Woodrim Crossings Neighborhood Association

Neighborhood Newsletter - June 2003 Edition

Aug 07, 2003

Dear Neighbors

Our next bimonthly meeting will be on Monday, July 7, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. at the Life Care Center of Aurora, 14101 E. Evans Ave. located at Blackhawk and Evans. Our July meeting will have a little different format. Candidates for Mayor, City Council, and School Board are invited to participate in a candidate?’s forum. Each candidate will have 3 minutes to speak and we will conclude with a question and answer segment. The November elections will impact city leadership so take this opportunity to meet those candidates! All neighbors are invited to attend our meeting.

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***CODE CORNER***

Landscaping Standards and the Drought:

The City of Aurora?’s code requires that all landscaping be maintained in a healthy condition, which includes all plants, trees, shrubs, and turf. Due to the severe drought conditions throughout the state, only minimal requirements will be enforced. Those requirements include the cutting and removal of weeds when they become 8 inches or higher (12 inches high on vacant lots) or when the rock/mulch landscape area becomes weed infested. Also, any dead trees and/or shrubs must be removed.

Please keep in mind that any evidence of soil erosion due to inefficient ground cover is a violation of Aurora City Code. Since the city does require a percentage of vegetation to be installed in the front and side yards, do not install rock throughout your landscape as a way to resolving any drought or erosion problems. Using Xeriscape plant material would be a recommended approach. Erosion blankets are a temporary solution.

There are some minimum requirements that should be taken by homeowners to maintain their property. First, water your lawn on your scheduled day; not to exceed the permitted one hour. Second, water your trees and shrubs as needed, but avoid over-watering. Third, mow your lawn when needed, cut and remove weeds, and if the soil is barren, apply mulch or landscape matting/blankets over those areas.

For more information, call Neighborhood Support at 303-739-7280.

Reprinted with permission from Aurora News for Neighbors Vol 8, No. 5

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WCNA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Please see the "Community Calendar" that is on our website for this information.

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WOODRIM CROSSING NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF MEETING
May 5, 2003

The meeting was called to order by President, Barb Johnson, at 7:00. Eighteen neighbors were in attendance. Barb introduced Linda Firth from the City of Aurora Utilities Department. Linda asked if anyone had questions. Everyone seemed to be very interested in the water rate letter they had just received. Linda went over the three tiers the letter talked about. Each homeowner?’s initial water allotment was based on their usage from November 2001 through February 2002. The additional two allotments are for trees and water. Ed Tauer, one of Aurora?’s City Councilmen, was also introduced. He stated that last year?’s drought was a once in 300 year drought, so it couldn?’t have been planned for. All the growth in Aurora accounts for about 1.5% of the water demand in Aurora a year. The biggest problem is in building water storage facilities.

Next, our PAR Officer, Damon Vaz, was introduced. This part of the meeting was considered our Neighborhood Watch meeting. Officer Vaz stated that his division chief asked that Neighborhood Watch programs become active. Officer Vaz suggested that he could communicate with our neighborhood by email. Then each of the block captains could communicate with the people in their area by email. This would be used when there is a problem in the neighborhood. Officer Vaz reported that there have been some officers in the neighborhood lately to catch speeding drivers. Removal of the basketball hoops in Tierra Iliff Park was discussed. It is wonderful to see families and children back in the park now. In the last 6 months there have been 4 burglaries in our neighborhood, which is down from previously. He reiterated to keep our garage doors closed. He said the biggest concern in our neighborhood is vandalism and stolen cars. Officer Vaz is available to do home security checks. His number is 303-739-6050.

The minutes of the March 3 meeting were approved with one correction which was that the grant for the newsletters covered 2 newsletters only. It was pointed out by Barb that Home Base will become a manufacturer for eye glasses. Nothing is planned yet for Target and Sams. The treasurer?’s report was given. Our balance is $1234.45. There was one expenditure for printing.

