May 1998 Newsletter
Community Policing - What Is It?
On May 13th The Pinery
Homeowners' Association general meeting will be highlighted by a presentation on
"Community Policing". This is of importance to Pinery residents because the
practices and policies that are part of Community Policing may help us to curb vandalism,
speeding on our streets and other activities that victimize our families and
neighborhoods.
The Douglas County Sheriffs Office cannot stop all of the
activities that detract from our community's well being, so we, the residents of The
Pinery, must do what we can to minimize the effects of these behaviors. The term
"community policing" has come to represent a philosophy that promotes equal
partnerships between community governments, police or law enforcement and community
residents. The ultimate goal is to form a stronger community, willing to share in the
process of restoring order and creating a safe environment for our families and friends.
No, The Pinery is not a cesspool of crime and disorder, but there are some activities that
have negative impacts on our community.
The PHA wants to gather information and assess needs of the
community through the eyes of our residents, and we plan to use the May General Meeting as
a starting point. We must identify our needs and then ask people who are trained to lead
these programs give us direction on how to accomplish our tasks. Any of you who have
witnessed or been victimized by criminal acts or nuisances, are asked to attend this
meeting to learn how Community Policing can help us solve these kinds of problems.
Our guest speakers will be from the Neighborhood Resource Center
in Denver. They will explain their program; answer questions and talk about opportunities
to share in grants to fund our activities. We have also invited representatives from the
Douglas County Sheriffs Office to work with us on any programs that the community
determines are worthwhile.
If you feel that speeding or vandalism in your neighborhood are
putting your family at risk and you want to do something about it, come and find out how
we can collectively design a program to do so. Donation of an hour or two of your time may
be the best way that you can work toward a cure for such incidents. Please join with your
neighbors and other area residents in learning about what we can do to help solve some of
our community's problems.
HABITAT FOR SONGBIRDS
Do you love birds? Do you enjoy gardening? Would you like to see a project that enhances our already beautiful Pinery? Then you'll want to read on! You may have noticed the digging on the PHA land adjacent to Northeast Elementary. That hill is being graded to allow for better visibility when drivers pull out of the RTD lot. The idea is to take that one step further, till a little more land, and plant a songbird habitat in the process. All we need is you to make it happen-your expertise and some elbow grease!! We may even get a backyard habitat from the National Wildlife Federation! Hope to hear from you soon..
COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE
TO BE JUNE 5th & 6th.
Clean out those closets bursting with no longer used toys,
sporting goods or clothing! Organize all those tools, bikes, and other odd items in the
garage, and mark those never used items for sale! Tackle the basement on a cold, rainy
day-few and far between in Colorado-and see what you can come up with! Turn those unneeded
items into cash at the Pinery Garage Sale, Friday and Saturday, June 51h and 6th from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m.
If you want to have a sale at your house, please call the PHA
office, 841-8572, to get your location on the map that will be handed out to shoppers as
they enter The Pinery. To insure that you are included, please call before Thursday, May
28th at 3 p.m.. PHA will run classified ads in the Douglas County News Press, Denver Post
and Rocky Mountain News. This is the fourth year that PHA has sponsored the Community
Garage Sale and the number of sales and shoppers increases each year, so be prepared for
some serious shoppers!
LARGE ITEM DROP OFF SET FOR SATURDAY JUNE 21st
It's that time again, for everyone to get rid of all those things around the house that the garbage man won't take. Your Pinery Homeowners' Association is again providing the facilities and place for your Large Item Drop Off.
DATE: June 20,1998 (RAIN DATE June 28th).
TIME: 7:00 am UNTIL 2:00 PM ONLY.
WHERE: Across Highway 83 from our main entrance at our RV Storage Area.
COST: $5.00 for PHA Members - $25.00 for non-PHA
Members.
WHAT WILL BE ACCEPTED:
Generally most large items will be accepted. All items must be
placed into the dumpsters by the person(s) bringing the item to the drop area.. Our
volunteers will NOT handle loading or unloading. (Insurance prohibits) Nothing can be
dumped onto the ground!
RESTRICTED ITEMS: (WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED).
Now is the time to get rid of that "old refrigerator" or other appliance & fixtures, old chairs, sofas, tables, metal items and things you just want to get rid of. Your PHA again gives you a place to "RID" yourself of these items the RIGHT way.
