Briar Cove Paired Cottages | News Around the Neighborhood

With Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas is right around the corner and it’s just a matter of time before the children build the first snowmen of the season. This also means that Santa is not too far behind. For those families who have lost loved ones this year, we extend our condolences and heartfelt sympathy as the holidays can be a sad reminder of our losses.

2011 started with a colossal blizzard to be long remembered. As if that wasn’t enough, spring continued very wet and very hot, sometimes all in the same week. The summer and fall weather proved challenging to the vendors serving our community. The ambitious replacement program for the ailing trees was derailed by the DuPont issue which stalled planting while awaiting the DuPont results. For those unaware, the herbicide (Imprelis) used by our fertilizing vendor to control weeds, damaged and killed some of our evergreens. The weather provided another challenge to our lawn maintenance, as did the skunks digging for grubs; added to that, the wet and hot weather required unplanned treatment to invigorate and promote healthy roots for the lawns. Those were our challenges faced in 2011 which now provide a jumping point to plan landscaping and tree maintenance for 2012.

The Board of Directors would like to recognize the many committees members that provide sorely needed help throughout the year. Thank you for your service – it is greatly appreciated

We feel fortunate that many homeowners that have taken the time to write in with great ideas. With the help of one homeowner we were able to get the Town of Schererville to address a traffic issue at the front entrance.

Another homeowner wrote encouraging words to the Board telling them “how great the lawns and front beds look this year, after the fall cleanup. The grass is clear of leaves, the dead leaves are cleared from the front beds and the gutters are clean! I don't think I have ever seen everything looking so good at once since I have lived here!”
“Thought you should hear something good for a change!!” Indeed, we do enjoy this kind of positive feedback but we are not so naive to think that there isn’t a lot more to be accomplished.

Now for the good “stuff” or what we term “things that went well”. The Homeowners Association continues to remain financially sound. Briar Cove has not been immune to the ills that have befallen our economy and even though costs continue to climb, we have managed to contain those costs and maintenance fees remain the same for another year. We will continue to review and seek out other cost savings without significantly sacrificing the quality of services to our community.

The painting project was completed within budget.
With your input, the Exhibit D, “Rules and Regulations” were revised to meet the needs of our community. Enforcing the rules continues to present a challenge to the Board. A quote from an article that provides direction, states; “Directors must balance the interests of the members in preserving the residential character of the association while trying to maintain market values for community”.
A code of Ethics was adopted by the Board, which states, “As a board member, we need to be aware that more is expected of those in leadership roles”
Solar powered geese lights were installed to deter geese from nesting.
Our L & B committee provided direction to our landscaper for beautifying our waterfall and a second bench was added for our weary walkers.
The lawns were aerated and reseeded to promote healthy root growth
The walking path was re-graded to improve the walking surface to the delight of our walkers.
Warning signs were posted around the pond and waterfall for liability purposes.
Routine maintenance was performed to sustain our property values.

Schererville Councilman Tom Schmitt shares our concern with the speeding and running of the stop sign at the main entrance, on 213th Street. He arranged to have the flashing speed sign set up on 213^th street the first week in December so drivers would be more aware of the speed limit and of their own speed.. Tom likes the idea from a homeowner about installing a flashing stop sign and will talk to the Police Department to see if it can be installed.

Councilman Schmitt promised to follow up on the pending issues with the Canadian National Railroad and will report back when he gets more information.

The Councilman also shared information that the number of building permits for remodeling have picked up, but new home permits remain unchanged. If interest rates remain low, we hope for an increase in 2012. This is one indicator of the state of our local economy. Lastly, he said that the shopping mall to be built at Main and US41 is back in the planning stages and will get moving again after the first of the year.

Joe Arias was re-elected for a (3) year directors term. The terms of directors shall be staggered, the length for each director shall be (3) years. There will be a call for elections every year.

The third and final phase of the painting was completed under our projected bid. Any question on painting colors please check on our web-site. Under consideration for next year is a project to review the condition of the plywood sections for wear and fading and to determine if they should be repainted or replaced with a maintenance free material.

