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Items of Interest -- Tips, Ideas, Suggestions, Current News
The Neighborhood Watch Page Is Online! ALSA Neighborhood Watch
Hey Neighbors!! Date Change!! The date for the meeting at Mr. Byron Bernard's home has been changed from Wednesday, June 8th to Friday, June 3rd.
We hope to see you there so please be sure to update your calendar! ALSA Board Mail Center Update
DPW
has begun to work on the new pumping station. The boxes have been labeled with your house number for easy identification once
they are moved to its new temporary location. The work will begin on Sunday (January 23, 2011). This
project is projected to last 10 months.
The schedule will be as
follows:
1. Saturday, January 22; last day to pick up mail at
current location
2. Sunday January 23; no mail pickup possible
3. Monday, January 24; first day to pick up mail
at new location at the east end of the subdivision
DPW’s Contact is willing to address any questions
or concerns you may have, his contact information:
Launey
"Patton" Griffith
Public Information Officer
Full Circle Communications
Office: (225) 379-3600
Cell: (225) 772-6348
E-mail: patton@fcc360.com
Break-In Update! The question has arisen why there was little continued mention
of the Break-Ins among the 147 homes of the Azalea Lakes Subdivision Association in this venue. To that answer, consider the following:
1) the 147 households form one unified community - not all that we do is public knowledge.
2) this venue is not our
only avenue of communications. The private network available to our residents for three years now has been quite active in
passing information back and forth.
3) communications, awareness, and pro-activity has grown tremendously since there
seems to be a criminal element intent on taking what has not been earned. The 147 households will be armed with watchful eyes,
ready cameras, and phones close at hand both to send out alerts and to call authorities. This update is intended to serve notice that the Azalea Lakes Subdivision
has not sat idly by while the rest of the world entrudes. We have gathered information and compared notes not only among ourselves
but also with the North Azalea Lakes Association. DO NOT EQUATE QUIET WITH ASLEEP! See in the following texts
- We are Alert, We are Aware, We are Active!
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Area correspondence follows: Announcement from Azalea Lakes Subdivision Assn
Date:
8/7/2010
Title: Break-in on Lake Iris Ave this week! Dear Residents, Please
take Heed! Some local thieves who are casing our homes are targeting us. We just received a report of a break-in on Lake Iris
Ave while the resident was out of town. The door was pried by a crowbar and many items were stolen. This happened within the
last two days.
1) Please take heed if you have active alarms use them, if they need to be activated please
activate them. If you can have them installed. Many of them are running specials on installation. 2) Please couple with your neighbors and watch each other’s
homes. They are conducting many of these break-ins during the day. 3) If you going to be out of town have your neighbor bring your garbage cans and newspapers
in. Have a neighbor park their cars in your driveway. Set timers that make your home look lived in. 4) We are working on establishing a neighborhood watch
very soon and will be asking for your participation, the more the merrier. We need your help. Please send your name, address,
and phone numbers in a reply* to this email, and we will contact you. Thank You, ALSA Board
*this
was originally sent on the ALSA private network with reply links active. Send comments to azalealakes@gmail.com. Urgent Flash!! ALSA
Residents This weekend, May 28-30, 2010, John Courrier,
the licensed alligator hunter that we have contracted, will be out to search and kill or capture the alligator(alligators).
He will be coming at night to hunt for the alligator(s), since the other methods have
been unsuccessful. We just wanted to alert you in the case that you hear any gun shots.
Thank You,
John Pizer
and the ALSA Board
Attendence Has It's Advantages! For
those of you who came to the Annual Meeting for The Azalea Lakes Subdivision at the Jones Creek Branch Library this past January,
Thank You! I was told that our 21 household (about 15%) turnout was higher percentage wise than some of the subdivisions
with 15 times our number of households! But is a 15% turnout really enough? For one family in our subdivision,
it was the perfect amount when they were the ones in attendence. For your neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Roger Tilley, that hour
and a half outing won them a subdivision dues exemption for the 2010-2011 session. Did you hear that! NO DUES TO PAY! Think about that for a minute! Not to mention that the Annual meeting included presentations by Councilman Joel Boe' for District
Nine and project specialists for the Sewer Station Upgrade, we also had pizza and softdrinks! Maybe next annual meeting
we'll see you there! You might be the One with a meal while you're
there and NO DUES TO PAY when you leave!!! 2/25/10
Board Member
Changes The new Board of Directors
for the 2010-2011 session has been seated. Board officers and members are listed on the Board of Directors page. Meeting
schedules for the 2010-2011 session are also listed on this page. We wish to most gratefully thank all the efforts
put out by all of the Board mambership over the years in helping to make the Azalea Lakes Subdivision a Great Neighborhood!
