February 2011 newsletter

Chemonie Crossing Newsletter- February 2011

I hope that the start of 2011 is finding everyone doing well after a holiday season filled with a lot of activity. Not least of which was, and I have witnesses, SNOW in Chemonie. To anyone that may have moved here from up North, please indulge the rest of us the excitement of seeing glorified rain drops and getting excited.

There are a couple issues/ opportunities that have arisen that I want to address and hope that as we move toward Spring that they can be resolved:

Tree and yard waste

I am fielding a few calls weekly from disgruntled neighbors about the appearance driving through the neighborhood as it pertains to tree piles and yard waste. Some yards have been called “landfills”. This is the time of year that yard debris is collected and either burned off or disposed of. No one wants to do that in the middle of Summer (believe me).

A few neighbors have offered to work with other neighbors to help cut up, clean up, and haul off yard waste. Please contact me if you would like help to facilitate this. We are very lucky to live in a beautiful neighborhood. Please respect your fellow neighbors and do your part to keep it beautiful.

Small groups

Every year at the picnic neighbors bring up setting up small groups of neighbors for : progressive dinners, bunko, book reading, Bible study, neighborhood beautification, etc.

The single biggest issue has been someone to take the lead on the different groups. If you have an interest and want to get to know you neighbors take the lead and call a couple of folks. If you do not know of anyone that may have an interest in a group, try posting on the Chemonie Crossing Facebook page or call me. Take a walk and talk to neighbors out in the yards.

Having larger properties does not facilitate the kind of interaction that a lot of us grew up with in more condensed neighborhoods. As parents, we didn’t know of a few kids that are our kids ages in the neighborhood until we met them at school orientation or sports. Now is a great time to make introductions so that when Summer comes around, the kids can be out playing with new friends.

Try making Chemonie Crossing a closer neighborhood by taking the first step as a goal for 2011.

Neighborhood Dues

If you have not paid your neighborhood dues for 2010, please contact Stephanie Zottoli at: szottoli@ccrcpa.com, or 552-0975.

Chemonie Board Members

Although elections occur during the fall at the neighborhood picnic, I would like to offer neighbors the opportunity to serve. A few of the members of the Board are looking to rotate off in the Fall. If you have an interest in learning more about opportunities to serve please call: Andy Wilcox 894-8685. AndyJWilcox@aol.com

Students Corner by Lisa Blackburn (Teacher- Roberts Elementary)

Many parents struggle with motivating their child to read. Here are some tips on how you can get your reluctant reader to love reading.

· Set up a day and time for a “Family Reading Night”. Everyone can sit down and read at the same time. Parents, you are the greatest model for your child. If they see you reading they will follow your lead.

· Download your kids’ favorite books to your electronic reader. It’s cheaper than buying books from the bookstore and you can download books anytime. Best of all, they’ll think it’s cool to use your technology!

· Get your child into a reading series. Once they are hooked they’ll want to read every book in the series. (Harry Potter, Ready Freddy, Magic Tree House, Chronicles of Narnia, etc.)

· Set up a quiet area in your home for reading. Put up a soft light and comfy chair – nobody wants to read in an uncomfortable chair under a glaring light.

· Allow your child to stay up a few minutes later if they read in bed.

· Trade reading time for computer time. If your child reads for 30 minutes then they can earn 30 minutes of DSi, Xbox, Wii, etc.

· Finally, praise your child for their efforts!

Warm Blue Cheese Dip for Super Bowl

What you need: 1 package of bacon, 2 tbs. garlic, 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup heavy cream, 4 oz blue cheese, 2 tbs. fresh chives (green onions), and 2 tbs. chopped almonds. Serve with crackers or baguettes

Preheat oven to 350 f. In a nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crisp, return bacon to skillet after wiping down, add garlic to bacon on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel. Using a hand mixer, cream the cheese until smooth. Add in the heavy cream along with the bacon mixture, blue cheese and chives. Transfer to a 2 cup baking dish and top with almonds (optional). Bake for 30 minutes. This will be awesome for the Super Bowl!

