Spring into a busy time of year here in the Glen!

By Debra Jones

The Easter Bunny has long gone down the Bunny trail. It was a cold and snowy day, but the Easter Bunny greeted all who came. He helped the children find the hidden eggs, each one containing some yummy candy, and a few had Toy's R Us gift cards inside, donated by Rich and Donna Foerster of Keller Williams. I would like to thank the folks who came out for the Easter Egg Hunt, Rich, Donna and the volunteers who helped – and of course, the Easter Bunny.

Though you  might have missed the Easter Egg hunt, there are a few late spring and summer events that you might want to note on your calendar.

Garage Sale Weekend

Our annual Andover Glen Garage Sale is set once again for Father's Day weekend,

Friday, June 15th and Saturday, June 16th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event is well advertised and is well attended with lots of eager buyers. So if you plan to have a garage sale, please have your items out on your driveway early, as the buyers are out early.

Dumpster Days

We are going to have a large roll-off dumpster available Friday, June 22nd through Sunday, June 24th. This will be the perfect time to dispose those unwanted items you might not sell at the garage sale. Please remember that the dumpster is for Andover Glen homeowners only and is paid for by your Association Dues. If you have any large tree branches and bushes to dispose of, please cut them down to smaller pieces to fit into the dumpster. No toxic wastes like old paint, oil, batteries, tires, etc., are allowed. Please wait for the City of Aurora Household Chemical Roundup in September for those items. I want also want to thank all  homeowners in advance for not overfilling the dumpster. Once it’s full – IT’S FULL! Get your stuff down early to make sure there is room for it. If we overfill the dumpster, the waste management company cannot cover the dumpster and they will not take it. We are planning another dumpster in the fall. If you have any questions please e-mail me at debsew79@msn.com. ~

Neighborhood Watch: Being Prepared…

By Bob Meyer

I was privileged to attend a recent preparedness briefing by Capt. Brenda Leffler of the Colorado State Patrol.   She covered a number of vital points in just over one hour, some of which I shall pass along in the hope they will prove helpful.

First, no amount of preparation can cover all contingencies.  A chemical, biological, or nuclear event may simply overwhelm resources. However, the past severe winter may demonstrate how basic planning may make a difficult situation bearable, if not exactly a pleasure. 

WATER:  Store one gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking.  Two gallons will permit some basic hygiene. 

FOOD:  Have non-perishable, high protein items requiring no refrigeration, preparation, or cooking with little or no water. 

FLASHLIGHTS, FIRST-AID KIT, MEDICATIONS, RADIO. 

CASH:  ATMs and credit cards will not work if the power is out. 

SIPHON HOSE: Allows transfer of fuel.

Think it can't happen here?  A recent spring snowstorm left Conifer without power for over three days.  It takes only a little planning to be prepared for many emergencies! As always, stay alert, stay safe, and be proud to live in Andover Glen! ~

Special Feature Article:

It’s Easy Being Green

By Donna Foerster, GRI

Keller Williams Realty

It’s easier than you think to be environmentally friendly and “green” your home. Not only do you save the planet, but you also can save money.

Consider using these types of green products in your home:

Energy Efficient Windows

By replacing your windows with ENERGY STAR® windows, you save on energy bills by helping to keep heat inside during the winter and outside during the summer. 

Eco-friendly Flooring

Bamboo, cork and eucalyptus flooring products are all excellent choices for the home as they are sustainable alternatives to the slower growing hardwoods.  

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFL)

This type of light bulb is a simple way of making a big change at a low cost in the energy efficiency of your home.  Most home improvement stores carry these bulbs, which use 70 percent less energy than regular bulbs and can save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb’s lifetime.

ENGERY STAR® Products

If you are in the market to upgrade any of your major appliances, consider purchasing an ENERGY STAR®-rated product.  These products, ranging from dishwashers and refrigerators to computers and televisions, meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and U.S. Department of Energy. 

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Tankless Water Heaters

Selecting a more efficient and correctly sized water heater also will save you money. Tankless water heaters provide hot water on demand at a preset temperature rather than storing it, which reduces or eliminates standby losses.  Replacing an electric water heater with a solar model can reduce costs by up to 80 percent a year, and over the 20-year lifespan of the appliance will prevent more than 50 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

More Efficient Toilets

New toilets have redesigned bowls and tanks that use less water but function more efficiently than first-generation low-flow models.  Some use pumps for supplementary water pressure.  In the average home, flushing toilets accounts for some 30 percent of water usage

Induction Cooktops

Another energy-saving option for your kitchen is installing an induction cooktop.  Cooking with induction cooktops is faster than regular cooktops and uses far less energy.  Magnetic induction cooking uses electricity to produce a magnetic field that causes molecular movement in cookware. 

Home Insulation

Increasing the amount and R-Value (the measure of thermal resistance) of insulation is a cost-effective way to save energy and help reduce heating and cooling bills, which account for at least half of the energy-use in the home. ~

Reminder:

The next regular AG Board Meeting is Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at 7 p.m. at Shalom Park. All AG residents are welcome.

A Thanks and a Welcome

By Randy Simpson

On behalf of the Andover Glen Board, I would like to thank Adam Tucci for his service as the Association Treasurer over the past 8 months. Adam did a wonderful job, however, he and his family are moving to the neighborhood right next door – Woodgate! Good Luck to you Adam!

Taking Adam’s place as Treasurer (until the September board elections at least) will be Barb Powell. She brings a wealth of experience in both financial matters as well as working on Homeowner Association issues in a separate business. Welcome to the AG Board Barb! ~

Guest Editorial:

By Fred & Ethel Mallard

            First of all, both of us would like to thank those who took down their Christmas decorations and helped to make it clear to us exactly what season it was! Thank you!

            This month we’d like to stop being such “whiney little mallards” and talk about something really positive here in Andover Glen. Your neighborhood is one of the prettiest places that we frequent in this area. Most of your lawns are well kept and you have a variety of attractive landscaping that makes the neighborhood seem more like a garden. It’s generally quite peaceful here and we can enjoy long summer afternoons sitting in backyards and dipping our feet or beaks now and then into a refreshing fountain or pond.

            As we fly around this part of Colorado, from our vantage point above the ground we can of course see quite clearly that Colorado is a pretty dry area. We’ve noticed that many of you are conserving water by xeriscaping, and that’s a great idea. Though we both like a nice green lawn to rest on as much as the next mallard does, we know that water is precious here, and even we ducks would rather have water to drink than a lush green lawn to waddle across or rest on. We can pretty much rest anywhere, but we can’t really drink anything but water! Thanks for conserving it!

            Have a great spring, and we’ll quack at you again in the future! ~

If you have an ad or notice you’d like to place in the Gazette under the Neighbor to Neighbor section, please contact Randy Simpson at rgatess@yahoo.com