News and Notes from BOD Meeting- Next Meeting of the Members June 19th 6:00 Stonebridge Clubhouse

To All-

First and foremost- we need worker bees and one queen bee for our Stonebridge entrance project at Fletcher Trace and HWY 64. We will be making the flower bed at the entrance more appealing with mulch and flowers. SANA will provide the materials- we need you to provide the labor and tools. We have many talented homeowners who keep their yards up to Eden like status- we need your help to do the same to our main entrance. You have come to the meetings, given $25.oo to the organization, now we need your time next Saturday the 14th from 10-1 or 1-4.
We are going to park in the back of the parking lot of Kroger and walk to the entrance.
Please bring garden tools, gloves, and the wisdom to know that what we do here is adding equity to your home- three hours of your time can add $$$ to all of our property values.

Do this: RSVP to me at mstanzbury@gmail.com and say- Yes Mike I am coming between 10-1 or 1-4. or No Mike Thank you for the information but I have a previous commitment that I can not break or my (in-law, spouse, child, mother, father, dog, boss, pastor, etc) will be upset with me.

Other notes:

• We are planning a social for all of Stonebridge July 12- more details to come
• We are getting signs made to let all of our homeowners know when the meetings are taking place
• We are assigning members to a beautification committee
• We are assigning member to a membership drive committee
• We are approaching A2H to design entrances and median accents for the future
• Next Meeting is on the 19th at 6:00- See you then-

Respectfully,

Michael S.

Summary from the Board of Directors meeting on May 15, 2008

The first order of business was to address the edits made to the provisional bylaws.

The Official Name of our organization was changed from Concerned Residents Of Stonebridge Subdivision (CROSS) to Stonebridge Area Neighborhood Association (SANA). This change was proposed by the bylaws review committee. The committee made several grammatical edits to the bylaws and changed some verbiage within the Articles to further clarify their meaning. The BOD reviewed and accepted the changes made by the review committee. Additionally, the BOD submitted that an adjustment should be made to Section 6.01 Expenditures. This change has been forwarded back to the Review committee for them to accept, revise, or decline as representatives of the membership. The revised bylaws will be presented for acceptance at the next scheduled members meeting.

THE FIVE FOCUSES OF SANA:
Beautification
Community Relations (Socials)
Safety and Crime
Golf Course News
Communication

Beautification –
It was agreed that the beautification of the Stonebridge entrance at Hwy 64 and Fletcher Trace would be our first project. Contact has been made with different individuals/businesses to make arrangements for materials and design suggestions.

Socials –
Plans were discussed to begin working on our first Stonebridge Area social. This will help our organization achieve one of its largest goals, bringing the community together. The initial plan is to host a Bar-B-Q at the International Harvester building. Meat is to be provided by our organization with side dishes and desserts to be provided by members. Stay tuned for final details and ways to RSVP and sign up for a dish!

Safety and Crime –
The BOD acknowledged that several members wanted to hear SANA address concerns about crime in our community. Discussion was had about what was done in the past and its subsequent success or failure. The BOD will determine ways in which we can take previous success and add in additional measures to aid our community. The most obvious venture is a neighborhood watch. This would require a strong commitment from our entire community, not just of our current members. Further discussions will help the BOD and SANA to develop more complete vision for crime prevention/deterrence.

Golf Course News -
No additional news on the sale of Stonebridge Golf Course (SGC). Michael Stansbury, SANA President, and Troy Wheetley, SANA Secretary, have contacted management at SGC to begin establishing a relationship between our two organizations.

Communication –
A newsletter will be printed and distributed about mid-June. This will be our first official newsletter and will help introduce our community to Stonbridge Area Neighborhood Association. Additionally, it will highlight events and news about what is happening in Lakeland and our community. Don't be surprised when you see some of your neighbors stopping you to hand you a copy of the newsletter.

An email account has been set up to facilitate communication between SANA members and the Board of Directors. The email address is StonebridgeNeighbors@gmail.com. You can send messages of any kind. Got a question, comment, an idea for the newsletter, or to propose projects. The account will be primarily monitored by the Secretary, but with responses from all of the Board members.

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Members Meeting on June 19th

Sincerely,
-----Troy Wheetley, SANA Secretary

Update

To All-

Wanted to quickly update you all on the progress of our organization.
We are currently contacting all of our residents that live in the Stonebridge/Fairway Meadows area by phone and asking for their support by becoming a member of the organization. What is required for membership is an annual fee of $25.00. This money will help us accomplish two of our goals- #1 communicated events, legislation, golf course info, or any news that directly affects our area, #2 we will use this money to beautify our entrances and medians.

We are keeping it very simple-
Some of you that are getting this e-mail have become members- some of you have not yet done so- Here is your opportunity.
Print this e-mail and send it with the following information:

Name:
Address:

E-mail:

Send it to our Treasurer:

Siobhan Mclowgan
3006 Hepplewhite Cv.
Lakeland, TN 38002

Plus a check to: SANA for $25.00

Or wait till I call you and give you more great reasons to join.

--
Michael Stansbury

Board Of Directors Meeting May 15th

The Stonebridge Area Neighborhood Association (SANA) Board of Directors will be meeting at the Stonebridge Club House Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 6:00pm.

The items that will be discussed are as follows:

• Review and Acceptance of Bylaws (modified on April 28th by Review Committee)
• Newsletter - Discuss what content will be in the news letter and when it should be scheduled for mailing
• Proposed Project - Beautification of Stonebridge entrance at Hwy 64 and Fletcher's Trace
• Next Scheduled meetings for Members and Board of Directors.

Troy Wheetley
SANA Secretary

Gaining Steam...

