Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation

Fall/Winter, 2007 Newsletter

Jan 02, 2008

Say Goodbye to the Summer of 2007
It is hard to believe we are already well into fall with the holiday season fast approaching. The summer is a distant memory, and we hope everyone enjoyed it. Following is a quick recap of some of the happenings within Buckingham Greene, as well as a preview of some exciting events yet to come.

2007 Assessment
Thank you once again for your prompt attention to the 2007 annual assessment. We had a 100% response rate within the community (as usual). The funds will be used for playground maintenance, grass cutting, insurance, etc. As always, your swift response was greatly appreciated by the Maintenance Corporation Board of Directors. Please feel free to contact any member of the Board with questions. Thank you!

Fun & Games
The Social Committee (Blair Nowland, Lani Gibson, Rita McCann, and Tammy Zoppi) continues to do a wonderful job organizing fun events for members of our community and their friends and relatives. Blair was particularly instrumental in organizing our fourth annual Independence Day community parade. The event was a great deal of fun for all of the participants (children and adults alike). After marching around the development in a full patriotic display of red, white, and blue colors, snacks and refreshments were made available at Blair?’s house (thanks again Blair).

In addition, the Social Committee organized our annual Blue Rocks outing at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington. Residents attending were also treated to a spectacular fireworks display upon the completion of the game. Lani Gibson was responsible for organizing this wonderful outing.

And finally, in October, the Social Committee also helped organize the community Halloween parade. Children and adults participated by coming dressed in their favorite costumes. Everyone had a great time, and there were plenty of treats to go around for all. Thank you to the entire Social Committee (especially Blair Nowland and Rita McCann) for organizing the parade. We look forward to more fun events in the near future.

Adults Only Holiday Social
And for even more fun, as previously communicated, our fifth annual ?“Adults Night Out Social?” will be held November 30th at Stanley?’s Tavern in Wilmington. The cost will be $37 per person, which will include a buffet style dinner with 3 entr?©e selections, salad, dessert and non-alcoholic drinks (coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and fountain drinks). A cash bar with our own bartender will be set up in the room. The cost is inclusive of all gratuities and room charges. The event is open to all adult residents of Buckingham Greene and their friends and family (sorry, no kids again). If you would like to attend and haven?’t yet responded, please contact Paul Zoppi as soon as possible (phone: 529-7760; email: pzoppi109@cs.com).

So won?’t you please consider joining us for a great night out??? It will be a wonderful way to meet some of your new neighbors, and perhaps get reacquainted with some of your ?“old?” neighbors. The Adults Only Social has quickly become one of our most popular Buckingham Greene functions. If you have never attended this event before, it will be a fantastic opportunity for you to attend your very first. And if you have attended previously, please do consider joining us once again. Hope to see everyone there. You won?’t want to miss it!

Dr. Eileen Schmitt Retires from St. Clare Van to Private Practice
Dr. Eileen Schmitt (111 Scotts Way) will leave what she calls her dream job as the St. Clare Medical Outreach van?’s medical director in December to return to private practice.

Since 2001 she has traveled around Wilmington in the mobile clinic to provide medical care for the poor and uninsured. The work fulfilled her childhood dreams.

?“My original desire to go into medicine when I was young was to do missionary work,?” Eileen said in a recent interview in the van?’s examining room. ?“And this is a form of missionary work. The St. Clare Van is a safety net for people who have no insurance and do not have the financial ability to get into the health care system.?”

Unfortunately, she said, the need continues to grow. ?“There?’s probably not a day goes by that you don?’t have a patient that epitomizes the tragedy of no health care. You see over and over again, people who had a job (or) had a business, had a home, and lost everything. We see people who come here from other countries, work for less than minimum wage in many cases, and they can?’t afford to go to a physician?’s office.?”

?“I think it?’s scandalous that the most affluent nation in the world has tens of millions of people uninsured.?” Her departure from the St. Clare Van ?“will give me a little bit of a break,?” Eileen said, since she does not plan to have a full-time private practice.

