Living in the Neighborhood

Neighborhood Surveys to Be Conducted

In response to comments and suggestions at the annual Membership Meeting in August, the Council of Stewards has taken actions to improve communications and to update the database information held by Abbott Enterprises, our Association management company. To meet this goal, brief door-to-door surveys will be conducted with all residents during October.

Teresa Furlong and Tom Fischer have worked hard with the Property Transition Committee to develop the survey form and other information that will be left with each resident after the visit. The survey will work as follows:

Abbott Enterprises has provided a master spreadsheet of owner/resident information, including name, home address, mailing address, and phone number. Address labels have also been provided in order to personalize each form and insure that no one is overlooked.

Council of Stewards members, committee chairpersons & members, and other interested neighborhood volunteers will operate in teams of two. Each volunteer will have been given instructions on how to gather the information and should be able to answer any question you may have regarding why this data is being checked and specific questions asked. Approximately 10 to 15 names and forms will be given to each team.

A phone call will first be made to each resident in order to explain the process and set up a convenient time to drop by and complete the survey. No more than 5 to 10 minutes are required to gather information.

There will also be several other questions on the survey that will help the Council of Stewards address issues with Abbott and that will help evaluate future needs in the neighborhood. You will also be given an opportunity to express your interest in serving on a neighborhood committee.

If you are currently experiencing problems with assessment/dues payments to Abbott, this will be noted on the form and a Council of Stewards member will contact you to get the necessary details to help resolve the problem.

Any errors in current data will be forwarded to Abbott for correction and a follow-up letter will be sent to verify that these changes are correct.

Other problems and concerns will be noted during the survey and a follow-up call will be made, if necessary.

The survey is applicable to both resident owners and tenants. However, one or two of the follow-up questions will not apply to tenants. Residents of rented casita units will not be included in the survey. All non-resident owners will receive the survey packet by mail.

In order to have comments before the next regular Council of Stewards meeting and to provide Abbott Enterprises with feedback at the annual review meeting in early November, the target date for completion of all contacts is October 25.

It is important for all residents to note that this survey is completely voluntary. It is not an attempt to invade privacy or gather personal information. The forms will be kept in strict confidence by the Association and will not be used to generate mailing lists or unwanted solicitation.

It is hoped that the personal visits will lead to neighbors meeting new neighbors and help bring the entire community closer together. However, if you do not want to be bothered with a visit, please at least verify key information over the phone. The main purpose of this project is to verify and correct key data in order to avoid future problems with official communications.

In advance, thank you for your help and cooperation.

Yard-of-the-Month Winner – October, 2006

The Landscape and Grounds Committee congratulates Pat McCall of 214 Fairview Lane as the October 2006 winner of the “Yard-of-the-Month.” “Welcome, Fall!” is the theme for this home’s landscape. Colorful pansies have been planted and seasonal decorations are in place. The planting beds and lawn areas are all neatly trimmed and there is a nice balance of color. If you usually exit the neighborhood at the St. Alban’s entrance, please take the time to drive down Fairview and see this month’s winner.

If you have questions or suggestions regarding this program, please call Shirley Fischer at 704.894.0222.

The Star of Excellence is not clearly visible in this photograph,
but it does sit proudly for a second month on Fairview Lane.

Congratulations to Pat McCall!

If you have questions or suggestions regarding this program, please call Shirley Fischer at 704.894.0222.

Winter Holiday Decorations Contest

The Landscape and Grounds Committee invites all residents (single family and townhomes) to participate in the New Neighborhood First 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 10 and 11, 2006. Entries will be evaluated upon 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 their decorations no later than the third Sunday in January, 2007.

Some Thoughts about Stewardship and Global Warming
Installment 3

This is the third in a series of articles about how each of us can reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to global warming, reduce our energy consumption and thereby reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, and save money in the process.
Last month we looked at the surprisingly significant impact of replacing standard incandescent bulbs with the new compact florescent bulbs. I estimated that we would save about $210 a year or $18 a month on our electricity bill by replacing our 34 most heavily used lights with compact florescent bulbs. In the past four months the actual reduction compared to the same period last year has averaged $37 a month. Our savings are double the estimate because in the summer we also have to pay the same amount again for air conditioning to remove the heat from the lights. The air conditioning savings were not included in the lighting savings estimate.

