The Sanctuary Club Quarterly Newsletter - July 31, 2010

Click Here ---> The Sanctuary Club Quarterly Newsletter - July 31, 2010

Topics:

• Past Accomplishments and Future vision of The Sanctuary Club, Inc.
• Presidential analysis of accomplishments - the past 2 years

• Club Membership

• Club Members Annual Meeting

• New Club Secretary

• Special Committees

• Area Director Contact List

• Honoring American Patriots

• Neighbor - To - Neighbor

• Welcome to our new neighbors

• Your Publicity Opportunity

• Lake Residents

• Recipe

• Recycle

Neighbor - to Neighbor

Subject: Information pretaining to safety and to clarify Lake access limitations stipulated in the Caldwell Sanctuary Covenants and Restrictions:

As you know, “Only the Occupants of the Lake Lots shall have access to and use of Lake Sanctuary,”“Caldwell Sanctuary Covenants and Restrictions, 4-26-2006.”

As a safety precaution, please be aware there have been some small children, some of which appeared to be preschool, playing around the lake this past weekend. These small children did not appear to have adult supervision! I am not aware where they came from or who they were visiting.

They were observed playing around the lake and in many of the lake-resident backyards. While almost every lake resident will occasionally have children or small grandchildren visiting or playing in our homes and around the lake, please be certain the small ones have adult supervision at the lake for all the right reasons.

As you may know, there are several locations on the lake that have very deep drop-offs in the water immediately off-shore. Elementary and older children could fall into the lake without being aware of the danger and may have serious trouble getting out of the water.

We all love these precious children. Let's help one another to be alert and exercise reasonable caution. Let us be sure all children, especially the little ones, always have adult supervision and that they enjoy their summer fun.

Past Accomplishments and Future vision Of Sanctuary Club, Inc.

Past Accomplishments and Future vision Of Sanctuary Club, Inc.

Presidential Analysis

Accomplishments of the Club over the past two years:

Started the Club - - - formed a corporation, developed by-laws and articles of incorporation, elected a board and officers. Formed a neighborhood watch program in concert with the Hoover Police Department, installed two no- solicitation signs, published a neighborhood telephone book, opened a checking account, established a budget, distributed quarterly newsletters, developed a data base with email addresses, developed an internet blog spot to keep our residents informed concerning the latest developments, created a help- committee to assist needy homeowners with minor household tasks, met with the Sanctuary developer and McKay Management to review budget items, established a committee to improve the appearance of vacant lots, encouraged and worked with the City of Hoover for road paving, established a committee that would contact the utility companies to realign selected water, electrical, and telephone boxes for residents, met with other neighborhood association managers for beneficial common interest items, held quarterly board meetings, convened residential annual meetings, held two ice cream socials and the first annual barbeque picnic.

Club membership since last year has grown from 54% to 97% of all residents. And guess what? Thanks to your encouragement, support, and that of your neighbors, we are just getting started!

What we learned about our Responsibilities:

The “Caldwell Sanctuary Owner’s Association Covenants and Restrictions,” [C.S.O.A.]

Article VII Maintenance Responsibilities “…No exterior changes, alterations or improvements shall be made to any Lot or Dwelling without first obtaining the prior written approval of the same from the Architectural Review Committee [A.R.C.]”

5.6 Landscaping Approval “In order to preserve, to the extent practicable, the natural landscaping and plant life currently situated on the property and in order to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the property, no landscaping, grading, excavation or fill work of any nature shall be implemented or installed by any Owner, on any Lot or Dwelling unless and until landscaping plans therefore have been submitted to and approved by the ARC.

Commentary: All of us must consistently abide by and encourage adherence to the C.S.O.A. Covenants and Restrictions if we want to maintain the quality neighborhood we desire. All residents ought to read, understand, and comply with the covenants and architectural standards.

If any resident is cited for a covenant violation, then it is incumbent upon them, as good neighbors, to correct it and move on. The better part of self-interest is to not make it an issue or hold a grudge. We are collectively and individually subject to the same covenants and restrictions.

Remember, all actions that must taken by McKay Management to enforce covenants are paid directly out of the annual dues assessed by C.S.O.A. Please endeavor to keep your costs and our costs down by applying to the Architectural Review Committee [ARC] prior to making additions, changes or deletions to your home or landscape.

Future Vision ---As we go forward.

It has become increasingly evident that we need our best and most talented leaders to step forward and serve on our board. We must continue to recruit these best leaders and workers and then encourage their participation. We need to closely monitor all actions and transactions involved in the management of our subdivision for the benefit of all residents in the Sanctuary.

It is very important that we anticipate the acceptance and control of our Owner’s Association when it is released to us by the developer. We have the opportunity to educate our board members on the duties they will need to perform when we are in control. We need to take advantage of our experience and be ready when the time comes for the transfer of association responsibilities from C.S.O.A. to the Sanctuary residents.

The Sanctuary Club’s Annual Meeting is scheduled for November 16^th, 2010

This is our annual meeting at which time we will elect five new board members. This is an important meeting; so please mark your calendars and try to attend. Presently, we are in need of a good secretary who will keep the minutes at quarterly and special-called meetings. If you have an interest and would like to discuss the secretarial duties, then call me at 205-408-7445. Have a great remaining summer and try to STAY COOL.

Respectfully,

Dan Murchison

Excerpts from an article "How to control Geese," by Fran Prisco:

Each year thousands of Golf Courses, Parks, Green Belts, Back Yards, Baseball Fields and even cemeteries are inundated with messy, slippery Canada Goose droppings. Canada Geese have become a nuisance in many areas!

They thrive in the close protection and feeding opportunities they find in parks, near suburban wetlands, and on lawns or golf courses. Populations of urban Canada Geese are still growing. Flocks of non-migrating Canada geese have become established throughout Maryland and other Atlantic flyway states. In urban areas, Canada geese have responded to landscape features that provide expanses of short grass for food, lack of natural predators, absence of hunting, and hand feeding by some people.

Although most people find a few geese acceptable, problems develop as local flocks grow and the droppings become excessive (a goose produces a pound of droppings per day). Problems include over-grazed lawns, accumulations of droppings and feathers on play areas and walkways, nutrient loading in ponds, public health concerns at beaches and drinking water supplies, aggressive behavior by nesting birds, and safety hazards near roads and airports. Geese can also damage agricultural crops by excessive grazing.

Eliminating the food sources is a key to reducing the goose population. Geese eat grass, so make it unpalatable! The easiest way to do this is to spray your lawn with a product called Migrate available from Bird-B-Gone, Inc. It is a biodegradable, safe, EPA approved product that "flavors" the lawn so that the geese do not like the taste. The active ingredient in Migrate is MA (methyl anthranilate), which is a human-safe food flavoring derived from grapes so it is harmless to the geese, other animals and humans. It will not pollute ponds or lakes and is easy to apply. Additionally, if someone in your area is feeding the geese then there is little you can do to stop them.