Springdale Estates Newsletter Summer 2008
Springdale Estates Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 2 Summer 2008
President's Corner...... 2
Money Matters...... 2
Architectural Committee...... 2
SEA SPOT...... 3
Social Club...... 3
Springdale Families Hippity Hop for Eggs...... 3
Get to Know Your Neighbors...... 3
Look Out for the Survey!...... 3-4
IN REMEMBRANCE...... 4
Springdale Estates Garden Club Notes & News...... 4
2008 Meeting Schedule...... 4
Yard of the Season...... 5
neighborhood Watch blotter...... 5-6
Welcome to the Neighborhood...... 6
springdale estates neighborhood directory...... 6-7
wildlife in springdale estates...... 7
SEA Newsletter Notes...... 8
Submitting Articles & Ads...... 8
Springdale Classifieds...... 8
Newsletter Committee...... 8
Springdale Estates Association Officers......
Contacts for Committees......
SEA 2008 Budget...... 10-11
Newsletter 1
Springdale Estates Newsletter Summer 2008
President’s Corner
Bill McCrorie, President
Welcome to another great season in Springdale. 2008 promises to be another year of progress and beautification within the neighborhood. Please plan on filling out our online questionnaire so you can have a part in shaping what happens within our community. We also have many new faces in the neighborhood and have had to say good bye to some great neighbors. I would like to say a special thank you and good bye to Jacqueline Rosner and her family. They recently moved out of state and many have not had a chance to say good bye or thank her for many years of service. Jacqueline served as Vice President of SEA, and also was the committee Chair for the recently formed community watch program for the last three years. Here is Jacqueline’s email if you would like to say hello: .
Many thanks to all our volunteers and neighborswho make this community special, and I look forward to working with you again in 2009.
Money Matters
John Donofrio, Treasurer
A special thanks to all Homeowners that paid their 2008 dues in a timely manner! We have collected 91% of our budget, $28,900 and we are still collecting.
We have generated and mailed “2nd notice” invoices to 35 outstanding Homeowners. We ask that you join the 259 families that have already paid and return your dues in the return envelope provided. If you have misplaced the invoice or envelope, please make out your check to SEA and either mail or deliver to 8300 Lakewood Drive, RaleighNC27613. In addition, there are 35 Homeowners that have not paid dues for the last 3 years, we will stop our collection attempts and assume they are no longer part of the association.
Please find attached financial statements through the end of May. If you have any neighborhood expenses that need to be reimbursed, please provide the invoices to me and I will get a check issued. Thanks again and please feel free to contact me with any questions.
John Donofrio
Architectural Committee
Don Mullins, Architectural Committee Chair
Springdale Estates' covenants require that any new construction (new house, addition, remodeling,detached garage, out building, deck, pool, fence, etc.) be reviewed and approved by the SEA Architectural Committee prior tobeginning construction.The purposes of this requirementare (1)to maintain the architectural design integrity of our community as a whole, and (2) to assure that our residentsdo not incur unnecessary costs or delays by beginningprojects that might ultimately have to be altered, modified, relocated, reconstructed, or abandoned due to failure to comply with construction regulations, setback requirements, code specifications, or related criteria.
The Architectural Committeeis composed of: Don Mullins (Chair), Marya Torrence, and Paul MacDougal. Don is a retired mechanical engineer, Marya is a realtor, andPaul is a computer graphics 3D architect. Contact Don at 848-6603 or email him at to obtain a Request for Approval form which will guide you regarding documentation to be submitted to the Architectural Committee with your application (site plans, floor plans, elevations, materials, color schemes, etc.).
The Architectural Committee will review your project promptly and provide formal approval in writing within 30 days of receiving yoursubmittal.
Our purpose is to assist and protect you. Thank you for yoursupport in complying withSpringdale Estates' covenant requirements.
SEA SPOT
John Rhoades, SPOT Coordinator
The SPOT purpose is “To establish a good working relationship with the NCDOT which leads to support and proper repair for our neighborhood streets”.
The SPOT folks will work with each Neighborhood Director, Block Captain or the SEA Board to maintain a repair priority list. When you see a needed repair, we’ll make sure it is on the list. Please report items to your Neighborhood Director or Block Captain in this easy manner: On a piece of paper or email; write down the closest mail box street address and how many yards from the mail box. Example: “8905 Wood Vine a pothole 75 yards down hill on left side”. This will help everyone locate and confirm we have the item on the list and with proper priority. John will be revisiting all of the roads during June and logging the bad spots. Once the draft list is complete, John will contact all of the Block Captains to review it.
Thank you.
Social Club
This year’s Springdale Family Day is planned for the fall. This year’s event will be at the lake. There will be a parade, fishing contest and cookout. The date is still to be set- we’ll be sending out an update soon with all the details. If you have ideas for the event or would like to volunteer, please contact Sharon Waidler at or 846-2621.
