Greentrees Civic Association

September 2006 Newsletter

Sep 05, 2007

Pam Brown-Webmaster:grntrees@earthlink.net
Charles C. Lambert-Editor: GreentreesCA@aol.com
Mary Margaret Ware-Lost/Found Pets:waremmj@msn.com (756-5826)

General Membership Meeting

GCA will have its general membership meeting on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 at 7:00 P.M. at
Lord of Life Lutheran Church located at Satinwood and Black Oak in Greentrees. Our guest speaker from the Shelby County Emergency Management Association (SCEMA) will discuss emergency preparedness. A nominating committee will be named at the meeting to select a slate of GCA officers for 2007.

Yards of the Month

May - William and Jane Bodie, Sr.
2189 Old Lake Cv
June - Jim and Margie Augustine
6812 Post Oak Cv.
July - Todd and Michele Haines
6763 Wild Berry Ln.
Carol Dismukes
2101 Hickory Crest Dr.
September - John and Janis Kimbrough
6557 Bramble Cv.

Gone But Not Forgotten
We lose our good and loyal neighbors every now and then. Earle and Dorothy Billings have moved from Greentrees to a condo where the upkeep is easier and their time will be their own. We wish them well and miss them much! Thanks to Earle and Dorothy for all the years they lived in and served Greentrees as great neighbors and hard workers.

Directory
A new Greentrees Residential Directory is being prepared for distribution early next year. The 2007 directory will be given complimentary to 2007 dues paying members and to new residents as part of their welcome pack. All other non-paying residents will be charged $5.00 for the directory. In the past, the Greentrees Directory has been sold to all residents for $5.00. Note: only residents may obtain the directory in the interest of privacy. Please let Ann Brown ((754-8699) or Joan Vegezzi (754-5485) know if you need to change your personal information in the current directory. Annual dues are payable in January of each year!

Newsletters
As we mentioned in the May issue, Greentrees newsletters will be sent only to dues-paying residents after the January 2007 issue. The cost of printing and mailing the newsletter to everyone is expensive. We have decided to cut costs by not sending the newsletter to the 25% or so residents who do not pay dues. The first newsletter of each year will still be sent to every resident to inform them of the general meeting and allow them to join the association.

Security Issues

Greentrees has not experienced a great amount of crime recently. There continue to be isolated incidents of theft, break-ins (Satinwood neighbor lost computer). Continuing watchfulness is important to maintain this low level of problems in our neighborhood. Keep the lights burning, watch for suspicious individuals, and report all crimes to the police and to Art Herr (757-8860), coordinator of neighborhood patrol. The volunteer patrol continues to make periodic runs through the streets of Greentrees. The psychological effect of such patrols cannot hurt the anti-crime effort even though not much has been observed during the patrols other than lots of dark houses (burglars' favorite haunts).

Holmes Park Trail Repaving

We are unhappy that the repaving of Holmes Park trail has not been done. The city parks department did not understand that we had committed to the job and we were not aware they were waiting for us to contact them again. The matter has been resolved and the city promises to begin the work ASAP.

Lecture Series
Friends of Poplar-White Station Branch Library Present The Second Thursday Community Lecture Series
Camille McMullen, Coordinator Fraudulent Identification Strike Team (FIST) Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee will speak on "Confronting the Crime Of Identity Theft"
Ms. McMullen will try to define and inform the audience of the rising threat of identify theft and how the law enforcement community is attacking this problem through working with other agencies and the private sector as well.
Learn how identity theft impacts not only individuals but also our community by causing an adverse affect on a victim's credit history and generally results in a substantial loss to a bank, financial institution or retail establishment.
Topics will include:
* The top five things a person should do to prevent becoming an identity theft victim,
* How to determine if you are being scammed,
* The most common identity thefts around Memphis,
* What you can do if your identity is stolen, who you can talk to if you become an identity theft victim, and
* A questions and answer period.
11:30 A.M. September 14, 2006, Poplar-White Station Library, 5094 Poplar Avenue, 682-1616. Everyone Welcome!
Church News
Church of the Holy Spirit
* We welcome our Greentrees neighbors to our fall Wednesday Nite Suppers, served from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Your first meal is "on the house." Just identify yourself as a resident.
* On Sept. 17 we will begin a 10 week study of the newly published U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults. This segment will cover the articles of the Creed. This is a good chance to understand what Catholics believe and why. All are welcome.
* Join our early rising parishioners for Joy at Work, an exploration of the spirituality of work. The series will run for 6 Fridays beginning September 29 from 6:30 - 7:45 a.m.
* Registration forms will be out soon for the annual Tour D'Esprit, Friday (3 p.m.) through Saturday. (3 p.m.) Oct. 6-7. This 24 hour run and fundraiser benefits Holy Spirit's Health Clinic in Haiti.