Asked what prompted her decision, she replied: ?“You just know when it is time to do the next things in your life.?”

Eileen is the van?’s second medical director, succeeding Dr. Thomas C. Scott. The van began operations in 1992 as a joint venture between St. Francis, which provides the medical team, and the Ministry of Caring, which purchased the original van, allows the van to operate at its various sites, and provides a garage.

Her replacement has yet to be named; she expects several doctors to share the duties through the middle of next year.

She will return, effective January 1st, to private practice with Dr. Stephanie Malleus. The two were residents together at Wilmington Hospital and opened a family practice at Oak and Harrison streets in 1983. Dr. Malleus has since moved the office to 1010 N. Bancroft St.

?“I still have some of my private patients from when I was in practice with Dr. Malleus before I came to St. Francis in administration?’?” Eileen said. She was the hospital?’s president for two years.

As a child, Eileen, who grew up in Philadelphia?’s Germantown neighborhood, often read books about missionaries. After high school she entered the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, some of whose members taught Eileen in high school, and taught in Atlanta and New York. She then entered medical school, and eventually left the congregation.

?“Life takes strange turns,?” she said. ?“I was happy teaching 10 years and then I was delighted when I was able to go to medical school and get into medical practice.?”

Community Services
Are you looking to purchase a new or used car and can?’t stand thinking about going through the sales process? Do you not have the time to go from dealer to dealer to negotiate price? Does the entire car buying process turn your stomach? If you answered ?“yes?” to any of these questions, contact Dave Lubin at 28 Weilers Bend to inquire about his Car Buying-Negotiating services. Dave will do all the legwork for you and make the car buying/negotiating process an enjoyable one. Just tell him the make and model, and he?’ll do the rest (including negotiating the best possible purchase price). To learn more, contact Dave directly via phone (529-5516) or email (d.lub@comcast.net).

Alan Herring (113 Scotts Way) is currently accepting new tax clients. Alan is a CPA with an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware, as well as a Masters degree in taxation from Widener University. He has over 30 years experience and would be happy to discuss his services with you. If you are in need of tax advice, or know of any individuals or small businesses looking for assistance, please feel free to contact Alan directly at 475-7976 (or by email at abhcpa@aol.com). Thank you!

Announcements
Buckingham Greene would like to welcome some of our newest neighbors to the development. Angela Ugrotto and her niece Lura Rolleston recently moved into 14 Weilers Bend. Please be sure to say hello and introduce yourself to Angela and Lura. We all wish you both much joy and happiness in your new home.

Don?’t forget, if you have anything you would like to announce to your fellow neighbors (i.e., birth announcements, anniversaries, birthdays, business advertising) please contact Paul Zoppi at 109 Scotts Way (feel free to email Paul with the specifics at pzoppi109@cs.com.). Thank you.

Upcoming Local Events
Yuletide at Winterthur (Nov 23rd - Jan 6th)
Tour H.F. du Pont?’s mansion ?“wrapped in holiday style?”. Delight in Winterthur?’s grounds aglow with holiday lights. Before or after your tour, visit the exhibition ?“Fashion in Film?”.
?· Admission: $20 for adults; $18 for students and seniors; $10 for ages 2-11.
?· For information call 888-4600 or visit www.winterthur.org.

First Night Wilmington (Dec 31st 4-10pm)
Get your New Year?’s Eve party started at the Fifteenth annual celebration of the arts on Monday, December 31, 2007 from 4pm to 10pm with a grand fireworks finale at 10pm over Rodney Square.

Beginning at 4pm fun-filled activities in and around Rodney Square will entertain the entire family! From marionette shows, to dance performances, strolling entertainers and a variety of exciting bands, First Night Wilmington 2008 promises to be an event to remember. Special features for this year?’s event include; the ever popular Youth Entertainment tent, and the return of last year?’s very popular Skating Rink on Market Street. There?’s really no better way to begin the New Year then coming together as a community to celebrate the coming of the New Year and the arts.
?· Admission: One button $7, two $10, children under age 12 are free. Buttons are available at all Happy Harry?’s locations.
?· For information call 576-2138.

