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Tomorrow, most of us will be giving
thanks for all of the people, memories and experiences that we have all been
blessed with throughout our lives. We want
to take a moment to say thank you for being great neighbors and helping to
make Boulder Walk a great community. While the holiday season is officially
kicking off, we must recognize that this has been a very difficult year for
many of our neighbors, friends and families. In some cases, life is getting
better but for many of our neighbors, things continue to be difficult. We have a large number of neighbors who are
currently unemployed (some for a year or more), working less hours or have
had to endure pay cuts just to keep their jobs. We have had a handful of
foreclosures and we know that we still have families struggling to get
by. We’ve all heard the stories on the
news and sometimes they seem to be a world away, but what makes this
different is that this is the story of Boulder Walk today. Now more than ever we need to come together
as a community, as neighbors and as friends to help and support each other and
to strengthen our bonds and the bonds of the community. Like I said before, Boulder Walk is a great
community because of you.
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We are continually looking
for information to share with our neighbors in need, some of which are listed
below. If you know of a good resource for financial or foreclosure
counseling, budget tips, unemployment counseling, etc. please share them so
we can get them out to the neighborhood! ·
We will be launching
a new committee just after the holidays called Neighbor Cares led by Jennifer
Cheers. I am very excited about this
and it will be a great addition to our community. ·
We are currently
reviewing a draft of a housing crisis plan including ideas for foreclosure
prevention and ways to lift and protect our community’s property values which
is most of our neighbor’s largest investment and asset. ·
We are very strong
in enforcing the covenants and standards of the community. It is vital, more so than ever, that we all
maintain our homes and lots correctly.
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We are reviewing
new ideas for safety through the Neighborhood Watch like walking patrols and
more. ·
We are planning a
food drive for Light Up Night this year; please plan on participating if you
are able. ·
And so much more… This newsletter is very long and full of
important information, so please take a few moments to at least scan each
section as everything below affects all of us directly. Thank you and we
wish you and your family a safe, warm and wonderful Thanksgiving. Your Boulder Walk HOA |
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Will your home win this year’s Best Overall Display
and holiday lights bragging rights for the next year? Are you ready to light up Boulder Walk? We are asking
everyone to put up at least one string of lights this year to light the way
into a new year, fresh start and better times for all of our neighbors! Date: Sunday, December 13, 2009 Time: 7:00pm - 8:30pm Location: Lights throughout
the neighborhood and the event at Boulder Walk Court Check out photos of the past three winners: http://www.flickr.com/photos/boulderwalk/sets/72157622730390158/ =) 2009 Light Up Night Holiday Decoration Rules and Eligibility: ·
All 96 homes are encouraged to participate. ·
All lights must be completed and turned on the date of judging (TBA)
and the date of the event (12/13/09). o Lights must be on by 1 hour
before the judging begins in order to be eligible (TBA). ·
Homeowners can begin decorating on November 1, 2009 but should avoid
lighting their lights until the day after Thanksgiving other than for
testing, etc. ·
Decorations can be used throughout the homeowner’s lot, but must not
block public access areas such as streets and sidewalks. ·
Decorations and lights must not cause or potentially cause a safety
hazard to the home, lot or adjacent lots or neighbors. (Be safe and smart!!) ·
To be eligible for the competition, decorations cannot be installed
professionally. ·
All Holiday decorations must be removed by January 16, 2010. ALERT: More
information and details will be coming soon so start getting those
decorations and lights out and help us light Boulder Walk into a better year
for all of our neighbors!! |
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Turn on your
exterior lights at night. Criminals take the path of least resistance,
the darker the area; the easier it is for them to violate your property. Boulder
Walk Lane is doing great with keeping their exterior lights on at
night!! Let’s get the whole
neighborhood lit up!! ·
Look around when
you come out of your home. Look at yours and your neighbor’s homes, up
and down the street, and all around. If you see something suspicious,
call 911. ·
Make sure you keep
your vehicle doors lock and windows shut and take your valuable out of your
vehicle. ·
Make sure valuable
electronics, especially flat-screen TV’s are out of view from exterior
windows. ·
Please make sure to
destroy electronics, TV and expensive packaging. When a plasma TV box is left at the curb on
garbage day, it’s a big billboard for criminals to mark your house!! Don’t let all of those great gifts you give
and receive become targets! ·
Take extra
precaution to know who is coming into your home. We all have different
types of service providers coming to our homes throughout the time of our
homeownership, it helps to pay attention to who is coming and going. Remember,
if you see something suspicious, don’t hesitate to call 911 and report it and
then email neighborhoodwatch@boulderwalk.com and hoaboard@boulderwalk.com
with as many details as possible so we
can get the information out to the rest of the community. |
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Overwhelmingly,
the community made this one of the top priorities of the community this year
as it always should be. We have had a couple of folks ask why or how a violation
on their home affects someone else.