Remember, the Board is all voluntary and there just happen to be plenty of openings for energetic individuals who want to
contribute to the continued growth and prosperity of this community. Contact any of the remaining Board members for information
on how your participation can help! 2/25/10
Park Drainage Upgrades Most of you have been aware that DPW has been working for sometime now on the big
drainage slew leaving the weir for the park lake. The dozer work done to the swale thru the middle of the park complemented
that project. Standing water now being held in the park is due to blockages in the drainage slew formally cleaned out by DPW
but outside of our property lines. Conversations with DPW brought to light the need for permission to cross landowners properties
from Hoo Shoo Too Road east of our subdivision (the other side of the powerlines) to complete the clean up work. We are staying
in contact with DPW about when this work will be completed. Next, (date tba) there should be work on the drainage from across Old Jefferson
into the Jefferson end of park lake to repair the collapsed culverts. This project should take care of the
hole marked by the 4x4 and several other holes at the Azalea Lakes entrance and the cave-ins at the west end of the park lake.
These projects come under the jurisdictions of DPW and DOTD. 2/25/10 Al E. Gator There's a new "neighbor" who is still in the
area and he is definitely unwanted! We are asking all the residents to be aware that multiple sightings of a six
foot alligator have occured by several homeowners around the big lake through January 2010. A nuisance animal trapper
was contacted to remove the alligator but a pattern of activity was not established. Please assist in efforts for sightings of
the alligator and please report it to one of the board members as soon as possible. The sooner a pattern of activity is created
the sooner this "neighbor" can be evicted! Although it is not believed that the alligator could climb the bulkheads surrounding
the lake, please STILL take precautions at the lake edge until the alligator has been removed. 2/25/10 .
Break-Ins For the past several weeks
there have been break-ins occurring across Azalea Lake in the Azalea Lakes North neighborhood. There have been so many break-ins ALNA recently formed
a Neighborhood Watch program
Yesterday, Monday, April 20, 2009 we had our
first (reported) incident in our ALSA area. Available details and information are:
Sometime in the afternoon an older white
male in a four-door, black, large car with a large trunk (possibly a 1970's model) was observed
by a neighbor in the driveway of the house on Azalea Lakes where the break-in occurred. The robber was wearing a white
tank top and appeared to be a "worker." After seeing the neighber, the robber drove into the carport at the back of the house where
he broke into the attached storage room and a plastic storage cabinet under the carport. He DID NOT enter the house!
He also left both the storage room and cabinet closed and with nothing obviously out of place -- except the missing
lawn equipment and tools.
Please be aware and talk with your neighbors to ensure everyone is informed as quickly as possible.
If you plan to be out of town or gone from home for an extended period, you might want to mention to your neighbor(s) to keep
an eye out for any "unusual" visitors -- especially if they match the above description.
IF YOU SEE SOMEONE SUSPICIOUS, CALL THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE by dialing 911.
DO NOT APPROACH
THE PERSON YOURSELF!
ANNUAL DUES NOTICES
AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 2010 Annual Dues Notices and
Annoucements have been mailed and are also available under "Documents" in Buildium. The dues for 2010 -- 2011 are $230.00 ($240 if paid online via PayPal by check or credit card). The letter also included a request to update your subdivision resident information if you had not
done this on the annual meeting proxy form. We are trying to update all the available forms of communication for the residents
of The Azalea Lakes Subdivision so that communications can occur in the most timely and available method. The information
update can be returned to the Board by return mail to 17706 Lake Iris Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70817; or by email to azalealakes@gmail.com; or by fax to 225.756,7394. 2/25/10
NEW LIFT
STATION!
We're getting a new lift station! Soil
samples were being taken today (3/3/2009) for our new subdivision lift station that will be installed to the left of the current
lift station (where we just cut down the pine trees).
The time
frame for when the new station will be installed has been tentatively placed at the end of August thru September
time period. Our station is to be the fist installation in the project for this area and is part of a five
station larger City-Parish sewer upgrade project extending down Jefferson Highway toward Highland Road. This new lift station will have its own backup generator for power during outages and
will do much to prevent the sewer backups some of our neighbors have experienced in the past. More information is being placed on
the City-Parish website at www.brprojects.com. 2/25/10
CHANGE IN CITY-PARISH INFORMATION
Please note the link to the City-Parish District 9 website was incorrect. The
correct link and address are now on the City-Parish Information page. Also, we've added
a link to a map of Council District 9 on the City-Parish Information page.
