Sewanee Leases

Professor's dog (party animal Moe) dressed up for an important event...

Pink Flamingos and a ZEBRA on campus.

What's so weird about chickens??? Sewanee: the University of the South is comprised of 13,000, primarily forested, acres of land which we call the "domain". It is in middle Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau about 2000 feet above sea level. There are countless bluff views, waterfalls, caves and trails. The university has roughly 1600 students and the town has maybe 2000 residents. The campus, which originated just before the civil war, has many sandstone buildings of Gothic architecture and is covered with large old growth trees. It's just beautiful.

The town is called Sewanee and the university owns all the land. Consequently, we own our homes, but lease the land. There is a Lease Committee which among other things, approves the removal of trees, construction of home improvements, colors, fences, sheds, signs, rentals etc. Similar to a historic district or homeowners association, when homeowners want to make a change, they are required to go through a committee. The lease superintendent must field calls relating to dogs, trash, cars, shrubs, yard maintenance, noise, businesses, neighbor disputes...

I'm told that the process with the lease committee can be tedious and frustrating. I don't doubt that, but have sympathy for both sides. I'm sure that as a result of my effort to officially legalize backyard chickens - I have created many hours of unforeseen work and controversy. I hope some of it has been amusing for those in the middle and I never intended to be a problem. All I wanted was a few unobtrusive pets who would be great for me, my family, our lifestyle and yard. Fortunately, I expect that the outcome will be clear rules that will be comfortable and beneficial to all residents of this very special town.

Lease Committee Results

Painting by http://jeffhughart.com available at my mother's store, The Lemon Fair http://thelemonfair.com . My mother is an artist and her work has always reflected what was happening in her family's life.
Having been told yesterday, "the Lease Committee deferred the question of chickens to the August Community Council meeting", we began questioning what, exactly that means and how we should approach it. Today we were told, "The lease committee tabled the question and is gathering more information regarding chickens on the Domain from the Community Council and other campus groups." Who is on the Community Council and what is their role? We're working on getting concrete answers.

I still suspect that the lease committee doesn't know what to do with me and doesn't want to take full responsibility for either granting me the right to keep the chickens or prohibiting me from having them. I like to think that they are indeed considering the greater issues of sustainability and local food, right and wrong, and common sense. So, I am encouraged.

I have learned a huge amount in the past few weeks. Sewanee has an overwhelming sense of community and the response I've received from all kinds of people is yet one more example of it. Given all the large prominent cities that allow backyard chickens, I have great faith that Sewanee residents will soon be able to grow their own eggs and fertilizer while controlling bugs without pesticides and enjoying new and unexpected pets.

I also know that having pets is work and few people will actually want to invest the time and energy necessary to house chickens so it's not like suddenly the town will be overrun with silly looking birds.

I will probably take a break this weekend and start back fresh on Sunday with new and exciting chicken stuff...

Lease Committee Meeting and Radio Interview

My dad leaving the lease committee meeting.

What a day... WPLN, Nashville Public Radio, broadcast our brief interview http://wpln.org/newstranscripts/?p=2531 this morning and the Lease Committee Meeting was this afternoon.

My job at the University is quite public and it was fun today to have people stop by & say they'd inadvertently heard the interview on NPR. We weren't sure when it would broadcast, so most everyone heard it just because they listen to NPR anyway.

The lease committee meeting was interesting and enjoyable. Interesting to me to be part of a process, and enjoyable because most of us were at ease while reasonable, natural conversation flowed. The meeting takes place in the "Regent's Room" - a very nice board meeting sort of place with a large center table. There were 2 chairs at the end of the table for Dad & I, microphones and 8 University representatives. Once more for the record, it's a very small town - if we didn't all know each other, we were certainly acquainted. If only I'd been bold enough to take pictures for the blog!

Prior to the meeting, my father, who is on my lease, wrote a very direct letter to the members of the lease committee with copies to me and the neighbor who complained about the chickens. In the meeting today he restated the contents of the letter - focusing mainly on the lease agreement - which prohibits livestock, but not poultry. (I deal with this issue in depth in June posts of the blog). He touched on the integrity of the complaint as well as the issue of ultimately creating backyard chicken policies on the Domain.

I spoke of my research into backyard chicken ordinances across the country and how I would like to help Sewanee develop and implement such policies. I questioned how many complaints the lease superintendent has received from my neighbor (not solely about me, but total). That information was not available, but there have been 3 complaints against me that I'm aware of and others not directed at me were acknowledged.

There were several valid questions asked about chickens and the keeping of them. The history of chickens on campus was pointed out. Others have been forced to remove chickens. "On what grounds?" my father asked (since it's not prohibited in the lease.) Because of the lease, we were told. The policy (which is not in writing as part of our lease agreement) goes back before our current lease superintendent.

The question of noise was raised by my father because that was the original complaint. No one questioned the fact that my 3 hens do not make sufficient noise for any reasonable person to justify a complaint.

Unfortunately only two members of the lease committee ended up coming to see my chickens in person. Others, I assume, relied on the blog. No one at the meeting appeared to question my particular setting. My feeling was more that they just weren't sure what to do about the topic in general.

After the meeting, I found that I had a voice mail from WPLN following up on the story.

This evening I received an email informing me "the Lease Committee deferred the question of chickens to the August Community Council meeting."

Good, I don't blame them. Pass the buck....

The Lease Committee Visit

The lease committee was invited to my house today at 5:00 to see the chickens and their setting.

The reason I started this blog was to show people how my chickens and I live, thereby proving that they are not livestock and not prohibited on my lease. Initially I contacted committee members and associates asking for advice and inviting people to see the yard. No one was interested in coming to my house (I live about a block from central campus - not exactly out of the way). My father, who is on my lease, specifically asked the lease superintendent to come see my yard and she agreed.

As time went on: we refused to remove the chickens based on the fact that we believe they are not in violation of our lease, the lease committee was invited to view the blog in hopes of settling the livestock question without all this fuss, we stated our intentions to appear at the lease committee meeting and address the issue, my father sent a formal letter with our objections to the complaint.

We received no response at all.

Next came the specific invitation to all 9 committee members to see the yard and meet the birds in question. One committee member called me right away. Neither my parents nor I heard from anyone else.

Today, that one very nice gentleman came promptly at 5:00.

No word from anyone else.

The meeting is Wednesday - the day after tomorrow.

The lease superintendent was emailed again this evening, requesting that she look at the yard in person tomorrow before the meeting.

So I wonder... have they already made up their minds? Do they not care? How do they treat other complaints?

And still I research... of course I am biased, but it's seeming like more cities and towns allow chickens than ban them. My mother said tonight, "until you, I've never known anyone who kept chickens as pets". Maybe that's the key - they're there, you just don't know it...

One week to go...

In preparation for greeting the Lease Committee, Chloe gets a little trim around her face. She wants to be able to look them in the eye without impairment from her big poofy hat.



The lease committee meets one week from today and will potentially make a decision on whether or not they feel that I am within my rights to keep my 3 pet chickens on my leasehold. They have been invited to visit my garden next Monday. It will be interesting to see how many come. I've only heard from one since the invitation went out two days ago. There are nine members. My father has invited them to view the blog twice since July 1. We haven't heard a peep out of them.

However, since July 2 when I began tracking the blog - there have been 1151 visits from 17 countries.

This issue will not go away and just because I trim their "hair" doesn't mean I should be the only one in town who gets to have chickens. We all have the right, if we desire, to keep pets than are no more intrusive than dogs and cats. My cat doesn't lay eggs. Does your dog?