We did not receive any input from the other area churches but our request for input went out late this time. We will try to give more lead time next issue.
Greentrees Deaths
Mary Jon Herr, wife of our immediate past president, Art Herr, passed away earlier this summer. She was a longtime Greentrees resident and led a fascinating life. She was a talented artist, traveler, and devoted wife. We send our deepest sympathy to Art and to the children and grandchildren.
Nancy Madden died last week. She and her husband, Tom, lived on Silver Maple. We send our sympathy to that family as well.
Odds 'N Ends
* New Parkway signs are being mocked up for approval. They will be slightly larger than the current ones and hopefully will not be as prone to rust and paint peeling. We can't wait to see them.
* A new telephone communication system named "Calling Post" is coming soon to notify you of meetings and other important Greentrees events and emergency information.
* Amended bylaws for GCA will appear in the 2007 Directory.
* Send comments about the newsletter, things you'd like to see in it, etc. to GreentreesCA@aol.com

Please, Please. Please!!!!

I am embarrassed to mention this again for the umpteenth time, especially since MOST Greentrees residents are not guilty. The issue is bags of yard waste in the gutters and mown grass being blown into the streets. Believe me, I do not wish to tell you how to run your house and grounds but when the fall rains come (and they will be here soon), the bags of yard waste will wash into the storm drains and block them. The grass that is already in the gutters will flow into these same storm drains and cause them to clog. When the streets flood as they have in the past during heavy rains, the neighborhood wants to blame the city for not maintaining the drainage system. Granted, part of the problem is the drainage system (which is being addressed by the Public Works department as fast as possible) but residents who will not keep yard waste and grass off the streets compound the problem. Many of you have beautiful grass and I can appreciate that you do not want heavy bags killing the turf. But not keeping bags and grass on the property has consequences for all of us.
I do not know what else to do but repeat myself on this before we face a potential (or real) serious flood problem in the neighborhood - one that could be avoided or ameliorated by a little effort. Please, Please, Please help us avoid this in 2006!

New Residents

RUSSELL AND CALISTAR INGRAM III.
2089 OLD LAKE PIKE

STEVEN RUSSELL AND STEVE HARRISON
6779 POPLAR PIKE


LEE AND PAM SACHARIN
2188 OLD LAKE COVE

KATHERINE J RHEA
2011 KIRBY PARKWAY

LARRY AND HELEN DAVIS
6751 WILD BERRY LANE


GPORA
The GCA President, Russell Hill proposed and received approval from the officers of the association to present an award periodically (no more than two in a year) to an Outstanding Greentrees resident who has done something above and beyond our expectations. The award called Greentrees Presidential Outstanding Resident Award (GPORA) will be given at the discretion of the President. It does not have to be given every year. It may be given at any time during the year and if two awards are given they may be given at different times during the year. The award consists of an engraved plaque, a $100.00 gift card for dinner or other purchase, and a notice in the newsletter.
Fourth of July
We send thanks to all those who contributed to the very successful 4th of July parade and gathering at Holmes Park. We had all sorts of Goodwill Ambassadors from Uncle Sam to Greentrees Queen of the parade, Wilma Goode. Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the cold drinks, hot dogs, and other treats. There were too many people involved to say thanks to each by name without forgetting some - so thanks to one and all!






Hope to see all of you at our GCA general meeting on 9-26, 7:00 P.M.
Lord of Life Lutheran Church. The Neighborhood IS You!