PO Box 10646   Kansas City, MO  64188-0646   October 2002

Welcome to all of the new families that have moved into the neighborhood over the last year! Involvement in your community is very important to the success of the Association. The easiest way to be involved is simply to attend neighborhood board meetings which are held every 2nd Sunday of the month at 7:00pm at the clubhouse. Your attendance, opinions and input are the backbone of our community. We hope this newsletter offers some helpful information for our 261 homeowners.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR...THE ANNUAL MEETING IS SET FOR NOVEMBER 3RD, 2002 @ 7:00pm. ALL HOMEOWNERS IN GOOD STANDING ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND AND VOTE. New board members are needed, if you are interested, please contact a current member.

CLUBHOUSE...Bids are again needed for several much needed repairs to the clubhouse. Siding, renovating the rotting guard shack in pool area, roofing, and steel door replacement on lower level. Please contact Bob Kopp, 734-8446 concerning interest in bidding. Clubhouse projects that were completed this summer include professionally sealing and line painting the parking lot, sealing the new deck, re-painting the Brookings clubhouse sign, and installing a surveillance system on the pool deck area and lower hall of the clubhouse. Multiple thefts, costly vandalism and death of a Kansas City life guard warranted installation of this system. Since installation, there have not been any incidents. There are plenty of open rental times available through the end of the year. Contact clubhouse manager, Lori Reichert at 734-5760 for reservations. A reminder that the rental fee for the clubhouse is $50.00 plus a $100.00 deposit for Brookings homeowners only. The deposit is refunded if the clubhouse clean up is acceptable.

SECURITY... For your information, the Kansas City Police Department's website is : KCPD.org. The North Patrol Division has an e-mail address which you can report suspicious activity and leave comments - northpatrol@kcpd.org (this address is checked once daily). The North Patrol website is : KCPD.org/northpatrol.asp. As businesses and housing developments continue to explode in the Northland, we must be aware that our once quiet neighborhood has the potential for crime. Included in your newsletter is a brochure produced by the KC Police Department which outlines tips to deter auto theft. For home security, follow these simple tips: (1) Know your neighbor! Look out for each other's property when gone on vacation or at work. (2) Know "Officer Friendly" near your street. We have a large number of Police Officers living in New Mark. (3) Leave a timer on lights and stop paper delivery/mail when on vacation (or get your neighbor to pick it up daily). (4) Spread the word to neighbors and friends throughout the neighborhood when you hear of suspicious activity in the area. (5) Do not leave garage doors open. If you have a traffic speed complaint , the number is 482-8180. Since Campbell has become a major cut-through to Sunfresh,etc. the speed limit has been abused. Officers have been monitoring Campbell heavily over the past few months. The speed limit throughout the neighborhood is 25 mph. Consider yourself warned.

POOL...Our 2002 pool season was a success. Parents of children age 15 or older, please pass onto your children that we would like to get leads on lifeguards for the 2003 season now. An hourly wage is paid for life guarding PLUS a bonus if the entire season is worked. Pool manager bids are also being solicited for next season. Experience with pool equipment and staff management is essential. If anyone is interested in lifeguard certification and information regarding employment at our pool, or submitting a bid, contact Kevin Keith 734-5760. Thank you to Jim Upschulte who invested in a vending machine to provide snacks at the pool. A portion of the proceeds from the machine goes directly to the Association.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT...The newly created monthly homeowner parties have been a hit. Jim and Chris Upschulte have done an outstanding job hosting our social events in June, July, plus the Luau and Family Fun Day in September. Thanks to Rob McLees for organizing the crime lab fun. Two fire trucks also came to the clubhouse. The children had a great time following McGruff the crime dog, trying on firefighter's uniforms and soaking everyone with water balloons. The next social clubhouse event is an adult Halloween dinner/costume party on Saturday, November 2nd from 7:00pm-12:00am. Cost is $10.00/person for dinner and sodas. BYOB if you want adult beverages. Proceeds go to the Association. For catering purposes we MUST have an RSVP by October 27th. Please call Chris 734-4908 or Jocelyn 734-5760 to leave a RSVP message (include the number of persons attending). Best male/female costume will be awarded a small prize. Please consider coming to enjoy neighbor fellowship.

GARAGE SALE...Thank you to Stephanie Hummel for organizing our neighborhood Fall garage sale!!! Stephanie has graciously organized this event for a long time. Unfortunately, she has recently moved and will no longer be our resident garage sale organizer. If the neighborhood wishes to continue the Spring and Fall advertised garage sale event, we WILL NEED a volunteer to head this, otherwise, it will not be officially continued. If you are interested, please call Jocelyn Keith at 734-5760.

GROUNDS...As most of you may have noticed, this summer was a tough year to control the overgrowth in the pond. Chemical sprays were used without any effect, so we consulted the Dept. of Conservation for assistance. After stocking the pond with eight mature grass carp (vegetation-eating fish), a noticeable improvement has been made. As a reminder, 4-wheelers, ATV's, go-carts, dirt bikes, etc. are NOT permitted to be driven in the greenway. A notice will be going out soon in your city water bill regarding brush/leaf pickup. Please note: If your normal garbage pick up is on Monday or Tuesday, have all leaves (bagged in brown leaf bags) and brush/limbs (bundled in no longer than 4' x 2' sections) curbside by 7:00am on December 2nd. As a reminder, there is a recycling center for tree limbs, brush and leaves (no grass clippings accepted) at 4707 Deramus. Hours for this facility is Sat. 8-6pm and Sun. 12-6pm. This is a great opportunity to help beautify the neighborhood by trimming your trees, brush and picking up fallen leaves. It is UNACCEPTABLE to rake leaves, sweet gum balls, or other yard waste into the street or sewer drains. ALSO, the greenway is NOT a dumping ground for yard waste. If you witness this, please report it to a board member. Also, if you live on the greenway, we ask that you please consider bundling up any brush or fallen limbs that may be behind your property. If this is done, our mowing service will be able to better accommodate our needs. If you have a bulky item in need of disposal, you may have it taken away at no charge by the city- call 513-3490 to report a pickup. Please contact Mark Reichert 734-8667 for more information regarding grounds.

WEB SITE...New Mark officially has its very own web site! The address is:
www.newmark-brooking.org [Webmaster's note: URL updated]
This site includes information about our neighborhood including restrictions and any upcoming events that affect our community.

RESTRICTIONS...If you are reporting a violation, a form MUST be completed and the complainant MUST attend an Association meeting to discuss the alleged violation in detail. These forms can be found on the website, or ask a board member for a copy. As a reminder, boats, non-operational vehicles, and trailers are not to be stored on your property. Also listed in the New Mark Declarations and restrictions is the general upkeep of homeowners property-this would include weed control, lawn mowing, refuse disposal, etc. For information, contact Don Schulz 734-2637.

LIST OF OFFICERS... [Webmaster's note: see the website's "Board of Directors" page for the current list.]

New Mark Brooking mailing address (for dues, bids, etc.):
New Mark Brooking First Pool Association
P.O. Box 10646
Kansas City, MO 64188-0646

If you are interested in available ad space in the next newsletter, contact Jocelyn Keith at 734-5760.