"This Week Around Walkers Woods" is written for the neighborhood of Walkers Woods, but pertains to the entire Carolina Forest community.

Hello, neighbors.  It’s hard to believe August is here already, and the new school year is less than three weeks away.  We were excited to get Benjamin’s “welcome” letter from Carolina Forest Elementary School last week, which announced who his teacher will be this year.

If you are in need of back to school supplies, as we are, don’t forget that this is the Myrtle Beach tax free weekend coming up, August 5th through the 7th.  Tax free purchases include clothes, shoes, school supplies and computers.

There was an article in last week’s Chronicle asking for host families for foreign exchange students.  If anyone from Walkers Woods hosts a student this year, please let me know if you would like to include your experiences in this column.  The summer before my junior year of high school, I went on a month-long exchange trip to France and stayed with a family who lived outside of Paris.  International exchange trips are a wonderful opportunity for students.

Several residents have mentioned to me recently that the speeding problem in Walkers Woods is getting worse.  One complaint I keep hearing is, “I’m tired of yelling at drivers to slow down.”  I completely agree, because I see the speeders every day myself.  Why would anybody think that it’s okay to ignore the speed limit with the large number of children living in this neighborhood? 

My wife found a way to partially improve the situation.  Monica purchased a pair of 32” high, bright yellow signs from www.childsafety.com, which say “BE ALERT for CHILDREN”.  She sets those out by the curb when Benjamin and his friends are playing outside.  We have noticed more drivers slowing down, but there are still those who speed right past the signs.

I was discussing this problem with a neighbor last week, and she reminded me that the problem of speeding was brought up by homeowners at the Walkers Woods POA annual meeting on May 7.  I was unable to attend the meeting and had just resigned from the board, but I did recall reading about it when the minutes were mailed out.

Page 6 of the minutes to the annual meeting states that two homeowners brought up the problem of speeding in Walkers Woods, and the safety risk it poses for our children.  One of the homeowners asked if more stop signs could be installed.  In response, “(A board member) stated the Board can ask the county to do an assessment and see if they are eligible for the stop signs.”

Last Friday, July 29, I called Andy Markunas, Deputy County Engineer, to check on the status of our assessment for the stop signs.  He told me his office had not been contacted by anyone in Walkers Woods.  So I went ahead and entered the complaint and requested a study to determine if Walkers Woods is eligible for additional stop signs, as well as pedestrian crosswalks.  Mr. Markunas entered the work order and told me the study should be done in about 8 weeks.  The county will also re-evaluate our eligibility for speed humps.  The initial studies I had done in 2008/2009 determined that we were not eligible at that time. 

This is a very serious issue which threatens the safety of our kids, and we need to make sure we use every resource available to encourage drivers to slow down.  And I want to thank the homeowners who brought it up at the annual meeting.

The board asked me to let you know that the next quarterly meeting of the Walkers Woods POA is 6:30pm Wednesday, August 10, in the amenity center.  They also asked me to announce that they have purchased two new pool umbrellas to replace the ones that were broken.  They said they chose green to coordinate with the Walkers Woods signs and the amenity center doors.

Also next Wednesday, August 10, is the first meeting of the Friends of the Carolina Forest Library.  It takes place at 2:00pm in the upstairs meeting room in Kroger.  All are welcome to attend.

Next Tuesday, August 9, is the monthly “Neighbors Night Out” at Flowers in the Forest.  From 6 to 8:00pm, you’ll have the chance to meet four local professionals discussing their products and services.  Light hors d’oeuvres will be served.

And don’t forget that the second annual Chronicle Challenge is this Saturday, August 6, at River Oaks Golf Plantation.  Registration starts at 7:00am, and shotgun start at 8:00am.  Come out and enjoy a great day of golfing, food and fun to benefit the Carolina Forest Civic Association.  There will be tons of prizes to raffle off, goodie bags, 50/50 drawings, free food & drink, and much more.

Log on to www.walkerswoodsatcarolinaforest.com frequently for POA information.  If you are on Facebook, check out the Walkers Woods at Carolina Forest page to connect with your neighbors.  And if you have any items you would like me to include in this column, please send them to me at walkerswoodsnews@gmail.com.  Stay cool, and I’ll see you at the pool.  Have a great week.