ONGOING DPW
WORK ON PARK DRAINAGE CANAL The DPW reports that work is almost complete
on the project to clean the park drainage canal. The debris that was removed from the canal will be removed from the canal
edge as soon as the ground is dry enough to support the heavy trucks without damaging the grass. With the destruction of the beaver dam and removal (relocation) of the beavers from
the canal and the debris removal, we are hopeful the park will drain (and dry out) much more quickly in the future. Completion
of this project will enable us to move forward with the park swale project scheduled for this Spring. DPW will also inspect the two areas in the park that are being "washed-out"
by street drainage during heavy rains. Once the inspection is completed, repairs will be scheduled. 2009
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| ALSA Boat Decal |
BOAT DECALS ***********************************************************
NOTICE Because of
ongoing problems with non-residents fishing in our lake and at the park/boat launch, the Azalea Lakes North Association and Azalea Lakes Subdivision Association have decided to adopt changes in our policies.
A sign will be installed stating that the park/boat launch closes at dark. The Kleinpeter Sheriff's Station
is working with us and will respond if any violators are there after dark.
Effective January 1st, the code
at the boat launch will be changed. All boats, big or small, will be required to have two decals permanently attached to the
front sides of their boat. No outside boats will be allowed in the lake. Only homeowners with boats will be allowed. If a
boat is on the lake without decals, the sheriff will be called and action taken. The decals will be provided to homeowners
free of charge. If you need decals for your boat, call Tim Rider (ALSA)at 892.2664 or Sammy Romeo (ALNA) at 751-9797. The
decals will be available December 1st.
We apologize for any inconvenience but this is to protect our greatest
asset in Azalea Lakes Subdivision, our beautiful lake. We ask that all homeowners work together with us to protect it. If
you see a boat without decals, please call the Kleinpeter Substation at 389-5714 and report it.
In addition,
swimming or tubing is not allowed in the lake.
Remember all bass are catch and release.
Azalea Lakes Subdivision Association &
Azalea Lakes North Homeowners Association
*********************************************************** The above notice was distributed by ALNA to its homeowners in late December 2008. ALSA
is implementing this policy NOW. We would like to have all decals distributed by March 15, 2009. If
you have a boat – of any kind or size – please contact Tim
Rider at 892.2664 or Jeff Debenedetto at 270.0123 to register your boat and get your decals. You'll
get two decals for each of your boat(s) and they should be placed on both sides of the front of the boat. THERE IS
NO CHARGE TO REGISTER YOUR BOAT(S) OR FOR THE DECALS!
Thanks for your cooperation
and support. Also, please do NOT publish photos of fish caught in Azalea Lakes. This
only encourages unauthorized visits by non-homeowners and non-residents. 2009 
PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT
Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your
home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the
horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home
for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:
It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from
most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button
on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to
break into your house, odds are the burglar rapist won't stick around... After a few seconds all the neighbors will be
looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry
your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This is something that should
really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.
Think about telling everyone you know about this fantastic idea. It would also be useful for any
emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. Consider carrying your car keys with you
in case you fall outside and no one is around to hear you call for help. You can activate the car alarm and then someone
will know there's a problem.
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WILL THERE OR WON'T THERE BE PARK BRIDGES? There seems to be some mis-information about the
status of the bridges in our park. For those of you who did not attend the Annual Homeowners Meeting last month, we'll
try to update and clarify the park bridge situation.
The bridges were removed last fall because
they had become dangerous. It was determined after inspections by contractors providing quotes for repairs and homeowners
there was not enough "good" wood (not rotten or damaged) to repair the bridges. It was also noted the bridges had
been poorly constructed originally. This would have also added to the cost of any repair attempts.
The Board voted, after extensive discussions at several meetings, to remove the bridges and avoid the danger of injury to
a homeowner or guest. Because of the Board's awareness of the poor condition of the bridges, liability to the Association
was increased. Plans, at this time, are to re-establish the swale (a depression between
slopes that provides for drainage) in the park to reduce or eliminate the excessive ground wetness. This can be done in the
Spring 2009, when the ground is dry.
After the swale work is completed,
bridges can be re-built or alternative crossings can be established. The Board plans to have the Architectural Committee research,
review, and recommend options for building the bridges. The recommendations will include the number of bridges,
the location of the bridges, the style of the bridges, the construction materials, and the expected maintenance expenses.
Depending on costs (materials, labor, maintenance) associated with the bridges, the Board will make a determination as to
when the bridges can be re-built. Because park bridges are a priority or concern for only about 50 of the 147 homeowners,
they will not be a top priority. The Board is charged with maintaining the overall appearance
of our neighborhood and the maintenance of the common areas. To accomplish this the Board must set priorities for spending
the limited resources available. For more detailed information about our annual budget and expenditures, see the Annual meeting
minutes that can be accessed by homeowners through their Buildium account.
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