Buckingham Greene Maintenance Corporation

Summer, 2003 Newsletter

May 21, 2003

Hello Summer!!!
Well, it?’s finally time to get that bathing suit out of moth balls and ready for the sun and fun of summer. We?’ve had a lot going on within the community over the past several months. Here?’s a quick summary for those of you who may have missed something.

2003 Assessment
Thanks once again for your prompt attention to the 2003 annual assessment. We had a 100% response rate within the community. The funds will be used for playground maintenance, small retention pond maintenance, grass cutting, etc. We are hopeful of adding a walkway to the playground this year as well. As always, your swift response was greatly appreciated by the Maintenance Corporation. Please feel free to contact any member of the Board of Directors with questions. Thank you!

Spring Egg/Scavenger Hunt
The Social Committee was very busy planning and organizing several events within the development. First, we had a Spring Egg/Scavenger 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 fun prizes and gifts for all participants. The scavenger hunt was particularly exciting as two teams battled each other for the ultimate prize as Buckingham Greene scavenger hunt champions. The entire community owes a great big thank you to Blair Nowland for organizing such a wonderful event.

In addition, Rita McCann helped to organize the community yard sale. Approximately ten homeowners participated in what turned out to be a profitable day. The turnout was excellent, and many of the residents participating were able to make a few extra dollars. A special thanks goes to Rita for helping to make the event take place. We all look forward to more fun events in the near future.

Proposed Deed Restriction Amendments
At our last community meeting in February, the latest version of the proposed deed restriction amendments/modifications was reviewed. Additional changes/suggestions were made and incorporated into a document that was circulated throughout the community. Following are those same proposed modifications for your review. The sections in bold type represent the proposed changes and/or additions. We will be circulating throughout the community for signatures in the coming weeks/months. Please contact Paul Zoppi (529-7760) with any questions.

Section 3. Animals and Pets. No animals of any kind other than usual household pets shall be kept or maintained on any part or portion of the lots, and no horses, cows, goats, hogs, poultry, pigeons, or similar animals shall be kept on any part or portion of the lots. All household domestic pets must be curbed, and their owners are responsible for cleaning up animal excrement when walking any such pet within the community. In addition, pet owners are responsible/liable for any trespassing/damages/aggravation caused by uncurbed pets against private property, in accordance with the laws of New Castle County and the state of Delaware. Breeding of domestic animals of any kind on any part or portion of any lot or lots or in any building or structure thereon, is expressly prohibited. Outbuildings, such as dog houses, rabbit hutches and similar structures shall be constructed of wood, of high quality craftsmanship, be no more than four (4) feet in height, and have a floor area no greater than of twelve (12) square feet. In any event no such outbuildings shall be erected or maintained upon any lot until the required approvals have been obtained in accordance with Section 17, herein.

Section 5. Television and Radio Antennas, Satellite Dishes and Exterior Mechanical Devices, Etc. No television antennas, radio antennas, satellite dishes, television or radio receiving or transmitting devices, solar energy panels or any other exterior mechanical devices shall be installed, constructed, placed or maintained on any lot, except that the same may be installed, constructed, placed and/or maintained if it is confined within the interior of the dwelling unit. Exception ?– In accordance with Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, video antennas including direct-to-home satellite dishes that are less than one meter (39.37?”) in diameter shall be permitted. However, any such devices shall be placed towards the rear of the home/property, where they are less likely to be readily visible from the front of the home/property. All satellite dish placements (those less than one meter in diameter) must be approved in accordance with the provision of Section 17, herein.

Exterior holiday lights and/or ornaments shall be permitted, provided that such lights and/or ornaments are installed no sooner than 45 days prior to the observed holiday, and will be removed within 45 days after the holiday has passed.

Section 9. Fences. No enclosing or non-enclosing fence or barrier (hereinafter the ?“fence?”) shall be erected on any lot closer to the front street line than the rear-most wall of the principal building on said lot except that fences which are dividing lines between two single family lots may extend along side lot lines. No fences shall be of a height of more than six (6) feet, and all such fences shall be constructed of wood, PVC or vinyl. Fences constructed from PVC or vinyl shall be white in color, similar in color as to the primary exterior color of the home/residence, or wood-like in color. No such fences shall be constructed or maintained upon the lots until the plans for the same have been approved by Declarants, in accordance with the provision of Section 17 herein.

Section 17. Review of Plans. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, no outbuildings, buildings, structures of a temporary or permanent nature, swimming pools, fences or other construction or improvements shall be constructed, erected, or placed upon any lot, nor shall any exterior addition to or change or alteration thereof, including but not limited to exterior fa?§ade, color change and/or change in grade or drainage be made until the plans and specifications, with illustrations, showing the nature, kind, shape, color, height, materials and proposed location of same, shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Declarant, Buckingham Greene Associates, L.L.C., except that with respect to that portion of the Property owned by Declarant, Scott R. Weiler, the approval will be required jointly by both Declarants. Exception ?– Approval is not required for a solid color change of a front door. In addition, approval is not required to change the color of a garage door to white, or similar in color as to the primary exterior color of the home/residence. Property owners are not required to submit plans for approval if they are painting their front door a solid color, or painting their garage door white, or similar in color as to the primary exterior color of the home/residence.

