| From The Chair... | Facilities | Architectural Committee |
| The Green Thumb | Communications | Neighborhood Watch |
| From The Chair... | Facilities | Architectural Committee |
| The Green Thumb | Communications | Neighborhood Watch |
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PROTECT, PRESERVE, ENHANCE
Fall has officially arrived and winter will be here before you know it. As we quickly approach year-end, it's hard to fathom how quickly time goes by. And what a year it's been! If you recall back in February, we presented our plan for 2003. We're proud to say that we've met a majority of our strategies. Hopefully by now, you've noticed some of the successes we've had this year, like the new lights along the walkway by the pool and tennis courts, a fun July 4th Pool Party, the new monument at the 1st Vineyard entrance and the successful facelift on the fence that runs along the Ashmore Bridge corridor. [Be sure and read the Projects-In-Progress section for further details]. I'd like to personally thank John Park, owner of Exterior Cleaning Services for a job well done. John is responsible for the great job of cleaning and staining the fence along Ashmore Bridge. If you're interested in having him do work for you, he can be reached at 244-6131.Fall has officially arrived and winter will be here before you know it. As we quickly approach year-end, it's hard to fathom how quickly time goes by. And what a year it's been! If you recall back in February, we presented our plan for 2003. We're proud to say that we've met a majority of our strategies. Hopefully by now, you've noticed some of the successes we've had this year, like the new lights along the walkway by the pool and tennis courts, a fun July 4th Pool Party, the new monument at the 1st Vineyard entrance and the successful facelift on the fence that runs along the Ashmore Bridge corridor. [Be sure and read the Projects-In-Progress section for further details]. I'd like to personally thank John Park, owner of Exterior Cleaning Services for a job well done. John is responsible for the great job of cleaning and staining the fence along Ashmore Bridge. If you're interested in having him do work for you, he can be reached at 244-6131.
These projects couldn't happen without help from community volunteers. Our community now exceeds 500 homes. Based on a total of 10 volunteers in the community, we barely have 1% community involvement to get these projects completed. Our Annual Homeowners Meeting will take place in January. We will notify each homeowner the date and place, once we finalize the schedule. I would ask each of you not only to attend the annual meeting, but also consider further involvement in the community. We'll be looking to add new board members as well as solicit committee membership for ACC, Facilities and Communication Committees. We simply can't do it alone!
As our community continues to mature, it's very important for homeowners to be responsible for the upkeep of their homes and property. It's been brought to the attention of the board and property management that many homeowners are neglecting the exterior of their homes. The fall season is a great time to walk around your house and look for issues that need addressed, like areas that need caulked, wood trim and windows that needs scraped and painted or replaced, and bushes that are overgrown and need trimmed. Pressure-washing the siding of your home when it starts to become discolored with mildew and dirt is also important.
I want to take a minute and cover some of the specific complaints we're receiving from homeowners about their neighbors.
Mailboxes: Many of our mailboxes and mailbox posts need repaired. I know first hand that updating your mailbox and mailbox post is not expensive or difficult. I'm no Bob Vila and I did it. Refer to your Planter's Row in a Nutshell for specific instructions on required material and stain color.
Home Exteriors: Complaints have ranged from peeling paint around doors and windows to dilapidated garage doors and garage door molding. It is much less expensive and time consuming to perform these home maintenance projects before significant damage occurs to your home.
Landscaping: Now that the heat of the summer has passed, it's a great time to get outside and trim those overgrown bushes. Most complaints we've received refer to simple neglect. We recommend homeowners trim back bushes and pull weeds out of mulch beds. Bushes should not be obstructing your windows.
Bottom line points to keeping your home in shape: It's the "neighborly" thing to do, it's less expensive to maintain today than cover major expenses in the future, it's required by our covenants and it will help maintain and enhance the value of your home. Neglecting your home not only decreases your property's value but also reflects on the entire community. It can cause your neighbors property to lose value as potential homebuyers contemplate living in our community but choose to do otherwise due to appearances of neglected neighboring homes. Those homeowners who do not keep their home in acceptable condition will receive a letter from the board indicating the work that needs to be done to comply with our covenants.
