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In Asheville, amid the WNC Mountains - September, 2016 September Activities at Crowfields Clubhouse

Tuesday 6 Exec. Comm. meets; work session meets 9/27, both at 4:30 pm

** Consolidation Committee meetings: All residents should plan to attend one.

Sunday, Sept. 18, 3:00 to 4:00 pm; Monday, Sept. 19, 11:00 am to noon. Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7:00 to 8:00 pm; Thursday, Sept. 22, 4:00 – 5:00 pm. See next page for further information.

Sept. 16 at 6: 3rd Friday Community Potluck: this month, Bountiful Salads’ Seeking more homes to show & inspire on Sunday, October 23, 1 to 3:30 p.m. For all September activities, please refer to page 4.

Beach Party, Crowfields style - Photo by Dean Cox

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REMEMBER TO USE THE NEW OFFICE EMAIL ADDRESS: CCA@crowfieldsoffice.com Access the new Crowfields Public Website: crowfieldsasheville.com; For the private part, look for the For Residents only tab; type in the following user name and password (case sensitive): User name: Crowfields; Password: #1ParklikeSetting. On this website you will find the 2016 Crowfields Residents Directory, current committees and officers, and current Chatter (in color) – with more to come.

"September is here & hopefully will delight us with cooler temperatures. The Cold Mountain Site Works are to begin work on our much needed creek repair project in just a few days. Please be aware of additional workers and equipment in our community. Have a great Month!" – Bob Ray, President, Crowfields Executive Committee

IMPORTANT NOTICES & OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION:

Cluster Consolidation Update

The Board of Directors at the August, 2015 meeting voted that “a committee be formed to study the feasibility of consolidating clusters.” That committee was formed with Pat Stager and Anne Brady as Co-Chairs and Vince D’Amore, David Herbert, Gene Presley, and Katherine Soderquist as members. This committee has been meeting since January.

Crowfields’ legal structure was initially established when Crowfields was created as the first condo in Asheville. There was not much history in efficient operational structures at that time. As condos became more prevalent, better ways to configure the legal operations of associations were developed. The Committee feels we need to transition to a more efficient operational structure.

We are the exception as a condominium association in that we are comprised of 34 separate associations that are independent of each other. We know of very few configurations similar to ours. Our legal configuration is difficult to administer, difficult to monitor and to budget financially. This results in the majority of our reserves (cluster reserves at $1 million approximately) not being audited due to the expense of auditing 34 separate reserve balances.

The Board voted almost unanimously in the April 2016 Board of Directors meeting to fund Phase 1 of the consolidation study. An experienced firm (Ward and Smith) was hired to conduct the study and has completed their research and provided a recommendation. We have now finished Phase 1 of the project, which was to determine if we can consolidate and the best way to accomplish that. We are now ready to move to phase 2 of the consolidation, which is to define the nitty gritty of consolidation and prepare the necessary by -law changes for the consolidation vote.

Consolidation is not done cheaply as our by-laws and declarations will need to be amended. The first step for consolidation is complete and cost about $9000. The second step is the actual preparation of all documents that will be voted on, as well as filing of the documents. If the community votes to consolidate, Phase 2 is expected to cost an additional $15000. This is within the amount the committee initially advised the Board it would cost, so we are on target with the expense.

The Consolidation Committee has scheduled the following community meetings to detail an overview of consolidation and solicit community input. You’re welcome to come to any or all of the meetings. All meetings will be in the clubhouse.

Sunday, September 18th from 3-4PM Monday, September 19th from 11AM to noon Tuesday, September 20th from 7 PM – 8PM Thursday, September 22nd from 4 PM – 5PM

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We have selected these times at various points of the day to make it easier hopefully for you to attend a meeting. See you there!! Please feel free to reach out to any of the committee members with any questions.

A word from our busy Property Manager:

Happy Fall to you all, well it’s almost Fall. Last month I was unable to collect my thoughts and produce an article for the

Chatter but thought it would be good to do so now. The employee picnic on July 1st this year was well attended by

friendly residents and guests. This event seems to be growing every year and someday may outgrow the limits of the

clubhouse. The staff here is well appreciated and supported by this community as it has been from the beginning.