Marilyn Turner gave the fence replacement report. The next petition will go to the people whose property the fence will be on. The petition will allow city employees to go on their property to measure for the fence. Later in the summer the next petition will go to the rest of the neighborhood. Lots of volunteers will be needed to obtain the signatures.

Our next garage sale will be May 16 & 17.

Our new Woodrim Crossings web site which is up and running was mentioned. The URL is: www.neighborhoodlink.com/aurora/woodcross
We thanked our fellow neighbor, Kristin Neuharth for her work on this.

Barb mentioned that Qwest Communications has asked her to be their contact person for the neighborhood. This means that if we have concerns or suggestions for Qwest we can contact her. They want to know what they can do better.

We next discussed improvements along Sable for the areas between the street and the fences. A Micro Grant could be submitted for this. Barb has looked into a few possibilities to improve this space, but all were too expensive.

The following officers were elected unanimously:
President - Barb Johnson,
Secretary - Kathy Gamrath,
Treasurer - Madolyn Paroske.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15.

Respectively Submitted,
Kathy Gamrath

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COMMITTEE MEMBER NEEDED!!!

Our Yard-of-the-Month team is in need of a new member as Keith Woronoff is leaving our neighborhood. Keith has been a great contributor and we shall miss him tremendously. If you would like to be part of the group that gets together 6 times per year to pedal or drive the neighborhood (weather dependent), this is the group for you. Contact Kathy Gamrath at 303-696-8317 for more information.

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Want to have more input in your neighborhood?
Our neighborhood is in need of an individual willing to serve as Vice President of our association. Duties include assisting the President with meetings and selection of speakers and attendance at city functions when the president is unable to attend. Interested? Call Barb Johnson at 303-306-0454 for more information.

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Voluntary contributions keep us going!!
Thanks to Julie Arnold, our latest contributor, for her support of our association.

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OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOW ONLINE!!!

The Internet has now made it possible for you to easily and conveniently be informed and involved in our neighborhood.

Our neighborhood now has its own free, interactive Web site where we can display our newsletter, notices, meeting schedules, and neighborhood issues, as well as direct links to our local schools, community police officers, and local government officials.

The site is located at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/aurora/woodcross
Simply type this Internet address into your Web browser and visit the site to see how useful it can be! Once you arrive, we encourage you to bookmark the site (or make it your home page) so you can return easily and often!

In addition to the features mentioned above, our Web site has an easy-to-use discussion area called "Talk About It" that enables all of us to exchange ideas, concerns and questions about neighborhood issues. Our Web site also has a Community Calendar that lists upcoming meetings, events, and garage sales; a Meet Your Neighbor section that allows us to create (or hotlink) our personal Web pages; a free Classified Advertising section, and an Add-A-Page feature that makes it easy for anyone to prepare and post Web pages devoted to any topic of interest.

Visit our Web site to learn more about our neighborhood, and become actively involved by posting announcements and events and participating in its many interactive features. If you do not have Internet access at your home or office, local libraries have computers through which you can reach our site.

Our Web site has been made available to us at no cost by Neighborhood Link and its corporate sponsors, who have created a place on the Internet where every neighborhood in our metro area (and others around the country) can have their own free, interactive Web sites. For more information, or to help in our Web site's ongoing development, contact our Neighborhood Coordinator at: woodrimcrossings@yahoo.com

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NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM

On April 16, 2003 most of the block captains met with Neighborhood Watch Board members Kate Tauer, President, and Helen Verizzi, Trainer, to discuss the re-vitalization of the Neighborhood Watch Program in the City of Aurora. Our neighborhood is being used as a model that Kate and Helen are taking to other neighborhood watch organizational training meetings! We are very proud of our neighborhood and our block captains are terrific! Badges and signs will be awarded just as soon as they are ready. Our PAR officer, Damon Vaz, is our police contact for all Neighborhood Watch items, and Barb Johnson is our Area Head Coordinator. We are currently looking for an individual to fill the position of Area Coordinator. Call Barb Johnson at 303-306-0454 if you are interested in being part of this important program.

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