I'd like to change direction and talk briefly about plans for 2004. We're in the process of creating our plan for 2004 and would like your input for direction. Some ideas we're considering for 2004 include the resurfacing our tennis courts, cemetery landscaping and irrigation, repair and paint street and stop signs, add stop signs at busy intersections, speed humps, new landscaping at our entrances, new sod along the fence on Ashmore Bridge Road, new speed limit signs through the community and much more. We'd like your input as well. Please email your ideas to dkgallagh@aol.com. I look forward to hearing your ideas. Planters Row is a great place to call home as it has a lot to offer its homeowners. It is the responsibility of the Board as well as each homeowner to ensure its continued success. Enjoy the beautiful fall weather South Carolina has to offer!!
Neighborhood Garage Sale
Hey everyone, do you want to get rid of some stuff? How about a neighborhood garage sale? Everyone who is interested just needs to be set up and ready to cash in on Saturday November 15th from 7am til 11am. The HOA will take care of advertising in the paper and everyone who is interested just needs to make sure that a they have a sign in front of their home on this morning!
Speeding:
We're driving too fast throughout our neighborhood! We've recently asked for increased Police patrol and have begun reviewing the process of obtaining additional stop signs and speed humps. Remember - the speed limit is 25 mph throughout Planters Row. We have asked the Mauldin police to issue tickets, not warnings, to anyone caught speeding in Planters Row, so please slow down!
Fence Revitalization
Project complete! What a great job by Exterior Cleaning Services. We welcome the facelift and added curb appeal of Planters Row!!
New Entrance Monument
The Bel Arbor monument construction and lighting is now complete. The next phase is completing the irrigation and landscaping. We hope to have the project completely finished by year-end.
Monument Lighting
You may have noticed that our monuments look "brighter" in the evenings. Our old light fixtures were placed towards the back of the landscape beds, which caused a "shadow" effect in the evenings. The old double light fixtures have been replaced with single halogen light fixtures and were placed in front of the plants. By doing so, the names on our monuments appear in bright light.
Street Signs
We have started the process of repairing street signs and street sign posts along the roads throughout Planters Row. Staples are being pulled, holes and cracks are filled and sanded, and fresh coats of paint begin applied to sign posts. Our goal is to budget for and complete in 2004. We would ask all homeowners not to nail or staple personal signs, [garage sale, yard sales, home for sale, etc.], to our street signs.
Pool Resurfacing
As highlighted in the Facilities Committee section. Will update as progress is made.
2004 Plan
We have started the process of planning for 2004. Please let us know what you'd like done in our community.
We had a great pool season this year! Hope everyone was able to spend at least a few hours enjoying our beautiful pool and tennis facilities this summer! Remember the tennis courts are open year-round. Fall is the perfect time to play a few sets.
The July 4th Pool party was a great success! We estimate 175 people attended. The sun was shining and the grills were smokin' hot. The kids had a great time participating in all the fun games organized by Jeff Sammond, Rich Falciatano and lifeguard Stephanie. They had everything from "Simon Says" for the tots in the baby pool to noodle races, quarter dives, t-shirt races, the biggest splash contest as well as a tug-of-war and a balloon toss. The food was great and we were very excited to see how many homeowners brought side dishes and desserts to go with the food provided. A special thanks to the volunteers who spent hours planning, shopping, and spent their holiday setting-up, grilling, serving and cleaning up: Ken and Dawn Gallagher, Jeff Sammond, Rich Falciatano and Deana Palmieri. And thanks to the sponsors who donated much of the food, soda and chips we enjoyed- Main Street Diner (owned and operated by Planters Row residents Tommy and Marilyn Kameda!) and Ryland Homes. We had a great time, hope you did too!!
Although the summer started off with many rainy cool days, we had good attendance at the pool, but there was always open seating for more! Upstate Pools did a great job providing lifeguard, cleaning and pool maintenance services again this year. We think the water looked great-crystal clear!
The pool operating hours were extended two weeks later than usual this year in response to homeowner request. The attendance records (obtained from the card scanner computer) will help the Board determine if we will do this again in 2004. If you have any opinions on this matter, please email me at dawngallagh@aol.com within the next month.