Chemonie Newletter

Chemonie Crossing Newsletter

The sound of kids in swimming pools and the buzz of lawn mowers around the neighborhood can only mean one thing… We are officially head strong into summer.

I wanted to bring everyone up to date on a few things and ask for your help on a couple others.

First, we have set a date for the Chemonie picnic. After reviewing the football and school schedules, we have locked onto October 30th at Chemonie Park. Because this is the day before Halloween there have been discussions about tying in some Halloween activities with the picnic. If you have any suggestions, we would welcome them.

Foreclosures hitting Chemonie
Over the past year and a half we have been very fortunate to absorb a bad housing market and be largely unphased by it. There were two homes in the neighborhood that were foreclosed on. One, I learned over the weekend has been purchased and new neighbors will be moving in.

Over the past 2 weeks, I have received legal filings for 3 more and am expecting a few others.

This is a tragic reality that we have to deal with. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved quickly.

Neighborhood Dues

You will be receiving invoices for dues in the next month. We are holding at $70 annually. There are a lot of things that dues cover. Everyone sees the front entrance. This also covers the picnic. There are also things that dues cover that range from unforeseen events to things like well reserves. Because of the recent foreclosures we are looking at additional upkeep of unoccupied properties. I am trying to work with banks for reimbursement, but as many of you know, often times the note holder changes many times and finding the responsible party is practically impossible. We have two choices: Rely on these unknown entities to take care of the properties, or keep them kept up to a certain level so that the neighborhood aesthetics do not suffer.

The dues are well below the average dues locally and we want to keep them that way. We also want neighbors to see what they are getting for their neighborhood investment. We ask for your continued support in paying these dues, as they help us address these issues.

Political signs
Political season is upon us. According to Article X of the Chemonie Covenants, there are to be NO political signs. Last election season, I was peppered with complaints and things got out of control. Not looking for a 1st Amendment fight. Just be good neighbors and channel your political support in other ways.
This comes down to aesthetics. A subject that has come up a lot. I have addressed the “Yard art” issue. Little by little, these things chip away at the looks of the neighborhood. Folks live in Chemonie for many reasons. Mostly, they like having space, having neighbors, and a good looking neighborhood that they can be proud of. One that everyone has to drive through and where family and friends come through. Please keep that in mind before divisive public self-expression.
Crime watch
Always good to report that we have not had any criminal activity. As neighbors head off for vacations, please keep an eye out for each other and report any suspicious activity.

Wish everyone the best summer. If you have any questions, feedback, or comments, please feel free to contact me at 893-8984, or email AndyJWilcox@aol.com.

5/30 neighborhood meeting

9 am at the Pavillion.

Agenda:

Finances
Block Party
Crime watch
Emergency contact system
other items

Look forward to seeing everyone there.

Andy

Suspicious people in neighborhood

I have now heard from a few neighbors about suspicious activity in the neighborhood. On Creekridge and Old Chemonie a young black man on a skateboard that has been going back and forth in front of houses.

He was approached by one of our law enforcement neighbors. When confronted he left his skateboard and ran away yelling a derogatory remark at our neighbor.

With the economy the way it is, I would ask everyone to keep their eyes open for suspicious activity. People that may not normally act irrationally may do so now.

Please have everyone check back regularly to this blog. I will be discussing in the next newsletter ways that we can have one central way to communicate with everyone in a quick manner. Have been thinking of asking neighbors to submit their number for emergency only text alerts.

Please email me or call me with any suggestions.

Andy

Welcome to Chemonie Crossing blog!

We are using this as a forum for the neighbors of Chemonie Crossing. Please use this as a way to connect with neighbors, share ideas on how we can improve the community, current events, crime watch, etc.

Andy Wilcox
President
Chemonie Crossing Neighborhood Association