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STRAUS PARK NEWSLETTER
November, 2006
Please be advised that the newsletter is not updated after it is published - if you want the current dates for scheduled events click on the monthly calendar link.
Master Association – September 28th Meeting
The Master Association September action items were ratified during the October meeting. (Since the minutes are legal documents, they cannot be published until after they have been ratified, which occurs at the following month’s meeting.) The following are the results of those action items:
• Treasurer, Jack Lockett reported that if the Board operates within budget for the next four months, there would be a $9,944 surplus at the end of the year.
• The Board moved to have John Wayne Hardison of High Country Tree Service treat the hemlocks in the common areas of Straus Park for wooly adelgids at a cost not to exceed $1,500 by the end of October. Nina Shippen, Co-chairman of the Beautification Committee, was directed by the Board to plant the tennis court bank at a cost of $1,159.
• Adrienne Fiedler, Cochairman of the Communications Committee, stated that the new SP Directory would be accessible on www.strauspark.org only through any and all of the individual sub-associations’ areas, all of which will be password-protected.
• A proposed increase in the maintenance fee of SP Landscape Services was approved due to an increase in the area to be maintained by them.
• Repair of the dam has been held up due to continuing negotiations with William McKee regarding responsibility for payment for repairs. Manager Scott McCall was directed to contact an attorney for an opinion on this issue, given its history. Richard Carney and Billy Harris have been working closely with city officials to determine who owns our roads at this point. The Board is still waiting for the promised report from the city.
• At the Board’s request, President Neumann and Scott McCall discussed with the city the return of the payments made for the water used on the tennis courts due to the double metering. The city reimbursed the Association in the amount of $2,575.11 following their discussions.
• Alice Tucker gave a presentation on the advantages of introducing tetraploid carp into Straus Lake. The Tuckers’ offer to donate 30 carp to SP to be delivered at the end of October was accepted by the Board.
• The Board moved to spend up to $500 to repair and repaint the SP sign at the front entrance.
Calendar of November Activities
• Women’s Bridge – Thursday, November 2nd & 16th - 1:00 PM
• Women’s Book Club – Monday, November 20th – 1:00 PM
• Master Association Board Meeting – Thursday, November 16th – 4:00 PM
• ECC Meeting – Thursday, November 30th – 10:00AM
Pot Luck Group
The November Pot Luck Dinner was hosted by Sue & Norm Macoy, Joan & Dick Doyle, & Paula & Tory Elliott at the Lake House on Sunday, November 12th. The entree was salmon with dill sauce.
Women’s Book Club
The selection for the Women’s Book Club, which meets at the Lake House on Monday, November 20th, at 1:00 PM, is “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” by Lisa See. Reed Parker will lead the discussion. The books featured by the book club are always available at Highland Books at a 10% discount for book club members.
Couples Bridge
There will be no Couples Bridge in November or December.
Lake House Decorating
We’ll be decorating the Lake House for the holidays from 7:00 – 8:30 PM on December 4th. There will be cider & cookies to reward your efforts, so please call Phyllis Gillette at 883-4653 to join the fun.
Straus Park Holiday Gala
Remember to RSVP to Linda Neumann by Friday, December 1st to attend the holiday festivities at the Lake House on the 9th.
SP Directory
To date, only 18 of you have sent in your info. Part of the reason to compile this directory is not only for the convenience of the residents & property owners, but to save the cost of paper, postage, & labor involved in notifying everyone when special notifications are required. The Master Association has repeatedly made the claim that we will stop sending snail mail due to the expense associated when reasonable alternatives such as email will suffice. The cost to the Association (that’s us, folks!) for a general mail-out is $0.10/page, plus postage, plus $1.00/standard envelope – that totals to about $450 for a simple ONE-PAGE mail-out to all SP residents/property owners for one notification, and it comes out of your pocket. This directory will allow us to send almost all of those notifications electronically for no cost. Now’s the time to get on board, because 2007 will be the transition period to electronic mail.
Please be advised that you WILL NOT be included in the SP Directory unless you email me at m81babe@earthlink.net or call me at 828-884-4337 with your info. This is to protect your privacy & to avoid any possible legal issues. We are requesting any of the following that you would like to have included: names of family members living at home, address, home phone numbers, cell phone numbers, email addresses, and seasonal information, if applicable. Even if you are already listed on some other SP list, you will not be included in the directory without contacting me with your info. This will insure the most current information possible.
Deadlines
Any items to be placed on the agenda for the monthly ECC meeting must be received by Scott McCall by the Friday preceding the meeting. Items for the SPMA agenda must be received by the Thursday prior to the meeting.
If you have any changes, additional information, or corrections for the newsletter, please contact the author, Adrienne Fiedler, at 884-4337 or at m81babe@earthlink.net. Thanks for your help.
