| From The Chair... | Activities Committee | Architectural Committee |
| The Green Thumb | Communications | FYI |
| From The Chair... | Activities Committee | Architectural Committee |
| The Green Thumb | Communications | FYI |
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I hope everyone is having a great summer. The July 4th Pool Party was a great success. I want to thank everyone on the Activities Committee for their help. Our "chefs" did a great job on the hotdogs, and the kids won some cool prizes in the games.
Hopefully, everyone knows that the homeowners of Planter's Row take control of the community from the developer at the end of the year. In the next couple of months the newsletter will reflect some of the changes that we, as a community, will need to make in the Covenants. These changes will be necessary to make the Covenants less developer-oriented and more in tune with the needs of the community. We will need to vote on the changes either by proxy or attending the neighborhood meeting at the end of the year.
Please make sure that you read the ACC article because it contains the changes to the garbage and lawn debris pick-up. This is all due to cuts made in the Mauldin city budget by our city councilmen. If you have comments regarding the changes, please contact your mayor or councilmen. The changes affect not only the sanitation department but also our own police and fire protection.
Again, thanks for your time, and have a great summer!
There was a great time had by all at the 4th of July Pool party. There were games and food, and a great big thanks goes out to the pool committee for all its hard work. Don't forget there will be an upcoming Pool Party to end the season on Labor Day. Look out for the signs. Your short, but vital volunteer help is welcome.
If you are considering having a party or gathering at the pool and using the picnic area, please call me at 297-0853 to make sure that someone else is not already scheduled for that day. Thanks for your cooperation.
Need a Pool ID?
For new members to our community, please check our website for the appropriate form to receive your pool ID or contact Cathy Bell at Goldsmith at 297-4970 to get the necessary information. ID's are usually made on Fridays and delivered either Friday night or Saturday morning. Check the slot under your mailbox for your pool pass or stickers.
Please remember to pick up your trash at the pool and the surrounding areas, as we must be our own clean up crew.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Garbage and recycling pickup is in separate containers usually picked up on Friday, unless Friday is a holiday. Do not put any yard waste in the green garbage container. Please have your items on the curb by 7 AM. If you're going to be away for the pickups, please have a neighbor put out and take in your trash and recycling containers for you instead of leaving them on the curb for days before or after the scheduled pickup.
The Mauldin Sanitation Department has provided a listing of items and the requirements for their disposal on page.
Revised pickup schedules for holiday periods are given in the local papers and on the Mauldin City Public Access cable channel (Channel #15).
Due to Mauldin's budget constraints, yard waste will no longer be picked up automatically. Starting 7/01, yard waste will be picked up when you call the Sanitation Department at 234-3486 or 234-3491. Allow 5 working days for the pickup to be made. Please be aware that the sanitation crew is unable to pick up loose leaves, grass clippings or weeds from April 1st to October 1st. Their equipment does not have the leaf vacuum installed during that period. Those materials must be bagged in bags weighing 50-pound maximum during that period. Beginning 8/01, the Sanitation Department will no longer pick up waste generated by contractors. Please ensure that all contractors working on your property remove any waste or debris they generate. Questions on any of the above should be directed to the Public Works Director, Tom Lynn, at 289-8891.
You may also contact Tom Lynn if you need a new or replacement garbage or recycling container. There will be a charge for the container.
Recycling of the items listed on page plus others not picked up by Mauldin (such as junk mail, etc.) can also be done by the homeowner. There is a set of unmanned containers located at the far end of the parking lot in the Mauldin Shopping Center at the corner of Owens Lane and South Main Street. They are available on a 24/7 basis.
There was a great time had by all at the 4th of July Pool party. There were games and food, and a great big thanks goes out to the pool committee for all its hard work. Don't forget there will be an upcoming Pool Party to end the season on Labor Day. Look out for the signs. Your short, but vital volunteer help is welcome.
If you are considering having a party or gathering at the pool and using the picnic area, please call me at 297-0853 to make sure that someone else is not already scheduled for that day. Thanks for your cooperation.
The voting is in, and the latest winners of the Planter's Row Yard of the Month program are Arthur and April Edwards of 12 Croftstone Court, and David Huggins of 112 Golden Crest Court. Congratulations! Our winners receive a $10 gift certificate from Alexander's Other Door Nursery and get to proudly display our Yard of the Month signs for their hard efforts.
Thanks to all of the other homeowners who diligently maintain their properties. I can't help but notice a lot of nice yards as I drive through the community. Unfortunately, a few residents need to become better acquainted with their lawn mowers and weed eaters. Please be considerate of your neighbors and at least make the minimum effort to properly maintain your property.
Our next winners will be selected soon, so keep up the great work on your yards. Hopefully you will be recognized next month for your all of your efforts.