Any home that isn’t maintained or kept properly affects every one of
us directly as each of our property values are tied to each other’s homes. Here is just one
of many examples of why it is critical to maintain your home and lot properly
even more so in this economy and why it affects your neighbors: We have a
number of homes currently on the market and every resident living in Boulder
Walk impacts every single home sale here at Boulder Walk. By the time a
potential buyer arrives at the home they may be interested in, they have
already decided if it is a potential purchase based on the community.
The first impression of the community is not only the entrance; it is every
home that the potential buyer passes. If the homes the buyer passes
aren’t kept well, (weeds in the lawn, trim falling off, broken garage
doors, weeds in gutters, etc) the buyer has already questioned whether or not
this is a good community to buy into. Worse yet, when a potential buyer
arrives at the listed home, if the neighboring lots around that home are
cluttered and sloppy, that instantly makes it harder for them to want to buy
the home that they haven’t even seen yet. Click here to
view a quick Q&A on violations to help you understand the process better!
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Every pet owner is
fully responsible for their pets and their actions. Please clean up
after your pet and remember, all dogs MUST BE ON LEASHES and you must have
full control over your animals at all times! That’s not just a neighborhood rule;
it’s a county and state law. Here’s some
helpful info. ·
If you plan on
making ANY changes or improvements to the exterior of your home, you must get
approval. Click here to
download the request form. ·
Keep the exterior
of your home in good condition. There are a number of homes that have
trim rotting, warping and falling off, fences that are not in good repair,
fading paint and more. These are all violations. Please take a
few minutes this week and walk around your home and take inventory of what
issues you may have to work on. Download the
painting guidelines here. ·
Professional
vehicles, trailers etc. can’t be kept in driveways or on the streets.
They must be stored or parked in garages, out of view or kept offsite. ·
We all have to make
sure our yards are kept in good condition. The basics? Mow regularly,
edge your lawn, treat for weeds, don’t leave grass clippings, etc on the
roads or sidewalks. Now that the grass season is coming to an end, all
of the weeds will now be very easy to spot. If you have green areas in your
lawn in December, they are most likely weeds, please make sure they are
treated ASAP. Click here
for more about the guidelines for keeping your lawns and landscaping. ·
Mailboxes need to be
kept in good condition. We have some throughout the community that are
falling over. If your post is wobbly, the mailbox itself doesn’t close
or is falling off the post, it needs to be repaired. Be sure to get
approval before replacing your current mailbox with a new one, click here to
download the request form. ·
Here are a handful
of reminders of just some of the other simples rules we all need to follow: o
Keep your garbage
cans out of view from the front of your home (in garage or hidden on the side
of your home) o
Put your trash cans
away after trash pick-up. o
Please do not put
trash bags with food or food containers out on the curb unprotected. The
strays and some neighborhood dogs rip them apart and trash ends up
everywhere. o
The speed limit is
25 MPH!!! We have too many kids playing and neighbors out and about; it
makes for a very dangerous situation. Please be sure to drive slowly
through the community. If you have received
a courtesy letter recently regarding a violation with your home or lot and have
not taken care of the situation or contacted us, please do so ASAP as to
avoid fines and other actions. |
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Kristle Freeman Boulder Walk HOA c/o CMA 1465 Northside Dr., Suite 128 Atlanta, GA 30318 P: 404.835.9100 |
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The winter cold is coming our way and
that can mean higher heating bills and more energy usage. Here are some great resources to help you
save money AND energy at the same time: ·
The Home Energy
Saver Adviser: http://hes.lbl.gov/ ·
Your Home’s Energy
Usage: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/home_energy.html ·
No Cost or Low Cost
Ways to Save Energy: http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/save_energy.html
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Home Improvement
Tools: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_index_tools ·
More Energy Saving
Tools and Info: http://www.energy.gov/yourhome.htm ·
There is a great weatherization
assistance program that helps homeowners that qualify to weatherize their
homes. Click here
for more information on this money saving program. ·
Georgia Regular
Home Energy Assistance Program (this helps eligible neighbors cover energy
bills) |
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We know that a
number of our neighbors, friends and family are in need and/or in financial
distress regarding their mortgages. If
you or someone you know is in need please don’t wait, take action now. The first thing to do is contact your
current mortgage provider and talk to them about your situation. Not all, but
many of them will help you in many ways. If you have no
luck with your current mortgage company, DeKalb County recommends the following
two organizations for foreclosure and mortgage assistance: Green forest CDC: 404-486-5768 or D&E:
770-961-6900 Contact either
of them if you need help with your mortgage or refinancing. For refinancing
assistance, you will need to have the following information at some point
through the process: ü Your complete
closing paperwork from the initial closing or refinance - first and second
