The summer is almost half over already and our 90 degree days have set in now until mid-September. The pool will be open until late September depending on the weather. Our pool volunteers will spring into action in August as we lose our monitors during the week. We will still have lifeguards on the weekends up to and including Labor Day. Hopefully, everyone will police themselves and others to ensure the pool is kept clean. Bob Weber and his team have done a great job this summer with the pool. Thank them when you get a chance as that’s all they get paid…

As every 4th of July comes and goes we are reminded of the day, sometimes for days on end, with loud fireworks being exploded around and in our community. I’m all for some summer fun as long as it’s done safely and does not expose homeowners to continuing the abuse of noise and debris. I will ask the Board to tackle this issue at our next executive meeting. I think with the closeness of the homes in Centennial Commons it’s only a matter of time before something tragic happens.

Our current covenants state there are no fireworks allowed on the common property. If your complaint involves something other than common property, it will need to be directed to Cobb County.

The July Open meeting is canceled and the next meeting date will be August 20 at 7 PM.

I do hope all of you have had a terrific summer so far and enjoy the season for its remaining months. The Board and the volunteers will try to make that happen to the best of our abilities…

Please take the time to read this important information. Thanks!

Don Roach, President

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Easement Update
We had a meeting with the developer at our last Executive meeting and he stated he expected to have the land ready for building homes in 3 months. We asked him if he could take down a stand of trees that still block our view to the northeast and he said he would! He also has removed some trees that are concerns of the residents along Centennial Commons View. He did say that some tree trimming was limited by Cherokee County Arborists. He’s not sure when he will be tapping into our sewer but he will give us a heads up when that occurs. He does not expect it to interfere with our entrance for much more than 4 hours or so…

Pool News
Pool Parties will be on the following dates July 14 and Aug. 18. Pool parties run 4-8 PM with the social committee providing the entertainment, meat, and fixings with plates, napkins etc. You bring a side dish for others to enjoy and make sure you pick up your dish before leaving. Takeouts are not permitted unless the committee is closing and cleaning up and offering the food to the remaining residents. Absolutely no food or drinks are allowed in the pool. Extra lifeguards are employed to handle the larger crowds on these dates. Hope to see you there!

The Front of Your Home
How your home looks affects buyers for your neighbor’s homes. This is why the Board and the ACC has restrictions on the view of our homes. How you maintain those looks depends on exceptions taken by CMA, ACC or the Board. Letters are sent when you are not complying with these reasonable restrictions.

If you are not in agreement you can appeal but the final decision is the Boards and fines will be imposed to get compliance. Please take the time to improve your curb appeal so we don’t have disagreements. Remember any improvements made or changes to your home have to be approved by the ACC first.

What Reasonably Can You Expect
Recently we have had homeowners reach out to the Board and ask us to get involved in various activities that other homeowners are doing that they don’t agree with. That probably is not going to happen. If it’s a dog issue you need to reach out to Cobb County Animal Control. If it’s an illegal activity you need to contact Cobb County Police. If it’s a rule violation you need to contact CMA.

If its destruction of amenities then you need to contact the police or a Board member dependent on the severity of the action. Board members cannot be expected to put themselves in harm’s way trying to fix whatever you’re upset with.

Lastly, if you’re upset with something, be an adult about the situation and calmly describe what is that is bothering you. The Board is not your whipping posts. I have told the members not to take verbal abuse written or orally. If it’s a landscaping issue remember it’s not Kathy that is mowing your yard it’s a vendor. Be mad at the vendor. If the pool is dirty how do you think it got that way? Could be overuse or an equipment malfunction and those are not reasons to blame a Board member, is it? Let’s be civil instead of controversial. Thanks.

Landscaping News
Our next turf treatment (which is free to all residents on their FRONT AND SIDE lawns) will be sometime late July and it likely will be a liquid applied fertilizer.

4 Seasons is still willing to continue offering backyard treatments for $16/treatment but you need to contact their office as soon as you can for consideration of being on the list for the July treatment. The number you need to call is 770-452-4455 and speak to Linda Lane. Those of you that have been getting backyard turf treatments do not need to do anything else.

