Good Neighbors Association News

Our Community, Good Neighbors, Home Security:

To everyone in our communities; this summer a lot of home owners as well as renters have kept up their properties. However, some won’t even try to be a Good Neighbor. So maybe you can encourage your neighbor in a positive way. Send a positive card or letter, or start a positive conversation “across the fence”. Cleanliness is close to neighborhood friendship. We, as in you the people who live throughout our communities are now being recognized as the Good Neighbors. As the Good Neighbors Association, we are the vigilant citizens working and net working with people and our schools and us, coming together as good neighbors. The good has prevailed over a lot of the drug dealing and gangs. They are still in our midst and our cameras will tell tales. Thank you to all of our neighbors that have been networking with their neighbors to install security cameras. Security cameras have also helped in neighbor disputes, proof in civil court and they have helped avert home invasions. In one report a criminal tried to break into a house and must’ve seen the camera, because the only damage was to the screen of a little girl’s bedroom window. The good neighbors in you have prevailed and the there are good changes in our communities. Being vigilant, our communities and schools are the main focus of safety for our children. We need to respect all of our community schools. Sierra High School on Jet Wing Drive has expressed “…adults come onto the school property and leave trash behind”. Please be kind and set a good example for all of our children

Still residents are installing hidden cameras. Everyone, buying the same cameras from Wal-Mart, are able to see in areas of your property as well as your neighbor’s property. You just change the channels on your camera. This way you can see who is in your property and even your neighbors’ property from up to five houses away. Any suspicion of drug trafficking and graffiti please report it to Colorado Springs Police Department Dispatch at 719-444-7000 as well as other NON-emergency situations. v

SECURITY ALERT:

Prevent home invasions, prune trees and bushes close to your house; this will leave a clear view for your cameras. Install motion lighting in the front and back yards of your homes. The lighting will help discourage an act of crime and will make the recording much clearer for the police to see what crime has been committed.

Falls arriving soon:

Trees for Colorado Springs is a website link that lists which trees are suitable as “street trees” as well as which tree types are not allowed. For example, home owners it is okay to remove Siberian Elm Suckers that grow along the street on your property. Also baby elm trees are easier to remove from your property too. Elm trees reduce the equity in your property by $100.00 for every 1 foot of tree above the ground. Now before you get cut or plant happy, you will need a permit to prune or remove any established street tree. A forester’s permit is required to plant a tree in the city. So please before you do anything contact the Colorado Springs Forestry Division at 719-385-5942 and visit the Forestry webpage at www.springsgov.com. Once there click on the city Parks and Recreation department link, then the Forestry linkv

Code Enforcement: It is the duty of each home owner, renters please call home owner for permission, to remove and/or limit the growth of weeds on your property if you live within the city limits of Colorado Springs. It is also code to cut low or remove the weeds between the street and the sidewalk and the usually on the front and/or sides of your property. Also, it is code to have weeds along your fence removed. Only vines and flowers can remain on the fence line. This beautifies the community. Excessive weeds on your property can result in a $500.00 fine. If you would like the official copy of this information please contact johnjones57@aol.com. The Good Neighbors Association can and will help any senior citizens and single parents that need help for a donation. The donation covers the cost of copies and for the newsletter coming out next spring.

Valuable Contacts: Call Dave and Monty, they work for the Good Neighbors Association. They can be reached at 719-550-1430 or 210-6053. They are handymen; they can do fences, gates, etc. all for a reasonable and honest fee. If you want to see some of their work, they built the new planter at the North-West corner of Jet Wing and Chelton. Neighbors donated time and landscape materials for the project. Adopt a corner network for beautification. There is a free yard waste collection program, call 719-579-9103 (no treated/household waste) they are available Saturdays from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Please tastefully cover cars and boats.

WE DO NOT WANT A HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION. The GNA believes we can all clean and maintain our own. We all cannot afford the exuberant monthly dues to be forced to follow their rules. Let’s keep up the good work. Home owners who rent out their properties, the GNA networks with a Property Management company, “A Better Choice, Inc. contact Britta Ward at 719-761-3815 for more information. Britta is very honest and vigilant. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING If you have a problem, or any comments, ideas, or any questions in any area please e-mail johnjones57@aol.com and we can see what we can do. If you would like to volunteer, and/or your children, working and helping clean yards of people that are not able to clean their yard, then adopt a neighbor. This news letter is also in Spanish!!!!!!!