Springdale Families
Hippity Hop for Eggs
The annual Springdale Easter Egg Hunt was held on Lawn Court on Sunday, March 19th. Over 600 eggs were hidden! There was a special visit from the Easter Bunny and the ever popular egg toss.
Springdale gives a special thanks to the Barkley and Gibbs families for allowing 50 hunters to search their yards for eggs.
Thank you also to Ruthie Pappas for donating tables, chairs, games and eggs and working to set up for the day. Thank you to Tegan Johnston for her creative face painting and helping with the activities. Thanks to Becky Campbell for collecting all the eggs and Melanie Tilley for face painting. Thanks to Aubrey Smoot for hopping over!
Get to Know Your Neighbors
Join an SEA Committee!
Springdale Estates is a very desirable North Raleigh residence with its large lots, proximity to good schools and convenient location. One of the best ways to maintain a strong neighborhood is involvement of its residents in neighborhood activities. To promote participation of neighbors in the activities of Springdale Estates, we encourage you to consider joining one of the committees. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbors!
Here’s a list of the committees/activities you might want to join: Welcoming, Social, Publicity, Garden Club, Special Projects, Executive Board, and Block Captains.
If you are interested in becoming a part of one of these Springdale Estates Committees, please contact Lisa Evans at 841-5554.
Look Out for the Survey…
Information Needed for Long-Range Planning for Springdale Estates
The Long-Range Planning Committee for Springdale Estates has been working hard to develop an online survey to find out what you want to see our neighborhood look like in 5 to 10 years. Feedback from many residents was compiled to make the survey cover several areas of interest for our neighborhood. It is an online survey and will be open for the month of June. For those residents without computers, paper copies will be mailed. Once the surveys have been completed, the results will be analyzed and shared with the community. This is your chance to share your ideas and concerns. Please go to take a few minutes of your time to complete it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact any member of the committee. Thank you!
Committee members:
Brian Gilger, Chair ()
Jim Beckford ()
Mark Wise ()
Debra Barkley ( )
Mark Reeves ()
Brenda Shuler ()
Kellie McDonald ()
In Remembrance…
This is a column to acknowledge the passing of residents and former residents of Springdale Estates.
Steve Taylor
Resident of 8620 Caswell Ct.
Phil Pitney (died 3/21/08)
Resident of 8509 Valley Brook Drive
Charles Underwood (died 4/26/08)
Resident of 8917 Hunting Trail
SpringdaleEstatesGarden Club Notes & News
Articles about the gardens and gardeners that help make Springdale Estates such a beautiful place to live.
The Springdale Garden Club completed the entrance plantings in April with begonias, lantana, grasses and petunias. This yearGarden Club is working to improve the entrance circles that have been empty. You may have noticed the addition last year of Butterfly Bushes, grasses and Black-eyed Susans! It was tough last year with the drought, but the plants survived and are now thriving. This year we added Elephant Ears and Day Lilies. Look for some beautiful blooms soon!
The GC is also filling in the spaces at Willow Wood and Sawyer with Day Lilies and Iris. Mulch was delivered earlier this year to help amend the rocky soil.
Thank you to GC members Paul MacDougal and Lisa Evans for donating plants. We also thank the Porter family for donating the Elephant Ear bulbs.
The Garden Club was formulated to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening and beautification of the Springdale Community. The club welcomes all Springdale residents to become members.
If you would like to be on a distribution list to be notified of our working sessions, have a suggestion for a garden club project, or want to become a member of the Garden Club, please contact Debra Burke at or 870-1241, or any of the SEGC members.
2008 Meeting Schedule
Meetings are held the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm, with the exception of the summer months. Meetings will resume in the fall:
Tuesday, September 9th
Tuesday, October 7th- Fall plantings planning
Tuesday, November 4th- Holiday Wreath Decorating
(Christine Allison’s)
Tuesday, December 2nd- Annual Pot Luck
Springdale Estates Newsletter Page 1
Springdale Estates Newsletter Summer 2008
Yard of the Season
Congratulations to Reba and Guy Myers as the Spring ’08 recipients of Yard of the Season. The Myers, who have resided at 8005 O’Neal since 1975, have developed their passion for gardening in retirement.
Wow! Both front and back yards have a spectacular collection of plants, many of which have been propagated by Guy. The Myers have an extensive collection of hostas and azaleas mixed in with native ferns. Some of the hostas are over 25 years old. The Myers have a fantastic collection of hydrangeas, gardenias and exotic begonias. They also tend beautiful perennial and herb gardens.
Guy wisely invests time in soil preparation, enhancing the soil with composted leaves, soil conditioner and Black Kow. For many of his new plants he makes a wire cage to surround the plant in the ground. He fills in the bottom and top of the holes with Permatil. This keeps the voles away.
