Dear {Contact_First_Name},

Happy Day 12 of the12 Days of the CAI December Newsletter! Hope you've enjoyed this as much as we have.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

CAI Kentucky

Looking for a new playlist?  Why don't you try this one, themed with house-related songs? Thanks to Renee Aldrich with Paragon for putting it together.

We even made it for you on a Spotify playlist you  can listen to as well. CLICK HERE for that link.

  1. Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  2. Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel
  3. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
  4. The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert
  5. Home – Phillip Phillips
  6. Take Me Home – John Denver
  7. Small Town – John Mellencamp
  8. Home for the Holidays – Perry Como
  9. My Hometown – Bruce Springsteen
  10. A House is Not a Home – Luther Vandross
  11. The house of the Rising Sun – The Animals
  12. Take Me Home – Phil Collins

Check out the plumbing tips here, courtesy of Renee Aldrich with Paragon. For the full article, please CLICK HERE.

#1 Maintain your kitchen sink

#2 Be careful what you flush or pour down the drain!

#3 Clean every drain every month

#4 Use your garbage disposal sparingly

#5 Avoid frozen pipes

#6 Keep a close eye on your water heater

#7 Fix leakingffaucets and showerheads

#8 Check all exposed pipes and appliances for water leaks

#9 Fix leaking toilets

#10 Avoid problems with your washing machine

#11 Water shut off valve
Here are some playground safety tips, courtesy of Edwin Gibson and AllPoints KY.
  1. Check with your insurance agent or agency to verify the playgroud is covered in the event of an accident.
  2. Have a qualified contractor check the playground equipment a few times a year to ensure the equipment is safe for use.
  3. If the playground surface area is mulch, use the special type of playground mulch that is less messy and reduces the impact when children fall.
  4. Have shaded areas and benches or picnic tables where parents and/or care givers can sit and watch the children.
  5. Check with the local city government to verify the playground complies with any and all ordinances, if any. 
  6. Install signs with the appropriate cautions, such as use playground at your own risk and children under a specific age must be accompanied by an adult.  Playground signs at city parks are a good resource for what to include on signs.
  7. Having a trash container available should help keep litter at bay.  However, this also means you’ll need someone to service (empty) the container regulerly which will add cost to the Association budget.  But, then again, the playground itself is a cost to the Association.
  8. Make sure playground equipment is age appropriate.  For example, toddlers shouldn’t be using swings from which they could fall easily.
  9. Be careful when there are children of different ages using the playground.  Allowing older children to play with younger children may lead to accidents if not monitored carefully.
  10. Always keep safety first and foremost in mind when allowing your child or children to use the playground.

Many thanks to the hardworking ladies and gentlemen who provide your CAI Kentucky experience. We operate with a volunteer board of directors, a part-time chapter executive director, and a host of folks working at the national headquarters (featuring two here) who provide support to us. We are always looking for new board members, so please let us know if you are interested.

In the meantime, meet our team.

Deanna McDaniel, President 2020 
deanna@mcdanielins.com

Edwin Gibson, Treasurer 2020
edwin@allpointsky.com

Teresa Langebrake, Secretary 2020
tlangebrake@allianceassociationbank.com

Renee Aldrich, Director 2020
renee@paragonky.com

Allie Richardson, Director 2020
allie.richardson@gmail.com

Jill Robinson, Director 2020
jillrobinson@purofirst.com

Robin Miller, Chapter Executive Director
ced@cai-ky.net

Kelly Schild, Manager at CAI HQ
Kschild@caionline.net

Dawn Bauman, Senior VP of Government and Public Affairs at CAI HQ
dbauman@caionline.net

These cleaning tips are good year-round, but especialy during the Coronavirus and flu season. Special thanks to Purofirst Disaster Services for providing them.

#1 – In the common areas of your HOA, focus on the high-touch areas – handrails, countertops, sinks, bathroom stall doors.

#2 – Use bleach solution or an alcohol solution, then use the soap and water after, especially in a food area.

#3 – When you can’t find professional cleaning products like Lysol or bleach, use soap and hot water. Some cleaning is better than no cleaning.

#4 – The product should sit for :30 to a few minutes to be most effective. Allow the product to airdry, so it can kill the virus. Then go back over it.

#5 – Clean your common areas often throughout the day, especially high-touchpoints. The more times you clean, the better off you’ll be.

#6 – When cleaning your vehicle is important – such as steering wheel, door handles, gearshift, window buttons, volume control for music, air condition and heat buttons, seatbelts.  Consider cleaning your hands before you get back in your car.

#7 – For your personal home (similar to the common areas in the HOA), clean light switches, remotes, doorknobs, cabinet knobs, toilet handles, etc. – any high-touch areas.

#8 – For grocery shopping, wipe your cart handle down. Wipe down your groceries when you get home, especially if you’re using your own reusable bags.

Here are some tips to keep your pond in good shape, courtesy of our friends at Aquatic Control.

  1. Don’t let trees or cattails grow on the dam of your pond.  This can lead to leaks that can be very costly to fix later.  Also, watch out for erosion of the shoreline and muskrats.  Muskrats burrow under the edges of the pond bank and can lead to serious shoreline erosion problems.
  2. Watch out for harmful algae blooms. Keep your pets and family safe. Remember, if the pond turns green, the water is unclean.
  3. Remove fountains in the fall/winter for yearly maintenance. Ice buildup around fountain motors can lead to costly repairs.
  4. Address algae and weed problems early in the spring.  The longer you wait, the harder the task of controlling them becomes. 
  5. Ponds with thick vegetation are more likely to have mosquito problems than ponds with managed vegetation and open water.
  6. Adding aeration will help reduce your risk of fish kill during hot summer months and protect against fall turnover.
  7. Never release live bait into your pond or plant non-native plants in your pond.

We have some tips to help allay your fears related  to running your HOA. Many thanks to Billy Merrifield, Attorney at Law, with Hebel & Hornung, for providing these tips. CLICK HERE for the full article.

#1 - Don't fear Kentucky statutes

#2 - Don't fear filing liens

#3 - Don't fear amending your governing documents

#4 - Don't fear term limits for Board members

#5 - Don't fear using your attorney

#6 - Don't fear Roberts Rule of Order

Here are five ways to make your customers and residents happy while on the phone. These tips are courtesy of the website www.skillsyouneed.com. For the full article, CLICK HERE.

#1 - Adopt a Positive Tone

#2 - Clearly Enunciate

#3 - Be Sincere

#4 - Use Their Name

#5 - Leave the Customer Satisfied

Yum! Here are some recipes to whet your appetite.

Here are two letters you can send through the regular snail (um . . . turtle) mail to your HOA members. Simply cut and paste and edit as you see fit.

AND

There are lots of trees that are perfect to plant in our Zone. Check out THIS HANDY LIST we found on www.louisvillegrows.org.