Parkwood Neighborhood News

The Parkwood Christmas/Holiday parade was held on Saturday,  December 13. The weather was perfect.  By all accounts it went off without a hitch.  The Board of Directors float ran out of candy canes before the end of the parade, but they did better than last year when they ran out before making the turn onto Revere. A great time seemed to be had by all  and the Krispy Kreme doughnuts at the end also disappeared quickly.

By all accounts the weather is going to be perfect.

Because of the rain,  which is forecast to continue for most of the day,  the parade is being postponed to the rain date next Saturday,  December 13.

Official Minutes of the October 9th, 2014 Regular Board Meeting, Parkwood Association 1417 Seaton Road, Durham NC 27713 A. Welcome Guests Guests present: Marie Dean. B. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm. Board Members present: Bill Mitchell, Bill Egan, William Crosmun, Chris Sanford, Eric Syfrett, Martie Mangum, Shannon Green, Joshua Klein, Bhupinder Singh, Pandora Simpson, Lois Cox, Ann-Marie Crosmun, Amanda Simmons, James Black, Michael Brooks, and Matthew Schellenberg. Also Present: Office Manager Pati Barrow. (1) Approval of the Agenda Martie Mangum moved to approve the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. (2) Approval of Minutes of Regular Board of Directors Meeting Eric Syfrett moved to approve the minutes from the September 11, 2014 regular board meeting. Motion passed unanimously. C. Election of Officers As Parkwood Association has a full Board (16 members), the election procedure was one of cast b...

The Parkwood Web Committee is in the process of developing a brand new Things To Do page on the website and we need your help. The idea is to post things to the page that are going on in the community in one of these categories: Community Activities, Dining, Shopping, and Outdoors. Think of it as a blog about what makes Parkwood a special place to live. But we need your help to generate new and exciting content for the page! Please email the Parkwood Office if you're interested ( pa.office@parkwoodnc.org ). We will be scheduling a training session for the project soon (early next week), so don't delay!

The December issue of the InsideOUT will include recipes from Parkwood residents. What do you make this time of year for family and friends? We're looking for all types of recipes: budget-busters, gut-busters, cook-ahead, budget-friendly, family favorites, etc. Send your favorite recipe to the Parkwood office at  pa.office@Parkwoodnc.org by Monday, November 24th. Recipes not making the print issue will be considered for posting online on the Parkwood website.

A Director from District 3 has resigned from the Board. Per Article VII, Section 3 of the Parkwood Bylaws (see text below), the Board will be seeking a volunteer to serve as a Director from District 3.    The appointment will expire in September 2015.    Interested residents who own a home in District 3 can contact the Board of Directors via e-mail at pa.office@parkwoodnc.org.   Please include information about how long you’ve lived in Parkwood, your reason for wanting to serve, and your contact information.   The position will be up for appointment at the December 11th Directors meeting. Bylaws- Article VII, Section 3. Vacancy: Vacancies on the Board shall be filled by remaining Directors but such action shall be effective only until the next ensuing Annual Meeting at which time any remaining unexpired term shall be filled by election. In the event that the Board establishes election of Directors by districts, the residence of the Director shall ...

While the annual Holiday parade is a few weeks away,  (December 6th, 2pm) it might be a good idea to see if your street will be involved in parade line-up, park & view, or the actual parade route. Here is a link to the parade day info (mostly for participants, but it might be helpful for non-participants as well) and guide to involved areas for the event. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B78A3VvUytVMaE1TalNRa28zTE0/view?usp=sharing

Here are the photos submitted or taken showing off Parkwood's Halloween decorating shenanigans

According to Parkwood's Bylaws, community standards are to be enforced by a Community Standards Committee (CSC). As the Association does not have enough volunteers for the CSC, the Board of Directors passed a resolution in October 2014 creating an interim procedure for enforcing Article 5 of the Bylaws (community standards) until a change can be made and approved by the membership of the Association. The resolution has been posted on the Parkwood Association website :  https://sites.google.com/site/parkwoodhomeowners/HOA

A really nice write-up about the Parkwood parade in the Herald Sun. Read it at http://www.heraldsun.com/lifestyles/entertainment/x532297643/Save-the-date-Parkwood-Christmas-Holiday-Parade-coming-up-Dec-6

The 2014 Annual Christmas/Holiday Parade for the Parkwood Community in Durham is scheduled for Saturday, December 6th (rain date Dec. 13) from 2-5pm. It is sponsored by the Parkwood Association and the Parkwood Volunteer Fire Department; with the help and participation of many community volunteers.  Dwindling attendance numbers prompted the City of Durham to revamp its Holiday tradition in 2010; changing it from a holiday parade to a Family Fun Festival. However, the Parkwood Parade tradition continues to grow larger and get better every year. The parade features bands, marching groups, fire trucks, Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and many other groups from Durham and surrounding communities. Santa is once again being played by Louis Overman – a former Parkwood resident who has been Parkwood’s Santa for 35 years. Returning for an 11th year as Mrs. Claus will be Parkwood resident Lynn Berkes. Grand Marshal for this year’s parade will be none other than Mr. Parkwood himself, Sol Ellis! Sol...

