Tryon Farm Homeowners Association

Chief Operating Officer's November Report

COO Report December

 

13 December 2008

 

1. Repairs to the pipe running from the original CWWW to the leach field in the Alfalfa meadow have been completed and the system is now operating as intended. This damage has cost the TFHA nearly $9000.00 to repair. The damage was done before the Homeowners Association assumed responsibility for the system.

 

2. Snow Removal. We have a Contract with Steve Knotts’ Company, All Weather, for Snow Removal and “Salting” of Tryon Farm roadways. Steve, as Settlement Steward is also responsible for the clearing snow from sidewalks, boardwalks, garage access etc. We hope that Steve being responsible for both aspects of snow removal will give us a better service than in the past. Steve has given us a very competitive hourly rate for snow clearing and has bought a new machine to use on the job. The road clearing contract is separate from his Settlement Steward contract. A Resolution regarding snow removal parameters is attached.

 

3. Road De-icing. An unintended consequence of sealing the road through the woods to the Dunes Settlement is that there is now an ice problem which makes the road nearly impassable at times and has already resulted in two accidents with significant vehicle damage. There are several points which will need special attention, these include several sharp bends on the road as it goes through the woods and where it crosses Beck’s Ditch both at the Dunes and Grove ends.  There are also long standing problem areas at the farm entrance and at intersections. There are several de-icing options including salt, salt combined with crushed limestone and the environmentally friendly ice melt that we use for sidewalks etc. We are evaluating these for cost and effectiveness. A resolution concerning this is attached

 

4. The Settlement Steward has distributed De-Icer in bulk containers around the Farm. He has also re-filled some of the small individual salt containers where these have been left out for him. This should be completed next week.  A Resolution to this effect is attached.

 

5. We now have a comprehensive list of Settlement Projects and in conjunction with the Settlement Steward will prepare a list of projects that can be done over the winter. A resolution to this effect is included.

 

6. Firewood. The woodpiles have been shrinking at a great rate. Hopefully some of this is because homeowners have been stockpiling. The wood is free but there is not an endless supply and there is a significant cost to cutting, splitting and distributing firewood around the farm. Please do not waste this resource.

