Carolanne Farm Civic League Meeting Tuesday, February 13, 2007

The meeting was called to order at 7pm by Cherese J.

Troop 499 Boy Scouts, under leader Dave A, presented the Colors followed by the Pledge of Allegience.

Attendence was approximately 55.

TOPIC: Proper Fats and Oil Disposal

Discussion: Catherine LaB from the Public Utilities Department of Virginia Beach explained how improper disposal of FOG (fats, oil, and grease) in our home sewer lines causes very serious backups and sanitary sewer overflows. The Kempsville area alone had six such major overflows last year. Ways to prevent such grease from our drains follow.

• Simply do not put grease down your drain. Use cans or fat trappers to store the grease instead.
• Scrape your dishes carefully and wipe with a paper towel.
• Avoid using garbage disposal for any greasy items.
• Use strainers in your sinks and empty into garbage cans.

A question and answer session followed.

TOPIC: Treasurer and Membership Report

Discussion: Wayne T reported the current treasury balance is $22581.63 with 34 current voting members as of January 31, 2007.

TOPIC: Spring Egg Hunt Plans

Brenda B, reporting for Brenda A, announced plans to host an egg hunt and other contests for children and grandchildren of the neighborhood either at Carrow Baptist Church or at Turtle Lake Park (special permit required) on March 31st, a Saturday. More information is currently posted on this blog. Members are being asked to contribute candy, plastic eggs, or helium balloons to defray costs. The contact person is Brenda A.

TOPIC: Chairs Approved

Debbie B was approved by a members' show of hands to chair the Development and Restoration Committee. Also, Jason Haywood was approved as co-chair of the Safety and Security Committee.

TOPIC: Crime Stats and Neighborhood Watch

Ginny P related that the new format of crime stats no longer includes streets, just the crime, date, and the neighborhood. Our area of Kempsville had 59 total reports. This was the most of any Virginia Beach neighborhood areas. This makes the idea of Neighborhood Watch Committees even more pertinent. There are block captains in place for our civic league area. All citizens have to agree to do is to be the eyes and ears that report suspicious people, behavior, etc. to either their captain or the police. To get a metal Neighborhood Watch sign, a captain must secure 80% of the signatures in his/her section. A question and answer session followed.

TOPIC: History Report

John S, Sr. reported for his son, who had a prior committment, that they are continuing to gather information, pictures, and tidbits about the Carolanne Farms area regarding its early history. The civic league hopes to participate in the history festival on the Virginia Beach boardwalk in late April. If you have any artifacts, pictures, or stories, please contact John S through the civic league.

TOPIC: Meet and Greet a New Neighbor

This is a brief refreshment break that also allows members to meet their neighbors and make new acquaintances.

TOPIC: Approving Proposed Bylaws for 2007

The league Bylaws were presented, along with any proposed changes, by Cherese J and Brenda A. Members used red-and-green sided membership cards to vote on these changes. The Bylaws were approved with limited changes. Most of these merely offered clarity to sentences. The Bylaws are viewable on this blog.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm. The next meeting will by Tuesday, March 13th. The topic to be covered will be code enforcement.

Respectfully submitted: Carole B, Secretary