Sunset Views – Spring 2001

Note: Sunset Lakes residents – Generally we do not post resident phone numbers and Email addresses within the Web version of newsletters. Please refer to your phone directory or the circulated version of the newsletter for phone numbers and Email addresses or leave a message at the Sales Office.

WELCOME – A big welcome to all the families who have joined us at Sunset Lakes since our last newsletter was published in the Fall. We’re glad that you are here. A very special thank you to Carla Moore who has personally welcomed many of our new residents. If you’ve met Carla you already know what a fine job she is doing as our volunteer “meeter and greeter.” Thanks, Carla!

OWNERS DIRECTORY – Our Owners Directory has been a great way for Sunset Lakes residents to get to know each other. The last one was published just before Christmas, and an updated version is currently being organized, complete with resident names, addresses, and phone numbers. Thanks again to Carla Moore for gathering the information from new residents as she meets them and for starting to put the revised directory together. If you think that your directory information may need to be updated (or may not have been received yet by Carla), please contact her at camoore@magma.ca.

EMAIL ADDRESSES – And by the way, we rely more and more on email these days to keep Sunset Lakes residents aware of upcoming events, special offers (such as organic fertilizing products), and other news. Currently we have over 50 residents on our email list. If you have Internet access and you’d like to be on the list, just send an email to Heather at publish@magi.com. Note: It is SLOA’s practice to “blind cc” recipients so your email address is not shared.

SUNSET LAKES OWNERS ASSOCIATION – The SLOA held its annual meeting in February. Three new directors were elected: Laura Fiel, Andrew Wilson and Carla Moore. Our thanks to outgoing directors Tom Pynn and Doug Gray who have stepped down. Residents also approved a reserve fund expenditure to resurface the swimming pool, and there was discussion about how best to protect our lakes from runoff contamination caused by animal feces, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. More about this later in this newsletter.
If you would like to raise a topic for discussion or simply want to see what the directors are up to, meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Sales Centre. Please notify the office if you plan to attend.

POOL NEWS – Spring is finally here in earnest, and soon the kids will be asking “When does the pool open?” The short answer is “It depends.” It depends on the weather, of course, but also on when the relining work is to be done. We’ll keep you posted.

GREEN THUMBS CLUB – These are the folks who keep our neighbourhood looking beautiful all summer by tending the numerous flower beds in the public areas. SLOA provides the plants and the club members do the planting and weeding. Unfortunately Claudia Buttera, who was club coordinator and head gardener for the past several years, has had to step down because of other commitments. A big thank you Claudia for all your efforts. The good news is that Delilah Mobbs has stepped up to take over the job. All she needs now is your help. If you’d like to volunteer a few hours of your time this spring and summer (even if you don’t have a green thumb you can learn a lot about gardening from this group) contact Delilah.

HELP KEEP OUR LAKES CLEAN – Our lakes are fragile, and we all need to play a part in maintaining the quality of the waters for continued recreational use. The Lakes Management Committee is a volunteer group that meets to deal with issues that affect our lakes. Here are their do’s and don’ts for ways you can help keep the lakes clean this season:

• Do use only organic fertilizers on your lawns, and follow the application instructions – excess fertilizer will eventually find its way into the lakes even if you don’t have waterfront property.
• Don’t pump water out of the lake for automatic water sprinkler systems (another reason not to do this is that the pumps will eventually become clogged and break down).
• Don’t spray pesticides for weed control over your entire property. No commercial applications please. If you must use pesticides (and you might want to try organic controls first) do spot spraying only.
• Do leave a cushion of tall grass between your lawn and the lake to capture pollutants before they enter the lake.
• Do pick up after your dog – if you don’t you’re just contributing to contaminated rainwater runoff which drains into the lakes.

For more information or to contact a member of the Lakes Management Committee, contact the Sunset Lakes office.

Events & Activities:

SPRING CLEANUP – As the snow melts it reveals the usual accumulation of garbage. Help keep our community clean and safe by joining in our annual Spring Cleanup on Saturday, April 28 (rain date Saturday May 5). Meet at the Sales Centre at 9:30 a.m. ready to pick up for an hour or so. Bring an old pair of gloves, we’ll provide garbage bags and arrange to collect the full ones. Coffee and cookies afterwards. See you there. For information, call Bob Stanley.

GOLF TOURNAMENT – Last year’s “Sunset Lakes Invitational” was a great success, despite having to be postponed because of bad weather (do you remember last summer?!) This year Steve and Marion, our resident golf coordinators, are hoping for a June date at the Raceview course. This is a fun event for mixed couples or singles – you don’t have to be a great golfer to participate. And when the game is over we’ll have our annual Sunset Lakes Neighbourhood BBQ. Look for more information on both events soon.

SWIMMING LESSONS – Last summer, 32 young Sunset Lakes swimmers participated in the YMCA/YWCA Backyard Swim Program here at our pool. For this year, we have tentatively booked the week of July 16-20, and we’re waiting for confirmation from the Y. We should know by early May. Once again Jill Byers has volunteered to coordinate the week-long program, and she’ll be distributing application forms soon. Thanks Jill.

WATER SKI SCHOOL – Once again this summer Sharon and Glen Byles will run the Sunset Lakes Water Ski School for the young and young-at-heart. It’s a great way to learn to ski or improve on your skills. For information on dates and rates, call Glen.

ANNUAL FUN RUN – Mark this one on your calendar. Come and join your neighbours for our annual fun run/walk on Sunday, September 23, starting at 11:00 a.m. at the Sales Centre. You can walk, bike, roller-blade or run any distance on the paved lakeside trail. We’ll indicate the 2.5K distance for anyone interested in tracking their distance and time. After the fun run/walk, join us at 12:00 for a pot luck/BarBQ near the pool area. Contact Dave or Heather at publish@magi.com for more information.

Community Notes:

GREELY GARDENERS – Back on the subject of gardening, did you know that the Greely Gardeners’ Group meets the first Monday of every month (except July and August), 7:45 p.m. at the Greely Community Centre. There is a different speaker each month, as well as several outings during spring and summer. A year’s membership is only $10, but you can come to your first meeting for free to see if you like the group. For more information call Bob Stanley.

Reminders…

DON’T FORGET YOUR POOL KEY – As our community grows and use of the pool increases, safety is crucial and it’s everyone’s responsibility. It is important to remember to bring your key for every visit and to ensure that all gates that access the pool are always locked.

STOOP AND SCOOP – Dog walkers, please show consideration for your neighbours by complying with the “stoop and scoop” by-law. This will also help keep the swimming areas free of the effect of this run-off.

DESIGN REVIEW APPROVAL – Don’t forget that all improvements to your property¾such as fences, buildings, or additions must be approved by the Design Review Committee. You can get an applications at the Sales Office or directly from our Web site at www.sunsetlakes.ca.

OUR WEB PAGE – Visit www.sunsetlakes.ca for Sunset Lakes event updates, the electronic version of our newsletter, and other community information. If you have updates or ideas for the Web page, please feel free to forward them to Heather at publish@magi.com.

SUNSET VIEWS IS YOUR NEWSLETTER – If you have comments or you’d like to contribute to the next issue, contact Bob Stanley at bob.stanley@sympatico.ca. Sorry, we don’t carry commercial messages or advertising.

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