SEPTEMBER 2002

THANK-YOU NOTE

Dear Springlakes Neighbors,

It is through tragedy that one comes to truly appreciate the compassion, love, and generosity of others. The Lord reveals Himself in the midst of these circumstances, and we witnessed Him at work through all of you. Your prayers, cards and support will always be dear to us. While our material loss has been great, we appreciate the gifts of the Spirit the Lord has sent through you.

Please continue to pray for us as we recover. May God Bless each and every one of you.

Sincerely,

Diane, Kenny, and Robbie Lazar

SPRINGLAKES FOOD DRIVE

Deb Dutta, a member of Golden Harvest Food Bank Teen Board, will be collecting any non-perishable food items you wish to donate on September 20th and 27th from 5:00pm-7:00pm. If you would like to help with this project, please contact Deb (refer to Springlakes directory). Food is the only answer to hunger!

SPRINGLAKES OUT TO LUNCH BUNCH

October 8- Cadwallader 
November 12- Monterrey (Washington Rd/Evans)
December 10- French Market (Surrey Ctr)

The Springlakes Lunch Bunch would like to invite all interested ladies to join us for lunch the second Tuesday of every month. This is a great way for new residents to meet their neighbors and for old friends to catch up. The lunch bunch meets at 11:30am. Please contact Sheila Pedraza  (refer to Springlakes directory) to arrange for seating ahead of time.

WELCOME COMMITTEE

Hello to everyone and a Great Big Southern Welcome to you new folks??? I do hope ya'll are settling into Springlakes and finding it a nice place to call home. I want to thank those of you who have agreed to assist with welcoming. Lets all take note of new neighbors and offer them a warm welcome. I f you are aware of newcomers who have not been given the official Springlakes welcome, please call. In addition to showing southern hospitality, we also give a welcome packet with info relating to our community and its activities. We give and encourage the use of Resident Auto Decals. Please contact Kay Knight  (refer to Springlakes directory) if you would like to get involved with welcoming residents or perhaps you have a new neighbor. Have a great fall!!!

COMMUNICATIONS

Springlakes is presently seeking a volunteer to take over the position of Communications Chairperson. Communications includes the publication of the directory and neighborhood newsletters and working with the Welcome Committee in maintaining the Springlakes Resident database. Please contact Charlene  (refer to Springlakes directory) if you would be interested.

LAKE REPORT

The dog days of summer are here. The weathers hot and the fishings slow. I believe most fishermen and boaters have been spending their leisure time in air conditioned comfort. I know I have. However, the temperature is dropping and lake activity should begin to rise. The temperature didn't stop the activity on the water during our community picnic. We had eight canoes in action for four solid hours and no one took an unexpected dip. We had a couple of close calls, though. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped with the launching and retrieving of the boats and happy passengers!! Based on the family participation and fun everyone seemed to have, I wonder if Santa Claus will be bringing a lot of canoes to Springlakes families this year. Hint !!Hint!!

I am sure that most of you know by now that Cofield pond belongs to the Association. Construction work necessary to get the dam up to code, will begin, and hopefully be completed this year. Malcolm Hogg has been doing a great job seeing to the well being of the pond and will continue as the Lake Committees Cofield Pond Ambassador.

When it rains, it pours!! We sure have needed the rain, but the heavy rains have really added to the debris in our lake. The deluge in late spring, four inches or so, really trashed up the lake. It also brought a bunch of undesirable vegetation duckweed and water hyacinths were discovered after the storm. The duckweed is still present but under control; I think we captured all of the water hyacinths. The duckweed is being controlled by the heavy rains we have been experiencing lately. We are not sure where the water hyacinths came from, possibly from someone's decorative fishpond. With eight different storm drains running into the lake, who knows from where they originated? Also, now that fall will soon be here, please be careful of your leaves and pine straw. If it gets into the lake, it decomposes, affects the pH of the water, and adds to the sedimentary bottom, all of which is not good for the water quality of our lake.

COVENANTS

First, a big thank you to all the residents who work hard to keep their property looking nice. Most properties really look great. Remember that to have a neighborhood that is enjoyable to live in, it must look like the people care about their homes and take pride in them. We all want to keep this neighborhood a desirable place to live for us and for those looking to buy homes here. This keeps property values up. Since curb appeal is the number one concern in the appeal of a property, things as simple as mowing regularly and edging along the curb are very important in the appearance of your property and of the neighborhood as a whole. Most residents do a wonderful job of keeping up their properties appearance, but for those who need to make improvements, please take some time to really look at your property from the street, then tend to things that need to be done to enhance its appearance. Things to look for are the condition of the paint: Shutters -are any slats missing? Windows- are the mullions deteriorating? Fences - are boards missing, gates loose and leaning? Plant and tree beds - Do they have a lot of weeds and debris in them and/or in need of a fresh layer of pine straw? Driveways are very important also. They shouldn't be used as a storage area and become cluttered and unsightly. Garbage receptacles should not be stored in the driveway if they can be seen from the street. They should be kept out of sight. Are there basketball goals in need of repair, cleaning, or possibly removed? Store wheelbarrows, ladders, children's toys, chairs, etc. in the backyard or garage. Also, utility trailers and recreation vehicles (boats, travel trailers, jet skis, etc.) cannot be kept out in the open. They must be hidden so they cannot be seen from the street.

