Newsletter of the Settles Bridge Homeowner’s Association, Inc.
Post Office Box 837 Suwanee, GA 30024
Seasons greetings from the Settles Bridge Homeowners Association. We are finally getting the clearance from Gwinnett County to move forward with our front entrance project. We have contacted the county and they have stated there is no more work scheduled. Thank you all for your patience and financial support, and I assure you that progress will be noticeable in the very near future.
We live in a fast paced world. Our commute times have increased, kids playing sports, school plays, and church activities all take time away from being at home. We are all blessed with beautiful homes in this neighborhood so make the time to enjoy them and get to know your neighbors.
As we enter the holiday season there always seems to a little more of a benevolent spirit in us all so let's keep it all year in our community. Conflicts are a part life and peoples' sensitivity levels are different. When dealing with issues remember that we all have to live together.
A reminder also, is to contact your SBHA officers if you have questions or concerns. We are here to assist or advise you and our phone numbers are in the SBHA directory.
Thank you for continued support in our efforts to make Settles Bridge Subdivision a great place to live. I hope your holidays are a happy and peaceful time, and may God bless all.
Rich Irvine President, SBHA
The annual Settles Bridge Christmas luminary display is the holiday season opportunity to show off our neighborhood's beautiful homes in full Christmas dress enhanced by the curbside candles. We would like everyone in the subdivision to participate in the luminary display on Christmas Eve by lighting their curbside candle bags at 7:00 pm on Christmas Eve.
Again this year, the SBHA will distribute free luminary kits to all paid up supporters of SBHA. Each household that has paid their monetary support to SBHA during 1999 will have a luminary kit delivered to your house prior to Christmas Eve. This kit includes 10 white bags and 10 small candles. You need supply the sand or kitty litter to put in the bottom of the bags to hold the candles. The bags are more stable in the wind if you fold the top edge down about 1 inch.
The kits will be delivered sometime on or around Dec. 18th. If you need additional kits contact Ron Rogers at 770-932-8276 before Dec. 21st. The kits are $3.00 each.
Every year we have homeowners throughout the neighborhood who really go all out with the Christmas decorations. Well, this year you have a chance to be recognized for it! Undercover members of the Homeowners Association will be traveling around this December and voting for their favorites. The winner will have a picture of their work in the January issue.
I know many of you are interested in what is in store for the tract of undeveloped land located on the west side of Suwanee Dam Road south of the intersection with Moore/Level Creek Road. This is the tract at the end of Settles Point Road.
Here is the latest. Mike Embry, the original developer has withdrawn. A developer by the name of David Bowen (Ascott and Rosemore Lakes) has taken over this project. The first phase of approximately 35 homes has been platted and construction could begin within 30 days. Keep in mind that he will have to abide by the same rules, regulations, and conditions that were originally set upon Mike Embry. As more information becomes available, I will share it with you. Happy holidays to all !
Alex Stone, a member of the Suwanee City Council, is a resident of our subdivision. Each month he has a few paragraphs about things of interest to Settles Bridge residents.
December, always a good month for stargazing, brings some easily recognizable constellations above our subdivision - Orion, Taurus, Gemini and Cassiopeia.
The brightest object in the sky (other than the moon) will be Jupiter, with Saturn following close behind. We will also see the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks on December 13th. Normally, 60 meteors an hour are visible at the peak of activity (which will occur after midnight).
The moon is full on December 22, which is also the date for the winter solstice - on the 23rd, the days will start getting longer.
Do you have a Personal Computer in your home that you use for business or personal needs? Are you currently connected to an Internet access provider via telephone line or cable modem? If you are using a cable modem there may be reason for concern.
Home computer owners using the new, faster cable modems to get high-speed access to the Internet are taking a security risk. Without proper precautions, other nearby users may be able to gain access to your computer files!
Cable modem users have been shocked to find icons representing other users in the "Network Neighborhood" folder on the Windows desktop that permit easy access to files on other computers in the area. "It's as good as sitting at someone else's computer, " one user said.
AT&T, one of the cable operators offering the @Home Internet service, admits that it's a serious privacy issue, one apparently unknown to many customers.
@Home, a consortium of more than 20 cable companies, is used by more than 620,000 users nationwide. In all, more than 2 million Americans are expected to use cable modems by the end of 2000, according to Forrester Research, a high-tech consultancy in Boston.
AT&T issued a software patch that turns off the sharing features once they became aware of the problem. "The basic problem is that the cable is a shared network," they said. Something to think seriously about if you are considering connecting your computer to a local cable system! [Detroit News]
Now that you've thrown out the turkey carcass and finished all your Christmas shopping, it's time to think about spring. Flower bulbs are small miracles. Each bulb contains a gorgeous flower bloom, but you must plant now to get years of enjoyment. Remember 2 things when planting bulbs:
1. Tulip bulbs should be considered annuals (annual = one year only). A good place to plant is among pansies or in a flowerbed that is used for summer bloomers. After tulips bloom in the spring, pull up and discard the bulbs. (Our summers are too hot for tulips to reproduce well).
2. Most other bulbs (daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, etc.) do reproduce well IF you allow the foliage to die back and turn yellow. This process feeds the bulbs and makes the flowers for the following year. Some people can't stand to see old, dying stalks and cut them off too soon. We suggest these bulbs be placed in a natural area (edge of woods, pine straw bed, etc.).
Bulbs are very maintenance free and give years and years of pleasure. Northside Garden Center has a good supply of premium bulbs. The best time to plant is between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
Christmas: A good source of Christmas Decorations is in your yard. Snip sprigs of holly, Nandina, and juniper to make a lovely center piece for your holiday table. Add a few scented candles and - wow - your whole house smells wonderful.
Christmas Trees: The Fraser Fir is considered the Cadillac of trees. It is easy to decorate, smells good, does not shed many needles and stays green longer than any other tree. (It's the only cut kind you can buy at Northside Garden Center). If you're considering a live, balled and burlaped tree, go ahead and get one, but talk to us about all the special problems you may expect. We encourage you to plant the tree immediately and decorate it outside.
These plant tips are brought to you this month especially for our subdivision by Northside Garden Center. They are located just a few miles north at 950 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., in Buford.
About 4 years ago we attempted to assemble a directory of services for the SB neighborhood but did not obtain the minimum number of completed forms to justify the time to do this.
This directory would list information and comments (good and bad) about different services or service providers that residents have had experience with to give guidance to others as they look for a particular service.
These services could include electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, re-modeling, lawn care, cleaning services, electronics or appliance repair, automotive repair, doctors, dentists, child care, etc.
To be successful, we would like for all residents to supply information on at least 4 different services. We have an information form ready for you to complete for each service. You can obtain this form by contacting David Hancock or Ron Rogers. You can also download this form from the Settles Bridge web site.
The final 1999 Settles Bridge family telephone directory is being delivered with this newsletter. If you see that information listed for your household needs modified, or if you did not get a copy of the directory please contact Ron Rogers at 932-8276.
The next listing will be distributed sometime during the spring of 2000. The listing can also be viewed on the Settles Bridge web page.
Dog owners of Settles Bridge, listen up ! Are some of you trying to make enemies of your neighbors ?? It appears by the numerous complaints coming from one end of the subdivision to the other that a number of our dog owners have totally forgotten about county laws, pet ownership responsibility, respect for private property, and just plain courtesy.
Ever since the summer timeframe different Board members have been receiving numerous complaints and questions from residents within Settles Bridge about dogs, dog owners, and county laws. There has been a growing dis-regard for private property and lack of respect for fellow homeowners. Settles Bridge residents work hard to have their lawns look nice and have beautiful flowers or shrubs at their mailboxes.
Have you ever asked a neighbor that doesn't own a dog why they don't? You'll find that in the majority of the cases people choose not to own a dog because of one or more of the following reasons:
1) Some people are allergic to dogs or animals in general.
2) They simply do not want the responsibility of feeding and caring for a dog.
3) They do not want to deal with all it takes to be a conscientious, responsible, and courteous dog owner.
4) They do not want to constantly clean or repair their lawn and garden that are victims to a dog's habits.
5) They do not want to be responsible if the dog causes problems to other people.
First of all, be reminded that there are Gwinnett County and local laws that dictate dog leashes and collars with license & Rabies tags attached. No one is permitted to allow a dog to run free without being leashed, tied, or contained. This is for your dog's protection, your legal protection, and for the protection of other people. (If your dog chased a squirrel across the street and your un-contained dog was hit by a child riding a bicycle, thus causing the child to be injured, who's liable?)
Some residents and dog walkers have been observed recently in the neighborhood violating these laws. There have also been a few dogs running free in the subdivision with no owner in sight. These dogs could soon disappear. Constantly barking or unattended dogs fall under the county "nuisance animal" laws.
People that don't own dogs (and for that matter, conscientious dog owners that keep their dog on their own property) do not appreciate you walking your dog on their property and allowing the dog to urinate or "dump" on their lawn, shrubbery, and flowerbeds. If non- owners don't own a dog for this reason, why would you think they appreciate your dog doing it on their property?
Some people think that if they take their dogs off of their own property early in the morning or late at night to allow the dog to mess on someone else's property that they are getting away with something. But people are watching them from behind curtains and blinds or driving down the street. This just harbors bad feelings and is a detriment to the dog owner's reputation.
The SBHA Board is asking that all dog owners become more conscientious of your habits before your neighbors take alternate actions that have been suggested.
SBHA is attempting to publish this newsletter on a more regular basis. But, we would like some help. We need material and volunteers. Different types of columns have been suggested but we need subject matter writers. Short column suggestions have included, gardening, cooking, crafts, golf, computers, home re-modeling, and hobbies.
What do you think? Can you contribute something on a monthly or bi-monthly interval?
We also want to start a Want Ad section. If you have an item to sell, looking for something, or want to let SB residents know of a service you provide please contact Diane Hawkins.
Don't forget to tap into the Settles Bridge Homeowner's web site. Dave Hancock has created our own web page. It is currently under construction but is growing with accessible information. This is where you can access previous newsletters, bulletins, and other info intended for the residents of Settles Bridge. The current neighborhood directory is located there. There are even links to other sites. We intend to post our Services Directory there when created.
President: Rich Irvin 770-614-8586
Vice President: David Hancock 770-932-8163
Secretary: Diane Hawkins 770-945-9080
Treasurer: Ron Rogers 770-932-8276
Members At Large:
John Burdges 770-614-3815
Roger Kennedy 770-271-8307
Paul Thompson 770-932-1552
These are your SBHA officers in office to serve you. Please do not hesitate to call any one of them if you have questions about the neighborhood or need information about how SBHA, Inc. can assist you.
Send suggestions and comments regarding this newsletter to webmaster@settlesbridge.com