NO CURBSIDE BULKY WASTE & SCRAP METAL COLLECTION IN 2010

The Public Works Dept has advised all Cheshire residents that there will be NO curbside Bulk Waste or Scrap Metal Collection during the fall of 2010. Cheshire Residents may utilize the Transfer Station to dispose of these items.

For more information on location, times and fee schedule, you may call DPW at 203.271.6650 or visit the Town of Cheshire website:
http://www.cheshirect.org/publicworks/default.html

Gutter Filter Installation

In May of 2009, we piloted installation of Gutter Filter on back gutters of units having major issues with clogs due to tree lines. Having received no negative feed back; installation of back and front gutter was planned for capital improvements in this FY for units #72 through #100 and #131 through #157.

Work began this week on units 131 through 157. All front gutters are done and a portion of the back gutters. With rain forecasted for Friday, May 14, work will resume Monday.

CAPITAL PROJECTS: UNITS/DECKS

Unit Painting
We will begin Phase 2 of our painting cycle. The schedule below lists the cul-de-sacs and respective dates [we will keep you apprised on our blog if rain dates are necessary:
#44 through 46 4/12 - 4/23 Completed 4/20/2010
#48 through 58 4/26 - 5/07 Started wood replacment 4/18/2010, Completed 5/12
#60 through 70 5/10 - 5/21 Prep completed 5/14, painting 5/16-5/20
#63 through 77 5/24 - 6/04 Prep started 5/16 Completed 06/04
#79 through 89 6/07 - 6/18 Prep started 06/01 Completed 6/12
#91 through 97 6/21 - 7/08 Prep started 06/14 Completed 06/28
#99 through 105 7/12 - 7/23 Prep to start 06/08 Completed 07/02
Touch Up completed 07/06 and 07/07

For only units that are being painted during this phase, we will be inspecting garage doors and unit owners will be advised in writing of door or panel replacements that are necessary.

DECKS
The following decks will be replaced this year: 39, 57, 80, 99, and 123. There is some paint work that also needs to be completed from last year. This will finally complete our Trek replacement for all decks.

A Fresh Start for 2010

And...........with that said, we extend a most sincere welcome to Fontanella Property Management!

From the many emails received from unit owners, it is evident that everyone is taking a deep breath and a sigh of relief having Jennifer return to Old Towne. In the prior two years as our property manager, Jennifer excelled in unit owner service always having the utmost concern for unit owners and any problems that required handling.

An excerpt from Jennifer’s letter to the Board:
. . .“It is great to be a part of such a wonderful condominium community. I look forward to serving everyone and doing my part in continuing to make Old Towne Condominiums the premium community it is known to be. I have been most fortunate to have met many of the unit owners and am so happy to be back as part of the Old Towne team. I look forward to helping you all in the days, months, and years to come” . . .Jennifer.”

Although we will be mailing another newsletter sometime in February, we have listed a few highlights below:

WELCOME
A warm welcome to new unit owners: Keith Johnston & Eva Norinne Betjemann.

THANK YOU, RICH
Our heartfelt thanks to Rich Stevenson, RTS Landscaping. We all know that Rich does a remarkable job removing snow from our complex and handling all landscaping/mowing needs during the warmer months. However, the Board extends its appreciation to Rich for acting as point during our recent transition to Fontanella and ensuring that unit owner service calls were handled promptly. We could not have gotten through these last three months without Rich.

MONTHLY PAYMENTS
REMINDER AGAIN: all payments to the association are due on the first of the month and are considered late if received after the 10th. Three notices on this matter have been sent to unit owners. Use the grace period judiciously – ground mail [sometimes called snail mail] cannot be depended upon for a 2 or 3 day turn around.

MONTHLY MEETINGS
The monthly Board meetings remain scheduled on the fourth Tuesday of each month, 6 P.M. at Cheshire Stop & Shop, 2nd. floor meeting room.

BOARD VACANCY
Two vacancies remain on the Board. Any one interested in serving, please contact Jennifer Fontanella.