If you are planning a project in the near future, please remember to include your Covenants Committee in your time line. To determine if covenants approval is required, the simple rule to follow is: Any project which alters and/or changes the exterior appearance of your lot in any way, requires prior written approval. If you have a question about whether something you want to do needs approval, you can call the association office at 855-7987 to find out.

The Covenants Committee meets each month to review project request and violations. If you would like to attend a meeting to see how your committee operates or to see if you would like to become involved , we meet on the third Tuesday at 7 pm in the clubhouse. The committee is still very small and needs assistance of residents in all areas to help.

PRESIDENT'S NOTE

Springlakes is a great community in which to live in! The annual picnic was a great success with the largest neighborhood participation to date. The entrance landscaping improvements are looking wonderful. One of the tennis courts that will remain at the clubhouse was resurfaced. A new Springlakes sign at the entrance to the playground was installed. The pool season was very successful with the new management contractor. Many new residents moved in over the summer and were welcomed. There was significant beaver tree damage occurring around the lake that was handled. New furniture was purchased for the clubhouse and there has been a full schedule for rentals. Our Springlakes website www.springlakes.com and Calling Post phone notification systems have been getting a lot of activity. Many thanks to all of the committees for their fine work!

How can you as a resident help your community? If you have a neighbor that needs help, be a volunteer! Let expand our sense of community. Sometimes this is all it takes to get to know your neighbor and establish new friendships. This is an area in our society that we are losing, that small town atmosphere where everyone knows each other and helps each other in times of need!

The Association closed on the Cofield pond this summer and improvements to the pond dam will begin this fall. Pond resident, Malcolm Hogg who is on the Lake Committee is maintaining this pond. He will oversee the dam improvements this fall.

Fall major activities include:

• Springlakes Association by-laws committee review chaired by Larry Flynn

• Cofield property engineering and securing bids for construction. The development will include six tennis courts, a picnic area, walking trail and a putting green for those golfers.

Please email me if you have any suggestions or comments on these fall activities.

Reece Bridges

ELECTRIC LIVING

Reprinted from Georgia Power’s August 2002 edition of "Electric Living" - a timely article due to our recent purchase on Cofield Road.

Summer’s here and with it the opportunity to take advantage of a variety of popular outdoor activities including four- wheeling. This popular pastime often involves driving motorized vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles, four-wheelers, pickup trucks and motorcycles to remote areas and onto electric utility rights-of-way underneath high-voltage transmission lines.

If an individual drives onto these properties without permission, there can be legal repercussions.

Riding across transmission rights-of-ways tears up the grass and erodes the ground beneath the transmission lines, poles and equipment, which could pose a danger to the integrity of the structures and could ultimately be hazardous to those driving on the property.

If you plan to do some four-wheeling this summer, take care to steer clear of rights-of-way property beneath transmission lines. Not only will it help ensure the integrity of the transmission structures, but it may also keep you out of harm’s way.

ATTENTION ALL NOVICE AND VETERAN GARDENERS

Join us for an organizational meeting of the Springlakes Garden Club on Tuesday, September 24, 7:00pm at the clubhouse. Need some help getting started on some of those landscaping projects that you've been putting off until cooler weather? Have a problem area that you just don't know how to handle? Let us know your interests, so we can plan for guest speakers, demonstrations, and trips to area gardens. Hope to see you there!!

SPRINGLAKES HOLIDAY LUMINARIA NIGHT

Residents are invited to participate in our Second Annual Holiday Luminaria night on Sunday, December 22. Those that are interested are asked to place white luminaria bags (lunch bags) with lighted votive candles along the curb in front of their house, to be in place and lit from 6pm to 10pm.

As suggested at the Annual Meeting, we have found a source within our neighborhood to purchase your luminaries. Kaitlin Fender, an enterprising Springlakes teenager, is offering to provide pre-made luminaries, delivered to your door, at a cost of $.50 per luminary. To place your order, contact Kaitlin Fender  (refer to Springlakes directory). Order deadline is November 22, 2002.

Help us create another evening of holiday magic in our neighborhood!!!

CRIMEWATCH

Although we are pleased to report a very low incidence of crime in our neighborhood, we have received a small number of reports concerning suspicious activity. Parents please be advised that recently a small Springlakes child on a bicycle was approached by non-resident teenagers in a car and was asked to get in the vehicle. This child wisely said NO! and was fortunate to avert further danger. Due to the fact that this incident was reported quickly to the Sheriffs Office, these individuals were located and questioned. Please take the time to remind your children about safety rules concerning strangers.

Neighbors watching out for neighbors continues to be an effective deterrent to crime and we encourage residents to immediately report all suspicious persons or activity to the Sheriffs Office. They remind us that a timely call can and does help them locate potential offenders. Taking the time to report people or vehicles that are acting in an unusual manner may help prevent a crime. BE ALERT!

A special reminder to the many pedestrians who enjoy walking afer dark: please wear light colors or reflective clothing! Always walk facing toward the oncoming traffic. Although you as a pedestrian can clearly see approaching vehicles, they oftentimes cannot see you. Walking two or three abreast in the roadway can also be dangerous and it may force a driver to swing wide into the other lane as they pass you.

Please watch for announcements concerning a childrens bicycle safety EVENT to be held later this fall.

WELCOME NEWEST RESIDENTS