Thursday, October 22, 2009

Robbery in Rochester home

From Kelly:

I just saw this on the news this morning, but you may have already seen it. Regardless, this is why I never ever open my door. But, I guess if I saw someone holding flowers I would probably answer it...scary. Please be careful!!!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

McClelland Family

Dear Family and Friends, Thank you for the endless prayers and support during this difficult time. Alex was at peace and left us quietly at 4 am this morning. Viewing will take place at Modetz Funeral Home, 100 E. Silverbell, 248-371-3711 Sunday and Monday July 19th and 20th from 3-8pm. Service will be at Kensington in Troy. Please do not hesitate to call Modetz if you have any questions.
Sincerely, Carolanne McClelland

Monday, June 1, 2009

Mulch

If anyone is looking for mulch I encourage you to look at Environmental Wood Solutions.

http://www.ewsmullins.com/

Dark Hardwood mulch double shred $14.00/yrd.

Take a look at website. They are just off of Silverbell and Giddings

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Womens Self Defense Seminar

This is a reminder of the Self defense Seminar for Women. People called me indicating they received a cancellation. Not true.

When : Thursday May 28th @7p.m. Location: 3701 Mountain laurel blvd

Please rsvp to Rhondamariejean@comcast.net

Protect Yourself!

The Total Self-Defense Seminar for Women

Personal Protection

Assault Prevention

Self-Defense

How would you react to a physical assault?

Scream? Run? Submit? Fight Back?

90% of successful Self-Defense is being well-prepared for the situation.


The Growing Need for Self-Defense

Today’s society is increasingly unpredictable, with personal safety often left up to the individual. In many situations women are especially vulnerable, as predators seek to take advantage of ingrained behavior that can prevent women from protecting themselves in an assertive manner. The Total Self-Defense Seminar for Women teaches the situational awareness and protection strategies that form the foundation of dependable personal safety.


The Total Self-Defense Seminar for Women helps you:

  • Recognize dangerous situations

  • Have strategies ready for escape

  • Learn offensive techniques

  • Learn defensive techniques

  • Make safe and effective decisions

  • Build confidence and self-reliance


Learn When to Respond. And How to Respond.

Your Total Defense Seminar for Women answers the most common self-defense questions while providing physical instruction in personal protection techniques. Seminar topics include:

What are the most common situations?

How can I respond effectively with words?

How do I recognize an exit route?

How can I escape from this situation?

When is it OK to fight back?

How can I most effectively fight back?

What are the laws on self-defense?

What should I do after I’ve escaped or fought back?


Self-Defense is for Everyone.

The Total Self-Defense Seminar for Women practices simple, effective techniques to improve personal safety. These techniques can be used by anyone, of any age, size or fitness level. Take control of your personal safety today. Enroll today!


About the Instructors

David H. Swartz

  • 7th Degree Black Belt--Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do

  • Chief Instructor of the Karate Institute – Bloomfield Hills Branch

  • 40 years of martial arts experience

  • Crowd Control Specialist at The Palace, DTE, and Meadowbrook for 19 years

  • CEO of DHS Consulting LLC (Dissolving Hostile Situations)

  • Self-defense seminar speaker for 25 years

Daryl Palm

  • 5th Degree Black Belt

  • Self-Defense Specialist

  • 19 years of martial arts experience

Seminars Presented by

David H. Swartz

DHS Consulting LLC

Dissolving Hostile Situations

(248) 892-2016

xz086j@ameritech.net


$35… Participant


Sunday, May 17, 2009

Trusted Service Providers (Angies List Local)

We have been discussing trying to create a place to list local service providers we have had good experiences with. If you are receiving this post via email and have a good contractor / service provider you want to share with the sub please click here and comment on this post.

So we fired up our sprinklers today and looks like I need to replace a sprinkler head in the front. No big deal I have done them in the past but it's been a while. I dug it up and it appears to be a bit beyond my pay grade. Does anyone know someone that would come out reasonably to fix one sprinkler head? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

dave

PS - Please us the comment feature on this post to post out service providers.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Subdivision Meeting this Thursday 7pm at Delta Kelly

Please make sure you join us and meet the new board and get updates on all the exciting things they have been working on for the benefit of our subdivision. Below is a brief outline of the topics to be addressed. We hope to have the best turn out yet. Please join us.