Chief Operating Officer's Report 7/13/2008

COO Report

July 13, 2008

1. June 1^st saw the new Settlement Steward, Steve Knotts, start work both here on the TFHA property and on his Organic garden on TFI land. We have high expectations for both the ongoing care of our property and success with the Organic garden.
2. 1^st American has raised questions about the Settlement Stewards status as an Employee or a Contractor with respect to the IRS. It has always been the intention of the Board that Steve works here as a Contractor (As is DeLau for example) and not an employee. Some minor changes to the contract will be made to clarify this. The Contract has been reviewed by our Attorney who has suggested further minor changes. (Resolution on Agenda)
3. As a Contractor Steve can only be judged on his satisfactory performance of the work outlined in his contract. How he achieves the result should not be our concern. To facilitate this, a “Check List” has been developed which Steve and I will review on a biweekly basis. We will be seeking input from the Settlement Committees on the type of care each would like and will refine the Check List as needed. I am not a long time Tryon Farmer and will need input from residents through the Settlement Committees on how the different areas should be maintained. (Resolution on Agenda)
4. It has been suggested that the Settlement Steward works on some Saturdays in the different Settlements. He could work with the homeowners and get a better feel for how they would like their area treated. He can also supply the gear needed to attack projects that homeowners couldn’t do on their own. This suggestion came out of an impromptu gardening session last weekend in the courtyard of the Farmstead. About six of us worked on tree trimming and gardening, at the end of it the place looked much more cared for. Between us we had the experience and tools to do the job and I realized that working together can be a great Tryon experience.
5. Equipment. Repairs have been made to the Mowing Deck for the Kubota and this seems to be working well. We have quite a lot of “Gear” and will be working to get it all in good operating order. Our hope is that with less people using the equipment it will not get broken so often. We have a “Wheeled String Trimmer” here on trial, it appears to deal with long grass and weeds on Roads, Paths and Trails quickly and easily.
6. Trails and Paths. Most of the trails have been mowed and the grass and weeds on the paths trimmed back. The trail from the woods Settlement to the West Pond which was blocked by a fallen tree has been re-opened by the Settlement Steward. We are re-routing the section of this trail which runs north to the meadow a little to give more privacy for some of the residents. We are close to mowing a new trail which will run out to the pond in the South East Corner of the TFI Alfalfa field. Now that the hay has been cut and baled we can go ahead with this. In addition to paths and trails one of Steve’s responsibilities is maintaining access to items such as fire hydrants, Nipsco meters, utility boxes etc, also keeping Mail Boxes and Signs clear of the undergrowth.
7. The first priority for the Settlement Steward is maintaining TFHA property. It is anticipated that he will also have time available for repair and improvement projects. These include such things as repairs to the boardwalk in the Campsite, making seats to place out on the Trails, burying the low voltage wiring for path lights and so on. The workload involved with keeping the property maintained to our standards will directly affect how much time is available for these projects. When Steve started here some routine spring maintenance had been neglected and plant growth was at its peak. Understandably he has been playing catch-up as well as trying to learn what is required of him in the Contractor role. As COO I have also faced a steep learning curve. So if things do not happen instantly…..
8. Trees. Two large trees have been removed in the Woods Settlement, the cost for that work was $7,000.00. We have prices for the removal of two more trees for about $3500.00. The Fire Department has also suggested that we remove a tree from the entrance to the “Pocket” to allow access of their equipment in the event of a fire. They will bring a Pumper Truck here to see if it is possible to get into the pocket without removing the tree. Deputy Chief Santana who we talked to said that they could not tell us to remove the tree but it was their job to point out the consequences of not doing so.   
9. I am concerned about house identification within our community. This is not so much of a problem with fire, you go to the house with smoke coming out the windows but I do worry about other Emergency Services such as Police and Ambulance. Particularly Ambulance which could be a life and death thing. If the UPS driver can not find half the places in the middle of the day what chance does an Ambulance driver have in the middle of the night in a snow storm. Driving around there does not seem to be much consistency, some houses have numbers, some don’t seem to. Others have numbers that are largely hidden or are well away from the house. The functional ideal would be to have large reflective numbers prominently displayed as recommended by the County. Aesthetically for some no numbers at all might be the answer. Tryon’s answer is probably somewhere in between, It is a problem that needs to be addressed.
10. Finally, there is definitely a Coyote in our area. I have seen him (or her) in the woods at the end of the pocket. Karl has seen it, or another one, near the pond. They seem to be wary of humans but that may not be the case with small dogs or cats. If we do not put out tempting snacks they will probably stay clear of us. The turtles have not hatched yet, nor have I seen any sign of the eggs being dug up and eaten so keep watching. Another thing is that the black raspberries which you can find on the roadsides are ripening, just be aware that where there are raspberries there is often Poison Ivy !!

An Initial Report from the New COO

The new Land Steward, Steve Knotts, and COO, Colin Tennent-Brown are now into the third week of keeping Tryon Farm running. We hope that all of you are able to see some evidence of our presence. It will take time but we are getting to grips with what needs to be done. We don't kid ourselves that we have got everything under control but we have started and with your help we hope to make this place as good as, or better than, it has ever been.

For a group as diverse as those who have homes at Tryon and the diversity of the farm itself we know that an approach to property maintenance that suits one person will annoy another. Our job will be to work with your needs as much as possible and to find acceptable compromises where necessary. At the moment we are catching up with spring growth and work that has not been done in the transition from 1st American to our Land Steward. This will take a while but we hope to get to the projects that the Settlement Committees have listed before too long. The system that has been set up relies on the Settlement Committees to set priorities that take account of time and budget constraints. So if you have a maintenance or improvement project please raise it with your Settlement Committee first.

The "Concierge Agreement" that TFHA has with 1st American remains in place and they will continue to have a presence here at Tryon Farm. If you have a problem related to your house you can contact 1st American who have available names of Tradesmen that they use and recommend.

