Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation

Spring/Summer, 2008 Newsletter

Jun 25, 2008

Residents met at the Brandywine Hundred Library on March 26th for our annual community meeting. Paul Zoppi, President, brought the meeting to order

2008 Assessment: First on the agenda was a review of the proposed 2008 annual assessment. At the conclusion of a discussion period, the originally proposed assessment amount was determined to be inadequate. A revised amount of $170 was proposed and unanimously approved by the residents in attendance. There has been some discussion within the community since the meeting, and the Board would like to clarify the reasons for the increase again, for those who could not be in attendance. The slight increase was needed due to some maintenance issues we are having with our stormwater management facilities. Based on the most recent evaluation reports received from New Castle County, both stormwater basins were in need of immediate remediation. The community is responsible for ensuring the stormwater facilities are maintained in order to retain eligibility in the County's Amnesty Program (which would cover any major repairs should any be needed in the future). The County performs an annual physical inspection of each basin. In order to effectively address the maintenance issues identified in the most recent County inspection, the BOD contracted with EnviroTech – an organization that maintains and services stormwater facilities, as well as completes the required inspection logs for the County. EnviroTech performed the needed repairs, which have subsequently been approved by the County upon a re-inspection. In an effort to reduce costs associated with contracting with EnviroTech, the Maintenance Corporation has opted to have them do quarterly, as opposed to, monthly inspections. Patrick McGrory volunteered to perform the monthly inspections. It is these repair and maintenance costs, as well as anticipated increases in grass cutting fees, that resulted in the need to increase the annual assessment to $170 per household. Payments are to be made to Alan Herring at 113 Scotts Way - made payable to the "Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation". Please help the Board by paying promptly.

Guest speakers included: Bryon Short, 7th district representative. Bryon opened the floor to questions immediately. Some inquiries made by homeowners included concerns regarding the low flying helicopters, a desire to have a posted sign for our community along Veale Road, and the repair of pot holes at the intersection of Buckingham and Veale Roads. Bryon assured all that he would look into these issues and email Paul Zoppi with information as soon as it was available.

Next, New Castle Councilman Bob Weiner spoke to the residents. Bob discussed his many goals for the community in general – preservation of open spaces, parklands, pathways, and anti-graffiti brigade to name a few. Please visit www.bobweiner.com for more information or to volunteer.

Update on the Arden Litigation: The Maintenance Corporation sent a letter from the residents of Buckingham Greene to Chancellor Noble (the judge hearing the case) last summer. At this point, we have not heard any new decisions regarding the outstanding litigation.

Volunteers: Thanks to everyone who has volunteered in some capacity. Especially Alan Herring as Treasurer, Lani and Jay Gibson (Landscape Committee), Rita McCann and Blair Nowland (Social Committee), and Shelli McGrory as Secretary.

As always, we are looking for residents to get involved within the development. Whether it’s helping with the Social Committee, the Landscape Committee, or any other aspect of Buckingham Greene, please contact a member of the Board of Directors. We aren’t asking for a lot of time, and it’s a wonderful way to meet your neighbors.

Announcements and Reminders: Verizon Fios is now available on Scotts Way to any residents who may be interested.

Remember, as a courtesy to all of our neighbors, please be sure to clean up after your pets.

With the warmer weather fast approaching, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE drive safely within the community. Be sure to observe the speed limit and all posted stop signs. We have many young children playing in our streets every day. It’s just not worth picking up a few seconds by speeding through the development and/or not observing stop signs. Thank you for your cooperation!

Email addresses wanted: If you are not on our email distribution list, please send your email address to Paul Zoppi at pzoppi109@cs.com. We love communicating via email as it saves time and paper. It’s a great way to stay connected to the community.

In Loving Memory of Miriam Lawrence
We are deeply saddened to report that Buckingham Greene lost a member of our community recently. Miriam Lawrence, of 41 Weilers Bend, passed away on May 12th. Following is a copy of her obituary:

Miriam Lawrence, 80, of Wilmington, DE went to be with the Lord surrounded by her loving family at home on Monday, May 12, 2008. Born in Philadelphia, PA, she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Letitia Nerlinger; sister of Joseph Nerlinger and the late Milton Nerlinger. Miriam will be sadly missed by her devoted and loving husband of 57 years, Frederick R. Lawrence; daughters, Christine Mahoney and her husband, Michael of Marietta, GA; Linda Stein and her husband, Merrill of Wilmington, DE; Pamela Jones and her husband, Blaine of Wilmington, DE; 3 beloved grandchildren, Jessica Jones, David Stein, and Ryan Jones; sister-in-law, Barbara Fannin of Wilmington, DE; a niece, nephews, and loving friends. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to their favorite charity.

For those of you who did not know them, Fred and Miriam were original homeowners from when Buckingham Greene was first built over 13 years ago. Please keep Fred and all of their family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. The Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation has made a $50 charitable donation to the United Way of Delaware in honor of Miriam and the entire Lawrence family.

