Englewood Flyer - 2009 2nd edition

2009 Edition #2
May 2009
Englewood Flyer
Published by:
The Englewood Residents Association; P.O. Box 1895; St. Peters, MO 63376. Please visit our website: http://englewoodsubdivision.com/
Board of Directors
John Hutchison
Cindy Onder
Ron Maffrand
Tim Krueger
Don Lange
President
Vice President
Sec/Treasurer
Trustee
Trustee
Rocky Reitmeyer
Dave Thomas
Ward 1 Alderman
Ward 1 Alderman
4 Countrywood Drive
49 W. Douglas Drive
68 W. Douglas Drive
6 Kirkwood Court
121 Calwood Drive
WHO’S NEW TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD:
Since our last newsletter we have had several homes
change ownership. W e would like to extend a
warm W ELCOME to our new neighbors:
•
•
•
•
Ashley Rockefellow @ 33 Countrywood Drive
Jessica Hitchcock @ 16 Countrywood Drive
Neil & Cindy Waldrop @ 130 Calwood Drive
Mark & Stephanie Clynes @ 3 Inverness Ct.
NEWSMAKERS:
•
•
One of our residents, Mr. Samir Ramlawi of
Countrywood Drive was the victim of an apparent
robbery attempt while working on a construction
project in the City of St. Louis. Mr. Ramlawi was shot
and unfortunately his injuries proved to be fatal. We
would like to extend our condolences and deepest
sympathy to his wife and children on their loss.
A 12 year girl who resides on Kirkwood Ct. was struck
by a car while crossing Salt Lick Road on Monday 3/30.
While suffering a severely broken leg, she is expected
to make a full recovery.
The accident noted above should demonstrate to us
ALL the importance of wearing a bike helmet. Had
she not been wearing hers the outcome could have
been MUCH worse. We would like to wish her a FULL
and SPEEDY recovery!
Drivers – PLEASE be cautious when you see children
on bikes. They can loose control in an instant and
thus inadvertently enter the street or the path of your
car.
Bike Riders (adults AND kids) – PLEASE wear your
bike helmet. Try to avoid busy streets, ESPECIALLY
during peak traffic times. Remember that traffic laws
apply to you too, so be sure to stop at stop signs and
to obey the rules of the road.
636-397-6299
314-740-0485
636-397-4858
636-387-5250
636-278-2865
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
636-685-8045
636-441-0476
[email protected]
[email protected]
**MARK YOUR CALENDAR**
•
•
•
May 30, 2009: Annual Englewood
Subdivision Garage Sale. (see article in this newsletter)
June 3, 2009: Bulky Trash Pick-up Day. Please
call the City @ 278-2244 x 410 at least48 hours in
advance to take advantage of this FREE service.
August 21, 2009: Subdivision Night at the
Rascals(see article in this newsletter)
HOME VALUES:
As you may have noted in the “Who’s New To The Neighborhood”
section of this newsletter, homes in our neighborhood are selling
once again. This is great news not only for the residents who are
leaving our neighborhood, but for those remaining behind as well.
Good home sales mean that our homes are DESIRABLE. This leads
to stable or improving home values and a STABLE neighborhood.
Few things can ruin a neighborhood faster than vacant homes falling
into disrepair or becoming a haven for thieves and vandals.
Since Spring and Summer are the optimal times for home sales; and
we do have several homes for sale in our subdivision; PLEASE be
aware that how YOU maintain your own property, affects not only
you but the ENTIRE neighborhood.
NOW is the time to step back and evaluate your property. NOW is
the time to take care of those maintenance issues you may have
been putting off, such as painting or repairing a bad driveway, or
removing overgrown or dead landscaping, etc. NOW is also a good
time to undertake any improvements you want to make as the
weather should be favorable for a speedy completion of all work.
Consider how YOU would feel if YOU were trying to sell your home –
wouldn’t you want the entire neighborhood to look as good as it
possibly could?
Won’t you join us in making Englewood the BEST and most
DESIRABLE neighborhood in St. Peters?
•
You might also want to be aware that the City has notified us that it will
be conducting an “inspection” of our neighborhood looking for code
violations. You may be sited for code violations such as peeling paint,
broken windows, deteriorating concrete etc. Therefore you might want
to save yourself a headache and fix these types of items BEFORE the
City contacts you.
nd
Englewood Flyer – 2 Edition – May 2009
Page 2 of 4
CLEAN STREAM DAY:
IMPROVEMENT DAY:
The City of St. Peters held it’s Annual Clean Stream Day Saturday March
28th. The Englewood Trustees attempted to participate in this event and
had hoped that our residents would join with the City and be able to
“clean” the creek that runs through our neighborhood. According to our
Volunteer Co-Coordinator and Englewood Trustee, Don Lange, the only
Englewood Volunteers were resident Susan Mays and her nephew.