Thanks to the Myers for sharing their gardens with us. They are gracious and gifted gardeners and well deserving of Yard of the Season.
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH BLOTTER…
SCAM ALERT- There is a man who goes by the name of Wayne Swain or Wayne Privett approaching neighbors about tree removal. His scam is to claim a well known service has gone out of business and he is taking over their clients. One of the companies that he purported to be taking over for is familiar with him and said he has done this before and has taken people’s money.
LOCK YOUR CARS- One evening a neighbor discovered that someone had opened his unlocked vehicles, most likely looking for valuables. There was no damage done and nothing seemed to have been disturbed, but there was nothing of value in either vehicle at the time.
TROUBLE WITH A FEW BAD APPLES- Given our proximity to the High School, our neighborhood is naturally a convenient gathering place for teenagers who don’t necessarily have the best intentions and are not residents. Over the last month or so, we have reported multiple instances where teens have been observed engaging in activities that look suspicious.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
- Our neighborhood falls under the jurisdiction of the county sheriff’s office and they can be contacted at 856-6900. Make note of this number and put it on speed dial or where you can find it easily, and then USE IT when you have a concern.
- Watch for unusual activity as you walk or drive through the neighborhood and make note of specific details such as the time and type of vehicle, license plate, etc. This information is especially useful in identifying patterns of behavior and (if necessary) providing the sheriff’s office with the detail they need to do their job.
- If you feel safe in doing so, it is a good idea to politely ask kids what they are doing if they appear to be lingering when they should be in school or if it is late at night. It is unfair to assume that all teens seen ‘hanging out’ are up to no good, but any who are behaving appropriately should have no problem with a resident politely confirming that. Even if their response is clearly a lie, you will have made the point that as a neighborhood we are watching.
- In June we would like to meet with block captains or any other interested neighbors to discuss what sort of strategies we can employ to keep our neighborhood a pleasant place to be. If you are interested, please contact me at .
SUMMER SAFETY REMINDER
As the weather gets nicer and students are on their summer break(s), the number of children playing outside in our driveways and cul de sacs will increase. Please observe the speed limit and be cautious around playing children. Parents can also help by making sure their younger children have a good sense of how to be safe when playing outside and by taking a minute to remind their teenage drivers of the risks.
Regards,
Jon Ehret, Community Watch Coordinator
Welcome to the Neighborhood!
Marya Torrence, Chair Welcoming Committee
Your SEA Welcome Committee is always ready and willing to welcome new residents who have chosen beautiful Springdale Estates as their new home.
Since publication of our last newsletter, which covers the first quarter of this year, we have had no new residents. However, the good news is there are four (4) homes in Springdale currently “Under Contract” with new residents arriving in the next few weeks. These new residents’ names will be published in next quarter’s newsletter.
Please feel free to contact any committee member with questions, comments and/or new neighbor information. Your Springdale Estates Welcome Committee members are:
Marya Torrence, Chair at 848-6790 or email
Barbara Cumbo at 845-3335 or email
Pam Hixson at 848-2159 or email
Suzanne Montgomery at 844-0967 or email
Springdale Estates Neighborhood Directory
Dear Neighbors:
As of the last Directory in 2007, we established a data base, the good work of Paul MacDougal, which gave us a standardized, accurate and more interesting Directory. It also greatly increased the free Classified listings for all residents. It was based on information each of you gave us and we hope you will review what was in your last Directory and update us.
Please review your 2007 directory information. Updates, new listings, changes etc. can be emailed to me at or postal mailed to me at 8637 O'Neal Rd. 27613.
We are soliciting your email addresses. You can advise us that your email address is for publication or not. If it is for publication it will go into the directory. If not than it will only be used by SEA to contact you. You may provide multiple addresses. Please indicate which ones are to be published and which are not. This brings up the subject of "being on computer lists". Some residents are afraid that being on a computer list as a "No-no". The truth is we all are on thousands of computer lists already and it is not a matter of choice, if we own a home, a car, vote, are a citizen, employee, have a social security number, bank account, credit card etc., we are already on maybe tens of thousands of computer lists. It makes no difference whether you are in or out of the Springdale Directory. For example: WakeCounty publishes on the Internet every detail of your home ownership. It lists your name in full, what you paid for the property and every detail of the transaction such as taxes due, history of ownerships, value of land, buildings, a photo,virtually every detail of your home and property,etc.We only publish information you wish to share with your neighbors.
We added "Emergency telephone numbers". This may be helpful if your neighbors see some suspicious or dangerous condition, such as a prowler, car thief, lost child,smoke detected, or something it would be prudent to report to you immediately.
Here are the categories (and each is optional) in our data base you may include in your listings: