Spring 2005

New Dates Set for Garage Sale & Goodwill Pickup

Safety concerns prompted your NHERA Board to reschedule the neighborhood garage sale to Saturday, May 14.

The sale had been scheduled for May 21, keeping to the schedule for the last several years of holding it on the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend.

But this year, the Run for Cover – which raises money and awareness for skin cancer – will be coming through the neighborhood on May 21. Organizers and the board were concerned at the prospect of extra traffic in the neighborhood for the garage sale at the same time the runners and walkers will be here.

The Goodwill pickup also has been rescheduled for Monday, May 17, to keep it on the Monday after the garage sale. Have your donable goods at the curb by 8 a.m. to ensure pickup; the driver will tape a receipt to your mailbox.

Reminder: Annual Dues

As of April 28, all but 11 of the 141 homeowners in the NHERA had paid their dues. Thanks to each of you!

If you have not yet paid your 2005 dues, please hurry. Remember that late fees apply in May: After May 1, dues are $75; after May 31, they’re $100.

Because they checked a box on the directory update form included with the dues statement, 26 homeowners are now receiving newsletters by e-mail, saving the association about $11 per mailing. If you’d like to add to the savings, send a note to secretary@nhera.org asking to get newsletters by e-mail.

Association to Stop Paying to Maintain City Property

Because of tax law, your NHERA Board voted to stop paying to maintain the city-owned lot on the southeast corner of Dunes Parkway and Norcrest Drive .

We recognize that this property is highly visible to neighborhood residents and guests, and we fully understand that poor maintenance of the property several years ago reflected poorly on the entire neighborhood.

We also appreciate the tremendous improvements made to this property by previous boards, and we do not feel that money was misspent.

However, we recently learned that the Internal Revenue Service does not recognize maintenance of property we do not own as a legitimate expense. Further, in years when the bark on the terrace must be replaced or supplemented, we spend as much as 25 percent of our annual income on that single property.

The board believes that money should be spent on association property instead. Board members will call the city regularly if the property becomes unsightly, and we encourage you to do the same. Call the city’s Public Works Administration at 799-6803.

We also are investigating whether the city would sell the property to allow a new home to be built there.

NHERA Party Set for July 30

Resurrecting a tradition from past years, the NHERA Board will host a neighborhood party and picnic this summer on Saturday, July 30.

We’re making plans now for activities for young and old. There could be a bike parade, candy hunt and water balloon toss for the kids, and maybe a beach bonfire for the adults after dark.

The board will supply some food. If you’re willing to bring your favorite picnic dish or can lend picnic tables, grills, coolers or an outdoor party game, please contact your block chair or residents Julie Knowlton or Sarah McCarthy, who are organizing the party.

And if you have ideas for the party, please share them, too. Maybe your company would like to sponsor a dunk tank or a snowcone machine, or provide drinks or finger food.

You can reach Julie at 780-1395 or knowltoj@msn.com, and Sarah at 780-0476 or bellaireida@hotmail.com.

Mayor Crandall to Attend NHERA Annual Meeting

Norton Shores Mayor Nancy Crandall accepted your NHERA Board’s invitation to attend our annual meeting in September.

She will join City Administrator Mark Meyers as guests of the association. If you have questions or topics you’d like them to discuss, please notify your block chair.

Shortly after the latest board meeting this month, Mayor Crandall announced that she will not seek re-election this year; her term expires in November. Our annual meeting falls between the primary and the general election, so at its July meeting the board will consider inviting the candidates for mayor to the annual meeting, too.

Watch the next newsletter for the time and place of this year’s annual meeting.

Protect Our Children! Please Drive – And Park – Safely

Please remember that the entire neighborhood is a “children playing” zone. Spring brings the kids out on bikes, trikes, skateboards and their own two feet, so please observe the 25-mph speed limit throughout the neighborhood, and please, drive safely.

Please park safely, too! Cars parked across sidewalks can be dangerous, especially for a child just learning to ride a bike. A youngster may not have the dexterity to navigate around your car and back onto the sidewalk without winding up in the street – and shouldn’t have to. Blocking the sidewalk creates trouble for people walking and pushing strollers, too. And it violates NHERA rules and city ordinances. So please be considerate of your neighbors and show you care about their children’s safety, and park safely!

Good Standing. Thanks to a lot of patience and paperwork by Treasurer Stacy Sewick and Secretary Barb Miller, the NHERA is back in good standing with both the IRS and the State of Michigan . We had fallen behind in some paperwork, but we’re caught up now, and the new bylaws approved last spring should ensure that we stay that way in the future.

Lost and Found I. Resident Dave Hekkema found two bicycles, a boy’s and a girl’s, in the woods behind his house on Bloomfield Court in April. If they’re yours, contact Dave at 780-3504 or dnrhekk@netzero.com with a description.

Lost and Found II. Someone found a brightly colored child’s toy called a Baby Whoozit in the snow on lower Norcrest in February and thoughtfully affixed it to the stop sign at Dunes. It belonged to Stephanie Miller, daughter of your president and secretary, and all three of us are glad to have it back. Thanks!

Thefts. Residents have reported items missing from their garages while their garage doors were left open during the recent warm weather. The board has arranged for extra po-lice patrols, and we encourage you to keep your garage doors closed when you are not out front. And please keep an eye on your neighbors’ homes as well as your own; that kind of vigilance prevented at least one theft recently.

Mysterious Helper. Someone repaired a broken chain on a swing in our playground before the board had a chance to do it. Thanks!

Not So Mysterious Helper. Thanks to Vice President Joe McNarland, our tennis and basketball nets are back up for the season.

Spring Pruning. Spring means your neighbors will be walking more again, so please check your trees, shrubs and ground cover, and prune them back if they’re overhanging the public sidewalk