Wishing everyone health and happiness and above all, peace in 2010.
Your Board of Directors: David, Gail, Jan, Kinsey, and Adrienne

Taking Pride in Old Towne

While driving through Old Towne on this sunny Saturday morning, it is clear that many owners take pride in caring for their unit. With a camera always in my car (for those unexpected grandchildren moments), I had to stop and take this picture. Thank you to so many who take pride to beautify this complex.

It's Hard to Say Goodbye to Great People

It is always difficult to say goodbye to great people. These are the people that not only contribute to your success, but more importantly make everyone's work fulfilling and enjoyable.

With great sadness, we are saying goodbye to our property manager at Palmer, Jennifer Fontanella-Robinson. Although Jennifer was in charge of several large condominium complexes along with Old Towne, she was adept at negotiating with all our contractual vendors, investigating and resolving complaints from unit owners to determine that services and/or maintenance were properly provided, and her diligence ensured that our complex was safe, properly maintained and your major investment in Old Towne was secure. This was accomplished with Jennifer's pleasant personality and genuine concern for everyone at Old Towne.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we will miss her greatly, but wish her happiness and success for her future.

I have posted Jennifer's letter to the Board below:

Dear David, Gail, Jan, Adrienne & Kinsey,

Leaving a job is part of the work world as is people's lives taking a different turn. As I mentioned at the September 8 board meeting, I will be relocating out of state as my husband begins his new business partnership. However, that makes it no less easy to say goodbye to individuals I have worked closely with for the past two years.

I have so much enjoyed working with the Board of Directors at Old Towne. Your commitment, dedication, and hard work for all unit owners has made my job so much easier. I have enjoyed my tenure here and I appreciate having the opportunity to work with you and everyone else at Old Towne Condominiums.

Thank you for your support, guidance and encouragement you have provided me during the last two years as your Property Manager. It truly has been a pleasure working with you and everyone else at Old Towne Condominiums.

Yours Truly, Jennifer

Updates on This & That

Decks
#58 has been completed and approved by the town building inspector.
#143 & #145 are currently being repaired
#139 and #141 should be completed by the end of September.

Chimney Caps
The board voted to conduct an inspection by Deans Stove and Spa and it was determined that many of the chimneys were not installed according to code and the wood around the chase was too close creating a fire hazard.

Garage Doors and/or Panels [for units painted this spring]
During the painting process, it was determined that 11 units need panel replacement for garage doors. Some unit owners opted to have the entire garage door replace. There are 3 doors that have to be replace with an estimated installation date of September 11 and an estimated timeframe to finish painting all doors on/or before September 25.

Pool Lighting
The exterior light over the pool door has been upgraded from 75 to 150 watts. The pole lighting should be completed on/before September 18,

Gutters
As you know, we ran a trial on units having gutters near tree lines or based on repetitive work orders and installed “Gutter Filter”. We have not received any negative comments and are now reviewing all units in Old Towne. Please contact Palmer Property if you have additional comments.

Hazardous Waste Disposal
We have received a second letter from the Town of Cheshire regarding a unit owner disposing of paint in the weekly trash pick-up. We, again, have been advised that damage to the trash vehicle, town roads, or town right of ways will be borne by unit owners.

Vehicles Cutting Through/Speeding on Old Towne Road
School has begun and we are receiving complaints of vehicle cutting through Old Towne. We will, once again, be addressing this issue with Cheshire Police Department. However, for those of us at the Wallingford Rd. entrance, it is sometimes easy to see a vehicle enter and continue through only to exit on Route 10 and then on to the highschool. If you find your self in that situation, attempt to take down the marker number and report it to David Maddern or Gail Egan. We will utilize that information when speaking with CPD.

FBI CONSUMER ALERT/Online Rental Ads Could be Phony

Published 07/29/09
You can’t believe your good fortune—you find a rental home in a nice area through a Craigslist classified ad at an unbelievably low rate. The landlord—who had to leave the country and travel to Nigeria—asks that you wire him two months’ worth of rent. You arrive at the home on the agreed-upon date, but there’s just one small problem—the house is not actually for rent and its owners know nothing about your agreement.

