XÅxÜtÄw Utç _tÅÑÄ|z{à Emerald Bay Homeowners’ Association 12796 Emerald Bay Drive Soddy Daisy, TN 37379 April 2015 http://www.ebhoa.org Hello to everyone and Happy Spring ! Just as we thought we were going to “slide” by with a relatively mild winter – BAM!...February hit us pretty hard. Thanks to the guys (John Sabados, Joe Giles, and Tim Rieger) who served on the new “Salting & Plowing Sub-Committee.” Within just a few weeks of each other, we had to have ice-melt applied on five different occasions and the roads plowed twice. The new committee did an outstanding job and with the help of the communication on NextDoor, I think everyone considered it to have been a great success. The cost to keep the roads cleared was approximately $4,300. This is just one of the many ways this year that your dues have already been put to great use. Those of you who were at the February general meeting will remember the presentation that Connie Giles gave regarding the “revamping” of the landscaping at the Emerald Bay entrance. Since that meeting, Connie has spent numerous hours working on a multi-phase project that will surely enhance our entrance with a variety of plants and colors. By the time this article is published, we should have begun to see some of those much needed changes. Thank you, Connie for all your hard work…it is very much appreciated. Brenda Rhodes and Anita Kohlin did a great job organizing the potluck dinner March 21. The food and fellowship was wonderful and everyone enjoyed getting to know each other better. We are planning to have community activities like this quarterly and hope more folks will join in next time. Don’t forget the Neighborhood Yard Sale will soon be upon us, this year it’s scheduled for Saturday, May 2nd. Also, the swimming pool is scheduled to open May 9th. I’m always harping about needing volunteers … it’s been great to see new faces getting involved in the community… many thanks to everyone who gives of their time and talents for all of us. Looking Forward and Upward, Jim Garrett, President EBHOA 1 Pool Fob Swap The pool is scheduled to open May 9th. Remember that your old pool fob will not work on the new gate system at the pool. If you have paid your 2015 Homeowner Association dues, if your account is current, and you have returned your signed Pool Policy Agreement, you may bring your old fob and swap for the new one. We had a good showing for the 1st "Fob Swap" at the February meeting. There will be a 2nd Fob Swap" on Saturday, April 11th, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. There are two times to choose from on that day....9:00 until 10:30 a.m. and then again from 3:00 until 4:30 p.m. at the clubhouse. If your account is up to date but you have not returned your Pool Policy Agreement, there will be blank forms available. Update from the Landscaping Committee ~ Connie Giles To paraphrase Lewis Grizzard, the "land awakens." Spring is here. The Landscaping Committee proposed to the Board and was approved to contract landscaping modifications for the entrance of Emerald Bay. We ask you to be mindful of your speed entering and exiting our community while McCosh Landscaping performs the designated work. The overlapping, overgrown shrubs/trees will be removed and new trees planted. At the end of the brick walls, Kousa dogwoods have been selected for several reasons. These trees have beautiful white flowers in late spring, showy red fruit in late summer, horizontal branching habit, interesting bark in winter and are resistant to anthracnose disease, which affects native dogwoods. In front of the columns, smoke trees should blossom in puffs of cloud-like flowers. These trees were selected for their low maintenance, moderate growth and for added texture and color accent to the walls. This work along with eliminating some diseased shrubs will complete Phase One of four phases of the landscaping master plan. Hopefully, this fall we will be able to add some camellias in front of the main diagonal walls if the budget allows. Suggestions as to what we, as residents, can do this spring to add curb appeal to our homes might include pruning spring-flowering shrubs after their petals have dropped, fertilizing and pruning azaleas after they have finished blooming and edging your flower beds. Prune invasive vines and turn the compost pile if you have one. Clean up your perennial beds. Add compost to your garden beds and plant annuals at the end of April. Remember to watch the weather for the last frost date. Add at least 1" of mulch for a manicured finish. Feed the birds, clean the bird baths and fill with water to ensure they have a fresh supply of food and water. Finally, plan your summer garden. If you have any questions, my email is [email protected]. Joe & Twyla Hennessey 826 Brooke Stone They have a 1 year old son. Walter (Doug) & Janet Howerton 1775 Emerald Pointe Billy & Dana McAllister 1010 Cody Lane They have a daughter 17 years old and a two year old son. Two new homes are being built: James & Donna Nelson at 1296 Emerald Pointe Drive David & Diane Abercrombie at 1353 Emerald Pointe Drive 2 Meet your Emerald Bay HOA Board & Officers Directors & Officers Committees & Volunteers Jim Garrett (2015-2016) Board Member, Emerald Pointe Landscaping & Lighting President (229) 942-2628 Pool Maintenance Mike Nabors (2014-2015) Board Member, Patten Place Vice-president (423) 451-0660 Brenda Rhodes (423) 280-7453 Phillip Evans (2014-2015) Board Member, Emerald Bay (423) 332-7347 Brenda Rhodes (423) 280-7453 Dacia Burkett (2015-2016) Board Member, Emerald Lake (423) 309-4636 Welcome Baskets Joe Giles (2015-2016) Board Member, Brooke Stone (423) 298-1672 Monica Prestwood ~ Yard Sales 2015 Phillip Evans (423) 332-7347 Pool Access Christina Garrett, (229) 942-3647 Clubhouse Rentals & Maintenance Neighborhood Watch & Security Camera Fred Rhodes (423) 290-1453 Social Committee