Chatham County Emergency Management Certified as Storm Ready

Chatham County : News & Updates : Chatham Emergency Management Certified as Storm Ready Posted on August 31, 2016

Mosquito Control Advice for Village Homeowners

According to Dr. Michael Waldvogel, Department of Entomology and Extension Associate. Professor & Specialist, Structural & Industrial Pests at North Carolina State University, to control the risk of mosquitoes in the community, there actually needs to be a community-wide education program emphasizing homeowner responsibility to inspect and control the great many breeding sources that exist and are largely ignored. 

 Small round mosquito dunks protect
up to 100 sq.ft. for up to 30 days
and can be broken into smaller pieces
for smaller areas. Not practical
 for very large areas.

Residents should be encouraged to keep mosquitoes from laying eggs inside and outside of our homes. Items in and around homes can collect water: 

Suggestions include: once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out containers that hold water, such as: 

⨀ vases, ⨀ pet water bowls,  ⨀ flowerpot saucers,  ⨀  rain barrels with open unscreened tops,  ⨀ buckets, tarps and outdoor furniture covers that sag and collect rainwater,  ⨀ birdbaths,  ⨀ trash cans, ⨀ wheelbarrows and garden carts left outside should be turned upside down, ⨀ and gutters and stormwater drains around the house should be inspected to be sure they are not holding any standing water.

Overall conclusions: 

• A community’s mosquito problems are proportional to the level of residents’ understanding that the large number of breeding sources in even small pools of standing water around (especially) new homes without developed lawns are one of the largest sources of the problem and, hence, prime areas for prevention and mitigation. Neighbors need to assume some direct responsibility for monitoring and controlling such sources.

• Paying attention to several large stormwater pools, where water may sit for short periods of time, is important, but is dwarfed by the much larger number of unrecognized breeding sources. 

Community Health Advisory

On July 30, 2016, a resident who went outside her home at 9:00pm to water a plant was bitten by a copperhead. She called for and received emergency medical attention and is recovering well.

During the summer months copperheads are more nocturnal. Residents who go outside in the dark should take a flashlight to see what is in front of them and be aware that snakes are not just in the wooded areas, but can be right in front of your house at night, especially on sidewalks and in, or around, bushes and shrubbery.

According to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service, copperheads can be found from the Florida panhandle north to Massachusetts and west to Nebraska, and they bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species of snake. Unlike most venomous snakes, copperheads give no warning signs and strike almost immediately if they feel threatened.

While their bite is very rarely (almost never) fatal to humans (small pets are a different matter), the bite often results in temporary tissue damage in the immediate area of bite, and secondary infection can sometimes occur.  Children and elderly and people with compromised immune systems may have strong reactions to the venom, however, and anyone who is bitten by a copperhead should always seek prompt medical attention.

Health Hazards: Please Don't Feed the Deer -- Commonly Mistaken Kindness

It's a Serious Health Problem for the Deer, and for Humans Too

How so; read the details below:

Many people are mortified to find out that by feeding deer their good intentions may have done more harm than good.

The root of this problem is that many people relate to deer as they relate to people. Seeing deer in the neighborhood during frigid temperatures, many of us imagine how we would feel, even though we are not deer ourselves.

They’ll Survive

White-tailed deer are well adapted to surviving during cold weather as well as year-round. They prepare in the summer and fall by eating more and adding layers of fat. When winter arrives, they become more sedentary, they eat less, and they use their stored fat. They have adequate supplies of natural food, including twigs, buds, and stems.

Those who feed large amounts of corn, especially in the winter, do the most damage because a deer's winter digestive system cannot handle a high carbohydrate diet such as corn.

Most Professional Wildlife Biologists Say Don’t Feed the Deer

Jerry Feaser, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) says: "In a perfect world, no one would feed deer. Period." Advice that is also shared by Dr. Anne Ballmann, veterinarian and wildlife disease specialist for the National Wildlife Health Center.

Furthermore, when we feed deer anything (not just corn), we cause them to burn extra calories to travel farther than they normally would. And they end up feeding and traveling together in larger groups. Dr. Ballmann warns that when deer feed in large groups competing for a limited food supply, they come in closer contact with one another and easily transmit diseases and parasites. If feeding locations are near busy roads (as they would be here in the village), more deer are hit and killed by traffic.