Buckingham Greene Associates, L.L.C., its successors or assigns, in connection with the review of said plans, specifications and illustrations, shall have the right to approve or disapprove any such matters which in its opinion are not suitable or desirable to the community. In passing upon such plans and specifications, Buckingham Greene Associates, L.L.C., or its successors or assigns, shall consider the following factors:

The quality, aesthetic suitability, nature, kind, shape of the proposed building or other structure;
The color, height and materials of which it is to be constructed;
The specific site upon which it is proposed to construct or erect the same;
The harmony of the proposed change, alteration, addition, building or structure with structures on neighboring properties and the outlook and view from the neighboring properties.
The affect on the reasonable passage of light and air to the neighboring properties.

For purposes of this Declaration, Buckingham Greene Associates, L.L.C., shall have the sole and exclusive right to determine when lot lines and/or street lines shall be ?“front?” or ?“side?” lines.

Section 1. Private Residences. Each lot in the Property shall be used for private residential purposes only and no buildings of any kind, except private dwelling units shall be erected or maintained on any lot. Exception ?– Outbuildings, such as storage sheds, shall be of high quality craftsmanship, be no more than nine (9) feet in height from its base, and have a floor area no greater than eighty (80) square feet. Any such base (i.e. concrete slab) shall not be more than one (1) foot in height at any point. Any such outbuilding shall be constructed in a manner that is consistent with the permanent residence (i.e. matching siding, roofing, etc.), and shall be placed towards the rear of the property within the boundaries of the outer-most exterior walls of the primary residence. In addition, no materials shall be hung on the exterior, or stored/leaned against any such outbuilding (i.e. ladders, tires, buckets, etc.). In any event, no such outbuildings shall be erected or maintained upon any lot until the required approvals have been obtained in accordance with Section 17, herein.

While we understand that this process has taken quite some time, it?’s important to keep in mind that we are making significant progress. In the not too distant future, we hope to have revised deed restrictions that we all can live with. Thank you once again for your patience and understanding.

Upcoming Local Events
Wilmington Memorial Day Parade (May 30th)
Wilmington Memorial Day Committee is having its annual parade. Rockford Park, Delaware Avenue, Wilmington.
?• Admission: Free
?• For information: 838-9114

McDonald's LPGA Championship (June 2-8)
Golf tournament fund-raiser for Ronald McDonald House charities. DuPont Country Club, Rockland and Blackgates roads, Rockland.
?• Admission: $12 advance (daily); $35 season badge (weekly); at the gate Mon-Wed $12, Thurs-Fri. $14, Sat. $16.
?• For information: 428-1681 or www.mcdslpgachamionship.com

St. Anthony's Italian Festival (June 8-15)
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: Free, fees for activities
?• For information: 421-3790

48th Annual DFRC Blue-Gold All Star Football Game (June 28th)
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: $7
?• For information: 454-2730

Fourth of July Parade (July 4th)
Bring decorated scooters, strollers, bicycles, wagons. Put the finishing touches on and join in the parade. Prizes awarded. Bellevue State Park, Carr Road, off I-95 at Marsh Road.
?• Admission: $2.50
?• For information: 793-3046

New Castle County Rockwood Ice Cream Festival (July 12-13)
New Castle County and Turkey Hill Dairy are teaming for the 21st annual Ice Cream Festival. Rockwood Mansion Park, Washington Street Extension, south of Shipley Road, Penny Hill.
?• Admission: Free
?• For information: 395-5119

Community Services
Samantha Ross at 106 Scotts Way would like to offer both baby-sitting and pet-sitting services to members of the community. She has completed her baby-sitting certification. Please feel free to contact Sam at 475-5830 if you are interested in hearing more about her baby-sitting and/or pet-sitting services.

Daniel Tryon at 110 Scotts Way is offering 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.

Community Corner
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 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 (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 Corporation needs to enforce non-compliant alterations, this must be 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.

Board of Directors looking for Vice President
As previously communicated in our last newsletter, our community by-laws state that the Board of Directors should be comprised of five (5) members. A President, Treasurer, Secretary and two (2) Vice Presidents. We currently only have one Vice President. If you are interested in participating on the Board, please contact one of the Directors as soon as possible.

Rusting Garage Doors???
Is your garage door beginning to rust? Ray House, 103 Scotts Way, noticed that his garage door had a good amount of rust. Ray contacted Clark & Sons, Inc. at 302-998-7552 since they carry the Raynor garage door that we all have. They came out for an inspection and replaced all of the panels free of charge since the door was within the 10-year warranty (he did have to pay $180 for labor which was not covered). So, if you believe your garage door may be in need of being replaced, give Clark & Sons a call. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any member of the Board of Directors. And a special thanks to Ray for bringing this to our attention.

Announcements
Rich and Rita McCann would like to announce a recent addition to their family with the birth of their new baby grandson. Steven Earl McDowell was born May 1st, weighing 7 pounds 9 ounces. Everyone is doing well (especially the proud grandparents). Congratulations to all!

In addition, Dave and Beth Lubin recently brought home a new addition to the Buckingham Greene community. Owen Karter Lubin was born May 12th, weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 21 and 1/2 inches long. Mom, Dad, big brother Parker and baby Owen are all doing well. Congratulations to the entire Lubin family!

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, 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 Summer