Sunset Views – Spring 2002

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 – to the families who have joined us at Sunset Lakes since our last newsletter was published in the Fall of 2001. And a 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!

Carla also gathers the information for our Owners Directory. Containing residents’ names, addresses and phone numbers, the directory is a great way for you to get to know who your neighbours are, complete with resident names, addresses, and phone numbers. 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 – We also keep a list of email addresses as a fast and inexpensive way of communicating with Sunset Lakes residents, such as distributing this newsletter and letting you know about events and special offers (such as organic fertilizer products), and other news. Currently we have over 80 residents on our email list. If you have Internet access and you’d like to be on the list, or if you’ve recently changed your email address, just send an email to heather.anderson@rogers.com. Note: We always use the “blind cc” feature, so your email address is not shared with everyone on the list.

SUNSET LAKES OWNERS ASSOCIATION – held its annual meeting in February. The Board has appointed a larger “management committee” consisting of both board members and non-members to manage the Association this year. The committee consists of Dan Anderson, Dave Anderson, Laura Feil, Dennis Lalonde, Kerrin Mobbs, Carla Moore, June Poole and Andrew Wilson. The committee is scheduled to meet on April 24, May 15, June 19, Sept 18, Nov. 20 and Jan 15. All meetings will be held at the Sales Office and start at 7:00 p.m. Our thanks to outgoing director, Jacques Brun, who has stepped down. Homeowners are encouraged to get involved either directly at the management committee meetings or by participating in specific activities.

Some of up-coming events that are planned for 2002:

• Spring Clean Up – May 5
• Pool Opening target – May 11
• Water Ski Tournament & Potluck – June 22-23
• Water Ski School – see announcement below
• Kids tennis lessons – see announcement below
• YMCA swimming lessons – see announcement below
• Golf tournament – see announcement below
• Fun run & potluck – TBA

The committee has also discussed establishing a tennis night round robin and bringing back Ladies Water Ski Wednesdays. 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. Delilah Mobbs devoted a lot of her spare time to organizing this last year, and has agreed to do it again this year. Thanks Delilah! She’s going to need 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 – This is important! Because they are small and surrounded by homes, our lakes are especially fragile. We all have a part to play in maintaining the quality of the waters for continued recreational use. This was a major topic of discussion at the annual meeting in February. As a result, plans are underway to hire a water testing company to have all the lakes (including the two new ones) tested regularly throughout the spring, summer and fall. Those tests will tell us how well we are caring for our lakes.

The Lakes Management Committee is a volunteer group of residents that meets to deal with issues that affect the lakes. Here are their do’s and don’ts for ways you can help keep the lakes healthy 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 at 822-8228.

Events & Activities

SPRING CLEANUP – When 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 Sunday 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.

TENNIS ANYONE? – Sunset Lakes now has two excellent tennis courts, and it’s a good thing because there seems to have been a major revival in the sport this spring. Andrew Wilson reports: First, we are organizing ADULT AND KIDS BEGINNER TENNIS LESSONS through an arrangement with the National Tennis School, an Ottawa-based organization that is “dedicated to building the grassroots of tennis”.

The lessons will take place on Saturday mornings, from May 18 through to June 22, and can accommodate four to six people in each of the following age-groups: 5 to 8 years; 9 to 13 years; and 14 years and up. If there is enough interest, additional sessions and INTERMEDIATE lessons may also be arranged. Cost per person for the lessons will be about $10 per hour, with the lessons covering six hours (for the younger kids) to nine hours (for the older kids and adults). Final costs will be determined (and payments expected) once the number of interested persons has been determined. Second, to make it easier to “get a game” together, we are compiling a list of Sunset Lakes people who are interested in tennis and would like to be contacted if there is a potential game “out there”.

Please e-mail andrew@richmondwilson.com today to reserve your spot in the lessons and/or to place your name on the “SLOA Tennis List”!

THE 8TH ANNUAL CANADA’S CAPITAL SLALOM CHALLENGE – will be held once again at Sunset Lakes June 22-23 with the usual hosts of national and international skiers. This year’s event will feature a novice division, hopefully giving a chance to our new local skiers to showcase their skills. Come out and enjoy the social at the pool on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m.

WATER SKI SCHOOL – 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 your skills. The school is tentatively scheduled for July 2-5. Watch for a detailed announcement soon.

GOLF TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER(S) WANTED – Want to get involved in our community? Here’s a great opportunity. For the past several years Steve and Marion Finkelstein have organized the annual “Sunset Lakes Invitational” golf tournament – a fun event for mixed couples or singles at a local golf course – and they’ve always done a great job. This year, however, they have other commitments and they’re hoping someone else will step forward to take on the job. If you’re willing and able, give Steve a call.

SWIMMING LESSONS – Again this year we plan to have the YMCA/YWCA Backyard Swim Program here at our pool. Once again Jill Byers has volunteered to coordinate the week-long program, and she’ll be distributing application forms as soon as she has firmed up dates for the program with the Y. We should know by early May. Thanks Jill.

Reminders…

DRIVERS, WHAT’S YOUR HURRY? – Now that spring is here and there are more people out walking and children out playing, we all need to take extra care when driving in the neighbourhood. Let’s face it, some people simply drive too fast in here (OK, not all of them are residents, but many are, and you know who you are). So please slow down and take care. Just ask yourself how you’d feel if you ran down a neighbour’s child.

STOOP AND SCOOP – Talking of responsibility, if you walk your dog, you are responsible for the dog and for whatever the pooch leaves on the ground. So please show some consideration for your neighbours, help reduce lake pollution, and perhaps avoid a hefty fine. Carry a supply of plastic bags and comply with the “stoop and scoop” by-law. You also know who you are and there is no excuse.

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 kept locked.

‘SUNSET VIEWS’ IS YOUR NEWSLETTER – If you have comments or you’d like to contribute to a future issue, contact Bob Stanley at stanleyb@rogers.com. Sorry, we don’t carry commercial messages or advertising.

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