Greentrees Civic Association

February 2002 Newsletter

Sep 05, 2007

Editors: Ted & Angie Yeiser
$ Support Your Neighborhood $
We have started our calendar year 2002 Membership Drive. If you haven?’t already done so, please make your check payable in the amount of $25.00 to The Greentrees Civic Association and mail it to Tom Wheeler, 6875 Honey Locust Cove, Memphis, TN 38119. Please help by doing your part and joining. These dues are minimal, and do not go far. Dues go toward the printing and mailings of all newsletters, supplement the maintenance of Kirby Parkway, and many other needs as they arise in Greentrees. There are many Greentrees residents who over the years have also contributed extra money (what ever they could give) to help with the ever growing expenses the association has. We have tried to keep membership dues down by supplementing association funds with the Garden Tour. So far we have been successful, but all it takes is to be rained out one year, or not have enough gardens to hold a tour. So please join of the Association. Let?’s all reap the rewards of an active association that is sufficiently funded to do the work necessary to keep the common areas of our neighborhood beautiful. If you have any questions regarding membership you may contact Tom Wheeler at 754-0472.


Annual Membership
Meeting News

The Greentrees Civic Association held a membership meeting on November 27th at the Church of the Holy Spirit. The Nominating Committee introduced the slate of Officers for the year 2002. The floor was opened to new nominations; however there were none. Therefore, the nominees were introduced to the membership as Greentrees 2002 Association Officers.

Many concerns regarding car break- ins, vandalism, and other neighborhood issues were discussed. The meeting was very productive. Thank you to the many Greentrees neighbors who attended to show support for our wonderful neighborhood.

A farewell was bid to ouroutgoing President, Bonnie Ragland. Bonnie was presented with flowers and a beautiful original oil painting. The painting was a rendering of Kirby Parkway with the ?“Greentrees?” sign (hopefully, soon to actually be there!) which Bonnie has worked so hard to have the City install. The oil painting was painted and donated by Greentrees Artist, Mary Jon Herr. Mary Jon is a very accomplished portrait painter in oil, charcoal, and pastels. The association commissioned Mary Jon to paint the beautiful landscape and she graciously donated it for us to present to Bonnie. Thank you Mary Jon for so generously sharing your time and talent. There were many neighbors and friends in attendance to bid Bonnie farewell and wish her the best. Dixie and Norris Avey, former Greentrees neighbors, and association activists drove in from Heber Springs, Arkansas to attend the meeting and help honor Bonnie. They, like most of us, never thought Bonnie would leave office as she has been such a fixture - and more accurately, such a valuable asset - to our neighborhood. But, sadly Bonnie is moving on and will be greatly missed. However, as anyone who knows Bonnie can guess, she will still be active in our neighborhood and Association.
Some good news was shared at this meeting. Ms. Verna Hanrahan, with the Center for Neighborhoods, was on hand to announce that she was working with the assistance of Guy Treece to obtain final approval to proceed with the installation of the signs to let all of Memphis know they have entered ?“Greentrees?”. The signs will be placed at each end of the Parkway. Each sign is to have a beautiful iron post that supports a cross member from which a placard will hang with the ?“Greentrees?” name on it. Hopefully we will hear soon about the outcome.

Our 2002 Association President, Ann Schmitt, was asked to close the meeting. Be sure to watch your future newsletter for an announcement of the next membership meeting. Make an effort to come and meet Ann along with your wonderful Greentrees
neighbors who so kindly give of their time to help keep Greentrees a great place to live.

Getting the Word
Out........

Some years ago, the Association established a wonderful method to help keep neighbors in touch. By dividing up our streets into sections, and having a block captain for each street we are able to get out any urgent message if need be, or at times distribute a special flyer. Enclosed you willfind a list of all section representatives and block captains for each street. If you should have any news or concerns to pass on and you don?’t know who else to call, please keep this list handy. Those listed will try their best to help.

