September of 2000 brought Charleston Village a new resident-Barbara Smith, Grandmother to Brendan and Daniel Hanley, mother to Wanda Hanley of 1912 Castleburg Drive. Grandma Barb as many of the neighbors called her, touched our lives in a special way. She met the struggle with cancer with forthrightness and attitude. She lived life as a mother and grandmother and enjoyed visiting people, playing Bunko at the clubhouse, scrap booking, gardening, bird watching, chatting with neighbors, and walking down the sidewalk. Grandma however spent many a days at The Brain Tumor center at Duke, due to her Glioblastoma-multiform brain tumor, which is incurable with no known cause.

Grandma Barb passed away May 31, 2001 following a courageous battle, one year after her diagnosis. The Charleston Village neighbors greeted Barb with warm hearts and welcomed her into our community. You opened your homes and yourselves to us with babysitting the boys weeks on end while we took numerous trips to Duke, provided us with meals and encouraging words and prayers, visited mom, invited her to your parties, aided in her chemo therapy, mowed our lawn, stopped in when the ambulance came, and gave out warm smiles and waves. Many people ask how did you do it? We never fought the battle alone because we had our friends of Charleston Village who came calling in the darkest hours. Tim and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for all your generosity, support, and love. We feel fortunate to live in a giving community where we look out after our neighbors and introduce ourselves to those we have not yet met. We are so fortunate to have been living here. My mother loved this neighborhood and she enjoyed her last days on earth here.

Thank you to everyone from the bottom of our hearts. Wanda and Tim Hanley

First of all, THANKS to the dozen homeowners who have donated money to our project! Your generosity is greatly appreciated! We are still accepting donations. Contact Karen Randle at the address listed below for more information.

After many months of planning and research, the recreation lot committee has selected all items for placement on the lot. Our goals were to minimize maintenance and maximize safety. The Charleston Village Homeowners Association Board of Directors is now considering how to fund the project. Each homeowner will receive a more detailed letter within the next 2-3 weeks explaining the next step.

If you would like to see more about our proposal, visit the Charleston Village website at http://www.CharlestonVillage.org and click on our proposal under the recreation lot listing. Any and all feedback is welcome.

If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact our committee chair, Karen Randle.

This is not a rule to be taken lightly. We have still been finding glass bottles in the garbage and in the recycle bin. And recently a beer bottle was broken in the ladies bathroom. Wake County requires the pool to be drained, vacuumed, flush the filter and then refilled if any glass breaks within the pool fencing. This is a very expensive and lengthy process. Remember, under our new system the $4,000 to $5,000 cost is billed to the homeowner who breaks any glass within the pool fencing. Glass in the pool can severely cut someone because it cannot be seen and it can cut up and break the filter system. The pool could be closed for more than a month due to the need for reinspections! PLEASE, PLEASE NO GLASS OF ANYKIND: beer bottles, drink bottles, wine glasses, baby food jars, serving dishes, etc. anywhere within the pool fencing, not even in your coolers. Buy cans or plastic! If you see anyone with glass it is all of our responsibility to remind them of the rules. If they still do not follow them, let HRW or the pool committee know. Please keep our pool open for everyone to enjoy the rest of the summer. If people continue to not follow the rules we will be forced to have the added cost of a pool attendant. Thank You.

Thank you for all the positive response to the official fine system implemented recently. Remember, it is imperative that all the rules be followed by everyone to keep our pool open and safe. Just a few reminders:

• For those of you that do not have a key, they are obtained from HRW, which is located at the corner of Old Apex and W. Chatham in Cary. M-Th 9-5, F 9-12. It is $10 to get your key. Please get one if you use the pool, as we do not let in people we do not know with out one.
• Please roll down the umbrellas when you’re done at a table, even if you did not roll it up. We broke 3 umbrellas, 2 beyond repair in the June 1st storms because they were left up.
• Clean up your food messes. It attracts ants and we have a HUGE ant population at the pool. Feel free to use the hose and spray off the chairs, tables and deck of crumbs. If you leave a big mess you will be charged for cleanup.
• Remember that all guests must be accompanied by a homeowner. DO NOT lend out your key! You are responsible for your guests.
• Please take your little ones to the restrooms. We have had 2 incidences of "poop" on the floor and walls of the boy’s bathroom by some little one who could not clean himself up. This can shut the pool down the same as "poop in the pool". We also have boys "peeing" in the corners of both the boys and girls restrooms (not in the toilets).
• All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult (18 or older). Please watch your children in the pool, it is not someone else’s responsibility. You are responsible for anyone you bring with you to the pool. Remember, we have no lifeguard!

The Charleston Village Grounds Committee holds meetings open to all homeowners on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at the clubhouse at 7:30 P.M. We encourage you to join us. For information on any of the Grounds Committee topics in this newsletter, see our Website.

New Grounds Maintenance/Irrigation Contractor
We are excited to have a new grounds maintenance contractor--fontaine Landscaping, Inc. You have most likely already seen their work; they maintain the grounds for all of the car dealerships down Hwy. 64. They service our property on Monday mornings. You can get to their Website from our Website. Check them out. We think you'll be impressed. We should see some major improvements to common areas in the next year or so. By the way, we were able to contract with fontaine Landscaping, Inc. for an amount under our projected budget of $2000 per month for 2001. Thanks to everyone who assisted with the bid process and especially to Jeff Clymer, Barbara Key, and David Randle for making this happen.