KIDS FISHING DERBY
Hey kids, it's that time again! The PHA Lake Committee will hold the ANNUAL KIDS FISHING DERBY on Saturday, June 13th from 2 - 5:30 PM. Prizes will be awarded for the longest fish caught of each species. Prizes will be awarded between 5:15 and 5:30 PM. A drawing will also be held for door prizes. Sign up is at the registration area on the dam.
PINERY PARK IMPROVEMENTS
If you haven't visited Pinery Park lately, consider doing so soon! Thanks to the Douglas Department of Parks and Open Space several nice additions have recently been made. An attractive two-rail fence now encloses and defines the Park and makes it a safer area in which children can play. By the time you read this we will have celebrated Arbor Day by planting several more shade trees at the West end of the park. Additional shade trees will be planted on Arbor Day for about five more years according to Parks Director, Ron Benson. Mr. Benson has also indicated that new play equipment in colors indigenous to the area will be added in 1999, and that another small playground may be added in the near future.
1998 PINERY SUMMER EMPLOYMENT NETWORK
WHAT IS THIS? It's a summer employment network, run by
volunteers who reside in The PINERY, THAT WILL: Let you, a service provider, earn extra
money($) while home from school or college. Allows you to meet other Pinery residents,
plus helps The Pinery maintain/improve our community. All costs for services that you want
to provide will be negotiated between YOU (the service provider) and the Pinery homeowner
requesting your service. The Pinery Homeowners' Association will advertise your service at
no cost to you via the Pinery newsletter.
The Pinery Homeowners' Association CANNOT be held responsible
for: The service providers' safety, if injured while providing a service. The quality of
service provided by the service provider, neither will The Pinery Homeowners' Association
nor the Pinery volunteers be involved in quality of service disputes or costs charges.
Services can be provided in two ways:
If Pinery homeowners have college students presently away from
home - PLEASE contact them and let them know about this employment network. What the
pinery volunteers need from you - please list all services that you can provide. You don't
need to limit yourself to one service.
To get you started, here are some services that you might
consider, either working with the homeowner or by yourself: Contractor work-interior
painting, light yard work, gardening, spa cleaning/painting, car washing or detailing,
installing rock walls/gardens, babysitting, tree/shrub pruning, home watch, pet watch,
window washing, cleaning garages, planting trees / shrubs, and shopping for the elderly.
Tips From An Old Pinery Gardener
By Bill Hames
The Pinery Trash Program provides an
effective means of garbage removal and includes an extensive recycling program as well!
WHY NOT ADD ONE MORE RECYCLING COMPONENT? Recycle your annual flower pot dirt. I use a 32
gal. covered garbage can, which I keep in my garage. As Fall comes and the annual flowers
die off, I put the dirt from the flower pots in the garbage can and then use it again the
next Spring. Why buy bags and bags of planting material each year at additional cost and
then have to carry (lug is a better phrase) the bags home. Use What
You Already Have!
Everyone has eggs in their refrigerator. Don't throw the
eggshells away. After using the eggs, put the shells back into the egg carton in the
refrigerator. When the carton is full of empty shells, put the shells on a cookie sheet
covered with foil and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool for 15 minutes
and place cooked shells in a plastic bag. Break them up with a rolling pin or with your
hands. They make a great calcium supplement for your exterior plants. 1 tablespoon per
plant is all it takes. I mix the eggshells in with my fertilizer in the spring.
As promised, here are some excellent perennial plants that will grow very well in The Pinery.
PLANT NAME & MATURE SIZE.
MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
Thanks to all of you who responded to our request
for memberships in the March "Pinery Homeowner". Your support means that we will
be able to continue serving the community through the various activities that we sponsor.
To those of you who are "still on the fence about whether the $20 per year membership
is a good value, we ask whether the road and greenbelt cleanups, large item drop offs,
community garage sales, Kids Fishing Derby, entryway and neighborhood park maintenance,
development watches, RV storage lots, Pinery Pedal & Picnic, this newsletter, are
important to you? If you feel that they add to The Pinery, please lend your support. We
request a very nominal amount, $20 per year, and strive to give you the very best service
and value for your investment. Please take a moment to clip the application blank below
and send in with your membership dues today.
Remember, that if you are in the Pinery Trash
Program, you are automatically a PHA member!