As always we are busy looking toward the future and 2004 will be here before we know it. Even though the pool isn't open, we have been busy assessing what needs to be done to ensure a great season next year. Here's what we have been up to:
It's time to resurface the pool. The plaster coating on the pools surface has served us well for approx. 9 years, but is starting to show its age. As you know we have been patching several areas over the past few years to make it thru one more season. It's time to do a major over-haul. The company we have contracted with is Swim Specialties from Gastonia, NC. The pool was drained and they will begin by replacing areas of cracked concrete on the deck. Then all damaged and soft spots in the plaster coating will be removed and the entire pool will be resurfaced. The water-line tile will also be replaced. The new surface will not only be aesthetically pleasing, but we are mainly having it done to protect the integrity of the main pool structure. If we wait and allow the cracks to continue and worsen we risk allowing water to seep under the concrete base. Once this happens the entire pool would have to be replaced which would be big $$$. Because we are doing this in the "slow season" we received a significant discount when negotiating the contract. We are excited about this project as we have been planning for and anticipating it for well over a year. We will be watching the work closely and hope you will too.
I spent several hours last week cleaning the tennis court nets. Who knew they could get so dirty! I also spent quite a bit of time scrubbing our new benches. Kids have been using them as skateboard ramps throughout the summer resulting in ugly marks and scuffs of all colors on the seats and backs of the once-white benches-they looked terrible! Two days after I completed the work, there were new marks. We are also noticing asphalt damage as a result of improper use. Please talk to your children about where they can ride skateboards, bikes, roller skates or scooters. They are not allowed on the tennis courts. During a consultation with a tennis court resurfacing company, we were advised this activity is accelerating the asphalt deterioration. This can result in the need to resurface the tennis courts earlier than expected, an expensive proposition. If you see children on the tennis courts who are not playing tennis, it's your responsibility as an adult and a homeowner to ask them to leave. If you have any information about who may be causing this damage, please email their names to me. Improper use of common property is grounds for invalidation of access cards.
We are preparing our budget requests for the 2004 season. We are creating a wish list of improvements and additions for the pool, tennis courts and playground. If you have any ideas of things you would like to see added or improved, please e-mail them to me as soon as possible. Many of the improvements made originate as ideas that come from homeowners. We want to make the amenities as attractive, user-friendly and fun for you as possible!
Have a wonderful autumn and holiday season! See you next year....
Pearls of Wisdom
The Community Associations Institute (CAI) regularly meets and writes about issues that associations face on a daily basis. The CAI editors have combed through 20 years of CAI publications and periodicals to offer instructions for community association life. There are a total of 116 pearls of wisdom to guide us and ensure that our community is a happy one. We will share a few of these in each newsletter for all of us to ponder:
Be a Good Homeowner:
Financial Wrap-up
Thanks to the strategy of placing liens and foreclosures on homeowners who are delinquent on their homeowner dues, we've managed to bring our total delinquency rate down from 14% just a few months ago to 8.3% as of 10/1/03. Our goal is to have our delinquency rate down to 5% by year-end. Based on the monies collected from those homeowners with liens and foreclosures filed against them, we will exceed our total budgeted income for the year. These extra funds will allow us to pay for negative budget variances in the area of Attorney and Legal Fees as well as offset the cost of the new monument that was going to be paid from our Reserve Account. As we finish off the last quarter of 2004, it appears that our existing operating cash account will cover remaining expenditures.
Halloween
Fall is here and all in Planter's Row should to be on the look out for the Planter's Row Ghost! No one has ever met him, or her! But one thing is for sure it brings gifts of goodies for it's fellow neighbors and asks them to pass the good wishes on.
If you get a knock on your door this October month and you find nothing but a bag with goodies in it, welcome the good wishes and realize that you might have just been hit by the Planter's Row Ghost!
The bag will be filled with items appropriate for you and your family. Baby cookies for the baby, cat food for the cat.... tea, candy, cookies, books... This bag will also include instructions on the Planter's Row Ghost chain of wishes and a white ghost sign. This sign is to be hung outside of your home to let others know you have been wished well by the Planter's Row Ghost and allow others to send wishes to those who have not been "hit". If you do get a bag of well wishes, you are ask to make a bag for someone else in the neighborhood to continue the chain. Store bought items at the dollar store are great ideas! It is best not to include homed baked goods. You may know that your neighbor's favorite hobby is golf and could include a golf ball or their favorite breakfast bar. It is an easy way to send good wishes to your neighbors and let everyone have a little fun.
Well wishes to you and your family and we hope that you are take part in the fun of the Planter's Row Ghost this season and the next!
Social Committee
The Planters Row Board is looking for a chairperson and "helpers" to create a Social Committee. If you're interested in coordinating fun events for the community, like dinner parties, pool parties, Friday night gatherings at the pool, trips to Greenville Braves games or anything else you can think of, please email at dkgallagh@aol.com. Let us know soon so we can budget funds to help support this fun committee in 2004!!!