Thanks to Residents Who Cleared Storm Damage
If you see any of the following residents, please express thanks to them for their part in the major cleanup effort of damage from the storms on June 1. Several large trees were downed in the greenways. Each of the following residents spent two to four hours working on the cleanup effort:

Please alert the Grounds Committee to any damage to common areas whenever you see it. We will arrange to clear debris and repair damage in the most cost-effective manner whether through the community or through a contractor. If you are willing to be on a contact list to help with cleanup efforts, please e-mail your name and phone number to the CV Webmaster.

Soil Test in September
September is a good time of year to take advantage of a free soil test offered by the NC Department of Agriculture. A soil test will help you determine how much fertilizer and lime needs to be added to your lawn. Would you like the homeowner’s association to provide sample boxes and deliver the containers for analysis to the NC Department of Agriculture? Please send your response to the CV Webmaster. We think this is a good cost-effective benefit and hope that you will respond. We will do this if we get a good response. Check out our Website for more programs such as a plant swap and community equipment rental. Also, check out the Lawn & Garden Notebook on our Website for a grounds maintenance calendar, ideas to help you with maintaining your property, and for links to grounds-related sites including one to North Carolina's soil test forms.

Curious? The site has totally been revised during this quarter. See for yourself at http://www.geocities.com/cvgrounds/. You will find information you never expected:

• an extensive guide that includes information on local shopping, sports, parks, museums, healthcare, government, schools, transportation, weather, etc.
• recommendations from your neighbors for restaurants, auto repair, doctors, etc.
• local issues like road improvements, school zoning issues, and new retail development
• tips, resources, and a calendar to help you maintain your yard

You will also find what every HOA should expect:

• copies of the covenants, by-laws, architectural standards, pool rules, clubhouse rules, contracts, etc.
• committee information and programs
• news and information on community events

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback on the site. If you have ideas/content for the site or want to volunteer to help with the design/content, e-mail the CV Webmaster. Any and all feedback is appreciated and will help guide this site into something you hopefully will want and use.

PIZZA PARTY UPDATE - Thank You to all who came to our Pizza Party Pool Furniture Fundraiser (and those who could not come but contributed anyway). We had a huge turnout, and a good time was had by all. Can you believe we ate 40 pizzas? The best news is we raised $620 for the pool! We are in the process of fixing/buying 2 umbrellas and looking for more lounge chairs. And yes, the rumors are true, we are planning another one for the end of July. Subs anyone?

STREET REPRESENTATIVES NEEDED - One person from each street is needed to help with the newsletter. Tasks include letting me know how many existing and new houses there are and helping to distribute the newsletter four times a year. Thanks to all that have volunteered so far, but many more are still needed. Please contact Laura trubey (see ‘Contacts’).

CHARLESTON VILLAGER ADS - We are currently taking small ads for the last page of the Charleston Villager to help offset the cost of printing. These ads are for homeowners’ businesses and services and a nominal fee will be charged. If you are interested, please contact Laura Trubey. Ads will not be posted to this Website as doing so is a violation of the Yahoo Terms of Service.

CARDS ANYONE? - Do you like to play cards? Are you interested in playing weekly card games? Do you like Poker, Bridge, etc? Contact Herman Jaffe.

A Charleston Village Community Cookbook is in the works, and recipes are now being collected. Please submit your recipes as soon as you receive your forms and information in your mailbox. Extra forms will be available in the Charleston Village Sales center mailbox. Cookbooks will be $7.00 each, with proceeds going to the Social Committee Fund. Orders must be prepaid by check payable to Charleston Village HOA. All recipes and cookbook orders must be received in the Sales center Mailbox by August 10. The more recipes we have and the more cookbooks we submit for printing, the more successful this fundraiser will be. Questions? See your cookbook information sheet or contact Laura Linton or Liz DiBari. We promise that this will turn out to be one of your most favorite cookbooks!!

There is a new law in Apex that went into affect April 3rd. All pets when off of the owner’s property must be restrained on a leash that is 10 feet long or less. Also, it is now against the law to allow your pet to defecate on public land, private land, public parks, or public right-of-ways. The fine is $90. If you are walking your pet and they do defecate, please do the right thing and pick up after them.

Thanks to all of those who made the pizza party/fundraiser a success!!! Special thanks goes to Ed Briel and Greg Cowen for making/designing the Limbo stick for the Luau, Nancy Cowen for donating pictures of the Luau to the Social committee, Laura Linton for the donation of Luau decorations, and Rob Dixon for designing/making the new wooden activity signs for the community. This is just a small example of how wonderful the people in our community are!

Upcoming Events
Ladies Night Out: Monday August 27 from 7-9pm
Pig Pickin' : mid October depending on DJ availability
Halloween Parade: Saturday October 27 from 11:30-1:00pm
1st Annual Food Drive: beginning November 1
2nd Annual Toys for Tots Drive: December 8, 2001 from 11:00-1:00

If you're interested in joining the committee or have ideas, please email Suzanne Dixon at Suzanne.Dixon@CharlestonVillage.org. The next meeting will be August 6, 2001, at the CV clubhouse, @ 7p.m. See our Website.