Remember that food is a deer magnet, with serious health hazards embedded for the deer, and for humans too (since the deer leave their large supply of ticks, which are infected with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease behind to bite humans). We already have a major problem with both tick-borne diseases in the village.

So here’s some advice collected on-line from a variety of professional wildlife biologists:

• If you’re offering day old bread and pastries, remember that although a variety of birds and mammals will eat these handouts, they just provide stomach-filling empty calories.

• Squirrels and birds are not ruminants, so corn does not affect their digestion the way it does deer.

• No one really knows how much corn is needed to induce metabolic acidosis in deer (a serious condition that occurs that produces excessive quantities of acid or when kidneys are not removing enough acid), but it occurs when they eat large amounts of corn and little or no "woody browse."

• In addition to eating what you're feeding them, deer will also eat the other vegetation that's in and near the feeding area. Too many deer eating vegetation in a small area can damage the plants in the area for years to come. When deer need those plants in coming years, the plants won't be there for them to eat.

• Even after winter is over, deer will often stay close to the area where you fed them instead of moving to their normal summer ranges. According to North Carolina State University, deer can cause significant damage to landscapes by browsing on a wide variety of plants, including trees, shrubs, and flowers, often leaving a ragged appearance due to their feeding habits; the most effective methods to manage deer issues in landscaping include selecting deer-resistant plants, utilizing fencing, applying repellents regularly, and monitoring access points to your property to deter deer entry; while no plant is completely deer-proof, choosing species that deer naturally dislike can significantly reduce damage.

The Bottom Line
Feeding deer is counter-intuitive. It's bad for deer, and bad for homeowners too. Feeding deer is primarily good for hunters, who use the food as bait.

Important NC Traffic Laws Applicable to Bicyclists and Motorists PART 1

Important NC Traffic Laws Applicable to Bicyclists PART 2

A bicyclist may use a full marked lane. “Bicyclists usually ride on the right side of the lane, but are entitled to use the full lane…. Drivers wishing to pass a bicyclist may do so only when there is abundant clearance and no oncoming traffic is in the opposing lane. When passing a bicyclist, always remember the bicyclist is entitled to use of the full lane.” – for important details, see this resource: North Carolina Driver’s Handbook, p.95.  

As of October 01st, 2016, and only if it is safe to pass, vehicles may legally cross over a solid yellow or white center line to pass cyclists. Drivers must allow 4 feet between their vehicle and the cyclist(s). Failure to do so will be considered to be an act of reckless driving, a serious chargeable offense under North Carolina Law.

Bicyclists are Drivers of Vehicles

§ 20-4.01(49) Vehicle. – …for the purposes of this Chapter bicycles shall be deemed vehicles and every rider of a bicycle upon a highway shall be subject to the provisions of this Chapter applicable to the driver of a vehicle except those which by their nature can have no application.

As drivers of vehicles, bicyclists are allowed to travel on all public roadways except fully controlled access highways (freeways) such as interstates. NCAC 19A.2E.0409 OPERATING NONMOTORIZED VEHICLES: It is unlawful for any person to ride any animal, or to operate a bicycle or horse drawn wagon or any nonmotorized vehicle or moped on any interstate or other fully controlled access highway.

A Recent Change in Sheriff Deputies Serving the Village

Lt. Luke Scala Now Overseeing the Patrol Division

Effective July 16th, Lieutenant Luke Scala (shown on the left), who had served as our most recent main Chatham County Sheriff's community deputy, was moved into a new position in the department assuming the role of Lieutenant over the Patrol Division.

In his new role, he will be back out on the road with first responders. 

Luke has done a top-notch job serving as our main community officer since last fall, as well as providing such service to some 150 other communities in the county. 

He will still be in the village from time to time as part of his patrol supervision and tour duties.   

Lieutenant Phillip Richard has assumed Luke's former supervisory role over the Community Service Division, and Deputies Sara Pack and Jonathan Hensley will serve as our Community Service Coordinators/Community Watch liaisons. We'll post photos as they become available.

To be informed when new postings are added, enter your Email address into the FOLLOW BY EMAIL option located on the right side panel, just below the current FEATURED POST section.

