2011 Nov-Dec Newsletter

8/3/2019 2011 Nov-Dec Newsletter

1/10

N O R M A N S N E W S For and by our Residents of Norman Downes Neighborhood

NovemberDecember 2011

You responded.Norman Downes & Normans News!

The people.

Everybody is nice & watches out for each other.

Get togethers at the pool and being close to the

park.

Larger lots & trees.

The people, large lots, trees, pool, lake.

Friendly people, all the trees, quiet.

Sense of community, people walk, kids play.

People from the neighborhood step up to

voice opinions that affect us at City

Hall and school board meetings.

The people are friendly, the wooded lots

and location.

Our neighbors! Everyone is so friendly.We moved in April and feel so welcome!

Beauty of trees, swimming pool, location

in Duluth.

Friendly neighbors, covenant neighbor-

hood, pool.

I love the community feel of the

neighborhood.

Living on the lake.

My neighbors looking out for us.

The quiet nights.

Trees, pool, lake.

The well kept homes and properties.

Our neighborhood is beautiful with all the

trees and wide roads.

My kids have a wonderful place to grow up!

Our neighborhood is growing!

Welcome New NeighborsDaniel & Laura Buchanan 2812

Norwood Way (850) 255-0436David & Theresa Bone2947

Brookshire Way (678) 682-3635Welcome New Babies

Silas Carter, boy, born to proudparents, James & Tara Carter.

Twins Girl, Ava & boy, Liam born Nov.7 toKelly & Kristoff Byrd on Kristoffs birthday.

2011 Survey says, What do you like best?

Mark your

Calendars!

By Dec. 3rd

Respond to

Holiday Party

Dec 10th

ND Holiday

Party

Dec 17th

HOA Voting

Dec 18th

Cookie Exchange

On Dec 24th

Win a Gift

Certificate from

Woodys Nursery

for decorating!

2011

Survey

Continued

Page 2

State of the

Downes

Pages 2-3

In An

Emergency

Page 3

Outdoor

Holiday

Decorating

Contest

Page 4

An Open

Love

Letter

Page 4

No Burning Code Page 5

Lets Play

BUNCO!

Page 4-5

Halloween

Winners

Page 6-7

Community

Standards

Page 8

ND Holiday Page 9

2012 Volunteers Page 10


2/10

(2011 results continued)

Thanks to those 10 percent who voted in

the 2011 surveys! We can do better

though!

Likewise, about 10 percent of the house-

holds in the community were represented at

the Annual Homeowners Meeting. This is one

of the largest turn-outs in years. It should be

a priority to make sure that your vote is

counted because your one vote could make

a difference! We need more than 10 per-

cent!

Next week when the ballots are mailed,

be sure to read the budget, and vote for the

candidates of your choice. The message

boards will be changing monthly as reminders

of neighborhood events and other information.

The suggestion boxes will be reinstalled

shortly, now that the message boards are up

for your response convenience.

All of these are a direct link between you

and your impact on the community and how

Norman Downes is governed. You can email

the HOA directly [email protected] or

call a board member. Get involved and make

a difference!

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 2

FOLLOWING ARE YOUR 2011 SURVEY RESULTS!OLLOWING ARE YOUR 2011 SURVEY RESULTS!OLLOWING ARE YOUR 2011 SURVEY RESULTS!Amenities

1. Lake Norman access

2. Playground

3. Permanent restroom at tennis/lake area

4. Fencing around the tennis/lake area

Activities

1. Quarterly outing for adults

2. Garden club anda lake conservation group

tie vote

3. Craft and Sewing Group

4. Gourmet Supper Club and walking/running

clubtie vote5. Poker club and pot luck block partiestie

vote

6. Bridge Club

Main Things Youd Change

1. Unkempt yards and home maintenance

2. Enforcing the covenants

State of the Downes

Thanks to all who attended our recent General

Meeting! We had about forty relaxed and

friendly neighbors, along with good food and

constructive dialogue! The feeling was (and

is) that having passed the Covenants, we can

methodically continue to improve our commu-nitywithout raising the dues, at least for

2012. This is in keeping with our philosophy

of making measured but steady progress us-

ing volunteer help where possible, and to per-

petuate the spirit and pride of Norman Dow-

nes without excessive expenditures.

We presented certificates and pins to the

many who have contributed to the various

projects this year, including a special guest,

Officer Randy Basset from the Duluth Police

Department (who emphasized the need forclear house numbers!), We also had a slide

show Your Norman Downes, featuring many

of our interesting neighborhood sights and

scenes. We also mentioned the Board candi-

dates, Mark Carter, Bill Smith, and I, who

would fill the vacancies left by (cont.)


3/10

(cont. from page 2) and just a replacement of the

Norman Downes sign boards themselves with

the maintenance free material, along with a

pressure washing of the bricks, which should

serve us well for some time.

