Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation

Summer, 2002 Newsletter

Sep 18, 2002

It?’s Baaaaaack:
The Buckingham Greene Newsletter is back after a 2 year hiatus. The current plan is to produce a quarterly edition to help the community keep abreast of events and happenings within Buckingham Greene and the local community in general. All input/suggestions are welcome. We plan on using the newsletter to communicate things like upcoming events (i.e. community picnic, Halloween parade, yard sale, community meetings, etc.). In addition, we will be using the newsletter as a forum to make announcements within the community (i.e. births, special anniversaries or birthdays, business advertising, etc.). Again, all and any input is more than welcome. The newsletter can be a wonderful tool in keeping all of the residents of Buckingham Greene informed and in touch with each other.

Special Thanks to all Volunteers:
At our last community meeting on May 1st, a new Board of Directors was voted on and unanimously approved by the residents in attendance. A special thank you and congratulations to our newly elected officers: Paul Zoppi (President), Tom Tryon (Vice President), Alan Herring (Treasurer) and Shelli McGrory (Secretary).

In addition, a number of people agreed to participate on various committees within the community. Again, a very special thanks goes to all who agreed to volunteer. They are as follows: Social Committee (Rita McCann, Blair Nowland, Eileen Schmitt and Noreen Gawley). Architectural Review Committee (Debbie Ross, Tom Tryon, Charlie Diggins, Jane Caton, Mauro Panzera, Marvin Gerstein and Rick Agresta). Landscape Committee (Lani Gibson and Patrick McGrory). And remember, it?’s never too late to volunteer if you are interested in helping. Simply contact any member of the Board of Directors, or any of the committee members to participate. You can make a difference by giving just an hour of your time a month!

Procedures for applying for Architectural Review Committee Approval:
Are you planning on adding to your deck, putting up a fence, doing an addition? If you are, please keep in mind that any exterior building additions, change in exterior walls, color changes, changes in grade of lot, installation of fences or decks, or other exterior construction improvements require written approval from the Maintenance Organization. This written approval is in accordance with the Declaration of Restrictions dated August 4th, 1994. Plans and specifications, with illustrations, showing the nature, kind, shape, color, height, materials and proposed location should be submitted to the Architectural Review Committee for review and approval. The following are the procedures for securing approval:

1) Submit plans directly to the Architectural Review Committee Chair (Debbie Ross at 106 Scotts Way).
2) Plans must be submitted no later than 2 months prior to any proposed alteration in order to provide ample review time.
3) The Committee will review the plans and approve, disapprove, or recommend modifications in writing within 60 days (The Committee will do its best to turn plans around as quickly as possible, however).
4) No modifications should be made until the signed plans are returned.
5) If you want some verbal advice, input, or discussion prior to submitting plans, please feel free to contact Debbie Ross (475-5830) or Paul Zoppi (529-7760).

While this review and approval process may seem cumbersome, it is important to remember that what affects one property in the development affects us all. Perhaps more importantly, if the Maintenance Organization needs to enforce non-compliant alterations, this must me done through the court system, and court costs will be borne by the Organization which can impact each member?’s annual assessment. If we are all patient and respectful of each other?’s property, we shouldn?’t have any problems with deed restrictions. Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Announcements:
Paul and Tammy Zoppi recently brought home a new addition to the Buckingham Greene community. Matthew Paul Zoppi was born April 28th, weighing 6 pounds 1 ounce and was 19 and 1/2 inches long. Mom, Dad, big sister Alyssa and baby Matthew are all doing well. Congratulations to all!

Other Items:
Daniel Tryon at 110 Scotts Way would like to offer his expert grass cutting services to members of the community. Please feel free to contact Daniel at 475-5034 if you are interested in hearing more about his lawn mowing service.

2002 Assessment:
Thanks once again for your prompt attention to the 2002 annual assessment. If you have not had a chance to send in your payment, please make every effort to do so as soon as possible. As we have previously communicated, the Association is in need of raising funds for grass cutting, playground maintenance, insurance, snow removal, etc. Please make checks payable to ?“Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corp.?” and send to our Treasurer, Alan Herring, at 113 Scotts Way. Thanks to all for your cooperation!

Upcoming Local Events:
- St. Anthony?’s Italian Festival in Wilmington (June 9-16). Annual event of food and music features outdoor cafes, live entertainment, rides and more.
- McDonald?’s LPGA Championship (June 6-9). Du Pont Country Club. $12 per day; $35 for tournament.
- Ice cream Festival at Rockwood Mansion Park (July 12 through 14). A lot of fun for the whole family.

Community Corner:
There have been concerns expressed by some of our neighbors about cars traveling too fast within the development (especially along Scotts Way). Please remember that there are many young children playing in the streets every day. Please take extra caution to observe speed limits (25 mph) and to stop at all stop signs within the development. If you have younger drivers in your household, be sure to discuss with them the importance of safe driving at all times (especially in our development).

There have also been concerns regarding pets in the community. If you have a dog or cat, please remember to clean up after them when walking your pet within the development. And if you see people from outside of Buckingham Greene walking their pets within our development, don?’t hesitate to mention to them that pet owners should clean up after their dogs and cats. Not only should we extend this courtesy to our neighbors?’ yards, but we should also clean up after our pets in the common areas, Scott Weiler?’s open lots, and the side area along Buckingham Road. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming communications from the Buckingham Greene Social Committee. We will be trying to organize an event in the coming weeks. If you have any suggestions or fun ideas, please contact a member of the Social Committee.

Important Notice Regarding Radon Inspection:
Joe and Maxine Neubauer have recently sold their home in Buckingham Greene. During the inspection of their home, an elevated level of radon was detected in their basement. They were kind enough to inform the Homeowners Association of this potential issue. As a result, we have decided to publish this information in the newsletter to bring it to everyone?’s attention. We are not trying to create a crisis within the community; however, it might be a good idea to have your home tested for elevated levels of radon. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any member of the Board of Directors. And a special thanks to Joe and Maxine for bringing this to our attention. While we will miss having the Neubauer?’s in our community, we certainly wish them all the best.

Tip of the Month:
Did you know that Buckingham Greene has made special arrangements with Waste Management of Delaware for garbage pickup? They will pick up your garbage twice a week (Monday and Thursday) for just $54 per quarter. Give them a call at 738-4093 and mention that you live in Buckingham Greene to receive the discounted price.

Contact us with Ideas:
If you have anything you would like to see published in our next quarterly newsletter, please drop off a note at 109 Scotts Way. Your input and feedback is greatly appreciated. As always, we are looking for volunteers to help with putting the newsletter together on a quarterly basis. It doesn?’t have to take up a lot of your time, and it should be a lot of fun. Please feel free to contact any of the Board Members if you are interested in participating.

Next community meeting TBA.

Have a happy and healthy summer!