For the walkers we have reopened some of the walking trails and have plans for some more. The trail around the pond in the Sedge Meadow (formerly the Prairie) is open and there are some lovely flowers to be seen down in the South West corner of the trail. In the short time Judith and I have been here we have seen changes to the vegetation in that area, it will be interesting to see how long it takes to revert completely to woodland.

We would like to open a trail along the Tryon Rd fence line to the Pond in South East corner of the property. It is a pretty pond and I have been told that Deer hang out there frequently. From there we would like to loop back to the path that runs on the west side of the Pond in front of the bermed houses or perhaps along Eastwood Rd past Steve's Garden. It would be on TFI land so if you think this is a good idea talk to a TFI Board member.

We do not see the trails as being "Manicured" but would like people to be able to walk easily on them. I think the trails are an important part of Farm life and would like your input on what you think we should be aiming for.

Last summer Judith and I spent quite a lot of time mountain biking around the trails, if you ride considerately there need not be any conflict with walkers. For people with Mountain bikes the trails can be fun. By combining roads and trails you can put together a 2 - 3 mile circuit. Do that two or three times and you will have had a good workout.

Chris Roberts has taken down two of the trees that have been threatening houses and there are some more that we hope to get to. This is a difficult and dangerous job and Chris has done it well. In the cleanup process he has been splitting logs and leaving them for firewood in central areas. He thinks it makes sense to do this work where he takes the trees down and save double handling. He will also be stocking the wood piles that are out on the roads as usual.

Another suggestion is that he leaves some sections of tree trunk about 18 inches long that could be used as garden seats. He has already cut up some slabs about 4 - 6 inches thick for homeowners use as garden stepping stones. This seems like a good idea so we are going to cut up some more and leave them up by the barn for anyone who would like them. Given a bit of advance notice Steve or Chris would probably help you get them to your house if necessary.

A researcher from Ball State has been checking our CWWW outflow to see if they are any better than conventional waste water treatment plants at removing the active ingredients that are left from using anti-bacterial soaps.

Of general interest, there have been sightings of at least one Coyote on the Farm. It is probably smart to keep a track of your cats and small dogs. Like Raccoons I am told they are active scavengers so food scraps should be disposed of carefully so we do not give them a reason to settle here. I was lucky enough to see a Snapping Turtle laying her eggs beside the road in the Grove a couple of weeks ago, the site is now marked by three stakes on the left hand side of the road about 50 feet from the West end of the field. I have been told that they should be hatching around the end of July. If we are incredibly lucky some one may spot them. There have also been some wild Turkeys with babies in the Grove. I have not seen them for a few days so they may have moved to a less popular site.

The Pond Islands Redux and the New TFI Farm

Before I turn this space over to the new Chief Operations Officer for his/her Cooings, I want to answer some questions that have been raised over the past few days.

The Pond Islands

The three islands in the Pond in the Pond Settlement (natch) are still undergoing restoration courtesy of Ed Noonan and under the guidance of Karl and Kathy Dennis. We are removing the brush and scrap trees from all of the islands and raising the tree canopies so that we can plant some seeds from our own prairie (now officially to be known as our sedge meadow) and increase the bio-diversity of plants for the benefit of our resident geese, ducks, muskrats, and birds.

The Southern Island is 80% completed with some remaining brush to be removed.

The Central Island is completed. You can now actually see the trees and the island's contours!

The Northern Island is a jungle and is just 60% completed. The crews have to hack away the years of dead brush amd undergrowth and then conduct a controlled burn.

In the meantime, we are going to be treating both the Pond and the little pond near the entrance with algaecide to help remove the scum from the surface so that more water is exposed to oxygen.

The TFI Farm

You can now see some progress being made on the one-acre plot of land bounded by Eastland, the wetlands, and the Pond road. Steve Knotts, TFHA's new Settlements Steward, is also under contract to manage the TFI Green Gardens. Because of the very late appearance of Springtime temperatures, the land has been too wet to cultivate without tearing up the soil with a plow and losing some of the nutrients that the alfalfa has provided in past years. Steve, however, has some organic vegetables growing in his greenhouse that he will transplant soon.