With the lessons learned from Dyer’s transition, Schererville section had some minor mishaps. If you wish to exchange your containers, you must call Republic (322-6688); they will issue a confirmation number so you can follow up. Republic is already in the process of filling replacement requests. You must leave your container alongside your driveway until the exchange is made. Schererville is in the yellow zone for recycling every other week.

The wheels of carts should be facing the home for proper placement to aid in the pickup and be sure to allow at least 3-4 Ft. between containers and the mail box. It is also advised that you mark your containers with your address. Refer to your flyer for additional information or visit our web-site.

As a reminder IN ADDITION TO BRIAR COVE RULES, THE TOWNS OF DYER AND SCHERERVILLE HAVE ORDINANCES THAT PROHIBIT LEAVING CARTS OUT IN THE OPEN OTHER THAN AT SPECIFIED PICK-UP TIMES.

The lawn care program took a rather aggressive approach due to the infestation of grubs and other insects which proved to be a food source for the skunks that invaded our community. The lawns were treated for grub control and next year’s program will effectively work to minimize the food source as much as possible. The lawns were aerated and reseeded and some lawns required extra attention due to the infestation of skunks.

Rule change for Holiday decorations reads as following; “holiday decorations may be installed one week before and after a holiday, with the exception of Christmas from the week of Thanksgiving to the end of January”.

Did you….Check all batteries, remove outdoor hoses, trim the grass around the bubblers and clean dryer vents.

Street parking after (2) inches of snow may incur towing or tickets from the Police Department.

Use only calcium chloride salt for melting ice for sidewalks and refer to product instructions for proper use.

In this season of Green and Gold I want to explore Living Green and how it affects us in the disposal of our electronic toys. Christmas is a time for electronic gifts . . . new telephones, computers, DVR’s, games, etc., but what to do with the old stuff? Indiana was the 19^th state to pass recycling laws which required manufacturers to recycle. If their quotas are not met based on their sales, they are fined, so they are highly motivated to e-cycle spent equipment.

The driving force behind these measures is to keep toxic components such as lead and mercury out of the landfills; additionally, many of these items also contain plastics that won’t decompose.

Recycling recovers valuable materials from electronics that can be used to make new products, and as a result, we reduce pollution and save energy by extracting fewer raw materials from the earth.

Consider that recycling one million cell phones saves enough energy to power more than 185 US households with electricity for a year. So, do you have an old cell phone sitting in a drawer and are wondering what to do with it? You can help others by donating it to benefit others.

This time of year you often see drop boxes for cell phone in banks or other retailers and these are refurbished and given to worthy charities or sold at discounts to those in need. (See below for more information on Best Buy)

You can drop off your old cell phone, PDA, cell phone batteries, chargers, or other accessories at one of the retailers or service providers below.

Because Best Buy is a large, local retailer, I researched their specific recycling requirements and they will take nearly anything that is electronic, including tube TVs and monitors up to 32", flat-panel TVs and monitors up to 60", peripherals, DVD players, home and car audio, cell phones, MP3 players, cables, desktop or laptop computers, small electrics, fans and vacuums.

Their one limitation is that they will take only three items a day per household. If you need or want more information you can go to any of the aforementioned provider websites and get their particulars.

“Help”. It’s a great movie and an even better book, which the BCBC will be discussing on Wednesday, January 18th. Join us for what is going to prove to be a fun and interesting discussion. For those of you who have never participated in a book group and are curious about what it’s all about, below is a sampling of the types of questions that we might discuss.

1. How much of a person’s character would you say is shaped by the times in which they live?

2. From the perspective of a twenty-first century reader, the hair shellac system that Skeeter undergoes seems ludicrous. Yet women still alter their looks in rather peculiar ways as the definition of “beauty” changes with the times. Looking back on your past, what’s the most ridiculous beauty regimen you ever underwent?

If you would like to learn more or would like to participate, call Karen at 865-2241.