Introduction, meeting goals
2009 Elections
Measures for Consideration
Review 1Q09 accomplishments
Website committee
Social committee
Ponds committee
Finance committee
Grounds committee
Architectural Review committee
Review proposed activities for 2009

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Subdivision Meeting April 30th

Hi everyone! Just a reminder to mark your calendars for 7pm April 30th at Delta Kelly for the Spring meeting

We hope to see you all there.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Detroit water coming soon to township

view this article online at the blog here
Click here for picture of water line route
Detroit water coming soon to township

LINDA SHEPARD C & G Staff Writer
Published: March 12, 2009
OAKLAND TOWNSHIP - This fall, work is slated to begin on a 23-mile water main designed to bring Detroit water north. The North Oakland Transmission System will tie into the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's existing water main in Romeo and extend west through Washington and Oakland townships into Orion Township. "They are supposed to start on this in late 2009 or early 2010," said Oakland Township Supervisor James Creech. "It will take two years to complete." Creech said current Oakland Township community wells will connect with the main line. Ben- efits include avoiding costs associated with softening rusty well water. "I don't know anyone on a community well that does not have a water softener," he said. "And it will improve the environment. The salt [from water softeners] has to go somewhere." The majority of township residents are expected to connect to the Detroit water system. "This is a more desirable water system," Creech said. "It could impact development. It will make property more appealing." Connecting to community wells is a $7.5 million project that will be financed by tap-in fees that were issued on building permits, Creech said. "Older subdivisions will have a capital charge on their water bill, financed over time," he said. The main 96-inch Detroit water line will be placed in a 15-foot trench. Both the main line and the 16-inch community well connectors will be covered with 5 feet of earth. "It is a big undertaking," Creech said. "The lucky thing is that the community well system is in place." The new line is part of a larger project, said George Ellinworth, assistant director of Public Affairs for the DWSD. "It will link into the Flint transmission system and then link into the water line from Lake Huron to Flint," Ellinworth said. "A loop system." The new line originates at 31 Mile Road and Van Dyke and will travel southwest through Washington and Oakland townships to Orion Township. Two new pump stations are anticipated to be required at the Romeo and Lake Orion tie-in points. The line will help stabilize water pressure for all communities served by DWSD, Ellinworth said. "It will make water pressure more reliable in peak seasons," he said. Auburn Hills and several northern Macomb counties will see a big difference in their water pressure, he said. The line route was changed several times, Ellinworth said. "We met with the communities along the route to determine the communites' needs. We changed the route so there would be less digging up of roads and highways." "We are avoiding all major traffic areas," Creech said. The township is currently negotiating water rates with the DWSD. There is no requirement for individual well users to tap into the system. You can reach Staff Writer Linda Shepard at lshepard@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1065.

Caption:Illustration by Jason Clancy The North Oakland Transmission System will tie into the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's existing water main.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Mailboxes, Coyote's, and Lawn Care (what a combination)

Hi Everyone - If you are receiving this via email you can go directly to the post on our blog by clicking here http://centuryoakshoa.blogspot.com/ To Reply to this post please click on the link and at the bottom of the post click on comments. This will maintain the discussion thread. For help on using the blog please visit this instruction page.

Mail Box Vandalism Update

Please be on the lookout. There have now been 3 mailbox doors ripped off their hinges in the neighborhood. They also have slits or gouges in them almost as if the vandal is using a small hatchet or the back of a claw hammer. These are being repaired currently with spare parts but is time consuming and unnecessary. There is discussion of notifying the police to make them aware of the situation.

Coyote Sighting Update

I have received a number of Coyote sighting notices recently. If you have a small dog (like we do) use extra care when you let them outside

Lawn Cutting

I wanted to throw this out as well. I am now receiving unsolicited quotes for lawn cutting for the season. Some of the bids are quite tempting. I received one from Blades for $27 per cut. I am currently paying $38 and wonder if anyone has used them before. I suspect many of you received the same quote that I did.

Bring on Spring!!!!!!

Dave

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Century Oaks Homeowner’s Association (COHA) Newsletter Winter ‘09


Century Oaks Homeowner’s Association (COHA) Newsletter Winter ‘09

2009 Board of Directors: With elections complete, the new board took office effective 1 Jan 2009 in concert with the association’s fiscal year which runs from 1 Jan – 31 Dec of each year. The new board members are:
President – George Patten
Vice President – Jon Martz
Secretary – Rhonda Jean
Treasurer – Scott Reed
Grounds committee chair – Mike Wood and Grace English
Ponds committee chair – Nader Wehbe
Architectural Review committee (ARC) chair – Dave Scaccia and Bryan Botkin

Committee members:
Finance committee – Scott and Heather Hunt-Ruddy
Grounds committee – Mike, Grace and Dave Scaccia
Ponds committee – Nader and Brigitte Boyle
Social committee – Rhonda and Heather Hunt-Ruddy
At Large – Eilene Eynon

Website: If you haven’t been to the association website, please do. It can be found at www.centuryoakshoa.net . Dave Smith, along with Dan Degner, has done a great job getting us started. If you have ideas for it, please use the blog to let us know. Dave has also sent every homeowner their Century Oaks email address and password. Please make sure you have that information or contact Dave or Dan for help.