New Light on Deer-Borne Tick Lyme Disease

Visiting physician sheds new light on Lyme disease - Martha's Vineyard Times

It's The Law in North Carolina: Pedestrians and Vehicles

Village Drivers need to realize that pedestrians along the road often have no other walking option to get to their intended destination and sometimes need to walk along a road to reach an entrance to a trail or path.

In North Carolina, vehicles must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians crossing the roadway within any marked crosswalk, unmarked crosswalk, or near an intersection.

Vehicles emerging from any alleyway, building, private road, or driveway must yield the right of way to any pedestrian or person riding a bicycle approaching on a sidewalk extending across such alleyway, building, private road, or driveway. 

When walking along the roadway, pedestrians must yield the right-of-way to vehicles as well as when crossing outside of a marked crosswalk, or an unmarked crosswalk at an intersection. 

Where traffic control devices (traffic lights) are in operation, pedestrians may only cross between two adjacent intersections in a marked crosswalk; no legal crossing otherwise.

According to North Carolina law (see here for more detail): 

• “...when a sidewalk is available, pedestrians must use the sidewalk instead of walking on the roadway, which is defined as the part of the highway that is paved, graveled, or otherwise improved for vehicle travel.” … “When sidewalks are not provided, pedestrians walking along or on the highway should, when practicable, walk on the extreme left of the roadway or shoulder facing traffic, and pedestrians walking on the shoulder of the road must yield the right-of-way to traffic.”

Walking Along Village Roads and Streets:

• Always walk on the sidewalk if one is provided. If there is no sidewalk and you have to walk in the road, WALK FACING TRAFFIC, so you can see oncoming cars and so that drivers can more easily see you.

• Walkers MUST step to the side when an oncoming car approaches and drivers MUST slow down and move over a bit when it is safe to do so to give walkers a safety break.

• Dress to be seen. Brightly colored clothing makes it easier for drivers to see you during the daytime. At night, wear clothing with material that reflects the light from headlights of cars coming towards you. Carry a lighted flashlight.

• Be especially careful when walking on village roads with many curves and small hills (such as Spindlewood), which blind motorists to your presence until they are right upon you.

To be informed when new postings are added, enter your Email address into the FOLLOW BY EMAIL option located on the right side panel, just below the current FEATURED POST section.

Weathersfield Crosswalk Connecting West Camden & Speyside Circle Has Been Upgraded

To see a larger version, click on the photo.

Weathersfield between 15/501 and the 4-way stop at Weathersfield and East Camden was totally resurfaced with smooth asphalt by NCDOT contractors in late July 2016.

As you may be able to tell from this photo of the location (see the small yellow arrow pointing at the crosswalk), the former crosswalk was simply two narrow parallel white lines spaced approximately six feet apart across the road. Such sidewalk markings were not very prominent, and many drivers did not even notice the lines were there.

Since this is the only crosswalk connecting Fearrington Village with the Duke Center for Living and Galloway Ridge, and since many vehicles are driving over 40mph in this 25 mile zone, FHA filed a request with NCDOT to have this crosswalk upgraded to be made more visible.  

Following the resurfacing, the once fairly inconspicuous crosswalk was upgraded by NCDOT to become more visible.

It is now a much safer crossing spot. Remember that approaching drivers are legally required to yield to pedestrians who are already in all marked crosswalks.

Community Report: Village Speed Monitor Summaries and Narrative

We have 80 streets and roads in the village, 54 of which are state-owned and state-maintained secondary roads, and are patrolled primarily by the Chatham County Sheriff's Department and occasionally by the State Highway Patrol. 

Of the 54 state roads in the village, we currently monitor speeds on a portion of 6 (six) "arterials*," which carry the prime traffic load into, out of, and throughout several sections of the village. 

After considerable data collection and analysis of traffic flow and vehicular speeds on six of our prime state secondary roads, we have spent a considerable amount of time aggregating and analyzing the accumulated data that is supplied remotely by the newer of our two current FHA monitors and by the same model monitor recently purchased by Camden Park, Inc. for use on East & West Camden, which also reports remotely.

As you should know, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) established a community-wide 25mph speed limit (except for the central business portion of the village, where the limit is 15mph), which is the common standard for subdivisions such as ours throughout the state. 