Therefore there was not a large enough “crew” to undertake cleaning any
portion of our creek and these volunteers were sent elsewhere in the City.
In spite of heavy rains, the City did hold this event and volunteers were
able to remove over 1,440 pounds of trash from City Streams and trails.
Thank you Don and Susan for your participation!
Our Park Improvement day was held on Saturday April 25th. No
ADULT residents (other than your Trustees) volunteered to help.
We would like to THANK our Kid Volunteers; Madison,
Mason, Briauna and Kailey for their help. Their
enthusiasm (and energy) was AWESOME!!! Thanks Kids!!!
EASTER EGG HUNT:
The Easter Bunny made his arrival and provided a fun filled Easter
Egg Hunt for our resident kiddies on Saturday April 4th. He even
happily posed for photos! The event was well attended, and
everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.
We hope to be able to once again make this an Annual Event.
HUGE THANKS go out to Kathleen and Marcie Hutchison for cocoordinating this event and to all the volunteers who helped them
make this event a success. Great Job everyone!
Some of the projects accomplished this year:
•
Edging was installed and flowers planted by the main entrance signs
(Laurelwood & Salt Lick Rd.)
•
Trees in the Subdivision Park were pruned.
•
Yard waste (placed in the park by adjoining residents) was removed.
•
“Spouts” around trees were removed.
•
LOTS of dead limbs and sticks were picked up off the ground and
removed.
•
Playground area was “raked” to remove sticks, broken glass, toys
etc.
In the future we hope to repair the picnic tables and the benches near the
playground. Repair our East Entrance sign and continue to do some tree
maintenance.
SUBDIVSION PARK:
In response to our request in the last newsletter for suggestions to
improve our “park” we received NO RESPONSE.
In spite of that, if the budget allows we HOPE to be able to add some
additional tables, and grills to make this area more enticing to our
families and our adult residents.
We ask that you REMEMBER that the Park is not just any
individual person’s park it is EVERYONE’S park.
Please do not dump your grass or limbs in our community space.
Our children play here and we need to make the space safe for
everyone. Remember this is EVERYONE’S park. Please help your
neighborhood to stay beautiful.
THERE IS TO BE NO USE OF MOTORCYCLES OR ATV’S IN OUR
PARK. ONLY AUTHORIZED VEHICLES DOING WORK THERE ARE
ALLOWED.
As mentioned earlier in this article – we plan to repair the picnic
tables and benches in the park. The last time the benches were
repaired – they were vandalized in less than 1 month. We hope
that this will not happen again. Vandalism will not be
tolerated. We will make every effort to find those responsible,
not only are we willing to prosecute but we WILL seek restitution.
All residents should not be forced to pay for the misdeeds of
others.
If you see illegal behavior occurring in our Park – PLEASE call the
St. Peters Police Department IMMDEDIATLY and then contact one
of the Board Members to advise them of the situation. By calling
the Police Department first, we will save valuable time and be
more likely to apprehend the people behaving badly.
WE APPRECIATE ALL HELP IN THIS MATTER.
SUBDIVISION WIDE GARAGE SALE:
The Annual Neighborhood Garage Sale has changed from the
1 s t Saturday in June to the LAST Saturday in May. This date
change will allow for residents to easily dispose of their “left over” items by
taking advantage of Bulky Trash Day.
Once again the Residents Association will advertise the Garage Sale in the
local papers. Signs will also be posted to alert traffic on Salt Lick to this
event. We hope you all have a SUCESSFUL Sale!
Remember that Bulky Trash Pick-up is a FREE service
provided by the city of St. Peters to their residents. You
must CALL the City @ 278-2244 x 410 at least 48
hours in advance to be put on the pick-up schedule.
nd
Englewood Flyer – 2 Edition – May 2009
CURFEWS:
With summer fast approaching and schools soon to be out for the
season you might be wondering what the City Ordinances is
regarding Curfews and what ages are affected by the ordinance.
The following information is taken from Police Dispatch column of
the May issue of the St. Peters Newsletter:
“In the state of Missouri, a juvenile is defined as any person 16 years of age or
younger. Anyone 17 or older is considered an adult in the State of Missouri, so
juvenile law does not apply.”