Meetings: We have established the first Wednesday of each month for the board meetings. We have also proposed two general membership meetings for 2009 and hopefully every year after. One is scheduled for April 30th and the other in November at Delta Kelly Elementary at 7 pm. The April meeting will address the budget and focus on prioritizing activities for 2009. The November meeting will feature elections or election results and a financial report for the year to date. Please stay tuned to the website for details.

Budget: One of the first orders of business for the new board is to establish a budget. We are working diligently to have that done by the close of the March board meeting. Shortly thereafter, invoices will go out and have a May due date. The May due date enables the board to have funds available for the summer months when we have the greatest expenditures. We will have a full report on the basis for the budget and the 2009 dues at the April general membership meeting.

Snow plowing: Mt Vernon is providing the snow plowing and salting services for the neighborhood this winter. Any time we get >3 inches of snow, Mt Vernon plows all streets and salts the two entrances and the Mountain Laurel Boulevard-Century Oaks Circle intersection. If you have any issues with the snow plowing, please contact either Dave Scaccia or Bryan Botkin, who are our contacts with Jason Knapp of Mt. Vernon.
By the way, please ask your driveway snowplowing contractors not to push snow into the street and to push any residual from their work out of the street. Some are not very careful about this and create frustration for us all.

Speeding: Please heed the 25 mph speed limit in the neighborhood and the right of way of pedestrians. It’s a state law enforced by the sheriff and citizens. Citizens may report vehicles to the sheriff’s office at 248.858.4950. The sheriff usually follows these calls with a call or visit to the offender. Multiple calls about any one license plate can result in further action by the sheriff. With no sidewalks for walkers to use, please help keep our neighborhood a safe place by slowing down and obeying the speed limit.

Sheriff’s note: With spring coming, Lt Parker of the Oakland Township sub-station wishes to remind all that cars should be locked with all items of value removed and garage doors kept down. As the temperatures increase, so do the incidents of car theft and “garage hopping” in our area. Century Oaks has had a rising number of these incidents.

Paperless: The association will do our best to go as paperless as possible in 2009 to simplify our processes and minimize expenses. Please make sure you have supplied an electronic address to any board member by 28 Feb ’09. Of course, the directory will be in hard copy as well as electronically saved to our website. And the annual dues invoice will continue to be paper. But we’ll try to do everything else electronically. Please check the website and your Century Oaks email routinely.

Issues: Please note the survey on the website. We are very interested in determining what the primary issues and priorities are for the members of the association. Please complete the survey and ask your neighbor if they have as well. Please feel free to expound upon your views in the blog found on the website. And join us at the April general meeting.

Recycling:
While recycling is great and we should do as much as we can, the recycling system in place now does create issues for some neighbors. Some of us use bins with covers but most do not. As a result, the high winds in our sub cause recycling materials to blow into other people’s yards. Please put your newspapers in one or more of the paper grocery bags you were going to recycle anyway and put the plastic items in the recyclable plastic grocery bags.

Vendors/suppliers/service providers: One of the best uses of the blog is share with our neighbors those businesses that offer the best products and services. Please take advantage of the blog to tell others which firms you recommend or to ask who others recommend. The blog can be found at www.centuryoakshoa.net .

Thanks: The 2009 board of directors would like to recognize the 2008 board. It is worth noting that Jeff Swarbrick and Rich Smith completed 5 years of service to the neighborhood while Gary Fish and Chris Felice worked hard in their 2 years as the Treasurer and Ponds Chair, respectively.

Notes from the board members/committee chairs:
President – The new board has great expectations for this year. Please use the new blog and/or the email to let us know what you’re thinking and how we can make 2009 a productive year for the association. It’s the next best thing to volunteering and would help make our jobs easier. Please stay tuned to the website as we’ll be posting bits on association law to help make for a more informed membership in COHA.