The pine straw distribution that was scheduled for the 1st or 2nd week of June got significantly delayed due to an industry shortage of the preferred long needled variety of pine straw. The pine straw is now being spread as we write this newsletter and likely be completed by July 12 or 13. The second pine straw distribution (we have two a year) is in December.  The lawn maintenance crew will be doing spot herbicide treatment in the pine straw beds where it won’t endanger your shrubs or plantings throughout the rest of the summer and if you have weeds in among your shrubs please send a message to the CCHOA Website and let me know so we can forward it onto 4 Seasons for them to hand pull. They’ll be on the lookout for these situations but sometimes in the effort to get the yards mowed it is overlooked.

Finally, the next pruning of our shrubs will be about late July or early August. A word of warning to all of our residents concerning pruning issues and edging, 4 Seasons tries to make sure they avoid cables and lines that are easy to see but many times the cable companies do not adequately bury their cables making it impossible for them to avoid. Take some time to check yours and if you see them exposed, please have the cable companies come out and bury them deeper so as to prevent a break in your service.

– Kathy

Homeowners must be present with any visitors using the amenities.
If you or your family bring or allow visitors to use the HOA amenities some adult from your household must be with them continuously while they are using the amenities. We have had numerous occasions of visitors who are unaware of our rules and become offended when we tell them to follow the rules and procedures. Please help us with this issue.

New Game Day For the Ladies
Recently Elaine Drake set up a day once a month for the ladies to get together to chat and play games. The first one was June 28 and I heard it was fun and a success. The next one will be on July 26 at noon. Come and enjoy the comradery. Elaine normally posts the dates, times and particulars on Facebook.

Changes in Renting the Clubhouse
A new rental form is on our website. A new Clubhouse Rental Form has been posted on our website for you to fill out if renting the clubhouse. A few changes that you will see include the hours to hold your event which will be a maximum of 6 hours.

You will still be given all-day access to set up and clean up but the event hours will be limited to 6 hours. Why? We have found events running long have built-in hazards especially if there are children and or alcohol involved. Children tend to get bored after a while and will create their own fun with whatever is available when other activities are not provided. Alcohol use after 6 hours is not safe for anyone and we don’t need the resulting problems that come with that. Additionally, when we looked at other community rentals they limit their times to 4 hours or less.

Another issue will be leaving the clubhouse no later than 11:59 PM. If you overstay your time you could lose your deposit or be charged at the least another day rental. Also, the furniture must stay in the clubhouse and not be put outside the clubhouse. The rolling chairs were purchased at over $700 apiece and we do not need them outside and being used as toys. If you are having participants i.e. young children you may want to use the fold-out tables and chairs for their use.

When you rent the clubhouse, you are responsible for the heating and cooling system. Make sure to return to its original setting. If you change the temperature the system will accommodate your desire and eventually return to the settings we have established when not in use. If you change the temperature and hit “hold”, that temperature will continue until someone releases it. This causes an unnecessary cost to all of us because of the renter not releasing the hold. Your compliance in this is expected and could affect your $200 deposit. Additionally, if you do damage to the facility we need to know immediately. If you don’t notify us we may not be able to repair the damage because of the amount of time that has elapsed, especially with stains. In those cases, you will be assessed the cost of either replacing the property or fixing it.

We believe these changes will preserve the investments we made in the clubhouse and will provide better guidelines for the homeowner renting the facility.

Paper Delivery
There have been some complaints about the Sunday ad papers that are delivered. If you don’t want these ads delivered, call them (AJC) at 404-522-4141 and tell them you want to cease delivery. They will stop delivering.

The following are Previous News Articles but good info…

Tennis Court Usage
The tennis courts are made for playing tennis and pickleball. Any other activities can result in damage to the
courts, nets, and fencing. Skateboarding and roller blades will result in damage to the surface.
Additionally, proper footwear is required to protect the surface and the user. The costs to maintain the courts are
in the thousands and therefore we need to follow the procedures for playing at the courts. Please respect this
amenity.

Pickle Ball
The pickleball group is playing on Saturdays at 9 AM. You can find out more about this group on our website.
You can email Bob Dougherty @ bobron6@bellsouth.net for more information. New players are welcome.
Paddles and balls are provided.

Bunco 6:30 PM
Bunco will not be played during June, July, and August.

Free Library
In the walkway to the fitness room, a bookcase is full of books. The smaller one has children books. You may
take a book to read or you may leave a book for others to read. Feel free to use this trade-off. Tracy Gibson is
the owner of this process you can contact her at tracygibson2004@gmail.com.

Thanks for reading,
Don Roach, President and the Board of Centennial Commons