Covenant Review Committee to wrap up presentation to AG Board

By Randy Simpson

Over the past few months, a special committee composed of Dave Kline, Lynn Walton, Michael Zabinski, and Anne Stellmon, have been presenting to the Board a first draft proposal of changes to the AGHA covenants. These changes are primarily the cleaning up of obscure and outdated language as well as providing clarification where needed. They will be completing their presentation to the Board at a special meeting immediately following the May 21, 2008 Board Meeting. After the Board has heard all the proposed changes, neighborhood-wide meetings will be held during the summer to discuss the proposed changes.

The Board will hold its normal monthly meeting beginning at 6:30 p.m. on May 21^st, and the special covenant review meeting will begin at 7 p.m. All Andover Glen residents are invited and encouraged to attend either one or both of these meetings. They will be held, as usual, at Shalom Park. ~

Get Ready for Garage Sales and Dumpster Days!

By Debra Jones

AG Garage Sale

Fri. and Sat. May 30^th & 31^st

The Andover Glen Garage Sale will be Friday, May 30^th and Saturday, May 31^st. We moved the date to correspond with Woodgate’s Garage Sale.  The Board decided to change the date so that it will bring more shoppers into our Garage Sale and only one weekend of extra traffic through our neighborhood. The Garage Sale will be well advertised, so be ready for those early shoppers.  I have noticed in the past years that people start coming around as early as 7:00 a.m.  If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact me at debsew79@msn.com.

Dumpster Days

Sat. and Sun. June 7^th & 8^th

A large 40ft roll-off dumpster will be available on Saturday, June 7^th and Sunday,

June 8^th  near AG Park.  Just a few friendly reminders, if you have any large tree branches or bushes, please cut them down to smaller pieces.  The following items are not allowed in the dumpster; no toxic wastes like old paint, oil, batteries, tires, etc.  If you have any of these items, please wait for the City of Aurora Household Chemical Roundup in September.  If you have good, useable items left over from the Garage Sale, please donate those items to your favorite charity. I have a couple of

Dumpster Days Continued on page 2

Dumpster Days, from page 1

numbers listed below if you have donations that

you would like picked up from your home.  You can call to schedule a pick-up from the Vietnam Veterans of America 1-(800)-775-VETS (8387) and/or ARC (303) 238-5263.  Please remember that once the dumpster is full,  

IT’S FULL!  If we overfill it, the waste management company will not take it. If we overfill it, we all pay for another dumpster!  The dumpster is for Andover Glen homeowners only and is paid for by your Association Dues.  Thanks again for everyone’s efforts so we can keep offering this service to our community.  If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns, please contact me at debsew79@msn.com. ~

“Common Grounds” Coffee club will not meet in May, but look for some  delicious conversation again in June

By Anne Stellmon

The Common Grounds Coffee club will be skipping the month of May, but will return again in June. Remember, all Andover Glen Residents are invited to attend, and it’s a perfect opportunity to meet some of your neighbors and relax for fabulous and casual conversation. For more information on the next meeting, call ML Hanson at 303-627-4044. ~

“I never let politics get personal. You can have the most intense, heated debate on issues, and so long as you keep it on issues, you can go out and have coffee afterwards and you're good friends.”
                                                   Phil Crane

Springtime Safety Tips

PAR(Police Area Representative) Officer

John Masson

Spring is a time for being outdoors. It is also when we leave garage doors and household doors open. Nearly 40% of the thefts and burglaries in Aurora take place because house and car doors are left open or unlocked and valuables are left in plain sight. These are crimes of opportunity. Here are some tips to help make your neighborhood safe:

• Keep your garage door closed...especially at night.

• Remove all valuables & lock your car when parked in your driveway or garage.

• Call your neighbor if you think they forgot to close their doors.

• Make sure bicycles are not left outside or unattended.

• Use exterior lighting at night around your house.