The 8th Annual
Garden Tour

The Garden Tour Committee recently held a meeting to discuss the upcoming 8th Annual Greentrees Garden Tour. The date for the tour is May 4, 2002. This is the first Saturday in May. So be sure to take advantage of the warm days that we may from time-to-time have in the next couple of months and get a head start on beautifying your yard. Last year over 500 people came to the tour. This is a wonderful opportunity for Greentrees to show everyone what it has to offer, and why we are proud to be Greentrees residents. There are already several homeowners who have agreed to share their gardens.

The revenue from this tour has become a necessity to our Association. Our yearly expenses, especially the supplemental mowing of the Parkway, consumes a very significant portion of our Association Dues. Greentrees is so fortunate to have so many beautiful gardens to share, so please help and let us know if you would like to be considered for our tour, or if you know of a neighbor in Greentrees who you would like to recommend for the tour. Please call Angie Yeiser at 753-2414, or Norma Smith at 755-1427. Your help is needed and appreciated.

The Garden Tour Committee is looking forward to another wonderful tour.

Members of the committee will also be looking for volunteers to help greet the many visitors who come to tour our neighborhood. So when you receive a call to help, please agree to give an hour or so of your time. It is a tremendous benefit to our neighborhood.

Condolences
Our condolences on the loss of their loved ones are extended to:

* Mary Ann & Roy Thurmond on the recent loss of Mary Ann?’s mother, Ms. Anna Faris.


Yard of the Month

*Dec...Robert & Sissy Criss
6764 Slash Pine Cove
*Jan...John & Irene Byrd
2208 Kirby Parkway
*Feb...Mick & Lisa Anderson
2088 Satinwood Drive

Keep up the good work, we are always looking for our next yard of the month winner. It could be you!


New Neighbors!!!!
Greentrees.....
Home, Sweet, Home

Be sure to help welcome our new neighbors to Greentrees.

* Benny & Michael Levy
2108 Satinwood Drive
* Parker Blair
2054 Satinwood Drive
* Michael Ferraris
6919 Dove Roost Cove
* Mike Dowling
6918 Sugar Maple Cove

Need Your
Pool Opened?

With our recent snow fall, it is hard to believe that spring is on the way. Many of you have pools and are always looking for someone to open your pool and get it ready for summer. John is a college student who has worked in the pool business for many years. So call soon and get on the list to have your pool opened. Call John at 755-9162 for more information.


Need Tree Work..
Landscape work,
etc.?
Heil Landscaping

Chris Heil is dependable and performs extremely good work as a numberr of Greentrees residents can attest. Give Chris a call to line him up at 246-9787.

Greentrees
Crime Watch

Unfortunately, Greentrees is still being victimized by crime. Mark White, our neighborhood liaison with the Police Department, has asked that we remind you to please not leave anything in your car or carport for someone to see and help themselves to. There is still a rash of car break-ins in ourneighborhood, so lets all be on the lookout. If everyone stays alert to what is going on around them maybe we can put an end to these petty crimes.

If you see any strangers pulling into a neighbor?’s driveway when you know the neighbor is away from home, keep an eye out. If the situation looks too suspicious, call the police. At a minimum, note the license number of the vehicle and a description of the individuals and vehicle.

Share with your neighbors any strange or illegitimate activities you observe so they, too, can be on alert and be a part of crime prevention in Greentrees.

As a reminder, if anyone knows of a crime that has occurred in Greentrees, please call the police department (528-2222), and our East Precinct Advisor, Mark White (754-8149). If Mark is made aware of a crime, he can follow-up during his monthly meeting with Precinct Officers. Thank you for your support and remember to keep a protective eye on your neighbors and their property.

Do you need
a Vacation?

Plan now for the trip of a life time. Tom and Mary Frances Wheeler, 28 year residents of Greentrees, are coordinating a tour of the beautiful Amalfi Coast, from October 3 to October 11. The fully hosted tour will travel from Naples to Sorrento, with visits to Positano, the Isles of Capri, Pompeii, and Monte Cassino. The group will spend their last night in Rome, with the option of extending their Roman holiday for two additional nights. Friends and family are welcome. Take advantage of an easy way to enjoy traveling. Leave the planning and worries to someone else. Call Tom at 754-0472 for a no obligation brochure.

