Living in the Neighborhood
Decorations Create a Holiday Welcome!
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Increase in 2008 Assessments for the Townhome Peer Group
As announced in the notification letter for the November Membership Meeting and in further discussion at that budget ratification meeting on November 13, monthly assessments for Townhome owners will increase by $2.00 per month ($24 per year) starting January 1, 2008. This increase is due primarily to inflationary increases in management fees and the annual landscaping contract. It has been two years since the last increase in maintenance fees. The Common Area budget is not impacted. Therefore, there will be no increase in the current assessments for single-family homeowners. There are no planned increases to current budgeted allocations for the Townhome Peer Group Reserves.
Owners who currently have automatic bank draft set-up for monthly payment of assessments will not need to do anything. The increase will automatically be reflected in the January draft. If you are paying by coupon book, you should receive a new book with the increased fees sometime in December. For owners who pay by other means or on something other than a monthly schedule, please contact Abbott Enterprises to confirm what is needed to cover the increase. Owners are reminded that failure to receive a coupon book does not excuse payment of dues by the first of each month. However, if you do not receive a new book by the first of January, please contact Abbott as soon as possible.
Thank you for your help in making this a successful transition.
Reminder — Annual Termite Inspection
If you live in a townhome unit, an annual termite inspection is required to maintain the insurance policy carried by the Association through Termitech South of Charlotte. According to Termitech, many owners have already scheduled and completed this work in October and November, but there are still units that remain to be done. This is an inspection of first floor interior walls, patio areas, and garages.
If you have not already had this check performed, please call Termitech South at 704.528.8037 to set-up an appointment. This is an important service covered by your assessment fees. Thank you for your help and cooperation.
This inspection does not involve any actual spraying for pests. It is a termite inspection service only. However, since the neighborhood does have this contract, Termitech offers a $35 special to townhome owners for interior pest (ants, spiders, roaches, etc.) control. If interested in receiving this additional service at owner expense, please contact Termitech at the number above.
Winter Holiday Decorations Contest
The Landscape and Grounds Committee invites all residents (single family and townhomes) to participate in the New Neighborhood Second Annual Winter Holiday Decorating Contest. The contest will be judged in two separate categories:
- Best Overall - Single Family Homes
- Best Overall - Townhomes
The Yard-of-the-Month Committee will judge all entries. Judging will take
place at night between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. on December 16 and 17. Entries
will be evaluated on creativity, originality, thematic elements and overall
design quality and not just on quantity of lights. Winners will be awarded
a blue ribbon and photographed for the newsletter and website.
All participants will be asked to remove decorations no later than the third
Sunday in January, 2008.
Everyone is invited to participate and we encourage all to get in the spirit! New Neighborhood has always been alive with decoration during the holiday season. Please plan on taking a winter walk during one December evening and check out all the sights.
Plans for a New Neighborhood Directory
A number of residents have asked about plans for creating and distributing a new neighborhood directory. The last time this was completed was in May of 2005. Since that time, the Association has completed a door-to-door survey to correct information in the official database kept by Abbott Enterprises. This project, conducted by the Property Transition Committee, was successful in meeting its goals, but did not create an easy way to print an updated directory from the website database.
The primary source for phone numbers and address information today is through use of the online directory on the neighborhood website. This database relies on input from homeowners as changes occur. Not everyone has entered changes and there are still listings for people that relocated one or two years ago. Computer access is also not available to all residents.
The Association has taken the position that it is best to avoid the expense of printing a hard copy of a directory that becomes out-of-date rather quickly. The ideal situation would be to create a “printable” directory that resides online and utilizes the website database to provide constant updates. With this tool, neighbors could print a directory at any time and hopefully have better information than one printed months before. Residents without computer access could get other neighbors to print a copy for them.
The key to success for this approach is to start with an accurate online database before adding the printable directory to the website. Steve Lee has already created a printable format with the current database. The task now is to review this information and make obvious corrections. The survey completed in early 2007 is also available to improve data quality. Once this is complete, Steve Lee will download the “printable” directory to the website and it can be copied with accurate information at any time.
Mary Lib Richards has agreed to lead efforts to review and correct the draft directory. However, volunteers are needed to help her sort through each entry and to make corrections that can be given to Steve Lee. If interested in helping with this task, please call Mary Lib at 704.896.9892 (e-mail at marylrichards@bellsouth.net). This work is expected to begin after the first of the year with a goal of having an online, printable directory by no later than mid-year.
Please remember: This directory and future updates will be no better than the information found in the neighborhood database on the website. If you have not checked your personal information recently, please do so and make corrections now. If you need a password or have forgotten the one you have, request a new one from Steve Lee, Webmaster at webmaster@stalbanssq.org.
Have a Safe and Secure Holiday
IDecember is a time for celebrating the holiday season with family and friends. Please practice safety awareness through this season. If you plan to entertain during the holidays, please be considerate of others and plan ahead. Ask friends and guests to park along streets so that through traffic and emergency vehicles are not blocked. Our neighborhood roads are generally not wide enough to accommodate parking on both sides of the street.
This is also a time to be aware of home security issues. The Davidson Police Department encourages you to go on-line and utilize their “Home Security Check” service. By completing the simple checklist and submitting the request between 12 and 24 hours ahead of your travel, the Police Department will pay particular attention to your home in your absence. Although the Police Department cannot guarantee the protection of your property with this request, Jeanne Miller, Davidson Chief of Police, is proud to report that there have been no break-ins among homes under this security check. Visit http://www.ci.davidson.nc.us/units/police/ and click on “Home Security Checks.”
Newsletter Delivery Volunteers
Many thanks are due our newsletter delivery team. Our November crew included Adria & Woody Appleby, Barbara & Tom Doster, Tom Fischer, Sherman & Nancy Kahn, Norm Reid, Norman Richards, Dave Smith, Norma Stewart, and John & Marcia Williamson.
If you wish to volunteer, please call Dave Smith at 704.987.1472
(e-mail at davidbsmith@bellsouth.net).
