Happy Halloween!

Here is one of our neighbors with Sammi the pumpkin and Scruffy the devil.

Sounds Like a Broken Record, but.....

Today, Sunday, I was informed that the doors to the Dunbarton cabana were locked. This poses a health hazard. As you may recall, this must be at least the sixth Sunday this has happened. I keep asking the same question: who is responsible for opening and closing the cabanas? Since Nepenthe cannot handle such intricate details, I think the solution would be to give all residents a set of keys that would give them access to the cabanas.

Second "Larry" Sighting in Two Weeks

Be on the lookout!  Larry is on a bicycle on Dunbarton Circle.  This is the second Sunday I see him in this immediate area.  Today I spotted him at 1:30 p.m. He has his long hair up in a ponytail. You can also recognize him by the thongs he has on his feet.  Not exactly the type of shoes one wears to ride a bike. What business, if any, brings him here?

Please report other sightings through comments or by e-mailing me. 

Offer of Shutters

I received this request.

Hello - This may not be the perfect forum, but... We've just replaced our master bdrm shutters and hate to throw the old ones away as they are in near perfect condition. We have a 5500 model. The shutters just pop into the framing and are FREE to a good home. Anyone interested or know of a quick way to communicate the offering to the residents, call me - 916-240-0192 Thanks, Renee

URGENT: Board Meeting on Wednesday, October 26th.

Fellow Homeowners:

Please plan to attend the Board Meeting this coming Wednesday, October 26,  as the 2012 budget will be discussed.  The meeting begins at 5 p.m., but the budget will be discussed at 6 p.m.  Several homeowners are very concerned with the increases in homeowner's dues being discussed.  Nepenthe's dues are already the highest in Campus Commons.  With the present economy and the fact that many homeowners are on fixed incomes, these dues increases will affect sales and cause some homeowners to move out of the Nepenthe area.

In order to remain competitive with the other associations, one possibility is for the association to consider eliminating flood insurance.  This would result in an annual savings of $212,000.  Each homeowner, of course, could elect to continue coverage under an individual policy.  Because the coverage and rates are set by FEMA, the cost to the individual homeowner would remain basically the same.  Campus Commons is no longer in a designated flood plain and therefore flood insurance is not required.  The California Department of Water Resources states that our area has a one percent chance of flooding which translates to 100-year flood protection.

Nepenthe is the only homeowner's association in campus commons that covers flood insurance.  As well, Exeter Square, Wyndgate, East Ranch and University Park do not cover flood insurance for homeowners.

If you are interested in keeping the dues stable, please plan to attend this important meeting.

Halloween Invitation

Because of a more important announcement regarding a homeless cat, even though we are not crazy about them, we decided to put off our invitation until today.

All our canine friends are cordially invited to dress up for Halloween on Monday, October 31st.  There will be biscuits at 100 Dunbarton Circle, and pictures will be taken by our humans to be published in The Village Tattler.

A toy will be raffled off at the end of the day.  So come on over and get your raffle number.

Sammi and Scruffy

I NEED A HOME!

I WAS RESCUED AT CAMPUS COMMONS ON 9/28/11.   I AM ABOUT 2-3 YEARS OLD.  I AM AN INDOOR CAT. I WILL GO OUT IF MY GUARDIAN ACCOMPANIES ME. I  LOVE PEOPLE AND ENJOY BEING CLOSE TO THEM.  I WILL NOT SCRATCH YOUR FURNITURE AND WILL NOT WAKE YOU UP. I WILL BE RESPECTFUL OF YOUR SCHEDULE.  MY RESCUER CARES ABOUT ME VERY MUCH BUT HE CAN’T KEEP ME BECAUSE OF HIS NEED TO TRAVEL OUT OF THE COUNTRY FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME.  RESCUE AGENCIES ARE FULL.  I SUFFERED BEING HOMELESS FOR A WHILE AND NOW I NEED A GOOD HOME.     

IF YOU LOST ME OR WISH TO ADOPT ME PLEASE CALL 916-261-8901

Reversal of Pool Closing Decision

Dear friends,

This morning there was a reversal of the decision made by the Nepenthe office to close the Dunbarton pool and spa on Friday, October 14th.  I got a very nice e-mail from Otis Turner apologizing for the problems caused by this decision and informing me that the board had ordered the pool to be reopened until the weather turns.

He also said that the pool and spa lights have been ordered. I hope they get them soon as the area is very dark for us who enjoy walking at night.

I hope we will continue to enjoy the last days of warmth in our magnificent pool and spa.

They Did it Again!

Yesterday’s heat (85 degrees) sent me to the Dunbarton pool. I wanted to go swimming and use the spa to find relief for my aching sciatica. I was not alone, there I saw the regulars at the pool (about 10) at around 4:00 p.m. To my surprise, the heat in the pool and the spa had been turned off. Another resident pointed to the sign in the door of the cabana. It said that the pool will be closed today Saturday, October 15^th.

We were all disappointed that in spite of a petition made by a resident (see my October 13^th post), made in the name of all of us who enjoy swimming at the Dunbarton pool, to extend the use of the pool until October 31^st, our request went unanswered. I have talked with other residents who have called the Nepenthe office to make the same request and were told that the mentioned petition would be brought up at the next board meeting (they thought it would be the beginning of next week) and that a decision was pending whether to close it on October 15^th or extend the closing to October 31^st. However, the sign on the door shows a disregard for a very friendly petition and for the calls from concerned residents. What is more troubling in all this is that the sign said the closing would be on Saturday, October 15^th and yet, Nepenthe made the pool and spa unusable on Friday October 14^th. It  seems that, again, one of Nepenthe’s hands does not know what the other is doing. I would like to remind my readers that Nepenthe had a sign for the longest time saying the pool and spa lights would be fixed by September 30^th, and to date, no action has been taken.

PLEASE KEEP THE DUNBARTON POOL OPEN THROUGH OCTOBER 31

The following is a contribution from one of the homeowners:

Homeowners and swimmers, using the Dunbarton Pool, would like their pool open until October 31st.  The weather is warm and is forecast to remain beautiful swim weather through the end of October.

Fall is a busy time in real estate. Access to homeowner recreational swimming and tennis are important incentives when homes are up for sale. It would be difficult to convince a potential buyer that Campus Commons is a special place to live (and worth the extra investment) if all the recreational amenities have been stripped bare in the interest of saving a few dollars.

Many buyers would opt for a single family home over condominium living if not for the recreational amenities.  Unheated swimming pools are evidence of declining prestige. Pool maintenance (filtering, chlorination and regular cleaning) is still necessary, even if unheated. It doesn´t cost much more to keep one small pool open April 1st through the end of October.

Sacramento has weather favorable for a longer swimming season. Homeowners, who swim to maintain health and fitness, need their pool and adjoining spa heated from April 1st through October 31st. It´s a waste of first class facilities to abandon them most of the year.

The Tattler would like to add that the lights in the Dunbarton pool and spa have not been installed to date, even though Nepenthe promised to address the problem by September 30th.  Of course, the year was not mentioned.

Dunbarton will be Closed on Thursday and Friday, Weather Permitting.

As Yogi Berra once said:  "It ain't over till it's over". As you may be aware, the paving will continue tomorrow.  This time it's Dunbarton Circle's turn. It will be paved on Thursday and Friday and all Dunbarton residents who have to use this street for parking and otherwise and who need to use their cars on Thursday and Friday, are advised to park their cars on Swarthmore, Vanderbilt and Elmhurst tonight. Please note that Dunbarton will be closed from 6:00 a.m. on Thursday until 6:00 a.m. on Saturday.