According to the Herald Sun, "Parkwood Elementary teachers eliminated sugary beverages from their lounge vending machine" to help inspire the students, who won a Bronze National Healthy School award!  Congratulations, Parkwood Elementary! http://www.heraldsun.com/news/showcase/x1412773014/Durham-schools-bring-home-National-Healthy-School-Awards

Community Activities in Parkwood need the assistance of Parkwood residents to make things happen!  Community Activity Committee meetings are held the first Monday of each month at 1417 Seaton Road. Meetings start at 7pm.  The activities calendar for Parkwood continues to fill up with fun things to do over the coming months:  Community Yard Sale: - Oct. 11th, 8am-12pm - Parkwood community yard sale. ‘you name it, we’ve got it.’ If you are interested in participating please contact Pandora Simpson at 919-605-5272. She is the main coordinator of the event and would love to add your address to the yard sale map. The event will be advertised on Craigslist as well as other community calendars. Ask her about flyers which will be available for you to help advertise to get the word out. Octoberfest--Oct 25th 4-8pm .... Time for early Halloween fun in Parkwood! Get ready for a fall fest from 4-8pm with great food to eat from the Methodist Men and other vendors...

Now that the weather has gotten cooler, the Monday evening  Old Time Music Jam will meet in the community center at 1417 Seaton Road.

While the Parkwood HOA office cannot stock these type guides physically, I thought it might be nice to have it for you online. Durham Bike & Hike Map My physical copy is from 2012 and there have been updates to the trais over the past 2 years. Hopefully the electronic version has all available trails noted. Enjoy! Pati Barrow Administrator, Parkwood Association

At the 2014 Annual meeting, an article about a long-standing sidewalk issue was mentioned. Members of the Association followed up and here’s Parkwood’s current options from Dale McKeel, Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator, Department of Transportation:  ------------------------------------------------- Dear Parkwood Association: Thank you for contacting me about the Parkwood sidewalks and the decision by the Durham City Council that was discussed in a newspaper article earlier this week. There will be a letter from the City with more information about this decision, and possible next steps, that will be sent soon. In the meantime, here is some information for you and the neighborhood to consider: The petition sidewalk item will not be on the City Council agenda on Monday night (Sept 15).  There is not an opportunity for public comment at regular (night-time) City Council meetings for items that are not on the agenda.  If you wer...

NC Real Estate Commission 'Fracking' Information about buying and selling a home under NC 'Fracking' laws...

Warmer weather tends to lead to more crime.. it is important to keep certain home safety tips in mind. **Excerpts from Durham Police Department Neighborhood Safety Meetings** 1) If you feel a suspicious activity is worth posting on [the Parkwood] google group, then please call 911. Criminals will test your responses to their actions, and if no police come out, they know that you won't do anything to protect yourself and your property. 2) If someone knocks on your door. ALWAYS answer the door. You do not have to physically open the door to answer it. If you are home alone and feeling intimidated, you can call out another individual's name--e.g., "Hey, John, there's someone at the door!" Never let people believe that your house is unoccupied when it is not. 3) Always ask for IDs from solicitors. Additionally, homeowners can put up “No Solicitation” signs on their own property and can call the police if someone refuses to leave. 4) Get to know the individua...

You can play an important role in helping to maintain Parkwood's residential property values and your standard of living...  Article 5, Section 1 of the Parkwood HOA By-Laws directs that homeowners are responsible for maintaining their property "in such a manner that safety of other individuals and their property is not threatened and that the aesthetic qualities of the neighborhood are preserved." Responsibility for enforcing these standards is to be handled by a "Community Standards Committee (CSC)", a group of non-board members, which are appointed by the Board to serve in this capacity. The Community Standards Committee is responsible for: a) Investigating complaints made against Parkwood homeowners and determining when homes or properties are judged to be in violation of Community Standards. Complaints are registered and maintained by the Parkwood Association Corporate Secretary. CSC members shall have the right, whenever there is reasonable ca...

Pandora Simpson is the Chair of Community Activities for Parkwood Association, and she wants your ideas for events in the Parkwood community. She also needs volunteers for her committee!   Submit your ideas and contact information to Pa.office@parkwoodnc.org and watch the community calendar for her activities committee meeting announcements .