Community Communication Corner
by Bob Gourley, MyEZCondo Founder, Member of CAI CT Board of Directors

Spring Training Was a Grand Slam!

I want to say a “thank you” to all of the folks who attended “Spring Training”, the CAI CT Trade Show on March 7th, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza in Cromwell. I had the honor of being one of three presenters at the well-attended President’s Club Breakfast. I counted more than 80 association presidents in attendance! Almost 25% of those were newly elected to their posts! I hope you had as much fun as I did and that you are bringing the spirit of that show back to your communities. Congratulations to the folks behind the scenes, the Trade Show Committee, the CAI CT Staff, and the wonderful vendors, volunteers, and others who made the magic happen. If you missed this year’s show, you missed a lot. Don’t worry; we’ll be back next year to do it again. Play Ball!

Telling the Story of Your Community’s Beautification
“I know I’m efficient. Tell me I am beautiful…” I am sure you’ve seen that funny phrase on coffee mugs or novelty T-shirts. The humor can actually describe the importance of keeping your community looking its very best at all times. Landscaping and beautification expenses are a major part of your community association’s budget but explaining how and why money is spent on these items is a very important part of your community’s story and one that your residents should be well-informed about. You may even find that informing them leads to a better community and even some monetary savings.

“Curb appeal” means different things to different people. To a homeowner, it is the overall good feeling they get as they observe their property form the exterior. To a potential buyer, it is the feeling they get that begins the desire process to purchase. To a realtor who is representing a buyer/seller, it is the difference between just showing a home and actually selling it to a prospective buyer. No matter which of these descriptions are used, “curb appeal” can be the difference between a healthy, vibrant community or a community that is just hanging on, like the overgrown weeds in the garden or the cracks in the sidewalks and parking lots.

Just like any other expense, you need to sell owners on the benefits of spending their money on landscaping and beautification. You also need to sell them on the process that is used by the Board and/or Property Management company to determine what work gets done and who does the work. Landscaping is handled by your Property Management company or outsourced to a local contractor. Do you have a committee that advises or oversees the choices that are made? If so, a member of that committee would be a great resource to tell the story of how the decisions are made and how other residents can participate in the future. You would be surprised at how many residents have great ideas about how to keep the property looking great. In many cases you will find a group of residents interested in doing volunteer work to keep the grounds looking their best. You’ll benefit from increased community involvement and, perhaps, a lower cost method of planting, mulching, etc.. You’ll also benefit from increased civic pride.

Let the Good Times Roll – Recreation in your Community
A community that recreates together is much more likely to be healthy and vibrant and less likely to have “neighbor to neighbor” problems like pets and parking issues. This is because no one wants to be a bad neighbor in a close knit community.  If your community provides recreational opportunities like swimming, golf, tennis, a health club or other activities for community members to take advantage of, telling your story may be as simple as posting hours of operation and rules for safe enjoyment. But what if your community does not offer such amenities or you are looking for more ways to involve residents? Are there other recreational activities that can be used to help build a better community? You bet! No cost, low cost ways of having fun are limitless once you set your mind to it. Here is a quick list I made for your consideration.

No Cost

• Walker’s Club (Pick a safe route and plan frequent trips)
• Stroller Club (Mommy or Daddy and baby stroller, pets too! Tour the grounds or pick a route)
• Neighborhood Watch program (http://www.usaonwatch.org/)
• Neighborhood Litter Patrol (Bonus Points for Beautification efforts as well)

Low Cost

• Community Picnic (BYOB, Pot Luck, BBQ, Hot Dogs and Burgers)
• Community Pizza Party
• Community Flower/Vegetable Garden (Plant/Pick Your Own)
• Community Tag Sale (if the rules allow)
• Other Exercise (Hire a trainer, outdoor, weather-permitting – Yoga, Tai Chi, Stretching, etc.)
• Other Clubs or Special Interest Groups from within your community (Card Games, Knitting, etc.)

As you can see, the possibilities are limitless. So, too, are the opportunities to create a more harmonious community through recreation. The more time neighbors spend together, the more likely they are to behave neighborly towards each other in all other facets of community life.

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