Within Lake William at Farrington, there are technically two neighborhoods. The original neighborhood commonly referred to as Farrington I and Farrington II. Farrington II consists of the new neighborhood which begins after 8248 Umstead Road. One exception to this is the first house on the right as you enter the neighborhood from Raeford Road and the empty lot next to it which is supposed to be a park for the HOA.
From my understanding after talking with several neighbors in Farrington I, many home buyers were told that the land that Farrington II currently occupies would never be developed thus they would have a smaller neighborhood and some wooded area to serve as a buffer. At some point the land was developed and Caviness and Cates Home Builders built the homes that are currently in Farrington II beginning in 2004.
On September 15, 2006, Floyd Properties sent out a letter to the homeowners of Farrington II announcing that since the neighborhood was complete, it was time to elect officers for the Homeowner’s Association. This was the first time that many if not most of the Farrington II homeowners were even aware there was a HOA. Floyd Properties stated they would send an attorney to conduct an organizational meeting and answer any questions. A neighborhood meeting was held. The HOA was then transferred from Floyd Properties to the HOA and officers were elected in 2006. Even though officers were elected, the HOA remained dysfunctional and rather non-existent. No dues were collected and no meetings were held. An important note to add is that Farrington I is not yet a part of the HOA.
This past October and November a few homeowners met with the purpose of reestablishing the HOA. Since then a few HOA meetings have been held. The most recent meeting was held on 23 January. We intended to elect new officers, but there was not enough of a turnout to legally elect officers.
We are now in the process of standing up the HOA again. This is what we’ve done so far. First, we established a website for the HOA where we can disseminate information, newsletters and provide updates and discussions related to the HOA. The link is www.neighborhoodlink.com. Once you go to the website, you can search for our neighborhood. Type “Farrington at Lake William” and you can locate the HOA’s homepage. You can register with the site if you wish in order to post discussions or content or you can merely view the information on the website without registering. The website was just established and we will continue to build it and add information to it to make it a useful and informative website. Currently on the website is a map showing the boundary of the entire Farrington neighborhood. Also posted are the current HOA covenants and a copy of the letter sent by Floyd Properties back in 2006. The by-laws of the HOA will soon be uploaded onto the website as well.
The most important part of the covenants are the annual dues required by the Homeowners of Farrington II. Currently the dues are $25 per year. The dues are owed beginning with the year you occupied your home. I mentioned previously that dues were never collected.
Rather than try to collect past dues we want to begin collecting dues beginning in 2010. We would like to collect all dues by April 15th, 2010, the same day as Tax Day. Some homeowners have already paid their dues. If you currently rent your home, please notify the property manager of the home or the homeowner of this requirement. Feel free to send them a copy of this letter or direct them to our HOA website where this newsletter will be published. The purpose of the dues are to assist with upkeep of the neighborhood. We have the entrance to the neighborhood which has lights and sprinklers. Also, I mentioned the “so called” park at the entrance of the neighborhood. The money could be used to develop and maintain the land into a usable community area. I know some folks may be resistance to pay the dues, but as a homeowner it is not an option. The by-laws of the HOA allow it to take necessary legal action to collect dues to include putting a lien on a home.
We will plan another HOA meeting with the intent of electing new officers and to discuss business for the HOA. Once the dates are decided, we will post those dates on our website as well as pass out a flyer.
We would like to bring the in homeowners of Farrington I and have one HOA for the entire Farrington at Lake William neighborhood. Some homeowners in Farrington I have already agreed to join the HOA and even paid dues. By operating a well-run and organized HOA, it only benefits the neighborhood as a whole and assists in maintaining the quality of the neighborhood and preserving the values of our homes.