This latest scam being perpetrated by Nigerian criminals located halfway around the world has been seen in a number of U.S. states, perhaps in response to the current housing market—with fewer people buying, more people are renting.

But it’s not really a new scam, just a variation of an old one. In South Carolina, the rental scam problem has become so prevalent that Columbia FBI Special Agent in Charge David Thomas recently issued a warning about it to homeowners and prospective renters, particularly in the Charleston, Columbia, and Hilton Head areas. The scam has also ensnared victims in Rhode Island, Illinois, Colorado, and California, among other states.

How to avoid being victimized:
1. Only deal with landlords or renters who are local;
2. Be suspicious if you’re asked to only use a wire transfer service;
3. Beware of e-mail correspondence from the “landlord” that’s written in poor or broken English; 4. Research the average rental rates in that area and be suspicious if the rate is significantly lower;
5. Don’t give out personal information, like social security, bank account, or credit card numbers.

To learn more: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/july09/housingscam_072909.html

The Beauty of Old Towne

Biggest Bank Blunders Ever

You probably get pretty aggravated when you spot an error on your company’s bank statement. But we bet whatever you found wasn’t this big. True, sometimes there’s a major systems glitch behind the screw-ups; other times it’s as simple as human error causing these monumental mistakes:

Early retirement for one New Zealand couple who applied for a $7,800 overdraft from their bank and wound up having $7.8 million deposited in their account! The bank said it was a human error, not a computer one, responsible here. No such thing as free money, though. The couple took the money and ran – and are currently being pursued by authorities.

Forget egg – the largest (and most scandal-prone) bank in Ireland wound up with an entire omelet on its face in 2004. Turns out the financial institution had been overcharging customers for years. The bank tried to claim it was merely a technicality – most overcharges were for less than $38 and the bank still had the lowest rates around! Bet the CFOs of those overcharged customers didn’t think that mattered!

This made for some grumpy employees: A full 10% of the people in New Zealand paid by the largest bank’s corporate banking system woke to find no payment in their accounts. To blame this time? “Operator error during the bank’s overnight batch processing.” But we know who probably got most of the blame: Each company’s payroll folks!

These folks served and protected our country, and in return … they get slapped with bank fees and penalties for bounced checks! That’s just what happened when more than 450 veterans tried to present checks from the Veterans Affairs Department. A Citibank employee had changed a contract arrangement between the bank and the department, placing stricter limits on the amount of time veterans had to cash government checks for reimbursement of certain expenses. When the checks were presented outside that window of time, they bounced. Citibank had to reimburse the vets for the checks and the extra fees!

The government may want banks to disclose more about their own financial situations. But they probably shouldn’t be this forthcoming with details about their customers. When Stephanie McLaughlin asked Halifax for a copy of her own bank statement, she was shocked to receive 2,500 pages containing the account details of more than 75,000 of the Scottish bank’s customers. The bank apologized for the “isolated incident” but still lost Ms. McLaughlin as a customer (and probably 75,000 others!).
Visit http://www.cfodailyNews.com

Unit Painting To Start

Phase I to paint unit structures in Old Towne will begin with wood prep and paint at the pool house on Tuesday, May 26th. Then, we are anticipating a start date of June 1st as noted on the tentative schedule listed. Work is predicated on weather et al, therefore, Palmer Property Management will apprise unit owners of painting schedule. If unit owners have any questions or comments before or during the painting duration, please contact Jennifer at Palmer.

Tentative Schedule as of 6/11:
May 26th Pool House - Completed
June 1st Units 31-41 - Should be finished Mon 6/15
June 15th Units 53-61 - Will begin wood prep Mon 6/15
June 29th Units 107-117
July 13th Units 119-129
July 27th Units 131-157

Thank You and Best Wishes to Darcy Keough

The Board of Directors would like to express its deepest appreciation to Darcy Keough for her time put forth serving Old Towne Association. Darcy, while still keeping her unit here at Old Towne, will soon become a permanent resident of New Hampshire. There was never a time, even while taking care of her husband John before he passed, that Darcy ever refused to assist in the efforts of the Board. It is always difficult to lose individuals who have made significant contributions. Darcy, we wish you the very best and we will sincerely miss you.