Vice President – Efforts are underway to establish standard operating procedures for the association. We hope to have the project completed before the end of this board’s term in office. We’re also formulating some overdue changes to the by-laws, as is normal, for approval by the Class A members (homeowners) of the association. We’ll have more on that at the general membership meeting in April.

Treasurer – The Association's books have been upgraded and downloaded to the latest version of Quick Books and all bank account change requirements have been met. We think we have an updated and accurate directory of all homeowners. This will enable us to correct some errors in prior years as well as standardize our process in the future.

Secretary – Hats off and a huge thank you goes to Mike Wood for spearheading the effort and devoting many hours in getting an accurate and complete neighborhood directory ready for publication. Also, Mike worked with Rea realtors, who will be covering the expense in publishing the 2009 directory. Thank you Linda Rea Realty.

Ponds – Nader Wehbe and Chris Felice have renewed the effort to get state DEQ to remove at least 4 of our 5 ponds from designation as a conservation easement. The committee will soon apply for permits to treat the ponds this year in hopes of restoring them to a more aesthetically appealing part of our neighborhood again.

Grounds – The committee conducted a bidding process over the last month with 4 firms submitting proposals for maintenance of the common areas for 2009. From those four, Goodison was selected. The terms of the contract will be posted to the website in the near future for your perusal. Mike Wood has now repaired lighting fixtures and replaced bulbs for both entrances. Remaining work will be done when the ground thaws. Anyone interested in helping him would be very welcome. Next will be an assessment of the mailbox situation for the neighborhood, which you’ll hear more about in the future.

Social – The social committee has two main functions - welcome new neighbors
to Century Oaks and plan neighborhood social activities. To do that, we need your help. First we need help identifying new homeowners moving into Century Oaks as we are
preparing a welcome packet to help them get acquainted. Second, we are convening a committee of neighbors who are interested in helping to plan social activities for the neighborhood throughout the year. If you can help, please contact Heather Hunt-Ruddy at Heatherhuntruddy@mac.com or call at 248-693-7068.

Architectural Review Committee – With lots to be done in this area, Dave Scaccia and Bryan Botkin are working to establish a way for the deed restrictions and by-laws to be brought current and made available to residents.

Website/Blog – Dave and Dan would like to thank everyone who has been blogging already. Keep it up! Please let your neighbors know if they haven’t seen the website, which has a public and private side. And please keep us current on your information since we keep an electronic directory on the private side of our website for homeowners use only. To see it though, you need a password, which was sent out to everyone.

Don’t forget. The next general membership meeting is April 30th at 7 pm at Delta Kelly School. Mark your calendars please!! Meet your neighbors. Discuss the 2009 budget and activities.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

12-17-08 Board Meeting Minutes Posted Online

The 12-17-08 Board Meeting minutes are now available online. You can find them under the General Info Tab on our website www.centuryoakshoa.net or here is a direct link to the pdf

Dave Smith On behalf of your Century Oaks HOA Board

Snow Plowing Question

I want to see if anyone else is having this issue that lives on the courts. We live on Sweet Bay Ct and it seems it does not get the attention that the Circle or Mt. Laurel does. Our street was not plowed yesterday? Is their a different threshold for the courts in regards to the amount of snow before they are plowed? If anyone else is having this issue I'd be interested to know.

Thanks

Dave

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

New Neigborhood Directory & Electronic Communication Notice

NOTICE - The board is working hard to update and publish the neighborhood directory. The suspend date for changes is February 28th. Please help us make it as accurate as possible. You can contact the board using the link below to verify your information.

COHA will be going paperless in 2009. Therefore, it is essential that COHA have an accurate means of contacting members electronically. The suspense date to provide electronic address is 28 Feb '09

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Plats for all Phase 1-4 are now on our website

You can find them under the general info tab at www.centuryoakshoa.net or click here for a direct link

Dave

Monday, January 5, 2009

Snow Removal

For those of you that hire a company to plow your driveways, I am looking for suggestions of reputable companies you are using. Is there a company that has contracted CO a neighborhood rate? Please advise. Thank you!

Board Meeting Schedule 2009

Future COHOA Board of Directors Meetings (2009)

First Wednesday of each month at 7 pm • Locations: YTBD

1st Qtr… January 7 • February 4 • March 4

2nd Qtr… April 1 • May 6 • June 3

3rd Qtr… July 1 • August 5 • September 2

4th Qtr… October 7 • November 4 • December 2

Future COHOA Membership Meetings (2009)

Thursday, March 26 (Proposed)

Thursday, September 24 (Proposed)