Announcements
Buckingham Greene would like to welcome our newest neighbors to the development. Jason Tan and Hui-Yu Wang recently moved into 66 Weilers Bend. Please be sure to say hello and introduce yourself to them. We all wish you much joy and happiness in your new home.

Also, congratulations to Dan Tryon (110 Scotts Way) for playing such an integral role in getting Salesianum to the High School Boys Lacrosse Championship game on May 24th in Dover. Dan was the star of the Sals’ semifinal win over the Charter School of Wilmington by scoring 4 goals in their 15-6 victory. Congratulations on an outstanding season!

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.

Adult Holiday Social
Back in November, over thirty residents got together for our annual “Adults Night Out Social”. The event was held at Stanley’s Tavern in Wilmington and was a tremendous success. The food was good, but the people were even better. Everyone enjoyed having a chance to get reacquainted with some of their neighbors. Pat and Loretta Ward won the Not-so Newlywed Game. Special thanks goes to Tammy Zoppi and Lani Gibson for helping to make this wonderful event take place.

Spring Egg Hunt
Speaking of fun events, in March, the Social Committee organized our Spring Egg Hunt for members of the community and their friends and relatives. The event was a tremendous success with more than 20 children participating. The day was filled with fun prizes and candy for all of the participants. The entire community owes a great big thank you to Blair Nowland for planning and organizing such a terrific event. Keep an eye out for more fun events in the near future. And if you have any ideas for an outing, or would like to get more involved with the Social Committee, please contact Blair, Rita McCann, Lani Gibson, or Tammy Zoppi directly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Blue Rocks Outing Planned
The Buckingham Greene Social Committee is organizing our annual “Night of Wilmington Blue Rocks Baseball” at Frawley Stadium once again this summer. Please join us for an evening of baseball, food, and fun for the entire family. The current plan is to attend Fireworks Night on June 26th. If you are interested in attending, please contact Lani Gibson at 71 Weilers Bend via phone (529-7476) or email (lanijay@comcast.net). Hope to see everyone out at the ballpark.

2008 Assessment:
Thanks once again for your prompt attention to the 2008 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 (payments were due by May 15th). As we have previously communicated, the Maintenance Corporation 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 (June 8th-15th) Annual event of food and music features outdoor cafes, live entertainment, rides and more. St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church and school grounds, Ninth and DuPont streets, Wilmington.
· Admission is free, fees for activities
· Visit www.stanthonynet.org for more information

53rd Annual DFRC Blue-Gold All Star Football Game (June 21st)
Fund-raiser for DFRC, a nonprofit organization that strives to raise awareness of the abilities and talents of individuals with cognitive disabilities. University of Delaware Football Stadium, South College Avenue, Newark.
· Admission is $8
· For information call 454-2730

Procedures for applying for Architectural Review Committee Approval
With Loren Kahlbaugh leaving the community, we have a new Chair of the Architectural Review Committee. Robert Agarwal has graciously agreed to take on that responsibility on behalf of the community. As a reminder, 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 Corporation. 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.
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 would like some advice, input, or discussion prior to submitting plans, please feel free to contact 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 Corporation needs to enforce non-compliant alterations, this must me done through the court system, and court costs will be borne by the Corporation 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.

Community Watch Program
Recently, there have been incidents of vandalism/theft reported within the development. As a result, the Board has been approached by several residents expressing an interest in potentially establishing a community watch program here in Buckingham Greene. What exactly any such program would entail is to be determined, but we just wanted to get input from all residents to see if 1) there is an interest in exploring such a program, and 2) if our residents would be willing to participate in its implementation?

Upon determining if there is sufficient interest and support for such a program, we can work with the County and Police on implementing a community watch initiative. Please respond to Paul Zoppi (pzoppi109@cs.com) directly ASAP with your thoughts and comments. Thanks in advance for your input. Also, any volunteers willing to take the lead on trying to explore potential options for forming a program would be greatly appreciated.

Please Secure Your Garbage Cans
As a reminder, please be sure to properly secure your trash cans when placing them at the curb for pickup. We continue to find an inordinate amount of garbage in the water outflow pipe area between 22 and 26 Weilers Bend, and much of it is neighborhood trash. Garbage cans should be placed outside the night before your scheduled pickup (please don't leave them outside a day or two before pickup). In addition, please be sure your cans/lids are properly secured with bungee cords (especially for those windy days/nights). And please don't leave trash out for collection in open boxes or open bags.

The bottom line is it is incumbent upon all of us to ensure that we are responsible when it comes to trash and our garbage pickup. Please do your best to help us alleviate this problem. We all want the development to look nice and be safe and clean for everyone. Thanks in advance for your understanding in this matter. As always, feel free to contact any Board Member with questions.

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

Enjoy the summer!!!