The message from this years General

Meeting is to pick (or form) a committee and

get involved, if you can! If you cant, make

your wishes and opinions known with our sur-

veys and emails to [email protected].

And above all, appreciate the neighborhood

we have and feel the sense of our great com-

munity. Thanks!

Barry Smith, president HOA

In An Emergency

Will You Be Found?

Officer Randy Bassett, of the Duluth

Police, attended our Annual Meeting and

was given a certificate of appreciation by

the community.

He had the following request, Please

post your house numbers on top of

your mailboxes where they can be

seen on either side coming up or

down the street; if not on top, on

both sides of the post in reflective

numbers or even better, florescent.

Resident postal service employee, Reggie

Brown, echoes the request. It wouldnt

hurt to take stock of your mailbox at this

time and cut down growth that obscures

the numbers or opening. Some are a bit

unsteady or have doors that need replaced

too. Our carriers, fire fighters and police

are having trouble finding us quickly in

an emergency. Give them some help!

PAGE 3NORMANS NEWS

(State of the Downes continued) Peter Van Arsdale, Su-

zette Reeves, Don Watson and myself. Sam Carr

will be voted in at the next board meeting. I said

I would be happy to serve another term if elected.

We had a basic discussion of community stan-

dards with a handout(see page 8)

which was usedas a starting point. Wed spoke of the need for a

dedicated committee to determine what realistic

standards are and how they can be enforced.

Some things are obvious, such as no outlandish

colors and decorationsin other words, use good

taste and common sense. Other issues are more

subtle. One thing we can all agree on is that we

dont want an outside management company to

hound our neighbors to cut their grass or clean up

yards. We believe we can do our own manage-

ment in a clear and definitive way, without theadded expense.

Communication is a key element in keeping

things going. We had an in-depth presentation

from Rick Austin about our new web site (not yet

live) that will have many ways to make communi-

cating easier in the near future. As more of us

accept and adopt online devices like our cell

phones, well be able to get information and stay

in touch without having to be computer savvy, as

one concern was voiced.

In addition, we had great reports about thelandscaping from Andy Miller (the new landsca-

pers are doing a good job and under budget), the

pool from Peter Van Arsdale (welcome improve-

ments made but ongoing maintenance to be

done), communications and social from Suzette

Reeves (many well-attended events this year),

and the financials ,budget and Board candidates

ballots from Susan Holland (no dues increase and

were doing well). I chimed in on the tennis and

lake recreation area, talking briefly about the

proposed security fences, lake access cleanup, thedriveway gate (to be always open to foot traffic)

and making it a safe and inviting area for kids

and adults to play!

We rounded out the meeting with a discussion

of upcoming projects such as the street and en-

trance signs. We agreed that the approach would

be conservative on the entrances, (cont.)


4/10

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 4

A certificate worth $25 to Woodys

could be yours as the winner of the

Outdoor Holiday Decorating Contest!

Dearest Norman Downes,

Weve had a glorious six months, havent we? When the wife and I first moved in, we were captivated by your

manicured lawns, varied architecture, and mature trees. Since then weve settled into our first home, and weve gotten to

know you better. Behind that gorgeous foliage weve found your confounded sweet -gums and looming pines, but we love

you no less! Among your varied architecture is the occasional wacky structure, but those somehow add to your appeal! And

alongside those manicured lawns are the less-than-manicured ones, such as our ownand all we can do is forgive those

trifles.

For we cannot lie, Norman Downes, we love thee truly. Within a day of moving in wed received the McCabesdelectably moist pound cake and the banana breadhenceforth known in our household as Womble Breadto end all

banana breads. Within a week your welcoming committeethe devoted Cheryl Smith and the charming Suzette Reeves

had brought us a basket complete with embroidered towel, yummy cookies, and fragrant candle. Within a month we rev-

eled in your garage-sale goodness, discovered the gem that is Bunten Road Park, and felt the political turmoil of your cove-

nant quarrel. Oh, what a good first month it was.

They just dont make places like you anymore, Norman Downes. The devastation at the end of Commerce Avenue

tells the whole tale. Deforested, cookie-cutter development is the norm. But youre different. Youre not a development,

youre a neighborhooda real community. We just went to our first Annual Meeting of Homeowners, and now we can feel

it: were becoming a part of your colorful, unique fabric. Although the attendees spanned the spectrum of age, ethnicity,

and opinionwe were brought together by mutual, downright palpable affection for you.

Norman Downes, I only hope that those who couldnt attend love you as much as we do. Were fortunate to belong

to such a remarkable neighborhood, and we vow to show our love through a better-kept yard, increasing our homes curb

appeal, and engaging in community activities whenever possible.

All our love,

Jonathan & Elyse Silver

ATTENTION!!!!! Norman

Downes Homes Association

will not meet in December.

