Paul Franklin Chavez is a rarity in Seven Lakes — a native Moore Countian. He graduated from Southern Pines High School in 1962 and was drafted into the armed forces the following year. That service would evolve into a twenty year career. A "crypto technician," Chavez worked on every major piece of crypto equipment in the Army's inventory.

Chavez married Nancy Garrison, of West End, and they had two sons Paul H. and Carl. Chavez began his second career as a civilian employee for the US Army in crypto, which eventually led to becoming a computer specialist.

The family moved to Seven Lakes in 2000. “I told my wife and son that I wanted to buy a tractor and move to a place that had water,” Chavez said. He got one of the two.

Chavez has known his share of heartbreak. He and Nancy lost their eldest son in 1999. Nancy died in 2007 from breast cancer. Chavez's younger son and his two grandsons, Currie and Trevor, live with him, giving him a firsthand perspective on the interests of younger residents.

“This is a good place to raise kids," he said during the Wednesday, February 5 SLLA Candidates' Night. "I have two teenage grandsons. One loves to go fishing. He will be out there until it is time to go home. Both boys go swimming and fishing in the lakes in the summertime. Walking to McDonald's the back way seems to be popular with teens. There were some problems last year with teens, but I believe we got that cleaned up. It something to keep an eye on.”

SLLA Board Candidate Mary Farley traveled the world to retire in Seven Lakes. Farley was born in Wiesbaden-Bierstadt, West Germany in 1945. She graduated from the Wiesbaden School of Business in 1962 with a major in retail sales and marketing.

Mary and Jerry Farley, a United States Air Force [USAF] Command Chief Master Sergeant (Retired), have been married for almost fifty years. While in the USAF, they were assigned to numerous bases. Mary supported her husband and family during the moves as an active volunteer. Stationed in Hawaii, she was elected President of the Hickam Air Force Base Hawaii Wives Club for 1988-1990 and was the first recipient of the “Heart of Hickman” volunteer award.

When Jerry Farley retired, Mary revived her career, becoming an independent sales and marketing representative for numerous food companies working with the military commissaries in the Washington, DC area.

In 2005, the Farley's relocated to Seven Lakes. Mary went back to work as an independent Avon Representative and has received the Avon President's Award for four years running. In 2013, she was made a member of Avon’s “Honor Society.” In her free time, she is an active volunteer with the local chapter of the Red Hats and an avid amateur gardener.

Like many who moved to Seven Lakes, she was attracted by the rural setting.

Of the four candidates standing for election to the SLLA Board of Directors, Sandy Sackmann has lived in Seven Lakes the longest. She and her husband John left jobs in Ohio to move to Seven Lakes to raise their children.

“In 1980, my husband John and I, and our two daughters, began to vacation at Seven Lakes," Sackmann said during the Wednesday, February 5 Candidates' Night. In 1985, we decided that we would prefer to have our children grow up in a small community.”

“When we first arrived, we worked at Seven Lakes Country Club," she said. Sandy worked in the Pro Shop and John served as business manager. While teaching in Findlay Ohio, Sandy had earned her master’s degree in education at Bowling Green State University.

“After a year at the Pro Shop, I missed teaching and applied and was accepted to teach at Aberdeen Middle School. After twenty-six years of middle school teaching, I was encouraged to go to Pinecrest [High School], where I spent my last fifteen years of teaching. I also was the golf coach at Pinecrest for the men’s and women’s teams."

After forty-one years of teaching, Sackmann retired in 2012. John is also retired.

Charles (Chuck) Leach currently serves on the SLLA Board. He has had responsibility for the Facilities and Grounds Committee and told landowners gathered at the Wednesday, February 5 Candidates' Night that he hopes to continue in that position.

“I would like to stay where I am," he replied, when asked which job on the Board appealed to him. "I have had three years in electrical schooling; and, at one time, I was thinking of going into the electrical business."

"A newer amenity that should not be forgotten is the debris site,” Leach added. “It is the second most loved amenity.”

Leach and his wife Jane have been married for forty-six years. They built their home in Seven Lakes in 1998 and became year-round residents in 2005.

“For that reason alone, I need to get back on this Board," Leach laughed. "My wife says we need some separation.”

A 300-foot cellphone tower at Harris Crossroads and a commercial-scale solar farm on NC Highway 211 near Candor were both approved during the Thursday, February 6 regular meeting of the Moore County Planning Board.

Harvesting the sun

The five megawatt commercial solar facility will occupy 41.3 acres of a 46.7 acre tract on the south side of NC Highway 211 east of its intersection with Spicewood Road. The land, which lies in front of the Perdue feed mill, is currently used by Sandhills Turf for turf grass production.

Speaking for the property owners — all members of the extended Harris family, Attorney Bill Harris said the lease payments provided from the solar farm would provide family members with more income than is generated from harvesting turf grass. He added that his sister lives on a tract adjacent to the field.

This is the second Harris project to come before the Planning Board, which approved a similar project in November that will be located on Harris-owned land nearby on Samarkand Road.

Both facilities are rated at five megawatts, each producing enough electricity to serve 300 homes over the course of a year. The electricity generated will be sold to Duke Energy.

Harris said his family's land has attracted solar companies because of its proximity to high capacity power lines, which he attributed to the power needs of the nearby feed mills.

The project involves two companies that have been particularly active in solar energy development in the state: Strata Solar and Argand Energy Builders, each responsible for different aspects of the project.