Jeff Davis photo

Plenty of dry dirt . . .

Large-scale residential development will take a breather for up to one year with the unanimous approval Monday by Chatham County commissioners of temporary moratorium on certain types of residential building.

The moratorium will last up to 12 months and applies to any new residential subdivisions containing more than 25 lots or units.

The moratorium will not apply to commercial developments or any developments in Pittsboro, Siler City and Cary.

Development applications received by the county Planning Department as of May 8, 2007 will be held until commissioners lift the moratorium.

"We will use this period to take a close look at our land use ordinances and see what we need to adjust so that we develop our county responsibly," said Carl Thompson, chairman of the Board of Commissioners.

Vice chairman George Lucier added that "we are one of the fastest growing counties in the state, yet historically we have been rural and agricultural. This means that we do not have the land use plans and infrastructure in place to support fast growth."

Chatham County is feeling the impact of rapid growth through the demand for more school space and the need to supply water and wastewater to developments, Lucier said.

"We have to be environmentally responsible by making sure that we can meet these needs,"  said the vice chairman.

more- See Thursday, May 25 paper: Vol 87, No.26

As summer approaches, some Chatham County high school students have become restless.

Last Wednesday night, several Chatham Central students left a slippery mess for Thursday morning’s early birds.

"Somebody got in through what appeared to be an unlocked window," said Mitch Stensland, the high school’s principal. "They brought crickets into the back hall."

Stensland said the students then squirted baby oil on the floor covering what he estimated to be between 100 to 200 insects.

Two teachers discovered the mess early Thursday morning, he said. No one was injured, but one of the teachers did slip. The hall was then closed off for cleaning and was reopened by 9:30 that morning.

"There was a very angry principal that morning," said Stensland.

He said that 12 students came to him with identical lists of pranksters.

"Once it crosses the line, and become dangerous or harmful, nobody thinks it's funny  - not even students," he said.

If a hall covered in slippery vermin wasn’t enough, one member of the staff found a smelly surprise at the front of the school in the form of chicken manure, Stensland said.

“It stunk, and Mr. Smith, who gets here at 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning, cleaned it up and sprayed it off before any students got here,” said Stensland. “Mr. Smith is a saint.”

Northwood High School has also experienced the wrath of “senioritis” recently.

A water balloon fight was planned by several students earlier in the week.

Northwood principal Carrie Little said a member of the faculty discovered the plan about 10 minutes before the first balloon was thrown.

“We did what we could,” she said. “We’re handling it as we see fit.”

The students involved in the incident will be “dealt with,” she said.

The water balloon fight was not the first wave of pranks, however.

Little said students squirted super glue in outside door locks last week.

“The students were caught and dealt with appropriately,” she said.

The sticky locks were cleaned quickly.

“They were fixed that day, thanks to our wonderful maintenance department,” Little said.

While some seniors may feel playing one last prank on their school appropriate, they should be warned – their mischievous behavior may cost them more than they think.

By Kara Sumner

While temperatures across Chatham County rise, local dairy farmer Lynn Mann feels the effects more than some residents.

"The heat stresses the cows," he said. "When you hit really hot weather, the cows don’t want to eat. You get out of them what you put into them."

Though Mann uses fans, sprinklers, and misters to calm his over-heated cattle, the current dry conditions are taking their toll.

"The only way the drought hurts me is to affect the feed," he said. "I’m not as dependent upon the weather, but I have to buy it if it doesn’t grow."

He said his hay and small grain crops are feeling the wrath of the drought.

"It’s cut the tonnage of small grains in half," Mann said. His hay crop has also been cut in half.

Manco also grows corn for feed, he said, but that "it’s still too early" to see how that crop will be affected.

"We can’t go long periods [without rain]," he said. "It’ll stress the corn to a point where it won’t recover."

Mann said having to buy feed after investing the money to grow it is "like being hit twice."

That extra cost can put dairy farmers in a tough spot.

"It is very serious," he said. "Another hit now would just about finish it. With a severe drought, it may be a debt that you can’t overcome."

The dairy averages 70 pounds of milk per cow per day, Mann said.

That could be drastically different if the county doesn’t get steady rainfall.

"I would say with the drought, the way feed prices have increased, and the current milk prices, it would be a drastic blow if the drought continues," he said. "It won’t be easy for anybody in agriculture.  It would have been a tough year without the drought with the increase in feed, fertilizer and fuel costs.

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J

By Angela Delp

Even with weekend rainfall in some parts of the area, the rainfall shortage is still several enough that nearly 93 percent of the state is experiencing drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

This means Chatham County’s Stage 2 mandatory water restrictions for customers served by the County Water Treatment Plant on Jordan Lake are critical, said Chatham County manager Charlie Horne.

"The rainfall over the weekend helped a bit, but it did not cover all of the areas in the Cape Fear watershed, which feeds Jordan Lake. Most of our state, especially the central and western counties, has entered the moderate drought stage and we are not far away from severe conditions," Horne said.

"We did get nearly an inch of rain in our area, but we had more than a four-inch shortage to make up. In the past few weeks, the level of Jordan Lake is dropping and you can see the difference along the shoreline," said Roy Lowder, director of Chatham County’s Utility Department.

By Angela Delp

In the height of last summer’s drought, Siler City’s Rocky River Reservoir fell to nine feet below full.

Last week, officials at the National Weather Service reported that while Chatham County’s average rainfall totals in May were usually more than three inches, the region has received less than two inches this year.

Summer and its soaring temperatures are not yet upon us but the reservoir’s level has nevertheless begun to fall.

Because conservation alone has not preserved the town’s water supply in the past, Siler City is expanding the reservoir’s size.

Siler City town manager Joel Brower said Thursday water levels at Rocky River Reservoir were six and one-half inches below full.

Brower said even though Siler City is not yet experiencing drought yet, "we do need rain."

 Jeff Davis photo

Thinking ahead . . .

Lin Andrew, looks at a pond that he is having constructed as his "drought management tool." Andrew is using 50acres of pasture land to lay 5,000 feet of pipe to help ease the drought conditions he is seeing. Andrew produces both hatching eaggs and cattle on Chestnut Hill Farm in the Silk Hope area.

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