It is hard to miss the many campaign signs that seem to line every highway in Chatham County.

The signs come in a number of colors—yellow, green, blue, red and of course, red-white-and-blue.

Some signs have photos or other artwork. Others just list names of candidates and the offices for which they are running.

And even though they appear everywhere, the signs are, in fact, regulated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT), the Town of Pittsboro, the Town of Siler City and Chatham County Planning Department’s zoning administrator.

The Town of Pittsboro has very specific guidelines regarding campaign signs during the election season.

David Monroe, Pittsboro’s town planner, explained the policies in an interview last week.

"Campaign signs are limited to the size of 12-square feet, and they are not permitted to be placed in the road right-of-way," Monroe said.

Typically the road right-of-way extends to the utility poles, he added.

"If they are in the right-of- way," he said, "I will remove them.

"In order to place signs within the zoning jurisdiction, you need a permit," Monroe said.

In Pittsboro, the permit costs $50, but the money is refundable if the signs are removed seven days after the election.

The DOT routinely removes campaign signs that have been placed in the right-of-way, said Lisa Crawley, communications officer with the NC DOT.

Signs, litter everywhere . . .

Ronda Boone Peterson is just your ordinary, everyday person to hear her tell it.

She is the daughter of Rachel and Ronnie Boone of Siler City, and grew up here.

She felt from the moment she knew of her co-worker Suzanne Zeok’s need of a kidney that she would be the donor.

This was before blood and tissue tests showed Ronda was indeed a match.

Suzanne contracted E. coli in 1989 after eating shrimp on a family vacation at the beach. As a result of a subsequent blood clotting illness, she also had a stroke and went into renal failure. At age 15, she was left with a permanent visual impairment, was on a highly restricted diet, and endured months of physical therapy. In 1992, against overwhelming odds, Suzanne went to UNC-CH and earned two Master’s degrees. During this time her kidneys completely failed and forced her to begin peritoneal dialysis treatments on September 20, 1996.

"These are heroic deeds under any circumstance, but barely believable for a young woman who was nearly sick to death," Ronda said. "Suzanne kept her renal failure a secret for years. No one knew she went home and was hooked to a dialysis machine for at least eight hours every night."

In 2004, her condition worsened. In November, Suzanne was forced to reveal her secret.

"She would have died without the kidney transplant," Ronda explained. "I knew in my heart I would be the one to give a kidney. I knew God was using me to save Suzanne’s life. I never once doubted Him."

There were many spiritual confirmations Ronda was able to share with her family, friends and especially Suzanne. One of the most special was a sermon one Sunday on Romans 12:1 – "Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God."

Moncure Elementary will go where no Chatham County School has gone before – solar.

A community partnership has begun preliminary plans after meeting last Friday to install solar powered hot water at the school.

Tami Schwerin, parent of two Moncure students, is helping to coordinate the project. She said the idea was proposed "about one month ago."

"It will be one of the first renewable projects in the [school] system. We’re doing it with the help of the Abundance Foundation," she said. "It’s an amazing partnership."

The collaborative effort includes the Abundance Foundation to coordinate funding, Chatham County Schools to plumb and furnish internal fixtures, and financial contributions from IBM and one of its employees.

Through the non-profit organization, IBM and its employee David Kovach are funding the project – a total of $5,300 for the installation and purchase of solar panels, hot water heaters from Southern Energy Management.

"IBM is a company that, as big as it is, tries to get involved with the community," Kovach said.

IBM matches dollar per dollar what Chatham County resident Kovach contributes, he said.

"I don’t have kids of my own yet, but that didn’t cross my mind," said Kovach. "As I school boy, I don’t remember ever not having warm water to wash my hands. I’m in a position to reach out."

Because Moncure Elementary was built in 1954, not all areas of the building are equipped with hot water. Schools built after 1990 have hot water throughout, said Chatham County Schools’ Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services, Paul Joyce.