CWHOA Winter Newsletter 2008
NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD
To borrow a phrase from the Chief Executive, I am happy to report mid-year that the state of our community is excellent. Our infrastructure is strong and in good repair; the new street lighting continues to pay dividends in functionality and aesthetics; our streets are solid with needed repairs made every year; the street drains were recently flushed; and by this coming summer the sprinkler system will be operational. Our Covenants Committee will be making its annual spring inspection to insure that individual owners are doing their part to uphold our community’s maintenance and appearance standards.
The web site has been updated with new and accurate information; we all salute Max Ramirez, our web master, for his unfailing support in this arena. Please review the rules and regulations of this Association with particular attention given to noise, garbage disposal and parking rules, all of which make our community a safer, cleaner and more appealing place to live.
Perhaps the most important aspect of a homeowners association is the social connection — we after all are neighbors and many of us are friends as well. To strengthen these social ties, the Board supported the first ever Halloween Party this past Oct. 31 to make especially welcome the children in our community — we hope we have begun a new and anticipated event. The Winter Holiday party on Dec. 2 was a stellar success with large attendance and even a visit from St. Nick. Thirdly we have re-instituted the Welcome Committee, graciously chaired by Ginny Taylor; this committee will visit each new homeowner or tenant to extend our felicitations and hearty welcome. To facilitate binding our community, soon the phone directory will be updated (the last edition was December 2006); further, Carol Lewis Anderson will create an e-mail list for all who wish to keep in touch for contractor recommendations, home décor ideas or just to say Hello. Please take a moment to read her enclosed letter and return the information you wish.
Remember that our Board meets every third Tuesday; times and places are posted on the web site. All of the CWHOA owners are welcome to attend to see your community in action!
Diana Rich
OWNER CHECKLIST
Are the numbers on your house visible in front and back in case of emergency? This is an important requirement.
If you have a grate by the garage door, has it been cleaned lately? Please do so.(They start to smell and attract mosquitoes in the summer and can cause your garage to flood.)
Do you have a trash receptacle with a lid and a recycle bin? See page 3 on how to get one!
Call 911 to report a crime, ANY crime. We no longer call 311 for non-emergency policeCall 311 for government services/city repairs only.
Management Report
When reporting problems in the community, please be as specific as possible to help repair contractors locate and solve the issue efficiently. Whether reporting a problem by email or phone, please tell us the exact address of the problem. Also when inquiring about your account or other matters always leave your address to expedite the response.
Did you know that your HOA fees can be most easily paid by direct debit? There is no check involved; you can never get a late fee; and your payment can never be lost in the mail. More importantly, you can travel or vacation without worry of missing a payment deadline. Contact Linda Watts in our office 202.232.5347 ext. 18 for information and forms or email her at Linda@tiltonbernstein.com.
Spring will be soon coming and many of you might want to have some minor painting or repairs made. Contact us for names of reliable contractors. We can recommend experienced painters, plumbers, and electricians able to do your largest tasks or a basic handyman able to help you paint a door or hang a picture.
Contact roger@tiltonbernstein.com for contractors.
Submitted by
Roger Tilton
WELCOME COMMITTEE:
Ginny Taylor has agreed to take on the task of chairing our Cloisters West Welcome Committee. New residents will be met with a warm smile, a small gift, and helpful information about the neighborhood.
If you would like to be a part of the Cloisters West Welcome Committee, please contact Ginny Taylor at 202 944 2386 or send an email:
ginnyestj@verizon.net
Let’s help new neighbors feel welcome...we each have something to contribute or someone to recommend for various services or repairs
PARTY SUCCESS AT THE CLOISTERS WEST!
The first annual Halloween Party in The Cloisters turned out to be fun for all ages! We pitched a tent under the moon and enjoyed tricks and treats. Old fashioned apple bobbing and the kids’ craft table were most popular. We are already looking forward to next year!
The annual Winter Holiday Party held Dec. 2nd at Georgetown Visitation was a big success. The Board and the residents of The Cloisters West would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped coordinate invitations, decorations, catering, bar tending, carolers, holiday cookies, kids crafts, etc. The kids would like to thank the Board for finding it their hearts (and budget) to bring Santa all the way from the North Pole during this busy holiday season. If you missed the festivities, we hope you can join us next year for this opportunity to toast the holiday season with your neighbors.
NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATES:
SAFETY: The Board recently approved the Block Captains initiative and CAG reimbursable detail for police officers.
“As Chairman of the Neighborhood Safety Committee, I thank the Board for supporting the CAG/MPD Reimbursable Detail in the amount of $6000 per year to be paid quarterly.
The police presence, thanks to the CAG/MPD Reimbursable Detail, deters crime in our community. We are fortunate to have it.