One-bin Recycling Comes to NCC
Single-bin curbside collection is as efficient and easy as recycling gests, recyclers say, and it is here for New Castle County residents, because of a new Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) program.

With DSWA?’s new ?“single-stream?” recycling, customers put all their recyclables ?– newspapers, magazines, phonebooks, junk mail, corrugated cardboard, chipboard, plastic grocery bags, narrow neck plastic bottles, steel, aluminum and glass ?– into a single 65-gallon rolling bin provided by DSWA, for weekly curbside pickup.

DSWA began changing to the new program in October. It will replace the current system of multiple bags and bins countywide by December and for all of its 6,000 Delaware customers next spring.

?“Recycling is still not mandated by law in Delaware, but we?’ve taken a good, hard look and have seen what the future is,?” said Rich Von Stetten, manager of DSWA?’s Recycle Delaware program. He is optimistic that once people start hearing about single-stream, many more will sign up.

DSWA?’s old curbside plan required customers to sort materials ?– paper, plastic and metal into separate bags provided by DSWA; glass in a bin; and corrugated cardboard bound with twine. Plastic grocery bags and chipboard (like cereal boxes) were not allowed at all.

The new plan, which collects a greater variety of recyclables in the far simpler one-can format, will cost customers the same, $3 per month (yard waste pickup will continue as before, with bags provided by DSWA at an additional cost).

Many municipalities, including Dover, Fenwick Island, Bethany Beach, and others, are counting on DSWA?’s new program to save them money, Von Stetten said, because the more material that can be diverted from the regular trash, the less the municipality has to pay in dumping fees at landfills.

For more information on the curbside recycling program, you can contact DSWA via phone (1-800-404-7080), or visit their website at www.dswa.com.

Tip of the Month
Did you know that Buckingham Greene has its own community website? It?’s true, and you can access the Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation website at:
www.neighborhoodlink.com/wilmington-de/bgca.
The website can also be accessed by going to
www.neighborhoodlink.com, and entering 19810 in the zip code field. Buckingham Greene will be one of the community websites to choose from. New Castle County has entered into an agreement with Neighborhood Link to offer this free service to civic/homeowner organizations within the area.

There is lots of good information for members of the community to review. There is a calendar of events, contact information, previous newsletters and much more, all in an effort to help the residents of Buckingham Greene stay abreast of what?’s going on in our neighborhood and the surrounding community in general. Please take a tour and let us know if you have any feedback. Comments/suggestions can be sent to Paul Zoppi at pzoppi109@cs.com. In addition, there is an interactive area (?“Talk About It?”), which lists all the discussion postings within the community. Feel free to take advantage of this forum to post any messages/questions you may have. Please feel free to contact any member of the Board of Directors with questions.

Community Corner
As previously communicated, the Board of Directors is asking all residents to refrain from posting any signs (for sales signs, yard sale signs, etc.) at the entrance to the community (near the flowers and Buckingham Greene sign). This is common area, and should not be used for such purposes. If you wish to post a sign near the entrance, please be sure to post it in the grass near the sidewalk, and away from the common area. Should you have any questions about where temporary signs should or should not be posted, please feel free to contact any member of the Board of Directors for guidance. In addition, Lani Gibson (Chair of the Landscape Committee) would be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

The Board understands that residents may have a need/desire to post temporary signs near the entrance to the development from time to time. However, we just ask all residents to be mindful that the common areas are not to be used for such purposes. Lani and her Committee spend a great deal of time and effort keeping those areas maintained for all of us. In the future, any such unauthorized signs will be removed immediately. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Contact us with Ideas
If you have anything you would like to see published in our next newsletter, please drop off a note at 109 Scotts Way, or send an email to pzoppi109@cs.com. 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 TBD

Happy Holidays!!!