Unemployment across the country!

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/03/us/20090303_LEONHARDT.html?ref=business

Trivia: now you know more than you did!

Well folks, it has been sometime since we have updated this blog (my apologies). Time does has a way of slipping by. However, this was sent to me by one of our unit owners and I found it interesting, hope you do as well.

1. Stewardesses' is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

2. And 'lollipop' is the longest word typed with your right hand.

3. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

4. ‘Dreamt’ is the only English word that ends in the letters 'mt'.

5. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

6. The sentence: 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' uses every letter of the alphabet.

7. The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and ‘level’ are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left (palindromes).

8. There are only four words in the English language which end in 'dous': tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

9. There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: 'abstemious' and 'facetious.'

10. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.

11. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

12. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

13. A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

14. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

15. A snail can sleep for three years.

16. Almonds are a member of the peach family.

17. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

18. Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2 to 6 years of age.

19. February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

20. In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.

21. If the population of China walked past you, 8 abreast, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.

22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors

23. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite!

24. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

25. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

26. The cruise liner, QE 2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

27. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

28. The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.

29. There are more chickens than people in the world.

30. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

Happy New Year

On December 31st when the clock strikes twelve, people all over the world cheer and wish each other a very Happy New Year. May the New Year be the beginning of a better tomorrow for everyone.

On behalf of the Old Towne Association Board of Directors, we wish you health, peace, wisdom, happiness and blessings for 2009.

David Maddern, President

Change of Meeting

After some dialog with Stop & Shop and through the courtesy of the new store manager, Rick Donegan, we will be conducting our December meeting at Stop & Shop, December 2, 2008, 2nd Floor. Stop & Shop has an elevator for those unable to maneuver the stairs. We are in the process of setting up the 2009 calendar and it is our hope we can set the first Tuesday of the month as our meeting dates (easier to remember). We will keep every apprised as we head into the New Year.

Bulky Waste and Scrap Metal Collection

On Thursday, October 23, the Town of Cheshire will be conducting its curbside Bulky Waste Collection. Ferraro & Sons, Inc. will again be picking up at Old Towne.

Items are to be placed in one location in each cul-de-sac. It is our suggestion that this be in a designated visitor parking spot closest to the entrance to the cul-de-sac. For the convenience of unit owners, items may be placed in the one designated location starting at 8 am, Wednesday, October 22.

The contractor is unable to sort materials during collection. Therefore, bulky waste items and scrap metal items that are mixed together will not be collected. Weekly garbage collection is to be kept separate from this area and must not be put out until 6 pm the night before pickup.

ACCEPTABLE ITEMS
Stoves, Microwaves, Washing Machines, Metal lawn furniture, water heaters, gas grills (no tanks), air conditioners, metal lights, exercise equipment, large metal toys, doors, window frames, dishwashers, dryers, Refrigerators (doors must be taken off), metal bed rails, lawn mowers, snow blowers, tool boxes, garden tools, bicycles, roto tillers, metal pipes, metal trash cans, safes, fans, gas/electric heaters.

UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS
Household Garbage and Trash, Motor Vehicles, All Terrain Vehicles, Brick/Concrete/Asbestos Materials, Motorcycles, Small Recreation Vehicles, Vinyl Siding, Grass Clippings, Brush or Branches, Paint, Paint Thinners, Gasoline, Propane Tanks, Antifreeze, Oil/Chemical/Gas Tanks, Explosives, Batteries, Tires, Food/Beverage Containers.

For more information on Accepted Bulk Waste Materials and Scrap Metal Acceptable Items, please visit the website below. Disregard collection dates noted on the website as this is for residential collection excluding condominiums. Collection for Old Towne is 10/23/08.

http://www.cheshirect.org/publicworks/trash.html