Neighborhood Watch
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The Environmental Control Committee ReportMarch, 2005Hey Guys,A year has come and gone since I was elected to the LWW Board of Directors. I sincerely hope that we were instrumental in initiating some very substantial improvements in that time frame. Pursuant to collecting proxies door to door, I inquired as to what issues were important to the residents that I encountered. The vast majority of responses advocated that property values, general appearance, crime (especially vandalism & speeding/reckless driving), infrastructure issues and customer service were of optimal importance. Brothers & Sisters, apathy is what is killing this community. I urge everyone who is eligible to contact the candidates in the upcoming election and get to know them and where they stand on the issues that are important to you. These Directors will control your destiny as far as Lake Wildwood is concerned. Another point about political apathy: Did you know that the Association in itself pays over $25K in taxes to Bibb County each year? (This is for the greenbelts, roads, associated buildings/equipment, etc.) If you add the property taxes that LWW residents pay each year into the mix, it totals over one million? That's over a million that we are paying to Bibb County each year and they choose to ignore us since we are considered "gated"! We are paying taxes on our roads and yet the county will not even chip in one dime towards improvement. We could very easily balance our budget and provide far more amenities if we would let our Commissioners know that we are not going to stand by and take this. I urge every one to contact Joe Allen, our district 4 commissioner and Charlie Bishop, Commission Chairman, and state your position on these vital issues! We had enough political clout to have the voting precinct moved back to the clubhouse, now it's time to unite and secure our fair share of the county resources that we are paying for! Please don't hesitate to contact me, Dale Lanier, the front office, or any other Board members if you are interested in pursuing this political action. It could be just a simple signature on a petition that could make the difference. In closing, please be considerate of your neighbors as you pursue your daily endeavors. Keep your yards maintained, keep your pets restrained and not roaming all over LWW, obey the traffic laws, please do not litter, please step up to the plate and be responsible parents - know where your children are at all times and what they are doing, and by all means, please help a neighbor in need! If we can maintain this code of ethics, Lake Wildwood will realize its rightful potential! Also, please call me if you are interested in the Neighborhood Watch program or disaster planning. Thank You for your support Lake Wildwood! The Environmental Control Committee ReportFebruary, 2005Hey Guys,Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Cooper of 957 Will Scarlet Way, you are the winners for this month's "Yard of the Month" Contest! Thank you for maintaining such an exemplary yard! Please join us in recognizing these outstanding residents for their hard work and community spirit! Also congrats go out to our winners of the "Christmas off the Lake" contest: This year we had a tie for first place: James & Evelyn Scheiman of 1363 Saddle Horn Drive as well as The Lecompte household of 1477 Queen Ann's Lane Third place goes out to Roger & Melanie Smith of 272 Dolly Madison Court. On behalf of the Lake Wildwood Association, I want to thank these fine citizens for displaying not only outstanding Christmas spirit, but also community spirit as well. I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone else in Lake Wildwood who has kept their yards in outstanding condition as well as everyone who decorated for Christmas. Please continue to show your community spirit in spite of those who are consumed by apathy! WE SALUTE YOU!! I also want to commend Nick Blount and Jerry Martin for the outstanding job they did with "Christmas on the Lake" this year! Thanks to these two guys and the rest of the volunteers, THIS WAS THE BEST CHRISTMAS ON THE LAKE EVER!! Also special thanks go out to Angela Blount, Sherrill Martin, John Green, Terrance Zich, Gary and Sandy Lawrence, Rachel Peacock, Katie Blount, Dale and Carolyn Lanier, Mr. Busbee, Mary Ann, Joseph, Robert Hill, Security, Maintenance, and many others who made this event the overwhelming success it was! I also want to take a moment to address a couple of issues that have surfaced recently. The Board of Directors here at Lake Wildwood has NO INTENTIONS of eliminating Security or cutting Recreation! As members of the Finance Committee, we are responsible for maintaining a balanced budget while providing optimal services for the residents. This is a very arduous task to say the least, and we have to explore as many options as possible in order to secure a viable solution. This is referred to as "Brainstorming", and as usual, we are open to ideas and suggestions. John Green has not only been an outstanding Treasurer and Finance Chair, but is also a very competent CPA and we will miss his wisdom and guidance! Thank you John for your years of dedication and service! In closing, please be considerate of your neighbors as you pursue your daily endeavors. Keep your yards maintained, keep your pets restrained and not roaming all over LWW, obey the traffic laws, please do not litter, please step up to the plate and be responsible parents - know where your children are at all times and what they are in to, and by all means, please help a neighbor in need! If we can maintain this code of ethics, Lake Wildwood will realize its rightful potential! Also, please call me if you are interested in the Neighborhood Watch program or disaster planning. Thank