More information on the TFI Farm will appear in TFI's section of this weblog and o the TFI website.

J. David Coldren

Rain Garden plants installed at 33 TFL

I promised to keep the community informed of the progress we have made at 33 Tryon Farm Lane with respect to our installation of a rain garden. As of today, Friday May 9th, the planting of the specialized flowers, shrubs, and trees was completed by Clark's Secret Garden. We have not yet received the planting map to identify the various species, but I am assured that is coming and I will post it here for your information.

You are always welcome to walk by the Pond side of 33 TFL to see this experiment. If it works out as expected and prevents the loss of valuable rain water which can be put to good use, others may wish to try similar projects.

But dress warmly if you come by during this cool spell. It's not your imagination: according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, April 2008 was cooler than the 20th Century average:

Quoted from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/cag3/na.html:

 

The average temperature in April 2008 was 51.0 F. This was -1.0 F cooler than the 1901-2000 (20th century) average, the 29th coolest April in 114 years. The temperature trend for the period of record (1895 to present) is 0.1 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. 2.39 inches of precipitation fell in April. This was -0.04 inches less than the 1901-2000 average, the 54th driest such month on record. The precipitation trend for the period of record (1895 to present) is 0.01 inches per decade. Data used to calculate United States mean temperatures are from the USHCN version 2 data set.

Pond Islands Burned | Greenpeace founder now backs nuclear power

If you were away this past Wednesday and didn't smell the smoke, you'll noticd that the two Southern-most islands on the Pond were burned. Ed Noonan, at tbe urging of the Tryon Farm Insitute, arranged for arborist Chad Swank to perform a controlled burn of the islands in an effort to increase the biodiversity of plants and animals on the islands.

Using a gzrden shovel and a fan rake for oars, Chad and his helper maneauvered the New England whaler boat around the islands, sometimes alighting to burn brush inland and oher times using their propane torch to set fires from the safety of the boat. Pictures of this procedure will be available soon on the TFI website.

BTW, Greenpeace fans, did you notice this?

Quoted from http://www.idahostatesman.com/235/story/360625.html:

Greenpeace founder now backs nuclear power

BY ROCKY BARKER - rbarker@idahostatesman.com

Edition Date: 04/24/08

Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore says there is no proof global warming is caused by humans, but it is likely enough that the world should turn to nuclear power - a concept tied closely to the underground nuclear testing his former environmental group formed to oppose.

The chemistry of the atmosphere is changing, and there is a high-enough risk that "true believers" like Al Gore are right that world economies need to wean themselves off fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gases, he said.

"It's like buying fire insurance," Moore said. "We all own fire insurance even though there is a low risk we are going to get into an accident."

The only viable solution is to build hundreds of nuclear power plants over the next century, Moore told the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. There isn't enough potential for wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal or other renewable energy sources, he said.

With development of coal-fired electric generation stopped cold over greenhouse gases, the only alternative to nuclear power for producing continuous energy at the levels needed is natural gas. But climate change isn't the only reason to move away from fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels also are a major health threat. "Coal causes the worst health impacts of anything we are doing today," Moore said.

Plus, uranium can be found within the United States and also comes in large quantities from Canada and Australia. Nuclear Power reduces the reliance on supplies in dangerous places including the Middle East, he said.

Moore spoke at the chamber breakfast after an appearance in Idaho Falls Tuesday night that attracted 300 people. He also spoke to the Idaho Environmental Forum in Boise, all sponsored by the Partnership for Science and Technology.

He represents the Clean Air and Safe Energy Coalition, a nuclear energy-backed group promoting reactors for electric energy generation. He began his career as a leader of Greenpeace fighting nuclear testing and working to save whales.

In recent years, he has taken on causes unpopular with his former group, like old-growth logging, keeping polyvinyl chlorides and now nuclear energy.

He says his change of heart comes from his background in science and a different approach to sustainability.

He sees a need for maintaining technologies that are not harmful while fixing or replacing those that are harmful.