To all of my neighbors,

Thank you for coming to the meeting we had last week. Your efforts in organizing this community are inspiring and Lakeland is starting to take notice. We have started an organization "to enhance the quality of life for the residents of the area of Lakeland know as Stonebridge." This includes the areas of Fletcher Trace and Hwy 64 West border to the Kingsridge/Canada Road East Border- everything South of I-40 and North of Hwy 64- for a look at a map click here.
We are currently:
amending the bylaws of our community organization
changing the name
securing a bank account for the organization (not for profit)
organizing a beautification strategy for our entrances, common areas, and medians
How can you help? We need your dues and contributions. We have set the organization's annual dues at a rate pf $25.00 per year. As of our current bylaws, when you have paid your dues, you are a voting member of this organization. The dues will be used to communicate to the residents via newsletter, postcard, etc on the how we are enhancing stonebridge and report on events, legislation, or developments that affect our community. This is your community and this is how we will make it better. This is the best $25.00 investment for your personal home. The effort that all of us will make will translate into higher property values over time.

We need the effort so we need you.

Please send your check for $25.00 to
CROSS
C/O Siobhan McOlgen
3006 Hepplewhite Cove Lakeland, TN 38002
As of our meeting last week we have elected officers and they are:

Michael Stansbury President mstanzbury@gmail.com 901-461-6045

Tom Pickering Vice President pick1776@aol.com901-387-0461

Siobhan McOlgen Treasurer mailto:msaspen@msn.com%20314-608-2153

Troy Wheeltey Secretary twheetley@gmail.com 901-382-0316

Leah Cook Lay Member leahdukecook@yahoo.com 901-382-7074

Wayne Butler Lay Member wbutler@acosta.com901-380-2700

James D. WalkerLay Member901-386-9109


Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or news that we all need to here.
Respectfully,-

Michael Stansbury

Our values.

To all- Speaking with the Steering committee on Monday, we discussed our real estate values and how undervalued we are. Let me give you an example: In Woodland Park a home closed for $117.00 per sq ft across the street from Canada Road- In Stonebridge 8998 Breckenridge sold for $78.00 per sq ft- So how can we get a consistent over $100.00 per sq ft for homes in Stonebridge? Here are a few ideas:

• Consider their entrance- Woodland Park has a hoa that funds and maintains their entrance. We have an entrance, but no organized way of taking care of it, but soon will!!! If we can beautify our entrances and make it appealing- it will help the values. Not only this- but the landscaping that is on both side Davies Plantation running north through Stonebridge has great potential to bring our community to the higher standard.
• Keep the litter out- The visitors to our community seem to like McDonald's and Bud Light,
  
• Home curb appeal is important too- it sets the tone for what the buyer will see inside- I will post some good examples on the blog- and some bad examples outside of our neighborhood (keeping the peace)
• Master Bath
  This is one room in the house that you can ALMOST go overboard and still get your money back when you sell the home. Refinish or replace the cabinetry, put in new tile and sinks - even install a new, stand-up shower! When (or if) you put your home on the market, you should see a good return on investment.
• Kitchen- New appliances and new counter tops- Granite tops cost (if you go with a builder/generic stone, which look great) will cost $2000-$2800 with under mount sink, new appliances (cost $1500) also a tile back splash will help
  
• Keep the services updates- If your AC or Furnace is over 15 years old- you need to replace it. 10-15 years old, it's a good idea to replace the condensing unit unless it you have kept it serviced every year. (keep those coils clean and a new one will last much longer)

• Paint!!!
  It's fairly obvious, but painting your home modern, neutral colors makes a difference in the appearance of the home. And when you factor in the cost - roughly $1.75/s.f. - it would be mistake to forego painting your home when you decide it's time to modernize it. If you're planning on staying in the home for some time, paint it whatever colors you wish, but plan on repainting right before it's time to put it up for sale. If you plan on updating your home in order to sell it, go with neutral colors so that it will appeal to the widest audience.

• Put in Wood Laminate Floors- The products for laminates are getting better and better- the warranty's are great and the installation is easy. Costco has some great products and our local flooring company, Tim Hogan Abbey Carpets has this new Armstrong line that is worth every penny.

I also would like to invite you to an Open House on Saturday from 2:00-4:00 at 9600 Pine Point, take Canada road North and Pine Point is on your right. We rehabbed the home and used some of the same strategies talked about above. If you like Flip that House- than you will like seeing what we did to this home. If that doesn't get you to come- we will have cookies there too. I love free food. Look out for your postcards on the meeting next week- they will be coming Saturday and Monday. If you need any help with the above- let me know ,I use good contractors for the work.

Mike S.

Steering Committee Meeting Update/We Need Door to Door Volunteers!

To All-

We had a steering committee update today-

Here is some information from the meeting:

• We are informally calling our organization Concerned Residents of Stonebridge Subdivision or C.R.O.S.S.
• Our purpose is to mutually support the quality of life in the community of Stonebridge
• We are sending out postcards to all Stonebridge residents for the meeting next Thursday at the Stonebridge Golf Course
• The members of C.R.O.S.S. are defined as residents who pay the annual fee of $10.00. This entitles that member to voting rights

Here is the agenda for the meeting next Thursday:

Where: Stonebridge Golf Clubhouse

When: 6:30 April 17^th

Who: Residents of Stonebridge

Why: To mutually support the quality of life in the Stonebridge Community

Agenda Items:

• Golf Course Update
• Beautification
• Neighborhood Watch/Crime
• Bylaw Ratification
• Nomination of Officers
• Setting dues/Receiving Contributions

For more information cal 461-6045 or e-mail mstanzbury@gmail.com

Call to Action! Please volunteer to go door to door- Show up at the golf course parking lot at 5:15 on Monday April 14th- We will have flyers to send out and a plan of where you need to go door to door. I appreciate all your help!