You for your support Lake Wildwood! The Environmental Control Committee ReportJanuary, 2005No report for January, 2005The Environmental Control Committee ReportDecember, 2004Hey Guys,Thanksgiving has come and gone and I sincerely hope everyone had a pleasant Turkey Day! That can only mean that Christmas is right around the corner. I have already witnessed some very impressive yards that exemplify the spirit of the season! Don't forget to decorate the lake-side properties this season for Christmas on the Lake. There will be substantial prizes this year for the best decorated street-side properties as well as the ones on the lake! Please continue to exercise this pride and enthusiasm throughout the entire year! One other item I need to mention here is that I have noticed quite a few residents raking or piling leaves and other debris in their ditches. This is strictly prohibited in the LWW CC&R's, pursuant to Section 4, paragraph M: "Ditches and Swales shall not be obstructed. It shall be the duty of every owner of every lot in the Development on which any part of an open storm drainage ditch or swale is situated to keep such portion thereof as may be situated upon his lot continuously unobstructed and in good repair." We will be issuing citations for this as well as other CC&R violations in the future. So please rectify this situation ASAP if it applies to you. Also, be sure to obtain the proper permits from the Fire Department before you burn any leaves or yard debris, and notify LWW Security that you have a permit. Thank You for your support Lake Wildwood! The Environmental Control Committee ReportNovember, 2004Hey Guys,As I stated in a previous ECC report, the least preferred method of yard debris removal is burning. This is a potentially dangerous method and requires a permit from the Fire Department. Even if you obtain the proper permits, PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF YOUR NEIGHBORS! SOME PEOPLE MAY BE ASTHMATIC OR SEVERELY ALLERGIC TO CERTAIN TYPES OF SMOKE! I failed to mention this in my last article, and if anyone has endured any hardships due to this, please accept my sincere apologies! We have made great strides towards cleaning up LWW, but we still have a long way to go. So PLEASE get involved. Attend committee meetings, Open Board Meetings, as well as other LWW sponsored functions. Voice your opinion! We are here for YOU! Congratulations to Wade and Wanda Taylor of 988 S Confederate Dr. for Yard of the Month! And as always, Special thanks to Mrs. Scarborough and the Wildwooders for their dedication and hard work with the “Yard of the Month” program. It is always an honor to be associated with such outstanding ladies and gentlemen! Thank You for your support Lake Wildwood! The Environmental Control Committee ReportOctober, 2004No ECC activity to report this month.Thank You!The Environmental Control Committee ReportSeptember, 2004Hey Guys, Summer is beginning to wind down and the good news is: We won't have to cut grass that much longer. The not so good news is: Soon, we will have to contend with the falling leaves and pine straw. So please keep your yards raked as much as possible. We have two ways to dispose of fallen debris: The first and preferred method is to have it picked up by SWS on the next scheduled collection day, which is every other Thursday. Also please remember:
This is a potentially dangerous method and requires a permit from the Fire Department. It is preferred that you use the first method for disposal of yard waste, but if you decide to burn, please call 751-2700 Monday through Friday from 8:30 am - 5:30 pm., or call 474-5931 after hours for a burn permit. Be sure to have a water hose available to extinguish the fire if necessary and make sure the immediate area surrounding the fire has been saturated with plenty of water. Also burning after dark and while it is raining is not permitted in Bibb County. Please make sure that you follow the proper procedures and obtain a burn permit. LWW Security and the Macon/Bibb County Fire Department will be issuing citations for violators! I am working on bringing in the Training Division of the MBCFD for a series of Fire Safety courses. Stay tuned for more details. Also, some of our residents are raking leaves, pine straw, etc. into their ditches. This is a major no-no! Not only is this aesthetically compromising, but it creates drainage problems for water run-off. We are going to issue citations for those of you who continue to do this. We have had to bring in the Bibb County Sheriff's office to aid in removal of junk/abandoned vehicles. Please don't let this happen to you! And while I'm on the subject of junk, please do not litter! We will be issuing citations for those of you who do! And if you think that you won't get caught, think again. We have a lot more eyes and ears than you think. Also, I want to thank those of you who care enough to pick up this debris, even though you are not the ones responsible for it. It is residents like you who make this community what it is! As I mentioned previously, there are several properties that are worthy of "Yard of the Month", but unfortunately only one can be chosen each month. So while you are out and about, check these out: 922 South Plantation Parkway 1557 Greentree Parkway 1030 King Arthur Drive 931 Galahad Circle 920 King Arthur Drive 878 Will Scarlet Way 799 Will Scarlet Way I wish to thank each and every one of these residents for putting forth the time and effort to maintain exemplary landscapes. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the exact image that we want to portray for Lake Wildwood. Speaking of exemplary yards, I have obtained approval from the rest of the Board to implement recognition for "Yard of the Year". A yard will be chosen each year with a sign for the entire year as well as a certificate and a gift card from Lowe's for $100. So keep working on that landscape people. And as for the individuals who took it upon themselves to "decorate" the spillway last weekend, you will receive your just reward! It's just a matter of time. The next time you have the urge to spray paint, decorate your own property! Meanwhile, don't be surprised when BSO comes knocking on your door! It seems that since we've started cleaning up the rat's nest, the rats have started to scatter. And last but not least, there are many people whom I wish to thank and recognize for their hard work and dedication: Rachel Peacock, Andy Payne, Vic Lord, Dale Lanier, Jerry & Sherrill Martin, John Green, Terrance Zich, Nick & Angela Blount, Sharon Proctor, Mrs. Scarborough and the rest of the Wildwooders, Tom Bell and Mickey Stripling (for jamming at the spillway), and many others that are just as worthy. Coming up next month: Armadillos and other pests. Thank You for your support Lake Wildwood! The Environmental Control Committee ReportAugust, 2004Hey Guys, This summer sure has been a sizzler! So please be careful when you are out there taking care of those beautiful yards. Be sure to take plenty of breaks and drink lots of fluid, especially the type that replace your electrolytes, like Gatorade, etc. Also, be sure to protect your skin. Always wear plenty of sunscreen as well as protective clothing. The risk of developing skin cancer is at an all time high. Also the appropriate clothing will help prevent tick bites. People entering tick infested areas should keep clothing fastened, shirts inside trousers, and trousers inside boots. Do not sit on the ground or on logs in bushy areas. Keep brush cleared along frequently traveled areas. Repellents will protect exposed skin or clothing however, ticks will sometimes crawl over treated skin to untreated parts of the body. For links to more detailed information these issues, please go to www.wally4lww.us. It has only been a few months since I have come on board and I certainly hope that I am doing justice for everyone here. I haven't accomplished as much as I wanted to at this point, but we have come a long way. We have made substantial progress in getting SWS to clean up some of the waste piles that were previously being left at the curbsides. I want to thank Andy Payne, Jerry & Sherrill Martin, Vic Lord, and Ray Gunter (of SWS) for working so diligently as a team to help get this situation resolved. We have also finally succeeded in getting MWA to clean up their mess at the spillway next to Colaparchee Creek, thanks to the hard work of Dale Lanier and Joe Allen. Thank you guys for helping me push this through! I also want to take a moment here and recognize the rest of the Board as well as the administration and employees of Lake Wildwood. I have encountered nothing less than a spirit of harmony and dedication from the other Board members. And as for the employees of LWW, the help wanted ads should read: "low pay and high level of abuse/stress with little recognition". So the next time you encounter one of our employees, whether it be security, maintenance, office, clubhouse/pool or whatever, please stop for a moment and say THANK YOU! Now on to more ECC business. I am a person who believes in delegating ownership in as many aspects of daily endeavors as possible. With this in mind, I am reaching out to the people of Lake Wildwood to help implement a team approach to maintaining environmental control in our community. What I am proposing is to utilize the divisional sections of LWW as a means of establishing nine Team Captains as per the following breakdown:
The nine divisional teams could then be further broken down into street or sectional Team Leaders. This would establish a more thorough process of monitoring our community. So if you are interested in becoming more involved, please contact the front office at 474-8895, or call me at 471-4945, or email me at wally4lww@yahoo.com. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my sincere apology to Mr. and Mrs. Boyd Martin for the absence of their picture in the June issue of the "Wildwords". They have worked extremely hard to produce an exemplary yard and deserve far more recognition than they have received. So cruise by 1997 Greentree Parkway sometime and enjoy the fruit of their labor. Again, please accept my sincere apology Mr. and Mrs. Martin, winner of the "Yard of the Month" award for June 2004. And while I'm on the subject of "Yard of the Month", there are so many worthy and deserving yards submitted every month, but unfortunately only one can be chosen for the award. So I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the yards that are just as much deserving, but have not yet been chosen for this prestigious award, (and who knows, they just might get chosen in the future.) They are: Charles & Judy Smith of 593 Loblolly Lane. Please remember that you MUST have all of your dues and assessments current in order to be eligible to receive this award! And as always, special thanks to Mrs. Scarborough and Mr. John, as well as the rest of the Wildwooders for their dedication and hard work with the "Yard of the Month" contest. And by the way, Mr. & Mrs. Scarborough's yard is one that is very much worthy of the "Yard of the Month" award. So you better believe they practice what they preach! Once again, THANK YOU residents of Lake Wildwood for your patience, dedication, comments and caring! Yes serving on the Board has certainly been stressful for me and especially for my family, but it is well worth it, because in the end we ALL win. I wish to leave you with this quote I borrowed from Berry Oakley's memorial at Rose Hill: "HELP THY BROTHER'S BOAT ACROSS AND LO; THINE OWN HAS REACHED THE SHORE!" Thank You! The Environmental Control Committee ReportJuly, 2004Hey Guys, It has been brought to my attention that our current solid waste contractor has not been picking up yard clippings as well as other bulk items as of late. Our current contractor is Southland Waste Systems (SWS), and their phone number is 478-746-7230. Please do not hesitate to contact these guys if you have any problems with their service. Also, please let me know if you are having problems with SWS. We can accomplish more as a group than as individuals! Also, please allow me to apologize if this has posed an inconvenience for any of our residents. Here are some other waste related tips as per the Bibb County Engineering's web site:
Contact Bibb County Engineering Department at (478) 749-6660 for questions about:
Contact Southland Waste Systems at (478) 746-7230 if you have questions about:
COLLECTION INFORMATION Garbage pick up
Recycling pick up
Yard Waste
Bulky Item Pick Up
Holiday Schedule:
How do I get my service started? Call the Bibb County Engineering Department at 478-749-6660 – it only takes a few minutes! Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Your curbside cart and recycling container should be delivered to you within 7 working days after you request service. If you do not receive your cart within that time period, please let them know. For more detailed information contact: The Bibb County Engineering Department at (478) 749-6660 -or- Southland Waste Systems at (478) 746-7230 -or log on to: www.wally4lww.us Thank You! The Environmental Control Committee ReportJune, 2004Hey Guys, May has been a busy month for Lake Wildwood in general and especially for the ECC committee! Therefore I have several issues to address in this edition. First off: There have been several CC&R violations called in to the front office as well as my home #. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but these infractions are going to cease! We will attempt to resolve each issue through the Association with a letter the first time. If compliance is not met within the specified period, then we will turn these over to Bibb County and then you can deal with P & Z as well as the Sheriff's department. So we can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's totally up to you! Junk cars and waist high grass is not one of the amenities featured here at LWW! Second: We have gotten lax with permits as of late. No more! Whatever you propose to do, be sure to check with the front office first, whether it is a storage/out building, deck, dock, boathouse, fence or whatever. You need to acquire a permit first! Better yet, touch base with Planning & Zoning first, then the front office to assure that all bases are covered. Third: In an effort to establish and maintain consistency, I have established a tentative meeting schedule for the ECC committee: Monday, June 7, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, June 21, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, July 19, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, August 2, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, August 16, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, September 20, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, October 4, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, October 18, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, November 1, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, November 15, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, December 6, 2004 @ 7:00 pm Monday, December 20, 2004 @ 7:00 pm All meetings are tentative and will be held at the clubhouse unless otherwise specified. Fourth: There are several drainage issues here at LWW. We are currently looking into them on a case by case basis, attempting to determine who is responsible in each instance. Remember, whenever you make an adjustment to your property, it will usually affect several property owners in your immediate vicinity! So please be considerate of your neighbors when you alter your lots! Fifth: We seem to have a surge in vandalism as of late, (including wide-spread littering). This also will not be tolerated! How would you like it if we came over and trashed your place? Finally: If you see someone in need, please help them out! Offer to mow their lawn or take their trash receptacle to the curb and back. Please help your neighbor whenever possible! Thank You! The Environmental Control Committee ReportMay, 2004Hi everyone. I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new guy on the board as well as the new ECC Committee Chair. I also want to thank everyone who attended the annual meeting this year as well as last month's open board meeting. Remember, this is your community and we want you to express your concerns. By the time you read this article, we should have already had our first ECC committee meeting. I would love to see a substantial amount of community participation in this committee; let it be your voice! I will also be announcing the meeting dates and times on the marquees, in the Wildwords, and on the Lake Wildwood website: www.lakewildwood.org. Please monitor these for announcements and/or updates. I also want to thank Ms. Scarborough and the rest of the Wildwooders for their hard work in helping with the "Yard of the Month" contest. If not for the hard work of these upstanding citizens, I don't know where we would be as a community! While I realize that we may never attain the empirical status enjoyed by St. Andrews, Country Club Estates, etc.; we certainly don't want to remain known as "Bloomfield by the Sea! I guess what I'm trying to convey here is that we can always strive to be better! It's up to all of us! In the mean time, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to call the front office at 474-8895 or call me at 471-4945. I can also be emailed at wally4lww@yahoo.com or thabeve@earthlink.net I am looking forward to hearing form you! Thank You! |