"We don't believe we have been making too much electricity," he said. "We believe we've been making energy with the wrong technologies."

His critics, like Andrea Shipley, executive director of the Snake River Alliance, say he has simply sold out.

"The only reason Patrick Moore is backing something as unsafe and risky as nuclear power is he is being paid by the nuclear industry to do so," Shipley said.

Rain, Snow and Climate Change

When the rain and snow started today, I began thinking of the great global warming debates we're having and Farmer Deborah Shore's passionate comments at last weekend's Obama Rally in the Barn about climate change being the foremost issue in the current presidential election cycle.

And I began ruminating about the various meterological and climatological forecasts I use on a regular basis to project TFHA maintenance work to be done.

One of those forecasts that I published earlier this year said that the last frost in Michigan City might--with a 90% probability--be as late as May 5th. Looks like that forecast is going to be accurate.

Then I thought about two books I've been reading about climate change and humanity's ability to influence it. And what the costs and benefits of the prevailing political policy pronoucements might be. Both books are now available from amazon.com and if you're interested in learning more, you can click on the widget below. Clicks and purchases benefit the Tryon Farm Institute.

Grains Gone Wild

The otherwise irrelevant Paul Krugman has a pretty good analysis -- but terrible solution -- to the increasingly higher prices of food and fuel we face in today's (April 7th) NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/opinion/07krugman.html

Rumor control

The deep thinkers who are the stars of ABC's "The View" last week pronounced one of the candidates duking it out for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States "very sexy."

Yesterday, a homeowner asked me if the TFHA has been told that this very sexy candidate was really going to be at a fund-raiser next month in the Barn. I had to admit total ignorance (which is quite rare for me) since to my knowledge no such event is scheduled. I certainly haven't been told about it.

On reflection, however, it occurs to me that Tryon Farm is awash with people who seem to be fans of very sexy candidates, so this would very friendly and fertile territory for such an event. (Imagine the Secret Service commandeering the chicken coop for their control center!) I just can't fathom why the Republican Party can't find very sexy candidates to compete against Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama -- whichever one Barbara Walters finds so very sexy.

So stay tuned to this weblog. As soon as TFHA learns of any such goings on that might affect the peace and tranquility of Farm life, you'll see it here.

J. David Coldren

Wildlife starting to return to Tryon Farm

Wildlife of the two-footed, four-footed, web-footed, and pigeon-toed varieties are beginning to make a reappearance at Tryon Farm after a long and snowy winter. Global warming, indeed!

It's especially good to see many Farmers venturing back to the Farm. They obviously know where to be when spring actually arrives.

I've posted a little item about my duck sightings at the Pond so far this year: Wildfowl Sightings. I hope others will add to the list as they recognize species on the Pond and elsewhere on the Farm.

The TFHA Board is working with 1st American to get the place ready for Spring before the TFI Green Day festivities on April 20th. One of the trees on our priority list for removal in the Woods Settlement is now finally down and will be fully removed soon. 1st American will see that the two other trees on the priority list for the Woods are removed as our cash flow position improves.

Other plans are afoot for establishing a proper low-grass prairie around the Pond at the Pond Settlement, repairing the Community Garden boxes under the supervision of the Garden Committee, repairing paths in all Settlements, and working with the developer to demarshify the land in the Dune Settlement.

If you missed it at the Tryon Farm Forum earlier this month, the developer has announced that he has deeded another parcel of land to TFI which gives TFI ownership of the entire east agricultural field that is bordered by Eastland and Tryon Road. Now TFI has an opportunity to diversify the plants that grow on the field. Maybe they'll plant some arugula or spinach. All organic, fo course.

I must get ready to document what happens to the rain gardens we're building on the Pond side of 33 Tryon Farm Lane when the rain comes late tonight and tomorrow. Rain gardens are supposed to collect runoff from building roofs and surrounding areas, retain it for at least 24 hours, feed the plants, and let the water seep into the water table in no more than 48 hours. We'll see what happens.

Eagerly Anticipating Spring,

J. David Coldren