Greentrees
is looking for help
with the
Association Web Page

Did you know that Greentrees has a web site? The address is: www.neighborhoodlink.com/
Memphis/greentrees.

Would you like to be the Greentrees Association Webmaster? We need someone to act as our Webmaster to assist in keeping our webpage up to date. No special computer skills are needed, and the time needed to keep the site up to date should only require about 30 minutes a month. If you would be interested in volunteering for this position, please call Tom Wheeler at 754-0472. So many of your neighbors give so generously to your neighborhood, now is your chance to contribute to your neighborhood too!

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations go out to Fred Nowak for his recent win of the ?“Horticultural Excellence Award?”. Also, thanks to Fred and his wife Cecile who are so giving oftheir time and expertise in trimming the trees on the parkway median.

Beware of
Stray Dogs

With the recent tragedy in Eads, everyone is concerned about dogs running loose, with or without the presence of their owners. Be a good neighbor and make sure that your pets are on a leash when you take them for a walk, or that they are properly secured in your home or backyard. You know that your dog ?“wouldn?’t hurt a fly?”, but the child or elderly person the harmless pup approaches may think the worst and be terrified.


Permits Hold Up
Road Construction

Construction on the extension of Kirby Parkway, south of Messick Road, has been held up for about two months due to a delay in obtaining proper permits for the bridge over Howard Creek, according to Mr. Gaskins, a city engineer. No date was given for the completion of the project. The permits are required for environmental purposes, Gaskins explained, and there
has been a mixup relating to the process required to obtain the permits. Gaskins went on to say that upon completion, the extension would not bring any changes to the Parkway as it bisectssouth of Messick to an intersection with Sulgrave,. Also there will be traffic lights installed at the intersections of Kirby Parkway and Messick and Stout Roads. Truck traffic will be prohibited on the roadway between Quince and Poplar Pike.

Greentrees Past
President Bids Farewell and Calls
for Neighborhood
Support

The turnout at the Greentrees Civic Association meeting January 22nd was especially heartwarming to me as the last one of my tenure as president. Neighbors I have worked with and call my friends honored me with a beautiful painting of Kirby Parkway by artist and Greentrees resident Mary Jon Herr, and a lovely bouquet of roses. But, the biggest honor I received was their friendship and good wishes. After 27 years on Paper Birch Lane, my husband and I are building a retirement home in the mountains of North Carolina, and will be moving there when it is completed, sometime this fall. Our daughter, Leslie Gattuso, will be returning to the house on Paper Birch with her husband and two children to continue the family presence in Greentrees. The past several years of my involvement in neighborhood affairs (I have lost count of how many and don?’t want to think about it!) have been very rewarding, mostly due to the wonderful friends I have made in Greentrees. I want to thankeach and every one of you for your support and assistance. I know that Ann Schmitt, the new President, and the entire team of officers and executive committee members will bring new ideas, new energy and even greater dedication to the enhancement and preservation of our little corner of the world. Now, for the commercial...... President Bush is calling on American citizens to volunteer their time to help make this country safe and free from the dangers of terrorists. To me, the best way most of us can respond to this call is to strengthen our own neighborhoods. We can start by getting to know our neighbors. Further, if we all accept and take responsibility for maintaining our property and the public spaces around us, for the actions of ourselves and our children, and become active participants in our community affairs, this county?’s strength would be unassailable. That should be our goal, and our work. We can all start by supporting the Greentrees Association with our time and dues. I urge every Greentrees resident to join in the volunteer efforts to maintain and enhance this neighborhood, our home. Make time to join in clean-up projects, turn out for the neighborhood meetings, communicate your suggestions and concerns regarding community problems, and policies. In other words, get involved. You won?’t regret it and we?’ll all be better off because of it.

Thanks again for your support,

Bonnie Ragland