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The Fearrington Homeowners'
Association |
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The Fearrington Homeowners' Association (FHA) was
established in 1975 for the purposes of maintaining
property values and promoting the health, safety and security of the residents of
Fearrington Village.
An important part of the FHA is its dedicated Board of Directors, composed of volunteers elected by
the Fearrington community. The Board is headed by a president,
elected to a one-year term beginning on January 1st each year. |
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 An
Interview with 2010 FHA President, Ken Talbot
Get to know Ken Talbot, the
Fearrington Homeowners' Association's current president, who started
his term on January 1st. Below is a
brief interview in which Ken told us about his background, how he
came to live in Fearrington, and some insights about the community.
Tell us about your hometown, background and career.
I'm an urban designer/land planner. I grew up in Saratoga Springs,
NY, across the street from the famed horse track. I graduated from
Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in
architecture and landscape architecture in the 1960s. Besides my
undergraduate years, I spent 20 years of my adult life in
Philadelphia where I married, and worked as a partner in a
Philadelphia firm. In 1986, I was recruited by the City of San Jose
(California) to be its Principal Landscape Architect. I later headed
up the City's Architectural/Engineering Division. I retired - and we
moved to Fearrington - in 2005.
How did the Talbots find Fearrington?
A friend of over 30 years lost her husband suddenly while working
for the State Department. Living in Paris at the time she realized
she owned no property anywhere here in the States. She had heard of
Fearrington (her husband had seen the New Yorker ad) and
called us to say 'lets meet in Chapel Hill for a week to help me buy
a house'. With their kids and ours, we had vacationed together many
times on the Outer Banks. We liked the idea of settling in a
university area.
What's your perspective on making new friendships here?
Explore, partake, join, volunteer, and get involved. There are many
clubs and activities. It's not a retirement community or one
centered about just one activity, for example, golf...although that
is available, too! There is so much to partake of.
How does living in the Triangle impact the quality of residents'
lives?
UNC, Duke, Durham and Raleigh offer a rich variety of activities
that many Fearrington residents partake of individually and
together. I do miss the richness of San Francisco; but Washington,
DC offers me a good urban fix when I need one. And Charleston,
Savannah and St. Augustine are good nearby escapes. We are beach
people so we escape to there, too. It's easy to do. Transportation
in and out of this area is easy: RDU, Amtrak, and I-85/95 and I-40
corridors offer immediacy to long distance travel.
Chapel Hill's churches offer the widest variety of programs. Its
another good opportunity to get off the reservation. Ours is Chapel
of The Cross. Its a very large program church, liberal Episcopal -
very important to us having come from San Francisco - offering the
widest possible variety of liturgy forms to accommodate all
lifestyles. Its a great way to meet younger families with kids and
students, and make contacts outside of Fearrington. I got on their
Buildings and Grounds Committee before getting on the FHA. Carol
sings in their very fine senior choir. Music is a great entry into
activities. She sings in the Chapel Hill Community Chorus and is on
their board now.
What else would you say to potential residents?
Visit for a stay, even if it's short. For us and for our friend,
having lunch with a long-time resident was also very persuasive.
UNC, Duke and Raleigh offered rich cultural and learning
opportunities that we enjoy. And the area offers excellent health
care! And of course taxes are much more reasonable than San
Francisco, as is the cost of just about everything else important
for retiree living, car insurance, and most utilities. Did I mention
the four season climate? Summer is a little warm, winter is pretty
mild here, really, and fall is surprisingly beautiful!
We would like to thank Ken for his time in answering our
questions.
Read an
interview with the previous FHA President>>
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