Sherwood Forest

August 2003

Aug 02, 2003

WE ARE HAVING ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD PARTY!

Plan on joining your friends and neighbors for a cook-out on Saturday, August 16 from 2 to 6 p.m. at 19235 Canterbury. Chicken, hot dogs and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Bring a favorite item to grill. Grills will be set up and hot when you arrive. Also bring a specialty summer side dish to pass, such as a salad or dessert. You may want to bring a favorite lawn chair as well. This is a family event, and children are welcome.


Our first party, in April, at the home of Emma and Orville Foster, was so much fun that we decided we didn't want to wait too long before having another. What better way to celebrate summer than by cooking outside at the home of one of our Sherwood Forest neighbors on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? Please join us.

Our hosts for the August 16 event are:

Sharon Rhodes, 19235 Canterbury
Debbie Dickens, 19207 Warrington
Nicola Blackman, 19185 Warrington

THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS ABLOOM, AND IT IS NO ACCIDENT

Sherwood Forest looks particularly beautiful in summer thanks to the hard work of our many residents, some of whom maintain not only their own yards but our pocket parks as well. The following residents have purchased and planted flowers and shrubs in our pocket parks and around our Sherwood Forest signs, trimmed, watered and removed debris on a regular basis this summer: Ernest Thompson, Marry Ellen and Eugene Benson, Mary and Ernest Stallings, Pat Shay, Gail Rodwan, Barbara Krenitsky, Herbert Dipple and Shannon Munn. Our special thanks to these good neighbors and to any others whose names we may not know who are contributing to the overall beauty of our community.

At the same time that we thank those neighbors who are making special contributions to the appearance of the neighborhood, we must acknowledge that all is not well. Too many of our residents are not mowing their lawns regularly, not picking up debris, and not storing their courville garbage containers at a place on their property where the containers are invisible from the street. Even one eyesore in the neighborhood diminishes the whole neighborhood. Please be a contributor to, not a detractor from, the high standard of maintenance that we have come to appreciate in Sherwood Forest.

CARS ON THE STREET

We often remind residents in winter editions of the Tattler to keep their cars off the street in order to facilitate street snow removal. However, this is not a seasonal concern. It is equally important to keep our streets free of parked cars in summer, when children are out of school riding their bikes and playing games in the street. This is both a safety concern and an aesthetic concern. We have a long tradition in Sherwood Forest of encouraging neighbors to park in their garages and driveways, but not on the streets. We think it is a tradition worth keeping, and we encourage your cooperation.

A TALE OF TWO NEIGHBORS

Two neighbors recently asked us to share their unhappy experiences with area workmen in the hope that others in the community will be forewarned.

One resident reported that she hired a man to do major work on her property, including the installation of new windows. She paid him an extra $1,600 to get the necessary permits from the city, as well as the approval of the Detroit Historic Commission. She later learned that the man had not registered with the city to obtain permits, had in fact obtained no permits for the work he had done on her property, and had not contacted the Detroit Historic Commission to obtain its approval for the work. Our resident cautions that before work begins a homeowner should insist on seeing all necessary paperwork, including building permits and Certificates of Appropriateness. THERE IS NO FEE OF ANY KIND WHEN SEEKING THE APPROVAL OF THE DETROIT HISTORIC COMMISSION.

While the homeowner asked that no names be included in this article, we do note that the workman in questions was once on the "This Old House" list, but his name has been removed.

A second resident wants to warn neighbors about Big Dave's Tree Service of St. Clair Shores. This company was working on a neighbor's property when the homeowner requested a few wood chips for her yard. The employee said he would bring some to her home when he finished the job he was working on. Later that day, he dumped a pile of wood chips over nine feet high directly in front of her garage and then refused to move them! The homeowner had to pay over $400 to have them removed by someone else. She took Big Dave's Tree Service to court and won a judgment against the company, but has been unable to collect on the judgment. She reports that she still sees Big Dave's truck working in the Sherwood Forest-Greenacres area. This company has never been on the "This Old House" list.


CHANGES IN BULK COLLECTION SCHEDULE

In an effort to keep our city cleaner and make trash collection more effective and cost-efficient, the Department of Public Works (DPW) has devised a new citywide plan for refuse and bulk collection. The new plan will take effect on June 30, 2003. Our regular Thursday trash pick-up day does not change. However, our bulk pick-up day changes to the fourth Monday of each month. This means that July 28 and August 25 are our next two bulk pick-up dates. Yard waste is to be placed in clear plastic bags.

If the following holidays fall on the fourth Monday of the month, bulk pick-up will be on Tuesday instead of Monday: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day. If any one of these holidays is on or before our regular Thursday trash day, regular trash will be picked up on Friday of that week.

If you have questions about this new schedule, call the DPW's special hotline at (313) 870-5100.


HOME IMPROVMENTS IN OUR
HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD

If you are considering a change that would alter the exterior appearance of your home, our new historic status requires that you check with the Detroit Historic Commission office at (313) 224-6536 before you begin. For example, a new front porch or steps, a new sidewalk or door, significant landscaping (such as removal of trees or large shrubs), or new paint or roof color must be within the Secretary of Interior guidelines. A quick phone call to the commission office may be all that is necessary. Simple repairs costing less than $3,000 do not require approval.
The plus in all this is that these expenses can then be included in your application for a 25% state income tax credit.

Questions? Call Sue McMillan at (313) 862-6366.


NUMBERS AND WEB ADDRESSES
THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

www.michigan.gov/westnilevirus - Up-to-date information on West Nile Virus in Michigan.

www.focushope.edu - For information about the October 12 walk and other events. Focus: HOPE is celebration its 35th anniversary this year.

www.detroitjazzfest.com - For information about the 2003 Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival, North America's largest free jazz event, which will be held Labor Day weekend at Hart Plaza.

www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest - To read this Tattler, the most up-to-date version of the "This Old House" list, the new Sherwood Forest Business Directory, the Community Calendar of Events and so much more.

(313) 267-7401 - Detroit Water and Sewerage Department's 24-hour number for reporting emergencies such as flooded streets and basements, missing manhole covers or water main breaks.


MORE THANKS

To Sylvia and Verne Brown for their many contributions to the success of the June 5 Historic Designation Celebration at the Detroit Historical Museum.


OUR NEIGHBORHOOD LISTS

Enclosed with this Tattler is an updated "This Old House" list. E-mail subscribers can access the list by going to
www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/swoodforest and clicking on "This Old House." The on-line list is updated regularly. We welcome your recommendations for additions to the list. E-mail subscribers can access our new business directory by going to the web page and clicking on "Sherwood Forest Business Directory." We solicit new entries for this list, which is just in the process of being developed. If you live in Sherwood Forest, are a member of the Sherwood Forest Association and the Patrol, and own a business that you would like your neighbors to know about, just send the information you want included on the list to: rodwan@sbcglobal.net.

If you are not now, but would like to become, an e-mail subscriber, or if you are an e-mail subscriber who has changed your e-mail address in the last two months, please let me know by e-mail at the above address.

Gail Rodwan


Let's Meet at the
Neighborhood Cook-Out
on Canterbury
Saturday, August 16,
2-6 P.M.