Star Yard & Clubhouse Sign Looking for volunteers Anita Kohlin (423) 243-3760 Yard Sale Coordinator Grievance Committee Emerald Bay, Vacancy Emerald Pointe, Jerry Corbin (423) 903-3689 Emerald Lake, Vacancy Patten Place, Vacancy Brooke Stone, Mike Sharp (423) 400-4046 Ron Kohlin Secretary & Webmaster (423) 243-3760 Pamela Evans Treasurer (423) 332-7347 Communications Committee Newsletter Editor, Mass E-mails, & Nextdoor Anita Kohlin (423) 243-3760 Copying Services Cyndie Rogers (423) 332-5476 3 Emerald Bay Bay(and friends) Ladies Book Club When: Tuesday, April 7 @7pm Where: Anne Stone's house, 1267 Emerald Pointe Dr. What to bring: a sweet or savory snack to share and/or a beverage to share RSVP to Anne: [email protected] Here is the book we will be discussing: (info. from Amazon) All the Light We Cannot See May 6, 2014, A Novel-531 pages From the highly acclaimed, multiple award award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose pa paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie-Laure Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, intell Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint Saint-Malo, Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge. Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San ( Francisco Chronicle Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the he lives of MarieMarie Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times). Anthony Doerr Neighborhood Yard Sale Pool Opens Saturday, May 2, 7 a.m m.–1 p.m. May 9 4 Neighborhood Watch ~ by Steve Wortham Spring’s back! Back, too, are the allergies, lawn maintenance and the projects around the house we’ve put off because of the cold weather. Unfortunately there are a few other less pleasant topics we need to mention. Several homeowners had individuals, none of which were residents in our area, come to their door during the winter soliciting money. They weren’t soliciting for any particular charity or event, just asking for money. I understand a few residents just gave them a few dollars to get them to leave, other residents confronted them, told them to leave and called the Sheriff’s Office. If you have solicitors that you wish to leave, there is no need to be polite. Simply close the door or ask them to leave. If they make you feel uncomfortable or their actions seem suspicious, call the Sheriff’s Office 622-0022. Deputies have always responded to our area within 20 minutes. They will confront the solicitors and that usually encourages them not to return to Emerald Bay. On January 29 Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield was the victim of a very sophisticated cyber attack. Anthem is the second largest health insurer in the U.S. This attack exposed approximately 80 million records of past and current Anthem Blue Cross subscribers. The records hacked contained names, postal & email addresses, phone, medical ID’s, and Social Security Numbers. On March 17 Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield was the victim of an even more sophisticated cyber attack. This attack exposed more than eleven million past and current Premera Blue Cross subscribers. The records involved contained names, postal addresses, phone, and Social Security Numbers. Additionally, this hack exposed banking information of the subscribers. Both these attacks are similar to the attacks on Target, J.P. Morgan, K-Mart and Home Depot last year. The serious issue in the latest attacks is that it exposed Social Security Numbers and banking information. These two pieces of information are pure gold to an ID thief. They enable one to easily steal an identity and open bogus accounts. You should always be concerned if you are notified that your information has been compromised in a data breach. However, if the information contained your Social Security Number it should be of greater concern to you. If an ID thief opens fraudulent accounts in your name, it could take years to repair your records and credit. Security and law enforcement agencies recommend that each individuals request their credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies each year: Experian, Equifax and Trans Union. These credit reports are free at www.annualcreditreport.com. It is recommended that you stagger the requests. Request one from Experian, in four months request one from Equifax and in four months request one from Trans Union. That way you will be able to quickly discover if anyone is attempting to open a fraudulent account or make illicit charges to an existing account. An additional step that one might consider is to call each of the credit reporting agencies and freeze your credit. There is a small charge for this service, but it prevents anyone from opening an account in your name without your personal approval. We are living in a less secure world and we must be vigilant in securing not only our person and home, but electronic identity as well. We have many opportunities for residents to contribute to the betterment of our neighborhood. It would be wonderful if three or four people would step forward for the Social Committee. It would be great to have all ages represented to plan children events and adult events. There are many folks who are willing to help but we need new folks to step forward. Please contact your Board member if you are willing to serve in these areas. 5 Emerald Bay Homeowners’ Association PO Box 1103 Soddy Daisy, TN 37384 http://www.ebhoa.org Address Service Requested The Train … At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone. As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of our life. Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize they vacated their seats. This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life. We thank each person for being one of the passengers on our train. Lastly, we thank God for this journey on the train of life. 6