Animal Control
On June 16th, 2003 the Mauldin City Council signed into effect changes to the animal control ordinance. This ordinance sets standards for care, treatment, and registration of animals inside the city. Individuals that own dogs should be aware of the following rules that include some changes to the old ordinance. Dog owners are still required to keep their dogs on a leash when they are not on their own property. Dogs are not allowed to run free on the property of others and are not allowed in the public parks in the City of Mauldin. Dog owners can have their pet impounded for violations of the ordinance and can be fined $150.00.
Dogs must be registered with the city on a one-year or three-year basis within thirty days of the animal's rabies shot anniversary and you must bring proof of the rabies inoculation when you register your pet. If you wish, you may register any pet with the city, but it is a requirement for dogs. Registrations can be purchased at Mauldin City Hall at the Police Records window during regular workdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
All dogs and cats are prohibited from running at large or grazing on the streets of the city, except when any such animal is properly haltered and under the immediate control of a responsible person.
It is unlawful for the owner of any animal to keep or have an animal that barks, whines or howls in an excessive, continuous or untimely manner. Bottom line: be a good neighbor and keep control of your dogs and cats.
Harmonious Health
Help Your Trees & Turf Get Along
As reported in TURF "Trees located within turfgrass settings have very different nutrient requirement and the two may be detrimental to each other in some cases. Many homeowners love the look of trees growing out of the lush turfgrass, but are not aware that the life of either or both may be in jeopardy. Turf robs trees of nutrients in the soil because turf consumes nitrogen a lot more than trees do. Some think they fertilize the lawn and at the same time take care of the trees, but this isn't so. The turf roots are much more prolific, and the turf out competes the tree for the fertilizer. The nutrient requirements for trees are higher than those of turf. Using a high nitrogen mix injected below the turf roots, at the 6 to 8-inch underground depth, makes sense considering water and nutrients for trees-as with all plants-come from the roots. A trees demise is often the result of undernourished roots and is evidenced by an unhealthy canopy of leaves. When roots are either damaged or malnourished, of course, less water and nutrients reach the leaves.
When feeding trees with broadcast spreading over the ground, tree roots are only getting 2% to 5% of the nutrients if there's a full lawn in place. A good rule of thumb is to use up to 4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet. Use as slow a release as possible. Knowing when a tree needs help takes a keen eye and tree knowledge. The appearance of drought symptoms-early fall leaf color, unwelcome insects or disease-are ways to quickly ascertain a problem. Other ways to tell: small or no new leaf buds, small leaf size, unusual or darker than normal leaf color, reduced twig growth, or evidence of crown dieback (the gradual death of the tree's upper section).
The following are some of the hazards that are likely to affect trees growing in turf settings. Sprinkler water hitting tree trunks on a daily basis can lead to infection of the main stem or root collar. Trimmer or mower damage can exacerbate the potential for infection due to wounding at the base of the tree. Turf planted up to the trunks can bury or shade the root collar and cause Oak Root Fungus infection. When soil is compacted during construction, it makes it difficult -if not impossible - for plant roots to develop sufficiently.
Newly planted trees can be protected by leaving an 8 to 12 -inch radius from the trunk free of turf. Digging a hole wide and shallow and properly mulching it." (Newly planted trees require daily watering for about the first 30-60 days until the root system has had a chance to get established)
"Two tests can be done to determine a specific tree's requirements: a soil test and a foliar (leaf sample) analysis. Instructions for taking samples for either test can be obtained from your county extension office."
YARD OF THE MONTH
"Yard of the Month" winners will be receiving a gift certificate from either our friends at Alexander's Other Door nursery on Butler Rd. or Super Sod of Greenville on Augusta Rd.
A big THANK YOU to Lisa Skipper for volunteering to take the time and look at all of the homes in Planters Row and select the top 2.
June: |
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Virginia Shelton 201 Edmonston Ct |
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Norbert & Liesl Hintz 2 Bayou Cove |
July: |
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Mr. & Mrs. Michael Stone 201 Fieldgate Court |
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Cari & Pat Gist 105 Sea Oats Inlet |
August: |
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John & Michelle Abraham 9 Leslie Court |
)
Faye Gooding 5 Marsh Creek |
September: |
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Ronny & Beth Grindle 6 Flarrow Ct |
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Sommese 100 Trailstream Drive |