Claybourne Estates

Since our Crimewatch Ice Cream Social was cancelled due to the weather, we decided to celebrate the first week of school with ice cream at the playground this Friday, Aug. 14th.  We will pass out ice cream from 4-5pm.  Hope to see you there!

Update: This event is cancelled for tonight and will be rescheduled.  The new date and time will be posted here and on the signs.

National Night Out 2009 is Tuesday, August 4.  We will be having a Pool Party/Ice Cream Social at the pool from 7-9 pm.  There will be a visit from the Carmel Police and Fire Departments.

Everyone that has been emailing about their pass to the pool, we attempted to mail them last week, and found out the hard way that some if not all were lost in the mail due to the envelopes being torn open.

We are in the process of getting replacements and will be re-issuing passes as soon as we get them. We will be hand delivering them to each home.

We are sorry for the confusion, but in the mean time, the pool will be open to all as it has been in the past.

Sincerely,

CPOA Board

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.