This is the second year that Alexander's Other Door has supported our Yard of the Month program. Located at 203 East Butler Road, Alexander's is a full service garden center with a complete line of plants, shrubs, trees and accessories, not to mention everything for water gardens. Darryl Taylor and his staff will be happy to provide you with knowledgeable advice for any of your yard related problems. You are encouraged to patronize Alexander's and when you visit, please let them know that as a resident of Planter's Row you appreciate their support.
After May's drought threatened to leave us with brown lawns for the summer, our yards have greened up nicely thanks to the great amount of rain we've gotten the last two months. But now that the grass is green, it's up to us to keep it that way when we don't get enough rain to do the job for us. Keep in mind that no significant amount of moisture moves upward in the soil to replenish that which is lost at the surface. As surface moisture is exhausted by roots and evaporation, only rain and watering can restore it.
Most lawns need from 1" to 1-1/2" of water every 5-7 days and deep watering 2-3 times per week is better than watering just a little bit every day. This allows the moisture to penetrate deeper, encouraging the development of a deeper root system which ultimately won't require as much watering.
If you haven't already fertilized your Bermuda, now is the time to do so. It is also a good time to reseed any bare areas. However, money and effort spent trying to reseed cool season grasses (fescues) now, will probably be wasted. You may get some greening, but there is not enough time for the grass to become established before the hot weather sets in.
You should also check and/or change your mower's oil and clean or replace the air filter. A sharp blade is also important and you would be surprised how dull and dinged they can become after just one season. Sharpening (check the phone book) or replacing a blade is not that expensive and your grass will love you for it.
Recommended mowing heights vary somewhat for the various varieties of grasses, but you won't go wrong keeping the fescue about 3 to 3 1/2 inches high and the Bermuda about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high. Regular mowing is important and you should never remove more than one-third of the grass height at any one time.
Hey everyone. I hope everyone's having a great summer! Just a few issues this month concerning communications. As many of you may know there have been some problems with construction traffic and parking. I am currently working with the Mauldin Police Department to work this out, but until then be careful driving through the neighborhood!
Also, some minor instances have arisen involving parking violations among homeowners. Just a reminder - the homeowners' association prohibits parking on the side of the roads. Also, parking any vehicle or trailer anywhere other than on paved surfaces is also restricted.
Well, now that that's out of the way, I'd like to announce that we have a new community webmaster! All website correspondence and inquiries should now be directed to Jared Donboch (281-9896). We are currently working on updating the website from the past few months, and we would be glad to have any suggestions by the homeowners. The Planter's Row community website belongs to you!
Communications liaison - Kris Durbin, 414-6399 durbin@plantersrow.netThe "big picture" regarding transition, transfer and turnover of homeowner association (HOA) responsibilities and amenities management is now more or less in focus, and a "digging in" phase regarding our preparations is beginning. Attorney Mark R. Holmes, Member, Leatherwood, Walker, Todd and Mann, P.C., has been engaged for the purposes of advising on any legal issues that may arise in connection with the transition, and for reviewing developer-controlled HOA information and documents prior to the turnover. A similar sort of engagement for accounting and auditing purposes is anticipated to occur soon and be performed in parallel to the legal review now in progress.
The Transition Committee continues to provide the Advisory Group and the Planter's Row property management representative with educational information, direction, guidance and recommendations to assist the Group and Goldsmith in its understanding of what needs to be understood and done to establish competence and professionalism in its organization and execution of responsibilities and duties as Planter's Row transforms from developer-control to homeowner-control. An abstracted compendium of articles provided on the Community Association Institute (CAI)'s webpage recently was provided to the Advisory Group and Cathy Bell of Goldsmith to facilitate and improve the steps taken, and outcomes possible to derive, during and from the Planter's Row transition.
We are beginning to see 'the light at the end of the tunnel'! Transition Team updates will soon include specifics and details regarding the organization Planter's Row is more and more expected and able to become.
Block Captain Fever Spreads!
The success of Community Watch programs is contingent upon the establishment and cooperation of block captains. These volunteers help serve as the eyes, ears and voices for their neighbors. However, block captains aren't just for neighborhoods anymore.
Six weeks ago the City of Greenville instituted a block captain program of its own. Volunteers were recruited to do a weekly survey of the area surrounding their businesses or places of employment. Their responsibility is to notify the city of repairs or improvements that need to be done. Burned out street lights, debris and sidewalks in need of fixing have already been reported to the city.
The result is a cleaner and more attractive downtown area. Tim Dant, general manager of the Hyatt Regency and himself a block captain, has said that Greenville is "the neatest and most unique downtown" he's ever seen in his 19 years with Hyatt Hotels.
The concept is simple yet so effective. And if it can work for downtown Greenville, then there's no telling how much of a difference our own block captains can make for Planters Row! If you notice anything in our community that needs to be addressed, please contact your block captain. If one has not been assigned to you, feel free to contact me at 213-9378 or craigturbo@flashmail.com
(This writing is based upon Allison Walsh's article in the July 20-26 edition of The Greenville Journal.)
Click here for information on of items that Mauldin Sanitation will pick up.