If you break down the cost of $6000 per year, you will see that is only about $56 per household (109 houses.) It is a small price to pay for the extra protection. (To subscribe as an individual would cost $500.)
The Detail runs from 8pm to 4am from Thurs thru Sunday AM, and patrols the entire perimeter of our property. The police often use our interior street of our property as their turn around which gives us additional presence.”
Bev Casserly
Winfield Lane
SPRING CLEANING: We should all add spring cleaning to our schedules soon. A large dumpster will be scheduled for The Cloisters West over a weekend in early April. Residents will be reminded in the Spring Newsletter and the exact date/location will be provided.
COMMUNICATION: If you have not been getting an occasional info email from Roger Tilton, our property manager, then he may not have your correct email address. To facilitate effective communication, please email Roger@tiltonbernstein.com
LET’S GO GREEN!
Green roofs, green buildings, green cleaning products….the list goes on. What can you do to be green? Start with recycling. How can you get a recycle bin as a resident of The Cloisters West? Call our trash hauler; Tenleytown 202-364-9694.
Did you know…
The National Zoo is a recycle collection site for rechargeable batteries, including those for cordless power tools, cellular and cordless phones, laptop computers, camcorders, digital cameras, and remote control toys. Just drop off your batteries at the front desk of the Visitor Center, and they will see that they are recycled.
Did you know…
If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 180-sheet virgin-fiber paper towels with 100-percent recycled paper towels, we could save: 1.4 million trees, 3.7 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 526 million gallons of water, and prevent 89,400 pounds of pollution? Better yet, use dish towels.
WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Would you like to volunteer a few hours each week to work with bright young children at Washington International School–Primary Campus located just across the street? Volunteer work is so rewarding and it turns out that the elementary school is reaching out to responsible adults in the local community to assist teachers in a variety of ways.
W.I.S. practices the Inquiry based style of learning which promotes the natural curiosity in young children. The students represent a wide variety of cultures and countries and the school’s active fundraising efforts allow for a variety of socio-economic backgrounds as well. The staff is friendly and the students are generally respectful and well-behaved.
W.I.S. offers Spanish, French or Dutch language instruction to their students. The campus located on Reservoir Road houses pre-K thru 5th grade. Any volunteers hours donated to the elementary school would be most appreciated. As they say, it takes a village ! Please contact Assistant Head, Leah Reilly if you are interested:
202 243 1702 or reilly@wis.edu
INDOOR GARDENING:
Indoor gardening ideas help to brighten the dull days of winter. Container gardening is simple and rewarding. A strawberry pot, for example, makes a great indoor herb garden. There is nothing like the smell of fresh herbs to spice up a common dish in the kitchen. But most of all, it’s fun to spruce up the house with fresh colorful bulb gardens. Some bulbs now come pre-chilled which makes the process even easier. (Forcing bulbs to bloom indoors is sort of like faking out mother nature.) The rewards of having colorful fresh flowers blooming indoors in the dark months of winter remind us that spring is on the way!
Great Gardener for Hire:
If you want to spruce up your outdoor garden here in The Cloisters for spring, just call Amanda. She comes highly recommended and has worked in our neighborhood for years. You will be pleasantly surprised!
Amanda Ramirez
301 503 1463 mandy2k@msn.com
NOTICE:
Please send any recommended SERVICE PROVIDER or CONTRACTOR information to:
NancyLCarpenter@hotmail.com
so we can update and compile our list on line. Thank you!
Winter Recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
1/2 c. regular long grain rice1 med. head green cabbageWater1 1/4 lbs. ground beef1 med. onion, diced3/4 tsp. salt1/8 tsp. pepper32 oz. jar marinara sauce
Prepare rice as label directs. Fill an 8 quart saucepot 3/4 full with water; heat to boiling. Place cabbage in water, cut side up. When outer leaves soften, remove and drain. Coarsely shred remaining cabbage. Cook ground beef, onion, salt and pepper until meat is browned. Stir in rice and marinara sauce. On center of each leaf, place about 1/2 cup beef mixture. Fold 2 sides of leaf over meat, overlapping edges; roll jelly roll fashion. Evenly sprinkle shredded cabbage in 12 x 8 inch baking dish. Place stuffed cabbage rolls, seam side down, on cabbage in dish. Pour remaining sauce over rolls. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, basting with sauce in dish.
Cloisters West Homeowners Association BOARD
President: Diana Rich
202 337 0007
Vice President: Judith Dowd
202 861 4708
Secretary: Nancy Carpenter
202 342 5775
Treasurer: Joe Catanzano
202 338 8602
Liaison to Covenants Committee: Ed Gershon
301 943 2829
Email addresses of all board members are available on line at:
www.cloisterswest.org