As you surely also know, most vehicles on our monitored roads do not stay within that 25mph limit, and a small percentage (which, considering the high volume of traffic in the village, is actually a rather high number), consistently drive at speeds that are 15 and 20+mph over this limit.

Most of our relatively narrow roads have no sidewalks and often have to be shared with cyclists, pedestrians, and dog walkers, who must navigate along the risky, rough uneven roadsides and challenging ditches. Pedestrians and dog walkers face especially dangerous conditions around curves, when it is often very hard to get safely and quickly out of the way of speeding drivers who are surprised to come upon them so suddenly.

To obtain an adequate overview of the safety-related dimensions of the volume of such excessive speeds, we have aggregated a lot of speed data and have produced a color-coded table (a sample of which is displayed below) summarizing the speed compliance rates at various locations along with the low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk levels of speeds above 25mph. We have come to call the highest risk level the "outlier" category. While these outlier vehicles are low in percentage terms, they are high in numerical terms, and they represent a significant risk to others and themselves. 6,000 pounds of speeding metal can cause a lot of damage and bodily harm, and such speeds are unacceptable in the village.

Not only that, especially these "outlier" drivers are in clear violation of the traffic laws of North Carolina, and are subject to a mandatory traffic stop by the police, if they are spotted. While 25mph may be commonly viewed as "excessively low" on some portions of the roadways and relatively unrealistic for universal compliance, speeds approaching and over 40mph cannot be allowed to go unnoticed and totally uncontrolled. Consequently, we are working with the Sheriff's Department to develop more effective traffic calming measures for designated problematic locations.

One final point: while many residents believe that the speeding vehicles are primarily service vehicles, such as delivery vans, construction trucks, school buses, etc. (after all people have seen some), the fact-- which is documented by the monitor camera-- is that almost all the high speeding vehicles are passenger vehicles, and we believe these are driven primarily by residents who are in a hurry to get somewhere (either home or out to 15/501).

Click here to open a larger version.

 *The six "arterials" are Weathersfield, Village Way, East Camden, Millcroft, Creekwood, and the Beechmast "loop," which intersects with Village Way at two locations (near Swim & Croquet at one end, and at its intersection just below Countryhouse cluster of townhomes, a short distance below the Smokehouse kiosk). East Camden was added by Camden Park, Inc. HOA in June 2015; Creekwood was added by FHA in October 2015; and the "loop" portion of Beechmast was "revitalized" by FHA in October 2015. In the future, we expect to deploy the monitor periodically on portions of Spindlewood.

Roads and Road Safety Issues in the Village

Click on the Report Cover to Open and Download the PDF File.

Roads and road safety issues in the village have consistently been high on the list of safety concerns in the village. At every annual meeting of the homeowners association for at least the past five years, the majority of public comments and questions for the board have dealt with traffic issue on village street and roads.

In March, 2015, the FHA Board's first open meeting of the year program dealt with these issues and concerns in considerable detail.

The Health, Safety, & Security Committee has researched the key issues and has published an eleven page report, which every resident should read. To access the report, click on the cover photo to open the PDF file.

After reading the report, return to the blog to post comments, questions, and suggestions, and to comment on those that have been added by others.

We hope this will be a good way to engage the community in an on-going discussion across the many months in its search for perspective and more effective solutions.

What To Do and Not Do Around Downed Power Lines

Safety Video by Puget Sound Energy

Traffic on Benchmark

Residents on Benchmark and other residents who use the recreational facilities, please remember to drive slowly, alertly, and considerately in our coming to and leaving the tennis courts, bocce court, and the playground.

The FHA has received complaints from some Benchmark residents, and recently a cat was hit and injured.

Let's all be extra careful about sticking to the 25mph speed limit and drive extra carefully on Benchmark.  Thanks!

Sign Up to Receive Village Emergency Notifications

Sign Up to Receive Village Emergency Notifications

In your preferences for which FHA communications will be sent to your email address, we strongly urge everyone to subscribe to receive Emergency Notifications. These notifications are used only to inform subscribers of conditions that are of immediate concern, and could affect Fearrington.

To be sure you are subscribed, log into the FHA website. On the top menu, select the "Directory" tab, then select the "Update Your Information" sub-tab and use the "e-Subscriptions" tab to be sure you have chosen "Yes" to receive any village emergency notifications. If you change this option, be sure to click "Submit" at the bottom of the page.