mortgage ü Last filed
tax return and W-2(s) ü Last two
months bank statements ü Most
recent two pay stubs or proof of monthly household income ü List
of all monthly expenditures ü Last
received monthly statement from entity servicing mortgage ü Most
recent letters from entity servicing mortgage ü Any
letters received from attorneys representing servicing mortgage company I know this
list seems daunting, but a little effort can help you if you need it or any
of our neighbors in need to save their home from foreclosure. We will
continue to gather and share information as we can find and confirm it! If you know of any additional programs,
companies or organizations that are assisting people in need, please share
them with us!! Email them to hoaboard@boulderwalk.com |
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Here are some tools
suggested by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help you
prevent the flu, know what to do if you get sick, and find a place to get
vaccinated. People recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to receive the vaccine as soon possible include: health care
workers; pregnant women; people with chronic medical conditions, such as
asthma, heart disease, or diabetes; anyone from 6 months through 24 years of
age; and people living with or caring for infants under 6 months old. FLU.gov is a one-stop resource
with the latest updates on the H1N1 flu. On this site, you can find
information on How to
Prevent and Treat the Flu, Flu
Essentials and Why the H1N1
Vaccine is Safe and Recommended by Health Experts. To look up where to get
vaccinated in your state, visit the Vaccine
Locator. This information
is updated regularly as more doses are shipped each week. An additional
resource is the CDC hotline, 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636), which offers services in
English and Spanish, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Heard a
rumor? Visit Myths &
Facts to run a fact
check. |
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Boulder Walk is now on Twitter and 15
neighbors are following us so far! Twitter is great for a community
like ours because it lets you follow quick updates from the board. We’re
sharing some great info there that is exclusive to our Twitter feed, so be in
the know and follow us today: www.twitter.com/boulderwalk. (Please keep in mind; we will not be sharing NW information
and alerts on Twitter. Also, any important questions and info still have to
go through email in order for them to be answered!!) Boulder Walk is on Linked-In too!
Boulder Walk has a professional networking group for neighbors to network and
share info. If you are on Linked-In, consider joining the Boulder Walk
group. Linked-In is a great resource for those of us who are
unemployed, looking for new roles and more. It would be great to get
this group more active! Please join today: http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=90830 It’s amazing how fast our neighborhood
kids are growing and how the face of Boulder Walk is changing. Take a few minutes
and take a look at photos from this year’s Fall Festival or Halloween or other
events over the past few years on our Flickr feed: http://www.flickr.com/photos/boulderwalk. If you are
active on Flickr, please take a few minutes to help me identify everyone in
the photos! Also, if you have any
photos of the community or various community events, please share them so we
can continue to build a strong visual history. |
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While we had planned on launching the
site earlier in the month, we are currently working on testing; making sure
that the site is secure, safe and embedding several of the new elements into
the site to be as seamless and easy for all of you as possible. It will take some more time to complete, so
please be patient. We saw an opportunity to make the site
better, easier and more in line with our community’s current and future needs.
The new site will have so many more features and information, like our community’s
history, nature/wildlife, and more. We will be focusing several of the
site pages on promoting Boulder Walk to potential new homeowners, like our
awesome location and homes, so that they see what a wonderful community we
have. We will also bring you a number
of new features that will allow all of us to interact in a whole new way for
our community. I think you will all really enjoy the
new site, so keep looking out for the launch announcement in your inbox and
your mailbox!! |
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Each one of us moved into Boulder Walk
for some of the same reasons, great value, beautiful homes, etc. but each of
us all has a different perspective of our community. Some folks may
have moved here for our great location or the beauty of the nature that
surrounds us or any number of reasons. While we are building our new
website, we are looking for some great quotes from our very own neighbors to
help us tell the world what a great place Boulder Walk is to live! Help
us out and drop us an email and tell us how much you love Boulder
Walk by answering any or all of the
following questions: ·
My favorite
thing(s) about Boulder Walk is/are? ·
I moved to Boulder
Walk because? ·
I love living here
at Boulder Walk because?
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Don’t forget, if you are looking for
some great deals and willing to get up very early Friday is the day!! Below are some great resources to help you
get a head start on planning your shopping list or the adventure: ·
11Alive Ways
to Save has a great page to get you started
with great tips and links to price lists and special deals More great sites with sales information: And don’t forget www.CyberMonday.com and for holiday shopping safety tips, click here! |
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Your neighbor, Darren Ryan |