The kindness and generosity of this community’s residents is overwhelming and proof of that is shown by the donations

made to the staffs’ monitory gift. Thanks to all who donated to a most appreciative staff! This community is truly blessed

to have so many great residents and a caring staff which makes my job here so wonderful. A special thanks to all who

volunteered their time to decorate and put on this event. I look forward to seeing all your friendly faces at next year’s

picnic.

F.Y.I.: Roofing work is scheduled to begin in mid-September. There are only three clusters slated for this work. They are

AA, X, and BB, in this order. I will send notices out to residents prior to the roofer’s arrival. It takes approximately five to

seven days to complete a six unit cluster. Please keep an eye out for your notice. I will try to send this via email as well as

place a hard copy in your Crowfields mail boxes. Please let me know if you have a special request or a schedule conflict,

(274-5068) and I will do my best to accommodate your need.

Please enjoy your waning summer with its cooler temperatures, - Charles Bennett

The Nominating Committee has the responsibility of selecting a slate of officers for next year’s Executive

Committee. The 2016-17 members were announced by President, Bob Ray, at the July Board of Director’s meeting.

The Committee, chaired by Parker Moore, is comprised of Jeff Covington (274-8896), David Herbert (273-2454), Ellen

James (274-5062), Parker Moore (274-1127) and Alison Webb (277-8205). The current Executive Committee members

are listed on the inside of the back of the 2016 Telephone Directory, and a number will continue in these positions.

If you are interested in being considered for a position, or have someone to recommend, please contact one of these

members.

Greetings from the Bylaws Committee

Just to give you a quick update. The Bylaws Committee has completed its work on updating the Bylaws document with

the revision requests submitted by the community. The next step is Executive Committee review, which should take

approximately two months. After that it will go to the attorney for review. Remember: Any update to the Bylaws

requires 2/3 approval vote of the Board of Directors and 2/3 approval vote of all unit owners. The next project for the

Bylaws Committee is to draft the community-requested updates to the Rules & Regulations document, and this would

include drafting the updated pet policy if recommended by the Executive Committee based on the Survey Results. The

committee is doing it’s best to move this project along as quickly as possible, while tracking everything along the way.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact Mary D’Amore, chair of the Bylaws Committee.

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IT’S SEPTEMBER! See what fine and fun ACTIVITIES are planned:

FIRST FRIDAY, September 2, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Bring your preferred drink, Iced tea & lemonade provided. a snack to share, & meet and make friends!

SIMPLE SUPPERS for September: 7: Asheville Sushi & Hibachi; 14: Cinnamon KItchen; 21: 67 Biltmore; 28: Pomodoros. Menus, Sign-up sheets are in lobby & via email. Open from 6:00, Serving at 6:30 pm.

MONDAY MOVIE NIGHTS at 7: September 12 “Joy” Miracle Mop inventor bio with Jennifer Lawrence. Sept. 20: “The Soloist”; story of journalist & talented, homeless schizo musician (tea & lemonade) ● Third Friday, Sept. 19th at 6: COMMUNITY POTLUCK this month will be “Bountiful Salads”.

BOOK GROUP - Tues., 9/27 @ 7: “Pretending to Dance”, by Diane Chamberlain, discussion w. Lucy Oliver.

Sept. 30th: Fifth Friday Ladies’ BYOLunch, 12 noon at clubhouse. All welcome!

Ongoing Activities in September: Men's Coffee & Conversation . All welcome. Mondays 10:00 – 11:00+ am

Crafts and Conversation Mondays (Bring what you’re working on or chat) 1:00 + pm

Water Aerobics (fee): Mondays at 3:30 pm and Wednesdays at 11:30 am.

Senior Exercise Class (fee) led by Liz Ridley –Mon. & Thurs. at 2 pm, but no meet Sept. 5, 22, 26

“Hand & Foot” card game, Fridays at 1 pm

Bocce, the popular ball/boule sport, Thursdays at 5:30, on field below clubhouse.

Looking ahead - contact Helen Eill at 505-2336. Volunteer for the Crowfields House Tour, planned for Sunday, October 23rd, from 1 to 3:30 pm Willing to show off new and/or creative things you’ve done to your condo for CR residents to see & be inspired! Lighting? Kitchen or porch reno? New materials, etc. We’d love to see the possibilities.

Looking back – Crowfields residents had a ball at the Tourists game, August 19th ! A great and fun success! “Remarkable how the weather changed to almost perfect by the end of the first inning and thereafter! The final score belied the otherwise exciting home runs, deep flies, mistaken umpire calls and the magnificent post game fireworks!”