And will change from meeting

monthly to bi-monthly

beginning January 2012.

Please watch for meeting

times to be posted at the

neighborhood entrances.

2686 Buford Hwy 770-476-1705 www.woodysnursery.com

LLLETETETSSS PPPLAYLAYLAYBBBUNCOUNCOUNCOLadies! Are you feeling lucky?

Norman Downes has a Bunco Club

This is our 4th year! Looking for a way to meet some

new people and have some fun? The ND Women's

Bunco Club is looking for some more players. Bunco is

a simple dice game thats all about luck, no skill

needed. We meet once a month, usually on Thursday.

Each month we move around to different locations, our

wonderful host makes dinner and provides drinks andwe start playing around 7 PM and are usually finished

by 10 p.m. The cost is only $10, with a chance of win-

ning much more. Try your luck and come play with us,

its a great way meet some new friends. Never played?

No problem, no special skills needed, we will teach you.

Come give it a try! You could be our next BUNCO


5/10

At this time of year, please be reminded that Norman Downes is within the City of Duluthandburning of leaves and other yard debris is prohibited.

Duluth City Municode Sec 6-7(a) Prohibited: exceptions. No person shall cause, suffer,

allow, or permit open burning in any area located with the corporate boundaries of the

city at any time except as follows:

(2) The burning isfor the cooking of foodfor immediate human consumption in a grill,

barbeque pit or like cooking apparatus or involves the use of a chiminea or similar out-

door fireplace.

(7) The Burning of leaves, limbs and other natural vegetation that may fall on ones own

property, provided that said burning is conducted during daylight hours when prevailing

winds are not in excess of fifteen (15) m.p.h. and the fire is located at least two hundred

(200) feet from the nearest property line. (This disqualifies most lots in Norman Downes!)

May 1st

through Sept. 30th__

There is a total outdoor ban.

PAGE 5NORMANS NEWS

(Bunco cont.)

Queen! In November, we brought canned

goods to help stock the Duluth Food Pantry.

Dec. 15th is the next meeting.Dec. 15th is the next meeting.Dec. 15th is the next [email protected] or (770) [email protected] or (770) [email protected] or (770) 476---579957995799

Cheryl & Barry SmithCheryl & Barry SmithCheryl & Barry Smith

will host the NDwill host the NDwill host the ND

HOLIDAY COOKIEHOLIDAY COOKIEHOLIDAY COOKIE

EXCHANGEEXCHANGEEXCHANGE

Sunday December 18th, 3 to 4 PMSunday December 18th, 3 to 4 PMSunday December 18th, 3 to 4 PM

3308 Leeds Ways3308 Leeds Ways3308 Leeds WaysNo reply needed.No reply needed.No reply needed.

Just bring your goodies and drop in.Just bring your goodies and drop in.Just bring your goodies and drop in.

Please divide cookies in a zippered bag orcovered plate (6 count), for easy distribution

and attach the recipe to share. Take home

as many as you bring! Make one kind, go

home with lots of different treats for your

holiday table! Only homemade cookies,

special holiday treats and bars, please.

Bring a few extra to sample during the

exchange. Coffee and tea will be served.

Call Now!

(678)

643-3092

Licensed Master

Cosmetologist

Master Cutter

Color Specialist

Make-up Artist

Expertise for you!

In your home!

At your convenience!

Norman Downes client

references on request.

It is with regret that we announce the passing of our neighbor, Mary Ann

Paque of 2684 Kenwood Drive. Our sympathy extends to her family.


6/10

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 6


7/10

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 7

A Spooktacular Halloween!


8/10

Proposed Standards for Norman Downes Homes Association

Please refer to the City of Duluth standards and codes which may be found at http://www.duluthga.net. Below is a list of approved standards. Violations

may be brought to the attention of the Norman Downes Homes Association Board by emailing [email protected]. Upon investigation, any serious

violations will be first addressed by issuing a letter to the resident asking that the problem be rectified in a timely manner. If no response is received with 10

days, a second and final request will be issued. If the final request is not responded to within 10 days, the Covenants Compliance Committee may hire con-

tractors to bring the property within standards. Any expenses incurred may be charged back to the owner of the property. Hardship and special situations

are considered case by case. Most often however, minor and temporary violations are resolved with a phone call or face-to-face conversation with a mem-

ber of the Board or Covenants Compliance Committee.

1. The overall property must be maintained in good repair. No broken or boarded up windows or doors are permitted at any

time. Hanging gutters, damaged shutters and garage doors, and missing siding and singles must be repaired promptly.

Porches and steps must be kept in good repair. All fencing and gates must be maintained. No peeling, blistered paint or

unfinished siding is allowed.

