PO Box 10646   Kansas City, MO  64188-0646   May 2003

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.

CLUBHOUSE...Have you noticed all of the improvements to your clubhouse? After many years of neglect due mainly to financial restrictions, our clubhouse and guard shack finally has the facelift it desperately needed. Roof leaks were properly taken care of and architectural shingles applied. Many bids were evaluated before the new roof, siding and guttering went up. The guard shack has been in disrepair for years, causing concern for vandalism in the pump equipment area of the pool. After bids were taken, it was replaced as well. All of this information is discussed at monthly board meetings. Don't forget that the clubhouse interior was remodeled in 2001 with the addition of a new deck, making for an attractive alternative for your next party. HOWEVER; the Association is in need of a new Clubhouse Manager THIS MONTH! It is a paying position which requires working with homeowners, taking payments, general upkeep of the clubhouse and reporting to the board on rentals. Please call Clubhouse Co-chair and temporary manager, Jim Upschulte at 734-4908 to leave a message for more information in regards to the position. 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...In past years, vandalism to the clubhouse, pool and parking area have been over $1000/yearly. After installation of two security cameras last year, our vandalism cost was reduced to $0! A third and fourth camera will be installed this summer. Please be aware of what goes on around you when using the amenities-or even as you walk or drive around the neighborhood.

POOL...Our 2003 pool season is quickly approaching. A lot of hours go into opening up the pool successfully -our anticipated open date (if the weather cooperates) is Saturday, May 24th. Hours of operation will be posted on the gate. Anyone who has been to the pool in the past six years knows that a new gate has been needed! There WILL be a new gate installed for this pool season. It will not operate on our standard key system, so the $600.00+ yearly expense of re-keying the lock will not be necessary. As a homeowner, you will need to acquire a card that allows you access to the pool. This card will be kept by you and manually re-activated before pool season each year if dues have been met.
IMPORTANT: Pick up of this gate card will be on MONDAY MAY 19th from 6-8pm in the clubhouse and THURSDAY MAY 22nd from 6-8pm. Sorry, children cannot sign for and pick up this card. It is your responsibility to keep this card from year to year so that costs can be reduced. If lost or damaged, the replacement fee is $20.00.
Please take ten minutes out of your evening to pick up this important card. We will have several lines for pick up so that it moves as quickly as possible. ANY KEYS NOT PICKED UP BY JUNE 30TH WILL BE DEACTIVATED AND WILL COST $20 TO REACTIVATE. Our pool manager this year is Eddie Ibarra. He has experience managing pools such as ours and we are very excited to have him on the team. Assistant manager is Nicole Bradbury.

GARAGE SALE...Thank you to Carolyn McLees and Sarah Leibowitz for organizing our neighborhood Spring garage sale!!! This was their first time tackling this huge undertaking, but they have done a great job. If they had not VOLUNTEERED, there would not be a neighborhood garage sale-THANKS!

GROUNDS...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. As a reminder, 4-wheelers, ATV's, go-carts, dirt bikes, etc. are NOT permitted to be driven in the greenways. Our neighborhood streets are public streets and it is unlawful to drive these vehicles without a permit on the streets. Any traffic related problems should be reported to the Traffic Unit Complaint Office 482-8174. Please contact Pat Gute 734-9061 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. Ask a board member for a copy of these forms. As a reminder, campers, 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 homeowner property-this would include weed control, lawn mowing, refuse disposal, etc. For information, contact Jim Windsor 734-9565.

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