Living in the Neighborhood

January Newsletter Delivery

Due to the Holiday Season and all the activities from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year’s Day, the January newsletter will not be delivered until Monday, January 11.

There will be no newsletter issued in February. An attempt will be made to include neighborhood activities for February in the January newsletter. Any further delivery changes will be noted in the newsletter and Association Calendar.

Reminder – Increase in 2010 Assessments

As announced in the Membership and Budget Ratification Meeting on September 22, monthly assessments for both townhome owners and single-family homeowners will increase by $1.50 per month ($18 per year) for Common charges starting January 1, 2010. The fees will be split between Operating Funds ($ .50) and Common Reserves ($ 1.00).

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.

Additional Thank-you - OktoberFest Party

In the article listing volunteers for the very successful 2009 OktoberFest Party, one name was overlooked. Thanks should also go to Gary Simmons (Harper Lee Street) for volunteering to purchase and deliver ice for the event.

Please let Dave Smith (704.987.1472) know if other names were overlooked.

Reminder - Clean-Up after your Dog

Please pick-up after your dog throughout the neighborhood and in the parks, including the off-leash park at the north end of the development. Failure to comply with this requirement continues to be a problem. The problem has been particularly bad in Faulkner Square between North and South Faulkner Ways. However, the problem is not limited to neighborhood park areas. It has become a growing concern along grassy areas along sidewalks and in front of homes and townhomes. If residents see visitors or other neighbors who do not follow this request, please kindly remind them of our desire to keep the neighborhood clean for all. If repeat offenses are seen, please notify a member of the Council of Stewards.

The Town of Davidson has adopted the Mecklenburg County Animal Control Ordinance. This regulation has two sections that are especially applicable to our neighborhood.

Section 9: Restraint of Animals
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person owning any animal, excluding cats, to keep such animal on his premises or off the premises unless such animal is under sufficient physical restraint such as a leash, bridle, cage, or similar device which restrains and controls the animal.

(d) It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having possession of any animal to take the animal into or allow the animal to enter any County park or public property without being at all times under restraint of a leash.

(e) It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having possession of an animal to take the animal into picnic areas, pond areas, and children’s play areas of any County park. This restriction shall not apply to guide dogs or hearing aid dogs in the company of sight-impaired or hearing-impaired persons.

Section 10: Public Nuisance

(a) The actions of an animal constitute a nuisance when an animal disturbs the rights of, threatens the safety of, or damages a member of the general public, or interferes with the ordinary use and enjoyment of another’s property.

(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to own or maintain an animal in such a manner as to constitute a public nuisance. By way of example, the following acts are declared to be a public nuisance and are therefore unlawful: Allowing an animal to damage the property of anyone other than its owner, including but not limited to, turning over garbage containers, or damaging gardens, flowers, or vegetables, or defecating upon the property of another.

Citations can be issued for violations of this ordinance. The penalties escalate from a first offense fine of $50 to repeat offense fines as high as $500, including criminal prosecution and loss of the animal.

The Association does not wish this issue to become a legal matter for anyone. However, we all want to maintain a clean and enjoyable neighborhood and the cooperation of all will be greatly appreciated.

Newsletter Delivery by E-Mail

Several neighbors have expressed a desire to receive newsletters by e-mail rather than door-to-door delivery. Many neighborhood Associations only distribute newsletters and information by e-mail. However, it has long been recognized that there are many residents within New Neighborhood who do not own a computer or who are not able to access e-mail and large attachments even if they do. The newsletter is a primary source of information for our residents and the Association wishes to continue this service.

Door-to-door delivery will continue, but we would like to get input from those residents that may wish to receive the newsletter by e-mail or to receive links to a website containing the newsletter and calendar. If interested, notify me at davidbsmith@bellsouth.net. In your notification, please give your name, street address, phone number, and e-mail address. Receiving the newsletter in this manner could save money for the Association and will save trees for our environment. However, this service does have some drawbacks and for now we just want to evaluate the extent of interest.

Most of our non-resident owners and a few part-time resident owners do request that their newsletters be sent by U.S. Mail. If you are away from your home a large percentage of the time, this is another option. Due to the obvious added expense of mailing, please do not use this option unless you do fall into the category of non-resident owner or a resident owner that travels extensively for parts of the year. If you wish your newsletter sent by mail, please notify Abbott Enterprises (Vera Victorino) in writing at the address listed at the end of the newsletter. I also need notification of such request so that I can stop delivery to your door.

I will notify you in future newsletters regarding the interest and next steps. Meanwhile, remember that you can always access the online version of the most recent newsletter at http://www.stalbanssq.org/newsletter.html and the most recent copy of the monthly calendar at http://www.stalbanssq.org/calendar.html. If this does become an option, it is likely to take several months to prepare and implement.

GO GREEN!

Thank you for your help and cooperation.
Dave Smith, newsletter editor

Winter Holiday Decorations Contest

The Landscape and Grounds Committee invites all residents (single-family and townhomes) to participate in the New Neighborhood Fourth Annual Winter Holiday Decorating Contest. The contest will be judged in two separate categories:

Best Overall for Single-Family Homes
Best Overall for 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 14 and 15. 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, 2010.
Begin planning now. Everyone is invited to participate and we encourage all to get in the spirit!!

Newsletter Delivery Volunteers

Thanks go to all of our delivery volunteers! Our November squad included Adria & Woody Appleby, Harold & Paula Bell, Barbara Dillman, Tom Fischer, Bob & Jo Herman, Anne Jerands, Sherman & Nancy Kahn, Norman Richards, Dave Smith, and Norma Stewart. A warm welcome goes to our newest delivery volunteer, Joyce Feir. (And a special mention goes to Abby, my four-legged helper.) Our list is growing. New volunteers are always welcome!

If you wish to volunteer, please call Dave Smith at 704.987.1472 (e-mail davidbsmith@bellsouth.net).

NOTE: The Council of Stewards meets regularly on the fourth Wednesday of every other month in St. Alban’s Church classroom (lower level) at 7:00 p.m. Special meetings are called as needed. Meetings are open to residents. The next regular COS meeting is scheduled on December 9 [Date Change].

If an owner or resident wishes to address the COS at a regular meeting, please call a COS member about 5 days in advance of the meeting and the issue will be added to the “Homeowner Concerns” part of the agenda near the beginning of the meeting.