2. Paint colorof homes, fences and outbuildings needs to be attractive. No overly bright, fluorescent, or garish colors are al-

lowed. Acceptable paint colors are (to be determined).

3. Lawn maintenanceFront andback yards must be mowed and bushes neatly maintained. Curb and driveway edging is

encouraged. Per the City of Duluth, grass is to be cut on a regular basis and not to exceed 8 in height.

4. Plastic flowers and containers are not permitted on the front side of the residence.

5. Landscaping & gardensVegetable gardens in excess of 8x8 area are not allowed in the front yard. Smaller herb and

vegetable gardens are permitted if kept weed free and cultivated to be pleasing to the eye. No invasive trees or vines may

be planted within the subdivision. Plantings on corner lots and at the entrances must not obscure the vision of drivers seeing

pedestrians.

6. TreesRemoval ofhealthytrees over 12 in base diameter must be approved by the Board unless fallen by natural circum-

stances. Part of Norman Downes appeal is its mature trees. There may be no visible tree stumps seen from the front of the

home. IMPORTANT: Removal of trees without prior HOA approval may incur a fine.

7. No decorativefencing in the front yard.

8. Mailboxes should be made of sturdy material, and easily accessible from the street with numbers clearly marked on themailbox so they can be seen from either side.

9. Signageis limited to house numbers, plus one for sale or rent sign. Any posted signs within the neighborhood regarding

upcoming events and garage sales etc. must be removed directly after the event takes place.

10. Flags and yard artin the front yard must be tasteful and limited.

11. Recreational and play equipment, including tire swings, swing sets,basketball hoops, and soccer nets are not allowed in the

front yard or on the street in front of the property.

12. Tents and hammocks are not permitted in the front yard.

13. Holiday decorations must be removed within 30 days once a holiday has past. Christmas lights (even unlit) must not re-main on the house year round.

14. Debris and other yard waste,including fallen trees must be disposed of in a timely manner.

15. Dumpstersmay be kept on the premises in the driveway for a period of no longer than 30 days unless a major renovation

project is in operation. No dumpsters may be kept on the street.

16. Any new home additionsmust be submitted for approval in advance by the Covenants Compliance Committee.

17. Out buildingsmust be submitted for approval in advance by the Covenant Compliance Committee.

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 8


9/10

18. There is noburningwithin the City of Duluth of trash, paper etc. Open burning of leaves, tree branches and limbs by indi-

viduals associated with storm clean-up and individual yard workis not allowed per Gwinnett County.

At the 2012 Homeowners meeting, several suggestions were made regarding adding the following restrictions:

Compost piles are not allowed to be left on the front lawn.

Burning of leaves and other yard waste is banned due to the smoke pollution as it poses hazard to those with aller-

gies and/or breathing problems. See #18 above.

Above is a list ofpossible compliance standards for Norman Downes Homes. If you would like to be on the com-

mittee that will finalize our community standards, please fill out the sheet on the last page of the newsletter and drop it inthe suggestion box or email your request to: [email protected]

Congratulations to Jeanne Kosmala,Congratulations to Jeanne Kosmala,Congratulations to Jeanne Kosmala,

Mason Elementarys 2011 Teacher of the Year!Mason Elementarys 2011 Teacher of the Year!Mason Elementarys 2011 Teacher of the Year!

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 9

Please contribute to Normans News at [email protected] or put your article

or newsworthy item in one of the entrance suggestion boxes! Many thanks to Jonathan Silver

who designed our holiday party invitation. Your editorCheryl Smith [email protected]


10/10

Your Board Members are Asking for Your Help!

What are your skills and interests?

Yes! I would like to be on this (these) committees. Please contact me!

____ Administration (mailing/filing/scanning/computer input skills)

____ Development & Maintenance (project and work day committees)

____ Communications (newsletter/web/printing/writing articles)

____ Social (neighborhood events and activities)

____ Landscape & Beautification (planting, maintenance & gardening)

____ Lake and Tennis Recreational Area (maintenance and improvement projects)

____ Pool Recreational Area (activities and improvements)

____ Standards Committee (compiling reasonable standards we all can live by)

____ Neighbor to Neighbor (helping other neighbors in the community withmanual labor, carpentry, yard work, home cooked meals and more!)

Tell us your special skill(s): ___________________________________________

Name (please print): _____________________________________________________

Phone: ______________________________________________________________

Email: ______________________________________________________________

Announcing: Normans News will be issued quarterly in 2012and is going green

to save paper and your dollars for other projects! (Please check your preferences.)

Please deliver future issues by ... Email only Paper only Both

Name (please print): _____________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________

Email:_____________________________________________________________

Please fill out and return to the suggestion/ballot boxes at the front entrances.

NORMANS NEWS PAGE 10

Date post:	06-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	rick-austin
View:	219 times
Download:	0 times

2011 Nov-Dec Newsletter

Documents