This month we will look at another part of the energy picture – appliances. Before we moved, we had an older house with older appliances. When we selected the new appliances for our new house here, we paid particular attention to energy efficiency. The annual savings in electricity, gas, and water with the new Energy Star appliances is dramatic.

Particularly impressive is the Whirlpool Duet top loading washing machine. It uses about a third the water of the old top loading machines, saving about 4,500 gallons of water a year plus saving in soap and gas to heat the water. It spins the clothes nearly dry, so the drying time and cost is reduced as well.
In addition to saving money, our new appliances have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about 4,500 pounds a year.

In analyzing my appliances, the biggest surprise to me is the computer equipment in my home office. I use my computer equipment daily for work and leave it on around the clock so that my virus updates and scans can be completed at night. The annual cost for this 24/7 service is quite a bit higher than I expected.

Clearly I need to rethink my procedures here. Cutting the $287 in half should not be difficult. That would be another $140 and another 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide.
One additional thought. For appliances that produce heat, such as hot water and clothes drying, gas costs about half what electricity costs. When you include the losses in electricity production and transmission, gas takes about half the energy and produces about half the carbon dioxide.
For appliances, the short story is:

• Purchase high efficiency Energy Star appliances.
• Turn things off when not in use.
• Use gas for hot water and clothes drying (and cooking if it suits your style).

If we do these things, cutting the energy bill for appliances by a third is achievable. And that will cut the energy consumption and carbon dioxide production in half as well.

Next month we will look at heating and air conditioning.

Note: The costs shown here are approximations taken from the EnergyGuide tags on appliances and from internet sources such as www.EnergyGuide.com.  Actual costs depend on many factors hard to predict such as actual use patterns.

Mike Stenhouse
Concerned Resident of New Neighborhood

Mike Stenhouse discusses the causes and solutions to global warming. You may be surprised to hear what he has to say and the impact that we can all make as individuals. Next month he will also share some of the savings he has experienced by being a good steward.

Byways Are Not Speedways!

The newsletter has printed several articles about driving along the roads of New Neighborhood. In particular, residents along Fairview Lane have complained about heavy traffic and motorists driving too fast along that street. STOP signs continue to be ignored. In addition, townhome residents have voiced concerns about people driving too fast and not paying attention to other residents along byways. Please stay alert and watch for other neighbors backing out of garages. There are many blind spots along the byways due to the narrow lanes and tight garage parking. Lots of kids run between townhomes and cross the byways without looking. Please be courteous and respectful of others.

New Neighborhood must remain a safe place for our residents and children. The Council of Stewards has requested help from the Davidson Police Department in this matter, but we all play a key role in making our streets safe. Stay alert and drive safely at all times!

Payment of Assessments

Once again, the Council of Stewards would like to remind all homeowners that assessments are due promptly on the first of each month for townhome owners and twice annually (January 1 and July 1) for single-family homeowners. Payments not received within 30 days of these dates will incur late charges and other possible fees. Failure to receive a payment bill or reminder is not an acceptable excuse to delay payment or wave late fees and assessments.

In the future, the newsletter will run a reminder for single-family owners in December and June, but the responsibility always rests with the owner to make payments on time.

If you are unsure of your account status or are not sure where to send payments, contact Abbott Enterprises immediately. Contact information appears in the newsletter section with committee names and contacts.

Newsletter Delivery Volunteers

Many thanks are due our newsletter delivery volunteers. September volunteers included Barbara Doster, Tom Fischer, Nick Macos, Norm Reid, Dave Smith, Jennifer Stallings & her son Chris, and John & Marcia Williamson. Chris is our newest and youngest delivery volunteer. Thanks for a job well done!