Page 3 of 4
SUMMERTIME AND KIDS:
Summer brings challenges to our kids as well as pets – please keep
the following in mind:
•
•
•
•
“In the City of St. Peters, juveniles are restricted from going out by themselves after
curfew, which begins at 11p.m. from Sunday through Thursday, and at midnight on
Friday and Saturday. This restriction continues through 6 a.m. each day of the week.”
•
“In the city of St. Peters, it is unlawful for any juvenile to loiter, wander, drive or ride in
any vehicle within any public place with the City or any unsupervised place within the
City after curfew. If a juvenile is caught in public past curfew, the officer will explain to
the minor the curfew ordinance and then take him or her into custody while a
parent/guardian is notified. Once the juvenile is released to the parent/guardian, the
juvenile is refereed to the Juvenile Court of St. Charles County.”
•
“Parents cannot set a curfew later than the curfew spelled out in the City Ordinance. A
parent and/or guardian who allow as a child to stay out past the City curfew can be
charged for permitting a minor to violate the ordinance.”
“It’s important to remember that curfews are intended to protect juveniles and keep St.
Peters a safe place to live. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to
contact the Police Department at 636-278-2244 ext. 545.”
We hope that all parents will review the curfew ordinance with
their children. Children out after curfew could easily become the
victim of an unscrupulous adult or may be enticed into
behavior/actions that could be hazardous to themselves, to
others, and to property. No one wants a child to be injured or to
make a poor decision that could negatively impact their life or that
of others.
SUMMERTIME AND PETS:
•
•
FOURTH OF JULY:
We would like to remind you that it is illegal in the City of St.
Peters to set off fireworks.
FIREWORKS MAY NOT,
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE,
BE SET OFF IN OUR SUBDIVISION PARK.
If you feel you MUST celebrate the holiday by violating this City
Ordinance, then please be respectful of your neighbors; don’t aim
fireworks at other homes, cars, or people. Pick up your debris.
Make sure you have a water source available in case of fire.
SUPERVISE your children – keep them safe.
HELPFUL INFORMATION:
•
With summer here and everyone out enjoying the nice weather it is
important to keep in mind a few issues:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Make sure your pet has access to plenty of fresh water and shade.
Children, especially small children or children on bikes/tricycles, should
be cautioned about approaching unfamiliar dogs.
Kids (and adults) should always ASK PERMISSION before
attempting to pet any dog being walked.
Children should not approach a dog running free.
If you or your child must enter someone’s yard to retrieve a ball or toy,
PLEASE remember to close the gate behind you so that you don’t
inadvertently let a pet out.
Please be a good neighbor and control your dogs barking. People
are much more likely to have their windows open or be outside at this
time of year so nuisance barking is MUCH more noticeable. This is
especially true at night when sound may carry further and people are
trying to sleep. Remember that your dogs uncontrolled barking could
result in a fine for peace disturbance.
When walking your dog, be a good neighbor, make sure you pick up
any “deposits” your pet leaves behind – not only is it good manners
but it is the law.
St. Peters Ordinances also require you to remove pet waste from your
yard in a timely manner (daily).
Make sure your pet is wearing a collar with tags so it can be returned to
you if it should accidentally “escape”. Remember St. Peters DOES
HAVE and ENFORCES a Leash Law.
Cats ARE SUBJECT to leash laws too! – Please confine your cat to
your property. Letting a cat roam is detrimental not only to our song
bird population but increases the likelihood of your pet picking up
parasites or disease or being injured.
Make sure you and your child knows and obeys the curfew. (See
article in this newsletter)
Teach your child “the rules of the road” for safe cycling.
Children engaged in street play – should keep an eye out for cars.
They should move quickly and POLITELY to the side to let cars
pass. Streets are designed for cars to travel on, not for kids to play in.
Placing orange “traffic cones” in the street DOES NOT give your
children priority over traffic.
If your child loves skateboarding – PLEASE consider taking them to
one of the area parks that provides for this activity. Streets and
sidewalks ARE NOT SAFE OR APPROPRIATE.
Encourage your child to use the Subdivision Park for games of softball,
soccer etc. (Please use only the appropriate park entrances.)
Remember to respect others property – don’t climb their trees or use
their yard to play in WITHOUT FIRST getting PERMISSION!
Don’t Climb trees in our Subdivision Park or do damage to them!!!
Fences and Storage Sheds: If you are planning to erect
either of these items - Please pick up a copy of the St.
Peters Ordinances for these from
Association President, John Hutchison.
•
Neighborhood Plats: are now available on our website – be
sure to check them for easements BEFORE erecting fences,
pools or planting landscaping.