Thanks for arranging the outing & providing the caption & photo, David Herbert!

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New Resident: Paulette Webb Paulette recently extensively renovated and finally moved in to H 516 Lane, coming from Fearrington Village near Chapel Hill, and she’s glad to be back in the mountains she loves. She and her late husband, Mike, lived some years in Highlands, NC, where they were strong environmentalists and she owned a retail shop. Brought up in Marietta, Georgia, she still has family in that area, but she has enjoyed and lived in much smaller communities, like Washington, NC on the coast where they sailed their 27’ Island Packet. In recent years, she has taken classes in graphic design and enjoys doing that as a part-time venture. Paulette has two daughters – one in Atlanta and the other in Milwaukee from whom she has five grandchildren, and she is happy to be living here nearer to her Atlanta sister and her daughter and her family. She is open to new friends and new adventures, - loves to hike; likes horses; considering a dog; enjoys reading; loves flowers and gardening, and hopes to take classes with OLLI – and maybe take up painting! So – all sorts of prospects await!

Please welcome Paulette Webb at H 515 – her telephone (252-940-9338) is in the directory, and her email (also listed) is pwdesign.paulette@gmail.com

In Memoriam:

Paul Dent of J 600 Lane, passed away after a long illness on August 20th, just short of his 74th birthday. Born and brought up in Mississippi, after graduating from Old Miss, Paul married Marianne LaBerge, became a banker, and advanced in that profession to various locations in Florida, concluding as President of the First National Bank in Venice, Florida (1979-1996). Following retirement from the Bank, Paul undertook his second career as a nurseryman, specializing in oak trees, which are now well-rooted in Sarasota County. An avid golfer, Paul was usually found at the Biltmore Forest Country Club during the summers that they spent here. Besides golf, he loved cards, college football, good fun and was an esteemed friend. Paul is survived by Marianne and their two children and six grandchildren. Donations can be made to Saint Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis TN 38101-9929, or to Casey Key Library, P.O. Box 1101, Osprey FL 34229.

Legette Zorn (505-4587) is the storage keeper of the Home Health Aides which are available to residents. He has recently had requests for wheelchairs and shower/bath seats & would welcome any loans or donations. This Sept., if you have needs for home health aides or have any you wish to donate, please contact Jim Addisson at 575-2514 who will be filling in during Legette’s absence.

Commendations from Karol Black, our capable Office Administrator: “Just a shout out to our Maintenance Department, those working on buildings and grounds, - it's been a long, hot summer, albeit with lots of rain, but they have been outstanding! Also, to our hardworking, generous Committee members, of every kind, who set aside their everyday lives to participate and effect changes and decisions made for the beauty and longevity of this wonderful organization. Their commitment is commendable and I am in absolute awe of all of them! And last, but not least, those kind, charitable, talented folks who aren't on any committees, boards, etc. but who simply extend kindnesses and generosity and time to do things that may or may not always get noticed - bless them all.”

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We are having an exhibit at the Wedge Studios and I would like to include Gwenda’s poem she

wrote for the painting I did. Both are on display until the middle of September on the 2nd floor

of the Wedge Building. I don’t care if you publish the painting, but I would like Gwenda

Ledbetter to get some credit for her lovely poem,

Thanks so much, Lisa (Oberreuter)

“The lake holding trees, mountains, sun, clouds, what’s left of early morning fog and all of it upside down, I see buried towns and vanished people staring up from below the water. The fog, sifts up between mountain ridges that may be thousands of years old, drifts across three giant firs, making me think of the world when darkness covered the face of the deep then mist lifted and there was everything. No screeching tires. No whining machines. No emergency vehicles screaming to the scene of the latest slaughter. Just clean air made better for breathing by the trees and infinity seen from the mountain top, with nothing

man made in it.

I’d like to be sitting on the bank, my feet in the upside down town with sun shining through clouds turning everything into a dream. The water, washing up on boat, makes sounds like the heartbeat of the earth. A bird sings. Nothing to do but breathe. And be. And there is beauty and there is… peace.”

Thanks for all the articles, contributions, and photos coming this way. Do look at the Chatter online to see these pictures in full color.

If you’d be interested in working on the Chatter, give me a holler!

Thank you! Jocelyn Baumgarten, Ed.

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