• Report suspicious people or vehicles in your neighborhood

What is suspicious activity? When do I call the police? There are a variety of signs or indications that give way to a crime about to be, in the course of and in the aftermath of committal; the important thing is not to attempt to investigate strange occurrences and for that matter to try and apprehend a suspect by yourself. Your neighborhood Watch Area Coordinator can provide information to educate you about suspicious activities of all sorts and assist in keeping you, your home and neighborhood safe. Call 303-627-3100 to report suspicious activity.

Finally, please consider being apart of neighborhood watch by becoming a block captain or at the very least providing your email address to be apart of the AGHA Email Alert System - sharing information is a most powerful tool to fight crime and enhance the safety and life style in Andover Glen. Your Neighborhood Watch Coordinator is Derrick Laughlin, 720-379-4616. ~

Special Feature Article:

5 Spring Fix-it Projects

Submitted by Donna Foerster, GRI

Keller Williams Action Realty, LLC

Original Article Copyright © by Move, Inc.

Eric Forbes

Forget May flowers, for most homeowners April showers bring rust, clogged rain gutters and all manner of sticky doors and windows. To help you solve these troubles, here are some sure-fire solutions to common spring problems. 

Rain gutter repairs

Nobody likes to clean or repair gutters.  However, there are a few ways to make the job easier. First, for clogged downspouts, try using barbecue tongs to reach in and pull the leaves out.  Second, to repair loose gutter nails try replacing them with extra-long lag screws.  The lag screws tend to be stronger, hold better and can easily be installed with a cordless drill equipped with a nut driver bit.

Repairing cracks in cement

Concrete always cracks, but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it that way.  For most cracks less than ¼”, applying concrete caulk is a good way to make repairs.  Just clean the crack out with a high-pressure hose nozzle, let it dry and then apply the caulk into the crack.  For larger cracks, substitute concrete patch for caulk. 

Sticky windows and doors

With all the wet weather that spring brings, wooden windows and doors can’t help but swell and stick.  To repair a sticky door or window, first mark where it is sticking.  Next, remove the door or window by taking out its hinge pins, prop it up securely with a hand plane, carefully remove any excess material.  Power planes will work too, but there is a tendency to remove too much.  When the wood shrinks back during the drier, warmer days of summer, the gap will be too wide. For sliding windows, often the trim around them is the culprit and must be removed and reinstalled to allow for more movement.  To do this, carefully remove the trim with a flat bar and pull the nails out backwards, that is grasp the nail point with pliers and pull.  If the trim was installed properly with finishing nails, you should be able to do this without damaging the wood.  When reinstalling, keep the fit snug but not as tight as it was.  If you reinstall the trim too loosely, the windows will rattle when the wood shrinks again.

Painting over water damage

The problem with water stains is that painting over them will make them go away unless you use a primer-sealer first.  When looking for a sealer, follow these basic guidelines:  First, oil-based sealers usually work better than water-based.  Second, choose a sealer that has a high amount of solids.   Solids consist of pigments and other elements that do the actual covering of the stain.  Paint, hardware and home center carry primer-sealers (sometimes called sealer-primers) such as Kilz and Zinsser. 

Painting and repairing rusty fixtures

It used to be that the only way to do a good paint job over rust was to get out the naval jelly or wire brush and remove the rust first.  Thankfully, paint additives are now available to help paint stick to rust while also neutralizing the rust and stopping corrosion from continuing under the paint.  ~

Don’t forget that Architectural Change Request before you start that major project

By Royal Shields

This time of year many of us here in Andover Glen will be busy fixing up our homes for the long summer ahead. I’d just like to take this time to thank you in advance for helping to make our neighborhood look so nice, and to remind you that for most major projects, like painting, fencing, concrete work, and other major exterior alterations to your property—an Architectural Change Request must be submitted and approved by the Architectural Review Committee before you begin your project. For the most part, everyone has been doing a great job in getting these turned in. If you’re uncertain as to whether your project needs one, contact Royal Shields at 303-617-1307. Thank you, and I look forward to seeing all the wonderful home improvement projects completed this year! ~

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