Tuesday, August 07, 2007

The Neighbourhood Association

I'm sure that neighbourhood associations serve a necessary function....

(still thinking.....)

(thinking some more....)

(nope...it's not coming to me)

Well, anyway, somebody thought up the idea and it has caught on, so a lot of people must think they are A Good Thing.

On of the reasons Addy and Paul chose this house was that it was a nice neighbourhood WITHOUT a N.A.

That was then, and this is now, and there is a very aggressive group. For a long time, we were getting flyers on our door several times a week. Now, thank goodness, they have switched to email.

And monthly canvassing.

And little signs all over.

They wanted us to either be in or get out and watch a 4th of July parade. They remind us when it's Flag Day. They look for volunteers for the Beautification Committee. Now it's National Night Out. We are supposed to brave the heat and mosquitoes to sit outside and pretend it's the 1950's.

Next thing you know, they will be sending a Dennis Rader around to measure the grass.

As Addy would say,

"Piffle."

11 comments:

  1. I think that N.A.s are terrible..i can't think of one reason they are good either..
    I know some people that actually get fined if they don't comply when they get letters that tell them they have to do something like paint a part of the house that might need it, or mow there law in a timely manner!
    There is one family i know that can not park a "truck" in their driveway overnight can you believe that?you can leave a car there but your truck has to be garaged..
    I think they would rather get those fliers that asked them to go to outings ect.! lol
    I would hate it if i lived where someone "told" me what i could or couldn't do!It seems communistic to me.
    (lol the grass thing!probably not too far off there!)

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  2. OMG! Tell them you don't want to play anymore, Ronni.

    I'd feel like renting the house to Hillbillies. Or, would that not be allowed?

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  3. Most of the houses are still occupied by the same people who were here 25 years ago. Then, they bought here because we are within walking distance of the elementary, middle, and high school. Now they are retired people. They are nice tract houses, mostly stone-faced, mostly one-storey. Most people keep their yards looking nice, and there are a lot of big trees. Because the houses pre-date the McMansions, it is not considered as "nice" as it once was, and hence the aggressive NA.

    Very annoying.

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  4. Retired, huh? So, that's where they get all this time to meddle!?

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  5. I have no idea what sort of neighborhoods y'all live in but it's probably a lot richer than mine.

    Our N.A.s here do a lot of good work but then we're in the city and probably deal with different things to worry about. We don't require anyone to do anything. We ask people if they wish to participate. We sponsor activities for the children and senior citizens. We do neighborhood cleanups, have a neighborhood watch program (there's a gang problem in our city)and help the elderly and handicapped with their home maintenance.

    We have a citywide council of neighborhoods where we work with each other to share problems and with the mayor's office to make our city a safer, better place. Nitpickers are not welcome because we haven't time for that; however, we will turn in an absentee landlord who doesn't keep up his property. We also do grassroots political things like voter registration and meet the Candidates nights. The Mayor loves us. We're doing something instead of complaining.

    It isn't fair to say all neighborhood associations are bad because they aren't all the same.

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  6. Touché, Kay. You are absolutely right. There are places where they do a lot of good. This doesn't seem to be one of them.

    This neighbourhood was somewhat upscale when it was built, however, the town has grown so much that it is now actually below the median in property value. I think that's what the N.A. is trying to fight.

    If they would do something about getting folks out to vote, I'd not look at them with such a jaded eye.

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  7. Kay, your Neighbourhood at least sounds like it is doing something constructive. Ronni's just sounds really annoying.

    Our homes are our castles. We shouldn't have to feel they belong to someone else.

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  8. I live in a poor to middle class area where some of us do just fine and others not so fine and need help. I'm not so fine but I manage as I'm old and good at scrimping. We had free art lessons for the kids this summer and they designed a mural dedicated to world peace and unity -- starting right in your own neighborhood. The instructor told me how it really pulled the kids together. It's being displayed all summer around the city including City Hall and my front yard!

    I love the term McMansions -- I much prefer the old stucco house where I live built in the 20s or 30s with it's high ceilings, fireplace and oak woodwork.

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  9. Kay, your house sounds wonderful, and so does your neighbourhood. I love old stucco houses, and high ceilings are the best. I bet you have wood floors, too!

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  10. Off comment I know but I rewally do like the blog's new look.

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  11. Thank you, Nelly! It was time for a change. The available templates are so limited! Of course it took a long time for me to find the customisable fonts and colours...

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