Claybourne Estates

I, Bing Ji, serving as Treasurer of the Claybourne POA Board, am seeking your opinions on two major upcoming community projects. As such, I would appreciate your feedback on the survey answer sheet attached to this post.

The two major community projects were cited on the 2009 budget: Pool heater purchase ($10,000) and CDC land purchase ($2,000).

For the pool heater, some members who favored the idea believed that it could increase the usage of the pool by lengthening the swimming season in Indianapolis; while others worried about the ongoing maintenance and utility costs, which could be more expensive than the initial purchase and installation of the pool heater.

For the CDC land, members who supported the purchase believed that it would increase the overall community property value, and hence individual home values. However, members who opposed the project thought it benefited only a few houses, and were worried about the maintenance cost for the land purchased from CDC, which would add more to the already high common area maintenance budget ($63,600).

Due to the widely divided opinions on these projects, the board is seeking your perspective on the Claybourne community as part of the information gathering and analysis exercise. We voluntarily serve for ALL members in our community, and it is essential for the Board’s recommendations to align with the members’ interests, particularly for big projects like these two. Your inputs are valuable and critical in creating a friendly, peaceful and harmonious neighborhood environment. I would appreciate your feedback on the attached survey sheet.

Please provide your feedback, name, lot number and home address in the survey sheet and forward to treasurer@claybourne.org before May 31, 2009.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely Yours,

Bing Ji

Treasurer, Claybourne Property Owners Association

Dear Neighbors; 

the board thought it would be helpful and beneficial for home owners to get lawn care tips.  We do not endorse Scotts, however they do have a helpful website that you can follow and apply with any product line you would chose to use.  To link to the Scotts Lawn Care Website for our area of the country, please click here.

Here are a few other things we can do to improve our homes and neighborhood:

LAWNS:  Keep lawns fertilized and apply weed killer when necessary.  The yellow flowers growing all over the grass are weeds and can suffocate the grass, eventually killing it.  Any home improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot can give you product advice if you ask. You can also contract with a lawn care company to treat your lawn for weeds at reasonable prices.  Mowing your lawn is required to keep your lawn looking its best.  It is best to mow your lawn at the highest setting on your mower.  This allows the grass to retain moisture in the summer months.  Mowing the grass too low, can cause severe damage and leave with a brown weed infested yard.

TREES and SHRUBS:  If the trees on our property have branches or small limbs growing from the base of the trunk, trim them off!  Trees grow much faster and healthier when they are trimmed properly.  Again, any home improvement store can recommend the proper tools and give advice.  If the trees on our property are not growing straight but are instead leaning over, use a tree stake to correct the problem.  Tree stakes can be purchased at any home improvement store for a few dollars.  Simply follow directions on the package.  If this is done, the tree(s) will have proper positioning as they grow to their full potential.  You also need to fertilize your trees and shrubs at least twice per year.  One application of a 12-12-12 general fertilizer in the spring and again in the late fall, will help feed your trees.  This product can be found at any home improvement store for less than $10.

MULCH:  Mulching the bush and tree beds is done for several reasons.  In the winter, mulch protects specimens from cold, harsh weather.  In the summer, it keeps the specimens moist and protects them from the heat and sun.  When mulch is applied properly it can look very nice.  The color of the mulch is a matter of homeowner choice.  Which ever color is selected (dark hardwood mulch is mostly used by professional landscapers), keep it consistent!  Mixing colors creates a contrast that is not aesthetically pleasing.  In order to keep plants and bushes healthy, weeds need to be removed from mulch beds.  You should also keep your mulch beds and tree rings free of weeds and grass as this looks unsightly and competes for water and nutrients your trees, shrubs, and flowers need to grow.

GARAGE WINDOWS:  We see many homeowners install blinds or some type of window covering on garage windows.  This helps the appearance of the home from the outside and provides protection against criminals looking to steal personal property.  Let us all step outside of our homes and evaluate our garage windows.  If we see bottles, cleaners and clutter on the window sill, we may want to consider either removing these items or putting up window coverings.  Tip:  Lowe’s and Home Depot have paper blinds that can easily be installed without tools.  They are very inexpensive – about $6 each.

Exterior:  Let us keep our home exteriors free of clutter by removing empty pots, trash receptacles, portable basketball goals and unwanted/unused items.  This will give the outside of our homes a clean and welcoming appearance!

If we all work together on improving our yards and home exteriors, we will see our property value increase.   It is worth every penny and minute invested whether we are selling or staying in Claybourne Estates for the long run.  So please, let us all take the time to educate ourselves and improve our homes and neighborhood!!

 Don’t hesitate to ask a neighbor or the board for helpful advice!

If you have any questions, or need a reference for a lawn care company, please email us at info@claybourne.org.

It is that time of year again to gather up all your old stuff and get ready for the Claybourne Neighborhood Garage Sale. This year’s neighborhood garage sale will be Thursday June 4th through Saturday June 6th from 8am to 1 pm each day. Please place balloons on your mail box if you are participating. We need help placing signs and balloons around the entrances/intersections. If you are able to help or have any questions, please email info@claybourne.org.

Some of you know and for those that don’t, the City of Carmel has a plan to install a Round About at the intersection of 131st and Shelbourne Road. 

In order for this to happen, they have to purchase land from CPOA, and the two property owners on the South side of the intersection.  Their offer to us has been reviewed by the board and our attorney and we are moving forward.

You will notice that our landscaper will be removing trees from this area.  We are going to use these trees to replace trees that are in poor condition or have already died.  We also be re-routing the irrigation system in this area to meet the design of the round about.

If there are specific questions, please contact the board at info@claybourne.org.

Thank you,

Bryan Kelley – CPOA Board President

You are invited to the 6th Annual Claybourne Easter Egg Hunt & Parade!

Saturday, April 4, 2009 @ 1 pm (rain or shine)

Activities to include: Fire truck demonstration, Parade, Contest for the best decorated bike, Egg Hunt and Desserts.

All activities will be held at the pool parking lot and playground area. Please bring your decorated bike and Easter basket and check in by the pool doors. Parade will follow.
Ages 0-5 years -south side of pool
Ages 6 and up-north side of pool

To help with the costs each participating family is asked to donate $5.00 per family. We are also accepting donations for the following items: plastic eggs, wrapped candy for the eggs (no peanut products) and cookies. We also need volunteers to help with the event. Please contact easteregghunt@claybourne.org if you are able to donate or volunteer. Thanks!

Egg Hunt and Parade