•
DIG RIGHT: Planning on adding a fence or doing some
landscaping? Remember to call (1-800-344-7483) to have
your utility lines marked BEFORE YOU DIG. If you don’t
call before digging and accidentally cut a line the affected
utility might also require you to pay the repair costs.
Ordinance Change: Please be aware that St. Peters has
recently changed its ordinance regulating setbacks from the
property line. The regulation NOW REQUIRES that all
structures; including Swing sets; MUST be set a minimum
of 6 foot from the property line.
NOTE: This regulation change DOES NOT Affect Fence
Placement. HOWEVER - This Change DOES Apply to Trees!
•
NEIGHBORHOOD NIGHT AT THE RASCALS:
We have been offered the opportunity by the River City Rascals to
participate in a Neighborhood Night at the Ballpark on Friday August
21st. However due to scheduling conflicts, no Trustee is available to
coordinate this event. We need a volunteer willing to coordinate this
event with residents and the Rascals, handle ticket sales/reservations,
etc. PLEASE contact John Hutchinson by May 22nd if you are
interested in helping. Price per ticket for the event will be in the $5.00 $10.00 range and will include many “extras” in addition to the game.
nd
Englewood Flyer – 2 Edition – May 2009
ASSESSMENT COLLECTION:
A HUGE THANK YOU to all the residents who so quickly
paid their Annual Assessment – WE APPRECIATE YOUR
PROMPT PAYMENT and are GRATEFUL to you for
honoring YOUR commitment to our neighborhood!
Our subdivision has 273 homes; our Assessment was
DUE on February 29th. At that time 220 or 80.58% of
you had paid your annual Assessment. The majority of
these residents had paid the assessment by end of
January and taken advantage of our Early Payment
Discount.
As of March 31st – with the Assessment now being 30
days Past Due - there were 21 homes not paid or
7.69%.
Page 4 of 4
Those of you who pay promptly, may be wondering why
people don’t pay on time. The reasons are varied – below
are some examples, as well as our response to them:
•
include us in your on-line bill paying – HURRAY for you and
THANK YOU!)
•
This situation is VERY disheartening. Your Trustees DO
NOT want, nor do they enjoy having to send out multiple
“late notices”, leaving you voice messages or visiting your
home in order to get you to pay your assessment fee. (We
also DON’T enjoy being verbally abused for doing our job.)
We DO NOT want to have to place liens against your
home or take other action. This is costly and time
consuming for us AND the delinquent Homeowner!
HOWEVER we must insure that EVERYONE pays
their assessment – otherwise we would be negligent
in our responsibilities.
Frankly it would be MUCH EASIER for us – to simply
turn over the running of our subdivision to an outside
company (as do MANY other subdivisions and let them
deal with the headaches) – but this would greatly
INCREASE the cost of the Annual Assessment for all our
residents – something we DON’T WANT TO DO! We
KNOW that you don’t want to be paying $150.00 or
more per year in assessment fees.
I pay all my bills on line so I don’t even know
where my check book is. (We will gladly accept cash.
Trustees will be happy to provide you with a receipt should you
choose to pay in person with cash.)
•
I don’t use the common ground so why should I
pay? (The common ground adds value to EVERY home, even
if the owners don’t use it. – Also when you purchased your
home you agreed to adhere to the Indentures of Trust and ByLaws thus creating a contractual obligation to pay the annual
assessment.)
At the end of April, we still had 17 homes or 6.23%
WHO HAD NOT PAID their annual Assessment Fee.
For many of these “late” homeowners – this is not the
first year that they have been negligent in paying their
Assessment. (Yes, we do keep track of this information
from year to year.)
I pay all my bills on line so I “forget” to pay the
assessment. (Several of you have figured out a way to
•
My home is for sale and no one is living there, so
why should I pay? (Common Ground is a desirable
“amenity” and will help you get a better price for your home. It is
also your Contractual Obligation to pay the assessment. Do you
know that the Title Companies contact us before a home sale
closes? If there are unpaid assessments, they have to be paid
at the time of closure for the sale to be completed. Do you
really want to jeopardize the sale of your home?)
•
You “threatened me” by saying you will put a lien
on my home if I don’t pay, so I’m going hold out
as long as I can. (Our statement that liens may be placed
against property is not meant to be a threat – we merely want to
INSURE that you are aware that there are consequences for
non-payment – we don’t want you to be surprised if we have to
take this action.)
For those of you who do pay on time – would you be
interested in reading a list of the non-payers in this
newsletter? Perhaps on our website? Both?
For those of you who don’t pay – would any of the above
actions motivate you to pay quickly?
If you have ideas or suggestions for solving this
yearly problem we would GREATLY appreciate
hearing them!